[sustran] Re: Eric. why are you misusing Sustran to promote the useof motorcycles?

[Alan Howes]

Hang on - should "relatively clean two stroke four wheelers" have been
"four-stroke two-wheelers"?  Not sure I know of a clean two-stroke
engine.

Alan


--
Alan Howes
Associate Transport Planner
Colin Buchanan
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-----Original Message-----
From:
sustran-discuss-bounces+alan.howes=cbuchanan.co.uk at list.jca.apc.org
[mailto:sustran-discuss-bounces+alan.howes=cbuchanan.co.uk at list.jca.apc.
org] On Behalf Of Lee Schipper
Sent: 21 June 2006 11:49
To: eric.britton at ecoplan.org; sksunny at gmail.com;
Sustran-discuss at jca.apc.org; sustran-discuss at list.jca.apc.org;
frwro at mucc.mahidol.ac.th; ranjithsd at sltnet.lk
Cc: 'Dinesh Mohan'
Subject: [sustran] Re: Eric. why are you misusing Sustran to promote the
useof motorcycles?

Not sure I agree with the complaint. Visiting Hanoi many times, I see a
mess, but I also see a population that moves slowly on relat ively clean
two stroke four wheelers. There is not room for four wheelers -- there
will be room for buses..but clean two wheelers may be a "solution" to
balancing individual and collective mobility. And Dinesh points out that
a clean three wheel autorickshaw may be the most sustainable transport
form of all, even if it doesnt look like a bicycle, BRT, or commuter
rail!

Motor cycles, if we mean "choppers" is not sustainable -- but small low
power two wheelers, even th electric variety, make an important
contribution in a few places and could make more..

Lee Schipper, Ph.D., Director of Research EMBARQ, the WRI Center for
Transport and Environment World Resources Institute 10 G St NE,
Washington DC 20002 USA Phone +1 202 729 7735; Fax +1 202 729 7775
http://www.embarq.wri.org

>>> eric.britton at ecoplan.org 06/21/06 3:02 AM >>>
>> Eric. why are you misusing Sustran to promote the use of
motorcycles?
This list is supposed to be about sustainable transport - affordable,
non-polluting, equitable, social, community-oriented, safe - eg walking,
cycling, public transport. We shouldn't be promoting or encouraging
motorcycle use. <<



Oh dear Will, Ranjith, Suny and Sustran Friends, I did not have even the
vaguest inkling that anything coming from me to this list would for a
moment be taken in this way. I posted that release as a reminder of the
complexity of the institutional and behavioral landscape out there when
it comes to motorized two-wheelers and all that they involve.  And yes
my fault, I should have explained.



I am sadly aware of what is going on in the streets in places like
Bangkok and the long list of cities facing these tough challenges.
Indeed I have written here and elsewhere that this is to my mind one of
the great not only unmet but largely even un-asked challenges of
transport in cities. Here we are "suddenly" in this awful anomalous
situation, where a combination of the market, technology, indifference
and our gross  inability to come up with an alternative from the
perspective of public policy, have combined to create a situation in
which these terribly dangerous vehicles and public health menaces have
become the 'transport of choice' of ever larger numbers of people. And
to my knowledge these problems cannot be found in the transport and
planning curricula of any of the great or less great educational
institutions of the world.  At best they are treated episodically, in
conversation and in pretty much isolated manners by concerned
individuals, a couple of groups like Sustran, and the odd media piece.
It is not too much to say that for now at least we are lost in the woods
on this.



What you have done the three of you (thus far since it's still early
;-)
is to remind me that in the rather long list of topics to which our
about to go on line New Mobility Briefs cooperative program is giving
attention, that indeed we have to now also been guilty of not putting
the challenges of finding our way to better policies to deal with
motorized two wheelers in cities on our 'curriculum'. (But given the
fact that the program will only be getting formally launched next week
there is no harm done). In the event it is now very much on our work
program, and once we have enough cities backing the program so that we
have greater freedom of action in choosing topics (we need to bring five
hundred cities and agencies on board if we are to be able to pay the
rent and salaries for this program), I promise you that we will get this
topic to the top of the list. (And all of you here will have a chance to
pitch in to make sure that our final short piece aimed at mayors and
local decision makers reflects our combined experience and
brainpower.)



In the meantime, I invite you to check out our considerable progress at
http://www.newmobilityadvisory.org
<http://www.newmobilityadvisory.org/>
, where you will now see that motorcycles are right in the middle of our
agenda.



With all good wishes



Eric Britton



PS. To get a feel for the approach that we feel is called for in the
face of the challenges our cities and beleaguered planet face, you may
wish to take a few minutes with the two short video clips that you will
find on the top menu: the Sneak Preview of the forthcoming film
Contested Streets, and the Man on the Street interview in Groningen
(great value!).  Also, if you click to the 2006 Awards link you will see
our two group nominations for this year's World Technology Environment
Awards. One of them is to recognize the contributions of Jan Gehl in his
highly innovative public space work. Jan also appears in the Contested
Streets video, which he closes with the following wonderful statement:
"It is really a wonderful thing to live in a city where when you wake up
in the morning you realize that today the city is a little bit better
than yesterday. I have had this feeling now for almost forty years".
I
would say that all of us who care can fairly make this our shared goal.



PPS. Do you think you might want to work with us on this? If so, please
send me a private note to eric.britton at ecoplan.org. Thanks and welcome
aboard.

 







================================================================
SUSTRAN-DISCUSS is a forum devoted to discussion of people-centred,
equitable and sustainable transport with a focus on developing countries
(the 'Global South'). Because of the history of the list, the main focus
is on urban transport policy in Asia.



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