A few decades ago, life
was pretty different.People joined
offices [be it small proprietorships or even shops] worked there and retired
peacefully.Many commuted by walk and
bicycle, while some preferred Pallavan buses.Travel in a taxi was on exigencies and only the rich owned the few Cars
and twowheelers seen on roads.Offices
were mostly in Parrys area or were situate in that famous road called Mount
Road, the preferred stretch was that part nearer Island Ground to Saffire theatre
complex – that had so many cinema theatres on its curve.
Now as one traverses OMR
aka Rajiv Gandhi Salai – one understands that few miles do not matter much for
the milling crowd – who travel the length and breadth of the city for that
daily bread. If we ever thought that 30
odd kilometres one way was rough and tumble, do read on about Steve
Simoff.
Sometimes people stop to
pick him up. But in this day and age that is not guaranteed; motorists are
suspicious, worried. So on those occasions Steve Simoff’s only real alternative
is to keep walking. All 35 miles if needed. And then he has to get home. The
61-year-old does not think there is anything that extraordinary about his
commute, or that of James Robertson from Detroit, who whose story became
international news last month when it was revealed that he been making 21 mile
round trip to his factory job for many years.
Mr Simoff, from Davis
City, Iowa, works at the Lakeside Casino in Osceola where he does the night
shift as a janitor. To understand it, it
is the job of cleaning and maintenance of buildings such as hospitals, schools
and residential accommodation. Janitors' primary responsibility is as a
cleaner. In some cases they will also carry out maintenance and security duties.
His regular shift starts at 11pm and so
he sets off on foot most days at 3.30pm. Apart from two fifteen minute breaks,
he spends his shift on his feet. He earns $9.07 an hour. He wife receives
disability benefit after suffering a stroke.
He said that he never
thumbed for a ride but that people stopped to give him a lift, some of the way,
three days of five. He said that Sundays were the trickiest as there was less
traffic on the road. He told the newspaper he estimated he walked an average of
four hours every day and wears out his shoes every two months. Mr Simoff lives with his wife, Renee, and
their grandson, Steven, whom they adopted. Recently they bought a car but
struggle to pay for the petrol. The reason they live in Davis City is the
affordable rent – just $400 a month.
The story of Mr
Robertson’s walk to his factory resulted in an outpouring of public admiration,
matched by $350,000 in donations. The money has made life easier for him, but
he has had to move out of his home for safety reasons. Mr Simoff told the
newspaper he has no plans at this stage to change his routine. “If I don’t get
to work, bills don’t get paid,” he said. “As long as my two feet are good and
my health is good, I don't think I'll change.”
Distances are shrinking
and elsewhere is the news of UK Govt backing plans to build a spaceport for
commercial spaceflight, hoping to eventually offer cosmic flights from Newquay
or Glasgow that will be faster than HS2. Glasgow to Sydney is 10514 miles. It is hoped that the new ports will become
hubs for commercial flights into space, offering trips into the cosmos as well
as super-fast round the world flights. Companies involved in developing such
technology hope that space planes will eventually be able to fly to Australia
in two hours. That could mean a journey from the new port to Sydney would be
quicker than a trip to Manchester. Even under the High Speed 2 railway — the
Government’s other big transport plan — journey times while traveling around
the UK on the train will be comparable with those traveling into space and
other places in the world through the spaceport.
“Launching satellites and
operating commercial space flights from our shores was once only confined to
the depths of science fiction,” said Vince Cable, the business secretary. “But
with the results of this consultation we are one step closer to making this a
very real ability in the near future.” The new spaceport, built like an airport
but accommodating planes meant for jetting into space, is part of the
Government’s plans to become a world-leader in commercial space travel. The UK
hopes that it will be able to attract companies like Virgin Galactic and
competitor XCOR Aerospace to eventually fly from the site.
The Government also
narrowed the list of potential locations. The shortlisted locations are
Campbeltown, Glasgow and Stornoway in Scotland, Newquay in England and Llanbedr
in Wales. The plan could use an RAF base near Fife as a temporary facility.
With regards – S.
Sampathkumar
4th Mar 2015.
Inputs acknowledged : http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/
