From litman at islandnet.com Mon Jan 4 14:14:33 1999 From: litman at islandnet.com (Todd Litman) Date: Sun, 03 Jan 1999 21:14:33 -0800 Subject: [sustran] AUTOMOBILE DEPENDENCY: TOO MUCH OF A GOOD THING? Message-ID: <3.0.5.32.19990103211433.009d2600@mail.IslandNet.com> P R E S S R E L E A S E ------------------------- 4 January 1999 For Immediate Release ------------------------------------------------ AUTOMOBILE DEPENDENCY: TOO MUCH OF A GOOD THING? Debating the Optimal Level of Automobile Use -------------------------------------------- Double Session on the Economic and Social Impacts of Automobile Dependency Transportation Research Board 1999 Annual Meeting Monday, January 11, 8 a.m. to 12 noon, Sessions 21 & 58 International East Room, Hilton, Washington DC DESCRIPTION: In this century, surface transport systems have become increasingly automobile dependent (defined as "high levels of per capita automobile travel, automobile oriented land use patterns, and reduced transport alternatives"). Recent research challenges the assumption that increased automobile travel is necessarily good for an economy or society. Beyond a certain level, automobile dependency may impose more costs than benefits. This session will explore the socially optimal level of automobile use and what this implies for transport policy and facility investment. Each presenter will discuss the following questions: 1. How can we know the optimal level of automobile dependency? 2. What do data indicate about whether particular regions are below, at, or above this optimum? 3. What does this imply for public policy? After all presentations, during the Part 2 Session, the panel will discuss areas of agreement and disagreement, and the audience will also have an opportunity to raise questions and share comments. CONTEXT: This session relates to a growing controversy about the future of transportation. Highway advocates support increased construction of roadways, increased parking requirements, and low automobile user charges. They point out that motor vehicle travel is growing due to increased population, wealth and suburban lifestyles, resulting in increased traffic congestion. They argue that failing to expand roadway and parking capacity, and efforts to constrain motor vehicle use, contradict consumer preferences, stifle economic growth, and reduce personal freedom. They cite the general failure of public transit in the U.S. to attract new riders as evidence that highways are the most cost effective transportation investment. Highway advocates often argue that fuel taxes and other motor vehicle user charges should be dedicated to roadway improvements. Transportation Demand Management (TDM) advocates support the development of a more diverse transport system. They recommend investing in travel alternatives and using a variety of Transportation Demand Management strategies, including higher user charges, to curb automobile traffic growth. They point to the high economic, social and environmental costs associated with motor vehicle use, and market distortions that result in excessive automobile travel, as evidence that increased motor vehicle use is overall harmful to communities. They argue that creating a more diversified transportation system is the most effective way to address traffic congestion, meet economic and social needs, support economic development, and protect the environment. They cite the tendency of "generated traffic" to fill new highway capacity, and the success of public transit and bicycle programs in selected communities, as evidence that such alternatives are the most cost effective transportation investments. TDM advocates often argue that fuel taxes and other automobile user charges should be spent on travel alternatives, since motorists benefit indirectly from such investments, and because motor vehicle use does not pay its full costs. This session is intended to get beyond simple arguments about whether automobiles are "good" or "bad," and explore under what conditions increased motor vehicle is beneficial, and when it is better to limit increased traffic and emphasize alternatives. Participants will examine recent research concerning whether highway investments and low user charges increase or reduce economic development. They will discuss the implications of this research in both developed and developing economies. MODERATOR Dr. Susan Handy, Professor of Community and Regional Planning at the University of Texas at Austin. Dr. Handy has done extensive research on the geographic and demographic factors that affect individual households' travel behavior, and strategies that could encourage more diverse transportation patterns. PRESENTORS: * Don Chen Title: Social Impacts of Automobile Dependency Don Chen is Research Manager and Manager of Smart Growth Program for the Surface Transportation Policy Project, a coalition working to promote transportation systems that is efficient, environmentally responsible, equitable, and promotes economic development. * Dr. Kenneth Green Title: Optimality, Externality, and Things that go Bump in the Night Dr. Kenneth Green is Director of Environmental Program for the Reason Public Policy Institute, a research organization promoting policy which supports personal responsibility in a framework of individual liberty and limited government. He is author of the report "Defending Automobility: A Critical Examination of the Environmental and Social Costs of Auto Use," and favors innovative, decentralized, and/or market-based measures to address external impacts of automobile use. * Frank Haight Title: "Pollution, congestion and cost - anything else wrong with cars?" Frank Haight is Editor of Transportation Research A & B, and has a lifetime of experience in transportation research and policy analysis. * Walter Hook Title: Road Investments, Economic Growth, and Debt: Lessons from Asia and Africa Walter Hook is Director of the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy, an organization that works to promote sustainable transportation policies in developing countries. He has worked with governments and non-profit organizations throughout the world to promote more equitable and efficient transportation systems. * Todd Litman Title: Automobile Dependency and Economic Development (Email copy of paper available on requiest from litman@islandnet.com) Todd Litman is Director of the Victoria Transport Policy Institute, an organization dedicated to developing innovative tools for transportation decision making. Much of his work involves incorporating economic, social and environmental impacts that are often omitted in transportation planning. He has worked on numerous studies that examine the full costs and benefits of various transportation policies and investments. >From paper abstract: "This paper summarizes recent research indicating that automobile dependency can reduce regional economic development. This is consistent with economic theory that any type of consumption experiences diminishing benefits, and that failures in the transportation market, such as underpriced driving will lead to inefficient levels of automobile use. This research indicates that automobile dependency can impose costs on consumers, society and the economy; reduce transportation choices; and constrain the availability of capital for industrial investment." * Frank Moretti Director of Research, The Road Information Program (TRIP). Title: Meeting the Diverse Transportation Needs of the Information Age Frank Moretti is Director of Research for The Road Information Program (TRIP), an organization that promotes transportation policies that relieve traffic congestion, improve air quality, make highway travel safer and enhance economic productivity. His presentation will discuss the appropriate level of automobile dependence at a time of increases in mobility, growing global economic prosperity, increased demand for lower density living, greater personal mobility and significant improvements in environmental performance in the transportation sector. * Professor Peter Newman Director, Institute for Science and Technology Policy Title: The Costs of Automobile Dependency: A Global Survey of Cities Professor Newman was the first to use the term "Automobile Dependency," and is co-author of the seminal book on the subject, "Cities and Automobile Dependency." His presentation will give new numbers on the 'the good, the bad and the ugly' cities from the most recent global survey data. His newest book 'Cities and Sustainability', will be launched by Island Press at the TRB Annual Meeting. * * * * * The Transportation Research Board is a unit of the National Research Council, which serves the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering. The TRB Annual Meeting, held each January in Washington DC, attracts 6,000-8,000 participants representing a wide range of transportation professionals. For registration information visit: www.nas.edu/trb/meeting or call 301-694-5243. * * * * * For more information on this session contact: Todd Litman, Director Victoria Transport Policy Institute 1250 Rudlin Street Victoria, BC, V8V 3R7, Canada Phone & Fax: 250-360-1560 E-mail: litman@islandnet.com Website: www.islandnet.com/~litman From inzet at xs4all.nl Mon Jan 4 22:41:08 1999 From: inzet at xs4all.nl (Vereniging INZET) Date: Mon, 04 Jan 1999 14:41:08 +0100 Subject: [sustran] request for SUSTRAN-paper References: <3.0.5.32.19990103211433.009d2600@mail.IslandNet.com> Message-ID: <3690C4EF.6599C941@xs4all.nl> Amsterdam; January 4, 1999 Dear mister Litman, Let me start my brief letter by wishing you all the best in this Millenium's last year. I hope this will be a fruitful, exiting and happy year for you. With my letter I respond to your press release of today, presenting the double session on the economic and social impacts of automobile dependency. One of the presentors of the session wil be mr. Walter Hook, the author of "Road Investments, Economic Growth and Debt: lessons from Asia and Africa. I would like to get in touch with mr. Hook, for I am interested in the contents of his paper. As you may remember, I contacted you on the fourth of nevember last year. I am presently studying the trade and use of used cars from The Netherlands to B?nin. We then briefly corresponded and you emailed to me some of your articles. I would like to thank you for that: your work is truly interesting and highly relevant for my research. My question to you is the following: would it be possible for you to either email me mr. Hook's address or to inform him about my request? Thanks in advance. Yours, J. Joost Beuving [project staff memmber Sustainable Development] From sustran at po.jaring.my Tue Jan 5 10:22:57 1999 From: sustran at po.jaring.my (SUSTRAN Resource Centre) Date: Tue, 5 Jan 1999 09:22:57 +0800 Subject: [sustran] FW: latest induced demand research Message-ID: <01BE3892.3BCCA2C0.sustran@po.jaring.my> -----Original Message----- From: Noland.Bob@epamail.epa.gov [SMTP:Noland.Bob@epamail.epa.gov] Sent: Tuesday, January 05, 1999 4:32 AM To: alt-transp@flora.ottawa.on.ca; Trans-aq@ce.gatech.edu; TRANSP-L@gmu.edu; utsg@mailbase.ac.uk Subject: latest induced demand research For those of you interested in recent research on induced demand, the paper "Relationships between Highway Capacity and Induced Vehicle Travel" will be presented next week at the Annual Meeting of the Transportation Research Board (Tuesday evening at 7:30pm, session 320). The paper is now available at: http://www.epa.gov/tp/trb-rn.pdf From sustran at po.jaring.my Wed Jan 6 09:44:46 1999 From: sustran at po.jaring.my (SUSTRAN Resource Centre) Date: Wed, 6 Jan 1999 08:44:46 +0800 Subject: [sustran] FW: Intro from FAJ (Forum for Automobile Issues of Japan) Message-ID: <01BE3953.1E629AC0.sustran@po.jaring.my> Dear sustran-discussers, An introduction and some news from an active sustainable transport advocacy group in Japan. Paul. -----Original Message----- From: =?ISO-2022-JP?B?GyRCQj9FRCEhQDUbKEI=?= [SMTP:QWT07203@nifty.ne.jp] Sent: Wednesday, December 30, 1998 9:28 AM To: sustran@po.jaring.my Subject: INTRO and NEWS from FAJ (Forum for Automobile Issues of Japan) Dear Mr Paul Barter, Thank you very much for invitation to SUSTRAN NEWS FLASH. Attached please find our self-introduction and a short article. ------------------------------ INTRODUCTION and NEWS from FAJ (Forum for Automobile Issues of Japan), renamed from Demotorization Forum Japan. INTRODUCTION * CONTACT: Masashi Tada, e-mail , Minami-ku, Bessho 3-16-4, Yokohama, 232-0064 Japan. +81-45-712-9095. * FAJ is an informal network campaigning for human oriented and sustainable transport. It also requests cutting automobile traffic, safer walking/cycling and better quality of public transportation services. NEWS A Japanese researcher has estimated demand for motor gasoline up to 2010. It simulates that the demand will still continue to rise in spite of efforts of introducing "low-fuel" or "cleaner" vehicles. Increase in total number of vehicles will result in more traffic congestion, which leads lower energy efficiency and higher emission of GWG and pollution. The mutual agreement at Kyoto Conference (COP3) stating that Japan is to reduce 6% of GWG emission would be an empty promise? Demand for motor gasoline in Japan: 1990 44.5 Million Kilo-Liters 1995 52.5 MKL 2000 58.6 MKL (Predicted) 2005 59.3 MKL (Predicted) 2010 59.3 MKL (Predicted) (Shinya Shimomura, "Will Demand for Automotive Fuels Continues to Grow in Future?" Energy Economics, Vol.24, No.1, 1998.) This simulation supports the comment from SUSTRAN RESOURCE CENTRE upon "Vehicle Industry/World Bank Roundtable" as described in SUSTRAN News Flash #32. Obviously "low-fuel" or "cleaner" vehicle is not a solution to make transport sustainable. Statistics of average road travel speed show that the more roads are constructed, the lower speed is observed. 54,000 billions yens (eq. to 540 billions US$) had invested for road construction during 1991-1994 in Japan, but no mitigation of traffic congestion has been observed! Best regards, Masashi Tada FAJ (??) From sustran at po.jaring.my Wed Jan 6 09:47:23 1999 From: sustran at po.jaring.my (SUSTRAN Resource Centre) Date: Wed, 6 Jan 1999 08:47:23 +0800 Subject: [sustran] FW: on-line discussion on Transportation Consumption Message-ID: <01BE3953.2175F540.sustran@po.jaring.my> -----Original Message----- From: Anwar Fazal [SMTP:anwar.fazal@undp.org] Sent: Tuesday, December 29, 1998 6:16 PM To: sustran@po.jaring.my Subject: For Paul and SUSTRAN Team January 1 - 31 -Conversation of the month - Listserve discussion (on line). Hank Dittmar of the Surface TransportationPolicy Project is leading a discussion on Transportation Consumption. To learn more or subscribe, see: http://www.newdream.org/discuss Happy New Year!! Anwar Fazal From sustran at po.jaring.my Thu Jan 7 17:02:29 1999 From: sustran at po.jaring.my (SUSTRAN Resource Centre) Date: Thu, 7 Jan 1999 16:02:29 +0800 Subject: [sustran] non-biased transportation language for engineers and planners Message-ID: <01BE3A68.B5E5D220.sustran@po.jaring.my> The following was recently reposted to the pednet discussion list by Michael.M.MOULE@odot.state.or.us from an original message from Dom Nozzi [SMTP:domz@gru.net] sent to the sustainable-l@lists.ufl.edu I have cut out all the preliminaries. I am sure there will be some debate over one or two of the examples. But removing the pro-automobile bias inherent in much of the discussion of transport is certainly a worthwhile thing to do. I imagine that this linguistic pro-car bias also applies in Bahasa Indonesia/Malaysia, Chinese, Vietnamese, Hindi, etc as much as in English. Of course, you may ask why stop at objective language? Some of us may even be keen to inject some anti-car bias to replace the pro-car bias!! ;-) ;-) Paul Barter SUSTRAN Resource Centre P. O. Box 11501, 50748 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Tel/Fax: +60 3 274 2590, E-mail: sustran@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). ------------------------------- ........ irrelevant stuff deleted .... The following memo was sent to all department directors and division heads of the City of West Palm Beach by Michael Wright, the City Administrator (Manager) on November 14, 1996: Please be advised that the City of West Palm Beach has adopted a new transportation language policy. Employees are asked to follow the policy and encourage those who deal with the City to do the same. The intent of the policy is to remove the biases inherent in some of the current transportation language used at the City. This change is consistent with the shift in philosophy as the City works towards becoming a sustainable community. Objective language will be used for all correspondences, resolutions, ordinances, plans, language at meetings, etc. and when updating past work. Everyone's cooperation will be greatly appreciated. Please ensure that your employees are aware of, and use, the objective language. After a few of weeks of practice, using the objective language will become second nature. Background. Much of the current transportation language was developed in the 1950's and 1960's. This was the golden age of automobiles and accommodating them was a major priority in society. Times have changed, especially in urban areas where creating a balanced, equitable, and sustainable transportation system is the new priority. The transportation language has not evolved at the same pace as the changing priorities; much of it still carries a pro-automobile bias. Continued use of biased language is not in keeping with the goal of addressing transportation issues in an objective way in the City.Languages Changes. There are several biased words and phrases that have been identified and summarized at the end of this memo. Suggested objective language is also summarized. The rationale for the changes is explained below. In summary, the City has to be unbiased, and appear to be unbiased. Objective language will also allow the City to be inclusive of all of the City's constituents and modes of transportation. The word *improvements* is often used when referring to the addition of through lanes, turn lanes, channelization, or other means of increasing motor vehicle capacity and/or speeds. Though these changes may indeed be *improvements* from the perspective of motor vehicle users, they would not be considered *improvements* by other constituents of the City. For example, a resident may not think that adding more lanes in front of the resident's house is an *improvement.* A parent may not think that a channelized right turn lane is an *improvement* on their child's pedestrian route to school. By City staff referring to these changes as *improvements,* it indicates that the City is biased in favor of one group at the expense of others. Suggested objective language includes being descriptive (e.g., use through lanes, turn lanes, etc.) or using language such as modifications or changes. Examples: Biased -- The following street *improvements* are recommended. The intersection *improvement* will cost $5,000.00. The motor vehicle capacity will be *improved.* Objective-- The following street *modifications* are recommended. The *right turn channel* will cost $5,000,00. The motor vehicle capacity will be *changed.* Like *improved* and *improvement,* there are similarly biased words such as *enhance,* *enhancement,* and *deteriorate.* Suggested objective language is shown in the examples below. Examples: Biased -- The level of service for motor vehicles was *enhanced.* The level of service for motor vehicles *deteriorated.* The motor vehicle capacity *enhancements* will cost $40,000.00. Objective -- The level of service for motor vehicles was *changed.* The level of service for motor vehicles was *decreased.* The level of service for motor vehicles was *increased.* The *increases* to motor vehicle capacity will cost $40,000.00. *Upgrade* is a term that is currently used to describe what happens when a local street is as a collector, or when a two-lane street is expanded to four lanes. *Upgrade* implies a change for the better. Though this may be the case for one constituent, others may disagree. Again, using *upgrade* in this way indicates that the City has a bias that favors one group over other groups. Objective language includes *expansion,* *reconstruction,* *widened,* or *changed.* Examples: Biased -- *Upgrading* the street will require a wider right of way. The *upgrades* will lengthen sight distances. Objective -- *Widening* the street will require a wider right of way. The *changes* will lengthen sight distances. *Level of service* is a qualitative measure describing the operational conditions of a facility or service from the perspective of a particular set of users (motor vehicle users, cyclists, pedestrians, etc.). If the set of users is not specified, then it is a mystery as to which set is being considered. The bias enters the picture when it is assumed that, unless otherwise specified, level of service implies for motor vehicle users. The objective way to use this term is to add the appropriate modifier after "level of service". Examples: Biased -- The level of service was "A". Objective -- The level of service for motor vehicle users was "A". The level of service for pedestrians was "A". If "level of service" were used frequently for the same users in the same document, using the modifier every time would be cumbersome. In these situations, the modifier is only required at the beginning of the document and periodically after that... ...Promoting *alternative* modes of transportation is generally considered a good thing at the City. However, the word *alternative* begs the question "Alternative to what?" The assumption is alternative to automobiles. *Alternative* also implies that these *alternative* modes are nontraditional or nonconventional, which is not the case with the pedestrian, cycle, nor transit modes. [I would also add that the term *alternative* disparagingly implies that it is a form of travel only used by hippies, wild-eyed radicals, or other undesirable, weird, counter-culture types, and will therefore never be a form of mainstream transportation used by us "normal" people -- ed.] If we are discussing *alternative* modes of transportation in the City, then use direct and objective language such as "non-automobile" modes of transportation. Alternatively, one can add an appropriate modifier as shown in the last example. Examples: Biased -- *Alternative* modes of transportation are important to downtown. Objective -- *Non-automobile* modes of transportation are important to the downtown. *Non-motorized* modes of transportation are important to the downtown. Alternative modes of transportation *to the automobile* are important to the downtown. [My own personal preference for terminology here is: *Sustainable* forms of transportation are important to the downtown. -- ed.] *Accidents* are events during which something harmful or unlucky happens unexpectedly or by chance. *Accident* implies no fault. It is well known that the vast majority of *accidents* are preventable and that fault can be assigned. The use of *accident* also reduces the degree of responsibility and severity associated with the situation and invokes a inherent degree of sympathy for the person responsible. Objective language includes *collision* and *crash.* Examples: Biased -- Motor vehicle *accidents* kill 200 people every year in the County. He had an *accident* with a light pole. Here is the *accident* report. Objective -- Motor vehicle *collisions* kill 200 people every year in the County. He *crashed* into a light pole. Here is the *collision* report. *Protect* means shielding from harm. However, when we discuss *protecting* land for a right of way for a road, the intent is not to shield the land from harm, but to construct a road over it. Objective words include *designate* and *purchase.* Examples: Biased -- We have *protected* this right of way. Objective -- We have *purchased* this right of way. We have *designated* this a right of way, Everyone at the City should strive to make the transportation systems operate as *efficiently* as possible. However, we must be careful how we use *efficient* because that word is frequently confused with the word *faster.* Typically, *efficiency* issues are raised when dealing with motor vehicles operating at slow speeds. The assumption is that if changes were made that increase the speeds of the motor vehicles, then efficiency rises. However, this assumption is highly debatable. For example, high motor vehicle speeds lead to urban sprawl, motor vehicle dependence, and high resource use (land, metal, rubber, etc.) which reduces efficiency. Motor vehicles burn the least fuel at about 30 miles per hour; speeds above this result in inefficiencies. In urban areas, accelerating and decelerating from stopped conditions to high speeds results in inefficiencies when compared to slow and steady speeds. There are also efficiency debates about people's travel time and other issues as well. Therefore, be careful how you use the word *efficient* at the City, If you really mean *faster,* then say *faster.* Do not assume that faster is necessarily more efficient. Similarly, if you mean *slower,* then say *slower.* Examples: Biased -- The traffic signal timings were adjusted to increase motor vehicle *efficiency.* Let us widen the road so that cars operate more *efficiently.* Objective -- The traffic signal timings were adjusted to *increase* motor vehicle speeds. Let us widen the road so that it cars operate *faster.* [It is for these reasons that I have concerns about the wording of the Transportation Goal of Sustainable Alachua County, which refers to "efficient" travel. -- ed.] Summary Biased Terms -- Objective Terms improve -- change, modify enhance, deteriorate -- change, increase, decrease upgrade -- change, redesignate, expand, widen, replace level of service -- level of service for ___ traffic -- motor vehicles traffic demand -- motor vehicle use accident -- collision, crash protect -- purchase, designate efficient -- fast [Disparaging Term -- Desirable Term alternative -- sustainable] Dom SUSTRAN Resource Centre P. O. Box 11501, 50748 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Tel/Fax: +60 3 274 2590, E-mail: sustran@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). From ccordero at amauta.rcp.net.pe Fri Jan 8 04:06:43 1999 From: ccordero at amauta.rcp.net.pe (Carlos Cordero V.) Date: Thu, 7 Jan 1999 14:06:43 -0500 (GMT) Subject: [sustran] Re: non-biased transportation language for engineers and planners Message-ID: Dear sustraners, In spanish we have a similar situation. the word ' Vehicle ' is used to mean ' motor vehicle '. So recently in a bike conference in Colombia, somebody translated the well known slogan to talk about bikes contribution 'one less car' using 'one less vehicle' . Sometimes i am not allow to park my bike in a parking lot because the guard say it is ' only for vehicles '. I disagree about an objective language, because there is no such thing. Language always refers to desires objetives and has a point of view. i.e. a point and a view from this point. So the problem is deep and showing it up is a good contribution to realize how car oriented is our culture and that changes are going to be slow. Or fast. it always depend on where you are. Carlos Cordero CICLORED Centro de Capacitacio'n y Asesori'a para el Transporte y Ambiente San Juan 242 Lima 33 PERU tel: 51 1 4460175 (nuevo telf) fax: 51 1 4472675 e mail: ccordero@amauta.rcp.net.pe From intlbike at ibike.org Sun Jan 10 13:51:52 1999 From: intlbike at ibike.org (David Mozer) Date: Sat, 9 Jan 1999 20:51:52 -0800 Subject: [sustran] Fw: [urb-eco] Re: Bike Developments Message-ID: <00ae01be3c59$1b07bb40$7fe6e3cf@david-mozer> Public Innovation Abroad (Sept '98) reports: The bike-friendly city of Grenoble at the foot of the French Alps has bought over a hundred 'official' bikes for use by council and staff members on their business appointments around the community. The bikes, to be emblazoned with the city's coat of arms, will reduce the number of official duty cars in the city's fleet. A new city tender won by Peugeot Cycles calls for gear box housing that will eliminate the risk of grease stains on the trousers and dresses of city officials who opt for this new form of official transportation. Deputy mayor Michel Gilbert who uses a city bike exclusively for his official rounds, has been mainly responsible for a fivefold increase in Grenoble's budget for bikeway construction and maintenance over the past three years. The 1998 appropriation is in the range of FFr 2.2 million about US$400,000), another FFr 7.5 million (US$1.3m) has been allocated by the metro region for bikeway initiatives. Programs are happening in North America as well - though there is plenty of room for expansion. The following is from the International Bicycle Fund's website www.ibike.org/workbike.htm : The following governmental uses of bicycles have been reported: In San Luis Obispo (CA, USA) the fire department use bicycles to go out to building inspections. Park rangers in numerous city and county parks use bikes to patrol their trail systems and green spaces. Seattle and King County (WA, USA) have "non-motor pool" (bicycles) for employees to use when going out on business. Five New York City Department of Transportation Street Inspectors ride bicycles full-time to monitor pavement conditions. [City Cyclist, NY] As the Borough Engineer for Haringey, Darek Turner used a bike for work trips. He has now been named London Traffic Director. [London Cyclist, UK] The building inspector for Port Townsend (WA USA) rides a bike to the worksites. Started in mid-1996, the Santa Barbara County (CA USA) Marshal's Department implemented a program to use bicycles to serve civil process in the downtown Santa Barbara City area. The marshal has the duty of serving civil papers, subpoenas and other legal documents produced by the courts. Paramedics in Phoenix, AZ, use specially equipped bicycles for parades, festivals and sports events. The idea came when paramedics noticed that at a parade police officers on bicycle arrived at an incident requiring emergency medical services much quicker that the paramedics themselves. The EMS bicycles are designed to carry full advanced life support equipment including heart monitors/defibrillator, intubation equipment, oxygen, IV supplies and trauma kits. In Seattle, area hospitals use bicycle messengers to transfer critical blood supplies through congested city streets. [Seattle Post-Intellegencer] New Jersey hospital use bicyclists to deliver health records like x-ray film. The San Luis Obispo County, CA, Board of Supervisors approved a program that offers a bicycle to county employees for their exclusive use. In return, the employee must agree to ride the bicycle to work at least two days per week. Participants must sign a "Bicycle Use Permit". At the end of one year of successful participation, the employee may receive ownership of the bicycle. The bicycles are either donated or are unclaimed theft recoveries. A month after the first memo announcing the program a second memo was describing the response as overwhelming and reporting a shortage of bicycles. In other actions, the county installed additional bicycle racks, new bicycle lockers and personal lockers at various county facilities to accommodate and promote the use of bicycles. These efforts are in concert with the county's Clean Air Plan and related trip reduction requirements. For details: General Services Director, County Government Center, San Luis Obispo, CA 93408. -----Original Message----- From: wgilmore@concentric.net To: urban-ecology@egroups.com Date: Saturday, January 09, 1999 6:50 PM Subject: [urb-eco] Re: Bike Developments Would that a North American city were as forward looking as Bordeau officials. This article is a translation of a newspaper article which apperared on another list. ============================================ Bikes for the elected officials of the Bordeaux City Hall BRODEAUX (AP) About twenty bicycles were placed at the disposal of the elected officials and department heads at the Bordeaux City Hall, it was announced Monday by the Deputy-Mayor of the City, Alain Juppe. "Very often, officials or bureaucrats go about Bordeaux by car. They therefore contribute to the rise of pollution in the city. They will have at their disposal bicycles in the courtyard of the city hall so they can go to other public service offices," declared Mr. Juppe in a press conference, after a tour by bike around the Place Pey-Berland, across from the Bordeaux City Hall, in the company of a number of elected officials from the municipality. "Its an experience. If it works out it will then give us personnel on municipal bicycles," explained Mr. Juppe. However the former prime minister clarified that he would not give up his "official Safrane [Renault]", but that he would try to "be an example as often as possible" by getting around on bicycle. These two-wheeled machines were supplied by the office of tourism of Bordeaux, which uses them primarily in the summer. This operation is a complement to the "Sunday Without Cars" organized once a month downtown in this capital of the Aquitane Department. ------------------------------------------------------------ ------------ eGroup home: http://www.eGroups.com/list/urban-ecology Free Web-based e-mail groups by eGroups.com From arno at daastol.com Tue Jan 12 00:08:38 1999 From: arno at daastol.com (Arno Mong Daastøl) Date: Mon, 11 Jan 1999 16:08:38 +0100 Subject: [sustran] computer costs for a small PRT system In-Reply-To: Message-ID: <000101be3d74$5d906f40$dd054382@amd> Does anyone have relatively updated ideas on the computer costs for a small PRT system of some 20 km and 50.000 travels a day? If you have please send me some words on this and the reasoning behind it. Best wishes for the New Year! Arno Arno Mong Daastøl, Utsiktsveien 34, N-1410 Kolbotn, Norway Ph: W: +47.6680 6373 Pr: 6680 6523, Mobile: +47.9002 4956, Fax and Voice Box: +47.9403 5650 Email: arno@daastol.com URL: http://daastol.com ICQ # 11869628 PhD Cand. Department of Public Economics, University of Maastricht SUM - Centre for Development and Environment, University of Oslo From intlbike at ibike.org Tue Jan 12 18:32:03 1999 From: intlbike at ibike.org (David Mozer) Date: Tue, 12 Jan 1999 01:32:03 -0800 Subject: [sustran] Fw: Call for support for Spanish cyclists Message-ID: <00c201be3e12$23559fa0$b7e6e3cf@david-mozer> -----Original Message----- From: Daniel Eritja i Mathieu Date: Monday, January 11, 1999 1:57 PM Subject: Call for support for Spanish cyclists >SPANISH CYCLISTS NEED YOUR SUPPORT AGAIN > >You may have notice that the Spanish Traffic Law is going to be amended to >include more provisions for cyclists. Senate took the initiative of >preparing a draft bill. The proposal included, among other points, >mandatory helmet wearing, special clothing and odd reflectors at night, ban >from freeways and a half-way permission to carry small children on the bike. > >During the last year, the Spanish cycle users' associations, supported by >cycle advocates from all over the world (you may be one of them), have >campaigned against these proposals, which would not really increase road >safety but charge increased responsibilities and impediments onto cyclists. > >The draft bill has now passed to Congress unmodified, but the battle is not >lost. In the Senate plenary session, the authors of the draft bill, both >from government and opposition parties, went into an unusual series of >justifications and explanation of why they did not do good work but only >just a job, quoting almost literally the cyclists' concerns and arguments. >They all expressed their hope that Congress will do better work. (You can >read the transcription of this session at >http://www.senado.es/boletines/PS0098.html - in Spanish, of course.) > >Now the next round has begun, and it needs renewed support. Politicians >shall know that their work is being observed from everywhere in the world. >They do not have to re-invent the wheel - neither round nor square: there >is much good practice in legislation and international experience which >they should not ignore. > >So you are urgently invited to spread this message among your colleagues >and express your concern in letters to the persons below. They are the >Spanish Minister of the Interior and ultimate political responsible for a >new traffic law, and the President of the Parliament Lower House, where >this issue has to be treated now. Their address is: > >Excmo. Sr. Jaime Mayor Oreja >Ministro de Interior >Ministerio de Interior >Calle Amador de los Ríos, 7 >E-28071 Madrid >Spain > >Excmo. Sr. Federico Trillo Figueroa >Presidente del Congreso >Palacio del Congreso >Calle Fernanflor, 1 >E-28014 Madrid >Spain >E-mail: federico.trillo@presidente.congreso.es > >(Please send a copy to Amics de la Bici, Barcelona at deritja@pangea.org or >fax nr. +34 93 431 5379). > >The traffic situation in Spain may be different from that in your country. >Therefore, you will find below some points to highlight the needs of the >cycling community in Spain. > >The measures proposed by cycle advocates to increase road safety for >cyclists in Spain include: > >First and foremost: > >- Substitution of the actual car-oriented traffic law by a law of mobility >based on the needs of those who do not cause danger nor pollution: >pedestrians and cyclists, and putting on those who cause the danger (i.e. >drivers of motor vehicles) the full responsibility to take all necessary >previsions to avoid harm to the weaker under all circumstances (even >"irregular" behaviour). > >- Recognition and enforcement of the cyclists' right to circulate under >acceptable conditions of objective and subjective road safety. Traffic >calming and promotion of cycling. > >Specifically: > >- Safe, comfortable and functional bicycle paths for cyclists only (not to >be shared with speedy mopeds as they are now), effective speed reduction >and control of motor traffic. > >- Definition and implementation of adequate new traffic signs and roadmarks >for bicycle infrastructure, including advanced stop areas at crossings. > >- Strict enforcement of a safe side distance when motor vehicles overtake >cyclists (at present, it is 1.5 m, but this is never enforced by the police). > >- Permission that 2 cyclists ride abreast on road as well as in town, to >improve their visibility and thus their safety. > >- General permission for transport of small children in special seats or >trailers (still forbidden, but widely practised). > >- In urban areas, recognition of the cyclists' right to use any given lane >at its centre and not be confined to the outer edge (where he/she is all >too often overlooked and consequently overrun by motorists). > >- Cyclists and other vulnerable road users should be given the right of way >over motorised traffic when crossing or turning. > >- It would be against the constitutional right to mobility to ban cyclists >from freeways if there is no safe and convenient alternative route. > >- Mandatory helmets will not improve road safety but will keep people off >cycling. > >- The makers or sellers of bicycles should be made responsible that any >bicycle to be sold is equipped with all the elements required by law to >ride these vehicles among other traffic at any time. The range of >authorised lighting and reflector systems should be wide enough to suit the >different needs of different user types. > >If you have any questions or doubts about these points, do not hesitate to >contact deritja@pangea.org. > >Thank you for your support. > > > >----------------------------------------------------- >Daniel Eritja i Mathieu >C/ Mare de Déu de Port, 397, 17è 1a >E-08038 Barcelona >Tel/Fax: +34 93 431 53 79 > > >+Is this list valuable to you? Your contribution is >what helps to ensure its continued operation and >growth. Find out more at http://cyclery.com/support/ >+-----------------------------------------------------+ > From eric.britton at ecoplan.org Tue Jan 12 20:13:38 1999 From: eric.britton at ecoplan.org (eric britton) Date: Tue, 12 Jan 1999 12:13:38 +0100 Subject: [sustran] conversation V1 #246 In-Reply-To: <199901120700.CAA10625@solstice.crest.org> Message-ID: <000701be3e1c$9aca2ce0$bdbefea9@g400.cybercable.fr> Hank Ditmar (Hello Hank) says in his opening remarks: >> I have proposed an approach that seeks (A) to expand transportation and (B) community choices and (C) educate folks about the (D) negative impacts of our current lack of choice and the options that can be made available to them. An alternate approach is to attempt to (E) raise the cost of driving to capture its full environmental and social costs, but each attempt to do so has been met with intense political opposition. Can we pursue both agendas?<< Let me start by commenting fast on that (those A, B, C's being mine). A - Good. B - Great! C. Sounds a little pompous in a societies as rich in bright people and understanding as ours. D. Most people do not respond well to negative signals or chastisement E. Nice job if you can get it. But you know we have been building up an informed consensus on this matter -- and a few tangible demonstrations as well -- or the last three decades now, but in the final analysis is not the problem always pretty much the same? I.e., to determine, not so much what is good (or right, or better), but how do we get from here to there. Now a bunch of us have been working away at this and thinking about it for a couple of decades now, and we (and many others, to be more accurate) have come up with a handful of what we think are rather good "paths" to sustainable transportation. What they all have in common is that they are predicated on the belief that people are smart, but they need a bit of elbow room in order to work out their own solutions. However this is precisely what the present arrangements have uniformly prevented them from doing. Knowing this is already a first step. So here are a few ideas along these lines that I'd like to put before the group for information and comment: 1. The use of the Net to put our heads together on these issues: to build knowledge in many places and, with it, to build a strong consensus. This conversation is one such place. Another very good one is SUSTRAN (the Sustainable Transport Action Network for Asia & the Pacific) which you can run down at sustran@po.jaring.my. Serious people. Well worth a detour. (Your recommendations?) 2. The idea of "stopping the music" for a single day and to gather our collective thoughts on how things might be organized in a non-car wholly based system. One mechanism for this is the organization with participation and negotiation and very careful study, of a Car Free Day. For more on this you are invited to go to the Car Free Days Forum at http://www.ecoplan.org/carfreeday/ . It has been pieced together precisely to help people go from A to B. 3. Likewise the excellent (but usually not very well understood) concept of carsharing as something that is not only a decent if probably minor and maybe environmentally reasonable transportation arrangement, but also as something that can serve as a practical precursor and component of a sustainable transportation system. Once again, for more on that you can go to the CarShare Consortium on http://www.ecoplan.org/carshare/ . 4. Finally (not finally really, but after all) there is the concept of "telecommunications substitutes for transportation". Now that is a dicey one that is easy to get wrong fast. One excellent example of this is all the thoughtlessness that is being pandered under the label of "Intelligent (ahem!) Transportation Systems". But life tends to be kind of complex. Truth is that this generation of technologies does indeed have a great deal to offer, if only we take the time and trouble to get it right. Unfortunately I have no fully up to date first class reference or overview site to point you to on this. (Our own Sustainable Transportation Emergency Program site at http://www.the-commons.org/access/eehome.htm broaches this but does not really dig in, and though it is old it is at least a start. Likewise if you have some time to waste you can see what a group of us are trying to do in Bilbao Spain with these concepts in a practical, hands-on transportation context.. available at http://www.the-commons.org/ciudades/bilbao2010 ). However maybe some of you here can point us all in some good directions for this. Alternatively we might get together and what we might be able to do by setting up what we call a One-Star-Shop on this important topic on the Net. But you will let us know about that. Thanks for this good effort which I follow with real interest. Eric Britton Latest action on The Commons at http://www.ecoplan.org EcoPlan International -- Technology, Economy, Society Le Frene, 8/10 rue Joseph Bara, F-75006 Paris, France Videoconferencing/groupwork: +331 4441.6340 (1-4) From sustran at po.jaring.my Thu Jan 14 18:30:33 1999 From: sustran at po.jaring.my (SUSTRAN Resource Centre) Date: Thu, 14 Jan 1999 17:30:33 +0800 Subject: [sustran] Australian fuel taxation alert Message-ID: <3.0.6.32.19990114173033.007b4100@relay101.jaring.my> Dear sustran-discussers The following from the Australian Conservation Foundation is an interesting example of the fact that we sustainable transport advocates need to stay alert to taxation issues. I hope it has wider interest and relevance beyond Australia. Some of you may even want to write a letter of support for their campaign. There are some relevant web sites at the end of their message. Paul A. Rahman Paul BARTER, SUSTRAN Resource Centre P.O. Box 11501 50748 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Fax/Phone: +603 274 2590 E-mail: sustran@po.jaring.my URL: 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). Original message: From: "ACF Canberra" (by way of Carrie Sonneborn ) Subject: A Tax on Clean Air - Info Alert Mime-Version: 1.0 Australian Conservation Foundation Information Alert GST - a tax on clean air? participate in the debate The Government's GST package, soon to come before the Senate, will have a range of effects on the environment, notably air quality. As part of the GST reform package there will be a cut in the price of diesel fuel by 25 cents per litre, making it significantly cheaper than both petrol and natural gas. The ACF believes that the proposed tax changes will increase air pollution and the numbers of large vehicles in our cities. The ACF is very concerned about the impact of the GST package and lobbied for the establishment of a Senate Inquiry into the environmental effects of the GST package. This committee is currently seeking submissions from community groups and the general public who are concerned. Your chance to comment on this tax reform and make a submission to the Inquiry ends in 2 weeks on January 29th 1999! We urge you to find time in the next week or two to write a submission, even if it is short. Provided below are points relating to the impact of the proposed tax on air pollution. In addition several relevant website addresses have been provided that provide information about other environmental impacts of the GST that you may want to focus on. Australians are rightly concerned about air pollution: Air pollution continues to be the environmental problem of greatest concern for Australian's, with 32 per cent of people reporting this as their major environmental concern (ABS 1998). There are good reasons for the public's concern about air pollution. The National Environment Protection Council (NEPC) noted in its 1997 Air Quality paper that the air pollutants in our cities "act on the lungs, nose, eye, throat, blood, heart, the central nervous system and other parts of the body. Impacts can range from premature death and hospitalisation, to a range of less severe health effects including increased asthma, eye irritation, sore throat, cough, headache and the aggravation of respiratory symptoms." One study cited by the NEPC Report found that fine particulate air pollution in Sydney alone accounts for 397 premature deaths per year. Those most vulnerable to air pollution are children, the elderly and people with existing illness, especially heart and lung diseases. Why is the GST package a problem for air quality? Australian Governments have the power to encourage clean fuel alternatives and other policies that can improve worsening urban air quality and increasing greenhouse emissions. The GST package is likely to have the opposite effect. - The package will see a 25c per litre reduction in the price of diesel for 'heavy' vehicles. This will encourage a switch to diesel vehicles and perhaps also an upgrading to larger vehicles. This GST policy could also see an increase in road freight transport and a shift away from the use of rail . - The proposed GST price of diesel by 25c per litre will be available for vehicles 3.5 tonnes and over gross (loaded or GVM) weight using public roads. This may create an incentive for businesses to purchase of bigger commercial vehicles to capture this cheap fuel. A land cruiser is 3.2 tonnes GVM and a small-medium truck is 6-8 tonnes GVM. - Diesel fumes generate harmful health effects because its high particulate content creates smog. The Government's 1997 Inquiry into Urban Air Pollution found that "diesels make a disproportionate contribution to particulate emissions, approximately two orders of magnitude by weight of PM10 and for sill finer particles, than do petrol vehicles." (p48, 1998) - Australia's greenhouse gas emissions could increase by around 2 per cent above the levels they would otherwise reach, amounting to an additional 5 million tonnes. (Australia Institute 1998) Diesel is bad news for cities and human health - Diesel exhaust releases more smog generating particles than petrol fuelled vehicles. - The particles released by diesel are very fine which means they are easily inhaled deep into the lungs. - In August 1998 the California Air Resources Board approved a proposal to list particulate emissions from diesel-fuelled engines as a Toxic Air Contaminant (TAC). - Over 40 substances in diesel fuel emissions are listed as TACs by the ARB and by the US Environmental Protection Authority as hazardous air pollutants, with up to 15 of these substances listed by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IRAC) as carcinogenic to humans. The switch to cleaner fuels will not happen - There is great concern that the Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) vehicle industry will be put out of business if the GST remains in its current form. CNG engines produce far less air pollutants and greenhouse gases compared to their diesel or petrol counterparts. The Environment Minister, Senator Hill noted in 1997 that "the increased use of natural gas powered vehicles can make an important contribution to the Australian public's number one environmental concern: air pollution" (ANGVC Conference 1997) - The proposed tax is likely to discourage Councils and Transit Authorities from buying gas-fuelled buses. In 1989 - 91, New Zealand introduced a similar price advantage for diesel and this saw a dramatic drop in the conversion to gas-fuelled transport What you can do: 1. Write a submission to the Senate Inquiry into the environmental impacts of the GST package before 29 January 1999. The Terms of Reference for the Inquiry can be found at: - by calling or emailing the ACF National Liaison Office 02 - 6247 2472 (p) acfnlo@peg.apc.org Your submission does not have to be long or complicated, but should set out your views on how the GST package may affect the environment or your local community. Three websites that may help with writing your submission are: - www.peg.apc.org/~acfenv/ The Australian Conservation Foundation's assessment of the Coalition and Labor tax packages - www.tai.org.au The Australia Institute paper - The GST package and Air Pollution - www.arb.ca.gov/toxics/dieseltac California Air Resources Board - The Report on Diesel Exhaust Anna Reynolds National Liaison Officer Australian Conservation Foundation acfnlo@peg.apc.org 02 - 6247 2472 (p) 02 - 6247 5779 From tkpb at barter.pc.my Thu Jan 14 18:34:52 1999 From: tkpb at barter.pc.my (Barter) Date: Thu, 14 Jan 1999 17:34:52 +0800 (MYT) Subject: [sustran] Bicycle promotion efforts by KL City Hall and STAR LRT Message-ID: Dear Azlan As requested here are some comments for the Malay Mail newspaper on DBKL's and STAR's initiatives to promote cycling. I will be cc'ing this to some other cycling contacts to let them know what is going on.. I hope you don't mind. BACKGROUND on SUSTRAN Resource Centre The SUSTRAN Resource Centre is coordinator for an Asia-wide network of people who are interested in promoting sustainable transport, especially public transport, bicycles and walking. We also provide an information service on these issues. Therefore the consumers association and STAR LRT asked us to come along to the meeting on their bicycle project to give some feedback. We have two staff (myself and Sreela) and Tamim is a visiting advisor. CONGRATULATE DBKL AND STAR ON MAKING A START ON PROMOTING BICYCLES First I would congratulate DBKL and STAR for taking the initiative to try to promote greater use of bicycles. It is great that they recognise that bicycles have many advantages as a means of transport in cities. Bicycles are especially suitable for short trips of about 4 km or less. People of all ages can cycle. Bicycles produce no pollution or noise and contribute almost nothing to congestion. Cycling is a very healthy activity when there are safe routes to cycle on. Bikes also take up very little parking space (one car parking lot can be converted easily to take 12 bicycles). This is one reason why bicycles are particularly good for getting to railway and LRT stations. BICYCLE PROMOTION NOT JUST ABOUT BICYCLE TRACKS Many factors can discourage people from riding bicycles. Creating safer bicycle routes (on tracks or along streets) is just one of many ways to address these factors and to promote bicycle use. Other strategies include: promotional campaigns and educational materials; shade trees along cycle routes; providing secure bicycle parking (at railway stations, shopping complexes, large work places); requiring new buildings to provide showers for employees who cycle to work; and slowing down traffic (traffic calming) on streets where there are many cyclists. DBKL's EFFORTS SO FAR - LET US LEARN FROM MISTAKES DBKL has begun its efforts to promote bicycles by building a network of bicycle/pedestrian tracks alongside streets in Wangsa Maju and Bandar Tun Razak. Some of the tracks do appear to fulfill a useful role and are used by cyclists - especially the tracks that run alongside busy streets and especially the ones near schools. Unfortunately the example that we saw in Bandar Tun Razak near the LRT station was a poor example so I don't think we should judge the whole project on that one. Some of the other tracks are also now in a state of disrepair because of damage from heavy vehicles parking on the tracks. This was not forseen and I think that the relevant officers in DBKL will be the first to admit that they made some mistakes in their first try. However, I understand that they are very keen to learn from these mistakes so that their next efforts can avoid the same problems. Such a willingness to learn from mistakes is a good attitude and it is neccessary in any transport planning. STAR LRT has also already taken some initiative building bicycle parking facilities at a number of their stations. Now it is important to assess these and to try to improve on them in other stations. I hope the other rail operators will also take an interest in STAR's efforts to promote cycling to stations. If this is a success it can be part of the solution to their parking problems. FEEDBACK FROM CYCLISTS MAY BE A GOOD NEXT STEP Even if their first efforts have not been wildly successful yet, I hope that DBKL and STAR will not lose heart or abandon the idea of promoting bicycles. Perhaps a good step might be to do a survey of people who already cycle in KL (old AND young; fast AND slow) to find out what problems they face and how their cycling can be made safer and more comfortable. Klang Valley Sustainable Transport "FORUM" to form soon SUSTRAN Resource Centre and a number of other people including cyclist clubs, people with disabilities, and the consumers movement are working on forming a "forum" to promote public transport, cycling and walking in the Klang Valley. When this forum is established, it would be an ideal body to help DBKL and STAR with their bicycle promotion efforts. A. Rahman Paul BARTER, SUSTRAN Resource Centre P.O. Box 11501 50748 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Fax/Phone: +603 274 2590 E-mail: sustran@po.jaring.my URL: 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). From eric.britton at ecoplan.org Thu Jan 14 19:49:53 1999 From: eric.britton at ecoplan.org (eric britton) Date: Thu, 14 Jan 1999 11:49:53 +0100 Subject: [sustran] Center for A New American Dream Conversation on transportation and consumption Message-ID: <000301be3fab$9e290b00$ce98fea9@g400.cybercable.fr> For those who do not know about this, let me just say that it is shaping up as perhaps worth a visit. The participation by a number of people who obviously have little transportation background, but high intelligence, social concern and good powers of observation, makes it a rather interesting forum. A good place for us transportation types to learn a thing or two. "If you'd like to join the conversation list, send e-mail to majordomo@newdream.org and, in the body, write: subscribe conversation-digest (if you'd like to receive one bundled message per day) or subscribe conversation (if you'd like individual messages)." Eric Britton Latest forum on The Commons: International Buy Nothing Day at http://www.ecoplan.org/ibnd - "Sound like a stupid idea? Have a look and decide for yourself" From iemslie at csir.co.za Fri Jan 15 23:56:03 1999 From: iemslie at csir.co.za (Ian Emslie) Date: Fri, 15 Jan 1999 16:56:03 +0200 Subject: [sustran] Looking for Jonas Rabinovitch/Curitiba contact Message-ID: My apologies for sending this request to this discussion group, but I'm desperately trying to get in contact with either Jonas Rabinovitch or any public transport planners from Curitiba. If you could possibly help me with any email contacts, I would greatly appreciate it. (I have tried jonas@undp.org. but with no success?) Many thanks Regards Ian Emslie Traffic and Transportation Planning Transportek, CSIR Western Cape Provincial Office PO Box 320 Stellenbosch 7599 South Africa Telephone +27 21 888 2595 Fax +27 21 888 2694 email : iemslie@csir.co.za From wcox at publicpurpose.com Sat Jan 16 12:37:46 1999 From: wcox at publicpurpose.com (Wendell Cox) Date: Fri, 15 Jan 1999 21:37:46 -0600 Subject: [sustran] WENDELL COX APPOINTED TO AMTRAK REFORM COUNCIL Message-ID: <36A0098A.709FEEAE@publicpurpose.com> Press Release WENDELL COX APPOINTED TO AMTRAK REFORM COUNCIL Wendell Cox has been appointed by the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives to serve as a member of the Amtrak Reform Council, an 11-member body charged with evaluating Amtrak's performance and making recommendations for achieving cost containment, productivity improvements and financial reforms. Cox was appointed to complete the five year term of New Jersey Governor Christine Todd Whitman, who resigned in November. The term ends with the sunset of the Council in May 2003. Cox is principal of Wendell Cox Consultancy, an international firm specializing in public policy, economics, transport and demographics. He was appointed to three terms on the Los Angeles County Transportation Commission by Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley, and served from 1977 to 1985. During that time he chaired two American Public Transit Association committees. He has completed projects in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Europe, Africa and Asia. The Amtrak Reform Council was established under the Amtrak Reform and Accountability Act of 1997. The Amtrak Reform Council will report to Congress annually on the operations of Amtrak and will make recommendations on the future operation of Amtrak. The Council is comprised as follows: three appointments each made by the President, Speaker of the House and Senate Majority Leader and one appointment each by Senate Minority Leader and House Minority Leader. -- WENDELL COX CONSULTANCY International Public Policy, Economics, Labour, Transport & Strategic Planning The Public Purpose: Internet Public Policy Resource http://www.publicpurpose.com Voice +1 618 632 8507; Fax +1 618 632 8538 P.O. Box 841- Belleville, Illinois 62222 USA "To facilitate the ideal of government as the servant of the people by identifying and implementing strategies to achieve public purposes at a cost that is no higher than necessary." From tjb at pc.jaring.my Sun Jan 17 15:08:57 1999 From: tjb at pc.jaring.my (Tony Barry) Date: Sun, 17 Jan 1999 14:08:57 +0800 Subject: [sustran] Re: Bicycle promotion efforts by KL City Hall and STAR LRT In-Reply-To: Message-ID: <3.0.3.32.19990117140857.01656688@pop3.jaring.my> At 17:34 14/1/99 +0800, you wrote: >Dear Azlan > >As requested here are some comments for the Malay Mail newspaper on DBKL's >and STAR's initiatives to promote cycling. I will be cc'ing this to some >other cycling contacts to let them know what is going on.. I hope you don't >mind. > But how do DBKL propose to deal with safety issues for cyclists who will eventually require to cycle in mixed traffic (since presumably it is not feasible to provide a complete cycle track network door-to-door? The figures for road accidents in Malaysia are quite alarming, and the majority of deaths are two wheeled users. The twelve deaths on the first day of the Hari Raya included I think 7 motorcyclists, one cyclist and one pedestrna. The largest number of accidents occurred in the Federal Territory. As a long time cyclist in London in my younger years I could not recommend cycling in KL. ------------ Tony Barry EValue Engineering Sdn Bhd Kuala Lumpur From m.schmitt at semaly.com Mon Jan 18 19:10:47 1999 From: m.schmitt at semaly.com (m.schmitt@semaly.com) Date: Mon, 18 Jan 1999 10:10:47 +0000 Subject: [sustran] mobility rate in Czech Republic, or othe Message-ID: Dear discussers I am preparing at the moment a study on the City of Brno, Czech Republic and I can't find out in all the document I could gather the evolution of mobility rate (motorized and motorized) in Czech Republic. If you have anything concerning the question, I would be interested in Thank you very much for your answer From j.whitelegg at lancaster.ac.uk Mon Jan 18 18:02:25 1999 From: j.whitelegg at lancaster.ac.uk (John Whitelegg) Date: Mon, 18 Jan 1999 09:02:25 -0000 Subject: [sustran] Helmut Holzapfel Message-ID: <01BE42C3.22028900@ras-pptp-2.lancs.ac.uk> Dear Sustran discussants, My colleague Helmut Holzapfel of the University of Kassel (Germany) and recently head of the Traffic Ministry in Magdeburg (State of Sachsen Anhalt in the former east Germany) is making a trip to Boston (USA) in the next few weeks. Helmut has been in the forefront of German traffic planning and thinking for over 20 years and is very keen to meet anyone involved in this area in the NE USA (especially Boston) on his trip. Would anyone who is interested in a discussion with a German expert on these matters please contact Professor Holzapfel direct: Holz@hrz.uni-kassel.de Many thanks Best wishes John Whitelegg From litman at islandnet.com Tue Jan 19 21:29:45 1999 From: litman at islandnet.com (Todd Litman) Date: Tue, 19 Jan 1999 04:29:45 -0800 Subject: [sustran] Most Pallatable Transport Management Strategies In-Reply-To: <000701be3e1c$9aca2ce0$bdbefea9@g400.cybercable.fr> References: <199901120700.CAA10625@solstice.crest.org> Message-ID: <3.0.5.32.19990119042945.00a12de0@mail.IslandNet.com> At 12:13 PM 1/12/99 +0100, Eric Britton wrote: > >Hank Ditmar (Hello Hank) says in his opening remarks: >> I have proposed an >approach that seeks (A) to expand transportation and (B) community choices >and (C) educate folks about the (D) negative impacts of our current lack of >choice and the options that can be made available to them. An alternate >approach is to attempt to (E) raise the cost of driving to capture its full >environmental and social costs, but each attempt to do so has been met with >intense political opposition. Although I agree that motorists should be charged the full environmental and social costs they impose, this is a hard sell. We may make some marginal gains, particularly if we emphasize revenue neutral tax shifts (such as inceasing vehicle charges but using the revenue to reduce more economically harmful taxes, such as income taxes, see the report "Road Relief; Tax and Pricing Shifts for a Fairer, Cleaner, and Less Congested Transportation System in Washington State" at www.eoc.org for an example), and if we wait for situations in which a government needs to raise taxes in any case (such as using a parking tax to raise funds for community economic development). But I don't foresee increasing taxes anywhere near the true external costs any time soon. Note that simply charging for external costs may do little to reduce such costs if they are not related to how much a particular vehicle imposes. For example, increasing vehicle registration fees would do little to reduce vehicle use or externalities, and would be inequitable because it would primarily burden low income households. The objective is not simply "cost recovery", much more important is marginal pricing. Thus, motorists pay as closely as possible for the costs they impose, and therefore have the greatest incentive to minimize such costs. I believe that there are equal potential benefits from changing fixed vehicle charges into variable charges. Currently about 80% of total vehicle expenses are percieved as fixed: motorists pay basically the same amount regardless of how much they drive each year. Insurance and registration fees are particularly suitable for making distance-based. In addition, there are a number of market distortions and failures that can be overcome, including cashing-out free parking (allowing non-drivers who are offered free parking to recieve the cash equivalent of the money that would be spent on their parking), location-efficient mortgages (residental lenders recognizing the financial costs of automobile dependency, thus making homes in transportation efficient locations easier for lower-income households to purchase), least-cost planning (removing institutional biases that currently tend to favor highways over other public investments), and a various other strategies. These are all justified for the sake of equity AND they increase economic efficiency. Individually, none of these would "solve" our transportation problems, but together they could make significant contributions. In total these are what we call "Win-Win" transportation management strategies. I suggest that this approach has the greatest chance of making a positive difference in our transportation systems. Let me know if you are interested in finding out more about these strategies. Sincerely, Todd Litman, Director Victoria Transport Policy Institute "Efficiency - Equity - Clarity" 1250 Rudlin Street Victoria, BC, V8V 3R7, Canada Phone & Fax: 250-360-1560 E-mail: litman@islandnet.com Website: www.islandnet.com/~litman From mobility at igc.apc.org Wed Jan 20 10:58:29 1999 From: mobility at igc.apc.org (ITDP) Date: Tue, 19 Jan 1999 17:58:29 -0800 Subject: [sustran] Re: mobility rate in Czech Republic, or othe References: Message-ID: <36A53845.7B42@igc.apc.org> i suggest you contact martin robes at martin.robes@ecn.cz rgds, m.schmitt@semaly.com wrote: > > Dear discussers > > I am preparing at the moment a study on the City of Brno, Czech Republic and I can't find out in all the document I could gather the evolution of mobility rate (motorized and motorized) in Czech Republic. > > If you have anything concerning the question, I would be interested in > > Thank you very much for your answer -- Access ITDP's New Website: www.ITDP.org The Institute for Transportation and Development Policy 115 W. 30th Street, Suite 1205, New York, NY 10001 (212) 629-8001 fax: (212) 629-8033 From mobility at igc.apc.org Wed Jan 20 10:56:16 1999 From: mobility at igc.apc.org (ITDP) Date: Tue, 19 Jan 1999 17:56:16 -0800 Subject: [sustran] Re: Looking for Jonas Rabinovitch/Curitiba contact References: Message-ID: <36A537C0.4BBB@igc.apc.org> try jonas.rabinovitch@undp.org Ian Emslie wrote: > > My apologies for sending this request to this discussion group, but > I'm desperately trying to get in contact with either Jonas Rabinovitch > or any public transport planners from Curitiba. If you could possibly > help me with any email contacts, I would greatly appreciate it. > (I have tried jonas@undp.org. but with no success?) > > Many thanks > Regards > > Ian Emslie > Traffic and Transportation Planning > Transportek, CSIR > Western Cape Provincial Office > PO Box 320 > Stellenbosch > 7599 > South Africa > Telephone +27 21 888 2595 > Fax +27 21 888 2694 > email : iemslie@csir.co.za > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > -- Access ITDP's New Website: www.ITDP.org The Institute for Transportation and Development Policy 115 W. 30th Street, Suite 1205, New York, NY 10001 (212) 629-8001 fax: (212) 629-8033 From iemslie at csir.co.za Wed Jan 20 16:34:46 1999 From: iemslie at csir.co.za (Ian Emslie) Date: Wed, 20 Jan 1999 09:34:46 +0200 Subject: [sustran] [sustran] Re: Looking for Jonas Rabinovitch/Curitiba contact Message-ID: Thank you very much for your reply. A number of other people have confirmed the same email address that you gave, so hopefully I'll have better luck now. Once again, thanks very much for your help Yours sincerely Ian Emslie Traffic and Transportation Planning Transportek, CSIR Western Cape Provincial Office PO Box 320 Stellenbosch 7599 South Africa Telephone +27 21 888 2595 Fax +27 21 888 2694 email : iemslie@csir.co.za From litman at islandnet.com Wed Jan 20 18:41:40 1999 From: litman at islandnet.com (Todd Litman) Date: Wed, 20 Jan 1999 01:41:40 -0800 Subject: [sustran] BMW, Safety, and Equity In-Reply-To: <08000386100729@sustainability.com> Message-ID: <3.0.5.32.19990120014140.00ae4b10@mail.IslandNet.com> Here are two contrasting views of the German automaker that you may love to hate. Traffic Technology International -------------------------------- Dec. 1998/Jan. 1999, p. 7 BMW Attacks Transport Policy Normally placid German automaker BMW has gone on something of a warpath in recent months with a series of public attacks on emerging German and EU transport policy ideas. Two topics, that of a national speed limit on Germany's autobahnen and proposed EC "fair traffic" pricing, have faced the onslaught of one of Europe's most powerful companies. In its criticisms of motorway speed limit proposals, BMW says, "General speed limits do not solve environmental and traffic problems." Citing Germany's high-speed road network as an economic advantage the company says that imposing a speed limit on motorways would "encourage more drivers to seek alternative routes" to more dangerous sections of road. The company continues: "The introduction of a general speed limit threatens to reduce the demand for high-tech vehicles and optional safety features and therefore the automotive industry to lose its leading role in the international market." A better solution, says BMW, is "to promote measures to encourage a new approach and the introduction of new technologies. For example, a coordinated network of all modes of transport, the establishment of intelligent traffic management systems, the development of alternative propulsion systems and a progromme to raise the awareness and sense of responsibility of all road users." In another policy attack, BMW singles out the EC's "Fair Transport Pricing" What Paper put forward by transport commissioner Neil Kinnock in July. The EC's proposals aim to internalize some of the external costs of road traffic through noise taxes, congestion charging and other road pricing measures. BMW says that some of the schemes use "calculation methods that are inappropriate to the problem, and costs that are irrelevant". The company says the theory is fine, but in practice such schemes fall down when faced with real world situations. Instead, BMW says that the EC should recognize also the external benefits of road traffic and see "a solution that causes the lease total damage" under the principle of the "cheapest cost provider". "The European Union is in danger of making a grave mistake. If the theory propounded in the White Paper is put into practice, then Europe will be at a serious economic disadvantage compared with competition in the USA and Asia," says BMW. >A tale of rich and poor in India > > Monday, January 18, 1999 > John Stackhouse > > New Delhi -- India > > Until late one Saturday night, he was the epitome of a brash > new India: the son of a millionaire, studying in the U.S., > tooling around in a new BMW and spending his winter > holidays at jet-set parties in New Delhi. But that was before > the accident that brought Sanjeev Nanda's world crashing > down this month in a heap of scandal and disgrace. > > > The "BMW brat," as Mr. Nanda was labelled in the Indian > press, stands accused of driving drunk in his father's new > sports car, killing six pedestrians on his way home from a > party and fleeing the scene. It would have been a normal > hit-and-run case -- they happen every day in New Delhi -- > except that three of the dead were police constables. And > Mr. Nanda is the son of an arms dealer and grandson of a > retired admiral. > > In a capital city that has lost almost all its grace, the accident > has come to symbolize a generation that many > Delhi-wallahs see as the most callous, corrupt and uncouth > since the last days of the Mogul Empire. They also wonder > whether this is a turning point for the Puppie generation, as > Punjabi yuppies are known. > > The BMW accident occurred shortly after 3:30 a.m., on > Jan. 10, when the car driven by Mr. Nanda hit a police > barricade at such a high speed that the collision crushed the > fender, shattered the windshield and severed the limbs of > some of the victims. Like a character from Bonfire of the > Vanities, the driver of the brand-new black sports car sped > around the corner and continued down the street to a > mansion owned by a family friend, where he allegedly > washed off bloodstains and draped the vehicle in a > car-blanket. > > Police found the car the next morning, by following a trail of > engine oil to the four-storey mansion of a prominent > financier, Rajeev Gupta, whose son was also allegedly in the > car. > > The 22-year-old Mr. Nanda, who faces a maximum > sentence of life imprisonment, was denied bail and taken to > the country's most notorious and grotty prison, Tihar Jail, > where mass murderers and rapists reside. His high-school > friends Sidharth Gupta and Manik Kapoor were charged > with lesser crimes for being in the car, and were released on > bail. > > For local newspapers and TV programs, the story has > become India's answer to the O. J. Simpson trial -- a > tragedy which has gripped the city, and exposed anger over > the behaviour of an elite few. > > The day after the tragedy, police announced relief to the > widows amounting to 75,000 rupees (about $2,700) each. > The Nandas' BMW, imported in December and still bearing > foreign plates, cost more than 60 times that, or more than > 4=BD million rupees. > > Public ridicule notwithstanding, the nouveaux riches stood > by their men. As the widows received the death benefits, > the Gupta mansion in central New Delhi, where the BMW > was hidden, was besieged by people in Mercedes-Benzes, > Hondas and at least one Jaguar. > > A day later, at the bail hearing, the courtroom was so > crowded with young men in European suits carrying mobile > phones that the presiding magistrate had to order the > devices switched off. > > Mr. Nanda's mother cried and pleaded with the magistrate > to sentence her, not her son. "It is the parents who give their > children the money and the Mercedes," she said, confusing > the car in question with another one owned by her children. > > The magistrate ignored her plea, but announced 30,000 > rupees (about $1,075) bail for the two other accused. At > that moment, several men pulled out wads of cash -- the > equivalent of six months salary for a police constable -- and > offered to pay. The bemused magistrate said he wanted a > bond, not cash. > > The BMW saga started at a farmhouse party on the > southern outskirts of New Delhi, where hundreds of > business executives and leading politicians live in Beverley > Hills luxury, filling their pools and irrigating their landscaped > gardens with free water allotted for farmers. Police said Mr. > Nanda, who was due to return to Wharton this week, left > the party drunk and drove home at speeds of up to 150 > kilometres an hour on roads that have few working > streetlights and are home to thousands of pavement > dwellers. > > Legal experts said the charge of culpable homicide will be > difficult to prove because it would require Mr. Nanda to > have had knowledge that his driving could cause death. > They said a lesser charge of negligence, which carries a > maximum jail term of two years, would have been easier to > win. > > But the public verdict may have been cast already. "After > killing four persons (the fifth died later in hospital), they tried > to hide the car and remove all evidence," said deputy police > commissioner Pradeep Srivastava. "This is how these rich > people in town have behaved." From wcox at publicpurpose.com Thu Jan 21 00:24:21 1999 From: wcox at publicpurpose.com (Wendell Cox) Date: Wed, 20 Jan 1999 09:24:21 -0600 Subject: [sustran] Wendell Cox Appointed to Amtrak Reform Council Message-ID: <36A5F525.BE75B26F@publicpurpose.com> WENDELL COX APPOINTED TO AMTRAK REFORM COUNCIL Wendell Cox has been appointed by the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives to serve as a member of the Amtrak Reform Council, an 11-member body charged with evaluating Amtrak's performance and making recommendations for achieving cost containment, productivity improvements and financial reforms. Cox was appointed to complete the five year term of New Jersey Governor Christine Todd Whitman, who resigned in November. The term ends with the sunset of the Council in May 2003. Cox is principal of Wendell Cox Consultancy, an international firm specializing in public policy, economics, transport and demographics. He was appointed to three terms on the Los Angeles County Transportation Commission by Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley, and served from 1977 to 1985. During that time he chaired two American Public Transit Association committees. He has completed projects in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Europe, Africa and Asia. The Amtrak Reform Council was established under the Amtrak Reform and Accountability Act of 1997. The Amtrak Reform Council will report to Congress annually on the operations of Amtrak and will make recommendations on the future operation of Amtrak. The Council is comprised as follows: three appointments each made by the President, Speaker of the House and Senate Majority Leader and one appointment each by Senate Minority Leader and House Minority Leader. -- WENDELL COX CONSULTANCY International Public Policy, Economics, Labour, Transport & Strategic Planning The Public Purpose: Internet Public Policy Resource http://www.publicpurpose.com Voice +1 618 632 8507; Fax +1 618 632 8538 P.O. Box 841- Belleville, Illinois 62222 USA "To facilitate the ideal of government as the servant of the people by identifying and implementing strategies to achieve public purposes at a cost that is no higher than necessary." From sustran at po.jaring.my Thu Jan 21 09:59:35 1999 From: sustran at po.jaring.my (SUSTRAN Resource Centre) Date: Thu, 21 Jan 1999 08:59:35 +0800 Subject: [sustran] 4th Ann Conf of Hong Kong Society for Transportation Studies Message-ID: <3.0.6.32.19990121085935.007a21c0@relay101.jaring.my> forwarded from other lists .... ------- Forwarded Message Follows ------- Date sent: Wed, 20 Jan 1999 13:34:20 +0800 From: Hong K Lo Subject: Announcement of the 4th Annual Conference of the Hong Kong Society for Transportation Studies To: "its-l@mailhub.ornl.gov" , nacota@mit.edu Organization: HKUST First Announcement & Call for Papers FOURTH CONFERENCE OF THE HONG KONG SOCIETY FOR TRANSPORTATION STUDIES Transportation Science and Technology into the Next Millenium Hong Kong 4 December, 1999 Jointly organized by The Hong Kong Society for Transportation Studies and Department of Civil Engineering Hong Kong University of Science and Technology THE CONFERENCE Established in February 1996, the Hong Kong Society for Transportation Studies (HKSTS) aims to foster excellence in transportation research and practice, stimulate professional interchange in transportation, and provide a forum for exchanging ideas on transportation developments. As a continuation of three successful conferences, the 4th HKSTS Conference focuses on transportation science and technology into the next millenium. Presentations on new modeling approaches, concepts, technology, practices, and trends are especially welcome. For further information, visit the conference web site at: http://home.netvigator.com/~hksts/conf99.htm SCOPE Papers in all aspects of transportation are welcome. Presentation topics include: - Theory and measurement of traffic flows - Traffic assignment techniques - Travel demand estimation and management - Transportation network analysis - Transportation planning methodology - Travel behavior modeling - Traffic management and control - Transportation and the environment - Transportation and land use development - Public transportation and paratransit - Non-motorized transportation - Freight transportation - Logistics management - Road pricing - Intelligent transportation systems - Transportation studies in practice - Information Technology CALL FOR PAPERS Authors are invited to submit an abstract of 400-500 words to: Dr. Hong K. Lo Chairman of the 4th HKSTS Conference c/o Department of Civil Engineering Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Clear Water Bay Hong Kong, PR China Fax : (852) 2358-1534 E-mail : cehklo@ust.hk Abstracts should reach the above address before 31 March, 1999. LANGUAGE All presentations and printed materials will be in English. PROCEEDINGS Papers presented at the Conference will be selected to appear in the Conference Proceedings. The bound volume will be made available to registered participants. REGISTRATION FEE Registration fee is HK$1,200 (US$1 = HK$7.8 approximately), which covers the Conference Proceedings, lunch and refreshments. TIME-TABLE 31 March, 1999 : Deadline for submission of abstracts 31 May, 1999 : Notification of acceptance of abstracts 31 July, 1999 : Deadline for submission of full papers 31 August, 1999 : Notification of acceptance of full papers 4 December, 1999 : Fourth HKSTS Conference From sustran at po.jaring.my Fri Jan 22 18:37:07 1999 From: sustran at po.jaring.my (SUSTRAN Resource Centre) Date: Fri, 22 Jan 1999 17:37:07 +0800 Subject: [sustran] Request for information "A Community Guide to Environmental Health" Message-ID: <3.0.6.32.19990122173707.007bb890@relay101.jaring.my> Dear friends, This announcement seems to touch on transport issues somewhat. Perhaps someone is keen to help them? The Hesperian Foundation, publisher of Where There Is no Doctor, is requesting information for their new book: A Community Guide to Environmental Health. Their goal is to help urban and rural communities throughout the world learn how to identify and respond to health prob;ems caused by environmental pollution and destruction. The guide will include tools and techniques used to identify health and environmental problems; the causes of health problems; suggestions for preventing some environmentally related helath problems and stories and strategies from grassroots organizations. They are looking for : - names and addresses of grassroots organizations or individuals doing work in the area of community health as related to their environment; - any literature (brochures, newsletters, etc) you produce on health and environmental issues; - information about books or resources you think might be of use to this project. The Hesperian Foundation is a non-profit organization that publishes books that help people, even those with little formal education, improve the health of people in their communities. For further information, contact: Maya Shaw, Environmental Health Book Project, The Hesperian Foundation, 1919 Addison Street, Suite 304, Berkeley, California 94704-1144 USA. P O Box 11577 Berkeley, California 94712-2577 USA, E-mail: hesperianfdn@igc.apc.org Tel:(510) 845-1447 Fax: (510) 845-9141 Sreela Kolandai SUSTRAN Resource Centre P. O. Box 11501, 50748 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Tel/Fax: +60 3 274 2590, E-mail: sustran@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). From sustran at po.jaring.my Sat Jan 23 10:13:44 1999 From: sustran at po.jaring.my (SUSTRAN Resource Centre) Date: Sat, 23 Jan 1999 09:13:44 +0800 Subject: [sustran] Book announcement Message-ID: <3.0.6.32.19990123091344.007b16d0@relay101.jaring.my> This new book may be of interest to sustran-discussers. It can be considered an update of Newman and Kenworthy's 1989 book "Cities and Automobile Dependence". It contains data on 9 Asian cities: Surabaya, Jakarta, Manila, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Seoul, Singapore, Hong Kong and Tokyo. I should declare an interest here ;-). I was involved in some of the Asian city data collection and analysis for the book. Paul. NEW BOOK ANNOUNCEMENT An International Sourcebook of Automobile Dependence in Cities 1960-1990 by Jeff Kenworthy and Felix Laube with Peter Newman, Paul Barter, Tamim Raad, Chamlong Poboon and Benedicto Guia (Jr) The book contains extensive primary and standardised land use, transportation, energy, economic and environmental data on 46 cities in the USA, Canada, Australia, Europe and Asia, including detailed maps on each city. It also provides a comparative overview analysis of automobile dependence in different types of cities around the world, trends between 1980 and 1990 in key land use and transportation features, as well as some policy implications which impact on how to reduce auto-dependence. The book will be out in early 1999 Advanced orders can be placed with: University Press of Colorado Fax +1 303 530 5306 or email to Darrin Pratt, Sales and Marketing Manager: prattd@stripe.Colorado.EDU From dhingra at civil.iitb.ernet.in Sat Jan 23 20:45:13 1999 From: dhingra at civil.iitb.ernet.in (Prof S L Dhingra) Date: Sat, 23 Jan 1999 17:15:13 +0530 (IST) Subject: [sustran] Re: Book announcement In-Reply-To: <3.0.6.32.19990123091344.007b16d0@relay101.jaring.my> Message-ID: May I have an outline /contents of the book please. On Sat, 23 Jan 1999, SUSTRAN Resource Centre wrote: > This new book may be of interest to sustran-discussers. It can be > considered an update of Newman and Kenworthy's 1989 book "Cities and > Automobile Dependence". It contains data on 9 Asian cities: Surabaya, > Jakarta, Manila, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Seoul, Singapore, Hong Kong and > Tokyo. I should declare an interest here ;-). I was involved in some of > the Asian city data collection and analysis for the book. > > Paul. > > > NEW BOOK ANNOUNCEMENT > > An International Sourcebook of Automobile Dependence in Cities 1960-1990 > > by Jeff Kenworthy and Felix Laube > with Peter Newman, Paul Barter, Tamim Raad, Chamlong Poboon and Benedicto > Guia (Jr) > > The book contains extensive primary and standardised land use, > transportation, energy, economic and environmental data on 46 cities in the > USA, Canada, Australia, Europe and Asia, including detailed maps on each > city. It also provides a comparative overview analysis of automobile > dependence in different types of cities around the world, trends between > 1980 and 1990 in key land use and transportation features, as well as some > policy implications which impact on how to reduce auto-dependence. > > The book will be out in early 1999 > > Advanced orders can be placed with: > > University Press of Colorado > Fax +1 303 530 5306 > or email to Darrin Pratt, Sales and Marketing Manager: > prattd@stripe.Colorado.EDU > > > From mobility at igc.apc.org Sun Jan 24 08:09:42 1999 From: mobility at igc.apc.org (ITDP) Date: Sat, 23 Jan 1999 15:09:42 -0800 Subject: [sustran] Re: Book announcement References: Message-ID: <36AA56B6.1407@igc.apc.org> I think there is an outline available if you look the book up under www.amazon.com where you can also order it. The title is listed as "Sustainability and Cities: Overcoming Automobile Dependence." with Newman and Kenworthy as the principal authors. I'm am assuming this is the same publication Paul is announcing, but perhaps it's two different things? best, Deike Peters, ITDP Prof S L Dhingra wrote: > > May I have an outline /contents of the book please. > > On Sat, 23 Jan 1999, SUSTRAN Resource Centre wrote: > > > This new book may be of interest to sustran-discussers. It can be > > considered an update of Newman and Kenworthy's 1989 book "Cities and > > Automobile Dependence". It contains data on 9 Asian cities: Surabaya, > > Jakarta, Manila, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Seoul, Singapore, Hong Kong and > > Tokyo. I should declare an interest here ;-). I was involved in some of > > the Asian city data collection and analysis for the book. > > > > Paul. > > > > > > NEW BOOK ANNOUNCEMENT > > > > An International Sourcebook of Automobile Dependence in Cities 1960-1990 > > > > by Jeff Kenworthy and Felix Laube > > with Peter Newman, Paul Barter, Tamim Raad, Chamlong Poboon and Benedicto > > Guia (Jr) > > > > The book contains extensive primary and standardised land use, > > transportation, energy, economic and environmental data on 46 cities in the > > USA, Canada, Australia, Europe and Asia, including detailed maps on each > > city. It also provides a comparative overview analysis of automobile > > dependence in different types of cities around the world, trends between > > 1980 and 1990 in key land use and transportation features, as well as some > > policy implications which impact on how to reduce auto-dependence. > > > > The book will be out in early 1999 > > > > Advanced orders can be placed with: > > > > University Press of Colorado > > Fax +1 303 530 5306 > > or email to Darrin Pratt, Sales and Marketing Manager: > > prattd@stripe.Colorado.EDU > > > > > > -- Access ITDP's New Website: www.ITDP.org The Institute for Transportation and Development Policy 115 W. 30th Street, Suite 1205, New York, NY 10001 (212) 629-8001 fax: (212) 629-8033 From raad at interchange.ubc.ca Mon Jan 25 22:45:17 1999 From: raad at interchange.ubc.ca (Tamim Raad) Date: Mon, 25 Jan 1999 21:45:17 +0800 Subject: [sustran] Re: sustran-discuss V1 #351 In-Reply-To: <199901241700.CAA25912@mail.jca.ax.apc.org> Message-ID: <3.0.1.32.19990125214517.0073a9e8@pop.interchange.ubc.ca> Actually, this book you are referring to is a different book that Peter and Jeff wrote. The updated "Cities and Auto Dependence," which is essentially a databook is the one Paul referred to in his email. I have attached a description. The one Deike mentions, "Sustainability and Cities..." is more policy and case study oriented. >I think there is an outline available if you look the book up under >www.amazon.com where you can also order it. The title is listed as >"Sustainability and Cities: Overcoming Automobile Dependence." with >Newman and Kenworthy as the principal authors. I'm am assuming this is >the same publication Paul is announcing, but perhaps it's two different >things? >best, >Deike Peters, ITDP > >Prof S L Dhingra wrote: >> >> May I have an outline /contents of the book please. >> >> On Sat, 23 Jan 1999, SUSTRAN Resource Centre wrote: >> >> > This new book may be of interest to sustran-discussers. It can be >> > considered an update of Newman and Kenworthy's 1989 book "Cities and >> > Automobile Dependence". It contains data on 9 Asian cities: Surabaya, >> > Jakarta, Manila, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Seoul, Singapore, Hong Kong and >> > Tokyo. I should declare an interest here ;-). I was involved in some of >> > the Asian city data collection and analysis for the book. >> > >> > Paul. >> > >> > >> > NEW BOOK ANNOUNCEMENT >> > >> > An International Sourcebook of Automobile Dependence in Cities 1960-1990 >> > >> > by Jeff Kenworthy and Felix Laube >> > with Peter Newman, Paul Barter, Tamim Raad, Chamlong Poboon and Benedicto >> > Guia (Jr) >> > >> > The book contains extensive primary and standardised land use, >> > transportation, energy, economic and environmental data on 46 cities in the >> > USA, Canada, Australia, Europe and Asia, including detailed maps on each >> > city. It also provides a comparative overview analysis of automobile >> > dependence in different types of cities around the world, trends between >> > 1980 and 1990 in key land use and transportation features, as well as some >> > policy implications which impact on how to reduce auto-dependence. Book Description: "An International Sourcebook of Automobile Dependence in Cities, 1960-1990" A large, reliable digest of urban data about land use, transportation, and energy use, An International Sourcebook of Automobile Dependence in Cities, 1960-1990, provides government agencies, consulting firms, academics, and community and conservation groups with the kind of detailed information that they need to improve their planning, teaching, and researching in these fields. The book sets out detailed data on land use, private and public transportation, energy, environment, and economics in forty-six metropolitan areas in the United States, Australia, Canada, western Europe, and Asia for 1960, 1970, 1980, and 1990. An International Sourcebook provides a multitude of tables and diagrams so readers can quickly access key data on their own cities and easily gain a global perspective on how different cities perform according to various factors. For cities that are not included in the book, a comprehensive methodology chapter is provided, describing how to develop comparative data for other locations. Each city represented in the book has its own set of color maps showing the various territorial boundaries and shape of the metropolitan area, the urbanized areas of the region, the freeway system and all the fixed track rail and bus transit systems. These maps--together with the detailed data, correlation analyses between city characteristics, and key trends between 1980 and 1990--make the book an essential tool for policy development, presentations, teaching, and further research. Outstanding in its detail and its extensive coverage of cities, An International Sourcebook is a valuable source of information for anyone concerned with the impact of the automobile on urban environments and the role of planning in helping shape better cities. The cities covered are: Boston, Chicago, Denver, Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, Phoenix, Portland, Sacramento, San Diego, San Francisco, Washington (U.S.); Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra, Melbourne, Perth, Sydney (Australia); Calgary, Edmonton, Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, Vancouver, Winnipeg (Canada); Amsterdam, Brussels, Copenhagen, Frankfurt, Hamburg, London, Munich, Paris, Stockholm, Vienna, Zurich (Europe); Hong Kong, Singapore, Tokyo (wealthy Asian cities); Bangkok, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Manila, Seoul, Surabaya (developing Asian cities). ------------------ ***PLEASE NOTE THE CHANGE IN MY EMAIL ADDRESS*** Tamim Raad A17-03 Palm Court Jalan Berhala, Brickfields 50470 Kuala Lumpur Malaysia Tel: (60-3) 274-9950 (home) (60-3) 274-2590 (work) Fax: (60-3) 274-2590 Email: raad@interchange.ubc.ca From wcox at publicpurpose.com Tue Jan 26 01:46:55 1999 From: wcox at publicpurpose.com (Wendell Cox) Date: Mon, 25 Jan 1999 10:46:55 -0600 Subject: [sustran] Re: Book announcement References: <36AA56B6.1407@igc.apc.org> Message-ID: <36AC9FFF.C764D49@publicpurpose.com> Actually, there is nothing of value at Amazon on this book --- just an indication that it is not yet available. Will the new book include updates to the same city based information as was in the original? Would be most interested in learning anything about the contents. Best regards, Wendell Cox ITDP wrote: > I think there is an outline available if you look the book up under > www.amazon.com where you can also order it. The title is listed as > "Sustainability and Cities: Overcoming Automobile Dependence." with > Newman and Kenworthy as the principal authors. I'm am assuming this is > the same publication Paul is announcing, but perhaps it's two different > things? > best, > Deike Peters, ITDP > > Prof S L Dhingra wrote: > > > > May I have an outline /contents of the book please. > > > > On Sat, 23 Jan 1999, SUSTRAN Resource Centre wrote: > > > > > This new book may be of interest to sustran-discussers. It can be > > > considered an update of Newman and Kenworthy's 1989 book "Cities and > > > Automobile Dependence". It contains data on 9 Asian cities: Surabaya, > > > Jakarta, Manila, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Seoul, Singapore, Hong Kong and > > > Tokyo. I should declare an interest here ;-). I was involved in some of > > > the Asian city data collection and analysis for the book. > > > > > > Paul. > > > > > > > > > NEW BOOK ANNOUNCEMENT > > > > > > An International Sourcebook of Automobile Dependence in Cities 1960-1990 > > > > > > by Jeff Kenworthy and Felix Laube > > > with Peter Newman, Paul Barter, Tamim Raad, Chamlong Poboon and Benedicto > > > Guia (Jr) > > > > > > The book contains extensive primary and standardised land use, > > > transportation, energy, economic and environmental data on 46 cities in the > > > USA, Canada, Australia, Europe and Asia, including detailed maps on each > > > city. It also provides a comparative overview analysis of automobile > > > dependence in different types of cities around the world, trends between > > > 1980 and 1990 in key land use and transportation features, as well as some > > > policy implications which impact on how to reduce auto-dependence. > > > > > > The book will be out in early 1999 > > > > > > Advanced orders can be placed with: > > > > > > University Press of Colorado > > > Fax +1 303 530 5306 > > > or email to Darrin Pratt, Sales and Marketing Manager: > > > prattd@stripe.Colorado.EDU > > > > > > > > > > > -- > Access ITDP's New Website: www.ITDP.org > The Institute for Transportation and Development Policy > 115 W. 30th Street, Suite 1205, New York, NY 10001 > (212) 629-8001 fax: (212) 629-8033 -- WENDELL COX CONSULTANCY International Public Policy, Economics, Labour, Transport & Strategic Planning The Public Purpose: Internet Public Policy Resource http://www.publicpurpose.com Voice +1 618 632 8507; Fax +1 618 632 8538 P.O. Box 841- Belleville, Illinois 62222 USA "To facilitate the ideal of government as the servant of the people by identifying and implementing strategies to achieve public purposes at a cost that is no higher than necessary." From raad at interchange.ubc.ca Thu Jan 28 20:37:02 1999 From: raad at interchange.ubc.ca (Tamim Raad) Date: Thu, 28 Jan 1999 19:37:02 +0800 Subject: [sustran] Reuters: CHINESE CITIES' BAD AIR IMPERILS CHILDREN In-Reply-To: <199901061700.CAA22555@mail.jca.ax.apc.org> Message-ID: <3.0.1.32.19990128193702.007580a8@pop.interchange.ubc.ca> Reuters: CHINESE CITIES' BAD AIR IMPERILS CHILDREN By Maggie Fox, Health and Science Correspondent ANAHEIM, California - Millions of children risk disease and death because they live in badly polluted cities, a report issued on Sunday finds. The report, by the Washington-based World Resources Institute, lists the 10 cities in the world with the worst air pollution and finds nine out of 10 of them in China. The fifth-worst city is in India. The worst is Lanzhou, in Gansu Province in northwestern China. The region has a large petrochemical industry and oil refineries. "As a consequence of the emissions from these industries, the city rarely experiences a clear day," the report, released at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, says. The study, funded by the World Health Organisation, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and other groups, looked at three measurements of air pollution - total suspended particulates (TSPs), sulphur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide. These are taken to be good indicators of pollution caused by the burning of fossil fuels. WHO guidelines say the maximum permissible amount of TSPs is 90 micrograms per cubic litre of air. According to the report, Lanzhou has more than 700. The next worst city, Jilin, has close to that, while Taiyuan has nearly 600. The effects on health are devastating, Devra Lee Davis, an epidemiologist who led the study, told a news conference. "Most children who live in large cities in the developing world breathe air that is the equivalent of smoking two packs of cigarettes a day," Davis said. The problem is that these cities have rapidly growing economies but old-fashioned technology. "While development is welcome, the fact that it occurs in areas with technology ... that is 30 or 40 years old ... places all the populations of these cities at risk," she said. "Cars in Beijing meet 1970 U.S. standards." But she said the Chinese government had recognised the problem and was moving to upgrade buses, cars and trucks to cleaner standards. "Improving energy efficiency will have a major effect," she said. The report says developing countries should be helped to clean up their cars, factories and other polluters before it is too late. Developed countries, although many are still polluted, have benefited from cleaner technology. "If these pollution-reduction technologies are made more readily available to developing countries, these could help them avoid the high risks to public health that result from current patterns of growth in their industrial and urban sectors," the report says. "Since most of the transportation and power generating plants of developing countries will be acquired during the next few decades, the health of children and of all urban residents can be markedly protected if these newly acquired systems employ more efficient and less polluting technologies." Children are more at risk because they breathe faster and because their lungs are still developing and thus more susceptible, the report says, citing several studies. Pollution has been shown to damage the cilia in the airways - the tiny hairs that sweep out pollutants and invaders. Without the cilia, harmful chemicals can get deep into lung tissue and cause permanent damage, Davis said. To make matters worse, leaded gasoline is still used in many countries, and several studies have shown that lead from fuel emissions ends up in children's' bodies. Lead can cause brain damage, retard growth and, in extreme cases, kill. The 10 cities listed in the report, in descending order of TSP levels, are Lanzhou, Jilin, Taiyuan, Jiaozuo, Rajkot in India, Wanxian, Urumqi, Yichang, Hanzhong and Anyang. ------------------ ***PLEASE NOTE THE CHANGE IN MY EMAIL ADDRESS*** Tamim Raad A17-03 Palm Court Jalan Berhala, Brickfields 50470 Kuala Lumpur Malaysia Tel: (60-3) 274-9950 (home) (60-3) 274-2590 (work) Fax: (60-3) 274-2590 Email: raad@interchange.ubc.ca From joel at xs4all.nl Fri Jan 29 18:38:23 1999 From: joel at xs4all.nl (J.H. Crawford) Date: Fri, 29 Jan 1999 09:38:23 +0000 Subject: [sustran] Excellent summary of the problems of sprawl In-Reply-To: <3.0.1.32.19990128193702.007580a8@pop.interchange.ubc.ca> References: <199901061700.CAA22555@mail.jca.ax.apc.org> Message-ID: <3.0.1.32.19990129093823.006b15bc@pop.xs4all.nl> Rochester, New York, Mayor William A. Johnson, Jr., authored an article on sprawl for the SimCity 3000, the just-released version of Sim City. This is as succinct a summary of the problems as I have ever seen, and it's chock full of interesting numbers: http://www.simcity.com/features/articles_sprawl.html ### J.H. Crawford joel@xs4all.nl http://www.carfree.com/