[sustran] Re: (fwd) [UTSG] transport strategy transfer

[Craig Townsend]

I agree with Jonathan. 

I would, however, like to question the use of a concept of a 
monolithic "West" in globalizing and industrializing Southeast Asia. The major 
of large transport infrastructure projects in Bangkok have been paid for and 
executed by the Japanese developmental state. No "Western" nation comes close. 
If we consider automobiles and motorcycles as part of the technology transfer 
equation, again the majority is coming from Japan. Some other issues I would 
like to raise:

-There are other complexities within the Southeast Asian region: e.g. 
Malaysian road engineering companies are now undertaking projects in Australia 
and India. 
-Much of the techology transfer is not being led by nation-states, but by 
transnational corporate enterprises. 
-Singapore did not "invent" road pricing which was proposed by a French 
economist, conceptualized and planned for practical application by economists 
in London, and taken up by the government in Singapore, and implemented using 
Japanese electronics. The success in Singapore is not so much a matter of 
technical innovation but of a an unusual set of political characteristics: an 
authoritarian government led by middle class professionals and no civil 
society, no automobile interests to lobby against limitations on car ownership 
and use, and a high level of coordination and continuity because there is 
effectively only one political party and one level of government 
administration. 

Hopefully these rather random points may be of some use, Fatima.

Craig Townsend

Quoting "Jonathan E. D. Richmond" <richmond at alum.mit.edu>:

> 
> 
> BRAVO! Well said (the message arrives the very evening I am re-reading
> Hook and Repogle's article on "Motorization and non-motorized transport in
> Asia" which I am having my students prepare for class tomorrow!!!)
> 
> What I see is too much learning from the West without adequate local
> context. Consultants come in to say what needs to be done; Western
> textbooks are consulted when they are not appropriate to local situations.
> 4-step models are used when they not only have little or no predictive
> power but ignore pedestrian and other non-motorized movements that are
> vital to local mobility -- and often to the local economy as well.
> Cost-benefit analysis puts the needs of motorists ahead because they have
> higher income -- so "obviously" their time is worth more.
> 
> If the West is to help, we need more of a mixing of minds: people who will
> come from the West to listen and observe and share concepts with local
> professionals as equals, rather than arriving without an understanding of
> context to give irrelevant instructions.
> 
>                                                 --Jonathan
> 
> 
> 
> On Thu, 22 Apr 2004, Walter Hook wrote:
> 
> > i think we developed countries have transferred most of our problems to
> > developing countries, starting with the automobile and the auto-dominated
> > highway capacity manual, for example, out of date versions still used
> > despite very different conditions.  green wave area traffic control
> signals,
> > killing a lot more pedestrians, highway overpasses, transferred from
> > developed world, disrupting transit  and pedestrian and bicycle flows,
> > metros disrupting bus-based transit systems and trapping countries in
> > perpetual debts, etc. the big innovations came from curitiba, singapore
> (now
> > developed), and china.
> >
> > w.
> >
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "Alan P Howes" <alan at ourpeagreenboat.co.uk>
> > To: <sustran-discuss at list.jca.apc.org>
> > Cc: "Fatima Elaiab" <elaiabf at TCD.IE>
> > Sent: Wednesday, April 21, 2004 4:37 PM
> > Subject: [sustran] (fwd) [UTSG] transport strategy transfer
> >
> >
> > Hi sustranners -
> >
> > Can anyone help Fatima (who is at Trinity College, Dublin) with this
> > request?  Seems one that should be appropriate to this group.
> >
> > Replies direct to Fatima please, <elaiabf at TCD.IE> - if you cc to me as
> > well, I will know if it was worth forwarding!
> >
> > Alan
> >
> >
> > On Wed, 21 Apr 2004 16:49:24 +0100, Fatima Elaiab <elaiabf at TCD.IE>
> > wrote to UTSG at JISCMAIL.AC.UK:
> >
> > >Dear all.
> > >
> > >I am looking for studies, researches or papers that have considered the
> > >posibiliaity of transfer transport strategies from developed countries
> > >(experienced in transport filed) to less developed countries. The
> transfer
> > >or apply the experience may be in one side of the strategy such as
> > >technology, transport management, control car ownership level strategy or
> > >other. I do appreciate any help in this side.
> > >Thank you.
> >
> > --
> > Alan P Howes, Perthshire, Scotland
> > alan at ourpeagreenboat.co.uk
> > http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/alanhowes/  [Needs Updating!]
> >
> 
> -----
> 
> Jonathan E. D. Richmond                               02 524-5510 (office)
> Visiting Fellow                               Intl.: 662 524-5510
> Transportation Engineering program
> School of Civil Engineering, Room N260B               02 524-8257 (home)
> Asian Institute of Technology                 Intl.: 662 524-8257
> PO Box 4
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> 
> e-mail: richmond at ait.ac.th               Secretary:  Ms. Nisarat Hansuksa
>         richmond at alum.mit.edu		              02 524-6051
> 					      Intl:  662 524-6051
> http://the-tech.mit.edu/~richmond/
> 
>