[sustran] Re: SLoCaT Status Report on Rio+20 Sustainable Transport Voluntary Commitments

[Morten Lange]

Hello Cornie Huizenga

Thanks for your work and for telling us about it.  

Below are my gut reactions. They might reveal that I lack insight into complex international affairs, and might seem rude, but are meant to try to address an important issue in a clear manner, not to discuss or criticize persons or organisations.  


I had a look at the press release and a couple of the 17 original documents.

What I read from it was this : Many big important groups, partially with opposing agendas ( FIA springst to mind )  are going to spend quite a lot of money on staring at the problems and discussing them and hopefully develop some pilot projects.  I might have missed some important points that would alter this description, but I frankly lost patience with all the "wooly" text.

I miss an identification of where the tough challenges lie. I miss examples of  some measures that could lead us down a better path, possibly in the form of "best practices" / success stories.    I  miss seeing the large win-win options being spelt out clearly.  
I particularly miss mentioning of the big unjustice, including health loss and death that todays users of "soft" / active modes are experiencing, because of "brute force" motorisation.

I am trying to find the story to convey tro others like you ask us to do.  But I am  having problems.  Perhaps it is necessarry to be this formal and diplomatic and general, but I suspect more people than me get frustrated by looking for the nedle in the haystack - the concrete things being envisioned seem to be missing.  The FIA quote comes closest, to being soundbyte.  But it says A, and does not go on to say B.  B would to my mind be e.g. 

* We need to make the buyers of cars acknowledge full-cost procing is not occurring for users of private cars, and develop steps to rectify that. 
* It is time to mandate "stickers" on car adverts smilar to those seen on tobacco packaging.  And why not also on the dashboard, and under the side mirrors
* "Free" or lowcost parking is a subsidy with many bad side-effects
* Transport Demand management that rectifies some of the inequities between active transportation and private cars should be pushed by big international bodies or at least not be obstructed by them. A list of such bodies off the top of my head comprises : ILO, WTO, IMF, UNEP, ECE, EU, IATA, IEA, WHO. TDM involving both benefits and information and training  could be encouraged in the form of tax incentives to workplaces and / or employees.  Put your money where you mouth is. ( I believe there is such an expression) 
* It is time to have a very critical look on victim-blaming practices seen when those utilising active transport modes are improportionallly held responsible for injuries sustained in collisions with cars and other vehicles.


I would furthermore think that a common, short manifesto on problems and possible solutions (possibly using some of the above),  should be drafted very soon.  If e.g. the FIA would refrain from underwriting some parts, so be it. Work out a near-consensus, or 75% consensus, and make the possible difference of opinion come out in daylight, but decide to continue working together, and discuss the differences in opinion now and then.


Again I apologise for the bluntness, and that I should speak out in spite of my lack of familiarity with the diplomatic and high level deliberations.


Best Regards,
Morten Lange

--
Morten Lange, Reykjavík

--------------------------------------------
On Thu, 20/6/13, Cornie Huizenga <cornie.huizenga at slocatpartnership.org> wrote:

 Subject: [sustran] SLoCaT Status Report on Rio+20 Sustainable Transport Voluntary Commitments
 To: "Global 'South' Sustainable Transport" <sustran-discuss at list.jca.apc.org>
 Date: Thursday, 20 June, 2013, 11:44
 
 Dear All,
 
 We are happy to announce the first update report on the
 Rio+20 Voluntary
 Commitments on Sustainable Transport.
 
 
 We have created a special section for the report on the
 SLoCaT website, *
 www.slocat.net/Rio20-VC. *If you tweet about the report
 please use
  #Rio20transport in our tweets.
 
 
 On the website we have also a press release in English,
 Chinese, German,
 Spanish and Portugese (
 http://slocat.net/press-release-rio20-sustainable-transport-status-report)
 
 
 We would greatly appreciate your help in the wide
 distribution of the
 report and the press release.
 
 
 Thanks a lot.
 
 
 Cornie
 
 -- 
 Cornie Huizenga
 Joint Convener, SLoCaT Partnership
 317 Xianxia Road, B 1811
 200051 Shanghai, China
 
 www.slocat.net
 @SLOCATcornie
 +8613901949332
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