[sustran] SUSTRAN News Flash #34: People-centred and sustainable transport news

[SUSTRAN Resource Centre]

Sustainable Transport Action Network 
for Asia and the Pacific (SUSTRAN)
P.O. Box 11501, 50748  Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. 
Tel/Fax: +(60 3) 2274 2590  PLEASE NOTE NEW 8 DIGIT NUMBER  
E-mail: sustran at po.jaring.my, 
Web: http://www.geocities.com/RainForest/Canopy/2853/


SUSTRAN NEWS FLASH #34		11 August 1999
People-centred and sustainable transport news


CONTENTS
1.	SUSTRAN-DISCUSS LIST
2.	WORLD BANK RESETTLEMENT POLICY REDRAFT
3.	THAILAND DISABLED ACCESS CAMPAIGN
4.	PROFILES OF ACTIVE GROUPS
5.	JAKARTA PEDICAB DRIVERS NETWORK
6.	POLLUTION INSIDE VEHICLES HIGHER THAN OUTSIDE
7.	RESOURCES
8.	INTERNET RESOURCES
9.	EVENTS
10.	QUICK QUOTE
11.	LIGHTER SIDE


1. SUSTRAN-DISCUSS LIST
If you find SUSTRAN News Flashes useful or interesting, then please
consider joining the sustran-discuss list. It is an email-based discussion
list that focuses on transport issues in developing countries, especially
in Asia and the Pacific. It is a more interactive and immediate way to keep
up, contribute, debate or ask questions. Many of the news items in the
SUSTRAN News Flashes began as postings to sustran-discuss. Contact us for
more information. We are especially keen to have more participants from
Asia, Pacific islands, Latin America, Africa and eastern Europe. 

We are also keen to help anyone who might be interested in starting up
local email-discussion groups within specific countries to discuss
transport issues. There are now a number of free services which make such
lists very easy to set up. 



2. WORLD BANK RESETTLEMENT POLICY REDRAFT
The World Bank is re-drafting its practice on RESETTLEMENT policy and it is
expected to be issued in December 1999.  Until September 1999, it is
offering the opportunity for us to register views and outstanding concerns
on the proposed policy. The draft policy can be accessed through the World
Bank's web-site at http://www.worldbank.org   by clicking the "For
NGOs/Civil Society" page.  Comments can be provided by electronic mail to
Resettlement_Help_Desk at worldbank.org or fax to + 1 202 522 3247.



3. THAILAND DISABLED ACCESS CAMPAIGN
Since 1992, activists promoting better access for people with disabilities
have been campaigning in Bangkok for a new mass transit system, Bangkok
Skytrain, to be accessible. With the system about to go into operation they
recently launched a last-ditch effort. Their appeal for letters of support
went out internationally by e-mail and SUSTRAN helped spread the word via
our contacts and through the sustran-discuss list. The activists also held
demonstrations in Bangkok. 

As a result, there is a promise to install 11 lifts (elevators) at 5 out of
23 stations (although the source of the funding for these lifts is still
not clear). These 5 "key stations" are to connected to other system such as
the Bangkok Subway (under construction) and intercity bus terminals. More
details on the campaign can be seen in the Bangkok Post on-line editions
(http://www.bangkokpost.net) of June 4, 1999; June 22, 1999; and July
8,1999. SUSTRAN's involvement in spreading the e-mail appeal from the Thai
activists has helped to put many activists on this issue around the world
into contact with each other. Further collaborations seem to be starting up
as a result.

The Bangkok activist have had another recent success. On August 5, the
Bangkok Mass Transit Authority (BMTS)  launched 4 new wheelchair-accessible
buses (with lifts installed). They are running as a pilot project on 2 key
bus routes. News on this is at http://www.bangkokpost.net on August.6.99.
[Contact: Mr Topong Kulkhanchit, Access Officer, DPI-Thailand,
dpith at loxinfo.co.th].



4. PROFILES OF ACTIVE GROUPS
Please send us your latest details and news if you would like your group to
be profiled in future Flashes. 

Sustainable Transport Network of the Philippines (STN)
In 1998 Philippine NGOs that had already been meeting informally for two
years under the Sustainable Transport Forum decided to form an advocacy
network called the Sustainable Transport Network of the Philippines. (STN).
Their first initiative was to invite George Esquerra, Director of the
Department of Transport and Communications, to present the JICA-funded
master plan for Metro Manila to the SUSTRAN General Assembly meeting in
June 1998. Delegates were somewhat shocked by the massive road-building
plans in the study. STN is advocating more pro-poor and sustainable
transport policies in Manila and other Philippine settlements. SUSTRAN News
Flash #33 highlighted a cycling demonstration in Manila. Recently, STN
member Ramon Fernan of Cycling Advocates has been engaged as part of a team
to provide bicycle planning input for a World Bank-funded project in
Marikina City in Metro Manila. Members of STN include: Alternative Planning
Initiatives (Alterplan); Citizens Alliance for Consumer Protection (CACP);
Co Multiversity/COTRAIN; Cycling Advocates (CYCAD); Green Forum; and the
Philippine Greens. 
[Contact: Green Forum (Mr Gil Reoma or Mr Sam Ferrer), 14 Mabait St.,
Teachers' Village, Diliman, Quezon City, Philippines. Tel: +632 925-3738,
Fax: +632 925-3739, E-mail: GreenFm at phil.gn.apc.org  or Mr Ramon Fernan,
CYCAD, E-mail: heckler at quickweb.com.ph]. 



5. JAKARTA PEDICAB DRIVERS NETWORK
Last June, Jakarta's newly-appointed Governor Sutiyoso announced that
pedicabs would again be allowed to operate after 10 years of being banned
from the city. He did this without first repealing the old law, though, and
faced strong criticism from the city council. Thousands of pedicab drivers
came flooding in, and by July, more than 5,000 pedicabs were on the city's
streets. But after only one week of free pedicabbing, pressure from
opponents in the government and in the motor transport lobby reversed the
policy. Pedicabs were again confiscated, leaving thousands of men without
jobs - this time hopelessly in debt.

When pedicabs were confiscated, drivers dealt with the crisis alone, and
most never get their vehicles back. During the ban, the Urban Poor
Consortium and other Indonesian NGOs began working with pedicab drivers in
five communities. They organised rallies, which provided a platform for
drivers to meet, organise themselves and discuss strategies for dealing
with eviction squads, negotiating with the municipality. The Pedicab
Drivers Network now includes 3,000 drivers in 24 communities, and has
initiated a weekly savings scheme. The ban is still on, but pedicabs are
still on the street. A big demonstration in October 1998, which resulted in
the release of all confiscated pedicabs to their owners, has given a big
boost to the drivers' struggle for their right to work. 

A video documentary produced by Urban Poor Consortium (UPC) describes the
life of Gopur, one of Jakarta's pedicab drivers, and looks at how the
government's pedicab policy flip- flops have affected his life and the
lives of thousands of others like him.
[Source: newsletter of the Asian Coalition for Housing Rights (ACHR) 73 Soi
Sonthiwattana 4, Ladprao 110, Ladprao Rd, Bangkok 10310, Thailand. E-Mail:
achrsec at email.ksc.net, Tel (66 2) 538 0919  Fax (66 2) 539 9950. 
Contact: Urban Poor Consortium (Konsorsium Kemiskinan Kota),  Billy Moon
Blok H-I/7 Jakarta 13450, Indonesia.  Phone/Fax: (62.21) 8642915, e-mail:
upc at centrin.net.id   Urban Poor Website: http://welcome.to/urbanpoor]



6. POLLUTION INSIDE VEHICLES HIGHER THAN OUTSIDE
A study funded by the California Air Resources Board (ARB) and the South
Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) has found that exposure to
some air pollutants and toxic compounds may be ten times higher inside
vehicles than in ambient air.  The two-year, $440,000 study is the first to
gather particulate data inside vehicles and the first to collect real-time
information under a range of traffic and driving conditions. The study
measured the direct exposure of motor  vehicle occupants to gaseous
pollutants, diesel soot and other fine particles. Researchers found levels
of hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide were between two and ten times higher
inside vehicles than at roadside or fixed monitoring stations. The
variations depended on the  pollutant, the type of road and the level of
traffic. Researchers found that as much as half of the pollutants inside
test cars were emitted by the vehicle ahead.  In general, levels pollutants
are higher inside vehicles because cars are surrounded by emissions from
other vehicles on freeways and streets. Motorists who used air conditioning
 systems and those who drove with their air vents open were exposed to
similar  amounts of pollution. The report can be accessed at:
<http://www.arb.ca.gov/>



7. RESOURCES
The latest edition of the Asian Coalition for Housing Rights' excellent
newsletter, "Housing by People in Asia", No. 12, April 1999, has several
inspiring items on transport issues for the urban poor. [Contact: Asian
Coalition for Housing Rights (ACHR) 73 Soi Sonthiwattana 4, Ladprao 110,
Ladprao Rd, Bangkok 10310, Thailand. E-Mail: achrsec at email.ksc.net, Tel (66
2) 538 0919  Fax (66 2) 539 9950].

 "The Real Price of Gas" by the Campaign on Auto Pollution (CAP), 310 D
St., N.E., Washington, DC 20002. For a copy of the full report, contact:
CTA at +1 202-547-9359, or www.icta.org   More specifically, it can be
downloaded at http://www.icta.org/projects/trans/  However they warn that
"This is a large file that may take some time to download".

"Save the City" (nine minute video).  By UITP (International Union
(Association) of Public Transport), with the support of the International
Commission on Traffic and Urban Planning.  It shows in an amusing and
entertaining way how urban planning must include Public Transport to
improve the quality of life in cities. Contact: UITP, International Union
of public Transport-UITP, Avenue Herrmann-Debroux 17, B-1160 Bruxelles,
Belgium. Tel: +32 2 673 61 00, Fax: +32 2 660 10 72. E-mail:  library at uitp.com

"PARKING POLICY: State of the Art" (UITP, February 1999).  Examines how to
control parking in dense urban zones, parking charges, how to regulate the
construction of parking spaces in new buildings, measures for limiting free
parking, and P+R schemes near stations and stops around the public
transport network. Several case studies (London, Greater Paris
Ile-de-France Region, Vienna and Bern).  Trilingual (English + French +
German) edition.  D/1999/0105/1, Price 500 BEF or 12 EUR (excl. VAT, Postal
& Bank charges).  [Contact: UITP - see above].

"Measuring the Unmeasurable: Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation of
Networks". Edited by Marilee Karl with Anita Anand, Floris Blankenberg,
Allert van den Ham and Adrian Saldanha.  This book offers case studies of
networks and a discussion on how to plan, monitor and evaluate.  Shows how
various networks -- national, regional and international - have agonised
over these questions, searched for solutions, and implemented change. ISBN
81-90 1005-0-6. Price: US$ 30.00 plus postage. [To order:  Tel
91-11-4629886, 4632546. Fax 91-11-4611138. Email
wfsdel at giasdl01.vsnl.net.in,  Cheques may be made payable to The Women's
Feature Service. The Women's Feature Service is located at 269 Varick
Street, #2G, Jersey, City, NJ 07302 USA, tel. 1.201.433.1922, fax
1.201.433.1781, e-mail: gsidhu at igc.org].

The latest edition of the journal, "Accident Analysis & Prevention" (Vol
31, Issue 4) is a SPECIAL ISSUE ON DEVELOPING COUNTRIES and includes a
number of transport-related articles, including: 
*  "Urban development and traffic accidents in Brazil" by EA Vasconcellos
*  "Risky behavior of bus commuters and bus drivers in Karachi, Pakistan"
by S Mirza, M Mirza, H Chotani, S Luby
*  "Pedestrian environment and behaviour in Karachi, Pakistan" by FM Khan,
M Jawaid, H Chotani, S Luby
      For Accident Analysis & Prevention subscription details or purchase
information for the above special issue please send an email to
s.iannacci at elsevier.co.uk



8. INTERNET RESOURCES
"World Bank must do more to develop safe and sustainable transportation
systems", by Ian Roberts. BMJ 1999;318 1694.
http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/318/7199/1694

Pedestrian signs from around the world. An amazing collection by Bartolomeo
Mecánico:  http://www.ips.be/_wbm/rkid02.htm

"TransportActions" quarterly news update of the Institute for
Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP) is at http://www.ITDP.org.
Latest articles include:
*    Indonesian Crisis Increases Smog, But Opens Door to Non-Motorized
Transport
*    India Cycle Rickshaw Improvement Project Update
*    China:  Bike Use Plummets While Promised Bus Lanes Fail to Materialize
*    Organizing the Bicycle Industry to Tackle Tariffs
*    ITDP Investigates Bulgarian Connection
*    Creating Jobs With Bikes in Haiti
*    Panama's Corredor Sur: Still a Bad Idea

Pedestrian Council of Australia.  Email: walking at walk.com.au, Ph +61 02 -
9968 4544, Fax +61 02 - 9968 4566,  http://www.ozemail.com.au/~walking/

The UK DETR has just put up pages on Green Transport Plans at
http://www.local-transport.detr.gov.uk/gtp/index.htm

"City Routes, City Rights: Building Livable Neighbourhoods and
Environmental Justice by Fixing Transportation"
http://www.tlcnetwork.org/download.html.

"Vehicle Travel Speeds and Incidence of Fatal Pedestrian 
Collisions, volume 1"  by the Australian Federal Office of Road Safety.
(www.dot.gov.au/fors/index.htm). Shows that a small reduction in speeding
has a great influence on accident rates.

Resources on "Parking Cash Out" schemes (thanks to Todd Litman for this
list).  Parking Cash Out means that if employees who drive receive free
parking, employees who don't drive should receive transit subsidies or cash
for those who rideshare, walk or bicycle. It's one of the most effective
TDM strategies available, typically reducing automobile
trips by 10-20%. For information see:
*  The USEPA Commuter Choice Program,
(http://www.epa.gov/orcdizux/transp/comchoic/f98029.htm)
*   Don Shoup, "Congress Okays Cash Out," Access, Vol. 13,
(http://sacrates.berkeley.edu/~uctc), Fall 1998, pp. 2-8.
*   Win-Win Transportation Management Strategies, VTPI
(http://www.islandnet.com/~litman)



9. EVENTS
"Pemberdayaan angkutan umum"  [strengthening public transport], A one-day
seminar in West Java in early September 1999. [Contact: Harun al-Rasyid
Sorah Lubis, of "Masyarakat Transportasi Indonesia" (Transport Community of
Indonesia), a new transport-focused NGO. E-mail: halubis at trans.si.itb.ac.id].

"Global City-Regions Conference", Los Angeles, October 21 - 23, 1999.
Hosted by the UCLA School of Public Policy and Social Research. For
sponsorship information, please contact the Conference Coordinator, Dr. Nga
Scott, telephone: 1+(310) 825-8682; fax: 1+(310) 206-5773; e-mail:
nscott at ucla.edu. Global City-Regions Conference UCLA School of Public
Policy and Social Research,   3250 Public Policy Building, Box 951656, Los
Angeles, CA 90095-1656,  Tel: 1 + (310) 794-5477, Fax: 1 + (310) 267-0282,
Email: globalcityregions at sppsr.ucla.edu

"CODATU IX World Congress on Urban Transportation" - central theme: Urban
Transportation and the Environment, Mexico City 11-14 April 2000 [Contact:
CODATU IX Scientific Committee, Christian JAMET, 9/11, Av. De Villars 75007
Paris, France. Fax: +33 1 44 18 78 04, E-mail: christian.jamet at stp-paris.fr].

VELO MONDIALE 2000 REMINDER - Vélo Mondial 2000 now has an internet site
at: http://www.velomondial2000.nl/  - including 'call for contributions'.
The deadline is looming - don't delay!



10. QUICK QUOTE
Here is an excerpt of a tribute by Christine Dirks in the London Free Press
to William Whyte, who passed away earlier this year:
"He wrote several books on city life such as The Social Life of Urban
Spaces (1980), Cluster Development (1963), The Last Landscape (1968) and
City (1988). They grew from his love of the street. The street, he said, is
where we come together...

Like all great artists, William H. Whyte made the seemingly insignificant
significant. The urban theorist and researcher who influenced generations
of sociologists, planners, designers, students and any one interested in
how people actually behave in public spaces, died in January at the age of
81...   'It is difficult to design a place that will not attract people,'
Whyte once wrote. 'What is remarkable is how often this has been
accomplished.'"



11. LIGHTER SIDE
An American joke which reflects the depth of car culture in the good ol' US
of A:

"I tell you, women drivers are a hazard to traffic...

Driving to work this morning on the freeway, I looked over to my left and
there was a woman in a Mustang doing 65 miles per hour with her face up
next to her rear view mirror putting on her eyeliner! I looked away for a
couple seconds and when I looked back she was halfway over in my lane!!
 
It scared me so bad I dropped my electric shaver in my coffee, and it
spilled all over my cell phone!"



-----------------------------------------------------
Written and compiled by A. Rahman Paul Barter 

We rely on you, the participants in the network, for our news. Thank you to
all those who have contributed. Please keep the contributions coming. We
welcome brief news and announcements from all over the world.
 
The Sustainable Transport Action Network for Asia & the Pacific (SUSTRAN)
promotes and popularises people-centred, equitable and sustainable
transport with a focus on Asia and the Pacific.