[sustran] [World Streets] What/who keeps holding back newmobility reform.

[Eric Britton]

[http://www.strategy.newmobility.org]
Eric Britton, Editor, World Streets, Paris, FranceIf you get it,
newmobility is a no-brainer. However, while that is a great starting
place, it is not going to get the job somehow miraculously done. We
have a few potential sticking points here that need to be overcome
first. Let's have a quick look.After some years of talking with cities,
and working and observing in many different circumstances, here are
some of the barriers are most frequently encountered in trying to get
innovative transportation reform programs off the ground, including
even in cities that really do need a major mobility overhaul.1. The
Mayor/city manager: The mayor or prime city leader either: does not get
it; feels that she knows the whole area well enough to require nothing
else; does not consider this to be a matter of high priority; feels
confident that his staff has this well under control, or quite simply
does not have enough time to get her arms around it.2. The City
Council: Where you have city councils taking these decisions, it turns
out that they are often much better at disagreeing then agreeing, at
least when any unfamiliar , to them unproven, idea comes before them
for decision. And yet, if we do not get some kind of consensus for
change at the top this is never going to happen.3. The city's
transportation experts: The city's main transportation expert, team,
may well not be interested in having any "outside help". Anything else
is often seen as a challenge to their authority and expertise. So we
basically have a turf problem.4. Local consultants: The specialized
consultants who already work in the sector in that city, or have
contact with it, feel that they do not need any additional help since
this is after all their job and specialty.5. Local business groups, who
the most part are firmly wedded to the idea of cars and car access (AKA
parking) as being the key to the success of their businesses.6.
Transportation service providers: bus/transit services, taxis, school
and special service buses, others -- tend to be the most part quite
narrowly focused on their specific business area, often already under
some financial duress, and thus for the most part not known to be open
to new ideas or new ways of doing things. Including new and much
broader partnerships with other service providers and actors in the
community. This is not the case for all cities, but most operators are
under such financial pressure that they have little or no margin for
innovation or experimentation.7. Public interest groups: Specific
transportation, environmental groups (cycling, pedestrian, public
space, emissions, quality of life, specific neighborhood groups, etc.)
tend to be committed to their specific missions and far more often than
not simply do not get together to create a global sustainable cities
program, as indeed should be the case.8. Local media: For reasons of
their own, advertising revenues included, have rarely really bought
into the sustainability agenda.9. The "local car lobby". While there
are financial interests tied to the continuing abundant unfettered use
of cars in the city, including local auto dealers, any businesses that
might be suppliers to the sector, parking businesses, the great bulk of
this "lobby" is an unquestioned implied understanding that nothing
should be done that would change your relationship with your car.10.
All of us: Doubtless the biggest single obstacle to deep transportation
reform is a result of the fact that it deals with a highly visible area
of public life in which just about everybody, from mayor to dogcatcher,
feels that they have a high degree of implicit expertise in figuring
out what works and what will not work in their city. . . because
transport is something that they do every day and can see with their
own eyes. This is the Achilles' heel of transportation policy, this
very human tendency for just about everybody to feel that if they do it
i.e. move around every day) this means they understand it. The trouble
with this is that transport in cities is a highly complex metabolism of
great systemic complexity that is far closer to that of the human brain
than say another glass of beer. Thus one of the main challenges of deep
transportation reform is to help citizens and decision makers come to
grips with these challenges of complexity, without at the same time
removing it from their role as active and responsible citizens and
placing it entirely in the hands of centralized experts. There is a
major communications challenge here. And a governance challenge as
well.* * *How many potential barriers is that already, ten? And if you
think of it in terms of your own city, I am sure you are going to spot
most if not all of the above and yet others. It is thus the first
challenge of anyone who wishes to advance the sustainable
transportation agenda in that place to understand this difficult
terrain and to figure out ways of coping with it.For sure, it is going
to be impossible to take on and convert all of these interests at once.
But the fundamental concepts and potential of a 21st-century mobility
system are such that if we take a strategic approach to dealing with
these barriers, taking them on one at a time and with great patience
and foresight, the policy agenda can be opened up and perhaps some
first small victories can be achieved. Once this has happened, the rest
will follow in due course.Our best counsel for transportation reform:
Start at the top and engage and work your way down this list one by
one. Build up your support base , and gradually expand it Be known as a
great and patient listener.* * *You may find some interest in reading
the above in parallel with the strategic summary for new system
planning and implementation of the New Mobility Agenda which you will
find here – www.strategy.newmobility.org.

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Posted By Eric Britton to World Streets at 3/24/2009 11:20:00 AM
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