[sustran] Re: More on motorbikes

[Daryl Oster]

Motorcycles have several cost and safety advantages over other modes:

A couple of measures that best indicate a vehicles efficiency and relative
safety in an urban environment is the vehicle mass per occupant, and the
vehicle mass per driver.  

The vehicle mass per occupant is a good metric to compare the relative
efficiency of materials, and energy use:  

For a motorcycle with a mass of 100kg, the average vehicle mass per occupant
is either 50kg at best (vehicle fully loaded), to 100kg worst case(only the
driver).  For a car of 900kg, the vehicle mass per passenger is about
150kg/pasenger at best, to 900kg/passenger worst.  For a 10,000kg 50
passenger bus, the best case is 200kg, and the worst case is 10,000kg.  For
a train, the mass per occupant are yet higher.  The mechanics of material
use dictates that larger vehicles will required more material use per
occupant under best case, and the usual case of less than 100% load factor,
the real world material utilization is much worse.  

It is true that motorcycle death rate is much greater than the rate in cars
or busses.  How much of that is the fault of the motorcycle, and how much is
the fault of the cars and buses?  For equal speed of vehicles, the fully
loaded vehicle mass per driver is a good measure of the relative potential
for one individual to cause damage in the event of loss of vehicle control,
or failure to observe the ROW:

Motorcycle = 150kg to 500kg per driver
Private Automobile= 1500kg to 5000kg per driver
Bus= 5,000kg to 20,000kg / driver

For a given speed, the motorcycle represents the lowest risk to others, by
more than a factor of 10. The private automobile driver not only has
responsibility for more passengers, they also can cause much greater damage
to other vehicles, and or property.  The bus driver has far more potential
to cause death in the event of an error, for the passengers on the bus, AND
those other pedestrians and vehicles on the street.   

There is much evidence to support the view that bus drivers abuse
pedestrians, car, and motorcycle occupants by un-rightfully taking the ROW
through intimidation by virtue of their potential to damage other vehicles
(with little relative risk to the bus driver).  By contrast, motorcyclists,
since they are more exposed to greater personal risk, they drive more
cautiously, and do not aggressively take the ROW from other vehicles that by
law should have priority. 

An observer will rarely see a motorcycle pull out in front of a bus, while
it is frequent that busses will bull out in front of motorcycles that must
make defensive maneuvers to avoid injury.  




Daryl Oster
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> -----Original Message-----
> From: sustran-discuss-bounces+et3=et3.com at list.jca.apc.org
> [mailto:sustran-discuss-bounces+et3=et3.com at list.jca.apc.org] On Behalf Of
> Craig Townsend
> Sent: Tuesday, November 30, 2004 2:11 PM
> To: Asia and the Pacific sustainable transport
> Subject: [sustran] Re: More on motorbikes
> 
> Danielle,
> 
> 
> We had some vigorous exchanges on the topic on the Sustran list earlier
> 
> this year (between May and August). Many of us would be interested to see
> 
> studies that quantify the economic (including external costs of course) of
> 
> motorcycles on a city-by-city basis. The EASTS study that you refer to has
> 
> country-wide (urban and rural, national) data and it doesn't appear to
> have
> 
> been standardized (checking the data for consistent definitions and using
> 
> per capita figures) so the comparative conclusions that could be drawn are
> 
> limited. Also, the economic costs/benefits are not examined.
> 
> 
> Good luck,
> 
> 
> Craig Townsend
> 
> 
> 
> At 04:20 AM 30/11/2004, you wrote:
> 
> 
> >  Hello there Mr. Johnson and to those interested in motorcycle studies,
> 
> >
> 
> >  Thank you for this interesting article.
> 
> >
> 
> >  A paper by Dr. Ing Hsu, Tien-Pen entitled " A Comparison Study on
> 
> > Motorcycle Traffic Development in some Asian countries-Case of Taiwan,
> 
> > Malaysia and Vietnam" full report available at
> 
> > http://www.easts.info/Awards/ICRA-
> ComparisonStudyMotorcycleDevelopment.pdf
> 
> >   might also be of  interest to you.
> 
> >
> 
> >
> 
> >  Moreover, I must admit I am particularly interested in this topic as Im
> 
> > presently working on my graduate research about  motorcycle propelled
> 
> > vehicles, the case of tricycles and habal-habal (or motorcycle taxis
> with
> 
> > extension that can accomodate four passengers ) in Davao City,
> 
> > Philippines. Compare with other ASEAN countries, motorcycle taxi is not
> 
> > as popular in our country, however in 1999, the habal-habal emerged and
> 
> > initial interviews with local officials interestingly share the same
> 
> > views as with those of the municipal transport official of  San Paulo's.
> 
> > You can read more of it at this site
> 
> > http://www.iatss.or.jp/english/research/v28-n1/res-moku.html
> 
> >
> 
> >  I would be very happy to know  if there are studies that have done to
> 
> > quantify its economic importance (as it is one of the thrust of my study
> 
> > too). Any discussion on this from the experts is greatly appreciated.
> 
> >
> 
> >  Many thanks!
> 
> >
> 
> >  Best Regards,
> 
> >  Danielle Guillen
> 
> >  Graduate Student
> 
> >  University of Tsukuba
> 
> >
> 
> >
> 
> >  ----- Original Message -----  From: "Craig August Johnson"
> 
> > <caj24 at cornell.edu>
> 
> >  To: "Asia and the Pacific sustainable transport"
> 
> > <sustran-discuss at list.jca.apc.org>
> 
> >  Sent: Tuesday, November 30, 2004 4:56 PM
> 
> >  Subject: [sustran] Economic Neccessity of Motorbikes in Sao Paulo
> 
> >
> 
> >
> 
> >  > This article was just in the NY times and I found it very
> interesting.
> 
> >  >
> 
> >  > It seems that globally as car transportation and congestion increase,
> 
> >  > motorbike taxis and couriers will play an ever critical role in
> 
> >  > maintaining the economic viability of these congested cities.
> 
> >  >
> 
> >  > It would be interesting to see a study that would attempt to quantify
> the
> 
> >  > relative economic advantage of such Asian cities with high amounts of
> 
> >  > motorbike transportation as Taipei and HCMC.
> 
> >  > Any comments?
> 
> >  >
> 
> >  > Craig Johnson
> 
> >  >
> 
> >  >
> 
> >  >
> 
> >  >
> 
> >  >
> 
> >  >
> 
> >  > November 30, 2004
> 
> >  > SÃO PAULO JOURNAL- NY TIMES
> 
> >  > Pedestrians and Drivers Beware! Motoboys Are in a Hurry
> 
> >  > By LARRY ROHTER
> 
> >  >
> 
> >  > ÃO PAULO, Brazil - This is a city with nearly 11 million inhabitants
> and
> 
> >  > 4.5 million passenger cars, 32,000 taxis and 15,000 buses. Traffic
> jams
> 
> >  > more than 100 miles long are not uncommon, and even on an ordinary
> day,
> 
> >  > getting from one side of town to the other can take two hours or
> more.
> 
> >  >
> 
> >  > Only one group here in South America's largest city seems immune to
> those
> 
> >  > frustrations and delays: the daring army of motorcycle messengers
> known as
> 
> >  > "motoboys." Zigzagging among stopped cars, ignoring lane markers, red
> 
> >  > lights and stop signs, they regularly menace pedestrians and
> infuriate
> 
> >  > motorists as they zoom their way down gridlocked streets and
> highways,
> 
> >  > armed with the knowledge that without them business would grind to a
> halt.
> 
> >  >
> 
> >  > "Nowadays we are so integrated into the economy that São Paulo
> couldn't
> 
> >  > function without us," said Ednaldo Silva, a motoboy who owns an
> agency
> 
> >  > employing nearly 50 messengers. "People don't like us or respect us,
> but
> 
> >  > we are as essential to transport as trucks, and if we were to go on
> 
> >  > strike, the city would collapse."
> 
> >  >
> 
> >  > The bulk of the motoboy's work involves rushing contracts and other
> legal
> 
> >  > documents from one business to another, especially for bank loans.
> But
> 
> >  > from car parts to architect's plans, human organs for transplant to
> 
> >  > passports or pizza, there is almost nothing he cannot or will not
> deliver.
> 
> >  >
> 
> >  > "There's no way to do away with them," Gerson Luís Bittencourt, the
> 
> >  > muncipal transportation secretary, acknowledged. "They employ a ton
> of
> 
> >  > people and facilitate things for everyone. So what we have to do is
> find a
> 
> >  > way to regulate the phenomenon and restore sociability in traffic."
> 
> >  >
> 
> >  > Though no one is sure of their exact numbers, estimates start at
> 120,000
> 
> >  > and range as high as 200,000. Many work 12 hours a day or more to
> earn a
> 
> >  > salary of $300 a month or less.
> 
> >  >
> 
> >  > According to official figures, São Paulo now has 332 motoboy
> agencies.
> 
> >  > Competition is strong, and they adopt names, often in English,
> stressing
> 
> >  > efficiency: Adrenaline Express, Moto Bullet, Fast Express, Agile
> Boys,
> 
> >  > Motojet, Fly Boy, Motoboy Speed, AeroBoy Express, Fast Boys.
> 
> >  >
> 
> >  > With so much emphasis on speed and so much competition with other
> 
> >  > vehicles, the job is often dangerous. Broken bones and wrecked cycles
> are
> 
> >  > an occupational hazard, and according to figures compiled by their
> union,
> 
> >  > on average, at least one motoboy a day dies in a traffic accident.
> 
> >  >
> 
> >  > "The truth is that we're discardable," said Edson Agripino, 38, a
> veteran
> 
> >  > of 15 years as a motoboy. "When a colleague gets hurt or killed, the
> first
> 
> >  > thing the dispatchers ask is 'Did he deliver the document?' "
> 
> >  >
> 
> >  > Nevertheless, many motoboys, especially the younger ones, see
> themselves
> 
> >  > as free spirits or urban cowboys, defying the conventions of society
> and
> 
> >  > envied by stodgy wage-earners stuck in their cars and offices.
> 
> >  >
> 
> >  > "It's great to be out on the street, on your own, watching the girls,
> and
> 
> >  > not in some cubicle with a boss bugging you all the time," said Fábio
> 
> >  > César Lopes, who at 29 has nine years' experience as a motoboy. "I
> spent
> 
> >  > five years at an insurance agency, and believe me, not only do I make
> 
> >  > better money doing this, but it's a lot more fun."
> 
> >  >
> 
> >  > Ordinary motorists consider motoboys a plague, and hostility between
> the
> 
> >  > two groups is fierce and growing. There are at least 17 online chat
> groups
> 
> >  > devoted to complaining about motoboys, and conflicts in the street
> and
> 
> >  > even fistfights between drivers and motoboys are not unknown.
> 
> >  >
> 
> >  > "I can't stand motoboys," said Flávio Kobayashi, a graphic artist.
> "You're
> 
> >  > sitting there stuck in traffic, on your way home after a long, hard
> day,
> 
> >  > and along they come with their infernal beep-beep-beep, weaving their
> way
> 
> >  > through traffic in complete disregard of everyone else on the road.
> 
> >  > They'll break the rear-view mirror of your car if you get in their
> way,
> 
> >  > and any time there is an argument they come to each other's rescue to
> beat
> 
> >  > up on defenseless drivers."
> 
> >  >
> 
> >  > Pedestrians, especially newcomers from small towns in the interior,
> feel
> 
> >  > especially vulnerable. In a notorious incident in 2001, Marcelo
> Fromer, a
> 
> >  > guitarist in the popular rock group Os Titãs, was run over and killed
> by a
> 
> >  > motoboy with an expired license, who fled but was apprehended a year
> 
> >  > later, tried and convicted.
> 
> >  >
> 
> >  > To bring the situation under control, the municipal government last
> year
> 
> >  > created an obligatory registry system. The new rules required all
> motoboys
> 
> >  > to pay a $110 tax, prove that they do not have a criminal record,
> obtain
> 
> >  > life insurance, wear a helmet, drive motorcycles less than 10 years
> old
> 
> >  > and carry their cargo in a rear-mounted basket with a license number
> on
> 
> >  > it, so they can be tracked.
> 
> >  >
> 
> >  > But motoboys resisted the system, saying it was devised to banish
> them
> 
> >  > from the streets. Only 40,000 of them registered, and they organized
> 
> >  > protests that blocked some main streets. During the campaign leading
> up to
> 
> >  > the mayoral election here in October, some candidates endorsed their
> 
> >  > position and obtained judicial restraining orders exempting
> individual
> 
> >  > motoboys from registration, which eventually forced Mayor Marta
> Suplicy to
> 
> >  > rescind the program.
> 
> >  >
> 
> >  > A few years ago, Congress tried a different tack and passed a law
> that
> 
> >  > would have made it essentially illegal for motoboys to practice their
> 
> >  > profession, which has begun spreading to other cities in Brazil. But
> the
> 
> >  > president at the time, Fernando Henrique Cardoso, who is from São
> Paulo,
> 
> >  > vetoed the bill, tacitly recognizing the indispensability of the
> motoboy.
> 
> >  >
> 
> >  > "Everybody hates the motoboys except when they need one themselves,"
> said
> 
> >  > Caíto Ortiz, the director of "Motoboys: Crazy Life," a recent
> 
> >  > prize-winning documentary. "When he's rushing some document of yours
> 
> >  > across town, then he becomes your savior, a hero, and you adore the
> guy."
> 
> >  >
> 
> >  >
> 
> >  >
> 
> >  >
> 
> >
> 
> 
> 
> 
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