[sustran] Bike infrastructure - Africa

[David Mozer]

Dear Joshua,
 
At least as of a few years ago, Ouagadougou had the best bicycle
infrastructure in West Africa.  Accra is probably second.  There are bits
and piece of bicycle facilities in other major cities, but not connected
enough to really significantly improve bicycle safety.
 
Regards,
David Mozer 

International Bicycle Fund - www.ibike.org 
Promoting sustainable transport and understanding worldwide.
A non-profit organization. 

-----Original Message-----
From: sustran-discuss-bounces+intlbike=ibike.org at list.jca.apc.org
[mailto:sustran-discuss-bounces+intlbike=ibike.org at list.jca.apc.org] On
Behalf Of joshua odeleye
Sent: Saturday, September 09, 2006 3:59 AM
To: sustran-discuss at list.jca.apc.org
Subject: [sustran] Re: Commercial motorcycles shut-down in Lagos


Dear Walter,
In the Global North, motorcycle may not necessarily be a part of "urban
transportation".But in the Global South particlarly Sub-Sahara
Africa,motorcycle is a sub-system of the urban transport.For instances,it
takes care of a subtiantial percentage of the travel demand, in most cities
that are bedevilled by traffic congestion.As a result,it has been able to
bridge the gap of long distance and short neighbourhood trekking,headloading
which are still a major challenge of rural transport in this part of the
world. 
Bicycle is a wonderful alternative to motorbike,apart from the fact that the
infrastructure for a safe ride is not available in most countries,socially
people in cities may want to despise it,but if  infrastructure like bicycle
paths could be provided in cities prior funding and or distribution of
bicycle,i am of the opinion that more people across gender would embrace
it.But, it is unfortunate that in this part of the world nobody has ever
thought of providing this infrastucture,meanwhile they want all to shift to
bicycle.This may be difficult to accomplish.I will be glad if anyone can
point out extensive of bicycle path infrastructure provision in West Africa
as well as other part of the global south.
Regards,
JOSHUA ODELEYE.
NIGERIAN INSTITUTE OF TRANSPORT TECHNOLOGY,
ZARIA,NIGEIA
 
Walter Hook <whook at itdp.org> wrote:

We need to be careful here.  Not all transportation is 'urban', and in
Africa lack of access to basic mobility constitutes a fundamental barrier to
economic development, access to employment, health care, schools, etc.  A
number of thoughtful articles by John Howe and other experts indicate that
the introduction of motorcycles has had enormous economic benefits in those
few African cities where they have been introduced, and of course a few
unfortunate externalities like more pollution, accidents, etc.  
 
The problem of the 'missing middle' in Africa, meaning the absence of
vehicle options between land rovers and women headloading, is a key
component of the basic economic underdevelopment of Africa.  When a woman
spends 60 hours a week taking care of basic mobility needs, how in the hell
is she supposed to do much else?  When your country is very poor, the
economic effects are extremely critical.  We're doing good work introducing
better bicycles, which are of course not controversial, but all the industry
related problems are the same, and the economic benefits of introducing
cleaner, cheapter, higher quality motorcycles would be important also.
There is no such thing as 'public transportation' in Africa at this point,
there are only paratransit services.  A lot of African cities are very low
density, and motorcycles are a reasonable option.  Ambient air pollution
becomes a problem only with a certain amount of concentration of the
pollutants.  The safety issues are better addressed by designing roads for
slower speeds.  
 
What to do about motorcycles is certainly a critical issue.  Banning them in
Africa is certainly not the solution.
 
Best
Walter 
 
-----Original Message-----
From: sustran-discuss-bounces+whook=itdp.org at list.jca.apc.org
[mailto:sustran-discuss-bounces+whook=itdp.org at list.jca.apc.org] On Behalf
Of Eric Bruun
Sent: Wednesday, September 06, 2006 3:42 PM
To: eric.britton at ecoplan.org; Global 'South' Sustainable Transport; 'Global
'South' Sustainable Transport'
Cc: oscar_kim2000 at yahoo.co.uk; 'joshua odeleye'
Subject: [sustran] Re: Commercial motorcycles shut-down in Lagos
 
Like I keep saying, massive numbers of motorcycles and mopeds is a symptom
of neglect of public transport. If the rich can drive, are the masses really
going to do without mobility if they can afford it? How could you persuade
them otherwise?
 
Eric Bruun



-----Original Message----- 
From: Eric Britton 
Sent: Sep 6, 2006 11:52 AM 
To: 'Global 'South' Sustainable Transport' 
Cc: oscar_kim2000 at yahoo.co.uk, 'joshua odeleye' 
Subject: [sustran] Commercial motorcycles shut-down in Lagos 



As Walter put it so well, they are playing with fire in the streets of
Lagos today. For the reasons that he and Joshua mention, but also because -
and this is something that transport planners often simply do not take into
consideration since they try to 'solve' their problems within a very partial
systems analysis in a broadly and relentlessly systemic world - they either
have no memory or no knowledge of what happens when you mess with the 'small
details' of people's lives. In this case as Walter points out, actually
millions of people.
 
History is strewn with the bodies of specialists who proposed
'transportation solutions' to inconvenient problems, only to see a fast and
massive reaction on the streets that has toppled governments in very many
cases. (It's really quite a long list and at some point we might all sit
down and draw it up as a sweet reminder.  Transportation is indeed
dynamite!)
 
And oh yes, I have not forgotten in this that push from the law enforcement
side for whatever reasons. My best guess is though that the transport guys
were just looking for  good excuse to get these guys out of circulation.
 
This leaves us at the end of the day, however, with what is among the most
'inconvenient truths' of transport planning and policies in cities across
the Global South today - those damn motorized two-wheelers. Certainly an
enormous problem, but a far more subtle and astute response is called for. 
 
Eric Britton



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