[sustran] yet more on motorcycles and congestion

[J.H. Crawford]

>If motorcycle and moped use in developing countries constitutes
>a "social trap", what about car use? Far fewer people benefit
>and it uses precious foreign exchange to buy fuel and luxury
>autos for an elite in all too many cases.

In virtually all cases, yes. It is worth noting, though, that in
places like Indonesia, road systems do provide pretty good
transport in the more rural areas, where pickup trucks and
minivans offer fairly regular and quite cheap public trasnport
service. This is especially effective on routes where there
isn't enough traffic to warrant running buses.

>Also, who has encouraged this "social trap" besides the obvious
>elite that don't have to worry about public investment for
>public transportation, threats to their priviledged use of 
>roads, etc.? The World Bank, IMF, etc., have also
>contributed to this, by favoring roads over rail and busways,
>and until recently dismissing public transit infrastructure as 
>a waste of money, recommending instead that it be left to the 
>private operators running in mixed traffic.  We need only go 
>to Bangkok or Lagos to see the results of this policy when
>carried to its logical conclusion..... 

The IMF has been incredibly stupid on this point.

>It is no coincidence that mopeds and motorcyles appear en masse 
>in places like Bangkok or Taipei where economic growth happens 
>quickly, but public investment in public transportation is delayed for
>years, if not decades.

They've recently cancelled a big project in Bangkok due to
the financial crisis. Pity--I don't know anywhere on the
globe that needed it worse.


                                          ###

J.H. Crawford    Crawford Systems    joel at xs4all.nl    http://www.carfree.com/