[sustran] Non-Motorised Transport and Related Issues

[Paul Barter]

Ramon Fernan wrote, in response to the mention of forthcoming "South
cycling studies":
>South realities:
>1. Would love to get them so we can learn from the studies (including that
>new book ... forgot the title).
>2. Don't have the money to do so.
>Just a reality check.

This raises an important issue for those in lower income countries trying
to gain access to the latest information. The internet is now one way but
it can't replace the need for journals and green transport documents on
paper. There is a great need for discounts for developing country
subscribers. I know that some relevant publications ARE offered very
cheaply or free to South organisations. An example is the NY-based,
Institute for Transportation and Development Policy and their useful
magazine, "Sustainable Transport". Obviously much more needs to be done to
get good information to where it is most needed. SUSTRAN has been making a
start on this and hopes to do much more. Suggestions welcome.

Ramon Fernan wrote, about the TRB committee invitation from V. Setty Pendakur:
>It's great to have developed country consultants and "experts" getting
>together about developing country NMT-related issues.

Ramon also wrote, later:
>If no one else
>finds developed country experts (mostly since people in developing countries
>probably find it financially difficult to travel esp. to the USA) talking
>about developing country problems ironic, well. . .

By the way, my impression (perhaps wrong?) of the "Standing Committee on
Non-Motorised Transport and Related Issues in Developing Countries" at the
Washington Transportation Research Board (TRB) meetings is that it involves
a good number of developing country (or at least non-western) people too. I
suspect many students from the South who are studying in the US may also
attend. So it is not totally illogical to have such an event in
Washington... although I see your point that it might seem a little ironic
:-) There is no getting around these north-south issues I guess. But
nevertheless, the TRB meeting is a very big and influential meeting and I
for one am very pleased that they now have a small part of it devoted to
issues in the parts of the world where most people live.

>We can then hope that
>this filters down to developing country people, eventually, if only to
>correct the motor vehicle biases that our technical people got while
>attending Western academic institutions. What, in ten years or so. Unless
>there is possibility of transferring the technology more quickly? We get
>this impression that our government bureaucrats believe that NMTs are both
>technically unfeasible, economically unviable, and socially unacceptable
>even if they condescendingly nod our way when we advocate NMT.

My imppression is that TRB is very influential and the proceedings are very
widely disseminated. So having progressive developing country issues
discussed there may well be one of the fastest ways to get such ideas to
the top professionals in many countries?? (I could be wrong).  But Ramon
raises an important issue that we should think about. If we want to
encourage a shift in thinking on non-motorised transport and other
sustainable transport ideas among the decision makers in Asia and the
Pacific what approaches and what media should we be using to be most
effective?

One good example might be the posting by Jaap Rijnsburger on 28/5/97. It
was about the South Cycling studies, by local researchers in Nicaragua,
Peru, Ghana, India and China), which were initiated and coordinated by the
NGO Interface for Cycling Expertise (I-ce) and which seems to be one very
very useful approach.... At first glance it looks like a good blend of
using northern monetary resources, disseminating Dutch cycling expertise,
and fostering local researchers and bicycle advocates all at the same time.
I am very interested to hear what comes out of the meeting this week in
Guangzhou.

A. Rahman Paul Barter
Sustainable Transport Action Network for Asia & the Pacific (SUSTRAN)
Until 15 July I am in Perth, Australia.
During that time please reach me at <barter at central.murdoch.edu.au>