[sustran] Sustainable Urban Mobility in Asia (SUMA) News Digest-Vol. 5 Issue 11

[sudhir gota]

Sustainable Urban Mobility in Asia (SUMA) News Digest
Vol. 5 Issue 11
5 July 2008

SUMA News Digest is a free weekly e-mail publication that features
news, information, and events related to sustainable urban
transportation in Asia.

*** VISIT THE SUMA PAGES:
http://www.cleanairnet.org/suma ***

*NEWSREPORTS*

*India ready with climate action plan:  *
http://www.cleanairnet.org/caiasia/1412/article-72839.html

*An electrifying transport solution: *
http://www.cleanairnet.org/caiasia/1412/article-72835.html

*Vietnam shows effect of motorcycle helmets: *
http://www.cleanairnet.org/caiasia/1412/article-72837.html

*Asian Cities Back Climate-friendly Future: *
http://www.cleanairnet.org/caiasia/1412/article-72836.html

*China: Xi'an Sustainable Urban Transport:*
http://www.cleanairnet.org/caiasia/1412/article-72838.html

*Car-Free Day reduces air pollution: *
http://www.cleanairnet.org/caiasia/1412/article-72824.html**

*ADB: Asia needs sustainable cities: *
http://www.cleanairnet.org/caiasia/1412/article-72823.html**

*Jakarta needs balanced development: *
http://www.cleanairnet.org/caiasia/1412/article-72800.html

*Ahmedabad Metro gets red signal:*
http://www.cleanairnet.org/caiasia/1412/article-72801.html

*P1B set aside for PUV gas conversion : **
http://www.cleanairnet.org/caiasia/1412/article-72803.html*<http://www.cleanairnet.org/caiasia/1412/article-72803.html>
**

*Odd-even rule to reduce traffic by 70%: **
http://www.cleanairnet.org/caiasia/1412/article-72804.html*<http://www.cleanairnet.org/caiasia/1412/article-72804.html>
**

*Facing urban congestion: **
http://www.cleanairnet.org/caiasia/1412/article-72805.html*<http://www.cleanairnet.org/caiasia/1412/article-72805.html>
**

*Delhi Metro most comfortable mode:*
http://www.cleanairnet.org/caiasia/1412/article-72764.html**



** * * **

*INTERESTING FINDS *

*Avert the great guzzle - Fuel Economy Regulations: Setting the Principles
RIGHT: *By Anumita Roychowdhury,Vivek Chattopadhyaya,Jayeeta Sen & Priyanka
Chandola

This report has come at the apt time when governments across Asia are still
pondering as to how to absorb the impacts of increase in fuel prices. This
report has an interesting take as to how fuel economy can solve lot of
problems. The authors state that "The oil price surge has caught the market
watchers and media agog. Expert views war on price insulation, energy
security and our vulnerability. But oil price peaks do not make lasting
impression on the public memory as the Government either makes generous cuts
in petrol and diesel prices and taxes or caps its increase to take the heat
off the price rage. Consumers are thus insulated at a huge cost. Vehicle
industry is not pushed to innovate to ensure substantial fuel savings
through efficiency gains. There are no checks on them as they continue to
drift towards bigger and more powerful cars. Price shocks have not provoked
policies to prevent the oil guzzle for a more energy secure and low carbon
future. How fuel efficient, are our cars? Nobody knows. The fuel economy
level of Indian car models is confidential. There is no official policy to
get carmakers to publish the fuel economy levels of models they make. The
valued Indian customer relies on anecdotal information, the car-owner
grapevine, car companies' self-proclamations or data the niche car magazines
publish. There is no official certification data to back the claim of the
car companies."

Read more of this article and please pass on the comments to
anumitar at yahoo.com

http://www.cleanairnet.org/caiasia/1412/article-72816.html

*Compilation of Public Opinion Data on Tolls and Road Pricing: *Johanna Zmud
& Carlos Arce

This NCHRP SYNTHESIS report extracts information from several projects and
brings out the public opinion data on tolls and road pricing. The various
projects on such schemes have been used and public opinions collated to
understand the public behavior on such schemes. Traditionally, prior
empirical research in transportation indicated that public acceptance of
tolls and road pricing is low—in spite of the perception of traffic problems
as serious. These prior studies did not have the broad set and more recent
data that are compiled and presented in this synthesis. Read more of this
bibliography…………..

http://www.cleanairnet.org/caiasia/1412/article-72808.html

*Climate Impacts of Air Quality Policy: Switching to a Natural Gas-Fueled
Public Transportation System in New Delhi : *Conorc O Reynolds & Milind
Kandlikar

This brilliant paper researches on how the move to switch public transport
vehicles fuel to natural gas impacted air pollution and subsequently the
climate

"Between 2001 and 2003, public transport vehicles in New Delhi were required
to switch their fuel to natural gas in an attempt to reduce their air
pollution impacts. This study examines the climatic impacts of New Delhi's
fuel switching policy,and outlines implications for such efforts in rapidly
industrializing countries. Natural gas is mostly composed of methane, an
important greenhouse gas. Emitted aerosols (black carbon, particulate  organic
carbon, and sulfate) also cause radiative forcing. We find that methane and
black carbon emissions are critical contributors to the change in carbon
dioxide equivalent [CO2(e)] emissions. In New Delhi, the switch to natural
gas results in a 30% increase in CO2(e) when the impact of aerosols is not
considered. However, when aerosol emissions are taken into account in our
model, the net effect of the switch is estimated to be a 10% reduction in
CO2(e), and there may be as much as a 30% reduction in CO2(e). There is
significant potential for emissions reductions through the United Nations
Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Clean Development Mechanism
for such fuel switching projects"

Read more:
http://pubs.acs.org/cgi-bin/sample.cgi/esthag/asap/html/es801744p.html

FOOD FOR THOUGHT (Source :
http://www.gtkp.com/sectors.asp?step=4&typeOfPage=1&contentID=545 )

·         *In Malaysia, motorcyclist contributes to almost 60% or the fatal
accidents.***

·         *A recent study also by Malaysian Institute of Road Safety
Research (Miros) has shown that 3.80 meters is the safe control width in
Malaysia to ensure that the lane is safe for all motorcycle riders and
comfortable to do overtaking maneuvers.***



UPDATE

Asian Cities in order to improve public transport have embraced the concept
of BRTS. In many cities it is under active implementation and in many cities
it is under planning stage. CAI-Asia has updated the BRTS status in Asia
collecting details from various sources. Please visit
http://www.cleanairnet.org/caiasia/1412/article-59592.html to know more
about the progress…

* * * *
MARK YOUR CALENDARS

Fourteenth International Conference on Urban Transport and the
Environment in the 21st Century, 1 - 3 September 2008, Malta,
http://www.wessex.ac.uk/conferences/2008/urban08/

PODCAR City Sustainable Transport Conference,
14-16 September 2008, Ithaca,  New York,
http://www.podcar.org/ithacaconference/

UITP 2nd Sustainable Development Conference
Making tomorrow today
22-24 October 2008, Milan, Italy
http://www.cleanairnet.org/caiasia/1412/article-72425.html

Better Air Quality (BAQ) Workshop 2008
12-14 November 2008 Bangkok, Thailand
http://www.cleanairnet.org/caiasia/1412/article-72312.html

See more SUT events
http://www.cleanairnet.org/caiasia/1412/propertyvalue-27089.html

See CAI-Asia's events calendar
http://www.cleanairnet.org/caiasia/1412/propertyvalue-13577.html

* * * CONTRIBUTE * * *

To contribute articles, news items, or event announcements for the
next  issue, send an email with the complete details and URL source
to suma-news-owner at googlegroups.com with subject "FOR SUMA NEWS".

mailto:
suma-news-owner at googlegroups.com?subject=FOR_SUMA_NEWS<
suma-news-owner at googlegroups.com?subject=FOR_SUMA_NEWS>.
Past issues from March and April 2008 are found at
http://groups.google.com/group/suma-news

* * * ABOUT SUMA * * *

The Sustainable Urban Mobility in Asia (SUMA) program of the Clean Air
 Initiative
for Asian Cities

 ( www.cleanairnet.org/caiasia), Asian Development Bank   ( www.adb.org),
EMBARQ-the World Resources Institute Center  for Sustainable Transport  (
http://embarq.wri.org ), GTZ  Sustainable Urban Transport Project (
www.sutp.org), Interface for Cycling Expertise ( www.cycling.nl), Institute
for Transportation and Development Policy (www.itdp.org), and United Nations
Center for Regional Development (www.uncrd.or.jp/est) is made possible
through  the generous support of the Swedish International Development
 Cooperation
Agency ( www.sida.se). SUMA works with Asian countries and cities to
strengthen then formulation and implementation of sustainable urban
transportation
policies, specifically in

(i) Improving urban air quality by adopting AQM planning in sustainable
transport policies and promoting public transportation,
(ii) Improving road safety by encouraging non-motorized transport and public
transport, and
(iii) Reducing transport's contribution to climate change by adopting a
co-benefits approach with urban air quality management.


-- 
Sudhir Gota
Transport Specialist
CAI-Asia Center
Unit 3510, 35th Floor, Robinsons-Equitable Tower,
ADB Avenue, Ortigas Center, Pasig City
Metro Manila, Philippines 1605
Tel: +63-2-395-2843
Fax: +63-2-395-2846
http://www.cleanairnet.org/caiasia