[sustran] "But it has been the way from the beginning for men to slip away from the truth."

[FEKBRITTON]

"If everybody assures you that FIA/Foundation and FIA are not the same,
there might be some truth to it." 

 

Oh dear. 

 

Cornie, when you write as you did a few hours ago "If everybody assures you
that FIA/Foundation and FIA are not the same, there might be some truth to
it". I was a bit surprised by the "everybody" since I had mentioned that I
had talked to representatives of  the  FIA/Foundation, the UNEP project and
some people from the WHO road safety project. But that was not the end of
it.  I also discussed this unfortunate anomaly with a number of my most
distinguished international colleagues, and while their positions were
varied not one of them echoed the pat positions of those who accept the
"normalcy" of  FIA/Foundation participation -- and indeed to an extent
shaping -- of these programs. 

 

After I read your note I was inspired to look into your membership listing
and what do I see to my considerable surprise? Oops. I had not taken note of
the fact that the FIA/Foundation is in fact a member of SLoCaT. This is
extremely embarrassing and not at all planned. But since we are there we
might as well keep going. 

 

One of the things that I both like and admire about SLoCaT is the diversity
of membership. That is extremely important because if there is one thing
that we have learned over all these years in the uphill and for the most
part unsuccessful battle for sustainable transportation, is that quite
literally you can never be sure of where the next great idea will come from.
So we have to be inclusive, what in happier days Lech Walesa called the "big
house" approach to inclusiveness in a new democracy. I have always liked
your big house approach to your membership.

 

So in my case I am not what you could call an energy maven, or even a
climate guy -- because while I certainly think those things are important, I
do not believe that they can be the central arguments for a sustainable
transport, sustainable cities program. The trick is, of course, that if you
get the right strategic framework in place -- for example such things as
slowing down the traffic in and around cities, targeting investments to
serve the poorest 90% of the population (and yes, forgetting the top 10% who
will I assure you be well able to figure it out for themselves), NMT, TDM,
favoring the safe and affordable transit of women and girls, fiscal prudence
--  well when we enact policies and practices in these ways, we will get
those significant energy and climate improvements. Not only that, we will
get them in the very near term -- as opposed to waiting for technology to do
the job for us. So even if I do not put energy or climate at the top of my
strategic framework, how happy I am to be able to share the forum with our
fine energy and climate groups. The world and our aching cities need all of
us. 

 

We have a great and varied group here, so why all of a sudden am I -- and
eventually others -- coming down so hard on the FIA/Foundation. Well,
because their presence here, and in the UN programs, is, as my grandmother
would have put it, just plain wrong. The FIA/Foundation is nothing other
than a screamingly evident greenwash operation. They have nothing in common
with the wonderful likes of the First African Bicycle Information
Organization or the  <http://www.slocat.net/member/244> Fraunhofer-Institute
, the  <http://www.slocat.net/member/179> Korean Transport Institute or the
Rockefeller Foundation, Embarq or the ITDP, and the other great groups whom
you have brought together. 

 

How can anyone be blind to what they so clearly are. They represent speed
and noise, greed and blind technology, infantilization and passivity, macho
values and profligacy, danger and irresponsible behavior.  They above all
are experts in double-talk.  They are not sustainable in any sense of the
word. 

 

So, dear Cornie, what the hell are they doing here?  Or will we just take
their money and silently "slip away from the truth".

 

As always, your difficult friend and colleague,

 

Eric Britton

 

PS. Sometimes the circumstances of life can make it necessary to compromise.
The English psychoanalyst and friend Ernest Jones famously wrote in his
Sigmund Freud. Life and work:

One of the conditions for being granted an exit visa was that he sign a
document that ran as follows, "I Prof. Freud, hereby confirm that after the
Anschluss of Austria to the German Reich I have been treated by the German
authorities and particularly the Gestapo with all the respect and
consideration due to my scientific reputation, that I could live and work in
full freedom, that I could continue to pursue my activities in every way I
desired, that I found full support from all concerned in this respect, and
that I have not the slightest reason for any complaint." When the Nazi
Commissar brought it along Freud had of course no compunction in signing it,
but he asked if he might be allowed to add a sentence, which was: "I can
heartily recommend the Gestapo to anyone who requires their services".

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

From: Cornie Huizenga [mailto:cornie.huizenga at slocatpartnership.org] 
Sent: Monday, 24 June, 2013 12:05
To: FEKBRITTON
Cc: Global 'South' Sustainable Transport; Morten Lange; Sujit J Patwardhan
Subject: Re: "But it has been the way from the beginning for men to slip
away from the truth."

 

Dear Eric,

 

If everybody assures you that FIA Foundation and FIA are not the same, there
might be some truth to it.

 

best regards,

Cornie

On Mon, Jun 24, 2013 at 4:09 PM, FEKBRITTON <fekbritton at gmail.com> wrote:

Dear Cornie,

 

You wrote on this date, in what was otherwise a good letter outlining your
middle of the road position and philosophy on transport in the Global South,
one thing that really stuck in my craw. . . 

 

·        "The VCs in the report are by FIA Foundation and not FIA."

 

That's an insider joke, right?

 

Kind regards/

 

Eric Britton

 


PS. Perhaps I should mention that over the last year I have spoken on
several occasions about this with representatives of the UNEP (
<http://www.fiafoundation.org/news/archive/2010/Pages/SharetheRoadcallbyFIAF
oundationandUNEP.aspx> 'Share the Road') and WHO ('Road Safety Fund ')
cooperative programs, as well as with representatives of the FIA as well.
And they all assured me exactly and most vigorously as you have today.  So
why is it that my brow is still mightily furrowed?  


 


" The Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile is the governing body for
world motor sport and the federation of the world’s leading motoring
organisations. The FIA has been dedicated to representing the rights of
motoring organisations and motor car users throughout the world via
campaigns and activities that defend their interests. On issues such as
safety, mobility, the environment and consumer law the FIA actively promotes
the interests of motorists at the United Nations, within the European Union
and through other international bodies. The FIA is also the governing body
for motor sport worldwide. It administers the rules and regulations for all
international four-wheel motor sport including the FIA Formula One World
Championship, FIA World Rally Championship and FIA World Touring Car
Championship."
(http://www.fia.com/en-GB/the-fia/about-fia/Pages/AboutFIA.aspx))

 

"The FIA Foundation is an independent UK registered charity which manages
and supports an international programme of activities promoting road safety,
environmental protection and sustainable mobility, as well as funding
specialist motor sport safety research."
(http://www.fiafoundation.org/Pages/homepage.aspx)

 


 


 


 

 





 

-- 
Cornie Huizenga

Joint Convener, SLoCaT Partnership

317 Xianxia Road, B 1811

200051 Shanghai, China

 

www.slocat.net

@SLOCATcornie

+8613901949332