[sustran] SUSTRAN #25

[Paul Barter]

Sustainable Transport Action Network for Asia & the Pacific (SUSTRAN)
c/o Asia Pacific 2000, P.O. Box 12544,   50782 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Tel: +603 2559122 ext 2240, Fax: +603 253 2361
E-mail: <umpap at po.jaring.my> or <tkpb at barter.pc.my>

SUSTRAN Flash #25
30 July 1997

Apologies for the long delay since the last flash. As a result this issue
is longer than usual.

CONTENTS
1. Malaysian motorcycle emissions dispute.
2. Traffic, the bane of historic cities.
3. Jakarta triple-deck road-rail plan.
4. Interactive training courses in the Netherlands.
5. Kuala Lumpur bicycle ways.
6. Profile: Thailand Cycling Club.
7. Resources.
8. Conferences and meetings.
9. Quote.
10. Lighter side.

1.  MALAYSIAN MOTORCYCLE INDUSTRY RESISTS EMISSIONS RULES
The Director-General of the Malaysian Department of the Environment (DOE),
Mr Tan Meng Leng, has said that the local motorcycle manufacturing industry
should stop resisting tighter standards on motorcycle emissions.
Negotiations have been going on for 10 years on the issue. The DOE wants to
impose the "Taiwanese Stage II" standards but the industry would prefer the
less stringent European EC standards. However, the DOE argues that the
Taiwanese standards are needed because, like Taiwan, motorcycles account
for more than half of Malaysia's vehicle fleet. The European standards were
framed for countries with very few motorcycles. Dr Tan refuted
manufacturers claims that the technology required to comply with the new
standards did not exist, "They now have several options such as producing
four-stroke instead of two-stroke motorcycles and installing catalytic
converters," he said. He also dismissed industry complaints about the added
costs of meeting the standards, citing the "invisible cost to the people in
terms of health, which will later be borne by the Government and eventually
the public."  He urged the industry to follow the example of the recently
launched "national" motorcycle manufacturer, Modenas, which produces only
four-stroke models. [Source: New Straits Times, Sat. July 19, 1997, p. 7].

2. TRAFFIC, THE BANE OF HISTORIC CITIES
The Asia and West Pacific Network for Urban Conservation (AWPNUC) gave
green transport and SUSTRAN an excellent plug in their latest AWPNUC
newsletter with the following article:
"The explosive growth of motorised transport in the Asia-Pacific region has
led to  intolerable levels of traffic congestion, wasted time, lowered
productivity, noise and  air pollution and a declining quality of life for
many urban residents. The rapid increase in the number of private motor
vehicles wreaks havoc and  destruction on the fragile fabric of historic
urban areas. Heritage buildings, old trees and public spaces are
"sacrificed" for new roads, road-widening and car parking  space.
        Modern commercial buildings and housing, with proper car-access and
car-parking are  publicly perceived as "good" developments, whereas
traditional vernacular  street-fronting buildings are perceived as
obsolete. The viability of traditional  buildings as shops and residences
is impaired due to incessant traffic congestion,  pollution and lack of
pedestrian amenities.
        Most policy-makers and planners in this part of the world just
don't know how to deal with such problems other than zoning entire historic
areas for redevelopment.  One of the key strategies which most European
cities have used to preserve entire historic urban areas is through a
combination of traffic calming, pedestrianisation  and enhancement of
public transport and bicycle access. Fremantle, in Western Australia is one
of the few urban areas in the Asia Pacific which has succeeded in
regenerating its old city centre using pedestrianisation, traffic calming
and improved public transport.
        In the meantime, countries like China and Vietnam, equating the car
with progress and  prosperity, are regrettably forsaking the bicycle and
walking as the primary means of  moving peoples. The impact on their
historic urban areas is all too predictable. To save historic urban areas,
the trend of automobilisation has to be reversed, which  means policies
need to provide for good public transport as well as bicycle and pedestrian
-friendly environments.
        SUSTRAN, a regional network with its secretariat in Kuala Lumpur,
was started in 1995 to demystify the whole complex issue of urban transport
and to rally communities, organisations and individuals to take up local
action on the sustainable and people-centred transport issues."
[AWPNUC Secretariat, 19 Kelawei Road, 10250 Penang, Malaysia. Tel/Fax: +604
226 1358, E-mail: <lubisksn at tm.net.my>]

3. JAKARTA TRIPLE-DECK ROAD-RAIL PLAN
Construction is now due to start on a US$2.4 billion, 23.5 km road and
railway project linking Bintaro in southern Jakarta to Kota (the historic
old centre) in the north. A light rail system will run above a surface road
but below a tollway. The project was awarded by presidential decree without
tender to PT Citra Lamtoro Gung Persada, a company controlled by President
Suharto's eldest daughter, Siti Hardiyanti Rukmana. [Source: New Straits
Times].

4. INTERACTIVE TRAINING COURSES IN THE NETHERLANDS
I-ce, Interface for Cycling Expertise is offering two courses in The
Netherlands in early September; PROVIDING FOR CYCLING, a practical training
course and OLD TOWN NEW TOWN, a study-tour of cycling provision in
Amsterdam and Almere. The courses are scheduled so that interested people
can participate in these courses and then travel to Barcelona in time for
the start of the Velocity conference in 1997. Both the training courses are
intended for those working in the transport field.
* For information on the practicalities: Teatske de Jong, phone:
+31.30.2720468,  fax: +31.30.2710958, e-mail: <teatske at knoware.nl>
* For information on the course contents: Oliver Hatch,  phone: +44.181.6
745 916, fax: +44.181.6 713 386, e-mail: <oh at velo-city.org>
* Information about I-ce:  I-ce, P.O. Box 2476, 3500 GL Utrecht, Email:
<I-ce at cycling.nl>

5. KUALA LUMPUR BICYCLE WAYS
The Kuala Lumpur City Hall has built the country's first dedicated bicycle
ways in the suburban housing area of Wangsa Maju. This pilot project cost
RM800,000 (US$320,000) and includes sheltered bicycle parking at certain
bus stops in the area, which will next year also be served by Light Rail.
Shade trees are being planted along the bikeways. Mayor Tan Sri
Kamaruzzaman Shariff said that RM4 million (US$1.6 million) has been
allocated to build bicycle ways throughout Kuala Lumpur, which has about
1.4 million out of the 3.5 million (or so) people in the Klang Valley
metropolitan area. Developers will be required to provide bicycle ways in
new housing estates. Kamaruzzaman also said that another RM 4 million has
been allocated this year to building and improving facilities for
pedestrians. [Source: The Star newspaper, April 29 and May 3, 1997.]

6. PROFILE: THAILAND CYCLING CLUB (TCC).
The TCC is a non-profit organisation established in March 1991 by bicycle
enthusiasts to promote the use of bicycles in the country. By the end of
1996 it had over 1000 members all over the country. TCC derives its income
from the sale of cycling gear, by organising activities, and from a small
annual membership fee. It circulates a monthly newsletter to members and
organises at least one bicycle trip per month (either whole day or
overnight). For each of the last 5 years the Club has organised a major
bicycle rally in Bangkok to draw attention to the need for bicycle
facilities. As a result of these efforts the city's first bicycle way (4 km
along Prachachuen Road) was launched by the Bangkok Metropolitan Authority
in Nov. 1995. Last year the TCC was awarded a Thailand Tourism Award by the
Tourism Authority of Thailand in the category of "best
conservation/preservation project" for its promotion of tourism by
bicycles. [Contact: Prof. Thongchai Panswad, President, Thailand Cycling
Club (TCC), c/o Environmental Engineering Dept., Chulalongkorn University,
Phyathai, Bangkok 10330, Thailand. Tel: +66 2 218 6669, +66 2 252 7511,
Fax: +66 2 252 7510].

7. RESOURCES
a.  "Accessible Transportation Around the World".
This is the newsletter of Access Exchange International (AEI), which is a
US-based, non-profit organisation devoted to promoting accessible public
transport and paratransit services around the world. AEI works toward this
goal "by promoting appropriate technology, creating demonstration projects,
sponsoring training and exchanges, and increasing awareness of public
transport access issues."  AEI was founded in 1991. The latest edition
highlights initiatives to provide wheelchair-accessible buses in Mexico
City, accessible paratransit in South Africa, and new accessible "London
style" taxis in Singapore. [Contact: Tom Rickert, Access Exchange
International, 112 San Pablo Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94127-1536, USA.
Tel. +1 415 661 6355, Fax: +1 415 661 1543, E-mail:
<globalride-sf at worldnet.at.net>].

b. "Big Cities, Small Means. European Funding for Environment and Urban
Development, an orientation guide for Southern NGOs."
This useful new publication from Both ENDS in the Netherlands is aimed at
Southern NGOs which are concerned with sustainable urban development
projects. It intends to assist NGOs directly in their search for finances
and guides the reader through the labyrinth of policies, eligibility
criteria and application procedures of funding agencies throughout Europe.
Price: DFL 40 or US$25 (including postage). [Contact: Both ENDS, Damrak
28-30, 1012 LJ Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Tel: +31 20 623 0823, Fax: +31
20 620 8049, E-mail: <bothends at antenna.nl>].

c. "Forum News", the newsletter of the International Forum for Rural
Transport and Development (IFRTD) is now posted on IFRTD's web page
<http://www.gn.apc.org/ifrtd>. The latest edition (Vol. 5, Issue 1, July
1997) is on bicycles. It features three particularly inspiring stories. One
is on the success of bicycle-trailers in rural Sri Lanka. Another is on the
rise of a bicycle-taxi industry in the Siaya district in Kenya, near the
Ugandan border. The other is on the inclusion of bicycles in a literacy
campaign targeting women in Puddokottai District in Tamil Nadu in Southern
India. Approximately 50,000 women learnt to ride in one year. Greater
mobility dramatically expanded income generating opportunities but perhaps
more importantly helped many of the women achieve greater independence and
self-respect. [Contact: IFRTD, New Premier House, 150 Southampton Row, 2nd
Floor, London WC1B 5AL, United Kingdom. Tel: +44 171 278 3670, Fax: +44 171
2786880, E-mail: <ifrtd at gn.apc.org>].

d. Documentation from Karachi's Urban Resource Centre
The Urban Resource Centre (URC) of Karachi is actively involved in a number
of transport issues in the city. A number of documents are available on
these from URC.
                a. URC Publications
Karachi Mass Transit Plan: Citizen's Concerns and Possible Alternatives:
October 1994   (46 pages).
Lyari Expressway: Environmental Cost and Alternatives (70 pages)
                b. Dossiers of Press Clippings:
Karachi Mass Transit Plan, Vol. I (70 pages) and Vol II (75 pages)
Karachi Transport and Traffic Management (120 pages)
Lyari Expressway (70 pages)
[Contact: Karachi Urban Resource Centre, 14 Sixth Floor Clinic Tower Rimpa
Plaza M.A. Jinnah Road, Karachi, Pakistan.  Tel. +92 21 7722861].

e. "Urban Transport and Mass Transit: Proceedings of the Regional Policy
Seminar on Urban Transport and Mass Transit, New Delhi, 14-17 October
1996", published by CITYNET. [Contact: CITYNET Secretariat, International
Organisations Center, 5F, Pacifico-Yokohama, 1-1-1 Minato Mirai, Nishi-ku,
Yokohama 220, Japan. Tel: +81 45 223 2161, Fax: +81 45 223 2162, e-mail:
<citynet at po.iijnet.or.jp>, Web: http://www.city.yokohama.jp].

f.  The Multinationals Resource Center (MRC) is a non-profit organization
founded by U.S. consumer activist Ralph Nader to provide workers,
environmental activists, consumer groups and local journalists in
less-industrialized countries with crucial information for their research
and campaigns. They specialize in information about U.S. based
multinational companies, but can help answer a variety of environmental,
consumer and labour related questions. They can provide information such as
the history of a company, health impacts of specific products or
technologies, regulations in the west for specific industries, other groups
confronting the same industry, approaches for dealing with multinational
companies, and much more. Please contact them if you need any help getting
information for campaigns. There is no charge for the service to the
above-mentioned target groups.
[Contact: Multinationals Resource Center, P.O. Box 19405, Washington, D.C.
20036, USA.  Phone: +1 202-387-8030,  Fax: +1 202-234-5176, Email:
<mrc at essential.org>].

g. The International Institute for Energy Conservation (IIEC) has a number
of useful documents on transport issues in Asia, Latin America, and Europe.
A list and ordering information are on their web site at
<http://www.iiec.org>.

8. CONFERENCES AND MEETINGS
a.  Regional Non-Motorised Transport Meeting in Dhaka, 4-6 August, 1997.
This meeting is associated with the project "Integration of Non-Motorised
Transport (NMT) in Dhaka, Bangladesh" initiated by UN-ESCAP and UNDP.
Representatives have been invited from research organisations and from
cities which were featured in the study, "Non-motorised Vehicles in Ten
Asian Cities" which was published in 1995 by the World Bank.  For more
information on the meeting and the Dhaka project, contact: Dr M.
Rahmatullah, Director, Transport, Communications and Tourism Division,
UN-ESCAP, Rajadamnern Avenue, Bangkok 10200, Thailand. Fax: +662 2881000.

b. CityNet '97 Yokohama Congress (Strengthening Partnership among
Asia-Pacific Cities), 22-25 November 1997. The purpose of the congress is
to further strengthen partnerships among various urban stakeholders,
particularly between local governments and NGOs. [Contact: CITYNET
Secretariat, International Organisations Center, 5F, Pacifico-Yokohama,
1-1-1 Minato Mirai, Nishi-ku, Yokohama 220, Japan. Tel: +81 45 223 2161,
Fax: +81 45 223 2162, e-mail: <citynet at po.iijnet.or.jp>, Web:
http://www.city.yokohama.jp].

c. First Asia Pacific Conference on Transportation and the Environment
(Technologies for transportation management and infrastructure development
ensuring environmentally and economically sustainable growth), 13-15 May
1998, Singapore. Contact: Dr. T.F. Fwa, Transportation Resource Centre, c/o
Department of Civil Engineering, National University of Singapore, 10 Kent
Ridge Crescent, Singapore 119260. Tel: +65 7770170, Fax: +65 7770994.

d. TRANSED '98, 8th International Conference on Mobility and Transport for
Elderly and Disabled People ("Setting the Pace"), 21-24 September 1998,
Perth, Australia. TRANSED is the premier international event on accessible
transport issues. Contact: Indomed, 144 Northwood Street, Leederville 6007,
Western Australia, Tel: +618 93882241, Fax: +618 93882245, E-mail:
<indomed at psinet.net.au>, Web:  <http://psinet.net.au/~indomed>

9. QUOTE
"Now, if one were to pull out a gun and fired it straight down Mirpur Road
in Dhaka, would it be possible to blame the imminent death of a passerby on
his or her stupidity and lack of education? Yet, analogously, that is the
argument made by many drivers who hurl curses at the unfortunate
rickshaw-wallah who gets in the way of their speed fix."  (E.W. Guo, of the
UNDP, Bangladesh, cited in HIMAL South Asia magazine, Jan/Feb. 1997, p.
46).

10. LIGHTER SIDE
The item on historic cities above reminded me of this quotation.
"Venice's maze of walkways and water streets is anathema to the motorist
who pines for the day when he (sic) will be able to drive his car right
into Piazza San Marco, the world's most gorgeous parking lot, albeit lying
fallow through the years."  Bernard Rudofsky (1969) in "Streets for People:
A Primer for Americans", p.64, as the caption for a photograph showing the
superb pedestrian-friendly spaces of renaissance Venice.

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Please feel free to pass this on to anyone who may be interested.

A. Rahman Paul Barter
<tkpb at barter.pc.my>

The Sustainable Transport Action Network for Asia & the Pacific (SUSTRAN)
is dedicated to promoting transport policies and investments which foster
accessibility for all; social equity; ecological sustainability; health and
safety; public participation; and high quality of life.