[sustran] Fair Transport - The Jane Jacobs Rules

[Eric.Britton]

Comments and suggestions are still coming in on this. But I thought that
you might like to see and comment on the basic "pillars" which are
intended to help us all understand what this ides of Fair or Equitable
Transport is all about. As you will note, I propose that we use this
opportunity to honor the work and memory of Jane Jacobs, 1916-2006.  (I
have known Mrs. Jacobs long enough and well enough to be quite sure that
she would nod her head as we go down this list and say, "yes Eric, you
can go ahead with that.")

 

Fair Transport - The Jane Jacobs Rules [1]

 

1.	Sustainable transport: Fair Transport does not by any means turn
its back on the now well established concerns, priorities and solutions
brought forward by the sustainable transport movement over the last two
decades.  All the precious values associated with sustainable
development  are incorporated within the concept of Fair Transport, but
which stretches beyond them in the ways indicated here
2.	Human and social impacts: Requires as the very first priority a
detailed and mature understanding of how the proposed new, improved or
restructured transport investment or policy is going to impact on "we
ordinary people step by step in our daily lives". 
3.	Non-Transport Solutions: Recognizes that at least a good half of
the solutions needed to deal with problems or insufficiencies that in a
first instance are identified with 'transport shortcomings' must in fact
involve non-transport solutions (typical examples being locational and
land use changes, TDM, time management, mobility substitutes, etc.) 
4.	Balanced Modes: Provides full and equal treatment of all forms
of mobility (human-powered, public transport, intermediate/shared
transport forms, motorized private transport) in the areas of planning,
financing  and infrastructure provision, maintenance and operation.
Given the act that the majority of people are not car owner/drivers non
own-car solutions should be heavily favored. 
5.	Full Access for All: Provides full, fair and safe access to
people of all ages, conditions of health, economic situation and in
terms of where they live and work. Convenient rural accessibility to all
services and functions is critical. 
6.	Women and children: Gives full consideration to critical (and
heretofore generally neglected) gender differences and needs at all
stages of the discussion, planning, and decision process.  This can only
be assured through full representation and participation of female
leaders and active participants.
7.	Cost effectiveness: (a) Represents the cheapest way to get the
(full) job done to the key targeted specifications (those being human)
while (b) also fully serving non-drivers and lower income groups. 
8.	Large projects: Suggests that any large project (say more than
$100k) be carefully inspected to ensure that its most important human
and social (this includes economic and environmental) objectives cannot
be better met by one or a set of smaller projects or policies. 
9.	Small project strategies and management: On the understanding
that what is needed is large numbers of small projects each doing their
own job, requires that at least 50% of the total investment budget be
allocated to small projects (criteria?).  These projects should be
generated through local actions and participation.
10.	Near term improvements: Places heavy emphasis on innovative and
measurable near term improvements (say less than 2-4 years from
conception to achievement), while fully aligning them with the
underlying principles set out here. 
11.	Public spaces and community: Serves to improve the quantity,
quality, and social usefulness of public spaces, and thereby reinforcing
human contacts, sense of community, local and regional culture 
12.	New Tools: The toolset of the planners and policy makers in the
sector need to be dramatically expanded. A very incomplete list would
include direct involvement in all project stages from the outset of
behavioral psychologists, gender specialists, public space experts, and
new forms of pubic participation, group work and interactive
communications. (This list is incomplete and intended here only for the
purposes of giving a first indication.)

 


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[1] I propose that we use this opportunity to honor the work and memory
of Jane Jacobs, 1916-2006.

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