[sustran] Re: Guangzhou bans electric bicycles
Carlos F. Pardo SUTP
Carlos.Pardo at sutp.org
Mon Nov 27 00:06:02 JST 2006
Sunny,
But maybe clean air + no noise (environmental factors) + low speeds (road safety factor) could improve the situation. That's why I like e-bikes (and bicycles, for that matter!). But yes, it's a good point.
Best regards,
Carlos F. Pardo
-----Mensaje original-----
De: sustran-discuss-bounces+carlos.pardo=sutp.org at list.jca.apc.org [mailto:sustran-discuss-bounces+carlos.pardo=sutp.org at list.jca.apc.org] En nombre de Sunny
Enviado el: Viernes, 24 de Noviembre de 2006 02:26 p.m.
Para: Global 'South' Sustainable Transport
Asunto: [sustran] Re: Guangzhou bans electric bicycles
Yes I would say Carlos idea is very nice but there is also a word of
caution in his idea which I entirely agree. The electric bicycles are
wonderful until they dont get fast or hit other people. I feel tht if
this process is allowed then evolution of the electric bicycle into an
electric Chinese version of a Harley Davidson would be inevitable.
But here is where we have to question ourselves does clean air and no
noise is the end of our efforts for a sustainable transport? then why do
some of us dont support electric cars? My answer for these questions
would be No! electric vehicles will not help us achieve the goals of ST
as the safety issue is still unresolved. They are economically lucrative
but socially insecure.
And also I feel tht though automobile industry supports the economic
growth of a country, often calculated with GDP, i dont this it is a
socially beneficial industry as the technology increases less people are
required for operation and hence it is not a job providing sector.
Secondly, GDP as far as i know does not account for the poverty in a
country so are countries with increasing GDP's are really developing
(socially and environmentally)??? Please comment
Sunny
jmcusset at freesurf.fr wrote:
> I agree entirely with Carlos. It seems crazy to ban electric bicycle in
> this city.
> At the time of global warming, this transport would to be encouraged in
> Asian cities where the market is huge.
> I hope Vietnamese authorities will not follow these China transport
> measures as far as air pollution is more and more high in Hanoi and Ho Chi
> Minh City.
>
> Dr Jean Michel CUSSET
> Senior Eonomist Researcher,
> Laobratoire d'Economie des Transports, Lyon, France
>
> The basic problem in China is the fact that automobile production has
>
>> been given a top priority and the government wants to do anything but
>> reduce the ownership of cars. Though Qiu Boaxing stated that �the
>> country must retain its title as the kingdom of bicycles�, this
>> statement is still not in practice. We�re starting to do training
>> courses on sustainable transport and hope to have some impact there,
>> but there�s a long way to go.
>>
>> And then electric bicycles: they�re wonderful, from my point of view.
>> Not so fast, very very little noise, and little space requirements
>> (also, in China, pretty cheap). But if users �improve� them by
>> increasing the speed of the vehicle and start running into people, they
>> won�t have much time left in the city. Another issue is that, though
>> they�re electric, electricity is still coal generated� so the vehicle
>> itself isn�t polluting, but the source of its power IS.
>>
>>
>> Carlos F. Pardo
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