[sustran] Re: thesis topic

[Jonathan E. D. Richmond]

On Wed, 27 Dec 2006, Roselle Rivera wrote:

> Dear Nguyen of Mahidol University, Thailand
>
> The city streets of Vietnam were very very beautiful  years
> back..........with the poetry of the cadence of people on their
> bicycles...........

It is very nice to think of such things romantically, but it was a time of 
poverty and lack of opportunities.

> no noise pollution, no air pollution...............
> before the nightmare of the motorcycles began.............Progress, so
> they say.........

Yes, motorcycles do constitute major progress: they mean freedom for 
people to go about as they please! Why should this be restricted to people 
who can afford cars?

>
>
> Have you seen the master plan for transportation for HCMC?
> Does it have anything serious to say about non motorized transport in the
> whole scheme?
> ( You said your background is environmental science........NMT is
> definitely very environmental........)

And also not something to force on people who do not want it.

Yes, it can have a very important role in Bangladesh, but Vietnam is not 
Bangladesh.


> Based on the experiences of many developing countries, most master plans
> are not the end all, be all blueprints anyway.
> In many cases, there is some space for maneuvering somehow, somewhere.
>

In most cases, master plans are pipe dreams. In most cases, far too much 
priority is given to the automobile, and far too little to viable 
alternatives. And virtually nothing is said about the need to provide 
individual mobility to the mass of the population, who find the sole 
available answer in the motorbike!

Best --Jonathan!




> Would really want to be informed. Please share with us in  this
> egroup some insights on this  master plan, especially knowing that JICA
> "helped"  craft it.
>
>
> maraming salamat ( thank you in pilipino)
>
> roselle
>
>
> ROSELLE LEAH K RIVERA
> PhD Fellow
> Institute of Social Studies
> Kortenaerkade 12
> 2518 AX
> The Hague, Netherlands
> Office Tel: +31 70 4260428
> Fax: +31 70 4260507
> Mobile: +31 627315444
>
> Hi everybody,
>
> My name is Nguyen Anh Dung, from Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC), Vietnam and I
> also want to do my master thesis (will start at the mid of 2007) about
> transportation for HCMC. As you know, traffic is really a problem in my
> country and it is getting worse. The recent  accidents of two famous
> professors (1 of US - got injured and 1 of Vietnam - dead) are just few
> among thousands of accidents every year (almost all caused by motorcycle).
>
> According to what I read on the net, HCMC has its master plan for
> transportation (done with the help from Japan International Cooperation
> Agency - JICA in 2004) and the authority wants to build a metro for the
> city also.
>
> Because of the master plan, I am not quite sure what my master thesis can
> do anything else about this field. Any idea is highly appreciated.
>
> My background is environmental science.
>
> Thank you.
>
> Nguyen Anh Dung
> Faculty of Environment and Resource Studies.
> Mahidol University, ThaiLand.
>
>
>
>
>
>


-----
Jonathan Richmond
Visiting Professor
Logistique, Transport et Tourisme
Conservatoire National des Arts et Metiers
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