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

[Morten Lange]

Dear Cornie,

Thanks for your reply. 

I am encouraged by your take on the manifesto, and hope that it will be possible to do something constructive in this vein, working out a document by a sub-group, then used for lobbying within the group.
As for capacity building etc, I am sorry to say that to me it seems capacity building will primarily pull us in the needed direction if we more clearly define where we ( humanity) need to go, regarding sustainable transport (south and north).

--
Regards / Kveðja / Hilsen
Morten Lange, Reykjavík

--------------------------------------------
On Mon, 24/6/13, Cornie Huizenga <cornie.huizenga at slocatpartnership.org> wrote:

 Subject: Re: [sustran] SLoCaT Status Report on Rio+20 Sustainable Transport Voluntary Commitments
 To: "Morten Lange" <morten7an at yahoo.com>
 Cc: "Global 'South' Sustainable Transport" <sustran-discuss at list.jca.apc.org>
 Date: Monday, 24 June, 2013, 3:36
 
 Dear Morten,
 Thanks for responding. With respect to your
 comments.
 The report we presented is part of our efforts to
 ensure that sustainable transport is properly integrated in
 the goal framework on sustainable development, which is
 currently being negotiated for adoption in 2015.  The
 target group in that respect are the governments. In the
 discussions that we have had in the last months have been
 quite a learning process for us. The initial emphasis from
 our side was to focus on the negative externalities of
 transport. We have been told time and time again by
 especially the representatives from the south that the
 emphasis in discussing sustainable transport should be on
 increasing access to goods, markets and services.  There
 are strong sensitivities when it comes to
 "restricting" the right to transport in any form
 or shape.  This leads us to the recommendation that we
 should support the development of transport infrastructure
 and services in the south but we should do so in a manner
 that ensures that it is leads to sustainable, inclusive
 access.  
 
 We believe that the targets mentioned in Chapter
 4 of the document are quite clear cut. The target on
 improving access speaks, for the urban areas, specifically
 about public transport, walking and cycling. For the rural
 areas where we currently are referring to access to all
 weather roads we are still looking for a more appropriate
 indicator. (talking about access to public transport in
 rural areas is probably not appropriate). For each of
 these three targets we will be developing in the coming
 months more detailed indicators, including a description of
 what current base lines are and what can be expected to be
 achieved at the global level.
 
 I was surprised with your characterisation of the
 Voluntary Commitments as "to spend quite a lot of money
 on staring at the problems and discussing them and hopefully
 develop some pilot projects". I feel that the combined
 VCs offer a good mix of knowledge management, capacity
 building, policy dialog - facilitation and financing.
  While most of the VCs are for a ten year period I am
 encouraged to see that we already start to see change
 happening which is well beyond that of the pilot projects. A
 fuel economy standard for light duty vehicles, like the one
 developed with support of the Global Fuel Economy Initiative
 of which FIA Foundation is part is a good example of
 that.
 
 The purpose of this document was to give an
 update on what has happened to the Voluntary Commitments on
 Sustainable Transport, one year after Rio and thereby
 contribute to greater transparency and accountability for
 these VC's.  I expect that as we move on in time that
 such reporting will become more detailed and impact
 oriented.
 
 With respect to the impacts of motorisation, I
 believe that we have mentioned the health and economic
 impacts which are considerable. I agree that more work needs
 to be done on detailing these impacts on poor countries as
 well as poor and vulnerable groups in society (which are
 often the pedestrians). We are about to start work with our
 members to document and address the linkage between poverty
 and sustainable transport.
 
 On the suggestion for a manifesto. Being a
 membership based network, it is likely that SLoCaT will end
 up with positions that  are somehow middle of the road in
 the eyes of some. In that respect it might be better to
 develop such a manifesto with a smaller number, but like
 minded, organizations and then use this to lobby the
 transport and development comment at large. For such a
 manifesto to have an impact in the South where most of the
 motorization is happening it will be essential to ensure
 that it combines addressing the sustainability of transport
 with improving access.
 
 In our report, in chapter 1, we tried to explain
 that it is possible to have a different approach to
 improving access than the traditional road building/ vehicle
 enabling policies and that such an approach is economically
 also much more attractive.
 
 with best regards,Cornie
 PS - with respect to your references to FIA, it
 is important to differentiate between FIA Foundation and
 FIA. The VCs in the report are by FIA Foundation and not
 FIA.
 
 
 On Sun, Jun 23, 2013
 at 11:11 AM, Morten Lange <morten7an at yahoo.com>
 wrote:
 
 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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  ================================================================
 
  SUSTRAN-DISCUSS is a forum devoted to discussion of
 
  people-centred, equitable and sustainable transport with
 a
 
  focus on developing countries (the 'Global
 South').
 
 
 
 
 
 
 -- 
 Cornie HuizengaJoint Convener, SLoCaT
 Partnership317 Xianxia Road, B
 1811200051 Shanghai, China
 
 www.slocat.net at SLOCATcornie+8613901949332