[sustran] Bangkok Post story

[Craig Townsend]

An encouraging story from Thailand, although I would note that although the 
central government has urged these municipalities (which are the central 
areas of smaller cities of under half a million) to create bike lanes, it 
isn't yet providing them with funding and the municipalities don't have the 
capacity and ability to fund these things themselves. For over thirty years 
politicians and bureaucrats talked about the importance of high capacity 
mass transit in Bangkok, but at the end of the day they didn't provide 
funding, while providing funding for over 300 km of large elevated 
expressways. The first elevated heavy rail system (opened 1999) was a 
purely private sector investment and a subway under construction was only 
after extensive lobbying by Japanese interests and finance from JBIC at 
extremely favourable terms.

I wonder if the World Bank or ADB has ever or would consider funding bike 
lanes?

 From The Bangkok Post, online edition, 16 June 2001

Twenty-one municipalities seek funding for bike lane projects
Twenty-one municipalities have proposed bicycle lane projects for funding 
from the National Energy Policy Office, said the director of its Energy 
Conservation and Renewable Energy Division.

Pongpisit Viseshakul said each project would receive 500,000 baht if 
approved by Nepo's Energy Conservation Promotion Fund panel.

In April, the fund committee urged 99 municipalities nationwide to create 
bicycle lanes to promote energy conservation and environmentally-friendly 
transport.

Municipalities submitting proposals included Ayutthaya, Chai Nat, Maha 
Sarakham, Lamphun, Loei, Narathiwat, Phuket, Nong Khai, Phrae and Sakon Nakhon.

Mr Pongpisit said the available fund was limited and only 10 
munici-palities would be selected forfunding.



________________________________________________
Craig Townsend
Institute for Sustainability & Technology Policy
Murdoch University
South Street, Murdoch
Perth, Western Australia 6150

tel: (61 8) 9360 6293
fax: (61 8) 9360 6421
email: townsend at central.murdoch.edu.au