[sustran] SUSTRAN Flash #24

[Paul Barter]

Sorry to many of you who will be getting this twice (once directly and once
through sustran-discuss).  I will try to avoid this problem for future
SUSTRAN flashes.


Sustainable Transport Action Network for Asia & the Pacific (SUSTRAN)
SUSTRAN Flash #24
23 May 1997

1.  TRANSPORT AT EARTH SUMMIT II NEGOTIATIONS
A transportation caucus has been active at the preparations for the
forthcoming Earth Summit II in New York.  The transportation caucus has
been co-chaired by the Institute of Transport and Development Policy - ITDP
(Deike Peters) and the International Union of Public Transport - UITP
(represented by Andy Anderson of London Transport).

At this stage the Earth Summit II statement which is being negotiated is a
poor reflection of current thinking on sustainable transport and portrays
the increased demand for transportation into the next century as an
inevitability. There are only general statements about making transport
more environmentally friendly, largely through a technological approach.
The Declaration does nothing to challenge the global rapid growth in car
use, the associated demand for energy and raw resources to feed an
automotive dependant society, and does not emphasise the importance of
reducing the need to travel by car and support other modes.

There are a few days left for negotiation in June. If anyone is planning to
attend or can offer help, please contact:  Deike Peters
<mobility at igc.apc.org> or Andy Anderson
<Andy_Anderson at LTPlanning.CCMAIL.CompuServe.COM>.

2. SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORT CAPACITY BUILDING SEMINAR IN BANGKOK
The Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) in
association with the Netherlands Government is organising an intensive
5-day capacity building seminar on Integrated Policy Planning and
Sustainable Transport Development. The seminar will be held in Bangkok on 2
to 6 June 1997, and will draw on the experience of several very senior
resource people from the Netherlands. Practical examples, including the
recent experiences of the Netherlands and Bangkok will be used to
illustrate the concepts of result-oriented, comprehensive, integrated
policy making and its application to transport.
[Contact: Dr M. Rahmatullah, Director, Transport, Communications and
Tourism Division, UN-ESCAP, Fax: +662 280 6042].

3. MELBOURNE ROAD CONTROVERSIES
The Public Transport Users Association (PTUA) in Melbourne, Australia is
leading a coalition of environment groups trying to stop a proposed
American-style ring-freeway around Melbourne. An environment effects
statement is currently being prepared for the "Scoresby Freeway", the first
stage of the road. Around half a dozen well-attended public meetings have
been held on the issue so far. PTUA members (as individuals) are also
involved in court action directed against the private promoters of
Melbourne's giant City Link tollway, which competes directly with public
transport. The court challenge, which seeks to strip the project of
taxation concessions granted by the previous Federal Labor government, will
be heard in the Federal Court in Melbourne on Friday 16 May. A parallel
challenge to the project under the Trade Practices Act is due for a Federal
Court hearing on 11 June.
[Contact: Paul Mees, Public Transport Users Association, Melbourne
<mees at coombs.anu.edu.au>].

4. POLICE ON BICYCLES GATHER MOMENTUM
In its "Cities for Climate Protection" series of case-study information
sheets, the International Council for Local Environment Initiatives (ICLEI)
has profiled the Dayton Bicycle Police Patrol. Officials in this US town
have found that putting some of their police officers on bicycles not only
saves the city a great deal of money and reduces pollution but has also
facilitated very effective policing and has improved the relationship
between police and members of the public. Having police on bikes has also
helped to promote the use of bicycles by other residents. These experiences
have been common to many of the large number of police departments around
the world which have adopted bicycle patrols since the early 1980s
(including 1,200 in North America alone). There are now two international
organisations which are sharing these experiences: the International Police
Mountain Bike Association (IPMBA) and the Law Enforcement Bicyclists
Association (LEBA). Dayton's Bike Patrol and IPMBA have developed a "Police
Cyclist Course" which is being used to train students from law enforcement
agencies worldwide.
[Source: ICLEI Case Study No. 42; Contacts: ICLEI: 8th Floor, East Tower,
City Hall, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5H 2N2, Fax: +1 416 392 1478;  IPMBA,
190 W. Ostend Street, Suite 120, Baltimore, Maryland, USA 212230, Fax: +1
410 539 3496;  LEBA, 1816 North 53rd Street, Seattle, Washington, USA.]

5. SUSTRAN E-MAIL DISCUSSION LIST HAS STARTED
....no need for this item here because you all know this!!

6. MORE CONFERENCES
a.   1998 International Conference on Traffic and Transportation Studies.
July 27-29, Beijing.  Organised by the School of Traffic and
Transportation, Northern Jiaotong University, Beijing 100044, China.
Abstracts of 500 words are requested by 20 August, 1997. [Contact:
<bhmao at center.njtu.edu.cn>].

b.   The 2nd Conference of Hong Kong Society for Transportation Studies
December 6, 1997. Deadline for submission of 400-500 word abstract is 31
May 1997. [Contact: Dr. William H.K. Lam, Department of Civil & Structural
Engineering, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong
Kong, Fax:  +852 2334 6389,  e-mail:  <cehklam at hkpucc.polyu.edu.hk>].

c.   The first International Trails and Greenways Conference, San Diego
January 28-31, 1998, organised by the Rails to Trails Conservancy, a
US-based organisation dedicated to creating integrated trail networks from
former rail corridors and other open space.  [Contact:
<rtcconf at transact.org>].

7. QUICK FACTS
Premium Gasoline Prices at the Pump (in approx. $US per litre, 1993):
(apologies for out of date data. Maybe we can update this collectively?)

Japan $1.33; Netherlands $1.14; Hong Kong, France $1.06;
UK $0.92; South Korea $0.77; Singapore $0.69;  Taiwan $0.61;
New Zealand $0.57; Australia $0.49; Malaysia $0.41;
Philippines, Indonesia, United States $0.36;
Thailand $0.30; China $0.28

[Source: graph in World Bank (1996) Sustainable Transport: Priorities for
Policy Reform, p. 92).

8. LIGHTER SIDE
Carl Reiner:  "What was the main mode of transportation 2000 years ago?"
Mel Brooks:  "Fear."
>From  "The 2000 Year Old Man".

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A. Rahman Paul Barter
Sustainable Transport Action Network for Asia & the Pacific (SUSTRAN)
PLEASE NOTE: From 19 May until 15 July I am in Perth, Australia.
During that time please reach me at <barter at central.murdoch.edu.au>