<a name="11eec5362bbebb70_msg_b37c279ec697d588"></a>Sustainable Urban Mobility in Asia (SUMA) News Digest Vol. 6 Issue 1 - 16 January 2008 SUMA News Digest is a free weekly e-mail publication that features news, information, and events related to sustainable urban transportation in Asia. *** VISIT THE SUMA PAGES: <a href="http://www.cleanairnet.org/suma" target="_blank">http://www.cleanairnet.org/suma</a> *** SUMA PARTNERS ON THE MOVE! Sustainable Transport Award 2009 <a href="http://www.itdp.org/index.php/news_events/event_detail/sustainable_transport_award_2009/#NYC" target="_blank">New York City</a> Wins the Sustainable Transport Award 2009 New York beat the likes of Beijing, Istanbul, <a href="http://www.itdp.org/index.php/news_events/event_detail/sustainable_transport_award_2009/#MexicoCity" target="_blank">Mexico City, </a><a href="http://www.itdp.org/index.php/news_events/event_detail/sustainable_transport_award_2009/#Milan" target="_blank">Milan to win the 2009 Sustainable Transport Award. The Award was awarded on January 13, 2009 by a jury composed of ITDP, Embarq, CAI-Asia, GTZ, UNCRD, UITP, ICLEI and Environmental Defense.                                                                        </a> <a href="http://www.itdp.org/index.php/news_events/event_detail/sustainable_transport_award_2009/#Milan" target="_blank">Some of the actions taken were –</a> implementation of PlaNYC 2030 ((http:// <a href="http://www.nyc.gov/html/planyc2030/html/home/home.shtml">www.nyc.gov/html/planyc2030/html/home/home.shtml</a>), its comprehensive long-term sustainability vision.  The city took 49 acres of road space, traffic lanes and parking spots away from cars and gave that space back to the public for bike lanes, pedestrian areas, and public plazas.  Protected on street bike lanes were part of the 140 miles (255 kilometers) of bike lanes implemented.  Bike ridership has increased by 35 percent over the past year.  Over 98,000 trees were planted, a select bus service was implemented, car free Sundays introduced.  As part of its standard operations, the city's Department of Transport also recycles 40 percent of its asphalt.  Although not successful, the city pushed for congestion charging, a first for US city and now other cities are considering it. More details at <a href="http://www.wnyc.org/news/articles/120997" target="_blank">http://www.wnyc.org/news/articles/120997</a>  & <a href="http://www.itdp.org/index.php/news_events/event_detail/sustainable_transport_award_2009/" target="_blank">http://www.itdp.org/index.php/news_events/event_detail/sustainable_transport_award_2009/</a> Transforming Transportation 2009 EMBARQ, World Bank, Clean Air Initiative - Asia, Clean Air Initiative - Latin America, and the Asian Development Bank hosted the Transforming Transportation, a multi-day event featuring transport and planning experts from around the world during the previous week. This year's event focused on three topics: Bus Rapid Transit, safety and security, and climate change. The Presentations can be found at <a href="http://www.embarq.org/transforming-transportation-2009" target="_blank">http://www.embarq.org/transforming-transportation-2009</a>  NEWSREPORTS Global: Nations want climate plan for transport <a href="http://business.inquirer.net/money/breakingnews/view/20090116-183786/Nations_want_climate_plan_for_transport" target="_blank">http://business.inquirer.net/money/breakingnews/view/20090116-183786/Nations_want_climate_plan_for_transport</a> Singapore: Coming: Electric scooter <a href="http://www.cleanairnet.org/caiasia/1412/article-73202.html" target="_blank">http://www.cleanairnet.org/caiasia/1412/article-73202.html</a> Vietnam: City residents demand better bus service <a href="http://www.cleanairnet.org/caiasia/1412/article-73207.html" target="_blank">http://www.cleanairnet.org/caiasia/1412/article-73207.html</a> Japan:  Retired buses find new lives in rural areas <a href="http://www.cleanairnet.org/caiasia/1412/article-73208.html" target="_blank">http://www.cleanairnet.org/caiasia/1412/article-73208.html</a>  Indonesia: Stuck in Jakarta traffic: Is the gridlock coming early? <a href="http://www.cleanairnet.org/caiasia/1412/article-73209.html" target="_blank">http://www.cleanairnet.org/caiasia/1412/article-73209.html</a>   Srilanka: Fuel price reductions not being transferred to consumers <a href="http://www.cleanairnet.org/caiasia/1412/article-73205.html" target="_blank">http://www.cleanairnet.org/caiasia/1412/article-73205.html</a>    India: Owning a car could get more expensive <a href="http://www.cleanairnet.org/caiasia/1412/article-73201.html" target="_blank">http://www.cleanairnet.org/caiasia/1412/article-73201.html</a>   Philippines: Govt eyes two natural gas stations  <a href="http://www.cleanairnet.org/caiasia/1412/article-73210.html" target="_blank">http://www.cleanairnet.org/caiasia/1412/article-73210.html</a>  Philippines: Cebu City Government Passed Resolution Declaring BRTS As Policy Direction On dec. 10, 2008, the Cebu City Council passed Resolution No. 08-1430, declaring as a policy direction of the Cebu city government, the establishment of a BRT. The process was a result of numerous discussions and push provided by various stakeholders in convincing the need for BRTS. The history of  Cebu BRTS can be found at  some of the news reports <a href="http://globalnation.inquirer.net/cebudailynews/news/view/20080902-158200/Cebu-City-takes-close-look-at-new-bus-system" target="_blank">http://globalnation.inquirer.net/cebudailynews/news/view/20080902-158200/Cebu-City-takes-close-look-at-new-bus-system</a> <a href="http://globalnation.inquirer.net/cebudailynews/news/view/20081215-178121/Bus-system-on-a-roll" target="_blank">http://globalnation.inquirer.net/cebudailynews/news/view/20081215-178121/Bus-system-on-a-roll</a> <a href="http://opinion.inquirer.net/inquireropinion/letterstotheeditor/view/20081219-178864/Cebu-to-Mandaue-Back-rapid-bus-transit" target="_blank">http://opinion.inquirer.net/inquireropinion/letterstotheeditor/view/20081219-178864/Cebu-to-Mandaue-Back-rapid-bus-transit</a> <a href="http://balita.ph/2008/12/20/bus-rapid-transit-advocate-offers-to-help-in-srp-design-bus-system/" target="_blank">http://balita.ph/2008/12/20/bus-rapid-transit-advocate-offers-to-help-in-srp-design-bus-system/</a> <a href="http://globalnation.inquirer.net/cebudailynews/news/view/20081222-179386/Private-sector-role-in-BRT-mulled" target="_blank">http://globalnation.inquirer.net/cebudailynews/news/view/20081222-179386/Private-sector-role-in-BRT-mulled</a> * * * * INTERESTING FINDS/SEMINARS <a href="http://www.eea.europa.eu/highlights/policy-makers-must-address-transport-demand-in-europe" target="_blank">Policy makers must address transport demand in Europe</a> Transport's carbon footprint is a major obstacle to achieving a sustainable, low-carbon economy in Europe. A new report by the European Environment Agency (EEA) urges policy makers to take a fresh approach to address the spiralling growth of transport, supporting "realistic" measures that include pricing schemes for unsustainable mobility and improving citizens' awareness about the environmental consequences of their shopping basket and travel choices. Read more @ <a href="http://www.eea.europa.eu/highlights/policy-makers-must-address-transport-demand-in-europe" target="_blank">http://www.eea.europa.eu/highlights/policy-makers-must-address-transport-demand-in-europe</a> EU to exceed air pollutant limit due to growth in road transport Despite significant emission reductions in recent years, only 11 EU Member States expect to remain within their emission limits for all four air pollutants set by the EU National Emission Ceilings Directive (NEC Directive). The nitrogen oxides ceiling remains the most difficult to comply with. This is partly due to the fact that demand for road transport has grown faster than anticipated. Read more @ <a href="http://www.eea.europa.eu/highlights/eu-to-exceed-air-pollutant-limit-due-to-growth-in-road-transport" target="_blank">http://www.eea.europa.eu/highlights/eu-to-exceed-air-pollutant-limit-due-to-growth-in-road-transport</a> Estimates of the Full Cost of Transportation in Canada The Full Cost Investigation project (FCI) was undertaken with a view to produce defensible estimates of the financial and social costs of transportation for Canada. It was felt that these estimates, once developed, would allow for a better understanding of the relative full costs of the different modes of transportation. The estimates represent an additional analytical tool transportation analysts can use to take into consideration a large number of impacts associated to transportation activities. Access this document at <a href="http://www.tc.gc.ca/pol/en/Report/FullCostInvestigation/Synthesis/report-final.pdf" target="_blank">http://www.tc.gc.ca/pol/en/Report/FullCostInvestigation/Synthesis/report-final.pdf</a> Sustainable Urban Transport in Review - 2008 In case you would like to read the main events, news of 2008 which created the impact on Sustainable urban transport policies and actions, Please read <a href="http://www.cleanairnet.org/caiasia/1412/article-73177.html" target="_blank">http://www.cleanairnet.org/caiasia/1412/article-73177.html</a>   FOOD FOR THOUGHT <ul type="disc"> <li style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; LINE-HEIGHT: normal">Traffic accidents account for more than a million deaths and 50 million injuries each year worldwide; children 5 to 14 are most at risk </li> <li style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; LINE-HEIGHT: normal">Fatality rates in developing countries are 25-30 per 10,000 vehicles, compared to 1 to 2 per 10,000 vehicles in rich nations </li> <li style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; LINE-HEIGHT: normal">The cost of traffic deaths and injuries could be as high as 5 percent of a country's GDP </li> </ul> (Source: World Bank: <a href="http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/NEWS/0,,contentMDK:22032705~pagePK:64257043~piPK:437376~theSitePK:4607,00.html" target="_blank">http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/NEWS/0,,contentMDK:22032705~pagePK:64257043~piPK:437376~theSitePK:4607,00.html</a>) CALL FOR RESEARCH PAPERS We in CAI-Asia are looking for good analytical/research papers on Sustainable Transport and Air Pollution. If you would like your paper to be linked/ published in the CAI website, please let us know… * * * * MARK YOUR CALENDARS Third International Conference on Urban Transport Systems, Shanghai China,March 18-20, <a href="http://www.asce.org/files/pdf/conferences/Call-for-Papers-v2.pdf" target="_blank">http://www.asce.org/files/pdf/conferences/Call-for-Papers-v2.pdf</a> Transport Asia 2009 Exhibition, Karachi Expo Centre,28-30 March 2009 The 4th International Conference on Future Urban Transport , 19-21/4/2009 , <a href="http://www.fut.se/" target="_blank">http://www.fut.se/</a> eceee 2009 Summer Study , 1-6/6/2009 , <a href="http://www.eceee.org/summer_study/" target="_blank">http://www.eceee.org/summer_study/</a> Urban Transport 2009 , 22-24/6/2009 , <a href="http://www2.wessex.ac.uk/09-conferences/urban-transport-2009.html" target="_blank">http://www2.wessex.ac.uk/09-conferences/urban-transport-2009.html</a> ICSUTE 2009 : "International Conference on Sustainable Urban Transport and Environment" Paris, France, June 24-26, 2009, <a href="http://www.waset.org/wcset09/paris/icsute/" target="_blank">http://www.waset.org/wcset09/paris/icsute/</a> Read more @ <a href="http://www.cleanairnet.org/caiasia/1412/propertyvalue-27089.html" target="_blank">http://www.cleanairnet.org/caiasia/1412/propertyvalue-27089.html</a> * * * CONTRIBUTE * * * To contribute articles, news items, or event announcements for the next issue, send an email with the complete details and URL source to <a href="mailto:suma-news-owner@googlegroups.com" target="_blank">suma-news-owner@googlegroups.com</a> with subject "FOR SUMA NEWS". mailto:  <a href="mailto:sudhir@cai-asia.org" target="_blank">sudhir@cai-asia.org</a> Past issues from March and April 2008 are found at <a href="http://groups.google.com/group/suma-news" target="_blank">http://groups.google.com/group/suma-news</a> * * * ABOUT SUMA * * * The Sustainable Urban Mobility in Asia (SUMA) program is supported by the Asian Development Bank through a grant from Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency. SUMA is implemented by the Clean Air Initiative for Asian Cities Center (<a href="http://www.cleanairnet.org/caiasia" target="_blank">www.cleanairnet.org/caiasia</a>), in partnership with EMBARQ - the World Resources Institute Center for Sustainable Transport (<a href="http://embarq.wri.org/" target="_blank">http://embarq.wri.org</a>), GTZ Sustainable Urban Transport Project ( <a href="http://www.sutp.org/" target="_blank">www.sutp.org</a>), Interface for Cycling Expertise (<a href="http://www.cycling.nl/" target="_blank">www.cycling.nl</a>), Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (<a href="http://www.itdp.org/" target="_blank">www.itdp.org</a>), and United Nations Center for Regional Development (<a href="http://www.uncrd.or.jp/est" target="_blank">www.uncrd.or.jp/est</a>) -- Sudhir Gota Transport Specialist CAI-Asia Center Unit 3510, 35th Floor, Robinsons-Equitable Tower, ADB Avenue, Ortigas Center, Pasig City Metro Manila, Philippines 1605 Tel: +63-2-395-2843 Fax: +63-2-395-2846 <a href="http://www.cleanairnet.org/caiasia" target="_blank">http://www.cleanairnet.org/caiasia</a> Skype : sudhirgota