[sustran] Transport Refugees - Victims Of Unjust Transport Policies

[Eric Britton]

Transport Refugees - Victims of Unjust Transport Policies
 
<http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_kbTo-M_pSuw/Smdjfuy5qyI/AAAAAAAABOM/NUBJqWfRqlo/s
1600-h/ws-india-traffic2.jpg> The term "refugee" if used in the context of
transportation would normally be understood to mean "the movement of
refugees". But what we fail to comprehend is that for various reasons it is
our own transport systems, and the values and decisions that shape them,
that are making many of us "refugees" in our own cities? It does not have to
be this way.
[Back on July 22nd of this year we published some extracts of this important
thinkpiece, which has recently become a subject of vigorous discussion in
our Sustran Global South Forum, specifically in the context this time of the
continuing push by certain authorities to ban rickshaw pullers in Dhaka from
plying their trade. This tendency of many authorities to try to concentrate
on buying and building expensive imported technologies, instead of
innovating, improving and working with what they have ,is something of a
phenomenon we are seeing in many parts of the world, North and South. Spend
a bit of time here with Sudhir and Bert. It will not be time wasted,
pointing us to valuable lessons good not only for Dhaka, but Detroit and Dar
es Salaam, Dortmund, Djakarta and beyond. (And if your time today does not
allow you to read the full article here, may we urge you to check out their
World Streets 22 July summary here
<http://newmobilityagenda.blogspot.com/2009/07/transport-refugees-victims-of
-unjust.html> -.)
 
- Sudhir Gota and Bert Fabian, Clean Air Initiative for Asian Cities


             
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