Calcutta Bans Cycling

コルカタ自転車を中止

Bicycle commuters make more than 2.5 million trips in Calcutta every day.

More trips are made on bike than in a car.

Why then has the Indian city effectively banned cycling?

Police say the reason is: growing traffic. The roads of the city are often narrow, clogged lanes on which cars, cycles, buses, auto-rickshaws, motorbikes, cycle-rickshaws, hand-pulled rickshaws, and tramcars, and human beings fight for space.

Average traffic speeds just 8 mph-11 mph (14-18 kmph).

Protests are now engulfing the city. Protestors are a combination of rickshaw drivers, environmentalists, and cycling advocates.

For more, read here.

If a heavy-handed government here in Kyoto were to try that, housewives would riot - and the government and police would back down in seconds.

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Kyoto Bans Yakuza Mobsters from Taking Part in Gion Festival

祇園祭暴力団排除へ

Gion Matsuri (Festival), one of Japan's Big Three Festivals - the other two are Osaka's Tenjin Matsuri and Tokyo's Kanda Matsuri - has declared mobsters persona non grata.

As part of a yakuza eradication program, gangsters will not be allowed to pull the large floats and will be denied festival happi coats.

Every year known mobsters have taken part in the festival, usually twenty to thirty such men.

A year ago April, Kyoto city passed an anti-mafia ordinance. In keeping with that, known members of organized criminal organizations will be banned from participating in the festival.

The Festival was first held in 970 C.E., and has only in rare instances not been held.

The climax of Gion Matsuri is on the day of July 17, when the massive floats adorned with tapestries are pulled around the center of the city by teams of men.

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