[sustran] AW: [sustran] FW: Re: comments on WBCSD Mobility 21 Report

matthias mueth matthias_mueth at hotmail.com
Thu Nov 15 19:41:02 JST 2001


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 at jca.ax.apc.org
[mailto:owner-sustran-discuss at jca.ax.apc.org] Im Auftrag von Paul Barter
Gesendet: Mittwoch, 14. November 2001 10:09
An: 'sustran-discuss at jca.apc.org'
Betreff: [sustran] FW: Re: comments on WBCSD Mobility 21 Report

Subject: BOUNCE sustran-discuss at jca.ax.apc.org: Non-member submission
from ["John Whitelegg" <j_whitelegg at hotmail.com>]


From: "John Whitelegg" <j_whitelegg at hotmail.com>
To: sustran-discuss at 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 <mobility at igc.org>
>Reply-To: sustran-discuss at jca.ax.apc.org
>To: sustran-discuss at 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



More information about the Sustran-discuss mailing list