From wcox at publicpurpose.com Thu Nov 1 07:46:20 2001 From: wcox at publicpurpose.com (Wendell Cox) Date: Wed, 31 Oct 2001 16:46:20 -0600 Subject: [sustran] Re: More on Denver thread References: <15e.2d4105e.2909dcb1@aol.com><3.0.5.32.20011026091144.0125a100@pop.islandnet.com> <3.0.5.32.20011029111639.00dcd930@pop.islandnet.com> Message-ID: <011501c1625d$dd072c80$a57e2e3f@y8f2e> My comments preceded by WC: DEMOGRAPHIA & THE PUBLIC PURPOSE (Wendell Cox Consultancy) http://www.demographia.com (Demographics & Land Use) http://www.publicpurpose.com (Public Policy & Transport)) Telephone: +1.618.632.8507 - Facsimile: +1.810.821.8134 PO Box 841 - Belleville, IL 62222 USA ----- Original Message ----- From: Todd Litman To: Sent: Monday, 29 October, 2001 13:16 Subject: [sustran] Re: More on Denver thread > > Mr. Cox's arguement reflect the assumptions that: > > * Increased wealth leads to increased automobile ownership and > lower-density development. > > * Increased automobile ownership and lower-density development lead to > reduced transit use and cost effectiveness. > > This leads to the conclusion that North American suburbs represent the > optimal transportation/land use system that all consumers wish to attain. > There is plenty of evidence that these assumptions are true, but there are > also intreguing indications that they are neither universal or without > limits or alternatives. Rather, there is evidence that at least some > wealthy people prefer a less automobile-dependent community, particularly > if they have a high quality level of transit service. Let me give just a > few of the indications that this is true that I've run across: > WC: and so long as they are free to choose, that's find. For years, hundreds of thousands of wealthy people have lived on the upper east and west sides of NY without cars. The general case, however, is that increased auto use is associated with higher incomes. Go to any developing world country where income is increasing and look at the increase in auto ownership. China is a case in point, and there are others. > * U.S. transit ridership has grown at a faster rate that automobile travel > during the last five years, despite growth in consumer wealth. > WC: only because the numbers are skewed by New York's performance, and much of that has to do with the creation, 50 years later than other places, of transfers between bus and rail so that many trips that used to be completed by walking are now completed by a transfer to the bus. > * Property values in traditional urban neighborhoods in Seattle, Portland, > San Francisco and other cities have increased dramatically, provided that > those areas have other attributes valued by residents such as safety, good > schools and prestige. This suggests that a portion of the value that > households placed on moving to the suburbs reflected social conditions, not > their physical attributes. (Decisions Data, Puget Sound Housing Preference > Study, Puget Sound Regional Council (www.psrc.org), 1994.) > The 2000 population data shows the same --- almost all growth in US metros in the suburbs. > * Home buyers are willing to pay a premium for housing located in New Urban > communities. (Mark Eppli and Charles C. Tu, Valuing the New Urbanism; The > Impact of New Urbanism on Prices of Single-Family Homes, Urban Land > Institute (www.uli.org), 2000.) > WC: Home buyers have no choice if they want to live in new urban communities, because they are exceedingly expensive. Some people like neighborhoods that remind them of 1900, others like neighborhoods that remind them of 2001. > * Many European cities and towns have redeveloped their urban centers based > on a less automobile-dependent model, often with rail transit as a key > feature. (TRB, Making Transit Work; Insights from Western Europe, Canada > and the United States, Special Report 257, Transportation Research Board, > National Academy Press (www.trb.org), 2001.) > > * Residents of communities with rail systems tend to spend significantly > less on transportation than residents of automobile-dependent communities. > This suggests that rail transit "leverages" land use changes that improve > accessiblity and provide consumer benefits. (Barbara McCann, Driven to > Spend; The Impact of Sprawl on Household Transportation Expenses, STPP > (www.transact.org), 2000.) > WC: And they spend more on housing and food, by more than compensating amounts... see my article in Environment & Climate News (March), directly refuting the findings of this research (or, shall we say, putting the findings into a somewhat broader context). Fact is that, in the US, more sprawl is associated with a lower cost of living and a higher quality of life. http://www.heartland.org/ > Property values tend to increase significantly near transit stations, > indicting consumer preferences and economies of agglomeration. (Jeffery J. > Smith, Does Mass Transit Raise Site Values Around Its Stops Enough To Pay > For Itself (Were The Value Captured)?, Geonomy Society > (www.progress.org/geonomy), 2001. Also available at the Victoria Transport > Policy Institute, http://www.vtpi.org.) > > I believe that it is quite possible that as households become wealthier, > what many really want to purchase is better quality neighborhoods, more > comfortable-convenient-prestegious transit, and transportation choices such > as carsharing, and that suburban communities with universal automobile > ownership are really a second-best alternative for a significant portion of > consumers. WC: My judgement is the opposite. Lets talk in 2025. > > This all suggests that extrapolating past trends, economic analysis of cost > per line-mile or per passenger-mile, and transportation planning based on > congestion reduction impacts, are simply inadequate to evaluate transit > investments. There appear to be other significant factors, many of which > seem to justify rail transit investments. This is not to say that rail > transit is always superior to buses or highway investments, but it does > means that transportation planners must use a more comprehensive model and > do a better job of listening to consumers. > > Best wishes. > > -Todd > > > At 04:15 PM 10/28/01 -0600, you wrote: > >This debate could rage for years. After sending my original note, I was > >sorry that I had not clarified the point. My point had to do with the former > >"colonies" --- US, Canada, New Zealand and Australia, where the land use > >tends to make transit investments real losers and incapable of competing > >with highways. Elsewhere this may not be the case. Especially in the > >developing world, authorities need to understand that the only hope for > >limiting the growth of auto use as people become more affluent is to provide > >comprehensive region wide transit systems that make people NOT WANT to buy > >cars. This means providing as much public transport as possible within the > >constrained budgets availalbe, it means priority for buses, jitneys, > >rickshaws and it means it is time to stop building Metro systems that cannot > >sustainably provide an alternative to the automobile for most of the trips. > > > >Of course, I disagree with Todd. I am quite of the view that cost per > >passenger mile is an appropriate measure. I wonder if Mark Delucci realizes > >the blunder he made? Presume he will soon be clarifying his research. > > > >Meanwhile, my offer remains outstanding, though limited to the former > >colonies; > > > > > >DEMOGRAPHIA & THE PUBLIC PURPOSE (Wendell Cox Consultancy) > >http://www.demographia.com (Demographics & Land Use) > >http://www.publicpurpose.com (Public Policy & Transport)) > >Telephone: +1.618.632.8507 - Facsimile: +1.810.821.8134 > >PO Box 841 - Belleville, IL 62222 USA > >----- Original Message ----- > >From: Todd Litman > >To: > >Sent: Friday, 26 October, 2001 10:11 > >Subject: [sustran] Re: More on Denver thread > > > > > >> > >> Neither costs per line-mile nor costs per passenger-mile are appropriate > >> units of comparision between highway and rail project. (This is similar to > >> comparing housing investments based only on land costs while ignoring > >> differences in construction, utility and tax costs.) A better unit is cost > >> per passenger trip, which includes additional costs such as parking and > >> vehicle expenses. The best unit is a comparision between the incremental > >> benefits and incremental costs of each project (i.e., Net Present Value). > >> > >> Both urban highway and urban transit projects are expensive. Delucci made > >> the mistake of comparing average transit costs with average highway costs, > >> rather than under urban conditions, which is where major transit > >> investments make sense. > >> > >> For discussion see the "Comprehensive Transportation Evaluaton", > >"Measuring > >> Transportation" and "Least Cost Planning" chapters of our Encyclopedia > >> (http://www.vtpi.org/tdm). > >> > >> > >> > >> At 03:30 PM 10/25/01 -0500, you wrote: > >> >You get the last word Eric. > >> > > >> >Dont have the time to go further into it at this time, except to say that > >> >after having challenged people on a couple of lists to come up with a > >single > >> >highway project that is more expensive than a competing rail project on a > >> >cost per pkm basis, there have been no valid takers. A few people have > >> >provided examples, but always fall into the logical error of comparing > >cost > >> >per mile rather than cost per pkm. I know that there are all sorts of > >ways > >> >to distort economics to come to such conclusions, but, as many know here, > >> >even Mark Delucci of UCBerkeley, no highway advocate, found total costs > >> >(direct and external) of transit to be higher than that of highways. > >> > > >> > > >> >DEMOGRAPHIA & THE PUBLIC PURPOSE (Wendell Cox Consultancy) > >> >http://www.demographia.com (Demographics & Land Use) > >> >http://www.publicpurpose.com (Public Policy & Transport)) > >> >Telephone: +1.618.632.8507 - Facsimile: +1.810.821.8134 > >> >PO Box 841 - Belleville, IL 62222 USA > >> >----- Original Message ----- > >> >From: > >> >To: > >> >Sent: Thursday, 25 October, 2001 16:22 > >> >Subject: [sustran] Re: More on Denver thread > >> > > >> > > >> >> > >> >> > >> >> I guess I don't want Wendell to have the last word. I would like to > >> >elaborate > >> >> on these points a little further. > >> >> > >> >> In a message dated 10/25/01 2:34:34 PM Eastern Daylight Time, > >> >> wcox@publicpurpose.com writes: > >> >> > >> >> << With respect to new rail systems, it can generally be posited that > >the > >> >> subsidy of trips that are all or part on rail will be more highly > >> >subsidized > >> >> than those on buses, due to the very high capital subsidy for rail. US > >> >> transit agencies treat capital as manna from on high --- something > >free > >> >that > >> >> does not have to be accounted for. > >> >> > >> >> We all agree that the rail capital investment can be quite high. I also > >> >agree > >> >> that public transport agencies can often view these investments as > >"free > >> >> money", but it is not only the public transport agency's viewpoint that > >> >> counts here. These investments can also be justified as alternatives to > >> >> highway projects that are also expensive and have higher social and > >> >> environmental costs. > >> >> > >> >> << Whatever one can do with feeder buses to rail can also be done with > >> >feeder > >> >> buses to trunk line buses. One of the more intractible problems in > >the > >> >US > >> >> has been the bias of transport planners in comparing modes. > >> >> >> > >> >> > >> >> Trunk bus systems can work fine too, but they also need some investment > >in > >> >> separation from general traffic and traffic signal pre-emption if they > >are > >> >to > >> >> work reliably and with attractive speed. But they do not work as well > >as > >> >rail > >> >> systems when demand is quite high and the number of buses required > >becomes > >> >> very large. But the real operating performance difference comes in > >systems > >> >> with highly peaked demand. > >> >> Rail consists can have additional cars added at low marginal cost to > >> >increase > >> >> peak capacity, whereas every unit of bus capacity costs equally much as > >> >the > >> >> last. > >> >> > >> >> Eric > >> > > >> > > >> > > >> > > >> > >> 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@vtpi.org > >> Website: http://www.vtpi.org > > > > > > > > > > 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@vtpi.org > Website: http://www.vtpi.org From wcox at publicpurpose.com Thu Nov 1 07:46:26 2001 From: wcox at publicpurpose.com (Wendell Cox) Date: Wed, 31 Oct 2001 16:46:26 -0600 Subject: [sustran] Re: [sustran] More on Denver thread References: Message-ID: <012101c1625d$e0a9f5c0$a57e2e3f@y8f2e> My hypothesis has to do with direct costs... not external costs. And.. DeLucci finds that even with external costs, public transport alternatives are more expensive in the US. DEMOGRAPHIA & THE PUBLIC PURPOSE (Wendell Cox Consultancy) http://www.demographia.com (Demographics & Land Use) http://www.publicpurpose.com (Public Policy & Transport)) Telephone: +1.618.632.8507 - Facsimile: +1.810.821.8134 PO Box 841 - Belleville, IL 62222 USA ----- Original Message ----- From: Mark Diesendorf To: sustran-discuss@jca.ax.apc.org Sent: Sunday, 28 October, 2001 23:15 Subject: [sustran] [sustran] More on Denver thread My former colleagues and I at Institute for Sustainable Futures, University of Technology, Sydney, have calculated the effect of land value on the economics of cars, buses and trains in Sydney, Australia. We found that the highest cost, in $ per passenger-km travelled, was that of motor cars, followed by heavy rail and then buses. The paper was on the ISF website until recently, www.isf.uts.edu.au/, but the site was revamped after I left the institute a month ago and the paper has temporarily disappeared. No doubt it will be restored shortly. Recently, I went back to our original data and calculated the user charges and subsidies to cars, trains and buses in Sydney. Here is the abstract of a paper I submitted recently to an international transport conference. "The Effect of Land Costs on the Economics of Urban Transportation Systems" Using Sydney, Australia, as a case study, this paper reports on calculations of the costs of automobiles, heavy rail and buses, taking into account the costs of land, infrastructure, rolling stock, operations and maintenance. Land is found to be the principal contributor to the total direct economic cost to society of transportation by automobile. This total cost, measured in cents per passenger per kilometre travelled, is about 1.5 times the cost of train travel and is about double the cost of bus travel. All three urban transport modes receive public subsidies. The annual subsidy to automobiles is largest in terms of billions of dollars and second largest (after heavy rail) in terms of dollars per passenger per km travelled. These results suggest that, in Sydney and many other cities where land costs and car use are high, the economic optimal mix of transport modes would contain a smaller contribution from automobiles and a larger contribution from trains and buses. Thus our research in Sydney seems to contradict the Denver hypothesis. With respect to new rail systems, it can generally be posited that the subsidy of trips that are all or part on rail will be more highly subsidized than those on buses, due to the very high capital subsidy for rail. US transit agencies treat capital as manna from on high --- something free that does not have to be accounted for. Whatever one can do with feeder buses to rail can also be done with feeder buses to trunk line buses. One of the more intractible problems in the US has been the bias of transport planners in comparing modes. DEMOGRAPHIA & THE PUBLIC PURPOSE (Wendell Cox Consultancy) http://www.demographia.com (Demographics & Land Use) http://www.publicpurpose.com (Public Policy & Transport)) Telephone: +1.618.632.8507 - Facsimile: +1.810.821.8134 PO Box 841 - Belleville, IL 62222 USA Dr Mark Diesendorf Director, Sustainability Centre Pty Ltd PO Box 221, Epping NSW 1710, Australia phone: +61 2 9801 2976; fax: +61 2 9801 2986 email: mark@sustainabilitycentre.com.au web: www.sustainabilitycentre.com.au -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://list.jca.apc.org/manage/private/sustran-discuss/attachments/20011031/7ca69bcc/attachment.htm From wcox at publicpurpose.com Thu Nov 1 07:47:22 2001 From: wcox at publicpurpose.com (Wendell Cox) Date: Wed, 31 Oct 2001 16:47:22 -0600 Subject: [sustran] Re: More on Denver thread References: <79.1d38cfdb.290ec5bd@aol.com> Message-ID: <012701c1625e$0227dfa0$a57e2e3f@y8f2e> Have to agree with Eric on sports stadia. Let the owners and fans pay. Have to disagree on what light rail has accomplished in Portland, but that debate could rage forever, and whether whatever it has created (which I would argue it has not) could not have been as easily created with buses. As for metros in large developing world cities. Problem is that they are a non-comprehensive form of transit. It is not possible to provide auto competitive service throughout the urban area with metros, whether we are talking about Sao Paulo or Shanghai. And if you dont provide auto competitive service, the people are going to buy cars as soon as they can afford them. DEMOGRAPHIA & THE PUBLIC PURPOSE (Wendell Cox Consultancy) http://www.demographia.com (Demographics & Land Use) http://www.publicpurpose.com (Public Policy & Transport)) Telephone: +1.618.632.8507 - Facsimile: +1.810.821.8134 PO Box 841 - Belleville, IL 62222 USA ----- Original Message ----- From: To: Cc: Sent: Monday, 29 October, 2001 08:46 Subject: [sustran] Re: More on Denver thread > Alan and company, > > This debate could go on and on.... > > I want to add one other fuzzy attribute to the evaluation process. Wendell > mentioned > that rail is a waste in Portland. But what if people like what rail has done > to their city? > It has created an option to live without a car along a corridor and has put > employment possibilities along it as well. I feel that if I have to pay for > professional sports stadiums I don't use and breathe dirty air from cars I > don't drive, these same folk can help me build better public transport > options. Livability is a real concern, even if it is > hard to quantify. > > Also, we can agree that metros are expensive and hard for poor countries to > afford. But from someone who tries to estimate performance of alternatives, I > see no other > solution that can move the numbers of people and with the speed required to > span large cities. Metros can also be electric, which jitneys will never be. > (I am not against jitneys, but they can not be the main form of public > transport for large cities.) Thus, the problem is that large poor cities need > rail, even if they can not afford it. In my opinion, the richer countries are > just going to have to help finance them instead of trying to just make money > from selling consulting and hardware. > > Eric Bruun From wcox at publicpurpose.com Thu Nov 1 07:48:01 2001 From: wcox at publicpurpose.com (Wendell Cox) Date: Wed, 31 Oct 2001 16:48:01 -0600 Subject: [sustran] Re: Denver, Houten and Auckland References: <15e.2d4105e.2909dcb1@aol.com> <3.0.5.32.20011026091144.0125a100@pop.islandnet.com> <000e01c15ffe$1bb58f60$57782e3f@y8f2e> <3BDE5C54.FA3F75B2@paradise.net.nz> Message-ID: <012d01c1625e$19009140$a57e2e3f@y8f2e> By competing, I wasnt talking about competing for funding, I was talking about the direct cost per passenger kilometer of highway systems v. rail systems. As for external costs, Hayek told us that prices can only be determined by the market. The failure of planners to accurately set prices was the most important reason communism failed (the second most important had to do with Reagan and Thatcher). External costs and benefits need to be considered, but I have a real problem with basing policy decisions on artificial (and necessarily false and inaccurate) costing, which can also be influenced by politics and the bias of the researchers. DEMOGRAPHIA & THE PUBLIC PURPOSE (Wendell Cox Consultancy) http://www.demographia.com (Demographics & Land Use) http://www.publicpurpose.com (Public Policy & Transport)) Telephone: +1.618.632.8507 - Facsimile: +1.810.821.8134 PO Box 841 - Belleville, IL 62222 USA ----- Original Message ----- From: Kerry Wood To: Sent: Tuesday, 30 October, 2001 01:53 Subject: [sustran] Denver, Houten and Auckland > Wendell > > I think you have gone a generalisation too far. > > In New Zealand the reason why transit investments are incapable of competing > with highways is structural: no capital funding is available, (except from > local body taxation) so nobody has seriously tried. In contrast, statutory > funding mechanisms are available for road building, from central government > funds. > > The last serious try was electrification of Wellington's suburban lines in the > 1930s, completed in the 1950s. That scheme (still with some of the original > rolling stock) seems to be the reason why overall transport costs and > congestion are lower in Wellington than in Auckland or Christchurch. > > There is now increasing awareness of the limitations of road building, and > Auckland is developing a sensible-looking transit proposal. It uses suburban > rail, light rail and a busway (horses for courses), and looks reasonably > fundable, with central government more receptive to such ideas than for many > years. But there is still no regular funding mechanism. > > Partial studies by the NZ Ministry of Transport (1994 - 96) suggest that NZ > road transport has externalities equivalent to somewhere around 2 - 4% of GNP, > even ignoring externalities such as 'free' parking provision (a favourite of > Todd Litman's). With subsidies like this, no wonder the alternatives cannot > compete with highways. Of course, those externalities are contestable: in some > cases the costs cover a 20:1 range, but with a reasonably reassuring 'most > probable' figure towards the bottom of the range. Arguing about precise figures > is fruitless; such charges can never be exactly right, but can only too easily > be exactly wrong, as they are at present. > > In Auckland a professor of economics has identified a 400 m spur road off a > grade-separated flyover junction which, by back-of-envelope calculations, would > have costs of USD 2.00 / vehicle kilometre if the opportunity cost of the land > were included (the width is about 200 m, because of multiple approaches to the > grade separated junction). But it is not included. > > Another difficulty is the cuckoo effect: providing for cars tends to drive out > other modes. Congestion makes buses or trams too slow and unreliable, roading > engineers allow drivers to go too fast and fail to provide adequately for other > modes, and drivers make walking and cycling too dangerous. > > Other approaches are possible. I have just got back from visiting Houten, a new > satellite town of Utrecht, in the Netherlands. Houten now has a population of > 40 000, but has not had a traffic fatality since 1987. The trick is to make > walking and cycling safe, with easy journeys to local shops or a station with > an excellent transit service to the city centre. Car ownership and use is > practicable, but local car journeys are not: drivers have to go out to the > ring road, travelling slowly on roads designed to favour other modes, then > slowly back in to their destination. Cyclists and pedestrians go direct, so > walking is often faster than taking the car, and cycling is almost always > faster. Cycle and pedestrian crossings of the ring road are all grade > separated, and commuting into Utrecht by bicycle is practicable. Children as > young as 5 years cycle to school without adult supervision, and here lies the > inevitable downside: they have crashes when they move to other and less safe > cities. > > I also visited Milton Keynes, in the UK, which is also a new town and is also > designed for safe cycling. The safe cycling objective has failed, and with > hindsight it was doomed from the start. Milton Keynes has safe segregated cycle > paths, but they are socially unsafe and have poor or very poor access at either > end. My guess is that ultimately, it was not designed for safe cycling: it was > designed to keep the cyclists out of the way. Milton Keynes is an old-paradigm > city, Houten is new-paradigm. > > Regards > > -- > Kerry Wood > Sustainable Transport Consulting Engineer > 76 Virginia Road, Wanganui 5001, New Zealand > > > Wendell Cox wrote: > > > This debate could rage for years. After sending my original note, I was > > sorry that I had not clarified the point. My point had to do with the former > > "colonies" --- US, Canada, New Zealand and Australia, where the land use > > tends to make transit investments real losers and incapable of competing > > with highways. Elsewhere this may not be the case. Especially in the > > developing world, authorities need to understand that the only hope for > > limiting the growth of auto use as people become more affluent is to provide > > comprehensive region wide transit systems that make people NOT WANT to buy > > cars. This means providing as much public transport as possible within the > > constrained budgets availalbe, it means priority for buses, jitneys, > > rickshaws and it means it is time to stop building Metro systems that cannot > > sustainably provide an alternative to the automobile for most of the trips. > > (snipped) > From kisansbc at vsnl.com Thu Nov 1 10:44:58 2001 From: kisansbc at vsnl.com (kisan mehta) Date: Thu, 1 Nov 2001 07:14:58 +0530 Subject: [sustran] [sustran] More on Denver thread and Sustainable Transport Message-ID: <001f01c16276$d1265da0$8037c5cb@r4v7p2> ----- Original Message ----- From: kisan mehta To: sustran-discuss@jca.ax.apc.org Cc: Harshad Kamdar ; Saksena ; Priya Salvi ; Trilok Kamdar Sent: Thursday, November 01, 2001 6.30 AM Subject: [sustran] More on Denver thread and Sustainable Transport > Dear Sustran friends inc Wendell, Eric, Todd, Matthias, Kerry, Paul etc, > > As rightly said, discussion can continue ad > infinitum. We say in India `till the moon and sun > shine'. Without much significance to people who > have public transport or physical walking as the > only mode for moving from one place to another. > They form the bulk of people needing affordable > transport and not having access to personal car. > > We continue talking about a short sector of rail > system. When whole human habitat has to move > or is to be moved, sustainable transport is the only > mode. Personal car cannot be the solution. Our > cities and certainly the old parts still the hub of > business, cannot cope up with the car invasion. > Which human centre has the capacity to cope up > with that number of cars if every one had one? > > Some of us have seen the Buchanan Report on the > ways to improve traffic in London. I am citing only > from my memory. He gave an instance. If the Oxford > Street were to be widened to cope up with the large > number of cars wanting to visit that street, it will need > to be widened four times its present width and in the > process everything that citizens value as heritage > to be preserved will have to be demolished. He then > took a different approach of restricting number and > movement of vehicles. > > We talk of Cutiba. Ideal habitat where the needs of > the common man are equitably met. And see what is > happening in Jakarta and other cities of the poor > countries. The authorities are vengefully snatching > away the only morsel of bread from the poor without > providing an alternative means for survival. > > We were discussing the situation in Jakarta where > the people's convenient and affordable mode of > traffic is being broken down with the stick of a > law. Affordable habitats (we say slums) are being > broken down again using the law. Some of feel > that people should abide by the law. What law! > The law foisted by the oligarchy all steeped in > corruption? Can this situation be toterated by > saying that there is a law and one ruler has come > out to implement it no matter how many thousands > would suffer alienation, starvation and death. Even > in socalled civilised countries such situations exist > where the poor has no say and must suffer. > > I neither can interject in the brilliant discussion > going on on comparative advantages nor am in > a position to provide an ideal solution. We talk of > sustainable transport, sustainable from the point > of affordability of the people, sustainable from > the point of protecting environment, sustainable > from the point of conserving natural resources. > When we talk of affordabilty, we must talk of > providing equity to all humans amongst human > beings and nations to natural resources. > > I believe many or rather majority of human centres > in the poor countries are crowded, have large > populations with neighbouring areas full of people > looking for job who must trudge to places where > jobs exist or rather appear to exist. At least the > centres I had occasion to visit in Asia, Africa and > Americas are all crowded. Increasing need for > moving large populations has to be satisfied. > > Public transport like trains, buses, rikshaws, jeepneys, non-motorised transport and what not has to be provided. It is the duty of the state to provide > sustainable transport to ensure efficiency to human > centres. It should also extend facilities to pedestrians. > This may need curbing private transport to the extent > that it ensures efficiency in human centres. The state > should support self employed rikhsaw pullers and > jeepney drivers as these modes can be affordable > to large section of the community. It should upgrade such modes to ensure protection of environment. Their removal would deny the poor even of affordable mode. > > Selection between public bus and suburban trains > can be made by the number of users and the > direction that have to move. Trains have a > natural advantage of carrying large number fast > over the preselected routes while buses can take > smaller number of commuters in out of way > destinations. > > In Mumbai, two suburban railway lines (owned by > the Government of India) starting from south for > north and north-east directions provide ten million > journeys a day at an unbelievably low fare (though > many cannot afford and walk 3 to 6 km one way to > work) while municipalised bus services at about > 1.6 to 2 times the railway fare carry 4.6 million. > > There is no subsidy The Government of India > fixes fares to cover all expenses including interest > on capital invested. The state takes away about > 15% of the bus fare though it has no role to play. > Municipality additionally collects fixed amount from > buses though it has not invested even a penny. > > Motor car owner has all the benefits without paying > even a penny. Flyovers are built for cars to move > fast where narrowed down carriageways at ground > level have to carry the bulk of traffic. Non-owners of car pay for the capital and recurring costs. Where is the equity or the `polluter must pay' concept? > > Even in intercity expressways, the same bias in > favour of the motor cars prevails with detriment > to the entire econmy Project for constructing > Mumbai-Pune Expressway came up about 5 years > ago. The state indicated a cost of Rs 16 billion for > the expressway which in reality is only 85 km of > the total distance of 170 km. Many of us opposed > the move and suggested instead building at about > the same cost a set of special tracks for fast trains > taking commuters to cover 170 km in less than 2 > hours. Citizen proposal was rejected. The expressway is ready. Motor traffic is so low that even the interest costs are not covered. So the people lost a chance of sutainable mass transport yet must bear the burden that the motor car owner should bear. > > In addition to mind boggling numbers to be moved, the > poor countries lack the finances that can provide all > modes of traffic for all people. How can the Sustran > fraternity provide solutions in such situations? How > can the Sustran fraternity support the common man > in realising affordable mode of traffic? How can > the Sustran help in throwing away laws that reflect > autocratic thinking of oligarchy? Don't you think these are the issues with the majority of the humanity? Best wishes. > > Kisan Mehta kisansbc@vsnl.com > > From BruunB at aol.com Sat Nov 3 05:11:53 2001 From: BruunB at aol.com (BruunB@aol.com) Date: Fri, 2 Nov 2001 15:11:53 EST Subject: [sustran] Re: Bus parking area requirements Message-ID: <49.134a7514.29145809@aol.com> Alan, See the textbook Vuchic, 1981, "Urban Public Transportation: Systems and Technology" Prentice Hall, for starters. It is now out of print, but available from the author at vuchic@seas.upenn.edu. Eric From BruunB at aol.com Sat Nov 3 05:36:30 2001 From: BruunB at aol.com (BruunB@aol.com) Date: Fri, 2 Nov 2001 15:36:30 EST Subject: [sustran] Re: More on Portland and metros Message-ID: <104.b97fb58.29145dce@aol.com> In a message dated 10/31/01 7:04:04 PM Eastern Standard Time, wcox@publicpurpose.com writes: WC:<< Have to agree with Eric on sports stadia. Let the owners and fans pay. Have to disagree on what light rail has accomplished in Portland, but that debate could rage forever, and whether whatever it has created (which I would argue it has not) could not have been as easily created with buses. ECB: A bus system that does not truncate some service to connect it to a rail line can not give the same frequency of service to lower demand areas as one that does, given an equal operating budget. Being "forced" to transfer is the price one pays. Do airlines provide direct service from South Podunk to New York or do they make you transfer in Chicago? This is why South Podunk can have 6 trips per day instead of only two trips if they were to be direct. I also point out that most Portland routes are on a 15-minute headway and connect with each other as well as the rail line, thus facilitating tangential travel as well as travel to the CBD. WC: As for metros in large developing world cities. Problem is that they are a non-comprehensive form of transit. It is not possible to provide auto competitive service throughout the urban area with metros, whether we are talking about Sao Paulo or Shanghai. And if you dont provide auto competitive service, the people are going to buy cars as soon as they can afford them. ECB: I certainly agree that they can not be comprehensive, but the more parts of the city that have auto-competitive service the better. So I understand why metro lines tend to serve richer areas first, unfair as that might be. But to reiterate my earlier point, when cities get really large and distances get long, I see no other way to get both reasonable travel times and high capacities needed. I keep hearing from Eric Britton and others that it is time for the "end of metros". Fair enough, but tell me how you are going to get hundreds of thousands of people from the fringes of a city the size of Shanghai, Mexico, Sao Paolo, etc. to where job opportunities are without some kind of grade separation? I don't mean to be argumentative, I seriously am open to suggestions. Eric >> From wcox at publicpurpose.com Sat Nov 3 07:03:47 2001 From: wcox at publicpurpose.com (Wendell Cox) Date: Fri, 2 Nov 2001 16:03:47 -0600 Subject: [sustran] Re: More on Portland and metros References: <104.b97fb58.29145dce@aol.com> Message-ID: <04df01c163ea$402ef1c0$1b7e2e3f@y8f2e> A quick response on point one... Point two will have to wait a bit. And not concerned about argumentativeness, this discussion is all very appropriate. Despite the theoretical connections that are available in Portland, outside the downtown area, something less than 5 percent of the residents are within auto competitive access of jobs in the average location. This is where auto competitiveness is defined as 50 percent above the auto trip time. This is not a regional system, it is a downtown system. As regards bus v. rail in Portland... basic issue is that you can provide more quality bus service than rail service --- surface busways, etc. You can run buses like rail if you like, and some should be run that way. Question comes down to how much access you provide per increment of expense. Portland got perhaps 1/5 a loaf (based upon the recent GAO report or Kain) Will have more on point 2 later. DEMOGRAPHIA & THE PUBLIC PURPOSE (Wendell Cox Consultancy) http://www.demographia.com (Demographics & Land Use) http://www.publicpurpose.com (Public Policy & Transport)) Telephone: +1.618.632.8507 - Facsimile: +1.810.821.8134 PO Box 841 - Belleville, IL 62222 USA ----- Original Message ----- From: To: Cc: Sent: Friday, 02 November, 2001 14:36 Subject: [sustran] Re: More on Portland and metros > In a message dated 10/31/01 7:04:04 PM Eastern Standard Time, > wcox@publicpurpose.com writes: > > WC:<< Have to agree with Eric on sports stadia. Let the owners and fans pay. > > Have to disagree on what light rail has accomplished in Portland, but that > debate could rage forever, and whether whatever it has created (which I > would argue it has not) could not have been as easily created with buses. > > ECB: A bus system that does not truncate some service to connect it to a rail > line can not give the same frequency of service to lower demand areas as one > that does, given an equal operating budget. Being "forced" to transfer is the > price one pays. Do airlines provide direct service from South Podunk to New > York or do they make you transfer in Chicago? This is why South Podunk can > have 6 trips per day instead of only two trips if they were to be direct. > > I also point out that most Portland routes are on a 15-minute headway and > connect with each other as well as the rail line, thus facilitating > tangential travel as well as travel to the CBD. > > WC: As for metros in large developing world cities. Problem is that they are a > non-comprehensive form of transit. It is not possible to provide auto > competitive service throughout the urban area with metros, whether we are > talking about > Sao Paulo or Shanghai. And if you dont provide auto competitive service, the > people are going to buy cars as soon as they can afford them. > > ECB: I certainly agree that they can not be comprehensive, but the more > parts of the city that have auto-competitive service the better. So I > understand why metro lines tend to serve richer areas first, unfair as that > might be. But to reiterate my earlier point, when cities get really large and > distances get long, I see no other way to get both reasonable travel times > and high capacities needed. I keep hearing from Eric Britton and others that > it is time for the "end of metros". Fair enough, but tell me how you are > going to get hundreds of thousands of people from the fringes of a city the > size of Shanghai, Mexico, Sao Paolo, etc. to where job opportunities are > without some kind of grade separation? I don't mean to be argumentative, I > seriously am open to suggestions. > > Eric > >> From BruunB at aol.com Tue Nov 6 06:33:10 2001 From: BruunB at aol.com (BruunB@aol.com) Date: Mon, 5 Nov 2001 16:33:10 EST Subject: [sustran] Re: More on Portland and metros Message-ID: <7f.1cba5511.29185f96@aol.com> Wendell, I don't know about the 5 percent figure for access to jobs in Portland, but I am not just talking about trips for jobs. I am interested in all-day public transport and being able to travel from neighborhood to neighborhood without going through downtown is important. Eric From wcox at publicpurpose.com Tue Nov 6 05:07:15 2001 From: wcox at publicpurpose.com (Wendell Cox) Date: Mon, 5 Nov 2001 14:07:15 -0600 Subject: [sustran] Re: More on Portland and metros References: <7f.1cba5511.29185f96@aol.com> Message-ID: <00a601c16635$7965d060$1d7e2e3f@y8f2e> More on Portland to be published.... If you cant get people to jobs, you are not going to be able to get them elsewhere. Getting them nhd to nhd without going through downtown is crucial, and will not be achieved by anything less than a dense grid of frequently operating services... 15 minute headways won't do if you want to be auto competitive. DEMOGRAPHIA & THE PUBLIC PURPOSE (Wendell Cox Consultancy) http://www.demographia.com (Demographics & Land Use) http://www.publicpurpose.com (Public Policy & Transport)) Telephone: +1.618.632.8507 - Facsimile: +1.810.821.8134 PO Box 841 - Belleville, IL 62222 USA ----- Original Message ----- From: To: Sent: Monday, 05 November, 2001 15:33 Subject: [sustran] Re: More on Portland and metros > Wendell, > > I don't know about the 5 percent figure for access to jobs in Portland, but I > am not just talking about trips for jobs. I am interested in all-day public > transport and being able to travel from neighborhood to neighborhood without > going through downtown > is important. > > Eric From jbs at u.washington.edu Wed Nov 7 02:44:34 2001 From: jbs at u.washington.edu (Jerry Schneider) Date: Tue, 6 Nov 2001 09:44:34 -0800 (PST) Subject: [sustran] Re: More on Portland and metros In-Reply-To: <00a601c16635$7965d060$1d7e2e3f@y8f2e> Message-ID: On Mon, 5 Nov 2001, Wendell Cox wrote: > More on Portland to be published.... > > If you cant get people to jobs, you are not going to be able to get them > elsewhere. Getting them nhd to nhd without going through downtown is > crucial, and will not be achieved by anything less than a dense grid of > frequently operating services... 15 minute headways won't do if you want to > be auto competitive. Sounds like a job for Personal Rapid Transit (PRT) to me - with headways far lower than 15 minutes, non-stop service station-to-station, etc. See my ITT website for details. - Jerry Schneider - Innovative Transportation Technologies website: http://faculty.washington.edu/~jbs/itrans From wcox at publicpurpose.com Wed Nov 7 04:00:34 2001 From: wcox at publicpurpose.com (Wendell Cox) Date: Tue, 6 Nov 2001 13:00:34 -0600 Subject: [sustran] Re: More on Portland and metros References: Message-ID: <037401c166f5$51dad0c0$417a2e3f@y8f2e> Dont care what it is... if it doesnt compete with autos, it will not work where people have choices. DEMOGRAPHIA & THE PUBLIC PURPOSE (Wendell Cox Consultancy) http://www.demographia.com (Demographics & Land Use) http://www.publicpurpose.com (Public Policy & Transport)) Telephone: +1.618.632.8507 - Facsimile: +1.810.821.8134 PO Box 841 - Belleville, IL 62222 USA ----- Original Message ----- From: Jerry Schneider To: Sent: Tuesday, 06 November, 2001 11:44 Subject: [sustran] Re: More on Portland and metros > On Mon, 5 Nov 2001, Wendell Cox wrote: > > > More on Portland to be published.... > > > > If you cant get people to jobs, you are not going to be able to get them > > elsewhere. Getting them nhd to nhd without going through downtown is > > crucial, and will not be achieved by anything less than a dense grid of > > frequently operating services... 15 minute headways won't do if you want to > > be auto competitive. > > Sounds like a job for Personal Rapid Transit (PRT) to me - with headways > far lower than 15 minutes, non-stop service station-to-station, etc. > See my ITT website for details. > > - Jerry Schneider > > - Innovative Transportation Technologies website: > http://faculty.washington.edu/~jbs/itrans > From ecoplan.adsl at wanadoo.fr Wed Nov 7 19:52:40 2001 From: ecoplan.adsl at wanadoo.fr (eric.britton@ecoplan.org) Date: Wed, 7 Nov 2001 11:52:40 +0100 Subject: [sustran] =?iso-8859-1?Q?Recent_overview_article_on_Bogot=E1_TransMilenio?= Message-ID: We've been asked for more background on the Bogot? TransMilenio "SurfaceMetro" system. Here's a good overview article on it by Oscar Edmundo D?az, dated 27 Sept 2001 * * * TRANSMILENIO: BOGOTA'S BUS RAPID TRANSIT SYSTEM Bogot?, Colombia, under Enrique Pe?alosa's administration initiated an ambitious mobility strategy to face its growing transportation problems caused by fast population growth and rapid increase in automobile usage. Measures included: promotion of non-motorized transportation, restriction of automobile use, and development of a bus rapid transit system: TransMilenio. TransMilenio encompasses four components: * Specialized infrastructure * Efficient operations * Advanced billeting * A new institution for planning, developing and controlling the system. Infrastructure, planning and control are provided by public institutions, while operations and billeting are contracted with private companies. TransMilenio's infrastructure includes exclusive corridors, roads for feeder buses, stations, and complementary facilities, with an average investment of US$ 5 million per kilometer. Articulated buses use central lanes of existing streets, longitudinally segregated from the general traffic. The system is complemented with integrated feeder buses on local streets. Stations of the corridors are closed facilities, located in the median every 500 meters on average. They have from one to three berths and vary from 40 meters to 180 meters in length. The system also includes pedestrian access infrastructure (sidewalks, plazas, overpasses), and bus maintenance and parking facilities. To maximize service supply, there are express and local service trunk lines. Express services stop at selected stations only, providing fast service to users and better fleet utilization, while local services stop in all the stations. This combination allows the system to carry up to 45,000 passengers per hour per direction. Exclusive corridors are served by articulated diesel buses for 160 passengers each, whereas feeder lines are served with diesel buses up to 80 passengers each. Buses comply with strict operational and environmental requirements. System operation is carried out by private providers, with strict conditions set forth through concession contracts with centralized control. TransMilenio operators are consortiums of traditional local transport companies, associated with national and international investors that own the buses and hire drivers and maintenance personnel. Contracts were awarded through open bidding processes. Payment is rendered based on kilometers served by each operator. The billeting system is also privately operated. It includes production and distribution of smart cards, acquisition and installation of turnstiles and validating systems, passenger information and money handling. A concession contract was awarded through an open bidding process. The money collected from card sales is deposited in a trust fund, which has the mandate to pay the operators according to the rules set forth in the concession contracts. To assure operations and work out the system expansion and maintenance, a new public company was created (TRANSMILENIO S.A.). Its structure is small, given that it performs its charter through third parties. Its operation is funded with 3% of the ticket sales and ancillary activities. TRANSMILENIO S.A. operates a Control Center which allows service and passenger access supervision. Each articulated bus is equipped with a GPS and a processing unit reporting its location every 6 seconds. Turnstiles also report to the Control Center the number of passengers entering and leaving the system. Supply and demand are then adjusted, and contingencies attended in real time. The system was developed during a three-year period. In January, 1998, the components required to initiate the system did not exist. A project for immediate implementation was not available, and there was not an institution capable to carry out the initiative. System implementation required detailed technical, legal and financial design; creation of a new public entity in charge of planning, developing and controlling the system; confronting resistance to change, especially from traditional operators and small bus owners; contracting and developing the infrastructure; contracting and starting up the operation; and obtaining local and national funds for system expansion. Operations started December 18, 2000. By September, 2001, the system transported 550,000 trips per weekday, in 35.5 kilometers of exclusive lanes, 56 stations, 351 articulated buses and 110 feeder buses. Goal achievement was also evident after 9 months of operation: 100% reduction in fatalities from traffic accidents, 40% reduction in some air pollutants, 32% reduction in travel time for users, and acceptance level of 98% and ticket cost of US$ 0.36 without operating subsidies. By the end of 2001, more than 980,000 passengers per day are expected along 41 kilometers of exclusive lanes, 62 stations (including four terminal and three intermediate integration stations), 470 articulated buses, and 300 feeder buses. The system will be gradually expanded to 22 corridors covering 388 kilometers of exclusive lanes, planned for implementation in a 15-year period. TransMilenio is based upon, but goes beyond, the successful experiences of Curitiba, Porto Alegre and Goiania, Brazil and Quito, Ecuador. The system incorporates advanced technologies for billeting and control, and sustainable private participation schemes. It is a feasible transit solution for cities facing problems and constraints similar to those existing in Bogot?. From sagaris at terra.cl Wed Nov 7 22:23:33 2001 From: sagaris at terra.cl (Lake Sagaris) Date: Wed, 07 Nov 2001 10:23:33 -0300 Subject: [sustran] Re: Recent overview article on =?iso-8859-1?Q?Bogot=E1?= TransMilenio In-Reply-To: Message-ID: <5.1.0.14.2.20011107101624.00ac0ec0@pop3.norton.antivirus> Excellent article, Eric. We are trying to organize a seminar here in Santiago next year to bring together representatives from TransMilenio and the bike routes-bike days experience, with bus companies, municipal planners and national transport people, so are looking for funding. This experience is really dynamic, because they managed to cut through several seemingly untouchable knots -- private bus ownership being one of them. If anyone wants something in Spanish, I did an article for Tranv?a on our return from Bogot? last year. http://www.cec.uchile.cl/~tranvivo/tranvia/tv12/ Best Lake At 11:52 AM 07/11/01 +0100, you wrote: >We've been asked for more background on the Bogot? TransMilenio >"SurfaceMetro" system. Here's a good overview article on it by Oscar >Edmundo D?az, dated 27 Sept 2001 > >* * * > >TRANSMILENIO: BOGOTA'S BUS RAPID TRANSIT SYSTEM > >Bogot?, Colombia, under Enrique Pe?alosa's administration initiated an >ambitious mobility strategy to face its growing transportation problems >caused by fast population growth and rapid increase in automobile usage. >Measures included: promotion of non-motorized transportation, restriction of >automobile use, and development of a bus rapid transit system: TransMilenio. > >TransMilenio encompasses four components: >* Specialized infrastructure >* Efficient operations >* Advanced billeting >* A new institution for planning, developing and controlling the system. >Infrastructure, planning and control are provided by public institutions, >while operations and billeting are contracted with private companies. > >TransMilenio's infrastructure includes exclusive corridors, roads for feeder >buses, stations, and complementary facilities, with an average investment of >US$ 5 million per kilometer. Articulated buses use central lanes of >existing streets, longitudinally segregated from the general traffic. The >system is complemented with integrated feeder buses on local streets. > >Stations of the corridors are closed facilities, located in the median every >500 meters on average. They have from one to three berths and vary from 40 >meters to 180 meters in length. The system also includes pedestrian access >infrastructure (sidewalks, plazas, overpasses), and bus maintenance and >parking facilities. > >To maximize service supply, there are express and local service trunk lines. >Express services stop at selected stations only, providing fast service to >users and better fleet utilization, while local services stop in all the >stations. This combination allows the system to carry up to 45,000 >passengers per hour per direction. Exclusive corridors are served by >articulated diesel buses for 160 passengers each, whereas feeder lines are >served with diesel buses up to 80 passengers each. Buses comply with strict >operational and environmental requirements. > >System operation is carried out by private providers, with strict conditions >set forth through concession contracts with centralized control. >TransMilenio operators are consortiums of traditional local transport >companies, associated with national and international investors that own the >buses and hire drivers and maintenance personnel. Contracts were awarded >through open bidding processes. Payment is rendered based on kilometers >served by each operator. > >The billeting system is also privately operated. It includes production and >distribution of smart cards, acquisition and installation of turnstiles and >validating systems, passenger information and money handling. A concession >contract was awarded through an open bidding process. The money collected >from card sales is deposited in a trust fund, which has the mandate to pay >the operators according to the rules set forth in the concession contracts. > >To assure operations and work out the system expansion and maintenance, a >new public company was created (TRANSMILENIO S.A.). Its structure is small, >given that it performs its charter through third parties. Its operation is >funded with 3% of the ticket sales and ancillary activities. > >TRANSMILENIO S.A. operates a Control Center which allows service and >passenger access supervision. Each articulated bus is equipped with a GPS >and a processing unit reporting its location every 6 seconds. Turnstiles >also report to the Control Center the number of passengers entering and >leaving the system. Supply and demand are then adjusted, and contingencies >attended in real time. > >The system was developed during a three-year period. In January, 1998, the >components required to initiate the system did not exist. A project for >immediate implementation was not available, and there was not an institution >capable to carry out the initiative. System implementation required detailed >technical, legal and financial design; creation of a new public entity in >charge of planning, developing and controlling the system; confronting >resistance to change, especially from traditional operators and small bus >owners; contracting and developing the infrastructure; contracting and >starting up the operation; and obtaining local and national funds for system >expansion. > >Operations started December 18, 2000. By September, 2001, the system >transported 550,000 trips per weekday, in 35.5 kilometers of exclusive >lanes, 56 stations, 351 articulated buses and 110 feeder buses. Goal >achievement was also evident after 9 months of operation: 100% reduction in >fatalities from traffic accidents, 40% reduction in some air pollutants, 32% >reduction in travel time for users, and acceptance level of 98% and ticket >cost of US$ 0.36 without operating subsidies. > >By the end of 2001, more than 980,000 passengers per day are expected along >41 kilometers of exclusive lanes, 62 stations (including four terminal and >three intermediate integration stations), 470 articulated buses, and 300 >feeder buses. The system will be gradually expanded to 22 corridors >covering 388 kilometers of exclusive lanes, planned for implementation in a >15-year period. > >TransMilenio is based upon, but goes beyond, the successful experiences of >Curitiba, Porto Alegre and Goiania, Brazil and Quito, Ecuador. The system >incorporates advanced technologies for billeting and control, and >sustainable private participation schemes. It is a feasible transit >solution for cities facing problems and constraints similar to those >existing in Bogot?. Aviso a todos / please take note of / un cambio en mi direcci?n electr?nica / a change in my e-mail address to: sagaris@terra.cl Gracias/Thanks. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://list.jca.apc.org/manage/private/sustran-discuss/attachments/20011107/f8d57f0d/attachment.htm From wcox at publicpurpose.com Thu Nov 8 12:04:27 2001 From: wcox at publicpurpose.com (Wendell Cox) Date: Wed, 7 Nov 2001 21:04:27 -0600 Subject: [sustran] Re: More on Portland and metros References: <104.b97fb58.29145dce@aol.com> Message-ID: <005201c16802$15211f00$6a7e2e3f@y8f2e> Eric... Sorry about the delay on point 2 --- the Metros issue.... Busways, even surface busways, can compete with metros with respect to speed. And, you can build more of them. That means more of the city can be served by auto competitive transit. As for high capacity, if you provide parallel bus lanes at close intervals, you dont need metro capacities. And then there is the recent Bogota information to the effect that up to 45,000 can be carried peak direction by busways. (Dont know why it took a week to come up with that!) Best regards, Wendell Cox DEMOGRAPHIA & THE PUBLIC PURPOSE (Wendell Cox Consultancy) http://www.demographia.com (Demographics & Land Use) http://www.publicpurpose.com (Public Policy & Transport)) Telephone: +1.618.632.8507 - Facsimile: +1.810.821.8134 PO Box 841 - Belleville, IL 62222 USA ----- Original Message ----- From: To: Cc: Sent: Friday, 02 November, 2001 14:36 Subject: [sustran] Re: More on Portland and metros > In a message dated 10/31/01 7:04:04 PM Eastern Standard Time, > wcox@publicpurpose.com writes: > > WC:<< Have to agree with Eric on sports stadia. Let the owners and fans pay. > > Have to disagree on what light rail has accomplished in Portland, but that > debate could rage forever, and whether whatever it has created (which I > would argue it has not) could not have been as easily created with buses. > > ECB: A bus system that does not truncate some service to connect it to a rail > line can not give the same frequency of service to lower demand areas as one > that does, given an equal operating budget. Being "forced" to transfer is the > price one pays. Do airlines provide direct service from South Podunk to New > York or do they make you transfer in Chicago? This is why South Podunk can > have 6 trips per day instead of only two trips if they were to be direct. > > I also point out that most Portland routes are on a 15-minute headway and > connect with each other as well as the rail line, thus facilitating > tangential travel as well as travel to the CBD. > > WC: As for metros in large developing world cities. Problem is that they are a > non-comprehensive form of transit. It is not possible to provide auto > competitive service throughout the urban area with metros, whether we are > talking about > Sao Paulo or Shanghai. And if you dont provide auto competitive service, the > people are going to buy cars as soon as they can afford them. > > ECB: I certainly agree that they can not be comprehensive, but the more > parts of the city that have auto-competitive service the better. So I > understand why metro lines tend to serve richer areas first, unfair as that > might be. But to reiterate my earlier point, when cities get really large and > distances get long, I see no other way to get both reasonable travel times > and high capacities needed. I keep hearing from Eric Britton and others that > it is time for the "end of metros". Fair enough, but tell me how you are > going to get hundreds of thousands of people from the fringes of a city the > size of Shanghai, Mexico, Sao Paolo, etc. to where job opportunities are > without some kind of grade separation? I don't mean to be argumentative, I > seriously am open to suggestions. > > Eric > >> From geobpa at nus.edu.sg Fri Nov 9 18:04:53 2001 From: geobpa at nus.edu.sg (Paul Barter) Date: Fri, 9 Nov 2001 17:04:53 +0800 Subject: [sustran] FW: Quick Online Discussion on Future Urban Issues Message-ID: <2C9E855D35B9D01198190020AFFBE8CB0B86F638@exs04.ex.nus.edu.sg> Apologies For Cross Postings The United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat) invites you to participate in a Quick Online Discussion on fundamental issues affecting cities and overall national development, to be held from 12 - 16 November 2001. UNCHS (Habitat) believes that fundamental structural changes will determine the sustainability of not only cities, but of national development efforts. The discussion is intended to evoke responses from fresh perspectives -- by people from a wide variety of disciplines -- to encourage conceptual thinking that may shed critical light on conventional knowledge. Participation in the discussion is, therefore, not restricted to urban experts, but also open to journalists, cross-disciplinary thinkers, futurists, philosophers, artists, writers and other interested persons. You are encouraged to forward this message to others who can make worthwhile contributions. Shortly before 12 November, we will email an introduction with a set of three questions to all people who have registered. This will be followed by two more sets of three questions. You can also preview the introductions and questions at our website: http://www.unchs.org/discussion Registered participants will be sent, every day, a moderated compilation of responses received to enable the discussion. You can also view the entire discussion on the website. Since this is designed as an interactive process, you are encouraged to comment on responses by other participants. UNCHS (Habitat) would like to call for your engagement as a global citizen to help move the urban paradigm away from traditional formats and ordinary content. The results will be used to guide the global urban development strategies of UNCHS (Habitat) for the years to come. Please let us know whether you will participate in the discussion by registering at: http://www.unchs.org/discussion We are looking forward to your contributions. Anna Tibaijuka Executive Director UNCHS (Habitat) From wcox at publicpurpose.com Sat Nov 10 12:19:42 2001 From: wcox at publicpurpose.com (Wendell Cox) Date: Fri, 9 Nov 2001 21:19:42 -0600 Subject: [sustran] Amtrak Reform Council Finds Amtrak Will Not Become Self Sufficient References: <2C9E855D35B9D01198190020AFFBE8CB0B86F638@exs04.ex.nus.edu.sg> Message-ID: <001a01c16996$8c4186c0$907a2e3f@y8f2e> AMTRAK REFORM COUNCIL FINDING Amtrak Off-Track for Self-Sufficiency, Norquist Casts Deciding Vote 9 November 2001 The Amtrak Reform Council (ARC) today made its statutorily required finding that Amtrak would not achieve operating self-sufficiency by December 2002. The finding was passed by a 6-5 vote, with Clinton appointee Mayor John Norquist of Milwaukee casting the deciding vote after the Council had deadlocked at 5-5. Under the Amtrak Reform and Accountability Act, ARC must submit a reorganization plan to the Congress within 90 days and Amtrak must submit a liquidation plan. http://www.publicpurpose.com/ic-arcfinding.htm http://www.publicpurpose.com/ic-arcfindingstory.htm DEMOGRAPHIA & THE PUBLIC PURPOSE (Wendell Cox Consultancy) http://www.demographia.com (Demographics & Land Use) http://www.publicpurpose.com (Public Policy & Transport)) Telephone: +1.618.632.8507 - Facsimile: +1.810.821.8134 PO Box 841 - Belleville, IL 62222 USA From BruunB at aol.com Sun Nov 11 10:21:29 2001 From: BruunB at aol.com (BruunB@aol.com) Date: Sat, 10 Nov 2001 20:21:29 EST Subject: [sustran] Re: More on Portland and metros Message-ID: Wendell, I don't disagree that several parallel bus lanes (or LRT lines, for that matter) are better than one metro line, but how many cities will allow this much space? I support building many busways, but how many cities will? My point was that one might have to wait a long time. One point that was not discussed. Once busways start moving large numbers of people, they can be very noisy and unpleasant, as the number of diesel vehicles gets very large. I understand that some businesses are failing along one of the Sao Paolo busways. Thus, one must also limit the number of buses or jitneys in any one road. Eric From APHOWES at dm.gov.ae Sun Nov 11 12:41:21 2001 From: APHOWES at dm.gov.ae (Alan Patrick Howes) Date: Sun, 11 Nov 2001 07:41:21 +0400 Subject: [sustran] Re: More on Portland and metros Message-ID: Metros can be intrusive too, depending on whether they are elevated or in subway - and if the latter, construction can be horrendously disruptive. And there are various options for clean buses, including hybrid battery/diesel or flywheel/diesel. Each scheme really needs to be judged on its merits - the problem is that too people (including too many professionals) have a bias of some sort. My bias, if it is one, is that I fear that bus-based solutions, which are so much more flexible and scalable, are too easily dismissed by some. -- Alan P Howes, Special Transport Advisor, Dubai Municipality Public Transport Department aphowes@dm.gov.ae Tel: +971 4 286 1616 ext 214 Mobile: +971 50 5989661 -----Original Message----- From: BruunB@aol.com [mailto:BruunB@aol.com] Sent: Sunday, November 11, 2001 5:21 AM To: sustran-discuss@jca.ax.apc.org Subject: [sustran] Re: More on Portland and metros Wendell, I don't disagree that several parallel bus lanes (or LRT lines, for that matter) are better than one metro line, but how many cities will allow this much space? I support building many busways, but how many cities will? My point was that one might have to wait a long time. One point that was not discussed. Once busways start moving large numbers of people, they can be very noisy and unpleasant, as the number of diesel vehicles gets very large. I understand that some businesses are failing along one of the Sao Paolo busways. Thus, one must also limit the number of buses or jitneys in any one road. Eric From wcox at publicpurpose.com Mon Nov 12 01:10:25 2001 From: wcox at publicpurpose.com (Wendell Cox) Date: Sun, 11 Nov 2001 10:10:25 -0600 Subject: [sustran] Re: More on Portland and metros References: Message-ID: <00b401c16acb$60f29320$85782e3f@y8f2e> Eric: Fortunately, the fuel cell vehicle is available. Point, though is very simple. If we take your point and mine... Your point that metros may be the only way in some places (agreed, I have overstated your point) and my point that you need a close knit parallel system of high frequency buses to provide comprehensive mobility and add to it the limitations you suggest below we have the following... Metros that cannot do the job A busway system that cannot be implemented If that is the case, then similar to what Anthony Downs said, better get ready for the auto, because the people who are getting more affluent will not be content with a transport system that does not take them where they want when they want in a competitive time. I know these things are difficult politically, but there is no difficulty at all from the perspective of someone who can afford a car --- they exit the public transport system except where it does the job. Too bad, but true. That means, for all the anti-car pro-transit talk among developing world cities, they had better be prepared to do what is necessary, and that is a comprehensive system. But alas, as I have grown older, I have regretfully learned that politics and transport is often more about positioning and posturing than attempting to solve real problems (not pointing the finger at you, me or anyone else on this list). Best regards, Wendell Cox DEMOGRAPHIA & THE PUBLIC PURPOSE (Wendell Cox Consultancy) http://www.demographia.com (Demographics & Land Use) http://www.publicpurpose.com (Public Policy & Transport)) Telephone: +1.618.632.8507 - Facsimile: +1.810.821.8134 PO Box 841 - Belleville, IL 62222 USA ----- Original Message ----- From: To: Sent: Saturday, 10 November, 2001 19:21 Subject: [sustran] Re: More on Portland and metros > Wendell, > > I don't disagree that several parallel bus lanes (or LRT lines, for that > matter) are better than one metro line, but how many cities will allow this > much space? I support building many busways, but how many cities will? My > point was that one might have to wait a long time. > > One point that was not discussed. Once busways start moving large numbers of > people, they can be very noisy and unpleasant, as the number of diesel > vehicles gets very large. I understand that some businesses are failing along > one of the Sao Paolo busways. Thus, one must also limit the number of buses > or jitneys in any one road. > > Eric From wcox at publicpurpose.com Mon Nov 12 01:13:43 2001 From: wcox at publicpurpose.com (Wendell Cox) Date: Sun, 11 Nov 2001 10:13:43 -0600 Subject: [sustran] Re: More on Portland and metros References: Message-ID: <00bb01c16acb$d67239c0$85782e3f@y8f2e> I have no bias, despite the claims of my detractors. I am for that transport system that provides the most mobility/access within the financial constraints available. Where rail does it fine, where buses, fine. Point is, however, in the modern sprawling city, whether we are talking about Atlanta or Shanghai, there is little hope of providing comprehensive mobility throughout the urban area with rail systems and generally, to the extent they are built, they consume money that could be better used to provide a higher level of people more mobility/access. So long as public transport is content to principally serve destinations in the CBD and dense inner city, the car will become king outside. And once this starts, it is likely to be irreversible. There are exceptions --- the highly dense natural corridors of Hong Kong and Mumbai come to mind. Enough for now.... DEMOGRAPHIA & THE PUBLIC PURPOSE (Wendell Cox Consultancy) http://www.demographia.com (Demographics & Land Use) http://www.publicpurpose.com (Public Policy & Transport)) Telephone: +1.618.632.8507 - Facsimile: +1.810.821.8134 PO Box 841 - Belleville, IL 62222 USA ----- Original Message ----- From: Alan Patrick Howes To: Sent: Saturday, 10 November, 2001 21:41 Subject: [sustran] Re: More on Portland and metros > Metros can be intrusive too, depending on whether they are elevated or in > subway - and if the latter, construction can be horrendously disruptive. And > there are various options for clean buses, including hybrid battery/diesel > or flywheel/diesel. > > Each scheme really needs to be judged on its merits - the problem is that > too people (including too many professionals) have a bias of some sort. My > bias, if it is one, is that I fear that bus-based solutions, which are so > much more flexible and scalable, are too easily dismissed by some. > > -- > Alan P Howes, Special Transport Advisor, > Dubai Municipality Public Transport Department > aphowes@dm.gov.ae > Tel: +971 4 286 1616 ext 214 > Mobile: +971 50 5989661 > > > -----Original Message----- > From: BruunB@aol.com [mailto:BruunB@aol.com] > Sent: Sunday, November 11, 2001 5:21 AM > To: sustran-discuss@jca.ax.apc.org > Subject: [sustran] Re: More on Portland and metros > > > Wendell, > > I don't disagree that several parallel bus lanes (or LRT lines, for that > matter) are better than one metro line, but how many cities will allow this > much space? I support building many busways, but how many cities will? My > point was that one might have to wait a long time. > > One point that was not discussed. Once busways start moving large numbers of > > people, they can be very noisy and unpleasant, as the number of diesel > vehicles gets very large. I understand that some businesses are failing > along > one of the Sao Paolo busways. Thus, one must also limit the number of buses > or jitneys in any one road. > > Eric From geobpa at nus.edu.sg Mon Nov 12 10:44:55 2001 From: geobpa at nus.edu.sg (Paul Barter) Date: Mon, 12 Nov 2001 09:44:55 +0800 Subject: [sustran] Eduardo Vasconcellos book - Urban transport, environment and equi ty - the case for developing countries Message-ID: <2C9E855D35B9D01198190020AFFBE8CB0B86F63D@exs04.ex.nus.edu.sg> New Book Announcement Book: Urban transport, environment and equity - the case for developing countries. Author: Eduardo Alc?ntara Vasconcellos, ANTP, Brazil. Earthscan, UK, 2001. (www.earthscan.co.uk) (333 pages; includes bibliographical references and index) Urban transport conditions remain highly inadequate for most of the population in developing countries. Poor transit supply, low accessibility, badly maintained vehicles, discomfort, congestion, pollution and accidents are daily problems faced by most people. Structural political and economic conditions maintain social exclusion, poverty and unemployment and confine the decision making process to selected groups. Unbalanced economic growth, persistent poverty and population growth generate chaotic urban expansion and poses obstacles to effective urban and transportation planning. Traditional transportation planning techniques, applied according to a "black-box" ethics, have been generating transport systems that propagate an unfair distribution of accessibility and reproduce safety and environmental inequities. Private transportation has often been favoured, and local public transportation and non-motorised means have been neglected. These problems have been aggravated since the 1980's, in line with the economic restructuring and the fiscal crisis of the state, which inhibit the organisation of an adequate supply of public transportation means for most of the people. The book intends to provide alternative explanations to current conditions, and take alternative approaches, that emphasise the social and political aspects of transport policy and the use of the urban space. The main objective is to offer tools for analysis and action, to help support an equity coalition among those concerned with the future of developing countries. The book analyses how social groups and classes interact with the environment to fulfil their social reproduction needs, seen as those activities that are needed to live and participate in society. The roles of the most relevant public and private actors in influencing transport policy are analysed - the state, the bureaucracy, the planners, social groups and classes, the private sector; the consultant sector, the real state industry and the transportation industry. Actual roadway use is scrutinised through an analysis of the role played by people in traffic (the microphysics of traffic), considering how they interact and how benefits and harms are created and distributed; physical and political conflicts that determine the use of the streets are discussed and consequent limits to public policies are devised. The book also explores new or revised concepts that support the alternative approach: the city as a built environment and the relationship between space, transport and traffic; the circulation system and the circulation environment; the relationship between production and transport, and social reproduction and transport, and the related transportation strategies adopted by them to fulfil needs; accessibility and mobility; the relationship between the built environment and the means of collective consumption, as a basis to analyse the use of roads as public assets. The book also discuss the forms of provision, regulation, operation, control and use of transportation means, congregating all previous analyses and concepts into a broad framework, to provide a clear and logical basis for analysing past and current transport policies. Chapters are devoted to special issues: non-motorised, public and private transport; mobility; space, environment and equity; and traffic accidents Proposals are discussed according to three main fields of intervention - urban planning, transportation planning and traffic planning - and are analysed according to their relevance and fitness to developing countries. From litman at vtpi.org Tue Nov 13 02:21:53 2001 From: litman at vtpi.org (Todd Litman) Date: Mon, 12 Nov 2001 09:21:53 -0800 Subject: [sustran] Transit Oriented Policies In-Reply-To: <00b401c16acb$60f29320$85782e3f@y8f2e> References: Message-ID: <3.0.5.32.20011112092153.00dec450@pop.islandnet.com> I agree that it is important to provide transit priority in traffic to attract discretionary (what transit planners call "choice") riders, but there are other factors that can be equally important including parking availability and pricing, pedestrian accessibility, road pricing, transit oriented development patterns, and commute trip reduction programs. Something as simple as parking cash out (allowing commuters who use transit to have the cash equivalent of what would be spent on free parking if they drove) can double the portion of transit commute trips. Although automobile ownership tends to increase with income, up to a point, there are plenty of examples of cities in wealthy, democratic countries where alternative modes maintain a major mode share, and where per capita automobile use is half of what it is in typical North American cities. Several European cities are success in restraining and even reducing peak period automobile trips, and current work on road pricing and traffic restraints sponsored by the European Community may significantly increase this trend. It is important to avoid creating a self fulfilling prophesy of increased automobile dependency due to determinist planning (creating automobile dependent cities to accommodate projected increases in automobile use based on extrapolations of current trends). Traffic engineers tend to focus on traffic flow and tend to be unfamiliar with the full range of economic and land use incentives that need to be in place, or they mistakenly assume that such incentives are harmful to consumers or the economy. I believe that it is important that transportation professionals become more familiar with transportation demand management, and give them equal consideration with physical design features. For more information on various demand management strategies that can support public transit and other alternative modes see the Online TDM Encyclopedia: http://www.vtpi.org/tdm. We are just finishing a major update and have added several new chapters. As always, we appreciate feedback. 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@vtpi.org Website: http://www.vtpi.org At 10:10 AM 11/11/01 -0600, you wrote: >Fortunately, the fuel cell vehicle is available. Point, though is very >simple. If we take your point and mine... Your point that metros may be the >only way in some places (agreed, I have overstated your point) and my point >that you need a close knit parallel system of high frequency buses to >provide comprehensive mobility and add to it the limitations you suggest >below we have the following... > >Metros that cannot do the job >A busway system that cannot be implemented > >If that is the case, then similar to what Anthony Downs said, better get >ready for the auto, because the people who are getting more affluent will >not be content with a transport system that does not take them where they >want when they want in a competitive time. I know these things are difficult >politically, but there is no difficulty at all from the perspective of >someone who can afford a car --- they exit the public transport system >except where it does the job. Too bad, but true. That means, for all the >anti-car pro-transit talk among developing world cities, they had better be >prepared to do what is necessary, and that is a comprehensive system. > >But alas, as I have grown older, I have regretfully learned that politics >and transport is often more about positioning and posturing than attempting >to solve real problems (not pointing the finger at you, me or anyone else on >this list). > >Best regards, >Wendell Cox > > >DEMOGRAPHIA & THE PUBLIC PURPOSE (Wendell Cox Consultancy) >http://www.demographia.com (Demographics & Land Use) >http://www.publicpurpose.com (Public Policy & Transport)) >Telephone: +1.618.632.8507 - Facsimile: +1.810.821.8134 >PO Box 841 - Belleville, IL 62222 USA >----- Original Message ----- >From: >To: >Sent: Saturday, 10 November, 2001 19:21 >Subject: [sustran] Re: More on Portland and metros > > >> Wendell, >> >> I don't disagree that several parallel bus lanes (or LRT lines, for that >> matter) are better than one metro line, but how many cities will allow >this >> much space? I support building many busways, but how many cities will? My >> point was that one might have to wait a long time. >> >> One point that was not discussed. Once busways start moving large numbers >of >> people, they can be very noisy and unpleasant, as the number of diesel >> vehicles gets very large. I understand that some businesses are failing >along >> one of the Sao Paolo busways. Thus, one must also limit the number of >buses >> or jitneys in any one road. >> >> Eric > > > > From geobpa at nus.edu.sg Tue Nov 13 17:58:50 2001 From: geobpa at nus.edu.sg (Paul Barter) Date: Tue, 13 Nov 2001 16:58:50 +0800 Subject: [sustran] FW: CAR BUSTERS BULLETIN #29 Message-ID: <2C9E855D35B9D01198190020AFFBE8CB0B86F645@exs04.ex.nus.edu.sg> Forwarding because this bounced due to 'bulk' headers. -----Original Message----- From: owner-englishbulletin-l@ecn.cz [mailto:owner-englishbulletin-l@ecn.cz]On Behalf Of Car Busters Sent: Tuesday, 13 November 2001 1:52 To: englishbulletin-l@ecn.cz Subject: CAR BUSTERS BULLETIN #29 For sending messages to Car Busters use carbusters@ecn.cz , please. Do NOT just hit ?reply." =================================== -- -- -- -- CAR BUSTERS BULLETIN -- -- -- -- -- =================================== Edition no. 29 - November 2001 - English version ...................................................................... CAR BUSTERS Magazine and Resource Centre Kratka? 26, 100 00 Praha 10, Czech Republic tel: +(420) 2-7481-0849 ; fax: +(420) 2-7481-6727 - - ANNOUNCEMENTS - UPDATE: MEDIEVAL URBANISM IN FES, MOROCCO - ?ROADKILL BILL? BOOK RELEASED - WORLD CAR-FREE DAYS 2002 - ECOTOPIA BIKE TOUR 2002 SEEKS ORGANISERS - CLOSING THOUGHTS FROM THE ASSOCIATED PRESS ANNOUNCEMENTS: - You are hereby receiving advance notice of the 2002 United Nations Car-Free Days programme. It will begin with an observation and workshop at the city of Bogota?s third car-free day in February, to which a group of 10 to 12 mayors from the Latin American/Caribbean region will be invited to attend as official guests of the U.N. - There?s some early information coming out about a consortium of U.S. groups and agencies planning a programme titled ?American Towns: By Foot, Bicycle and Transit.? - The latest issue of the on-line CarFree Times came out on October 11: http://carfree.com/cft/i022.html. - Car Busters? web site is finally equipped with an on-line credit card ordering system. You can now use it to order anything from books and stickers to memberships and subscriptions. Buy! Buy! Consume! Consume! UPDATE: MEDIEVAL URBANISM IN FES, MOROCCO January 1-7, 2002 ? A week-long study tour on medieval urban design As reported in last month?s bulletin, we?re off to Fes el-Bali, Morocco ? the world?s largest urban car-free area, at least in terms of population. Fes is also, along with Cairo and Damascus, one of the top three largest medieval cities in the world, with a population of over 200,000 people. The city, founded in 789 AD, continues to function to this day with many of its medieval traditions intact. We will be continuing ongoing documentation on how Fes? medieval, hypomobile urban design contributes to its viability as a car-free city, with neither public transportation nor cycling. (All trips are by foot, with transport of goods via donkey, and all destinations are within walking distance.) We will be photographing, researching, interviewing, touring and of course having plenty of fun. Following the visit, we plan to produce a slideshow and article promoting a revival of medieval urbanism elsewhere in the world. Anyone wishing to join in on the tour ? and you are all welcome ? should contact Randy Ghent at rghent@gmx.net as soon as possible. He will be leaving for Morocco in mid-December. We?re especially looking for a videographer, and a few more French speakers would be nice? ?ROADKILL BILL? BOOK RELEASED Car Busters has just released its second book, ?Roadkill Bill? by Ken Avidor. Roadkill Bill is ?a comic strip on cars, technology and philosophy from the viewpoint of a frequently squashed rodent.? Avidor gives voice to the suffering soul of humanity that feels bulldozed and paved over by industrial technology run amok. You may have already seen some of the strips in Car Busters magazine (that is, if you've been paying attention), on the Roadkill Bill web site, or if you're from Minneapolis, every week in Pulse of the Twin Cities. But the book will collect these strips together for the first time (complete with a groovy full- color cover, which you can view at http://www.carbusters.ecn.cz. The list price is US$10, CN$15, 6.50 GBP, AU$18, 20 DM, and 23 NLG. That price will include shipping, when ordered from Car Busters (http://www.carbusters.ecn.cz) or http://www.roadkillbill.com. Groups/organizations can get bulk orders for US$6 each. In Eastern Europe or the so-called "Third World," it's US$4 for groups or individuals. WORLD CAR-FREE DAYS 2002 September 13-27, 2002 ? Two weeks of car-free fun and feverish excitement In 2000 Car Busters initiated the world?s first global car-free day, a victorious day of actions on four continents reclaiming our streets and our lives from the automobile. And next September, people around the world will join together for World Car-Free Days 2002 ? two weeks of actions and events calling for an end to the hundred-year reign of the automobile. It all starts with the anniversary of North America?s first car fatality (Henry Bliss, New York City, 1899). It includes September 22, the European Car-Free Day, which has taken place annually since 2000. On a more negative note, there?s September 23, the day of Hitler?s ground- breaking of the first automobile-only road (autobahn) in 1933. And finally, it all culminates with September 25, the ten-year anniversary of the first Critical Mass bicycle ride (San Francisco, 1992), taking a stand against automobile hegemony on our streets. It?s up to you to fill in the days in between. Are you ready? You have just ten months to prepare!? For a continuing stream of information, graphics, posters and other resources to help you organise your event, see the Car Busters monthly bulletin and web site throughout the coming months. The dates: *September 13* was when Henry H. Bliss, a 68-year-old Wall Street real estate broker, was killed by a taxi cab on Sept. 13, 1899, after he and his companion descended from a New York City street car. Bliss died the following day. See http://www.rememberbliss.org. (The world?s first automobile fatality was apparently three years earlier, on Aug. 17, 1896, but we will overlook that inconvenient fact. That was when Bridget Driscoll was killed at Crystal Palace, South London, during a car show, on her way to a Catholic event, by a car going 4 miles per hour. There was a speech at the time saying how terrible an accident it was and how such a thing should never happen again!) Since these deaths, over 17 million people have been killed in a world war that nobody has bothered to declare. That?s 250,000 people a year, one death every two minutes. In America it?s 40,000 deaths ? equal to the number of Americans who died in the Vietnam War ? every year. In Europe it?s 50,000 deaths a year, and 150,000 permanently disabled. Even in Northern Ireland, in the past 25 years of conflict more people have died on the roads than were killed by the bomb or bullet. *September 22* is the annual European car-free day, called ?In Town Without My Car? (http://www.22september.org). In reality it is mostly a public relations exercise for the European Union, and a means to attracting attention away from its primary objective: to meld the diverse countries and cultures of Europe into a homogenised, single, neoliberal economy, in which Europe?s largest corporations sit comfortably in the driver?s seat. Nonetheless, among a host of tokenistic initiatives, some good things do happen on September 22, most of them thanks to the hard work of a handful of progressive cities. The event?s already happening, so we might as well hold hands with the Eurocrats and join in ? or steal the show with a big, bold splash on the same day. For those activists in Europe, might this day be the perfect opportunity to call attention to the E.U.?s nightmarish transport policies? *September 23* marks Hitler?s ground-breaking of the world?s first automobile-only road (the Frankfurt-Basel Hanseatic Highway) in 1933 ? the day when the car, braked for so long, finally gained right of way. Without right of way, the automobile was worth only half as much. The old rural roads were narrow, twisting, dusty and few. Planned according to small scales, laid out for slow speeds, twisting along creeks and over hills, and emptying directly onto market squares, these streets were ideal for bicyclists and horse carts but not fit for the space-mastering power of the automobile. A totally new type of road was required to make space penetrable, designed for high speeds and reserved solely for motor traffic ? a type of road whose spread would ensure the automobile?s success. It was Hitler?s way of melding the German people into unity, encouraging a homogenous society in which the pulse of life beats to a uniform rhythm, unopposed by local consciousness or cultural particularity. Industrialism can only become effective when it coincides with the creation of a homogenous society [as seen today in the European Union?s gushing love for the word ?mobility? ? CB]. (text paraphrased from Wolfgang Sachs? ?For Love of the Automobile,? aside from the final comment) *September 25* marks the ten-year anniversary of the first Critical Mass bicycle ride, organised by San Francisco urban cyclists in 1992. Forty- eight people attended, but the rides quickly grew, expanding to 230 cities around the world and sometimes attended by several thousand people, generally on the last Friday of each month around 5 p.m. There are no real organisers; people just show up each month and organically decide where the ride will go. The cyclists make the point ?We?re not blocking traffic; we are traffic,? since on every other day of the month they don?t get their fair share of public roads. The largest rides occur in London, Sydney, Melbourne and San Francisco. (See http://www.critical-mass.org or http://www.criticalmasshub.com.) *September 27*: Critical Mass! This global urban bike ride is generally on the last Friday of the month, 5:30 p.m., in a city near you. Extra bonus day (optional, for those who want to end on a negative note): *October 1* marks the coming of the auto age in 1908 with the release of Henry Ford?s first Model T car. By 1913 they were rolling off the assembly line every three minutes, a miracle of mass production leading to mass motorisation. Ford introduced a new strategy for corporations to accumulate wealth; ?Fordism? was based on the mass assembly-line production of standardised consumer goods, made possible by the replacement of skilled workers by semi-skilled assembly-line workers, which in turn allowed management detailed control over the labour process. This opened up a huge potential for ?scientific management? and automation, which together opened the way for an enormous growth in labour productivity?while turning work into an endless repetition of tedious tasks. The raised productivity meant wages and profits could both rise at the same time. With rising wages and the relatively secure employment offered by Fordist production, Fordism was able to provide the basis for mass consumption, which was a necessary condition for its own reproduction. By 1920 there were 9 million cars on U.S. roads alone. Soon most of the industralised world would be made captives of car culture, as well as the individualistic, domestic consumer culture which has bred many of today?s social and environmental problems. ECOTOPIA BIKE TOUR 2002 SEEKS ORGANISERS European Youth for Action has two six-month ?European Voluntary Service? positions open for organising the 2002 Ecotopia Bike Tour. The tour will bring together 20 to 50 European activists for a month of travel to Ireland, where the annual Ecotopia gathering will be held. It?s an experiment to discover how sustainability works even for a large community in an unusual situation. It's about supporting grassroots activism and making contacts with groups, individuals and organisations all over Europe. It's about friends, other cultures and other people, other languages...and more! The job is to facilitate all of the above ? to find the groups, the people, the money, the places, the inspiration that will drive the others. In practice this means doing a wide range of jobs, from fundraising to outreach, to web design, to t-shirt making, to participant attracting. You must be under 26 years old, have a valid passport for an E.U. or E.U. accession country, be available to work somewhere in or near to Ireland, speak good English, and be free from February to October/November 2002. For more information and an application, contact . Some general information on the network and past bike tours can be found at http://www.eyfa.org. CLOSING THOUGHTS FROM THE ASSOCIATED PRESS ?When the USS John Paul Jones fires a Tomahawk cruise missile, the Navy destroyer shakes from the force and the noise rumbles through every corner of the mammoth vessel. ?Have you ever driven a Ferrari at 200 miles per hour? That's about what it feels like,? said Jason, a quartermaster responsible for the ship's navigation. ?There's a great deal of noise, of smoke. It's very dramatic.?? [end] ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- CAR BUSTERS Magazine and Resource Centre Kratka 26, 100 00 Praha 10, Czech Republic Tel: +(420) 2-7481-08-49 ; Fax: +(420) 2-7481-67-27 From BruunB at aol.com Wed Nov 14 03:11:50 2001 From: BruunB at aol.com (BruunB@aol.com) Date: Tue, 13 Nov 2001 13:11:50 EST Subject: [sustran] Re: More on Portland and metros Message-ID: <3d.14563b4a.2922bc66@aol.com> Alan, All good points you make. I am aware of hybrids and other less polluting vehicles, but even in the rich countries we postpone buying them until they get cheaper, so how soon will they reach the developing countries. Eric From mobility at igc.org Wed Nov 14 04:32:33 2001 From: mobility at igc.org (mobility) Date: Tue, 13 Nov 2001 14:32:33 -0500 Subject: [sustran] comments on WBCSD Mobility 21 Report Message-ID: <3BF17551.5B8031D7@igc.org> Dear Sustran members, etc. We will send some collective comments to the World Business Council for Sustainable Development reacting to their Mobility 2001 report. Please send your comments to us by Friday, November 16 and we will circulate a draft letter and ask anyone who wants to to co-sign. Evidently, only $1.5 or so million was spent on the study and some workshops, not the $10 million that I mentioned earlier. This means that there is still some $8 million in funds that the WBCSD may be spending on sustainable transport related activities. For this reason it might be worth considering, as well as critiquing their report, some suggestions as to how best they could spend this money. Arguably, wasting the entirety of the money on more research might not be the worst thing, given the source of the funding, (big oil and big auto) and possible alternative uses of that money. However, I am persuaded by more moderate voices that there is a possibility we could persuade them to use this money in a truly constructive way. Please get any thoughts sent to us by this friday and we'll incorporate them in a draft letter to send to the WBCSD. thanks, best walter hook From ktsou at tee.gr Wed Nov 14 05:14:35 2001 From: ktsou at tee.gr (K Tsourlakis) Date: Tue, 13 Nov 2001 22:14:35 +0200 Subject: [sustran] Re: More on Portland and metros Message-ID: <200111132014.fADKEXB19433@ns1.tee.gr> Other shortcoming of metros vs. buses is that the trip is less pleasant (nothing to see inside the tunnels), the access is more difficult (stairs) and the security concerns more serious (fire, criminality, terrorist acts - remember Tokyo). On the other hand metros may be used as bunkers (e.g. London in WWII), and may be a very long term investment in periods of economic strength (would it be possible e.g. to be built nowadays the Moscow metro?) > >Date: Sun, 11 Nov 2001 07:41:21 +0400 >From: Alan Patrick Howes >Subject: [sustran] Re: More on Portland and metros > >Metros can be intrusive too, depending on whether they are elevated or in >subway - and if the latter, construction can be horrendously disruptive. And >there are various options for clean buses, including hybrid battery/diesel >or flywheel/diesel. > >Each scheme really needs to be judged on its merits - the problem is that >too people (including too many professionals) have a bias of some sort. My >bias, if it is one, is that I fear that bus-based solutions, which are so >much more flexible and scalable, are too easily dismissed by some. > From geobpa at nus.edu.sg Wed Nov 14 10:34:53 2001 From: geobpa at nus.edu.sg (Paul Barter) Date: Wed, 14 Nov 2001 09:34:53 +0800 Subject: [sustran] FW: CE News - Busses and Trucks in Birgunj Using Kerosene instead of Diesel Message-ID: <2C9E855D35B9D01198190020AFFBE8CB0B86F649@exs04.ex.nus.edu.sg> Forwarded item from the Nepal Clean Energy News e-newsletter. -----Original Message----- ... Clean Energy NEWS Vol. 1, Number 50, November 13, 2001 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---- Table of Contents - Governments Ready to Ratify Kyoto Protocol - Local People Unite to Oppose the Establishment of New Brick Kilns - Majority of Busses and Trucks in Birgunj Using Kerosene instead of Diesel - Solar Power Gaining Popularity in Villages in Tanahu District. - Electric Vehicle in Tourism Sector - Announcement : E-Conference on Renewable Energy Technologies - Link of the Week - Did You Know? - Quiz of the Week # 12 - Answer of QUIZ of the Week # 11 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---- ... Majority of Busses and Trucks in Birgunj Using Kerosene instead of Diesel According to petroleum dealers and some vehicle entrepreneurs, more than 50 percent of the trucks and buses in Birganj are currently using kerosene instead of diesel. Although, Nepal Oil Corporation admits that vehicles are using kerosene in place of diesel, and there even a provision of strong penalty for doing this, no action has been taken and most petrol pumps are openly supplying kerosene to buses and trucks. As the price of kerosene, which is subsidized by the government, is Rs. 8.50 less than diesel, this practice has resulted in lower operating costs and reduction in fares. Previously transportation of goods from Birganj to Kathmandu used to cost up to Rs. 9,000 per ton. But not [sic] this has gone down to Rs. 6,000 to 7,000 per ton. Close to 500 buses and trucks depart from Birganj to different parts of the country every day. Although the use of kerosene reduces the operating costs, this damages the vehicles and also increases the emissions. Source: Kantipur Daily, 8 November 2001 ... ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---- Edited by Bhushan Tuladhar, Anil K. Raut, and Bimal Aryal Clean Energy Nepal (CEN) and Martin Chautari (MC) are independent, not-for-profit organizations working in the field of Energy and Environment. CEN: 254 Sahayog Marg, Anamnagar, Kathmandu, Nepal P.O. Box: 8846, Tel: 977-1-242381 E-mail: cen@mos.com.np MC: Thapathali, Kathmandu, Nepal P.O. Box: 13470, Tel: 977-1-256239 Fax: 977-1-240059 E-mail: chautari@mos.com.np We encourage you to send your articles on relevant subjects to expand our campaign. (Mail to cen@mos.com.np) If you are not interested in this campaign please send us reply message "Unzubscribe CE News" at cen@mos.com.np If you are interested to know more about us you can direct your E-mail in the same address cen@mos.com.np From geobpa at nus.edu.sg Wed Nov 14 18:09:23 2001 From: geobpa at nus.edu.sg (Paul Barter) Date: Wed, 14 Nov 2001 17:09:23 +0800 Subject: [sustran] FW: Re: comments on WBCSD Mobility 21 Report Message-ID: <2C9E855D35B9D01198190020AFFBE8CB0B86F64B@exs04.ex.nus.edu.sg> Subject: BOUNCE sustran-discuss@jca.ax.apc.org: Non-member submission from ["John Whitelegg" ] From: "John Whitelegg" To: sustran-discuss@jca.ax.apc.org Subject: Re: [sustran] comments on WBCSD Mobility 21 Report Date: Wed, 14 Nov 2001 09:04:55 +0000 Dear Sustran colleagues, Just a very brief comment on the WBC sustainability process rather than the content. There is currently a great deal of effort globally on the part of large corporations, groups that represent businesses and public interest groups in sustainable mobility. If all this effort and cash is to turn out good results it is imperative that the process reflects all stakeholder interests and not just buinesses, transport professionals, NGOs etc. I would like to make a very specific suggestion. Those of us involved in transport and mobility work anywhere in the world should request that all projects of this kind (eg the WBC project) should be managed by a steering committee drawn from the following groups: retired/aged over 60 those with mobility difficulties women with young children victims of road traffic crashes those who do not drive regular cyclists those who walk to work those involved in small scale farming/food production those who live in rural areas those who live in large cities those who live in medium sized towns those who live near airports and high speed rail lines those who are without work those who are in part time work children those who live on heavily trafficked streets on on routes across the Alps Other suggestions would be most welcome. The world of sustainable mobility has a great deal to offer to policy makers and others concerned with charting paths out of mobility addiction but it does not automatically bring with it a people centred, accessibility based modesty. It has the potential to make as many mistakes as the paradigm it is attempting to replace and it should (I suggest) be re-centred in a people-oriented context. What do you think? John Whitelegg Roskilde University, Denmark and Editor, World transport Policy and Practice >From: mobility >Reply-To: sustran-discuss@jca.ax.apc.org >To: sustran-discuss@jca.ax.apc.org >Subject: [sustran] comments on WBCSD Mobility 21 Report >Date: Tue, 13 Nov 2001 14:32:33 -0500 > >Dear Sustran members, etc. > >We will send some collective comments to the World Business Council for >Sustainable Development reacting to their Mobility 2001 report. Please >send your comments to us by Friday, November 16 and we will circulate a >draft letter and ask anyone who wants to to co-sign. > >Evidently, only $1.5 or so million was spent on the study and some >workshops, not the $10 million that I mentioned earlier. This means >that there is still some $8 million in funds that the WBCSD may be >spending on sustainable transport related activities. > >For this reason it might be worth considering, as well as critiquing >their report, some suggestions as to how best they could spend this >money. Arguably, wasting the entirety of the money on more research >might not be the worst thing, given the source of the funding, (big oil >and big auto) and possible alternative uses of that money. However, I >am persuaded by more moderate voices that there is a possibility we >could persuade them to use this money in a truly constructive way. > >Please get any thoughts sent to us by this friday and we'll incorporate >them in a draft letter to send to the WBCSD. > >thanks, best >walter hook > _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp From kisansbc at vsnl.com Thu Nov 15 10:51:53 2001 From: kisansbc at vsnl.com (kisan mehta) Date: Thu, 15 Nov 2001 07:21:53 +0530 Subject: [sustran] Fw: [sustran] initial reaction to WBCSD Mobility 2001 study Message-ID: <001c01c16d78$1aec9560$7d37c5cb@r4v7p2> ----- Original Message ----- From: kisan mehta To: ; Sent: Thursday, November 15, 2001 7.00AM Sub: [sustran] initial reaction to WBCSD Mobility 2001 study > Dear Walter, Paul and Sustran Colleagues, > > We received Walters' note on reaction to WBCSD > Mobility 2001 study sometime. Walter, thank you. Am > rushing off whatever I could before your due day. > > The WBCSD, as can safely be presumed, would > initiate studies that show bright future for personal > cars. The WBCSD is supported by world's large car manufacturers. It is > natural that they will all like to > use experience in the US to promote motorisation. > > The IMF-World Bank have suggested to the authorities to develop infrastructure to reach out to the remotest corners of India. The Government of India worked out a plan for linking metro cities of India to meet the IMF/WB grandiose suggestion. Cost estimate came to mindboggling Rs 250000 crores (100 crore make 1 billion), practically double the national annual budget. Can this country think of such a programme when so many more urgent development projects are stalled for paucity of funds? It is a blessing in disquise that the US has prohibited multilateral agencies from extending assistance to India and Pakistan so avenues for ready money are blocked. Pre Bush has started pouring money in Pakistan to kill Bin Laden but not to India. Fortunate for India. > > In the meantime, the Federal (we say Central or Union) Govt has asked state governments to take up sector roads on their own. All states have announced plans for sector expressways where even motorable road did not exist. Maharashtra, of which Mumbai is the capital, embarked on constructing flyovers and elevated roads, cutting down pavements to widen carriageways spending a lot of money. The result is that no money is left for pursuing education and health programmes, and for paying staff salaries. > > Global car manufacturers all rushed to India to take advantage of car demand and set up assemby plants following globalisation. Now these mfrrs find it difficult to dispose off their monthly production. Production is being cut down. 100% loans with zero or marginal interest are being offered by all mfrrs fighting for survival. Roads even after flyovers are totally jammed up yet many aspire to become car owners of one or more cars. No loan available for buying a cycle or starting a small business. Prices for gasoline too are kept below cost through regulated pricing. Petroleum product users are insulated against rising oil prices. Despite this, no ready buyers for cars. > > Such situation prevails in other developing countries. For car mfrrs, developing countries only give hope to maintain their level of business. The govt and finance institutions have done their best to promote car market. In countries, having 40% of their population living `below poverty level' what is the likelihood of unlimited market for cars? We are still not talking of damage to the environment. Reliable figures are hard to find but auto emissions exceed the pocket book figure of 60%. > > This study will not dare to record the stark reality as the clients did not pay for getting an adverse report. If car mfrrs are hoping that demand artificiallly created by government, multilateral agencies, local financial institutions in the developing countries will sustain their high level manfacturing programmes, they are hoping against hope. Mumbai probably the most motorised city in India still less than one million use car while road and railway service provide 10 million journeys daily. > > In India, state and municipal transport services provide bulk journeys. Practically no Indian city has privately owned bus service. Muncipalised bus service operates in Mumbai providing about 4.5 million journeys a day. Private intercity buses exist but very few compared to public buses. Railways carry more passengers intercity. Cargo is carried by railways and private trucks, private truck accounting for about 45%. So it is not correct to say that public road transport is non-existent. A situation where personal car will be the major mode of transport can never come as staving death from starvation is prime consideration for citizens. That oil is the first priority higher than food is certainly not correct. > > Car provides freedom of movement is a myth in crowded developing countries and cities. With an average density of 27,000 persons per sq km, what does this freedom mean to car owners? If parking was charged on Mumbai roads, number of cars would go down drastically. The authorities do not charge car owners for use of roads though bus commuters have to pay about 15% of their fare to the government. This cross subsidy by non-owners supports car owners but how long can this stark paradox continue? > > I dwelt on critical aspects at length to help you develop the proper response. What one notices in Mumbai prevails in all developing countries. They cannot build expressways or even simple roads to contain increasing number of vehicles. Increase in number of road accidents resulting in fatalities and injuries to pedestrians is not taken into account by the government and car mfrrs. Mumbai has the highest number of road accident rate in the world. > > You indicated that the allocation of 10 million $ is not exhausted. We can personally help the WBCSD to obtain the realistic picture. Sustran should offer to carry out an objective report for the guidance of its members. Do contact me for any info or clarification. Best wishes. > > Kisan Mehta kisansbc@vsnl.com > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: mobility > To: > Sent: Saturday, October 20, 2001 3:41 AM > Sub: [sustran] initial reaction to WBCSD Mobility 2001 study > > > > Our Ten Cents on a Ten Million Dollar Study > > > > The World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) has just > released a new $10 million study called Mobility 2001, that was written > under their supervision by > MIT and Charles River Associates. It is available online at > www.wbcsdmobility.org. ITDP will draft comments on the study. Your input > is welcome. Please send comments to > > mobility@igc.org > > > > The auto and oil industries had two conflicting aims with this study: > > 1) assessing whether or not they have a future, 2) subtly promoting > > their agenda in the face of mounting criticism. The study doesn't > > entirely succeed on either of these counts. It extols the automobile, > > while recognizing the problems that its growing use causes. It suffers > > from a tendency to generalize from US experience to developing > > countries, which would no doubt be better off deciding for themselves > > whether a future of automobile dependency in the face of rapidly > > shrinking oil supplies is a good idea. > > > > Initial Reaction to Mobility 2001 by the WBCSD > > > > The study is largely descriptive, rather than prescriptive, > and much of this description is reasonably accurate. Its overview of > pollution trends, traffic trends are reasonable. However, it frequently > suffers from over-generalizing > trends from the US. > > > > Comments like "conventional public transport systems are best at serving > high levels of travel demand...areas that typically meet these criteria > include the urban core and the high density corridors between the core and > the suburbs," were written with the US in mind. "Public transport" in > developing countries is almost non-existent, being all but replaced > by paratransit and private bus transport, and these services make a profit > even in distant peripheral areas. > > > > It characterizes the problem of urban sprawl, for example, > as a direct result of growing private motor vehicle use, whereas in > developing countries most people living in > sprawling settlements do not own cars and are pushed to > the periphery by a low income housing crisis. > > > > Much time is spent extolling the alleged freedom of private motor > vehicles: "Privately owned motor vehicles are typically the most flexible > means of providing mobility." Sitting in a traffic jam and searching for a > parking space seems far less flexible to many of us than walking or biking > to a busway or subway, then walking somewhere else, without having to > worry about parking, refueling, maintaining the vehicle, theft, > or crashing the vehicle. A flexible system is one where > people have many choices about how to make a trip, not a system of > automobile dependence. > > > > The authors claim that developing country cities "house > and transport too many people, on insufficient numbers of poorly maintained > roads and rails, and generally lack the money and institutional vigor to fix > the problem." There > exists, unfortunately, no accepted mechanism for > determining the 'sufficiency' of a road network, nor an appropriate urban > density. Japan has managed to > produce higher levels of per capita GNP than the US, > with a fraction of the level of road infrastructure. > > Many developing country cities, like Curitiba and Bogota, have done a far > better job than Houston or Los Angeles in fixing transport sector problems. > > > > Even in the first world, the report claims that "highway infrastructure > needs to be increased," though it admits > "it is not possible to build our way out of congestion." > To much of the world, it looks like the US has enough > roads. Should the rest of the world pay, with flooded > coastlines, for the luxury of US drivers to continue to > generate greenhouse gases? > > > > The report says that 96% of transportation relies on > oil forgeting that in Africa 70% of freight is moved by headloading, and in > countries like India and China a > majority of trips continue to be made by non-motorized > means. Oil is clearly the number one fuel. Perhaps > food is the second most important fuel, but it is not > mentioned. > > > > Given that large oil companies funded the study, > one would expect a thorough review of the risks and > ramifications of the world's limited fuel reserves. In > fact the analysis is limited to quotes from the > International Energy Agency and the US Department of > Energy that global fuel consumption will double in 25-28 > years, and that a transition to non-oil energy sources > will be necessary beginning in the next 20-50 years, > with oil prices estimated to rise only marginally (from a > current price around $22 to around $25 a barrel) by > 2020. This is a great deal of uncertainty given that > whole economies can be made or broken by fuel > price volatility. > > > > From kisansbc at vsnl.com Thu Nov 15 10:53:25 2001 From: kisansbc at vsnl.com (kisan mehta) Date: Thu, 15 Nov 2001 07:23:25 +0530 Subject: [sustran] Fw: [sustran] FW: CE News - Busses and Trucks in Birgunj Using Kerosene instead of Diesel Message-ID: <002101c16d78$51872900$7d37c5cb@r4v7p2> ----- Original Message ----- From: kisan mehta To: ; ; Cc: ; ; Sent: Thursday, November 15, 2001 7.00 AM Subject: Re: [sustran] FW: CE News - Busses and Trucks in Birgunj Using Kerosene instead of Diesel > Dear Bhushan Tuladhar, Anil K. Raut, and Bimal Aryal > of Clean Energy Nepal (CEN) and Martin Chautari (MC) > aswell as Paul and Sustran Colleagues, > > Mr Paul Barter of the Sustran, of which we are members, > circulated the article `Busses and Trucks in Birgunj Using > Kerosene instead of Diesel' from Nepal Clean Energy > News e-newsletter and that is how we came to know > about the useful work being done by you all. > > I feel sorry that the government does not take any action to stop the use of kerosene as fuel though this affects the environment to a great extent. It is observed that the people in power and bureaucrats continue to work at their sweet will and do not worry about what happens to the community. Nepal lying in the lap of the Himalaya, eternal source of the basic needs of the man in the Indian Sub-continent and temperature sink for the world, and its people have a duty to protect the environment. > > We are interested in all sources of energy- not only fossil power- but all that the nature including Sun and Wind provides to sustain life on this globe. We observe from the contents that the same newsletter contains an article on the progress of solar energy. Our colleagues, listed below, are interested in receiving the Newsletter regularly. > > Mr Kisan Mehta kisansbc@vsnl.com > Mr Harshad Kamdar hjk@rincon.net > Ms Priya Salvi priya_salvi@yahoo.com > > We all are interested in the sustainable transport that is affordable in the poor (euphetically described as developing) countries. > > Priya specialises at the same time in the management of solid waste, The Save Bombay Committee has developed Integrated Solid Waste Management Programme aimed at 100% reutilisation of waste and obtaining zero waste condition. She promotes this concept to obtain clean conditions in human settlements. This condition is all the more indispensible in the mountaineous regions where tourist influx poses insurmountable problems. We had read that great effort is being done to clear the Everest region of waste left behind. We can imagine the magnitude of problem however thought measures being applied were not in the best interests of the world and the nations around. > > Mr Harshad Kamdar specialises in the application of the Sun to reduce dependence on the earth's finite resources. In the mountaineous terrains, grid supply is difficult to reach every where. Again the use of the natural gift of undulating terrains for generating hydro-electric power for selling to other nations to earn money is a shortsighted policy. Poor countries like Nepal and India are tempted to stoop[ to any level resort anything for money which has become the only consideration in this world of globalisation being imposed by the rich. As Schumacher visualised in his classic book `Small is Beautiful'. Solar power releases the poor from the dependence on centralised power. > > Brick making has become the most serious challenge to food security. Brick makers use top soil, an irreplacable resource. This has to be opposed not only for kiln project. Best wishes. > > Kisan Mehta, Harshad Kamdar and Priya Salvi > Save Bombay Committee > 620 Jame Jamshed Road, Dadar East, > Mumbai 400 014 > Tel: 00 91 22 414 9688 > Fax:00 91 22 415 5536 > ----- Original Message ----- > From: Paul Barter > To: > Sent: Wednesday, November 14, 2001 7:04 AM > Subject: [sustran] FW: CE News - Busses and Trucks in Birgunj Using Kerosene > instead of Diesel > > > > Forwarded item from the Nepal Clean Energy News e-newsletter. > > > > From debi at beag.net Fri Nov 16 15:06:30 2001 From: debi at beag.net (Debi Goenka) Date: Fri, 16 Nov 2001 11:36:30 +0530 Subject: [sustran] "Road to hell is paved with Asphalt" - Interesting article Message-ID: <00b001c16e64$d6804500$d96510ac@www.powersurfer.net> http://www.oriononline.org/pages/oo/curmudgeon/index_curmudgeon.html ------------------------------------------------------- This e-mail may contain confidential and/or privileged information. If you are not the intended recipient (or have received this e-mail in error) please notify the sender immediately and destroy this e-mail. Any unauthorised copying, disclosure or distribution of the material in this e-mail is strictly forbidden. -------------------------------------------------------- Debi Goenka Bombay Environmental Action Group e-mail: debi@beag.net /&\ debi.beag@softhome.net Environmental Education Office Kalbadevi Municipal School # 54, 2nd floor, Mumbai 400002 Tel:91-22-2423126 Tfax:91-22-2426385 Residence B 502 Glengate, Hiran Gardens Powai Mumbai 400076 Tel:91-22-5700638 Tfax:91-22-5701459 ---------------------------------------------- From mpotter at gol.com Thu Nov 15 17:06:58 2001 From: mpotter at gol.com (Mark Potter) Date: Thu, 15 Nov 2001 17:06:58 +0900 Subject: [sustran] Re: More on Portland and metros-- adding Manila, Chicago In-Reply-To: Message-ID: on 11/11/01 10:21 AM, BruunB@aol.com at BruunB@aol.com wrote: > Wendell, > > I don't disagree that several parallel bus lanes (or LRT lines, for that > matter) are better than one metro line, but how many cities will allow this > much space? I support building many busways, but how many cities will? My > point was that one might have to wait a long time. > > One point that was not discussed. Once busways start moving large numbers of > people, they can be very noisy and unpleasant, as the number of diesel > vehicles gets very large. Yes, indedd. It's important that something other than potential throughput becomes part of thinking about transit-- like the impact on the quality of the surrounding environment. > I understand that some businesses are failing along > one of the Sao Paolo busways. Thus, one must also limit the number of buses > or jitneys in any one road. An understatement. Even in Manila, a city whose residents it would seem must be as innured to noise and pollution as any in the world, one can see that in the most vital neighborhoods there, there are relatively few buses compared to alternatives. In Manila, however, the alternative in such neighborhoods is not trams, but the almost constant flow of jeepneys. In my opinion, a much superior alternative to buses from the standpoint of convenience for filling the gap between metro/rail and foot travel. In the case of metros, quality and convenience of implementation is a necessary consideration. In Manila, a handicap is that the city suffers from must be one of the world's poorest implementations of mass rapid transit on the planet. Poor pedestrian access and station placement/configuration. I'd have to say though, that a strong "worst implementation" contender is the Red Line going south along the Dan Ryan in Chicago. In Chicago an instructive quality/convenience/use comparison could be made comparing the Red Line going north from the Loop versus the Red Line going south-- radically different in convenience and people friendliness. I don't know about the relative ridership numbers for the north and southbound legs, but the difference in station convenience and pleasantness is striking. Mark L. Potter millennium3 Fukuoka, Japan From mpotter at gol.com Thu Nov 15 17:14:49 2001 From: mpotter at gol.com (Mark Potter) Date: Thu, 15 Nov 2001 17:14:49 +0900 Subject: [sustran] Re: More on Portland and metros In-Reply-To: <00bb01c16acb$d67239c0$85782e3f@y8f2e> Message-ID: on 11/12/01 1:13 AM, Wendell Cox at wcox@publicpurpose.com wrote: (snip snip) > there is little hope of providing comprehensive mobility > throughout the urban area with rail systems and generally, They are part of a comprehensive solution, not the entire solution. > to the extent > they are built, they consume money that could be better used to provide a > higher level of people more mobility/access. > > So long as public transport is content to principally serve destinations in > the CBD and dense inner city, the car will become king outside. But how far outside and how invasively? And at what real costs in ignored and hidden subsidies? > And once > this starts, it is likely to be irreversible. There are exceptions --- the > highly dense natural corridors of Hong Kong and Mumbai come to mind. > > Enough for now.... If this presumed relative uselessness of trams and relative superiority of buses over trams/light rail is so true, why aren't cities like Vienna, Antwerp, Ghent, Brussels, Melbourne, Wroclow (Poland), Prague ripping out their systems and replacing them with buses, wider roads and freeways? Some of these cities are downright tiny by Asian standards, and yet these systems, oftentimes extending into the countryside, seem quite popular and useful. I've used all of them and found the cities and systems on average environmentally superior to cities and systems of comparable size lacking such systems. I was told by some folks at a bicycle club in Essen, Germany, that when bus lines have been replaced by trolleys in Germany, ridershp on the line goes up 30% on average. (anyone know of confriming/refuting evidence?) I know that I'm not alone in preferring light rail/trolleys to buses. In Sydney, which is rife with buses, the quality of the street level experience is generally lower than in trolley-loving Merlbourne. When I mentioned this to a resident of the rather upscale Paddington section of Sydney, his comment was "Yeah, seems some politician got the bright idea of getting rid of the trams sometime back around the 70s", his voice plainly expressing the irony he felt. Interestingly, Sydney has recently put in at least one line, though I wasn't able to guage how useful or popular it was. Buses lurch more jarringly, sway unpleasantly; they're noisy, they belch carcinogens and assorted asthma-inducing effluvia. Trolleys and light rail are sedate and well-mannered in comparison. Personallly I avoid riding buses like the plague when there are alternatives, and know plenty of others who feel the same. Re metros, here in Fukuoka, (a city which foolishly removed its trams years ago) we do have a metro, albeit not very extensive and limited in hours of operation from 5:30 am to slightly before midnight. Despite these limitations, it is immensely popular, with trains running as often as every 3 or 4 minutes during busy times, 5 to 8 minutes most other times, this despite the city's moderate size by Asian standards of 1.3 million. It is instructive to compare rents within walking distance of this system with rents on streets which are on noise and fume-choked bus filled streets. In a city-to-city comparison, Fukuoka wins hands down as a desirable place to live over nearby similarly sized and located but relatively transit-deprived cities like Kitakyushu and Hiroshima. For people who value quality of life as well as thinking about the capacity of a system, my guess is that all else being equal, cities with viable alternatives to buses and cars win over comparably sized cities without such alternatives. I would argue that quality of life and the intrinsic value of desireable alternatives needs to be entered into people's thinking. Thanks for listening-- Mark L. Potter millennium3 Fukuoka From matthias_mueth at hotmail.com Thu Nov 15 19:41:02 2001 From: matthias_mueth at hotmail.com (matthias mueth) Date: Thu, 15 Nov 2001 11:41:02 +0100 Subject: [sustran] AW: [sustran] FW: Re: comments on WBCSD Mobility 21 Report In-Reply-To: <2C9E855D35B9D01198190020AFFBE8CB0B86F64B@exs04.ex.nus.edu.sg> Message-ID: <000001c16dc2$0580e1a0$0100007f@xxx> Dear John, the idea of bringing in such people (and others) into the decision making process (through steering committees) is tempting. However, being a victim (in the wider sense) of transport and traffic does not make you an ?expert? (in the sense of catching complex and interdependent aspects). If the purpose is to incorporate further vested interests, there is a valid point in the suggestion. But it carries consideralbe costs as well, because the decision making process is becoming even more likely to be blocked by narrowly defined agendas. Finding representatives for these groups (preferably with some sort of mandate that gives them legitimacy to speak up for their group), who bring along expertise in further aspects (political decision making, needs and interests of other groups, etc.), might be a more realistic strategy in reaching results. This does not mean that I was suggesting to leave the traffic planning solely to the so-called ?traffic-expert? alone ? we have had that for quite a while... Best regards Matthias Mueth -----Urspr?ngliche Nachricht----- Von: owner-sustran-discuss@jca.ax.apc.org [mailto:owner-sustran-discuss@jca.ax.apc.org] Im Auftrag von Paul Barter Gesendet: Mittwoch, 14. November 2001 10:09 An: 'sustran-discuss@jca.apc.org' Betreff: [sustran] FW: Re: comments on WBCSD Mobility 21 Report Subject: BOUNCE sustran-discuss@jca.ax.apc.org: Non-member submission from ["John Whitelegg" ] From: "John Whitelegg" To: sustran-discuss@jca.ax.apc.org Subject: Re: [sustran] comments on WBCSD Mobility 21 Report Date: Wed, 14 Nov 2001 09:04:55 +0000 Dear Sustran colleagues, Just a very brief comment on the WBC sustainability process rather than the content. There is currently a great deal of effort globally on the part of large corporations, groups that represent businesses and public interest groups in sustainable mobility. If all this effort and cash is to turn out good results it is imperative that the process reflects all stakeholder interests and not just buinesses, transport professionals, NGOs etc. I would like to make a very specific suggestion. Those of us involved in transport and mobility work anywhere in the world should request that all projects of this kind (eg the WBC project) should be managed by a steering committee drawn from the following groups: retired/aged over 60 those with mobility difficulties women with young children victims of road traffic crashes those who do not drive regular cyclists those who walk to work those involved in small scale farming/food production those who live in rural areas those who live in large cities those who live in medium sized towns those who live near airports and high speed rail lines those who are without work those who are in part time work children those who live on heavily trafficked streets on on routes across the Alps Other suggestions would be most welcome. The world of sustainable mobility has a great deal to offer to policy makers and others concerned with charting paths out of mobility addiction but it does not automatically bring with it a people centred, accessibility based modesty. It has the potential to make as many mistakes as the paradigm it is attempting to replace and it should (I suggest) be re-centred in a people-oriented context. What do you think? John Whitelegg Roskilde University, Denmark and Editor, World transport Policy and Practice >From: mobility >Reply-To: sustran-discuss@jca.ax.apc.org >To: sustran-discuss@jca.ax.apc.org >Subject: [sustran] comments on WBCSD Mobility 21 Report >Date: Tue, 13 Nov 2001 14:32:33 -0500 > >Dear Sustran members, etc. > >We will send some collective comments to the World Business Council for >Sustainable Development reacting to their Mobility 2001 report. Please >send your comments to us by Friday, November 16 and we will circulate a >draft letter and ask anyone who wants to to co-sign. > >Evidently, only $1.5 or so million was spent on the study and some >workshops, not the $10 million that I mentioned earlier. This means >that there is still some $8 million in funds that the WBCSD may be >spending on sustainable transport related activities. > >For this reason it might be worth considering, as well as critiquing >their report, some suggestions as to how best they could spend this >money. Arguably, wasting the entirety of the money on more research >might not be the worst thing, given the source of the funding, (big oil >and big auto) and possible alternative uses of that money. However, I >am persuaded by more moderate voices that there is a possibility we >could persuade them to use this money in a truly constructive way. > >Please get any thoughts sent to us by this friday and we'll incorporate >them in a draft letter to send to the WBCSD. > >thanks, best >walter hook > _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp From wcox at publicpurpose.com Thu Nov 15 21:41:45 2001 From: wcox at publicpurpose.com (Wendell Cox) Date: Thu, 15 Nov 2001 06:41:45 -0600 Subject: [sustran] Language assistance Message-ID: <00c401c16dd2$e3acd8c0$227e2e3f@y8f2e> Giving a lecture tomorrow to a group of visiting officials includiing Indonesia. Could someone please advise me the pronunciation of "becak" is it BESAK, or BEKAK, or what? Thank you DEMOGRAPHIA & THE PUBLIC PURPOSE (Wendell Cox Consultancy) http://www.demographia.com (Demographics & Land Use) http://www.publicpurpose.com (Public Policy & Transport)) Telephone: +1.618.632.8507 - Facsimile: +1.810.821.8134 PO Box 841 - Belleville, IL 62222 USA -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://list.jca.apc.org/manage/private/sustran-discuss/attachments/20011115/2605d250/attachment.htm From andi_rahmah at pelangi.or.id Thu Nov 15 23:44:28 2001 From: andi_rahmah at pelangi.or.id (andi_rahmah) Date: Thu, 15 Nov 2001 21:44:28 +0700 Subject: [sustran] Re: Language assistance In-Reply-To: <00c401c16dd2$e3acd8c0$227e2e3f@y8f2e> Message-ID: Dear Wendell, I think the pronunciation of "becak" in Bahasa sounds like bare-chuck (without r). Regards, Rahmah -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://list.jca.apc.org/manage/private/sustran-discuss/attachments/20011115/c81a930c/attachment.htm From Jean-Michel.Cusset at let.ish-lyon.cnrs.fr Fri Nov 16 00:52:16 2001 From: Jean-Michel.Cusset at let.ish-lyon.cnrs.fr (Jean-Michel CUSSET) Date: Thu, 15 Nov 2001 16:52:16 +0100 Subject: [sustran] Re: Language assistance In-Reply-To: <00c401c16dd2$e3acd8c0$227e2e3f@y8f2e> Message-ID: <166597848FE@let.ish-lyon.cnrs.fr> > From: "Wendell Cox" > To: > Subject: [sustran] Language assistance > Date: Thu, 15 Nov 2001 06:41:45 -0600 > Organization: The Public Purpose & Demographia > Reply-to: sustran-discuss@jca.ax.apc.org > Giving a lecture tomorrow to a group of visiting officials includiing Indonesia. Could someone please advise me the pronunciation of "becak" is it BESAK, or BEKAK, or what? > > Thank you > > DEMOGRAPHIA & THE PUBLIC PURPOSE (Wendell Cox Consultancy) > http://www.demographia.com (Demographics & Land Use) > http://www.publicpurpose.com (Public Policy & Transport)) > Telephone: +1.618.632.8507 - Facsimile: +1.810.821.8134 > PO Box 841 - Belleville, IL 62222 USA > > ---------- Betcha(k) ! Jean Michel CUSSET Directeur de recherche au CNRS Laboratoire d'Economie des Transports e-mail : jean-michel.cusset@let.ish-lyon.cnrs.fr T?l (33) 4 72 72 64 49 fax (33) 4 72 72 64 48 From ecoplan.adsl at wanadoo.fr Fri Nov 16 03:11:40 2001 From: ecoplan.adsl at wanadoo.fr (ecoplan) Date: Thu, 15 Nov 2001 19:11:40 +0100 Subject: [sustran] The next WBCSD Mobility study: "Some Cognitive Dissonance direct from Third World Cities" In-Reply-To: <001c01c16d78$1aec9560$7d37c5cb@r4v7p2> Message-ID: <000201c16e00$fab31420$6801a8c0@Home> Earlier references here: Walter Hook, Kisan Mehta, John Whitelegg, Matthias Mueth Dear Friends, Very very interesting. I think that maybe we should put our heads together and see if we might offer these kind folks (the WBSC) not just a report on this or that, but rather get off and running with another, altogether different PROCESS. What they have done is fair enough given who they are, they way they tend to look at things and all the good stuff they learned in school, B school and then on in their life as consultants, manufacturers, money and energy people, etc. (i.e., the sponsors being BP, DaimlerChrysler, Ford, General Motors, Honda, Michelin, Norsk Hydro, Renault, Shell, Toyota and Volkswagen). And the century in which they learned just about everything that they have put into their fine, but wouldn't you say in the final analysis an awfully old-fashioned and altogether predictable report? (As I say this I do not mean to denigrate, but simply to describe. And I am certainly not saying that their report is bad or altogether devoid of interest, but it is simply both far too tame and from a Third World cities perspective far from enough) So what might be this new process? Here are a few quick thoughts that might help us move toward the definition of a good one: 1. Suppose we start from the end here -- and just simply say give us (who is us?) say a million dollars, and let us (??) use it for a 21st century communications and knowledge building exercise that will help with one important remaining part of your job - i.e., provide a wise global policy framework for transport in Third World cities over the next decades (starting with tomorrow morning, and definitely not the year 2010), both in general and with a focus (but not an exclusive one, since a city is a city) 2. I am not suggesting in this that we need to take off and criticize point by point all that may be wrong or missing in their present consultant's study, but I do think that we can safely say that based on what we have here thus far that there is a major unfilled policy gap. 3. The basic idea?: Develop a varied collage of observations, views and recommendations DIRECT from a wide variety of "well placed on-the-ground sources with deep knowledge based on long term familiarity with the problems and solutions IN THAT PLACE" (I prefer this to 'expert', a word which in our present context has become a rather unattractive epithet which is increasing associated not with the solutions but with the problems themselves, often 'expert-created'). 4. A possible working title: "Mobility 2002: Transport in Third World Cities: A People's Perspective". (As opposed to, say, the perspective of a supplier, a Western trained city or transport planner, a bureaucrat eager to stay with the flow, anyone on the take, 5. The M2001 study, as is the custom, was looking to make a wise coherent set of statements and recommendations based on a process of synthesis and ultimate agreement. Is that about right? 6. This thing might be done in phases, with Phase I to be a series of e-discussions and eventually individual clarifying efforts, each of which would break off a defined piece of the larger whole and have a go at it. Each would be (modestly) funded, say with a $10k budget for the person/group who takes cradle to grave responsibility which will open with the discussion, run through an open draft, gathering of criticism and feedback (including from the Project Core Group (??) and anyone in the WMSC family who would chose to weigh in. A 'focus topic' (for lack of a better phrase) might be the overall policy/problem nexus from the vantage of (a) a specific city (Mumbai, Cairo, Santiago, whatever), (b) a specific problem or solution type (road accidents, social (in)justice, collectivos, busways, becaks, etc.), (c) a non-solution item or set (maybe metros, one way streets to increase traffic speed, EVs, etc.), and (d) certainly a few other possible transverse cuts of all this as well. 7. We might try to create some kind of dynamic and useful framework or base structure for each of these essays or sections, to that the whole thing might eventually be made to head together in some kind of identifiable overall thrust... i.e., not just be a bunch of interesting but ultimately incoherent, hence from a policy perspective indigestible collage of disparate, unconnectable bits and prices. For example some kind of structured, quickly sizeable treatment of things like key problems areas, key opportunity areas, specific and then more general recommendations. Thus when the reader/participant digs into each piece, they will be able to go to the same rough spot in each to find some of the things they are looking for. 8. But this thing would take quite another approach, one which might be thought of as a variant of 'cognitive dissonance', using it as a problem-search and ultimately a knowledge building tool. Thus the common thread of all these various pieces and essays will be in their great diversity, different from each other in many ways, and most probably quite different from the Mobility 2001 Mach I version that has already been issued. 9. The goal of this approach is specifically "to increase the uncomfort level" of policymakers - on the grounds that since for the most part in the past they have tried to find solutions and processes with which they (who is they?) could be comfortable, and maybe they were, but look at the mess in our cites. 10. Clearly, this Mach II effort would be very different as well in its MO. For starters, no travel. No planes. All the creative interaction should either be because A can walk, transit o bike over to B to swap ideas, talk things over, argue a bit and figure out what to do next. Or else via a nicely organized phalanx of the best of our discussion lists on these topics )and hey! who is better than dear Sustran), and then our new 21st century tool: low cost, point to point and group IP videoconferencing. 11. If the project were really well done, we would end up with something really profound, great and directly useful, and still have a good part of the million left to do something else useful with. Like establish a Challenge Award or Prize for yet more good work along these lines. Okay, let me try to summarize. What we are proposing is an alternative open project which will specifically seek to create a situation of cognitive dissidence on the topic of near/medium term ways to move toward sustainable transportation and social justice in Third World Cities. We will do all the work ourselves, we will honor diversity and differences, we will not seek overarching agreement, we will post everything we do step by step as we move ahead on the world's best and most interesting sustainability website, we will do no physical travel to get it done, we won't spend all the money, and we will find ways to make a difference, even as we advance this innovative new group project. Any holes in the above? You bet. Let's see if anyone wants to help us do better. Eric Britton PS. RATE THIS IDEA FROM 1 TO 10 1: Awful, go home. 10: Pretty impressive (if flawed) and I'm ready to participate and make it better) We will post the results on the @New Mobility Forum at http://newmobility.org -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: winmail.dat Type: application/ms-tnef Size: 11208 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://list.jca.apc.org/manage/private/sustran-discuss/attachments/20011115/319bb1af/winmail.bin From kisansbc at vsnl.com Fri Nov 16 11:17:25 2001 From: kisansbc at vsnl.com (kisan mehta) Date: Fri, 16 Nov 2001 07:47:25 +0530 Subject: [sustran] Re: The next WBCSD Mobility study: "Some Cognitive Dissonance direct from Third World Cities" References: <000201c16e00$fab31420$6801a8c0@Home> Message-ID: <004801c16e44$d59dbac0$194bc5cb@r4v7p2> Dear Walter Hook, Kisan Mehta, John Whitelegg, Matthias Mueth, Eric, Paul and Sustran Colleagues, Wonderful idea from Eric. We do not wish to make with their money support a counter report to the Report that they have obtained. Our offer is and should be to prepare after a deep and wide spread study of the world market and the demand of the common man a perspective report that will delineate the propsects as well as the limitations of motorised vehicle and that too personal motorised vehicles say in next ten years. Automobile industry overall has become an engine of growth that has brought prosperity to the industrialised countries. It is necessary to appreciate the limitations as well considering equity and environment in next 10 to 20 years. When we are dreaming of turning the world of 6 teeming billions in a global village, we have got to see that every citizen of the global village has equitable access to the natural resources of the earth. We should see to the Auto Industry(in all diverse aspects) as a part of the global village. This study (that we propose) will be a study of a major industry as an essential part of the global village. It would give enough base for industries directly related and others not directly related an insight into what is possible and what is not. It would be an objective perception in light of people's aspirations and affordability. Walter, Paul, we should attempt to offer and convince the auto industry leaders that it is in their interest to have an independent study. I do not wish to wedger however feel that such an gigantic undertaking treating the world as a global village may require more than a million as we wish to see every area ourselves and not rely on earlier works. We as well as the sponsors would find that there is hardly anything done in this direction earlier. So the Sustran work will be unique putting an important industry of the developed countries into the correct perspective. We are game for such a task. Best wishes. Kisan Mehta kisansbc@vsnl.com PriyaSalvi priya_salvi@yahoo.com ----- Original Message ----- From: ecoplan To: ; Cc: 'saksena' ; 'vishweshwar raste' ; 'Harshad Kamdar' ; 'priya salvi' ; 'vinita salvi' Sent: Thursday, November 15, 2001 11:41 PM Subject: [sustran] The next WBCSD Mobility study: "Some Cognitive Dissonance direct from Third World Cities" Earlier references here: Walter Hook, Kisan Mehta, John Whitelegg, Matthias Mueth Dear Friends, Very very interesting. I think that maybe we should put our heads together and see if we might offer these kind folks (the WBSC) not just a report on this or that, but rather get off and running with another, altogether different PROCESS. What they have done is fair enough given who they are, they way they tend to look at things and all the good stuff they learned in school, B school and then on in their life as consultants, manufacturers, money and energy people, etc. (i.e., the sponsors being BP, DaimlerChrysler, Ford, General Motors, Honda, Michelin, Norsk Hydro, Renault, Shell, Toyota and Volkswagen). And the century in which they learned just about everything that they have put into their fine, but wouldn't you say in the final analysis an awfully old-fashioned and altogether predictable report? (As I say this I do not mean to denigrate, but simply to describe. And I am certainly not saying that their report is bad or altogether devoid of interest, but it is simply both far too tame and from a Third World cities perspective far from enough) So what might be this new process? Here are a few quick thoughts that might help us move toward the definition of a good one: 1. Suppose we start from the end here -- and just simply say give us (who is us?) say a million dollars, and let us (??) use it for a 21st century communications and knowledge building exercise that will help with one important remaining part of your job - i.e., provide a wise global policy framework for transport in Third World cities over the next decades (starting with tomorrow morning, and definitely not the year 2010), both in general and with a focus (but not an exclusive one, since a city is a city) 2. I am not suggesting in this that we need to take off and criticize point by point all that may be wrong or missing in their present consultant's study, but I do think that we can safely say that based on what we have here thus far that there is a major unfilled policy gap. 3. The basic idea?: Develop a varied collage of observations, views and recommendations DIRECT from a wide variety of "well placed on-the-ground sources with deep knowledge based on long term familiarity with the problems and solutions IN THAT PLACE" (I prefer this to 'expert', a word which in our present context has become a rather unattractive epithet which is increasing associated not with the solutions but with the problems themselves, often 'expert-created'). 4. A possible working title: "Mobility 2002: Transport in Third World Cities: A People's Perspective". (As opposed to, say, the perspective of a supplier, a Western trained city or transport planner, a bureaucrat eager to stay with the flow, anyone on the take, 5. The M2001 study, as is the custom, was looking to make a wise coherent set of statements and recommendations based on a process of synthesis and ultimate agreement. Is that about right? 6. This thing might be done in phases, with Phase I to be a series of e-discussions and eventually individual clarifying efforts, each of which would break off a defined piece of the larger whole and have a go at it. Each would be (modestly) funded, say with a $10k budget for the person/group who takes cradle to grave responsibility which will open with the discussion, run through an open draft, gathering of criticism and feedback (including from the Project Core Group (??) and anyone in the WMSC family who would chose to weigh in. A 'focus topic' (for lack of a better phrase) might be the overall policy/problem nexus from the vantage of (a) a specific city (Mumbai, Cairo, Santiago, whatever), (b) a specific problem or solution type (road accidents, social (in)justice, collectivos, busways, becaks, etc.), (c) a non-solution item or set (maybe metros, one way streets to increase traffic speed, EVs, etc.), and (d) certainly a few other possible transverse cuts of all this as well. 7. We might try to create some kind of dynamic and useful framework or base structure for each of these essays or sections, to that the whole thing might eventually be made to head together in some kind of identifiable overall thrust... i.e., not just be a bunch of interesting but ultimately incoherent, hence from a policy perspective indigestible collage of disparate, unconnectable bits and prices. For example some kind of structured, quickly sizeable treatment of things like key problems areas, key opportunity areas, specific and then more general recommendations. Thus when the reader/participant digs into each piece, they will be able to go to the same rough spot in each to find some of the things they are looking for. 8. But this thing would take quite another approach, one which might be thought of as a variant of 'cognitive dissonance', using it as a problem-search and ultimately a knowledge building tool. Thus the common thread of all these various pieces and essays will be in their great diversity, different from each other in many ways, and most probably quite different from the Mobility 2001 Mach I version that has already been issued. 9. The goal of this approach is specifically "to increase the uncomfort level" of policymakers - on the grounds that since for the most part in the past they have tried to find solutions and processes with which they (who is they?) could be comfortable, and maybe they were, but look at the mess in our cites. 10. Clearly, this Mach II effort would be very different as well in its MO. For starters, no travel. No planes. All the creative interaction should either be because A can walk, transit o bike over to B to swap ideas, talk things over, argue a bit and figure out what to do next. Or else via a nicely organized phalanx of the best of our discussion lists on these topics )and hey! who is better than dear Sustran), and then our new 21st century tool: low cost, point to point and group IP videoconferencing. 11. If the project were really well done, we would end up with something really profound, great and directly useful, and still have a good part of the million left to do something else useful with. Like establish a Challenge Award or Prize for yet more good work along these lines. Okay, let me try to summarize. What we are proposing is an alternative open project which will specifically seek to create a situation of cognitive dissidence on the topic of near/medium term ways to move toward sustainable transportation and social justice in Third World Cities. We will do all the work ourselves, we will honor diversity and differences, we will not seek overarching agreement, we will post everything we do step by step as we move ahead on the world's best and most interesting sustainability website, we will do no physical travel to get it done, we won't spend all the money, and we will find ways to make a difference, even as we advance this innovative new group project. Any holes in the above? You bet. Let's see if anyone wants to help us do better. Eric Britton PS. RATE THIS IDEA FROM 1 TO 10 1: Awful, go home. 10: Pretty impressive (if flawed) and I'm ready to participate and make it better) We will post the results on the @New Mobility Forum at http://newmobility.org From kuki at pelangi.or.id Fri Nov 16 15:19:41 2001 From: kuki at pelangi.or.id (Kuki Soejachmoen) Date: Fri, 16 Nov 2001 13:19:41 +0700 Subject: [sustran] Re: Language assistance In-Reply-To: <00c401c16dd2$e3acd8c0$227e2e3f@y8f2e> Message-ID: it's BECAK ... c as ch in chair Moekti Handajani Soejachmoen (Kuki) PELANGI - Indonesia Jl. Danau Tondano no. A4, Pejompongan Jakarta 10210, INDONESIA phone: (6221) 5735020 fax: (6221) 5732503 -----Original Message----- From: owner-sustran-discuss@jca.ax.apc.org [mailto:owner-sustran-discuss@jca.ax.apc.org]On Behalf Of Wendell Cox Sent: Thursday, November 15, 2001 7:42 PM To: sustran-discuss@jca.ax.apc.org Subject: [sustran] Language assistance Giving a lecture tomorrow to a group of visiting officials includiing Indonesia. Could someone please advise me the pronunciation of "becak" is it BESAK, or BEKAK, or what? Thank you DEMOGRAPHIA & THE PUBLIC PURPOSE (Wendell Cox Consultancy) http://www.demographia.com (Demographics & Land Use) http://www.publicpurpose.com (Public Policy & Transport)) Telephone: +1.618.632.8507 - Facsimile: +1.810.821.8134 PO Box 841 - Belleville, IL 62222 USA -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://list.jca.apc.org/manage/private/sustran-discuss/attachments/20011116/f513ecfc/attachment.htm From litman at vtpi.org Fri Nov 16 14:52:05 2001 From: litman at vtpi.org (Todd Litman) Date: Thu, 15 Nov 2001 21:52:05 -0800 Subject: [sustran] NEWS RELEASE - Online TDM Encyclopedia Message-ID: <3.0.5.32.20011115215205.012accf0@pop.islandnet.com> November 15, 2001 For Immediate Release * NEWS RELEASE * ---------------------------- VTPI Online TDM Encyclopedia ---------------------------- The newly revised Online TDM Encyclopedia is now the most comprehensive international resource available for innovative management solutions to transportation problems. The Encyclopedia provides detailed information on dozens of ways to increase transportation system efficiency and equity. It contains more than 90 chapters, hundreds of pages of text, and thousands of hyperlinks for instant access to resources and references. It is available free at the Victoria Transport Policy Institute (VTPI) website: http://www.vtpi.org. * * * * * * The Online TDM Encyclopedia is designed to help transportation professionals throughout the world identify, evaluate, plan and implement Transportation Demand Management strategies. It is the only website that provides comprehensive information on TDM in an easy-to-use format. International experts in a variety of disciplines helped develop the Encyclopedia, which is regularly updated and expanded by the Victoria Transport Policy Institute. It contains many new and updated sections, with more information on specific strategies, evaluation techniques and best practices. The Encyclopedia rates strategies according to their ability to help achieve various objectives (congestion reduction, road safety, consumer choice, environmental protection, etc.), their benefits and costs, equity impacts, and appropriateness for use in various situations. The Encyclopedia also contains information on evaluation methods, transportation price elasticities, land use impacts on travel behavior, economic impacts, equity analysis, safety impacts, and sustainable transportation issues. It is an integrated system that lets you quickly and easily find answers to your community's transportation problems. New features include: * SOLUTIONS TO MAJOR TRANSPORTATION PROBLEMS - New chapters identify solutions to specific transportation problems, including: traffic congestion, pollution emissions, energy consumption, parking problems, community livability impacts, equity, traffic safety, and public health. Each chapter provides a comprehensive menu of potential options for addressing each problem. * PARKING MANAGEMENT - New and expanded chapters including "Parking Solutions," "Parking Evaluation," "Parking Management," "Parking Pricing" and "Bicycle Parking," provide information on a variety of ways to address parking problems and use parking resources more efficiently. * ACCESSIBILITY - An extensive new chapter titled "Accessibility" describes the concept of accessibility and its implications for transportation and land use planning. * PLANNING AND EVALUATION - Chapters on "TDM Planning and Implementation," "Evaluating TDM," "Comprehensive Transportation Evaluation," "Measuring Transportation," "Evaluating Safety Impacts of TDM" and "Evaluating Nonmotorized Transportation" provide theoretical and practical information for developing and applying TDM programs. * TRANSPORTATION COST, BENEFITS AND STATISTICS - Chapters on "Transportation Cost and Benefits," "Costs of Driving and Savings From Reduced Vehicle Use," and "Transportation Statistics," each with links to Internet data sources. * NONMOTORIZED TRANSPORTATION - Chapters on "Nonmotorized Transportation Planning," "Pedestrian Improvements," "Bicycling Improvements," "Small Wheeled Transport" (skates, push scooters, handcarts, etc.), "Walking and Cycling Encouragement," "Bicycle Parking," and "Evaluating Nonmotorized Transportation." * SAFETY, RESILIENCE, SECURITY AND HEALTH IMPACTS OF TDM - New chapters examine transportation system safety, resilience, security and health impacts, and how demand management strategies can help achieve these goals. * INDIVIDUAL ACTIONS - The "Individual Actions for Efficient Transportation" chapter describes ways that people can apply transportation management solutions in their own lives. * PRINTABLE - The Encyclopedia can now be printed directly by your browser. Text and images can be copied into word processing files for use in reports and analysis. * * * * * * BACKGROUND ---------- What is TDM? Transportation Demand Management (TDM) is a general term for strategies that increase transportation system efficiency. It is a new way to view transportation problems that greatly expands the menu of possible solutions. TDM can be applied in tandem with, or as an alternative to, more conventional responses. Why Manage Transportation Demand? There are many reasons to manage transportation demand: Multiple Benefits Transportation Demand Management can provide multiple benefits including congestion reduction, road and parking facility cost savings, consumer savings, improved transportation choice, road safety, environmental quality, community livability, efficient land use, and equity. As a result, total benefits are often much greater than other solutions that only address one or two problems. Cost Effective When all benefits and costs are considered, Transportation Demand Management is often the most cost effective solution to transportation problems. TDM can provide significant savings by reducing and deferring the need to increase road and parking capacity, reducing vehicle operating costs, and reducing crashes and pollution emissions. Flexibility TDM provides a flexible response to many types of transportation problems, including those that are urgent, temporary, variable or unpredictable. TDM programs can often be implemented quickly, and can be tailored to a particular situation and user group. Demand management avoids the risk that a major capital investment will prove wasteful due to unforeseen changes in transportation needs. Consumer Benefits TDM can provide direct and indirect consumers benefits. Many TDM strategies use positive incentives. They improve transportation options and provide new financial savings or other benefits to reduce vehicle use. In addition, TDM can be a cost effective way to reduce traffic congestion, parking problems, crash risk and pollution emissions, all of which benefits consumers. Equity TDM can help achieve equity objectives. It can result in a fairer allocation of resources between different demographic and geographic groups. Many strategies directly benefit people who are economically, physically or socially disadvantaged by improving transportation options available to non-drivers. Economic Justifications Many Transportation Demand Management strategies reflect Market Principles. They correct existing market distortions, which increases economic efficiency, equity and consumer benefits. TDM supports economic development by increasing productivity and reducing external costs. Sustainable Transportation Transportation Demand Management can help create more Sustainable Transportation. TDM reflects sustainability principles of efficiency and integration, and can help achieve sustainability objectives including resource conservation, equity, environmental protection, efficient land use, and public involvement. * * * * * * ABOUT VTPI The Encyclopedia is produced by the Victoria Transport Policy Institute, an independent research organization dedicated to developing innovative and practical tools for solving transportation problems. The VTPI website has numerous resources addressing a wide range of transport planning and policy issues. VTPI also provides consulting services. For more information contact: Todd Litman, Director Victoria Transport Policy Institute 1250 Rudlin Street Victoria, BC, V8V 3R7, Canada Phone & Fax: 250-360-1560 E-mail: litman@vtpi.org Website: http://www.vtpi.org From arno at daastol.com Sat Nov 17 01:01:38 2001 From: arno at daastol.com (Arno Mong Daastoel) Date: Fri, 16 Nov 2001 17:01:38 +0100 Subject: [sustran] European transport policy for 2010 : time to decide References: <003101c16c27$7f921910$060e7a94@daastolcom> <002501c16c6c$a8751e00$53387f18@we.mediaone.net> Message-ID: <005401c16eb7$fcb0f2d0$f00e7a94@daastolcom> Below : As a courtesy to those who did not have the time to attend the recent presentation of the EU Commission?s recent White Paper on Transportation by the EU director of TEN (Trans-European Network), Alfonso Gonzales Finat. Best wishes! Arno ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---- Arno Mong Daast?l (Daastoel) Utsiktsveien 34, NO-1410 Kolbotn, Norway, Email: am@daastol.com, Ph: (prefix 47) 6680 6373, Mobile: 9002 4956, Fax: 6699 5325 Web: daastol.com , creditary-economics.org InnoTrans.Net , SporTaxi.com , AfriTrans.net ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---- European transport policy for 2010 : time to decide A short summary of the presentation in Oslo: ?European transport policy for 2010 : time to decide? ved Direkt?r Alfonso Gonzales Finat Europakommisjonens Generaldirektorat for transport og energi 12. november kl 16.30 ? 17.30. Some 50 people found the way to the presentation of the EU Commission?s recent White Paper on Transportation, the first after the White Paper in 1992. The presentation went along these notes of mine: Transport is the essential driver of industry, trade, way of life, EU integration and consists of a ? 1000 billion market. After 1992 no harmonious integration: growing congestion, pollution Need to decouple growth from growth in transport EU policy will be to - shift mode of transport - eliminate bottlenecks - place user in centre Congestion - urban - 10 % of roads = 7500 kms - 20 % of roads = 16000 kms - air flights: 30 % are more than 15 minutes delayed - cost : 0,5 % of GDP p/a Development: 2 x cars in 30 years, 3 mill per year ?Just in Time? contributes to the costs 2010: + 38 % goods, + 24 % passengers If noting done: + 50 % goods Growth: Sea: + 41 %, Rail: 8 %, Road: 44 %, waterways: 4 % Co2 : 84 % from road, grow 50 % 1990-2010 EU policy will be to use 60 measures: tougher controls, penalties, uniform law, better information integrate rail in internal market, liberalisation international freight trains today: 18 km/h, lack of punctuality ?Motorways of the Sea?: simplify harbour rules, one-stop shop waterways: link to rivers, technical standardisation, improved navigation Marco Polo program (replaces PACT): ? 30 mill p/a for short-sea shipping, start-up aid for logistics, TEN (Trans-European Network): HST (High Speed Train) Rail through Pyrenees, Stuttgart-Vienna, Denmark-Germany (Fehmarn), Straubing-Vilishofen, Iberian HST, Verona-Naples, Bologna-Milan Galileo (radio navigation), substitute fuel: bio: 2 % in 2005, 6 % in 2010 (by tax reduction), standard tax on fuel, fund construction of missing links in corridors, single sky from 2004, common rules, ?Eurocontrol?, intermodality, Goals: Freight +38 % instead of 50 %, Passenger + 21 % instead of 43 %, 200 mill ton reduction of CO2 Urban transport: More rational use of cars increased cost of transport transferred to improved quality, corridors EU can only propose, local authorities decide to absorb transport rail must be improved tremendously ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---- Comments: Einar Flydal, of Telenor, hailed the great goals but could not see any sigh of the measures to reach them. I (Arno Mong Daast?l, of InnoTrans) claimed that these measures in the main were patchworks on more than 100-year-old technology, and complained about lacking EU support from the EU network in innovative urban and intercity transport in the EU eunitrans network. After the response from Mr. Finat, concerning the new 6th Frame Program in Research, I said that the innovative technologies are not a research problem. They are here today and have been available for 20 years, but are not used because of lobbying from vested interests of traditional transport and sluggishness? of public authorities. The third time, I spoke I said that most of the measures were negative and similar to those implemented in Norway, and like them would add to the costs and inefficiency of the economy and make it less competitive. Why not attack the problem from the positive side and use new innovative technology? After the meeting I had the chance to have another exchange of opinions with Mr. Finat on various issues. I apologised for being so persistent, but he claimed to be interested in further comments on the EU whiter paper, through his Brussels office. A nice man. From ecoplan.adsl at wanadoo.fr Sat Nov 17 03:18:32 2001 From: ecoplan.adsl at wanadoo.fr (ecoplan) Date: Fri, 16 Nov 2001 19:18:32 +0100 Subject: [sustran] =?iso-8859-1?Q?New_Mobility_in_Bogot=E1:_Merging_Model?= In-Reply-To: <005401c16eb7$fcb0f2d0$f00e7a94@daastolcom> Message-ID: <000601c16ecb$19ba49e0$6801a8c0@Home> A quick machine translation follows as an aid for non-Spanish speakers Transporte p?blico de Bogot? ejemplo para Am?rica Latina Bogot? Redacci?n Internet Los embotellamientos viales, la contaminaci?n y la falta de servicios de transporte p?blico confiables son algunos de los problemas m?s comunes que afectan a la mayor?a de las ciudades latinoamericanas. Por eso 300 expertos y autoridades de transporte de Am?rica Latina y Europa se reunieron entre el martes y jueves en esta capital para observar el Transmilenio, el novedoso servicio de buses de la Alcald?a Mayor de Bogot?, que se ha convertente en Colombia, sino a nivel latinoamericano. Incluso pa?ses como China, Finlandia e Israel han vuelto los ojos a hacia Bogot?. Desde hace casi un a?o, 400 buses articulados transportan diariamente a 550.000 pasajeros por 38 kil?metros de v?as exclusivas en Bogot?. El proyecto tuvo un costo de 300 millones de d?lares. Cualquier proyecto de transporte urbano que se implemente "tiene que ser financieramente sano, ambientalmente sano y tiene que ser justificado econ?micamente", explic? Gerhard Menckhoff, consultor del Banco Mundial. Por eso "estamos completamente apoyando el tipo de soluci?n que tenemos aqu? en Bogot? con el Transmilenio", agreg? Menckhoff. Para Juan Gabriel Caj?o, consultor privado en proyectos de transporte urbano y masivo en Venezuela, el sistema Transmilenio es aplicable en Am?rica Latina por su costo relativamente barato frente a alternativas como los trenes subterr?neos, que resultan onerosos. "Los pa?ses latinoamericanos no tenemos los recursos para hacer sistemas de metros que son demasiados costosos por sus t?neles y que adem?s son muy r?gidos", en cuanto a que no se pueden adaptar los recorridos a las necesidades cambiantes de la poblaci?n, dijo Caj?o. C?lculos indican que mientras un kil?metro de metro vale 107 millones de d?lares, un kil?metro de ``Transmilenio'' cuesta apenas 5 millones de d?lares. "Entendemos que Colombia ha dado un gran paso que es digno de imitar", afirm? Jorge Ferreiro, coordinador del proyecto del transporte urbano masivo en Lima. Ferreiro consider? que Transmilenio podr?a ser un ejemplo para crear ese sistema de transporte p?blico, que seg?n c?lculos estimados podr?a costar de 300 a 500 millones de d?lares y que de ser construido demorar?an un m?ximo de 20 meses. Delegados de El Salvador y Panam?, pa?ses con poblaci?n incluso menores a la de Bogot? (m?s de siete millones), anunciaron que estudian crear sus propios Transmilenios a escala reducida. Informaci?n AP = = = = = = = Public transportation of Bogot? example for Latin America Bogot? The jammed streets, the contamination and the lack of reliable public transportation services are some of the problems more comunes that affect to most of the Latin American cities. For that reason 300 experts and authorities of transport of Latin America and Europe met between on Tuesday and Thursday in this capital to observe the Transmilenio, the novel service of buses of the Mayor's office bigger than Bogot? that convertente is had in Colombia, but at Latin American level. Countries like China, Finland and Israel have even returned the eyes to toward Bogot?. For almost one year, 400 articulate buses transport 550.000 passengers daily for 38 kilometers of exclusive roads in Bogot?. The project had a cost of 300 million dollars. Any urban transportation project that is implemented has to be financially healthy, environmentally healthy and he/she has economically to be justified", Gerhard explained to Menckhoff, consultant of the World Bank. For that reason supporting the solution type that we have here in Bogot? with the Transmilenio are completely", Menckhoff added. For Juan Gabriel Caj?o, consultant deprived in urban transportation projects and massive in Venezuela, the system Transmilenio is applicable in Latin America for its relatively cheap cost in front of alternative as the underground trains that are onerous. "The Latin American countries don't have the resources to make systems of meters that are too many expensive for their tunnels and that they are also very rigid" as for that the journeys cannot adapt to the population's changing necessities, Caj?o said. Calculations indicate that while a kilometer of meter is worth 107 million dollars, a kilometer of `` Transmilenio'' hardly 5 million dollars. "We understand that Colombia has taken a great step that is worthy of imitating", Jorge affirmed Ferreiro, coordinator of the project of the massive urban transportation in Lima. Ferreiro considered that Transmilenio could be an example to create that public transportation system that could cost from 300 to 500 million dollars according to dear calculations and that of being built they would delay a maximum of 20 months. Delegates from El Salvador and Panama, countries with population even smaller to that of Bogot? (more than seven millions), they announced that they study to create their own Transmilenios to reduced scale. Information AP From wcox at publicpurpose.com Fri Nov 16 20:45:34 2001 From: wcox at publicpurpose.com (Wendell Cox) Date: Fri, 16 Nov 2001 05:45:34 -0600 Subject: [sustran] Re: More on Portland and metros References: <200111132014.fADKEXB19433@ns1.tee.gr> Message-ID: <000001c16f6b$dc86f360$307a2e3f@y8f2e> Yes.. London is certainly more interesting from the second deck of a bus than from the Underground. From undergrounds, most cities look the same. DEMOGRAPHIA & THE PUBLIC PURPOSE (Wendell Cox Consultancy) http://www.demographia.com (Demographics & Land Use) http://www.publicpurpose.com (Public Policy & Transport)) Telephone: +1.618.632.8507 - Facsimile: +1.810.821.8134 PO Box 841 - Belleville, IL 62222 USA ----- Original Message ----- From: K Tsourlakis To: Sent: Tuesday, 13 November, 2001 14:14 Subject: [sustran] Re: More on Portland and metros > > Other shortcoming of metros vs. buses is that the trip is less pleasant > (nothing to see inside the tunnels), the access is more difficult (stairs) > and the security concerns more serious (fire, criminality, terrorist acts - > remember Tokyo). > On the other hand metros may be used as bunkers (e.g. London in WWII), and > may be a very long term investment in periods of economic strength (would it > be possible e.g. to be built nowadays the Moscow metro?) > > > > >Date: Sun, 11 Nov 2001 07:41:21 +0400 > >From: Alan Patrick Howes > >Subject: [sustran] Re: More on Portland and metros > > > >Metros can be intrusive too, depending on whether they are elevated or in > >subway - and if the latter, construction can be horrendously disruptive. And > >there are various options for clean buses, including hybrid battery/diesel > >or flywheel/diesel. > > > >Each scheme really needs to be judged on its merits - the problem is that > >too people (including too many professionals) have a bias of some sort. My > >bias, if it is one, is that I fear that bus-based solutions, which are so > >much more flexible and scalable, are too easily dismissed by some. > > From wcox at publicpurpose.com Fri Nov 16 20:50:55 2001 From: wcox at publicpurpose.com (Wendell Cox) Date: Fri, 16 Nov 2001 05:50:55 -0600 Subject: [sustran] Re: Language assistance References: <166597848FE@let.ish-lyon.cnrs.fr> Message-ID: <000301c16f6b$ddcf03c0$307a2e3f@y8f2e> Thank you all for the advice. I'll let you know if anyone laughs at me.... DEMOGRAPHIA & THE PUBLIC PURPOSE (Wendell Cox Consultancy) http://www.demographia.com (Demographics & Land Use) http://www.publicpurpose.com (Public Policy & Transport)) Telephone: +1.618.632.8507 - Facsimile: +1.810.821.8134 PO Box 841 - Belleville, IL 62222 USA ----- Original Message ----- From: Jean-Michel CUSSET To: Sent: Thursday, 15 November, 2001 09:52 Subject: [sustran] Re: Language assistance > > From: "Wendell Cox" > > To: > > Subject: [sustran] Language assistance > > Date: Thu, 15 Nov 2001 06:41:45 -0600 > > Organization: The Public Purpose & Demographia > > Reply-to: sustran-discuss@jca.ax.apc.org > > > Giving a lecture tomorrow to a group of visiting officials includiing Indonesia. Could someone please advise me the pronunciation of "becak" is it BESAK, or BEKAK, or what? > > > > Thank you > > > > DEMOGRAPHIA & THE PUBLIC PURPOSE (Wendell Cox Consultancy) > > http://www.demographia.com (Demographics & Land Use) > > http://www.publicpurpose.com (Public Policy & Transport)) > > Telephone: +1.618.632.8507 - Facsimile: +1.810.821.8134 > > PO Box 841 - Belleville, IL 62222 USA > > > > ---------- > Betcha(k) ! > Jean Michel CUSSET > Directeur de recherche au CNRS > Laboratoire d'Economie des Transports > e-mail : jean-michel.cusset@let.ish-lyon.cnrs.fr > T?l (33) 4 72 72 64 49 fax (33) 4 72 72 64 48 From BruunB at aol.com Sun Nov 18 11:02:58 2001 From: BruunB at aol.com (BruunB@aol.com) Date: Sat, 17 Nov 2001 21:02:58 EST Subject: [sustran] Re: Auto industry and prosperity Message-ID: <8b.f4e03cb.292870d2@aol.com> I have little to add to most of the great comments and critiques, except for one thing mentioned recently. I question whether the auto industry is really an engine of prosperity in general. I think it is an engine of prosperity for the countries that EXPORT autos. The US has been a great boost to the Japanese auto industry in general and the European luxury car markets. But autos also generate enormous costs, both monetary and non-monetary. Again, I refer to Kenworthy, Newman, et.al that shows that cities that have a higher auto dependence consume far more of their wealth on autos. This can be viewed as a drag on the economy if one believes that people could live just as well with less auto use. Atlanta region citizens spend twice as much per year on transportation as Munich region citizens, and I would argue that they have a lower quality of life, spending much of their time in traffic jams if they have autos and struggling to get around if they don't. There is certainly much more poverty and hardship in Atlanta than in Munich. Some of this has be explained by the forced expenditures on autos people can not really afford, but must have in order to get to work, to get to stores, etc. Eric Bruun From arno at daastol.com Sun Nov 18 23:34:33 2001 From: arno at daastol.com (Arno Mong Daastoel) Date: Sun, 18 Nov 2001 15:34:33 +0100 Subject: [sustran] WHITE PAPER European transport policy Message-ID: <004601c1703e$28a1a510$f00e7a94@daastolcom> FYI: This is the link to the: WHITE PAPER European transport policy. The report is the first since 1992, and covers all fields of EU transport plans until 2011. http://europa.eu.int/comm/energy_transport/en/lb_en.html with - the the report on the right side - the conference presentation on the left side Good luck! Arno -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Arno Mong Daast?l (Daastoel) Utsiktsveien 34, NO-1410 Kolbotn, Norway, Email: am@daastol.com, Ph: (prefix 47) 6680 6373, Mobile: 9002 4956, Fax: 6699 5325 Web: daastol.com , creditary-economics.org InnoTrans.Net , SporTaxi.com , AfriTrans.net -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://list.jca.apc.org/manage/private/sustran-discuss/attachments/20011118/8eb2287f/attachment.htm From litman at vtpi.org Mon Nov 19 01:37:22 2001 From: litman at vtpi.org (Todd Litman) Date: Sun, 18 Nov 2001 08:37:22 -0800 Subject: [sustran] Re: Auto industry and prosperity In-Reply-To: <8b.f4e03cb.292870d2@aol.com> Message-ID: <3.0.5.32.20011118083722.012c5c30@pop.islandnet.com> There is considerable research supporting what Eric Bruun wrote. Although automobile ownership and use tend to increase with industrial development, there is no evidence that automobile use by consumers CAUSES industrialization or economic development, at least not now, since motor vehicle manufacturing is a low-profit industry due to excess production capacity. Policies that encourage more efficient transportation can provide economic development benefits. For information see: "TDM and Economic Development" chapter of the Online TDM Encyclopedia - http://www.vtpi.org/tdm/tdm54.htm. "TDM in Developing Regions" chapter of the Online TDM Encyclopedia - http://www.vtpi.org/tdm/tdm75.htm. "Sustainable Transportation and TDM" chapter of the Online TDM Encyclopedia - http://www.vtpi.org/tdm/tdm67.htm. "Automobile Dependency and Economic Development", Victoria Transport Policy Institute - http://www.vtpi.org. Best wishes. -Todd Litman At 09:02 PM 11/17/01 EST, you wrote: > >I have little to add to most of the great comments and critiques, except for >one thing >mentioned recently. > >I question whether the auto industry is really an engine of prosperity in >general. I think it is an engine of prosperity for the countries that EXPORT >autos. The US has been a great boost to the Japanese auto industry in general >and the European luxury car markets. But autos also generate enormous costs, >both monetary and non-monetary. Again, I refer to Kenworthy, Newman, et.al >that shows that cities that have a higher auto dependence consume far more of >their wealth on autos. This can be viewed as a drag on the economy if one >believes that people could live just as well with less auto use. Atlanta >region citizens spend twice as much per year on transportation as Munich >region citizens, and I would argue that they have a lower quality of life, >spending much of their time in traffic jams if they have autos and struggling >to get around if they don't. There is certainly much more poverty and >hardship in Atlanta than in Munich. Some of this has be explained by the >forced expenditures on autos people can not really afford, but must have in >order to get to work, to get to stores, etc. > >Eric Bruun > > > 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@vtpi.org Website: http://www.vtpi.org From ktsourl at yahoo.com Mon Nov 19 05:27:34 2001 From: ktsourl at yahoo.com (Konstantinos Tsourlakis) Date: Sun, 18 Nov 2001 12:27:34 -0800 (PST) Subject: [sustran] New_Mobility_in_Bogota:_Merging_Model? Message-ID: <20011118202734.75610.qmail@web20002.mail.yahoo.com> ???? 300 M$ / 38 km = 7.9 M$/km 7.9 M$/km <> 5 M$/km !!!! At 02:00 đě 18/11/2001 +0900, you wrote: >Date: Fri, 16 Nov 2001 19:18:32 +0100 >From: "ecoplan" >Subject: [sustran] =?iso-8859-1?Q?New_Mobility_in_Bogot=E1:_Merging_Model?= > >A quick machine translation follows as an aid for non-Spanish speakers .............................................................. >For almost one year, 400 articulate buses transport 550.000 passengers >daily for 38 kilometers of exclusive roads in Bogota. The project had >a >cost of 300 million dollars. ............................................................... >Calculations indicate that while a kilometer of meter is worth 107 >million dollars, a kilometer of `` Transmilenio'' hardly 5 million >dollars. ............................................................... __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Find the one for you at Yahoo! Personals http://personals.yahoo.com From debi at beag.net Tue Nov 20 10:46:48 2001 From: debi at beag.net (Debi Goenka) Date: Tue, 20 Nov 2001 07:16:48 +0530 Subject: [sustran] Bush - the Oil Baron - at work! Message-ID: <000901c17165$3c4d0280$d96510ac@www.powersurfer.net> The New York Times November 18, 2001 Bush Team Is Reversing Environmental Policies By KATHARINE Q. SEELYE In Depth White House WASHINGTON, Nov. 17 - In the last two months, the Bush administration has proceeded with several regulations, legal settlements and legislative measures intended to reverse Clinton-era environmental policies. These include moves to allow road- building in national forests, reverse the phaseout of snowmobiles in national parks, make it easier for mining companies to dig for gold, copper and zinc on public lands, ease energy-saving standards for air-conditioners, bar the reintroduction of grizzly bears in the Northwest and, environmentalists say, make it easier for developers to eliminate wetlands. Environmentalists are angered that in some cases the administration, in the name of national security, is taking steps that they say promote the interests of timber, mining, oil, gas and pipeline companies, at the expense of the environment. "They've used the smoke screen of the last two months to make key decisions out of public view," said Philip E. Clapp, president of the National Environmental Trust. "The most difficult situation we face is that the attention of the media is almost exclusively on Afghanistan and anthrax." Most notable, critics say, is the administration's renewed advocacy of drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska. As President Bush said last month, "The less dependent we are on foreign sources of crude oil, the more secure we are at home." Senator John Kerry, Democrat of Massachusetts, said the administration's view that oil drilling in Alaska was a matter of national security represented a "false patriotism." "I certainly think that the re- emergence of the Arctic drilling is a direct effort to capitalize on events," Mr. Kerry said. "And it's a misplaced definition of patriotism to use Sept. 11 as a rationale for doing something that has no impact on price or dependency or immediate supply." Administration officials say that while national security is a paramount concern, it is not their only argument for reversing many policies enacted by President Bill Clinton. They defend the changes as a way to balance what they said was an extreme tilt in favor of the environmentalists during the eight years of the Clinton presidency. "Many of the things we have done are to put in place common-sense approaches that we feel are a better balance," Gale A. Norton, the secretary of the interior, said in an interview on Friday. "They better involve local people in decision making; they are based on cooperation rather than conflict. Our push for involving state governments in the decision-making process, our push for negotiated solutions, our push for tailoring decisions to particular areas of land are all based on philosophy, not on a wartime situation." But both sides in the environmental debates say that the political balance changed after Sept. 11. "In the past, you had to make an environmental argument to deflect an environmental criticism," said Scott Segal, a lawyer and lobbyist in Washington for several industrial concerns. "Since Sept. 11, it is possible to articulate an energy-security rationale that can offset environmental criticism. In comparison to security issues, criticism premised on environmental protection begins to sound parochial and not selfless." Before the attacks, environmentalists seemed to have political momentum in casting President Bush as unfriendly to the environment and his administration as beholden to the extractive industries. But in the last two months, environmentalists have been stymied for fear of appearing unpatriotic or even petty in the face of a national crisis. For example, the administration has ordered the United States Coast Guard to fortify its patrol of coastal waters, a duty that makes it less able to enforce antipoaching rules, leaving species like rockfish, Atlantic salmon and red snapper vulnerable. Environmentalists have remained silent, though before Sept. 11 they might have complained loudly. Administration officials insist they are still protecting the environment. Ms. Norton said her department was starting a program to help individual property owners protect endangered species. Mr. Bush's Environmental Protection Agency is battling his Energy Department's plan to weaken standards for air-conditioners. And while this administration has been more responsive to governors of Western States than the Clinton administration was, it has not always pleased them. Just this week, Dirk Kempthorne, the Republican governor of Idaho, said at a public hearing that he was so frustrated over federal cleanup plans on a toxic Superfund site that he was "on the verge of inviting the E.P.A. to leave Idaho." The Bush administration has also decided to adhere to the Clinton administration proposals for limiting arsenic in drinking water. Some environmentalists thought the Bush administration should have called for lower levels, but by setting the same amount as proposed by Mr. Clinton, it defused the issue. But the administration has let slide other matters that environmentalists argue are vital to protecting air and water quality. These include a global pact on climate change and a plan to reduce power plant emissions. Senator James M. Jeffords, the Vermont independent who is chairman of the Environment and Public Works Committee, is advancing his own plan to require power plants to reduce four major pollutants. The administration opposes it, in part on national security grounds, saying the changes could disrupt power supplies because they might force the closing of coal-burning plants. ------------------------------------------------------- This e-mail may contain confidential and/or privileged information. If you are not the intended recipient (or have received this e-mail in error) please notify the sender immediately and destroy this e-mail. Any unauthorised copying, disclosure or distribution of the material in this e-mail is strictly forbidden. -------------------------------------------------------- Debi Goenka Bombay Environmental Action Group e-mail: debi@beag.net /&\ debi.beag@softhome.net Environmental Education Office Kalbadevi Municipal School # 54, 2nd floor, Mumbai 400002 Tel:91-22-2423126 Tfax:91-22-2426385 Residence B 502 Glengate, Hiran Gardens Powai Mumbai 400076 Tel:91-22-5700638 Tfax:91-22-5701459 ---------------------------------------------- From hsutomo at mstt.ugm.ac.id Mon Nov 19 11:06:26 2001 From: hsutomo at mstt.ugm.ac.id (Dr. Heru Sutomo) Date: Mon, 19 Nov 2001 09:06:26 +0700 Subject: [sustran] Re: Language assistance:Becak Message-ID: <008901c1709e$dc3ccb80$6301a8c0@hsutomo.mstt.ugm> Sorry for late reply: pronounce Becak as bay-chuck Heru Sutomo, Centre for Transportation and Logistics Study, Gadjah Mada University, Yogyakarta, Indonesia. We are a collaborator of Becak Revitalization Project of ITDP. -----Original Message----- From: Wendell Cox To: sustran-discuss@jca.ax.apc.org Date: Thursday, November 15, 2001 9:33 PM Subject: [sustran] Language assistance Giving a lecture tomorrow to a group of visiting officials includiing Indonesia. Could someone please advise me the pronunciation of "becak" is it BESAK, or BEKAK, or what? Thank you DEMOGRAPHIA & THE PUBLIC PURPOSE (Wendell Cox Consultancy) http://www.demographia.com (Demographics & Land Use) http://www.publicpurpose.com (Public Policy & Transport)) Telephone: +1.618.632.8507 - Facsimile: +1.810.821.8134 PO Box 841 - Belleville, IL 62222 USA -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://list.jca.apc.org/manage/private/sustran-discuss/attachments/20011119/e4294f4f/attachment.htm From sujit at vsnl.com Mon Nov 19 06:09:26 2001 From: sujit at vsnl.com (Sujit Patwardhan) Date: Mon, 19 Nov 2001 02:39:26 +0530 Subject: [sustran] Re: "Road to hell is paved with Asphalt" - Interesting article In-Reply-To: <00b001c16e64$d6804500$d96510ac@www.powersurfer.net> Message-ID: <5.1.0.14.0.20011119023740.00a17080@202.54.10.1> Thanks Debi for all the forwarded URLs. I have been very busy this month. My younger daughter is getting married on 26th of this month at Ernakulam Kerala and I will be out of pune for this from 20th to 28th. Will be able to check out the sites on return. With best wishes, -- Sujit At 11:36 AM 11/16/01 +0530, you wrote: >http://www.oriononline.org/pages/oo/curmudgeon/index_curmudgeon.html > > > >------------------------------------------------------- >This e-mail may contain confidential and/or privileged information. If you >are not the intended recipient (or have received this e-mail in error) >please notify the sender immediately and destroy this e-mail. Any >unauthorised copying, disclosure or distribution of the material in this >e-mail is strictly forbidden. > >-------------------------------------------------------- >Debi Goenka >Bombay Environmental Action Group > >e-mail: debi@beag.net /&\ debi.beag@softhome.net > > >Environmental Education Office > >Kalbadevi Municipal School ># 54, 2nd floor, Mumbai 400002 > >Tel:91-22-2423126 Tfax:91-22-2426385 > > >Residence > >B 502 Glengate, Hiran Gardens >Powai Mumbai 400076 > >Tel:91-22-5700638 Tfax:91-22-5701459 >---------------------------------------------- -- Sujit Patwardhan sujit@vsnl.com From halubis at trans.si.itb.ac.id Mon Nov 19 15:12:33 2001 From: halubis at trans.si.itb.ac.id (Harun al-Rasyid S Lubis) Date: Mon, 19 Nov 2001 13:12:33 +0700 Subject: [sustran] Re: New_Mobility_in_Bogota:_Merging_Model? References: <20011118202734.75610.qmail@web20002.mail.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <013f01c170c1$2da56e60$1a02cda7@trans.si.itb.ac.id> Dear sustran netter, I attended the late Mayor of Bogota talk in Jakarta last week, sharing his experience working with Trans Millenio, and other related transport issue in Bogota. Although seems to me it is a rather draconian consensus led by "referendum", it is very fantastic that such public consensus could be agreed with at the end. My question was any cost appeared soon after the consensus, such as riots, or protests, etc. ? One thing that make me very curious is the affect on car sales, brand new and used , in Bogota? Any statistics so far that can hightlight the case ? Also maybe a declining business in motoring industy and its supporting intermediate business, such as, spare parts sales, garages, etc.. Regarding the articulated buses, I wonder the capacity per hr per direction was true, I heard of something in between 30 - 40 thousands. Seems to me it is rather high for such family of busway. Is it true ? I didnot quite get the financial profile of the system, although seemed the ex-mayor tried to answer when I asked him. In its early operating months, what fare-box ratio level has been achieved, anyway ? Best, Harun al-Rasyid S Lubis, Center for Transportation Research, ITB Jl. Ganesha 10 Bandung, INDONESIA Tel/Facs; +62 22 250 23 50 ----- Original Message ----- From: Konstantinos Tsourlakis To: Sent: Monday, November 19, 2001 3:27 AM Subject: [sustran] New_Mobility_in_Bogota:_Merging_Model? > > ???? > 300 M$ / 38 km = 7.9 M$/km > 7.9 M$/km <> 5 M$/km !!!! > > > At 02:00 ?? 18/11/2001 +0900, you wrote: > >Date: Fri, 16 Nov 2001 19:18:32 +0100 > >From: "ecoplan" > >Subject: [sustran] > =?iso-8859-1?Q?New_Mobility_in_Bogot=E1:_Merging_Model?= > > > >A quick machine translation follows as an aid for non-Spanish speakers > .............................................................. > >For almost one year, 400 articulate buses transport 550.000 passengers > >daily for 38 kilometers of exclusive roads in Bogota. The project had > >a > >cost of 300 million dollars. > ............................................................... > >Calculations indicate that while a kilometer of meter is worth 107 > >million dollars, a kilometer of `` Transmilenio'' hardly 5 million > >dollars. > ............................................................... > > > __________________________________________________ > Do You Yahoo!? > Find the one for you at Yahoo! Personals > http://personals.yahoo.com > > From kisansbc at vsnl.com Mon Nov 19 21:01:38 2001 From: kisansbc at vsnl.com (kisan mehta) Date: Mon, 19 Nov 2001 17:31:38 +0530 Subject: [sustran] Fw: [sustran] comments on WBCSD Mobility 21 Report Message-ID: <00cd01c170f1$fa3b3ce0$3226020a@im.eth.net> ----- Original Message ----- From: kisan mehta To: Sent: Monday November 19, 2001 5.30 PM Subject: Re: [sustran] comments on WBCSD Mobility 21 Report > Dear Matthias, and our Sustran friends, > > Matthias"s message raises a flood of issues. But I am > going to restrict to emphasizing the need for involving > the citizens, as users of facilities coming up as a part > of a project in the project planning. Programmes > formulated by technicians and experts sitting on a > drawing board without remaining in touch with the ground > fail because they have no basis to feel the citizen need. > Statistics do not always give the correct picture. > > Another drawback is that the experts do not pursue for > implementation of programmes laboriously formulated > as they do not feel that it their duty to follow them up. > Citizens do not feel enthused to pursue because the > expert project do not reflect their aspirations and > expectations. > > In the developing countries, innumerable programmes > are considered as essential as the basic infrastructure > is non-existent. They compete with each other. Politician > and bureaucrat take up easy & glamourous programmes. > Needs of the people are not met. > > It is important and more so in case of mass mobility that > people's needs are met. Some of us feel that citizen > initiative works better than technically and academically > perfect plan. We try to involve citizens by taking proposals > to them and to feel their responses. We have to find out > sustainable and affordable programmes. We cannot talk > of flyovers and light rail systems where need for mass > movement of people on schedule is not met. We should > not talk of providing support to car sale when public road > buses are always overcrowded. > > I strongly feel that the Sustran should show readiness to > the WBCSD to prepare a comprehensive mobility plan say > for next 10 to 20 years that the car manufacturers do not > produce more than the need. We observe that they start > giving all freebees and pressure the government to > extend allconcessions and subsidies in the name of > maintaining the production levels. > > There is a myth that the industry provides jobs, and more > sophisticated it is more the jobs. India is the largest > manufacturer of textiles in the world. It is also the largest > or the second largest exporter too. It is estimated that > Rs 165 billion (Rs 47 equal to One $) are invested in the industry, The > industry provides 1.3 million jobs. The > handspun and handwoven textile producing sector > provides 4,5 million jobs though only Rs 5 billion are > invested. Despite this, the government does > everything to help large industries because expert > reports recommend large industries. > > There is no reason for not conveying to the WBCSD that > the Sustran is ready to prepare a holistic and > comprehensive programme on mobility and use of > different modes. Best wishes > > Kisan Mehta > Priya Salvi > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: matthias mueth > To: > Sent: Thursday, November 15, 2001 4:11 PM > Subject: [sustran] comments on WBCSD Mobility 21 Report > > > Dear John, > > the idea of bringing in such people (and others) into the decision > making process (through steering committees) is tempting. > > However, being a victim (in the wider sense) of transport and traffic > does not make you an "expert" (in the sense of catching complex and > interdependent aspects). > > If the purpose is to incorporate further vested interests, there is a > valid point in the suggestion. But it carries consideralbe costs as > well, because the decision making process is becoming even more likely > to be blocked by narrowly defined agendas. > > Finding representatives for these groups (preferably with some sort of > mandate that gives them legitimacy to speak up for their group), who > bring along expertise in further aspects (political decision making, > needs and interests of other groups, etc.), might be a more realistic > strategy in reaching results. > > This does not mean that I was suggesting to leave the traffic planning > solely to the so-called "traffic-expert" alone - we have had that for > quite a while... > > Best regards > Matthias Mueth > > > -----Urspr?ngliche Nachricht----- > Von: owner-sustran-discuss@jca.ax.apc.org > [mailto:owner-sustran-discuss@jca.ax.apc.org] Im Auftrag von Paul Barter > Gesendet: Mittwoch, 14. November 2001 10:09 > An: 'sustran-discuss@jca.apc.org' > Betreff: [sustran] FW: Re: comments on WBCSD Mobility 21 Report > > Subject: BOUNCE sustran-discuss@jca.ax.apc.org: Non-member submission > from ["John Whitelegg" ] > > > From: "John Whitelegg" > To: sustran-discuss@jca.ax.apc.org > Subject: Re: [sustran] comments on WBCSD Mobility 21 Report > Date: Wed, 14 Nov 2001 09:04:55 +0000 > > Dear Sustran colleagues, > > Just a very brief comment on the WBC sustainability process rather than > the > content. There is currently a great deal of effort globally on the part > of > large corporations, groups that represent businesses and public interest > groups in sustainable mobility. If all this effort and cash is to turn > out > good results it is imperative that the process reflects all stakeholder > interests and not just buinesses, transport professionals, NGOs etc. > > I would like to make a very specific suggestion. Those of us involved > in > transport and mobility work anywhere in the world should request that > all > projects of this kind (eg the WBC project) should be managed by a > steering > committee drawn from the following groups: > > > > retired/aged over 60 > those with mobility difficulties > women with young children > victims of road traffic crashes > those who do not drive > regular cyclists > those who walk to work > those involved in small scale farming/food production > those who live in rural areas > those who live in large cities > those who live in medium sized towns > those who live near airports and high speed rail lines > those who are without work > those who are in part time work > children > those who live on heavily trafficked streets on on routes across the > Alps > > Other suggestions would be most welcome. > > > The world of sustainable mobility has a great deal to offer to policy > makers > > and others concerned with charting paths out of mobility addiction but > it > does not automatically bring with it a people centred, accessibility > based > modesty. It has the potential to make as many mistakes as the paradigm > it > is attempting to replace and it should (I suggest) be re-centred in a > people-oriented context. > > What do you think? > > > > > John Whitelegg > Roskilde University, Denmark > > > and Editor, World transport Policy and Practice > > > > >From: mobility > >Reply-To: sustran-discuss@jca.ax.apc.org > >To: sustran-discuss@jca.ax.apc.org > >Subject: [sustran] comments on WBCSD Mobility 21 Report > >Date: Tue, 13 Nov 2001 14:32:33 -0500 > > > >Dear Sustran members, etc. > > > >We will send some collective comments to the World Business Council for > >Sustainable Development reacting to their Mobility 2001 report. Please > >send your comments to us by Friday, November 16 and we will circulate a > >draft letter and ask anyone who wants to to co-sign. > > > >Evidently, only $1.5 or so million was spent on the study and some > >workshops, not the $10 million that I mentioned earlier. This means > >that there is still some $8 million in funds that the WBCSD may be > >spending on sustainable transport related activities. > > > >For this reason it might be worth considering, as well as critiquing > >their report, some suggestions as to how best they could spend this > >money. Arguably, wasting the entirety of the money on more research > >might not be the worst thing, given the source of the funding, (big oil > >and big auto) and possible alternative uses of that money. However, I > >am persuaded by more moderate voices that there is a possibility we > >could persuade them to use this money in a truly constructive way. > > > >Please get any thoughts sent to us by this friday and we'll incorporate > >them in a draft letter to send to the WBCSD. > > > >thanks, best > >walter hook > > > > > _________________________________________________________________ > Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at > http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp > > From lfwright at usa.net Tue Nov 20 00:16:45 2001 From: lfwright at usa.net (Lloyd Wright) Date: Mon, 19 Nov 2001 10:16:45 EST Subject: [sustran] Re: [[sustran] Re: New_Mobility_in_Bogota:_Merging_Model?] Message-ID: <20011119151645.18602.qmail@uadvg009.cms.usa.net> Dear Harun, Yes, Bogota's TransMilenio system does indeed hit capacities in the area of 30,000 passengers / hour / direction. They are able to do so because they have both local and express lanes in each direction, and because they also do some creative things with station design in which multiple buses can use the station at the same time. Of course, to do so, one must have sufficient space for the additional lane and the additional stopping area for the multiple buses. With over 550,000 passengers using the system currently, TransMilenio is far exceeding predicted financial returns; the initial two corridors were only expected to attract 250,000 passengers per day. Thus, both the TransMilenio administration and the private operators are essentially returning greater profits. When the full system is completed in 2015, over 5 million passenger-trips per day are expected to be realised (in a city of 7 million inhabitants). Lloyd Wright Representative, Latin America Institute for Transportation & Development Policy 115 West 30th Street, Suite 1205 New York, NY 10001 USA tel. +1 212 629 8001 fax +1 212 629 8033 email LFWright@usa.net web www.itdp.org "Harun al-Rasyid S Lubis" wrote: Dear sustran netter, I attended the late Mayor of Bogota talk in Jakarta last week, sharing his experience working with Trans Millenio, and other related transport issue in Bogota. Although seems to me it is a rather draconian consensus led by "referendum", it is very fantastic that such public consensus could be agreed with at the end. My question was any cost appeared soon after the consensus, such as riots, or protests, etc. ? One thing that make me very curious is the affect on car sales, brand new and used , in Bogota? Any statistics so far that can hightlight the case ? Also maybe a declining business in motoring industy and its supporting intermediate business, such as, spare parts sales, garages, etc.. Regarding the articulated buses, I wonder the capacity per hr per direction was true, I heard of something in between 30 - 40 thousands. Seems to me it is rather high for such family of busway. Is it true ? I didnot quite get the financial profile of the system, although seemed the ex-mayor tried to answer when I asked him. In its early operating months, what fare-box ratio level has been achieved, anyway ? Best, Harun al-Rasyid S Lubis, Center for Transportation Research, ITB Jl. Ganesha 10 Bandung, INDONESIA Tel/Facs; +62 22 250 23 50 ----- Original Message ----- From: Konstantinos Tsourlakis To: Sent: Monday, November 19, 2001 3:27 AM Subject: [sustran] New_Mobility_in_Bogota:_Merging_Model? > > ???? > 300 M$ / 38 km = 7.9 M$/km > 7.9 M$/km <> 5 M$/km !!!! > > > At 02:00 đě 18/11/2001 +0900, you wrote: > >Date: Fri, 16 Nov 2001 19:18:32 +0100 > >From: "ecoplan" > >Subject: [sustran] > =?iso-8859-1?Q?New_Mobility_in_Bogot=E1:_Merging_Model?= > > > >A quick machine translation follows as an aid for non-Spanish speakers > .............................................................. > >For almost one year, 400 articulate buses transport 550.000 passengers > >daily for 38 kilometers of exclusive roads in Bogota. The project had > >a > >cost of 300 million dollars. > ............................................................... > >Calculations indicate that while a kilometer of meter is worth 107 > >million dollars, a kilometer of `` Transmilenio'' hardly 5 million > >dollars. > ............................................................... > > > __________________________________________________ > Do You Yahoo!? > Find the one for you at Yahoo! Personals > http://personals.yahoo.com > > ____________________________________________________________________ Get free e-mail and a permanent address at http://www.amexmail.com/?A=1 From lfwright at usa.net Tue Nov 20 00:16:45 2001 From: lfwright at usa.net (Lloyd Wright) Date: Mon, 19 Nov 2001 10:16:45 EST Subject: [sustran] Re: [[sustran] Re: New_Mobility_in_Bogota:_Merging_Model?] Message-ID: <20011119151645.18602.qmail@uadvg009.cms.usa.net> Dear Harun, Yes, Bogota's TransMilenio system does indeed hit capacities in the area of 30,000 passengers / hour / direction. They are able to do so because they have both local and express lanes in each direction, and because they also do some creative things with station design in which multiple buses can use the station at the same time. Of course, to do so, one must have sufficient space for the additional lane and the additional stopping area for the multiple buses. With over 550,000 passengers using the system currently, TransMilenio is far exceeding predicted financial returns; the initial two corridors were only expected to attract 250,000 passengers per day. Thus, both the TransMilenio administration and the private operators are essentially returning greater profits. When the full system is completed in 2015, over 5 million passenger-trips per day are expected to be realised (in a city of 7 million inhabitants). Lloyd Wright Representative, Latin America Institute for Transportation & Development Policy 115 West 30th Street, Suite 1205 New York, NY 10001 USA tel. +1 212 629 8001 fax +1 212 629 8033 email LFWright@usa.net web www.itdp.org "Harun al-Rasyid S Lubis" wrote: Dear sustran netter, I attended the late Mayor of Bogota talk in Jakarta last week, sharing his experience working with Trans Millenio, and other related transport issue in Bogota. Although seems to me it is a rather draconian consensus led by "referendum", it is very fantastic that such public consensus could be agreed with at the end. My question was any cost appeared soon after the consensus, such as riots, or protests, etc. ? One thing that make me very curious is the affect on car sales, brand new and used , in Bogota? Any statistics so far that can hightlight the case ? Also maybe a declining business in motoring industy and its supporting intermediate business, such as, spare parts sales, garages, etc.. Regarding the articulated buses, I wonder the capacity per hr per direction was true, I heard of something in between 30 - 40 thousands. Seems to me it is rather high for such family of busway. Is it true ? I didnot quite get the financial profile of the system, although seemed the ex-mayor tried to answer when I asked him. In its early operating months, what fare-box ratio level has been achieved, anyway ? Best, Harun al-Rasyid S Lubis, Center for Transportation Research, ITB Jl. Ganesha 10 Bandung, INDONESIA Tel/Facs; +62 22 250 23 50 ----- Original Message ----- From: Konstantinos Tsourlakis To: Sent: Monday, November 19, 2001 3:27 AM Subject: [sustran] New_Mobility_in_Bogota:_Merging_Model? > > ???? > 300 M$ / 38 km = 7.9 M$/km > 7.9 M$/km <> 5 M$/km !!!! > > > At 02:00 đě 18/11/2001 +0900, you wrote: > >Date: Fri, 16 Nov 2001 19:18:32 +0100 > >From: "ecoplan" > >Subject: [sustran] > =?iso-8859-1?Q?New_Mobility_in_Bogot=E1:_Merging_Model?= > > > >A quick machine translation follows as an aid for non-Spanish speakers > .............................................................. > >For almost one year, 400 articulate buses transport 550.000 passengers > >daily for 38 kilometers of exclusive roads in Bogota. The project had > >a > >cost of 300 million dollars. > ............................................................... > >Calculations indicate that while a kilometer of meter is worth 107 > >million dollars, a kilometer of `` Transmilenio'' hardly 5 million > >dollars. > ............................................................... > > > __________________________________________________ > Do You Yahoo!? > Find the one for you at Yahoo! Personals > http://personals.yahoo.com > > ____________________________________________________________________ Get free e-mail and a permanent address at http://www.amexmail.com/?A=1 From ktsourl at yahoo.com Tue Nov 20 22:24:13 2001 From: ktsourl at yahoo.com (Konstantinos Tsourlakis) Date: Tue, 20 Nov 2001 05:24:13 -0800 (PST) Subject: [sustran] Re: comments on WBCSD Mobility 21 Report Message-ID: <20011120132413.85917.qmail@web20007.mail.yahoo.com> Trying to contribute to this discussion and not to offer solutions, more as a concerned citizen than a traffic expert, I 'd like to add that in many cases the general public has (perhaps deliberately formulated) biases in transport issues. I have in mind e.g. that (as I have observed discussing such issues) I rarely have found people - not experts of course - who would realize the importance (and the meaning) of generated and induced traffic in road building; the usual (and spontaneous) response to the inevitable congestion problem is "build more roads". This may be the result of the car oriented brainwashing from direct or hidden advertisement. There is also the problem of representativeness of the citizens chosen (of course there are processes to insure this, but they can be debased, and in such a case the fault impressions may induce additional legalisation to the chosen solutions). On the other hand the recourse to representatives of groups of citizens suffers twice from this "represantativeness problem" (they represent the groups, and the groups represent the general interests). - ----- Original Message ----- Date: Mon, 19 Nov 2001 17:31:38 +0530 From: "kisan mehta" Subject: [sustran] Fw: [sustran] comments on WBCSD Mobility 21 Report - ----- Original Message ----- From: kisan mehta To: Sent: Monday November 19, 2001 5.30 PM Subject: Re: [sustran] comments on WBCSD Mobility 21 Report > Dear Matthias, and our Sustran friends, > > Matthias"s message raises a flood of issues. But I am > going to restrict to emphasizing the need for involving > the citizens, as users of facilities coming up as a part > of a project in the project planning. Programmes > formulated by technicians and experts sitting on a > drawing board without remaining in touch with the ground > fail because they have no basis to feel the citizen need. > Statistics do not always give the correct picture. > > Another drawback is that the experts do not pursue for > implementation of programmes laboriously formulated > as they do not feel that it their duty to follow them up. > Citizens do not feel enthused to pursue because the > expert project do not reflect their aspirations and > expectations. > > In the developing countries, innumerable programmes > are considered as essential as the basic infrastructure > is non-existent. They compete with each other. Politician > and bureaucrat take up easy & glamourous programmes. > Needs of the people are not met. > > It is important and more so in case of mass mobility that > people's needs are met. Some of us feel that citizen > initiative works better than technically and academically > perfect plan. We try to involve citizens by taking proposals > to them and to feel their responses. We have to find out > sustainable and affordable programmes. We cannot talk > of flyovers and light rail systems where need for mass > movement of people on schedule is not met. We should > not talk of providing support to car sale when public road > buses are always overcrowded. > > I strongly feel that the Sustran should show readiness to > the WBCSD to prepare a comprehensive mobility plan say > for next 10 to 20 years that the car manufacturers do not > produce more than the need. We observe that they start > giving all freebees and pressure the government to > extend allconcessions and subsidies in the name of > maintaining the production levels. > > There is a myth that the industry provides jobs, and more > sophisticated it is more the jobs. India is the largest > manufacturer of textiles in the world. It is also the largest > or the second largest exporter too. It is estimated that > Rs 165 billion (Rs 47 equal to One $) are invested in the industry, The > industry provides 1.3 million jobs. The > handspun and handwoven textile producing sector > provides 4,5 million jobs though only Rs 5 billion are > invested. Despite this, the government does > everything to help large industries because expert > reports recommend large industries. > > There is no reason for not conveying to the WBCSD that > the Sustran is ready to prepare a holistic and > comprehensive programme on mobility and use of > different modes. Best wishes > > Kisan Mehta > Priya Salvi > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: matthias mueth > To: > Sent: Thursday, November 15, 2001 4:11 PM > Subject: [sustran] comments on WBCSD Mobility 21 Report > > > Dear John, > > the idea of bringing in such people (and others) into the decision > making process (through steering committees) is tempting. > > However, being a victim (in the wider sense) of transport and traffic > does not make you an "expert" (in the sense of catching complex and > interdependent aspects). > > If the purpose is to incorporate further vested interests, there is a > valid point in the suggestion. But it carries consideralbe costs as > well, because the decision making process is becoming even more likely > to be blocked by narrowly defined agendas. > > Finding representatives for these groups (preferably with some sort of > mandate that gives them legitimacy to speak up for their group), who > bring along expertise in further aspects (political decision making, > needs and interests of other groups, etc.), might be a more realistic > strategy in reaching results. > > This does not mean that I was suggesting to leave the traffic planning > solely to the so-called "traffic-expert" alone - we have had that for > quite a while... > > Best regards > Matthias Mueth > > > -----Ursprüngliche Nachricht----- > Von: owner-sustran-discuss@jca.ax.apc.org > [mailto:owner-sustran-discuss@jca.ax.apc.org] Im Auftrag von Paul Barter > Gesendet: Mittwoch, 14. November 2001 10:09 > An: 'sustran-discuss@jca.apc.org' > Betreff: [sustran] FW: Re: comments on WBCSD Mobility 21 Report > > Subject: BOUNCE sustran-discuss@jca.ax.apc.org: Non-member submission > from ["John Whitelegg" ] > > > From: "John Whitelegg" > To: sustran-discuss@jca.ax.apc.org > Subject: Re: [sustran] comments on WBCSD Mobility 21 Report > Date: Wed, 14 Nov 2001 09:04:55 +0000 > > Dear Sustran colleagues, > > Just a very brief comment on the WBC sustainability process rather than > the > content. There is currently a great deal of effort globally on the part > of > large corporations, groups that represent businesses and public interest > groups in sustainable mobility. If all this effort and cash is to turn > out > good results it is imperative that the process reflects all stakeholder > interests and not just buinesses, transport professionals, NGOs etc. > > I would like to make a very specific suggestion. Those of us involved > in > transport and mobility work anywhere in the world should request that > all > projects of this kind (eg the WBC project) should be managed by a > steering > committee drawn from the following groups: > > > > retired/aged over 60 > those with mobility difficulties > women with young children > victims of road traffic crashes > those who do not drive > regular cyclists > those who walk to work > those involved in small scale farming/food production > those who live in rural areas > those who live in large cities > those who live in medium sized towns > those who live near airports and high speed rail lines > those who are without work > those who are in part time work > children > those who live on heavily trafficked streets on on routes across the > Alps > > Other suggestions would be most welcome. > > > The world of sustainable mobility has a great deal to offer to policy > makers > > and others concerned with charting paths out of mobility addiction but > it > does not automatically bring with it a people centred, accessibility > based > modesty. It has the potential to make as many mistakes as the paradigm > it > is attempting to replace and it should (I suggest) be re-centred in a > people-oriented context. > > What do you think? > > > > > John Whitelegg > Roskilde University, Denmark > > > and Editor, World transport Policy and Practice > > > > >From: mobility > >Reply-To: sustran-discuss@jca.ax.apc.org > >To: sustran-discuss@jca.ax.apc.org > >Subject: [sustran] comments on WBCSD Mobility 21 Report > >Date: Tue, 13 Nov 2001 14:32:33 -0500 > > > >Dear Sustran members, etc. > > > >We will send some collective comments to the World Business Council for > >Sustainable Development reacting to their Mobility 2001 report. Please > >send your comments to us by Friday, November 16 and we will circulate a > >draft letter and ask anyone who wants to to co-sign. > > > >Evidently, only $1.5 or so million was spent on the study and some > >workshops, not the $10 million that I mentioned earlier. This means > >that there is still some $8 million in funds that the WBCSD may be > >spending on sustainable transport related activities. > > > >For this reason it might be worth considering, as well as critiquing > >their report, some suggestions as to how best they could spend this > >money. Arguably, wasting the entirety of the money on more research > >might not be the worst thing, given the source of the funding, (big oil > >and big auto) and possible alternative uses of that money. However, I > >am persuaded by more moderate voices that there is a possibility we > >could persuade them to use this money in a truly constructive way. > > > >Please get any thoughts sent to us by this friday and we'll incorporate > >them in a draft letter to send to the WBCSD. > > > >thanks, best > >walter hook > > > > > _________________________________________________________________ > Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at > http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp > > __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! GeoCities - quick and easy web site hosting, just $8.95/month. http://geocities.yahoo.com/ps/info1 From geobpa at nus.edu.sg Wed Nov 21 12:00:10 2001 From: geobpa at nus.edu.sg (Paul Barter) Date: Wed, 21 Nov 2001 11:00:10 +0800 Subject: [sustran] FW: New Book: The Politics of Mobility Message-ID: <2C9E855D35B9D01198190020AFFBE8CB0B86F663@exs04.ex.nus.edu.sg> -----Original Message----- From: Geoff Vigar [mailto:G.I.Vigar@NEWCASTLE.AC.UK] Sent: Tuesday, 20 November 2001 11:27 To: URBAN-REGIONAL-PLANNING@JISCMAIL.AC.UK Subject: New Book: The Politics of Mobility Excuse the blatant trumpet blowing but some list members may be interested in the following book which is particularly suitable for undergraduate and postgraduate modules connected with transport planning, spatial planning and environmental politics. It was published last month by Spon Press. Available from Amazon and all the usual sources. Vigar, Geoff, 2001, 'The Politics of Mobility: transport, the environment and public policy', Spon: London. Paperback: ISBN 0-415-25917-7, ?19.99: H/back: ISBN:0-415-25916-9, ?65. 'Ever increasing mobility for many in western society has focused attention on transport's role in the social order and provided a major contemporary challenge to improving and maintaining urban quality of life. However, the implementation of new approaches to deal with this issue has proved deeply problematic as varying combinations of circumstances create an acutely contested policy terrain. 'The Politics of Mobility' utilises practice case studies and a theoretical framework derived from social and policy sciences to shed light on the realpolitik of one of western society's key contemporary challenges and to suggest practical ways of addressing it'. Dr Geoff Vigar Centre for Research on European Urban Environments School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape University of Newcastle Claremont Tower, Newcastle NE1 7RU Tel: +44 (0)191 222 8338 Fax: +44 (0)191 222 8811 EMail: G.I.Vigar@ncl.ac.uk Web: http://www.apl.ncl.ac.uk From mobility at igc.org Thu Nov 22 01:36:04 2001 From: mobility at igc.org (mobility) Date: Wed, 21 Nov 2001 11:36:04 -0500 Subject: [sustran] Re: The next WBCSD Mobility study: "Some Cognitive Dissonance direct from Third World Cities" References: <000201c16e00$fab31420$6801a8c0@Home> Message-ID: <3BFBD7F4.7526090F@igc.org> thanks, John, Eric, others, for the various comments on the WBCSD report. So far, very few of the comments were actually on the report, but were focused on the 'process'. i take this as an indication that most of you, like me, found the report a pretty dull and muddled read, and difficult to sink one's teeth into. I do think we need to comment on how this document and the process of the WBCSD Mobility 21 dialogs around the world fed into this report, and the purpose of this report in the broader scheme of things.. I doubt the WBCSD is going to go for a process that ceeds control over how their donated money will be spent, ie. by reducing their influence on the steering committee. Furthermore, given the numerous other forums, (UN CSD 9, Habitat II, Earth Summit, Global Road Safety Initiative, GITE, Shell's forums, Forums discussing the World Bank Urban Transport Policy, etc. etc. etc.) where the influence of these corporations is more checked, do we really want to suggest big auto and big oil initiate a broader dialog w/ stakeholders on this topic, when such stakeholder dialogs have already been held through UN-based institutions, with prescious little effect? Given none of us were able to even read the document through, let alone take from it any powerful or compelling message, i think their efforts' greatest risk is irrelevance. I think we need to propose something that is appropriate for big auto and big oil to do to reform themeselves to prepare for a post-auto and post-oil dominated economy, something that will really make these companies think about how to use their massive investment capital in a way that brings about this transition, while saving their bacon. They probably should have started with a hard headed analysis of the oil and auto markets in the future, and given us some indication of where these are really going. They should have this data inside their corporations, and it would have been interesting to know how these companies viewed the future. I'm drafting something to this effect but will look at your further thoughts after the Thanksgiving holidays. best Walter Hook > Earlier references here: Walter Hook, Kisan Mehta, John Whitelegg, Matthias > Mueth > > Dear Friends, > > Very very interesting. I think that maybe we should put our heads together > and see if we might offer these kind folks (the WBSC) not just a report on > this or that, but rather get off and running with another, altogether > different PROCESS. > > From pendakur at interchange.ubc.ca Thu Nov 22 02:42:14 2001 From: pendakur at interchange.ubc.ca (pendakur) Date: Wed, 21 Nov 2001 09:42:14 -0800 Subject: [sustran] Re: The next WBCSD Mobility study: "Some Cognitive Dissonance direct from Third World Cities" References: <000201c16e00$fab31420$6801a8c0@Home> <3BFBD7F4.7526090F@igc.org> Message-ID: <001d01c172b5$34533580$a75d4540@novustelecom.net> My reading of the report confirms that it is full of generalities that can be argued in any way they wish. In addition, I am unable to capture the main thrust of this report. I am also not sure as to what the next steps are. Where can we take this to? Who are the main proponents of this study in the WB or other agencies? Is this John Flora and company again? Richard Scurfield is back with this group as coordinator for urban transport and this could be a good thing. Richard is accessible and willing to listen. Best wishes. setty. Dr. V. Setty Pendakur Professor Emeritus (Planning) & Adjunct Professor, University of British Columbia; and President Pacific Policy and Planning Associates 1099 Marinaside Crescent--#702 Vancouver, BC, Canada V6Z 2Z3 Phone:1-604-263-3576; Fax:1-604-263-6493 ----- Original Message ----- From: "mobility" To: Sent: Wednesday, November 21, 2001 8:36 AM Subject: [sustran] Re: The next WBCSD Mobility study: "Some Cognitive Dissonance direct from Third World Cities" > thanks, John, Eric, others, > > for the various comments on the WBCSD report. So far, very few of the comments > were actually on the report, but were focused on the 'process'. > > i take this as an indication that most of you, like me, found the report a > pretty dull and muddled read, and difficult to sink one's teeth into. > > I do think we need to comment on how this document and the process of the WBCSD > Mobility 21 dialogs around the world fed into this report, and the purpose of > this report in the broader scheme of things.. > > I doubt the WBCSD is going to go for a process that ceeds control over how their > donated money will be spent, ie. by reducing their influence on the steering > committee. Furthermore, given the numerous other forums, (UN CSD 9, Habitat II, > Earth Summit, Global Road Safety Initiative, GITE, Shell's forums, Forums > discussing the World Bank Urban Transport Policy, etc. etc. etc.) where the > influence of these corporations is more checked, do we really want to suggest > big auto and big oil initiate a broader dialog w/ stakeholders on this topic, > when such stakeholder dialogs have already been held through UN-based > institutions, with prescious little effect? > > Given none of us were able to even read the document through, let alone take > from it any powerful or compelling message, i think their efforts' greatest risk > is irrelevance. > > I think we need to propose something that is appropriate for big auto and big > oil to do to reform themeselves to prepare for a post-auto and post-oil > dominated economy, something that will really make these companies think about > how to use their massive investment capital in a way that brings about this > transition, while saving their bacon. > > They probably should have started with a hard headed analysis of the oil and > auto markets in the future, and given us some indication of where these are > really going. They should have this data inside their corporations, and it > would have been interesting to know how these companies viewed the future. > > I'm drafting something to this effect but will look at your further thoughts > after the Thanksgiving holidays. > > best > Walter Hook > > > Earlier references here: Walter Hook, Kisan Mehta, John Whitelegg, Matthias > > Mueth > > > > Dear Friends, > > > > Very very interesting. I think that maybe we should put our heads together > > and see if we might offer these kind folks (the WBSC) not just a report on > > this or that, but rather get off and running with another, altogether > > different PROCESS. > > > > > From mobility at igc.org Thu Nov 22 03:00:18 2001 From: mobility at igc.org (mobility) Date: Wed, 21 Nov 2001 13:00:18 -0500 Subject: [sustran] Re: The next WBCSD Mobility study: "Some Cognitive Dissonance direct from Third World Cities" References: <000201c16e00$fab31420$6801a8c0@Home> <3BFBD7F4.7526090F@igc.org> <001d01c172b5$34533580$a75d4540@novustelecom.net> Message-ID: <3BFBEBB2.895288DF@igc.org> world bank is not involved in this report and has indicated that they would be happy if we are quite critical. pendakur wrote: > My reading of the report confirms that it is full of generalities that can > be argued in any way they wish. In addition, I am unable to capture the > main thrust of this report. > > I am also not sure as to what the next steps are. > > Where can we take this to? Who are the main proponents of this study in the > WB or other agencies? Is this John Flora and company again? Richard > Scurfield is back with this group as coordinator for urban transport and > this could be a good thing. Richard is accessible and willing to listen. > > Best wishes. setty. > > Dr. V. Setty Pendakur > Professor Emeritus (Planning) & Adjunct Professor, > University of British Columbia; and > President > Pacific Policy and Planning Associates > 1099 Marinaside Crescent--#702 > Vancouver, BC, Canada V6Z 2Z3 > Phone:1-604-263-3576; Fax:1-604-263-6493 > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "mobility" > To: > Sent: Wednesday, November 21, 2001 8:36 AM > Subject: [sustran] Re: The next WBCSD Mobility study: "Some Cognitive > Dissonance direct from Third World Cities" > > > thanks, John, Eric, others, > > > > for the various comments on the WBCSD report. So far, very few of the > comments > > were actually on the report, but were focused on the 'process'. > > > > i take this as an indication that most of you, like me, found the report a > > pretty dull and muddled read, and difficult to sink one's teeth into. > > > > I do think we need to comment on how this document and the process of the > WBCSD > > Mobility 21 dialogs around the world fed into this report, and the purpose > of > > this report in the broader scheme of things.. > > > > I doubt the WBCSD is going to go for a process that ceeds control over how > their > > donated money will be spent, ie. by reducing their influence on the > steering > > committee. Furthermore, given the numerous other forums, (UN CSD 9, > Habitat II, > > Earth Summit, Global Road Safety Initiative, GITE, Shell's forums, Forums > > discussing the World Bank Urban Transport Policy, etc. etc. etc.) where > the > > influence of these corporations is more checked, do we really want to > suggest > > big auto and big oil initiate a broader dialog w/ stakeholders on this > topic, > > when such stakeholder dialogs have already been held through UN-based > > institutions, with prescious little effect? > > > > Given none of us were able to even read the document through, let alone > take > > from it any powerful or compelling message, i think their efforts' > greatest risk > > is irrelevance. > > > > I think we need to propose something that is appropriate for big auto and > big > > oil to do to reform themeselves to prepare for a post-auto and post-oil > > dominated economy, something that will really make these companies think > about > > how to use their massive investment capital in a way that brings about > this > > transition, while saving their bacon. > > > > They probably should have started with a hard headed analysis of the oil > and > > auto markets in the future, and given us some indication of where these > are > > really going. They should have this data inside their corporations, and > it > > would have been interesting to know how these companies viewed the future. > > > > I'm drafting something to this effect but will look at your further > thoughts > > after the Thanksgiving holidays. > > > > best > > Walter Hook > > > > > Earlier references here: Walter Hook, Kisan Mehta, John Whitelegg, > Matthias > > > Mueth > > > > > > Dear Friends, > > > > > > Very very interesting. I think that maybe we should put our heads > together > > > and see if we might offer these kind folks (the WBSC) not just a report > on > > > this or that, but rather get off and running with another, altogether > > > different PROCESS. > > > > > > > > From litman at vtpi.org Thu Nov 22 03:42:36 2001 From: litman at vtpi.org (Todd Litman) Date: Wed, 21 Nov 2001 10:42:36 -0800 Subject: [sustran] Re: The next WBCSD Mobility study: "Some Cognitive Dissonance direct from Third World Cities" In-Reply-To: <001d01c172b5$34533580$a75d4540@novustelecom.net> References: <000201c16e00$fab31420$6801a8c0@Home> <3BFBD7F4.7526090F@igc.org> Message-ID: <3.0.5.32.20011121104236.016e06f0@pop.islandnet.com> My impression of the report is that it can be considered progress, in that leading members of the business community acknowledge that there are significant sustainability problems associated with current transportation, but it also emphasizes the benefits of mobility and so justifies solutions that rely primarily on improving vehicle design, and shifting to transit in urban areas. I suspect that it is intended to deflect calls for more fundamental changes that would significantly reduce vehicle ownership and use. The danger with this approach is that it can create a self-fulfilling prophecy: if planners assume that automobile ownership and use will increase, and that this is good for consumers and the economy, they help create automobile-dependent transportation systems and land use patterns. I would not deny the potential benefits of technological improvements in vehicle design, but in general such technological innovations only address one or two problems, and they often exacerbate others. For example, increasing fuel efficiency (through CAFE standards or feebates) may reduce energy consumption and some pollution emissions, but by reducing per-kilometer vehicle costs it tends to increase total vehicle mileage (a "rebound" effect), which increases congestion, crashes, road and parking infrastructure costs, urban sprawl, and even some types of pollution emissions (e.g., road dust). Similarly, many strategies to reduce traffic congestion result in increased fuel consumption, crash costs, pollution and sprawl. (For disucssion of this issue see "Efficient Vehicles vs. Efficient Transportation", a paper I'll be presenting at TRB, which is also available at http://www.vtip.org.) Sustainability requires more than simply addressing a few particular problems such as resource consumption and climate change. It requires balancing a wide range of economic, social and environmental objectives, and more integrated transportation planning that prevents solutions to one problem that exacerbate others. I didn't see much in the report that recognizes this deeper concept of sustainability (for discussion see http://www.vtip.org/tdm/tdm67.htm.) A more fundamental approach to sustainability would significantly change transportation and land use patterns. In particular, it would involve reforms to correct existing market distortions that favor automobile ownership and use (see http://www.vtip.org/tdm/tdm60.htm), and it would favor transportation improvements that provide multiple benefits, rather than trying to address one transportation problem at a time (see http://www.vtip.org/tdm/tdm52.htm). Our research indicates that correcting such market distortions could significantly reduce total motor vehicle travel, while making consumers better off overall, and increasing economic efficiency and development. A specific concern I have about this report is that it argues that increased mobility is necessary for economic development. While it may be true that motorized transportation used for production activities may increase economic productivity and efficiency, there is little evidence that consumer expenditures on moiblity increase economic development. On the contrary, there is considerable evidence that consumer expenditures on vehicles and fuel, and excessive vehicle use burden an economy and reduce economic efficiency and development. Automobile dependency can be particularly harmful to developing countries that import vehicles and fuel. (For discussion see http://www.vtip.org/tdm/tdm54.htm, and "The Economic Costs of Automobile Dependency" at http://www.vtip.org.) 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@vtpi.org Website: http://www.vtpi.org At 09:42 AM 11/21/01 -0800, you wrote: >My reading of the report confirms that it is full of generalities that can >be argued in any way they wish. In addition, I am unable to capture the >main thrust of this report. > >I am also not sure as to what the next steps are. > >Where can we take this to? Who are the main proponents of this study in the >WB or other agencies? Is this John Flora and company again? Richard >Scurfield is back with this group as coordinator for urban transport and >this could be a good thing. Richard is accessible and willing to listen. > >Best wishes. setty. > >Dr. V. Setty Pendakur >Professor Emeritus (Planning) & Adjunct Professor, >University of British Columbia; and >President >Pacific Policy and Planning Associates >1099 Marinaside Crescent--#702 >Vancouver, BC, Canada V6Z 2Z3 >Phone:1-604-263-3576; Fax:1-604-263-6493 > >----- Original Message ----- >From: "mobility" >To: >Sent: Wednesday, November 21, 2001 8:36 AM >Subject: [sustran] Re: The next WBCSD Mobility study: "Some Cognitive >Dissonance direct from Third World Cities" > > >> thanks, John, Eric, others, >> >> for the various comments on the WBCSD report. So far, very few of the >comments >> were actually on the report, but were focused on the 'process'. >> >> i take this as an indication that most of you, like me, found the report a >> pretty dull and muddled read, and difficult to sink one's teeth into. >> >> I do think we need to comment on how this document and the process of the >WBCSD >> Mobility 21 dialogs around the world fed into this report, and the purpose >of >> this report in the broader scheme of things.. >> >> I doubt the WBCSD is going to go for a process that ceeds control over how >their >> donated money will be spent, ie. by reducing their influence on the >steering >> committee. Furthermore, given the numerous other forums, (UN CSD 9, >Habitat II, >> Earth Summit, Global Road Safety Initiative, GITE, Shell's forums, Forums >> discussing the World Bank Urban Transport Policy, etc. etc. etc.) where >the >> influence of these corporations is more checked, do we really want to >suggest >> big auto and big oil initiate a broader dialog w/ stakeholders on this >topic, >> when such stakeholder dialogs have already been held through UN-based >> institutions, with prescious little effect? >> >> Given none of us were able to even read the document through, let alone >take >> from it any powerful or compelling message, i think their efforts' >greatest risk >> is irrelevance. >> >> I think we need to propose something that is appropriate for big auto and >big >> oil to do to reform themeselves to prepare for a post-auto and post-oil >> dominated economy, something that will really make these companies think >about >> how to use their massive investment capital in a way that brings about >this >> transition, while saving their bacon. >> >> They probably should have started with a hard headed analysis of the oil >and >> auto markets in the future, and given us some indication of where these >are >> really going. They should have this data inside their corporations, and >it >> would have been interesting to know how these companies viewed the future. >> >> I'm drafting something to this effect but will look at your further >thoughts >> after the Thanksgiving holidays. >> >> best >> Walter Hook >> >> > Earlier references here: Walter Hook, Kisan Mehta, John Whitelegg, >Matthias >> > Mueth >> > >> > Dear Friends, >> > >> > Very very interesting. I think that maybe we should put our heads >together >> > and see if we might offer these kind folks (the WBSC) not just a report >on >> > this or that, but rather get off and running with another, altogether >> > different PROCESS. >> > >> > >> > > > > 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@vtpi.org Website: http://www.vtpi.org From ajain at kcrc.com Fri Nov 23 12:39:13 2001 From: ajain at kcrc.com (Jain Alok) Date: Fri, 23 Nov 2001 11:39:13 +0800 Subject: [sustran] Fuel-switch grants for minibuses unveiled Message-ID: >From South China Morning Post, Hong Kong Fuel-switch grants for minibuses unveiled At least $184 million is to be spent by the Government to subsidise the conversion of diesel minibuses to liquified petroleum gas or electricity by the end of 2004, it was announced yesterday. The subsidy package, part of a major initiative to improve air quality, was unveiled after the South China Morning Post revealed the plan yesterday. The package is on offer to owners of 4,350 public minibuses and 2,000 private minibuses in a voluntary conversion scheme. The Government will offer a one-off cash grant of $60,000 to each public minibus operator switching to LPG and $80,000 for those switching to electricity. The offer will be open until the end of 2003 for public minibuses over 10 years old and until the end of 2004 for those under 10 years old. Private minibuses will not be offered the grant but will be exempt from the first registration tax after converting to LPG, which is equivalent to four per cent of a vehicle's cost of about $300,000. The Government expects at least 68 per cent of public minibuses and 50 per cent of private ones to take part. The switch will also largely meet the vehicle emission reduction target set by Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa in 1999. Lily Yam Kwan Pui-ying, Secretary for Environment and Food, said the package would be sufficiently attractive to minibus operators, as the saving in fuel costs would help cut operating costs. At present, LPG costs about $2.20 per litre and diesel about $6 per litre. The diesel price includes duty of $1.10. Mrs Yam said the scheme was not made compulsory because 32 per cent of those operators surveyed might suffer operating losses, with fuel savings offset by longer journeys needed to travel to distant LPG refuelling stations. In the worst case, an operator could lose up to $36,000 a year as a result of the switch. She said either increasing seating capacity from 16 to 24, as proposed by some minibus operators, or raising fares by two to 12 per cent might compensate for the loss but was not practicable. "Under the economic situation, increasing fares would bring an extra burden to passengers, yet some of the minibuses are operating with spare capacity," she said. Chan Man-chun, spokesman for the Environmental Light Bus Alliance, described the policy as "a voluntary scheme with no choice" as the deadline for conversion fell too soon. He feared the survival of diesel minibuses would be threatened if the Government sought to tighten emission standards and raised diesel duty. There is no plan to retire diesel minibuses compulsorily, unlike diesel taxis, which must be off the roads by 2005. Hiew Moo-siew, chairman of the GMB Maxicab Operators General Association, welcomed the scheme, but was still sceptical of the cost-effectiveness of LPG minibuses. "We are still not sure if we will be the first batch to join the scheme because we don't find it very cost-effective," he said. Leung Hung, chairman of the Federation of Public Light Bus Operators, hoped the grant could be increased to $100,000. Alok Jain This email and any attachment to it may contain confidential or proprietary information that are intended solely for the person / entity to whom it was originally addressed. If you are not the intended recipient, any disclosure, copying, distributing or any action taken or omitted to be taken in reliance on it, is prohibited and may be unlawful. Internet communications cannot be guaranteed to be secure or error-free as information could be intercepted, corrupted, lost, arrive late or contain viruses. The sender therefore does not accept liability for any errors or omissions in the context of this message which arise as a result of transmission over the Internet. No opinions contained herein shall be construed as being a formal disclosure or commitment of the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation unless specifically so stated. From kisansbc at vsnl.com Sun Nov 25 20:29:10 2001 From: kisansbc at vsnl.com (kisan mehta) Date: Sun, 25 Nov 2001 16:59:10 +0530 Subject: [sustran] Participating in UN Regional Workshop on Inspection and Maintenance of Vehicles References: <000201c16e00$fab31420$6801a8c0@Home> <3BFBD7F4.7526090F@igc.org> <001d01c172b5$34533580$a75d4540@novustelecom.net> <3BFBEBB2.895288DF@igc.org> Message-ID: <003401c175a4$677fce40$3226020a@im.eth.net> Dear Paul and Sustran Friends My colleague Priya Salvi, Hon Project Coordinator and myself are participating in the UN Workshop on the Inspection and Maintenance Policy organised in Bangkok on 9-12 Dec 2001. We shall appreciate input on this delicate issue from Sustran friends. We would be delighted to meet Sustran members and friends in Bangkok during our stay from 7-14 Dec to interact on common issues and to understand the plan on car free Silom Road which was flashed on Sustran a few weeks ago. We are in Bangkok 7-14 Dec. We shall appreciate your advising us on our friends in Bangkok and elsewhere involved in transport issues. Best wishes. Kisan Mehta kisansbc@vsnl.com Priya Salvi Hon Project Coordinator From townsend at central.murdoch.edu.au Sun Nov 25 23:39:18 2001 From: townsend at central.murdoch.edu.au (Craig Townsend) Date: Sun, 25 Nov 2001 22:39:18 +0800 Subject: [sustran] Re: Participating in UN Regional Workshop on Inspection and Maintenance of Vehicles In-Reply-To: <003401c175a4$677fce40$3226020a@im.eth.net> References: <000201c16e00$fab31420$6801a8c0@Home> <3BFBD7F4.7526090F@igc.org> <001d01c172b5$34533580$a75d4540@novustelecom.net> <3BFBEBB2.895288DF@igc.org> Message-ID: <5.0.2.1.0.20011125223659.009f61c0@central.murdoch.edu.au> From The Nation (Thailand) online edition New route to health Published on Nov 25, 2001 Usually smoggy Silom Road will become a picture of health today, as it hosts the biggest gathering of tai chi practitioners in the country's history in an event dubbed "Healthy Silom". This is the second Sunday in the "7 Wonders @ Silom" series, a programme aimed at saving energy, reducing pollution on Silom Road and promoting tourism by opening the street up to pedestrians once a week. Last Sunday's theme was "Green Silom". A bicycle race and other activities were held on Bangkok's main business thoroughfare, which was closed to traffic. Dr Tawatchai Laosirihong, head of the campaign, declared last week's event a success, saying it attracted plenty of interest from the public. At 04:59 PM 25/11/01 +0530, you wrote: >Dear Paul and Sustran Friends > >My colleague Priya Salvi, Hon Project Coordinator and >myself are participating in the UN Workshop on the >Inspection and Maintenance Policy organised in >Bangkok on 9-12 Dec 2001. We shall appreciate input >on this delicate issue from Sustran friends. > >We would be delighted to meet Sustran members and >friends in Bangkok during our stay from 7-14 Dec to >interact on common issues and to understand the plan >on car free Silom Road which was flashed on Sustran >a few weeks ago. We are in Bangkok 7-14 Dec. > >We shall appreciate your advising us on our friends in >Bangkok and elsewhere involved in transport issues. >Best wishes. > >Kisan Mehta kisansbc@vsnl.com >Priya Salvi Hon Project Coordinator ________________________________________________ Craig Townsend Institute for Sustainability & Technology Policy Murdoch University South Street, Murdoch Perth, Western Australia 6150 tel: (61 8) 9360 6278 fax: (61 8) 9360 6421 email: townsend@central.murdoch.edu.au -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://list.jca.apc.org/manage/private/sustran-discuss/attachments/20011125/1c891067/attachment.htm From litman at vtpi.org Mon Nov 26 00:27:49 2001 From: litman at vtpi.org (Todd Litman) Date: Sun, 25 Nov 2001 07:27:49 -0800 Subject: [sustran] Re: Participating in UN Regional Workshop on Inspection and Maintenance of Vehicles In-Reply-To: <003401c175a4$677fce40$3226020a@im.eth.net> References: <000201c16e00$fab31420$6801a8c0@Home> <3BFBD7F4.7526090F@igc.org> <001d01c172b5$34533580$a75d4540@novustelecom.net> <3BFBEBB2.895288DF@igc.org> Message-ID: <3.0.5.32.20011125072749.00b0bc30@pop.islandnet.com> I assume that this program is intended as an emission reduction strategy. Inspection/Maintenance (I/M) programs have been criticized because vehicles are checked so infrequently, and some motorists adjust their engines to satisfy the test, and afterwards adjust their engines back to a higher polluting mode to gain performance. A new technology is available that identifies high polluting vehicles as they drive along the roadway. The developers claim that it is far more cost effective than I/M, particularly if the time motorists spend on I/M tests is considered. For information on this and other strategies see the "Emission Reduction" chapter of the Online TDM Encyclopedia at http://www.vtip.org/tdm/tdm59.htm. Best wishes, -Todd Litman At 04:59 PM 11/25/01 +0530, you wrote: >Dear Paul and Sustran Friends > >My colleague Priya Salvi, Hon Project Coordinator and >myself are participating in the UN Workshop on the >Inspection and Maintenance Policy organised in >Bangkok on 9-12 Dec 2001. We shall appreciate input >on this delicate issue from Sustran friends. > >We would be delighted to meet Sustran members and >friends in Bangkok during our stay from 7-14 Dec to >interact on common issues and to understand the plan >on car free Silom Road which was flashed on Sustran >a few weeks ago. We are in Bangkok 7-14 Dec. > >We shall appreciate your advising us on our friends in >Bangkok and elsewhere involved in transport issues. >Best wishes. > >Kisan Mehta kisansbc@vsnl.com >Priya Salvi Hon Project Coordinator > > > > > > 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@vtpi.org Website: http://www.vtpi.org From litman at vtpi.org Mon Nov 26 01:23:00 2001 From: litman at vtpi.org (Todd Litman) Date: Sun, 25 Nov 2001 08:23:00 -0800 Subject: [sustran] Re: Participating in UN Regional Workshop on Inspection and Maintenance of Vehicles Message-ID: <3.0.5.32.20011125082300.00b0a780@pop.islandnet.com> Note: the URL for the "Emission Reduction Strategies" chapter in my previous email had two letters transposed. Below is the currect version. ============================================ I assume that this program is intended as an emission reduction strategy. Inspection/Maintenance (I/M) programs have been criticized because vehicles are checked so infrequently, and some motorists adjust their engines to satisfy the test, and afterwards adjust their engines back to a higher polluting mode to gain performance. A new technology is available that identifies high polluting vehicles as they drive along the roadway. The developers claim that it is far more cost effective than I/M, particularly if the time motorists spend on I/M tests is considered. For information on this and other strategies see the "Emission Reduction" chapter of the Online TDM Encyclopedia at http://www.vtpi.org/tdm/tdm59.htm. Best wishes, -Todd Litman At 04:59 PM 11/25/01 +0530, you wrote: >Dear Paul and Sustran Friends > >My colleague Priya Salvi, Hon Project Coordinator and >myself are participating in the UN Workshop on the >Inspection and Maintenance Policy organised in >Bangkok on 9-12 Dec 2001. We shall appreciate input >on this delicate issue from Sustran friends. > >We would be delighted to meet Sustran members and >friends in Bangkok during our stay from 7-14 Dec to >interact on common issues and to understand the plan >on car free Silom Road which was flashed on Sustran >a few weeks ago. We are in Bangkok 7-14 Dec. > >We shall appreciate your advising us on our friends in >Bangkok and elsewhere involved in transport issues. >Best wishes. > >Kisan Mehta kisansbc@vsnl.com >Priya Salvi Hon Project Coordinator > > > > > > 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@vtpi.org Website: http://www.vtpi.org From kisansbc at vsnl.com Tue Nov 27 10:26:58 2001 From: kisansbc at vsnl.com (kisan mehta) Date: Tue, 27 Nov 2001 06:56:58 +0530 Subject: [sustran] UN Workshop on I&M of vehicles Message-ID: <002901c176e2$9bed6f40$3226020a@im.eth.net> ----- Original Message ----- From: kisan mehta To: sustran-discuss Sent: Monday, November 26, 2001 8:28 PM Subject: UN Workshop on I&M of vehicles Dear Sustran Friends, Many encouraging responses have come particularly from Eric Britton, Todd Litman and Craig Townsend. We are incorporating them in our presentation. The paper is still under preparation and we hope to send to the sponsors by Thu 29th. We are venturing to circulate and welcome suggestions. It isstill not in the final form so please pardon incoherent submission. Looking into Eric.s & Todd's hints to-day. Thanks a lot. Kisan and Priya > > > Introduction > > > > The Save Bombay Committee (SBC) is a `not for profit' > public trust and a registered society of members set up > in the year 1972. The objects are agitating for protection > of the environment, conservation of the finite natural > sources, civil rights and equitable access to all living > beings to the natural resources of the region, country > and the earth. > > > > The SBC takes up issues of regional and urban > planning and development, gender equity, appropriate management of solid and liquid waste through wise use of limited resources to ensure minimum standard of public health and to reduce waste. It collaborates with other national and international voluntary organisations in opposing mega-projects that affect the environment and local people. It campaigns for elimination and reduction of toxic substances in private and public life so as to reduce air pollution. Some of the campaigns include promoting chemical free sustainable agriculture, reducing reliance on petroleum based products in the firm belief that the air quality can be maintained by reducing the use of petroleum based products. > > >Air quality in a region can be maintained by managing solid and liquid wastes in an environmentally friendly manner by reducing emissions to air as well as by controlling and monitoring the use of gadgets and equipment relying on petroleum based products. The SBC campaigns for elimination of Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs). It has developed and promotes Integrated Solid Waste Management Programme (ISWMP) aimed at 100% reutilisation of solid waste as well as lobbies with the authorities for adopting environmentally safe treatment and discharge of waste water. It agitates for pedestrian oriented public transport sustainable by the community. > We shall restrict our submissions to the need for reducing emissions to air as well as to the development of a policy on inspection and maintenance of vehicles and to its implementation. Vehicle emissions and exhausts have become a major contributor of pollution to air on which all living beings sustain. > > > > History > Though India was amongst the very few nations represented by the Prime Minister in the 1972 Stockholm Conference, it was only in 1978 that the Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, conceding to the citizen pressure, constituted an independent Ministry for Environment. This single action brought a seachange in approach to deteriorating environment. The Ministry has constituted a Central Pollution Control Board. Practically all the states of India have their own Minister for Environment and Pollution Control Board. > > > The Central (Federal) Ministry for Environment and Forests and the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) lay down standards and norms for maintaining environment quality however they are brought into being much later than their right time. Relaxations galore making a mockery of pollution control. Substantial number of norms do not meet the citizen expectations. Implementation is erratic and half hearted so even if a policy exists, it remains on paper. State ministries have not yet come to grips with the need for protecting the environment. > > > Voluntary organisations and concerned citizens, often, take recourse to the Federal and State apex judiciary for obtaining policy implementation or for issuance of directives to the federal and/or state governments on issues not unambiguously settled. While the highest courts have, admitting Public Interest Litigations, issued specific directives upholding the citizen demand, implementation thereof has not been encouraging. > > > The SBC has taken up issues from time to time on containing the pollution caused by motorised transport for the movement of the man as well as of goods and services. It firmly believes guaranteeing a quality of life by reducing reliance on petroleum based vehicles to be more effective than subsequent correcting of the degraded environment brought out by motorised vehicles. > > > Burgeoning urban centres of the developing countries raise peculiar problems not amenable to set drawing board solutions. Every large urban centre, rushing to becoming megalopolis, has typical problems that cannot be solved in an environmentally satisfactory manner without looking into and managing fringe aspects that affect the growth of urban centres. Encouraging success achieved, if at all, at one centre is not replicable pari passu to another centre except that that particular success may provide clues on measures and methods to be tried. One factor, though, is common to cities of the developing countries that they are, unlike cities in the western world, growing at a fast pace with basic infrastructure disappointingly legging far behind. > > > Though many of the SBC campaigns have a regional, state and national significance, we wish to dwell on issues that face Mumbai which had a population of 11.91 million in March 2001 staying on 466.35 sq km of landmass. This gives an average density of 25,538 persons per sq km, unheard of anywhere in the world. Average built up space per capita is 2.5 sq m with about 0.4 ha of open space for 1,000 population. > > >About 65% of Mumbai residents are condemned to staying in slums with no or inadequate sanitary and washing facilities. Many of the slum colonies are located in areas abutting major roads and lanes as well as on pavements themselves. Being so close to movement of vehicles and men, slum dwellers are the first to suffer the consequence of vehicular emissions and noise. > > We cannot avoid referring to the publication Environment State of Greater Mumbai, 1999-2000' brought out by the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM). Every large municipality is required to publish studies giving the State of Environment. Some data used in our presentation are from this publication while others are collated by the speaker. > > > "The total length of roads in Mumbai is 1,808.28 km comprising of 572.05 km in the Island City (area 70.27 sq km having 3.16 million residents), and 1,236.23 km in the Suburbs (area 396.08 sq km having 6.75 million residents). For ensuring smooth flow of traffic, a project to construct 55 flyover bridges was undertaken by Maharashtra State Government, out of which majority are completed and the balance expected to be ready by mid 2002. Total number of vehicles in Mumbai is 9,70,674, showing a compound growth rate of 7% per annum over the 12 years period. Air pollution load due to auto exhaust is recorded at 551 Metric Tons Per Day (MTPD) comprising of SO2, NO2, CO, SPM and hydrocarbon. Concentration levels of NO2, RSP and CO have exceeded the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) laid down by the CPCB. Studies carried out by the MCGM during a period when vehicles were off the road following a strike to work indicates overall 25% reduction in air pollution levels. > > > "The MCGM monitors the ambient air quality. Air quality of certain gaseous pollutants and suspended particulate matter is evaluated and compared with the NAAQS norms. Air quality levels of SO2 and NO2 appear to be within the limits whereas SPM levels exceed the standards everywhere. Air pollution index comprising of three air pollutants, SO2, NO2 and SPM ranges ranges from 22 to 136 for air monitoring sites. Noise levels measured in decibels (dB) exceed the laid down standards throughout Mumbai, many areas developing higher decibels at night. > > > "The Island City and Suburbs have 13,118 and 24,449 industries respectively totaling to 37,567 industries and that accounts for about 42% of the total industries of the state of Maharashtra. Total daily air pollution emission is 817.5 MTPD in which emission from the industry is 304.MTPD. This goes to show that motorised vehicles are the major polluter of air. > > > "Urban environmental problems contribute to day to day struggle for existence to the residents of Mumbai. A few population groups like children, women, slum and pavement dwellers, workers in the small and large industries, the handicapped and senior residents have to bear the brunt of the adverse effects of environmental pollution. It is observed that infants and children are at greater risk of dying due to environment related diseases such as diarrhea, cholera and respiratory and cardiovascular tract infections as well as cancer. Some of the most common environment related occupational diseases are silicosis, byssinosis, pesticide poisoning, skin diseases as well as noise induced hearing impairment and loss." > > > What is definitely not conceded in public is that high pollution levels affect more intensively and directly living beings in congested areas. With very high congestion prevailing in Mumbai and extremely limited open space the impact can be more disastrous than the mere statistics show. Again large number of residents cannot afford expensive medical treatment so their ailments do not come on record. Risk to illhealth is decidedly higher that what comes to the notice of the authorities. The State and MCGM recently cut down public health facilities having budget sanctions on the grounds of escalating health care costs and diversion of funds to flyover and road construction to remain in tune with consumerism developed following the World Bank insisting on globalisation and free access to markets. . > > Motor vehicles were required to be brought before the Motor Vehicle Registration Authority once in a year when payment of annual vehicle registration tax became due. The authority then could refuse to renew the licence to be on the road to a polluting vehicle. The annual payment of tax has since been replaced by one time tax equivalent to the tax amount becoming payable in 17 years. This one time tax has taken away the annual checking the condition of a vehicle. There is no provision even for scrapping of a vehicle on the expiry of 17 years. So a vehicle can be on the road polluting the atmosphere till the time the owner decides to do away with that polluting vehicle. Car prices being high, they continue to be used by the owner. They go to smaller towns causing more pollution as the authorities have no means to monitor in smaller human centres. The common belief is that motorised vehicles have a deathless life and go out of use only when the aggregate resale value of components becomes higher than the real cost of a running vehicle. > > > Following the demand of the SBC and voluntary organisations, the authorities directed that every vehicle shall be checked for exhaust emission every three months and an official tag shall be appropriately displayed. This brought some sense of responsibility amongst vehicle owners however it was soon relaxed due to the car lobby. No checking exists after the authorities relaxed. Sporadic checking on road cannot track down every delinquent vehicle. They then directed gasoline supplier to fill the tank only after the owner produces the `pollution under control' certificate. Gasoline dealers do not have the time and machinery to check up a certificate and its validity. So we are back to square one of granting to vehicle owners an unrestricted licence to pollute the environment. > > >Vehicle owners go to unauthorised roadside garages for engine trouble. The garages replace a broken or failed part by a worn out part, most likely pilfered or duplicated. After a few days the vehicle starts causing more pollution that it ever was doing. There is no check on garages or roadside garages and mechanics who create confidence in the uninitiated driver by restarting the engine failed on way to work place. The need for periodic checking and servicing of the vehicle is largely not accepted by the owners. > > > Noise from vehicles has a more depressing impact on the community. In addition to continuous rattleing caused by old cars, drivers continue to honk constantly with or without need. They have not considered it necessary driving without honking. Quite often vehicles are fitted with electronic horns making the hell of a noise. Many are fitted with shrilling alarm which activate even on accidental touching by a passerby. Vehicles are parked on pavements hindering the movement of passers by. A police officer taking action for parking in `no parking' zone does not take cognizance of pavement parking because his authority is to book drivers parking on a carriageway. > > > Traffic jams and idling at the traffic signals is a common occurance. One statistics indicates that 11% of the fuel is wasted in engine idling. An idling engine relatively throws out higher emission than a vehicle running at the optimum speed. Concepts of road management and road pricing are conspicuous by their total absence so vehicles are found parked everywhere. To promote car ownership, the authorities extend all concessions topped by no charge for use of roads for driving and parking. In constrast, the authorities ake away about 15% of the fare the public road transport service charges to the commuter. Financial institutions extend loan upto 100% of the cost for personal cars at practically zero interest. On the other hand, large number of people needing finance for feeding the family have no hope of securing a loan even at the commercial rate of interest. > > > The acceptance of the World Bank/IMF dictats on globalisation and free market access has resulted in making a personal car freely available. Practically all global car actors have set up their shop in India and constantly enter into cut throat competition to woo the citizen with all types of freebees. It is that Mumbai has much larger number of cars than it can conveniently sustain. Road construction and maintenance is the obligatory duty of the Municipality and it tries to meet this obligation without expecting any contribution from car owners. Sealocked Mumbai cannot construct roads to meet the annual 8.5% increase in car population. North-south movement between residences and crowded business district causes serious problems to the car owner as well but mainly to non-owners and pedestrians. >We have constantly represented to the authorities on the need of levying heavy annual charges at rates commensurate with the level of congestion to cut down nonessential vehicles from entering into crowded areas but with no success. > > > Heavy duty commercial vehicles are another menace. There are no restrictions on entry, parking or docking (including for carrying out repairs) anywhere. Though wholesale trading activities are shifted outside Mumbai's geographical limits, constantly smoking commercial vehicles continue to be in Mumbai, possibly because of the proximity of the port to the business district and location of large warehousing space near to the port and business district. We have proposed phasing out of warehouses from the Island City now that wholesale markets are shifted but with no success. > > > Mumbai is connected to urban centres as far as 1500 km away by private and public intercity bus and taxies. Large number of buses visit Mumbai and enter into domestic and ecologically fragile areas causing severe hardship to residents and traffic jams. These buses contribute substantially to pollution as well as congestion in inner areas. The SBC proposal to set up intercity bus termini on the periphery of the Island City has not met with any success. > > >No comprehensive Inspection and Maintenance Policy exists. So many norms and directives issued by diverse authorities create more confusion than order. Road construction and maintenance cannot keep pace with the growing number of vehicles. Mumbai with ecceedingl high population density per sq km cannot spare space for roads and infrastructure facilities. Despite suggestions from the World Bank, road construction is not physically and financially possible. Shifting of large section of residents is not possible because of massive gigantic resettlement and rehabilitation problems. > > >Two sections of the community have to bear the brunt of unrestricted ingress of motorised two, three and four wheelers vehicles. Slum dwellers face the pollution from the motorised vehicles while pedestrians and non-owners of vehicles face the threat of being killed or seriously injured on the road by poorly maintained vehicles. Slum dwellers are exposed to cardio-vascular diseases because they inhale the toxic gases generated by diesel and gasoline driven vehicles. No wonder that Mumbai alternates between the first or second rank in the world for killing or injuring human beings on road. > > >Comprehensive Inspection and Maintenance Policy to ensure minimum quality of life is inconceivable in the foreseeable future. Whatever have come as sporadic norms are difficult to implement. Foolproof implementation does not exist and can probably not be forced upon. Large number of first time car buyers and owners have not visualised the total responsibility going with the ownership of a vehicle. Creating artificial conditions to meet with the dictats of multilateral agencies cannot take citizens far in assuring environmentally safe conditions to the people. Observance of the Policy cannot be assured from the top. Citizens using personal vehicles for self travel or for providing services are not always aware of the dangers of the non-implementation of half hearted regulations. > > From geobpa at nus.edu.sg Wed Nov 28 12:53:09 2001 From: geobpa at nus.edu.sg (Paul Barter) Date: Wed, 28 Nov 2001 11:53:09 +0800 Subject: [sustran] FW: [NGOForum] Re: Killing at Colombo - Katunayake Expressway Wo rksite Message-ID: <2C9E855D35B9D01198190020AFFBE8CB0B86F66A@exs04.ex.nus.edu.sg> -----Original Message----- From: Hemantha@ef.is.lk [mailto:Hemantha@ef.is.lk] Sent: Thursday, 22 November 2001 2:07 To: forumonadb@yahoogroups.com Subject: [NGOForum] Re: Killing at Colombo - Katunayake Expressway Worksite Wednesday, 21 November 2001 PRESS RELEASE ENVIRONMENTAL FOUNDATION LTD., 3, Campbell Terrace Colombo 10, Sri Lanka. Killing at Colombo - Katunayake Expressway Worksite Who is responsible for these deaths? Three persons were killed and two others seriously injured among ten people hospitalised on 20th November 2001 in Uswetakeyyawa during a public protest against the off-shore sand dredging for the construction of Colombo-Katunayake Expressway (CKE) project. Finally the public protest was suppressed by opening gunfire. In this project, the trace outline of the original design has considerably been altered due to public protests in 1994. The original design of CKE cut across the Muthurajawela mash, which is the largest wetland close to Colombo. The road is 32 kilometres long and partly crosses the Negombo lagoon, which had led to the above protest. The foundation of the road needs 4.7 million cubic metres of sea sand. The project was approved by the Central Environmental Authority in 2000 and the dredging company Boskalis which is a Netherlands based company is using ORET funds from the Netherlands Government. It was identified that over 200 the people would be affected on a normal fishing day and they should be compensated. The NARA reports have strongly suggested that they should be compensated properly. A monitoring Committee chaired by the Central Environmental Authority has been appointed in respect of environmental and social mitigation and monitoring on a proposal prepared by the Road Development Authority, in which relevant stakeholders are represented. However, these state sector organisations seem to be silent over the recent developments. It is indeed a shame that the affected fishermen were not duly compensated due to the negative impact on their livelihood and the result of their protest was that they were killed. This is indeed a most basic violation of human rights. The Central Environmental Authority which approved the project and who chaired the monitoring committee which is mandatory under the National Environmental Act is responsible in respect of its inability to monitor the payment of compensation and to settle disputes over the compensation issue. This project involves the following among other environmental hazards The run off water carrying pollutants from the CKE directly into the lagoon has not been dealt with adequately. This has been accepted by the commission appointed by the Royal Netherlands Government. The accelerated sedimentation resulting in frequent events of high flood and prolonged drought and pollution This is also not the first time such killings have taken place in places of public uprising and protest, the last time being during the public protest against the coal fired thermal power plant at Norochcholai. There are other cases in the history of environmental management, where monitoring has failed considerably. Eg. the Voice of America at Iranawila where international co-operation was involved. These are just two examples of the failure of the environmental monitoring and assessment process in Sri Lanka. We strongly protest at the blatant abuse of power by the State Law Enforcement Agencies and the violation of human rights, during a protest aimed at safeguarding their own livelihood and property. We also urge the Government of Netherlands to request an investigation in to this matter and to take necessary steps and remedial action. Ravi Algama, Chairman Hemantha Withanage, Environmental Foundataion/FOE Sri Lanka ... Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service. From ecoplan.adsl at wanadoo.fr Thu Nov 29 05:49:05 2001 From: ecoplan.adsl at wanadoo.fr (ecoplan) Date: Wed, 28 Nov 2001 21:49:05 +0100 Subject: [sustran] UN Workshop on I&M of vehicles In-Reply-To: <002901c176e2$9bed6f40$3226020a@im.eth.net> Message-ID: <000b01c1784e$1f3eb4f0$6801a8c0@Home> Dear Friends, I have before me the good position paper on transport policy and practice in Mumbai prepared by Kisan and Priya for the UN Workshop, and while I cannot really comment on the detailed analysis -- which however strikes me as deep thinking, responsible and extremely well informed -- I can offer an observation that came out of meeting at the OECD yesterday in which there was general agreement among quite a wide range of persons with expertise on matters of the future and public policy, which was this. Today, in 2001, this first year of the new Millennium, the most responsible and generally reliable voices being heard on these important matters of public policy and practice are those of the NGOs. These groups are increasingly being increasingly credited with being reliable and unbiased sources who really have something to say on these perplexing issues, and as such generally thought to be far more credible than either government, industry or the press. Of which the Save Bombay Committee is, in my bo0ok, one more shining example. So may we thank you for your hard and excellent work and do all we can to make sure that the world, and our governments, who are in fact starved for reliable information and perspective, listen most carefully. Good luck at the UN Workshop. I am pleased to know in advance from my knowledge of those who are going to be there that you are going to have at least some support where it counts. With all good wishes, Eric Britton The Commons __ technology, economy, society__ Le Frene, 8/10 rue Joseph Bara, 75006 Paris, France Day phone: +331 4326 1323 Mobile: +336 80 96 78 79 24 hour Fax/Voicemail hotline: +331 5301 2896 http://ecoplan.org/ IP Videoconference: 193.252.199.213 Email: ecoplan.adsl@wanadoo.fr From intlbike at ibike.org Thu Nov 29 09:13:39 2001 From: intlbike at ibike.org (David Mozer) Date: Wed, 28 Nov 2001 16:13:39 -0800 Subject: [sustran] Bicycle factory conditions In-Reply-To: <3.0.6.32.20000406063704.011e3100@pop.islandnet.com> Message-ID: We received the following question. Does anyone have any information? Do you have, or can you direct me to information about the labour conditions in Chinese factories in which Trek bikes are produced? Thanks, INTERNATIONAL BICYCLE FUND -- www.ibike.org Promoting sustainable transport and understanding worldwide.