[sustran] SUSTRAN News Flash #29

[Paul Barter]

Sustainable Transport Action Network for Asia and 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: <tkpb at barter.pc.my> or <umpap at po.jaring.my>.

SUSTRAN News Flash #29                              3 February 1998

 CONTENTS

1. ARCHIVES FOR OLD FLASHES
2. ASIAN ECONOMIC WOES IMPACTING TRANSPORT
3. GREEN TRANSPORT ADVOCATES MEET WITH GEF OVER DRAFT TRANSPORT POLICY
4. GENDER ISSUES IN RURAL TRANSPORT
5. PILOT PROJECT ON YOUTH ROAD SAFETY IN LAOS: FEEDBACK WANTED
6. EXXON HYPOCRISY ON GLOBAL WARMING
7. TRAFFIC "EVAPORATION" STUDY
8. HUMANE DRIVING
9. RESOURCES
10. EVENTS
11. THE LIGHTER SIDE

1. ARCHIVES FOR OLD FLASHES
You can now automatically get copies of old SUSTRAN News Flashes that you
may have missed.

To get a list of Flashes in the archive, send an e-mail to
<majordomo at jca.ax.apc.org>
with the following in the body of the message:
        get sustran-flash INDEX
        end
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sent to you.

To get a copy of messages in the archive:
Send an e-mail to <majordomo at jca.ax.apc.org>
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         get sustran-flash 3
         get sustran-flash 4
         end
The messages will automatically be sent to you.

2. ASIAN ECONOMIC WOES IMPACTING TRANSPORT
There are numerous transport-related implications of the economic problems
in eastern Asia at the moment. For example, the Economist Intelligence Unit
says car sales in Asia will fall 29 percent this year (70% in Indonesia,
60% in South Korea, a further 37% in Thailand, and 33% in Malaysia). Many
large road projects are on hold. Perhaps the delays may allow time for some
destructive projects to be reassessed. One or two mass transit projects
have also been postponed or have lost financing. Public transport companies
are delaying bus purchases.
        A more politically explosive issue is that fuel prices (in local
currency terms) are rising. Pressure to allow a rise must be building up
even in those countries that control fuel prices. The IMF has required
Indonesia to phase out most of its generous fuel subsidy system. Fuel price
rises or fears of price rises are already beginning to spark intense debate
and strikes by public transport operators (eg. in the Philippines).
Advocates of sustainable and people-centred transport in the region need to
be ready with clear and reasoned responses to this and other issues raised
by the crisis.
        We would like to explore more of the implications of the crisis for
sustainable and people-centred transport policy in detail in coming months.
Comments from readers are invited. There is also some discussion of this
issue on the sustran-discuss list. Please contact the SUSTRAN Secretariat
if you need instructions on how to subscribe to sustran-discuss.

3. GREEN TRANSPORT ADVOCATES MEET WITH GEF
On January 15th a number of sustainable transport advocates, under the
banner of the UN NGO transport caucus, held a meeting with Global
Environment Fund (GEF) staff to comment on the GEF paper "Draft Operational
Program No. 11: Promoting Sustainable Transport Infrastructure." The final
document should be ready by November. The GEF is administered by the World
Bank and focuses on projects in developing countries that aim to reduce
climate change.
        Participants in the meeting included Mr. Ken King, Deputy CEO of
the GEF Secretariat, Mr. Dilip Ahuja, GEF Energy specialist and author of
the draft OP, and a number of other GEF staff members. The sustainable
transport advocates included representatives of the Institute for
Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP), the International Association
of Public Transport (UITP), the TRB International Committee on
Non-Motorised Transport and Related Issues in Developing Countries, the
International Institute for Energy Conservation and the Environmental
Defense Fund. A number of other groups had earlier signed a letter to the
GEF on the issue but were unable to attend.
        The advocates expressed concern about the draft Operational Program
(OP). The key point was that the draft eligibility criteria are too narrow
and too focused on high technology solutions. They explicitly exclude
support for many tested measures such as bicycle lanes and bus lanes,
support for the dissemination of already commercially available public
transit vehicles, and make no mention of non-motorised technologies. It was
felt that the current focus on high-technology alternative-fuel vehicles
was not the right balance for developing countries.
        The advocates stressed the need for an ongoing process for dialogue
between GEF staff and sustainable transport advocates while the OP is
prepared during 1998. The UN Transport Caucus was suggested as coordinating
body for such input. The advocates are now awaiting a formal response from
the GEF and are also preparing their own response to the issues raised in
the meeting.
[Contact: Walter Hook, ITDP, 115 W, 30th St, Suite 1205, New York, NY
10001, USA. Tel. +1 212 629 8001, Fax. +1 212 629 8033, E-mail:
mobility at igc.apc.org].

4. GENDER ISSUES IN RURAL TRANSPORT
An Asian regional workshop on 'Gender Issues in Rural Transport' was held
in Calcutta on the 11-12 of  November , 1997. It was organised by the
International Forum for Rural Transport and Development (IFRTD) in
collaboration with the Centre for Built Environment, Calcutta. [For further
information, contact Ms. Priyanthi Fernando, IFRTD, 150 Southampton Row,
2nd Floor, London WCIB5AL, United Kingdom. Fax: +44 171 278 6880, E-mail:
<ifrtd at gn.apc.org>].

5. PROJECT ON YOUTH ROAD SAFETY IN LAOS: FEEDBACK WANTED
Save the Children Australia in the Lao PDR is initiating a one year pilot
project to improve road safety among youth in Vientiane.  Despite a ratio
of just 1 vehicle for every 26 people, the Lao PDR presently has the
highest rate of road accident fatalities per capita of any ASEAN country
except Vietnam.  Solutions will ultimately involve improvements in both the
driving environment and traffic law enforcement.  But SCA believes a
significant reduction in road accident fatalities can be made by simply
increasing knowledge of safe, courteous, legal driving practices among
young people.  The legal age for driving a motorised vehicle is 18, yet
people who are obviously younger--sometimes significantly younger--can be
seen driving motorcycles in Vientiane every day.  SCA's pilot project will
begin by conducting research to determine what these urban youth already
know and think about road safety.  This data will then serve as a basis for
designing educational materials including a safety pamphlet and video, and
a road safety curriculum for the schools. The project also includes funds
to assist the government in setting up a computerised database on road
accidents, and to stage one or more public road safety events.  SCA
welcomes ideas and suggestions from workers and programs that are trying to
reduce road accidents in their countries.  [Source and Contact: Dr. Anna
Gillespie,  Save the Children Australia, PO Box 2783, Vientiane, Lao PDR;
Tel. (856-21) 31 3837; Fax  (856-21) 41 5432; E-mail:
scauslao at loxinfo.co.th].

6. EXXON HYPOCRISY ON GLOBAL WARMING
US energy and other corporations conducted a public campaign in the US
against the global warming treaty prior to the Kyoto conference, arguing
against developing countries being let off the hook. Exxon was prominent
among the corporations opposing US commitments to reduce emissions unless
developing countries also made commitments. However, the Wall St. Journal
reported in October that Exxon, the world's biggest oil company, had also
urged developing countries to reject the global warming treaty, because
environmental controls would hinder their development.  Speaking at the
15th World Petroleum Congress in Beijing, Exxon chairman Lee Raymond urged
developing countries to use more, not less fossil fuels, and said nature
was to blame for most global warming. Both corporate and environmental
lobbying efforts on the issue now centre on US Senate ratification of the
Kyoto Protocol, which requires the US to reduce greenhouse emissions 7%
below 1990 levels early in the next century.  [Source: Mobilizing the
Region #154, Tri-State Transportation Campaign: 281 Park Ave. South, 2nd
Floor, New York, NY 10010; tel. (212) 777-8181; fax (212) 777-8157; E-mail:
<tstc at tstc.org>; URL: http://www.tstc.org/].

7. TRAFFIC "EVAPORATION" STUDY
The latest edition of New Scientist magazine highlights a forthcoming study
into the effects of road closures on traffic. The study by researchers led
by Phil Goodwin of University College London is due out next month but is
already causing a stir. The draft report suggests that on average 20 per
cent of the traffic that used a road seems to "evaporate" after the road
has been closed. The study was commissioned by London Transport and the UK
Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions. The team analysed
60 cases worldwide where roads had been closed (or their ability to carry
traffic significantly reduced). In some cases up to 60 per cent of the
traffic vanishes. The examples studied by Goodwin's team were mostly in
urban areas. In many cases, congestion on neighbouring routes was feared
but never occurred. But where did the traffic go? The report suggests that
individuals often have considerable flexibility in their transport choices
(such as the mode of travel, when to travel, and even whether to travel at
all). This flexibility allows people to cope with road closures. These
results imply that there could be much greater scope for traffic restraint
than has previously been assumed. [Source: "Roadblocks ahead" by Mick
Hamer, New Scientist, 24 January 1998. URL:  http://www.newscientist.com/
ns/980124/news.html].

8. HUMANE DRIVING
A driving School with a difference was opened in Berlin. "Verkehr Human"
teaches drivers to use their vehicles in a way that saves on fuel, produces
fewer harmful emissions, and respects other road users. It is run by Lothar
Taubert, a driving instructor who has researched environmentally sound
driving methods at the Technical University in Berlin. He also encourages
drivers to say hello to cyclists when stopped at red lights "because the
cyclist may need a bit of cheering up!" [Source: T&E Bulletin, T&E
Secretariat, BD de Waterloo, 34, 1000 Bruxelles, Belgium. Tel: +32 2 502
9909; Fax: +32 2 502 9908; E-mail: <tande at knooppunt.be>;  Verkehr human
Fax: +49 30 6981 0011].

9. RESOURCES
a.  NMT News
NMT News is a newsletter published twice yearly by the Transportation
Research Board Committee on Non-motorised Transport and Related Issues in
Developing Countries. The most recent edition of this newsletter (Vol. 4,
No. 2, Fall/Winter 1997) included (among others) articles on NMT in Peru;
on the Bicycle Boom in Germany; and on the improvement of cycle carts for
recyclable waste collection in Santiago de Chile. [Contacts: For
SUBMISSIONS - Chair of the Editorial Committee, Dharm Guruswamy, Apogee
Research Inc., 4350 East-West Highway, Suite 600, Bethesda, MD, USA 20814;
E-mail: guruswam at apogee-us.com; For SUBSCRIPTIONS - Maggie Cusack, NY State
Department of Transportation, Albany, New York, USA 12232. Tel. +1 518 457
8361, Fax. +1 518 457 7535, E-mail: mcusack at gw.dot. state.ny.us].

b.  Integrated Transport Planning: Beginner's Handbook for Policy Makers,
Technicians & Citizens
by the International Institute for Energy Conservation, Transport Program,
January 1996. [Contact: IIEC-Asia, 8 Sukhumvit Soi 49/9, Bangkok 10110
Thailand. Tel. +66 2 381 0814, Fax. +66 2 381 0815, E-mail:
tum at loxinfo.co.th;  OR  IIEC-US, 750 First Street, NE,  Suite 940,
Washington DC, 20002, USA, Tel. +1 202 842 3388, Fax. +1 202 842 1565,
E-mail: iiec at iiec.org; URL: http://www.crest.org/clients/iiec].

c.  Lessons & Practices, No. 11 (Nov. 1997): Urban Transport
Published by the Operations and Evaluation Department of the World Bank,
this edition of Lessons & Practices evaluates the World Bank's experiences
with lending in Urban Transport during the last 20 years. [Contact: OED,
Tel. +1 202 458 4497, Fax. +1 202 522 3200, E-mail: eline at worldbank.org].

d.  Heritage Habitat - A Source Book of the Urban Conservation Movement in
Asia and the Pacific
Compiled by Khoo Salma Nasution, illustrated by Shibu Dutta, published by
the Asia & West Pacific Network for Urban Conservation (AWPNUC), November
1997. It includes an invaluable directory of information resources and
contacts. [Contact: AWPNUC Secretariat, 19 Kelawai Road, 10250 Penang,
Malaysia, Tel/fax. +60 4 226 1358, E-mail: lubisksn at tm.net.my].

e.  Alternative Transport Policy in Poland
Discussion paper published in 1997 by the Institute for Sustainable
Development, ul. Kowicka 31, 02-502 Warszawa, Poland. Fax. +48 22 646 0174.

f.  Transport Blueprint: National Study for Romania
1996, By the environmental organisation, Ecosens. [Contact: Ecosens, Str.
Paul Greceanu 9, Bl. 20A, Ap.38, Sector 2, 72119 Bucharest, Romania.
E-mail: office at ecosens.sbnet.ro].

g.  Sustainable Transport magazine
The magazine of the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy
(ITDP). The latest edition (No. 8, Winter 1998) includes articles on
Budapest, Prague, Managua, South Africa, Tehran, Jakarta and an update on
the Trans-Israel highway controversy. ITDP "is a non-profit research,
dissemination and project-implementation agency which seeks to promote the
use of non-motorised vehicles and the broader implementation of sustainable
transportation policies worldwide." [Contact: ITDP, 115 W, 30th St, Suite
1205, New York, NY 10001, USA. Tel. +1 212 629 8001, Fax. +1 212 629 8033,
E-mail: mobility at igc.apc.org].

h.  Transport for the Poor or Poor Transport?
A General Review of Rural Transport Policy in Developing Countries with
Emphasis on Low-income Areas,  by John Howe. [Contact: International Labour
Organisation publications, CH-1211 Geneva 22, Switzerland].

i.  A Guide to Better Practice: Reducing the Need to Travel Through Land
Use and Transport Planning.
Department of Transport and Environment, UK. L23.50. [Contact: HMSO
Publications Centre, PO Box 276, London, SW8 5DT. Tel. +44 171 873 9090,
Fax: +44 171 873 8200].

j.  US EPA Smart Travel Resource Center (Online)
The Smart Travel Resource Center (STRC) is a directory of
transportation/air quality public education program summaries from around
the US. Interested parties will be able to use the STRC to gather
communication and outreach information and materials on transportation/air
quality programs of interest to them. [The URL is:
www.epa.gov/omswww/strc.htm. Or contact Patrice Thornton Tel +1 734
668-4329; e-mail: <oms-sti-group at epamail.epa.gov>].

k.  Canberra at the Crossroads
This new paper by the Sustainable Transport  Working Group (STWG) of the
Conservation Council of the South-East Region and the ACT, suggests
alternatives to expensive freeway projects and  car-dominance. [Contact:
URL: http://www.pcug.org.au/~parkerp/stwg.htm;  Peter Parker, E-mail:
parkerp at pcug.org.au].

l.  Anti-freeway cartoon detective goes online
The anti-freeway adventure comics, 'Roads of Doom' and 'Ship of State',
featuring Nick B Possum, marsupial private eye, are now on the world wide
web. [The URL is: http://www.brushtail.com.au/nick.possum].

m.  Canadian perspective
The Winter 1998 issue of Alternatives Journal, a Canadian environmental
journal, focuses on transport issues. Feature articles include: an
international comparative perspective by Tamim Raad and Jeff Kenworthy;
John Pucher on public transport in Canada; Todd Litman on what cars are
really costing society, and how proper pricing can help. [Contact:
Alternatives Journal, Environmental Studies, University of Waterloo,
Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3G1. phone: + 1 519 888-4567 ext. 6783; fax: (519)
746-0292; E-mail: <alternat at fes.uwaterloo.ca>; URL:
http://www.fes.uwaterloo.ca/alternatives].

10. EVENTS
TORG International Symposium on Travel Demand Management.
University of Newcastle upon Tyne, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK, 8-10 July,
1998. Key Note Speaker is Professor Phil Goodwin, University College
London. [Contact: Mrs. Lynda Morgan, Transport Operations Research Group,
University of Newcastle upon Tyne, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 7RU, UK, Tel: +
44 191 222 7683; Fax: + 44 191 222 8352; E-mail:
lynda.morgan at newcastle.ac.uk; URL: http://www.ncl.ac.uk/~nws1].

11. THE LIGHTER SIDE
The Japanese weekly "Shukan Bunshun" asked its readers if they knew of
anyone who used unusual means to commute. Here are some of the responses:
        " There was a man in the company I used to work at whose commute
resembled a triathlon. He bicycled from his house to the port, took a boat
from there to another port, changed to a streetcar there and then to a bus
and then walked 15 minutes to the office."
        " Mr. Takagi, who has bought an apartment house located in front of
the office, brags that his commuting time is zero minutes. And yet, he
often reports late. We female employees have one request of him: to stop
waving at his wife at lunch break!"
        " My husband rides his mountain bike to work every day. According
to him, once he caught and passed a guy on a motorcycle, who later caught
up to him at a light stop and told him that he had been doing 45kph."
[Source: The Japanese Times, 23 November 1997.]

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The Sustainable Transport Action Network for Asia & the Pacific (SUSTRAN)
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