[sustran] traffic crashes more important than air pollution

[Paul Barter]

I have just come across a paper which makes the argument that "developing
countries need safer streets more than cleaner cars and that a change in
current priorities is therefore required."

The paper, by Eduardo A. Vasconcellos of the University of Sao Paulo,
Brazil, is entitled" Transport and Environment in Developing Countries:
Comparing Air Pollution and Traffic Accidents as Policy Priorities. in
Habitat International, Vol. 21, No. 1, pp. 79-89, 1997.

Here are a few quotes from the conclusion,
"Although air pollution is increasingly identified as a priority target for
transport policies in developing countries, it is not the most important
environment-related transport problem in this part of the world. Traffic
accidents must be considered more important in view of the numbers killed
or injured, the mostly one-sided nature of this violence, and the
collective nature of the phenomenon.
.....
Accidents..already account for more injuries than common diseases and rank
among the leading causes of violent deaths.  Unlike air pollution, which is
spatially concentrated, the problem of traffic accidents is collective and
affects both small and large towns, and urban and rural areas alike.
.....
The social dimension of the problem is highlighted by an analysis showing
who is most affected. Pedestrians, the most vulnerable of the roles played
in traffic, and the most harmed, account for a high percentage of total
fatalities (60% in a large city such as Sao Paulo).
.....
This does not mean that air pollution control should be abandoned, but
rather that the various objectives should be appropriately rank-ordered in
terms of priority...."


I have only glanced through it but the paper seems to be critical of
efforts to get traffic moving faster, which are often justified partly by
claims that this will lower air pollution. Besides not actually decreasing
air pollution in the long term, such measures add to the level of danger of
the street environment for vulnerable road users.

It is an interesting and provocative argument. I don't have time to assess
it in detail.. does anyone else have any views or evidence on this?

Best wishes,

A. Rahman Paul Barter
Sustainable Transport Action Network for Asia & the Pacific (SUSTRAN)
Until 15 July I am in Perth, Australia.
During that time please reach me at <barter at central.murdoch.edu.au>