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<DIV><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2><SPAN
class=668535517-25092006>Eric</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2><SPAN
class=668535517-25092006></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2><SPAN class=668535517-25092006>Nice
idea. In our day and age it would need to be a video game, wouldn't it? I have
asked Imperial College about modelling my proposals for scrapping controls and
letting traffic sort itself out. It's still very much on my agenda - as
soon as any funding materialises, that'll be one of the elements I will
explore/commission. </SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2><SPAN
class=668535517-25092006></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2><SPAN class=668535517-25092006>I
wonder if a video game company would speculate with us? where we provide
the elements that would go into the mix, and profitshare. But is it a commercial
proposition?</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2><SPAN
class=668535517-25092006></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2><SPAN class=668535517-25092006>It
could be of great value and interest to transport authorities. Maybe we
could pursue a grant to help put a team together to devise something where the
elements can all be tailored for different cities and circumstances ... an
educational tool ...</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2><SPAN
class=668535517-25092006></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2><SPAN
class=668535517-25092006>Martin</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2><SPAN class=668535517-25092006><A
href="http://www.goodfun.tv">www.goodfun.tv</A></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2><SPAN
class=668535517-25092006> </SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Tahoma size=2>-----Original Message-----<BR><B>From:</B>
sustran-discuss-bounces+martincassini=blueyonder.co.uk@list.jca.apc.org
[mailto:sustran-discuss-bounces+martincassini=blueyonder.co.uk@list.jca.apc.org]
<B>On Behalf Of </B>Eric Britton<BR><B>Sent:</B> 25 September 2006
13:57<BR><B>To:</B> Sustran-discuss@jca.apc.org;
utsg@jiscmail.ac.uk<BR><B>Subject:</B> [sustran] 'elephant in the bedroom'
computer game?'utsg@jiscmail.ac.uk<BR><BR></DIV></FONT>
<BLOCKQUOTE dir=ltr style="MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
<DIV class=Section1>
<P class=MsoNormal><B><FONT face=Arial color=black size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Is
this true or not? The ‘<A
href="http://www.amazon.com/Elephant-Bedroom-Automobile-Dependence-Environment/dp/0932727654/ref=reader_req_dp/002-3342033-9727231?ie=UTF8">elephant
in the bedroom</A>’ thesis of cars and cities?</SPAN></FONT></B></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><B><FONT face=Arial color=black size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"></SPAN></FONT></B> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=black size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">A key tenet of the
New Mobility Agenda and the core of all that concerns us here is that there is
a rather simple but ineluctable geometric conflict between cars and cities.
Namely that most cities can accommodate a certain quantum of private cars in
traffic and within their existing urban form and infrastructure up to a
certain point – beyond which something has to give. </SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=black size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"></SPAN></FONT> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=black size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Either (a) you adapt
the city to the exigencies of an expanding population of cars – by adding
capacity, expanding infrastructure, increasing vehicle speeds and throughput,
etc. (<A
href="http://www.ecoplan.org/briefs/general/old-mobility.htm#quick">the ‘old
mobility’ approach</A> to transport in cities.) Or alternatively you search
for ways to advance and adapt the mobility system to keep within the
dimensions and social and economic dynamics of the historic city. The
sine quo non in both cases is that the mobility arrangements whatever they are
not undermine the local economy and the overall sustainability of the city
(otherwise after a bit you will have no city left, or at least one with a very
different economic and life quality profile).</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=black size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"></SPAN></FONT> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 12pt"><FONT face=Arial color=black
size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Against
this background, my question today is to ask your counsel in the
following?</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 12pt; MARGIN-LEFT: 36pt; TEXT-INDENT: -18pt; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0cm"><FONT
face="Times New Roman" color=black size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black">1.</SPAN></FONT><FONT color=black
size=1><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 7pt; COLOR: black">
</SPAN></FONT><FONT face=Arial color=black size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Do you know of the
existence of a game which demonstrate visually the ‘carrying capacity’ of a
city for car-based transport – and can also help us to understand what happens
when you reach some kind of critical threshold and decision
point?</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 12pt; MARGIN-LEFT: 36pt; TEXT-INDENT: -18pt; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0cm"><FONT
face="Times New Roman" color=black size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black">2.</SPAN></FONT><FONT color=black
size=1><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 7pt; COLOR: black">
</SPAN></FONT><FONT face=Arial color=black size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">It might be a board
game -- or probably far better something along the lines of
</SPAN></FONT><FONT face=Arial color=black size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Sim</SPAN></FONT><FONT
face=Arial color=black size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> </SPAN></FONT><FONT
face=Arial color=black size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">City</SPAN></FONT><FONT
face=Arial color=black size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> which can handle
the variables that need to be factored in and inspected in terms of their
cumulative results.</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 12pt; MARGIN-LEFT: 36pt; TEXT-INDENT: -18pt; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0cm"><FONT
face="Times New Roman" color=black size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black">3.</SPAN></FONT><FONT color=black
size=1><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 7pt; COLOR: black">
</SPAN></FONT><FONT face=Arial color=black size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">The ideal game to my
mind would be a somewhat interactive game that would permit the player
to set a certain number of parameters which reflect the situation in their
city, and then so start to play with the numbers. And when we reach a
decision point and decide, as has all too often happened in the past, to
increase capacity, speeds etc. for the car component, it would be good to see
the results of the ‘space take’; of this policy. </SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN-LEFT: 36pt; TEXT-INDENT: -18pt"><FONT
face="Times New Roman" color=black size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black">4.</SPAN></FONT><FONT color=black
size=1><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 7pt; COLOR: black">
</SPAN></FONT><FONT face=Arial color=black size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">And while I dream, I
would also like to have some kind of ballpark estimates of performance under
these various views of the city: fuel requirements, CO2 production, even
accidents, something about under- or un-served groups, and a few other things.
Should not be impossible, don’t you think?</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=black size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"></SPAN></FONT> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=black size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">And if such a game
does not exist, might you be interested </SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=black size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"></SPAN></FONT> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 12pt; MARGIN-LEFT: 36pt; TEXT-INDENT: -18pt; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0cm"><FONT
face="Times New Roman" color=black size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black">a.</SPAN></FONT><FONT color=black
size=1><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 7pt; COLOR: black">
</SPAN></FONT><FONT face=Arial color=black size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">To participate in a
project which would have as its objective first to research and define that
main guidelines and parameters of such a game?</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN-LEFT: 36pt; TEXT-INDENT: -18pt"><FONT
face="Times New Roman" color=black size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black">b.</SPAN></FONT><FONT color=black
size=1><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 7pt; COLOR: black">
</SPAN></FONT><FONT face=Arial color=black size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">And to look for some
agency or other to help finance such an effort?</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=black size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"></SPAN></FONT> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=black size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">It would be lovely
if you would be able to share with us information on such a game and how we
all can access and use it. And failing that to have your comments and ideas
for this proposal (which I have to think is not original, so if we can link to
something already underway along these lines, that would be just
splendid.</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=black size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"></SPAN></FONT> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=black size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">I leave you with a
link to a shot of a <A
href="http://www.ecoplan.org/wtpp/wt_home-houston.htm">well working old
mobility system</A>.</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=black size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"></SPAN></FONT> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=black size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Eric
Britton</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=black size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"></SPAN></FONT> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"></SPAN></FONT> </P></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>