[sustran] FW: Sustainable Transport E-Update

[Paul Barter]

Forwarding this excellent newsletter without the original's beautiful formatting (sorry) ...  FULL STORIES available at ITDP's website www.itdp.org
Paul

-----Original Message-----
From: 52-1399520-return-38-51941687 at lb.bcentral.com [mailto:52-1399520-return-38-51941687 at lb.bcentral.com] On Behalf Of ITDP
Sent: Thursday, 20 March 2003 12:06 AM
To: List Member
Subject: Sustainable Transport E-Update

The Bulletin of the Institute for Transportation & Development Policy (ITDP)

Contents * Latin America * Asia * Africa * Europe and North America * Events
 
Latin America (click here to translate this section)

Mexico City Announces Bus Rapid Transit Plans
 In early February, Mexico City Mayor Andrés Manuel López Obrador announced that the city has approved a five-year project to build 11 Bus Rapid Transit corridors on the city's main arteries. However, Mexico City's widely criticized "Segundo Piso" project, which would add a second deck to the city's two most congested highways, has still not been shelved. FULL STORY 
Mexico City's attempt to build its way out of congestion (Photo courtesy of Reforma) 

Cycleways Are No Longer Just a Dream for Quito
After the Cycleway Seminar for Quito in February, the city has made a firm commitment to build permanent cycleways and celebrate the city's first Car-Free Sunday. A Management Committee made up of NGO representatives and municipal officials is overseeing the projects. FULL STORY (in English or Spanish)
 
Asia (click here to translate this section)

Jakarta Plans Bus Rapid Transit System
In Jakarta, Indonesia, plans to develop a new Bus Rapid Transit system are gaining momentum. In February, a delegation of 15 Indonesian government, local parliament, private sector, press, and NGO representatives attended the International Seminar on Human Mobility in Bogotá. Many of the delegates returned to Indonesia enthusiastic to incorporate what they learned in Bogotá into Jakarta's plans. FULL STORY 
 
Tehran on the Road to More Sustainable Transport
After a great deal of internal debate and a visit to Bogotá, the city of Tehran is poised to add a Bus Rapid Transit system to its transport strategy. Site visits and consultations with city officials from both Bogotá and other Latin American cities provided the insight and inspiration for the commitment to creating a similar system in Tehran as a compliment to the growing number of sustainable transport projects already begun by the last two administrations. FULL STORY
 
Africa (click here to translate this section)

Baesekele: The Hero's Journey
>From Free State Farmworker to Competition Cyclist
When they cross the finish line on March 16, the eleven men that make up BEN Team Thornvale will complete a journey that began not at the start of the Argus Cycle Tour, but many worlds away on a farm near the Free State town of Viljoenskroon. Two months earlier these men had never used a racing bicycle or been beyond the borders of the landlocked Free State. Soon, they will complete the biggest cycle race in the world. FULL STORY 
 
Transforming Dar es Salaam
Dar es Salaam, the capital city of Tanzania, is faced with a number of problems, including inefficient urban transport services and management, inadequate infrastructure, as well as increasing levels of air pollution. In view of this, the opportunity to attend the "International Seminar on Human Mobility" was considered as a major step towards solving some of the problems facing Dar es Salaam's urban transport sector through introduction of a Bus Rapid Transit Project. FULL STORY
 
Africa Accelerates Switch to Unleaded Gasoline
Most African countries will switch to unleaded fuel within the next five years, according to research presented at a conference held by the United Nations Environment Program in early February. Environmental ministers from over 100 nations attended the conference, held in Nairobi. FULL STORY 
 
Europe and North America (click here to translate this section)

Czech Transport Ministry Seeks to Undermine Highway Review Process
The Czech Ministry of Transport is readying a new law that would sweep away delays caused by opposition to highway building projects. It would shorten highway approval processes, and limit who can object to approvals. Environmental groups protest that the law would be unconstitutional and violate the UN Declaration of Human Rights. They say that if their right to appeal through legal means is restricted, they will protect the public interest rights more directly. FULL STORY
 
London's Smooth Shift to Congestion Pricing
Critics of London's congestion charging program backed off last month when its first several weeks went off without a hitch. Although traffic crept up slightly after students returned from vacation, traffic levels remained 17-18% lower than typical levels. FULL STORY 
 
London's Speed Camera Program Cut Ped Injuries in Half
Deaths and serious injuries fell by 35% on London roads where speed cameras have been in operation, according to a U.K. Department for Transport report. The number of pedestrians seriously injured or killed in crashes dropped by 56%. FULL STORY
 
U.S. Road Building Extends to Earth's Farthest Reaches
 The United States is constructing a Trans-Antarctica highway, which after five years and $20 million will run nearly 1000 miles across the icy wilderness. The route - made of packed snow and ice - will connect the McMurdo Sound base to scientific research stations at the South Pole. FULL STORY
The construction team blasts open the "Mongo crevasse"

Ahold Scandal Puts Focus on Corporate Accountability
News of Royal Ahold's $500 million accounting fib has The Economist and other observers calling it the Enron of Europe. In addition to overstating its profits, the Dutch foodservice giant has been accused of bribing officials in Argentina and giving off-the-books "bonuses" to US executives. 
FULL STORY and ITDP's Smart Retail Campaign
 
Editor: Lisa Peterson
Executive Director: Walter Hook
 
Contents * Latin America * Asia * Africa * Europe and North America * Events
 

Sustainable Transport e-Update is published by the 
Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP) mobility at itdp.org