[sustran] Re: Guangzhou bans electric bicycles

[Francis Papon]

Dear sustainable readers,

To come back to the Chinese situation, Shanghai has a very 
comprehensive metropolitan planning process, with help of foreign 
experts. The Shanghai Metropolitan Transport White Paper published 2002 
sets the principles, objectives and actions. The priority of the plan 
that is clearly stated is rail mass transit. Nevertheless, the first 
concrete chapter begins with the need for more road building. And it is 
clear from the way the text is written that the major concern is the 
free flowing of traffic, though sustainability issues have been taken 
into account. So the traffic mix should be reduced to improve 
efficiency. Motorcycles are banned from the central area. Mopeds should 
disappear and convert to public transport (that does not seem to 
conveniently serves the same needs). Bicycles are banned from arterials 
and should stick to side streets (which are not denied motor vehicle 
access). In 2006, road projects to be implemented before 2005 are 
built, rail projects should wait until 2007, bus lanes and bicycle 
routes are not yet implemented.

Here is a sample of the White paper recommendations as far as bicycles 
and mopeds are concerned. There is no mention of electric bikes.

II. Guiding the Bicycles in Reasonable Operation Basis

     10.11 The transport mode by bicycle is free-pollution, good to 
health, convenient and economized, so it is an important transport mode 
for short distance travel.

     10.12 The bicycle is the mostly-used transport tool by the 
residents. But the interference of motor vehicles and non motor 
vehicles with each other not only lowers the operation efficiency of 
roads, but also constitutes the threats to the transport safety.

     10.13 With the growth of city and the increase of the residents’ 
living level, the application scope and times of bicycles will be 
smaller and smaller.

Principle

     10.14 Actively guide the long distance travel by bicycle to public 
transport.

     10.15 Actively improve the transport conditions to give the play to 
the bicycle’s functions of short distance travel and transfer to the 
public transport.

Objective

     10.16 By 2005 decrease the total trips of bicycle in the whole city 
by 25% of the year 2000 and instruct the bicycles to travel within 30 
minutes by 2020.

     10.17 Improve the passage conditions for the bicycles and the 
interchange conditions with public transport to lessen the conflict 
between the motor vehicles and non motor vehicles and reduce the 
traffic accident ratio.

Actions

     10.18 Further implement the measures to separate the flows of motor 
vehicles and non motor vehicles. Through modifying and establishing 
parallel branches of the roads for motor vehicles only, actively create 
conditions to gradually form the area bicycle passage network (See 
Figure 10-1).

     10.19 Add bicycle-parking facilities at public transport hubs and 
at the commercial streets in the central area.

     10.20 Strengthen the management and enforcement of punishment 
regulations to lessen the bicycle’s violation.

III. Urging the Transfer of Mopeds to Public Transport Basis

     10.21 The moped extends the travel scope of riders. Its growth is 
very rapid in the area without advanced public transport system. But it 
always drives on the lanes for other vehicles, e.g., driving on the 
lanes for motor vehicles to interfere their speed and ordinary 
transport order, driving on non motor vehicle lanes to affect the 
safety of the bicycles and results in the increase of traffic accident 
ratio.

     10.22 Except its interference to normal traffic order, the 
fuel-consumption mopeds made greatly pollutes the environment, which is 
harmful to the image of Shanghai as an international metropolis.

     10.23 From the view of the efficiency of the urban transport and 
the comfort of residents’ travel, the slow mode transport including 
mopeds is suitable for medium and short distance trips. With the 
perfecting of public transport network and raise of its service level, 
mopeds will gradually be eliminated.

Principle

     10.24 Measures will be taken on the time when management is 
strengthened to enhance the advantages of public transport and direct 
mopeds to transfer to public transport so as to obviously improve the 
urban traffic order and maintain traffic safety.

Objective

     10.25 By various measures such as greatly developing public 
transport, mopeds will generally be eliminated by 2005. Before that, 
the substitution of LPG mopeds for the licensed fuel-consumption mopeds 
is permitted by the end of 2005.

Action

     10.26 Stop the sales of fuel mopeds.

     10.27 Strengthen the annual check to the mopeds, never allowing the 
mopeds not checked to drive on the roads. Strengthen the road check and 
rectify the mopeds without licenses or with false licenses.

     10.28 Extend gradually the limited scope of the passage for mopeds 
according to the road traffic conditions.

     10.29 Improve the service level for public transport, and further 
extend the public transport routes to remote areas in order to provide 
better alternatives for the users of mopeds.



Le 29 nov. 06, à 07:54, Sunny a écrit :

>  Dear Sudhir,
>
>  Yes you are right the concept of urban planning is flawed but at the 
> same time we should not forget tht transport and planning are 
> intricately linked and are interdependent. The origin and destination 
> distance increases as the plan is done keeping the personal 
> automobiles in mind if the govt had considered NMT then a city plan 
> would have been compact.
>
>  When you said TDM would not work I would disagree becoz TDM is not 
> just managing mobility but also having a good planning practice. Smart 
> growth, universal design etc...are TDM procedure and when govts 
> implement TDM startegies it is not just one strategy they need to 
> implement becoz again the techniques are interdependent so other 
> techniques are also to be implemented like when a govt implements a 
> bicycle plan then ther have to be enough facility for the bicycle 
> parking and reduction in parking spaces improvements in public 
> transport. just mere implementation of bicycle lanes will do no good.
>
>  I would suggest www.vtpi.org for an impressive on-line TDM 
> encyclopaedia. You can see the links between TDM techniques in every 
> strategy. you can also refer to GTZ-SUTP module on Mobility 
> Management.
>
>  cheers
>  sunny
>
>
>  Sudhir wrote:
>> Dear Sujit,
>>  
>> The entire concept of urban planning is flawed.
>> If you have great distance between Origin and Destination than there 
>> is no way that NMT would become popular.
>> No matter what TSM and TDM strategies the government would implement, 
>> the personal transport is going to increase enormously. 
>> If during the preparation of Master Plans the concept of sustainable 
>> transport is introduced than only we can see some rapid changes.
>> It is a high time that the government implements master plans with 
>> concept of sustainable transport inbuilt in it.
>>  
>> Regards
>> Sudhir
>
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Francis Papon, mailto:papon at inrets.fr, tel +33 (0)1 4740 7270, 
ICPC,INRETS/DEST/EEM/HEGEL,
Researcher at the Department of Transport Economics and Sociology at 
the French National Institute for Transport and Safety Research
INRETS, 2, avenue du General Malleret-Joinville, 94114 Arcueil Cedex,  
France
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