<html> <head> <META HTTP-EQUIV="Content-Type" CONTENT="text/html; charset=us-ascii"> <meta name=Generator content="Microsoft Word 10 (filtered)"> <style>  </style> </head> <body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=blue> <div class=Section1> -----Original Message----- From: NewMobilityCafe@yahoogroups.com [mailto:NewMobilityCafe@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Lee Schipper Sent: Sunday, March 19, 2006 7:34 PM To: eric.britton@ecoplan.org; sustran-discuss@egroups.com; NewMobilityCafe@yahoogroups.com   <tt>So it is clear here are the rebuttals to this junk.  I posted my reply on that newspaper's web site. I was unable to track down the deaf reporter who wrote this.  I can't even pronounce or locate the names of those two intersections he says I mentioned.</tt> <tt>*------</tt> <tt>  This is how your message will appear on the comment's page</tt> <tt>        I WAS BLATANTLY MISQUOTED IN THIS STORY </tt> <tt>I have been BLATLANTLY misquoted in this story. I said that increasing the area of Pune devoted to roads to 18-20% would NOT solve traffic problems. I cited my home city of Los Angeles, point out that taking that much of the area for road space destroyed much of the city. I hope Pune is not so destroyed. </tt> <tt>I did point out that options like bus Rapid transit would maximize the access of ordinary citizens of Pune without gobbling up huge amounts of land or money.</tt> <tt>Fortunately I think local political leaders agree. Better buses are a better investment then endless investment in roads and other expensive schemes. </tt> <tt>Next time I kindly invite your reporter to get his facts straight on what I said by talking directly to me.</tt> <tt>Lee Schipper, Ph.D.</tt> <tt>Director of Research</tt> <tt>EMBARQ, the WRI Center for Transport and Environment</tt> <tt>Pune, 18 March 2006</tt> <tt>        Posted by: LEE SCHIPPER, United States, 18-03-2006 at 1253 hours IST</tt> <tt>>>> eric.britton@ecoplan.org 3/19/2006 4:55:58 AM >>></tt> <tt>Experts for more roads in city</tt> <tt><<a href="http://www.expressindia.com/about/feedback.html?mailto==vvdeshmukh@expressin">http://www.expressindia.com/about/feedback.html?mailto==vvdeshmukh@expressin</a> </tt> <tt>dia.com> Express News Service</tt> <tt>Pune, March 17: EMBARQ, a World Research Initiative Centre for Transport and Environment, stressed on the need for the city to increase the percentage of land use for transport from 4 per cent to 20-22 per cent to stem the traffic problems. Presenting the findings before Municipal Commissioner Nitin Kareer on Friday before, EMBARQ's director of research, Lee Schipper suggested that more roads are necessary for tackling the traffic problems. </tt> <tt>Funded by Swedish Institute of Development Authority, EMBARQ has been</tt> <tt>studying traffic woes of Pune, Xian in China and Hanoi in Vietnam under the project Partnership for Sustainable Urban Transport in Asia (PSUTA) to suggest ways of coping up with increasing traffic. </tt> <tt>Schipper said that compared to the other two cities, Pune's traffic</tt> <tt>comprises two-wheelers, autorickshaws, buses all plying on narrow roads in downtown parts. ''Pune has less vehicle speed (12 km/hr) in comparison wih the two cities and the traffic fatality is minimum here.'' </tt> <tt>He said that Nalstop and Swargate chowks have higher traffic density</tt> <tt>compared to Bhosari - an industrial area. EMBARQ study revealed that around 60 percent, is directly exposed to air pollution. </tt> <tt>Advocating Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) in the city, Schipper blamed the city planners for failing to undertake any impact study to calculate the improvements done after implementations of projects. </tt> <tt>Experts from Central Institute of Road Transport (CIRT) underlined fifty indicators for ascertaining a sustainable transport system and recommended monitoring the indicators by conducting frequent trend analysis to ensure transport in the city. </tt> <tt>[eb: We'd like to see (a) that list and (b) how Pune fared in it. Can anyway get this to the group????]</tt> <tt>Source: <a href="http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=%174140">http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=4140</a> </tt>   </div>  </body> </html>