<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD><TITLE></TITLE> <META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=us-ascii"> <META content="MSHTML 6.00.2900.2873"></HEAD> <BODY> Hang on - should "relatively clean two stroke four wheelers" have been "four-stroke two-wheelers"?  Not sure I know of a clean two-stroke engine. Alan -- Alan Howes Associate Transport Planner Colin Buchanan 4 St Colme Street Edinburgh      EH3 6AA Scotland email:  alan.howes@cbuchanan.co.uk tel:      (0)131 226 4693 (switchboard)            (0)7952 464335  (mobile) fax:     (0)131 220 0232 www: <A>http:/www.cbuchanan.co.uk/</A> -----Original Message----- From: sustran-discuss-bounces+alan.howes=cbuchanan.co.uk@list.jca.apc.org [<A href="mailto:sustran-discuss-bounces+alan.howes=cbuchanan.co.uk@list.jca.apc.org">mailto:sustran-discuss-bounces+alan.howes=cbuchanan.co.uk@list.jca.apc.org</A>] On Behalf Of Lee Schipper Sent: 21 June 2006 11:49 To: eric.britton@ecoplan.org; sksunny@gmail.com; Sustran-discuss@jca.apc.org; sustran-discuss@list.jca.apc.org; frwro@mucc.mahidol.ac.th; ranjithsd@sltnet.lk Cc: 'Dinesh Mohan' Subject: [sustran] Re: Eric. why are you misusing Sustran to promote the useof motorcycles? Not sure I agree with the complaint. Visiting Hanoi many times, I see a mess, but I also see a population that moves slowly on relat ively clean two stroke four wheelers. There is not room for four wheelers -- there will be room for buses..but clean two wheelers may be a "solution" to balancing individual and collective mobility. And Dinesh points out that a clean three wheel autorickshaw may be the most sustainable transport form of all, even if it doesnt look like a bicycle, BRT, or commuter rail! Motor cycles, if we mean "choppers" is not sustainable -- but small low power two wheelers, even th electric variety, make an important contribution in a few places and could make more.. Lee Schipper, Ph.D., Director of Research EMBARQ, the WRI Center for Transport and Environment World Resources Institute 10 G St NE, Washington DC 20002 USA Phone +1 202 729 7735; Fax +1 202 729 7775 <A href="http://www.embarq.wri.org">http://www.embarq.wri.org</A> >>> eric.britton@ecoplan.org 06/21/06 3:02 AM >>> >> Eric. why are you misusing Sustran to promote the use of motorcycles? This list is supposed to be about sustainable transport - affordable, non-polluting, equitable, social, community-oriented, safe - eg walking, cycling, public transport. We shouldn't be promoting or encouraging motorcycle use. << Oh dear Will, Ranjith, Suny and Sustran Friends, I did not have even the vaguest inkling that anything coming from me to this list would for a moment be taken in this way. I posted that release as a reminder of the complexity of the institutional and behavioral landscape out there when it comes to motorized two-wheelers and all that they involve.  And yes my fault, I should have explained. I am sadly aware of what is going on in the streets in places like Bangkok and the long list of cities facing these tough challenges. Indeed I have written here and elsewhere that this is to my mind one of the great not only unmet but largely even un-asked challenges of transport in cities. Here we are "suddenly" in this awful anomalous situation, where a combination of the market, technology, indifference and our gross  inability to come up with an alternative from the perspective of public policy, have combined to create a situation in which these terribly dangerous vehicles and public health menaces have become the 'transport of choice' of ever larger numbers of people. And to my knowledge these problems cannot be found in the transport and planning curricula of any of the great or less great educational institutions of the world.  At best they are treated episodically, in conversation and in pretty much isolated manners by concerned individuals, a couple of groups like Sustran, and the odd media piece. It is not too much to say that for now at least we are lost in the woods on this. What you have done the three of you (thus far since it's still early ;-) is to remind me that in the rather long list of topics to which our about to go on line New Mobility Briefs cooperative program is giving attention, that indeed we have to now also been guilty of not putting the challenges of finding our way to better policies to deal with motorized two wheelers in cities on our 'curriculum'. (But given the fact that the program will only be getting formally launched next week there is no harm done). In the event it is now very much on our work program, and once we have enough cities backing the program so that we have greater freedom of action in choosing topics (we need to bring five hundred cities and agencies on board if we are to be able to pay the rent and salaries for this program), I promise you that we will get this topic to the top of the list. (And all of you here will have a chance to pitch in to make sure that our final short piece aimed at mayors and local decision makers reflects our combined experience and brainpower.) In the meantime, I invite you to check out our considerable progress at <A href="http://www.newmobilityadvisory.org">http://www.newmobilityadvisory.org</A> <<A href="http://www.newmobilityadvisory.org/">http://www.newmobilityadvisory.org/</A>> , where you will now see that motorcycles are right in the middle of our agenda. With all good wishes Eric Britton PS. To get a feel for the approach that we feel is called for in the face of the challenges our cities and beleaguered planet face, you may wish to take a few minutes with the two short video clips that you will find on the top menu: the Sneak Preview of the forthcoming film Contested Streets, and the Man on the Street interview in Groningen (great value!).  Also, if you click to the 2006 Awards link you will see our two group nominations for this year's World Technology Environment Awards. One of them is to recognize the contributions of Jan Gehl in his highly innovative public space work. Jan also appears in the Contested Streets video, which he closes with the following wonderful statement: "It is really a wonderful thing to live in a city where when you wake up in the morning you realize that today the city is a little bit better than yesterday. I have had this feeling now for almost forty years". I would say that all of us who care can fairly make this our shared goal. PPS. Do you think you might want to work with us on this? If so, please send me a private note to eric.britton@ecoplan.org. Thanks and welcome aboard.   ================================================================ SUSTRAN-DISCUSS is a forum devoted to discussion of people-centred, equitable and sustainable transport with a focus on developing countries (the 'Global South'). Because of the history of the list, the main focus is on urban transport policy in Asia. </BODY> ............................................................................................................................................................................................ DISCLAIMER   This email and any files transmitted with it are confidential and intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to which they are addressed. Unless you are the named addressee, or authorised to receive it for the addressee, you may not copy or use it, or disclose it to anyone else. 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