[sustran] Ten Steps Towards More Sustainable and People-Centred Transport

SUSTRAN Resource Centre sustran at po.jaring.my
Sat Dec 19 12:28:53 JST 1998


Here is an attempt to concisely articulate a SUSTRAN vision in the form of "ten steps" suitable for leaflets and posters, etc. It is an attempt to convey what we mean by the pithy (and perhaps ambiguous) little phrase, "sustainable and people-centred transport".  Any comments are welcomed. 


Ten Steps Towards More Sustainable and People-Centred Transport


Accessibility for all
The purpose of transport policy is to provide access to the contacts, services and goods that we all need in an equitable, low-cost and low-impact way. Transport policy should not simply promote more and more movement at higher and higher speeds. 

Social equity
Almost everywhere, transport priorities serve the poor badly and devote most investment to the mobility of affluent vehicle owners. The negative impacts of transport fall most heavily on disadvantaged people - those living in poverty, people with disabilities, women, the young, the frail elderly and people with insecure housing rights. Social equity demands that highest priority should go to public transport, walking and non-motorised vehicles that are accessible to almost everyone and which have low impacts. 

Ecological sustainability
Both global sustainability and the local environment of settlements are seriously threatened by overuse of private motor vehicles. Local impacts of transport are extreme in many  large cities of Asia but the highly automobile-oriented cities of the USA contribute most per person to global sustainability problems, such as climate change. Places whose transport systems contribute least to environmental damage are those that have the lowest car and motorcycle use and the highest  use of public transport, cycling and walking.

Health and safety
Transport has a major impact on health and safety. Motor vehicles are responsible for around 70% of air pollution in the many of the world's major cities. Worldwide more than 500,000 people are killed every year in road traffic accidents and 50 million are seriously injured. In most developing countries, more than 60% of the victims are pedestrians and other vulnerable road users. Travel is safest in places that provide plentiful public transport and facilities for cyclists and pedestrians. 

Public participation and transparency
Transport planning is always the better for involving the communities who are being planned for. Transparency and open information also help to prevent corrupt practices that hurt the whole society. Traditional transport planning distrusts community involvement and insists that it be left to the "experts". But around the world, more and more community organisations are realising that they can and must take action. 

Economy and low-cost
Too many transport plans are dominated by expensive mega-projects. The most sustainable, people-centred and equitable approaches to transport tend to be low-cost approaches which include restraint of the highest-cost mode of transport - namely the private car. By restraining private cars, poor cities avoid or postpone the need for expensive road investments while retaining high usage of low-cost public transport and NMT. Later, some higher-cost infrastructure, such as urban rail, may eventually become affordable. 

Information and analysis
To take action, communities need to understand the forces that are pushing transport priorities in the wrong directions. They need solid arguments and information to dispel the myths propounded in support of destructive projects and policies. Destructive proposals do not stand up to critical scrutiny. We can all learn from the successes and failures of other campaigns. 

Advocacy
Unless voices are raised from local communities (especially poor communities), pedestrians, bus riders, and NMV users in transport planning, then only the voices of motorists, truckers and big business will be heard by the decision-makers. People's advocacy has made a dramatic difference to transport plans in diverse places, including Tokyo, Karachi, London, Toronto, Mumbai, and Perth. Most trends are still in the wrong direction but the movement to promote alternatives to the private car has gathered momentum in the 1990s and is rapidly becoming mainstream. NGO efforts have even had a positive impact on the transport policies of the World Bank.

Capacity building
There is an urgent need to build capacity and commitment among transport decision-makers to adapt to the new paradigms that are replacing car-oriented mobility planning. Community organisations and NGOs also urgently need help to build their ability to assert their rights to speak up on transport issues, to understand the fundamental issues, and to know where to turn for advice, information, contacts and support in their efforts.

Networking
Networking involves actively making contacts and encouraging information exchange and collaboration while always respecting the independence of diverse participants. The active sharing involved in networking opens up creative opportunities for action and synergy. SUSTRAN is a mechanism to encourage and facilitate networking, not to control or limit it. Through generous networking we can all gain ideas, information, lessons, encouragement, and solidarity with which to further our mutual goals. 

A. Rahman Paul Barter
SUSTRAN Resource Centre
P. O. Box 11501,   
50748 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Tel/Fax: +60 3 274 2590,  E-mail: sustran at po.jaring.my
Web: http://www.geocities.com/RainForest/Canopy/2853/
The SUSTRAN Resource Centre hosts the Secretariat of SUSTRAN 
(the Sustainable Transport Action Network for Asia & the Pacific).




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