[sustran] 1) Motorised 2 wheelers 2)Hong Kong

[Roberto Verzola]

 >numerous other cities with high motor bike traffic, I need no
 >convincing that two-cycle motor bikes are not a means of
 >transportation to be encouraged.

Will somebody please clarify if it is true that two-cycle motor bikes
are of the low-compression type? Barry Commoner in The Closing Circle
made a distinction between low-compression engines and
high-compression engines (as found in cars), and says that the
pollution is much worse for high-compression engines (SOx, NOx, lead,
etc.) than for low-compression engines (water vapor, CO2, unburnt
fuel, etc.).

Obviously, walking and biking are even less pollutive than 2-cycle
motors, but are we or are we not justified in lumping together 2-cycle
and 4/6-cycle engines?

Obet Verzola











 >
 >We need to create conditions and infrastructure that promotes
 >walking, bicycling, and muscle powered movement of goods, but
 >also channels the inevitable desire for more speed, power and
 >range to clean, quiet, affordable vehicles.  A vision of how I
 >think this might be achieved can be found at
 >http://www.biketrack.com/visions.htm
 >
 >We have been testing  and developing the surface to be used in
 >the EcoTrack transportation system since 1993.  We now have many
 >installations of the surface on steps, wheelchair access ramps,
 >gangways, bicycle/pedestrian bridges, etc. around the U.S.  A
 >partial listing of these sites can be found at
 >http://www.biketrack.com/install.htm
 >
 >The next step toward the EcoTrack transportation system will be
 >the introduction of structural travel surface panels that may be
 >placed together to form high quality walking and bicycle riding
 >surfaces without the need for a wood or metal sub-surface and
 >eliminating the need to excavate and pave.  The first 2'x4'
 >panels will be available by the end of next month along with a
 >new, modular truss system for building economical bicycle and
 >pedestrian bridges.   Please watch www.biketrack.com for
 >developments.  We will be posting more details on the surfacing
 >panels and modular truss system during the month of May.
 >
 >Gerry Hawkes
 >Bike Track, Inc.
 >Woodstock, Vermont USA
 >
 >www.biketrack.com
 >
 >ghawkes at sover.net
 >
 >Tel. 802-457-3275
 >Fax.  802-457-3704
 >
 >
 >
 >-----Original Message-----
 >From: Barbara Gruehl Kipke <hobbes at t-online.de>
 >To: Activists <sustran-discuss at jca.ax.apc.org>
 >Date: Saturday, April 11, 1998 3:51 AM
 >Subject: [sustran] 1) Motorised 2 wheelers 2)Hong Kong has all
 >the solutions?
 >
 >
 >>Dear Sustainable Transport Activists,
 >>
 >>Hi! I'm new to your discussion list! You're welcome to find out
 >more
 >>about me at my web site: http://www.mobility-consultant.com.
 >>
 >>Maybe you can help me with two issues that have cropped up:
 >>1) We are trying to convince German development aid agencies to
 >put more
 >>money into the sustainable transport modes (ie. walking,
 >cycling, animal
 >>drawn alternatives, hand carts etc.). One guy from GTZ (an
 >important
 >>development aid agency) has written a counter-argument saying
 >among
 >>other things that it is not a bright future/perspective if we
 >start with
 >>the bicycle and the next development step is the polluting
 >2-wheelers =E0
 >>la Hanoi, Vietnam or Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
 >>
 >>The Asian region seems to abound with this problem. You must
 >have come
 >>up with some alternative scenarios?! I thought Singapore might
 >have
 >>banned motorcycles/2-wheelers from their streets...is that the
 >case? It
 >>would seem a good combination of public transport together with
 >bike &
 >>ride =E0 la Japan could be the way forward. How did Japan tame the
 >>motorcycle development. Do you have other positive
 >>examples of how Asian cities have handled the 2-wheeled
 >motorized
 >>"pest"?
 >>
 >>For your information, I have already looked at Sustran-discuss
 >files
 >>134, 136, 138, 167 that discuss this subject. Are there
 >additional
 >>comments you can provide me with?
 >>
 >>2) The GTZ guy mentions Hong Kong as a city that has solved "the
 >>transport problem". Hong Kong can thus "show us the way forward"
 >>according to this guy.
 >>
 >>I was in Hong Kong many years ago, but I don't remember it being
 >>particularly great in terms of its transport solutions. I
 >haven't seen
 >>too much written on Hong Kong that would lead me to believe that
 >they
 >>are very innovative or effective.
 >>
 >>How do you see the transport situation in Hong Kong?
 >>
 >>Thanks in advance for feedback!
 >>
 >>Yours sincerely from the deep Black Forest in Germany
 >>(where the Black Forest Cake comes from...)
 >>--
 >>Barbara Gruehl Kipke (M.B.A.)
 >>Mobility Consultant
 >>
 >>Horber Gaessle 13    Tel./Fax: 0049 7451 6985
 >>72160 Horb           e-mail: barbara at mobility-consultant.com
 >>Germany              http://www.mobility-consultant.com
 >>
 >
 >