From mnichols at baaqmd.gov Tue Aug 1 02:32:59 2000 From: mnichols at baaqmd.gov (mnichols@baaqmd.gov) Date: Mon, 31 Jul 2000 10:32:59 -0700 Subject: [sustran] Re: sustran-discuss V1 #677 Message-ID: <0007319650.AA965068108@merkle.baaqmd.gov> One of the most important recent studies of "induced" traffic is: Mark Hanson and Yuanlin Huang, "Road Supply and Traffic in California Urban Areas", Transportation Research, volume 31A, No. 3, 1997, pp. 205-18. Matt Nichols Transportation Fund for Clean Air Bay Area Air Quality Management District mnichols@baaqmd.gov Date: Sat, 29 Jul 2000 11:55:01 +0530 From: Debi Goenka Subject: [sustran] Road building I am urgently looking for material that will establish the point that additional road building does not really help in the long run since the additional traffic that it generates soon clogs the new roads as well as the old one. Case studies/reports from American cities would be most useful. Any links to any websites would also be most useful. Many thanks and cheers Debi Goenka - -- Debi Goenka Bombay Environmental Action Group e-mail: debi@beag.net Environmental Education Office Kalbadevi Municipal School # 54, 2nd floor Mumbai 400002 Tel: 91-22-2423126 Tfax: 91-22-2426385 Registered Office 4 Kurla Industrial Estate LBS Marg, Ghatkopar Mumbai 400086 Tel: 91-22-5147574 Fax: 91-22-5115810 Residence B 502 Glengate Hiranandani Gardens Powai Mumbai 400076 Tel: 91-22-5700638 Tfax: 91-22-5701459 ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 30 Jul 2000 08:22:24 -0700 From: Todd Litman Subject: [sustran] Re: Road building At 11:55 AM 07/29/2000 +0530, you wrote: >I am urgently looking for material that will establish the >point that additional road building does not really help in >the long run since the additional traffic that it generates >soon clogs the new roads as well as the old one. > >Case studies/reports from American cities would be most >useful. > >Any links to any websites would also be most useful. > >Many thanks and cheers See our report "Generated Traffic; Implications for Transport Planning" posted at our website. A version of it is forthcoming in the ITE Journal (Intitute of Transportation Engineers). It summarizes a number of studies that show that under congested conditions, a major portion of additional road capacity is filled with additional vehicle traffic that would not otherwise occur, and that this can exacerbate other transportation problems, including downstream congestion, crashes, pollution and automobile dependency. You may find some of our other reports useful too. Sincerely, Todd Litman, Director Victoria Transport Policy Institute "Efficiency - Equity - Clarity" 1250 Rudlin Street Victoria, BC, V8V 3R7, Canada Phone & Fax: 250-360-1560 E-mail: litman@vtpi.org Website: http://www.vtpi.org ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 30 Jul 2000 16:34:28 +0100 From: Roger Higman Subject: [sustran] Re: Road building > I am urgently looking for material that will establish the > point that additional road building does not really help in > the long run since the additional traffic that it generates > soon clogs the new roads as well as the old one. The classic UK reference is: Standing Advisory Committee on Trunk Road Assessment "Trunk Roads and the Genera on of Traffic" December 1994 (London: HMSO) This found that: "the economic value of a scheme can be overestimated by the omi ion of even a small amount of induced traffic". It said induced traffic is "of greatest importance in the following circumstances: - - where the network is operating or is expected to operate close to capacity; - - where traveller responsiveness to changes in travel times or costs is high, asmay occur where trips are suppressed by congestion and then released when the network is improved; - - where the implementation of a scheme causes large changes in travel costs." Roger Higman Senior Campaigner (Climate and Transport) Friends of the Earth (E,W+NI), 26-28 Underwood Street, London, N1 7JQ Tel + 44 171 566 1661 Fax + 44 171 490 0881 Pager 07654 663772 E-mail rogerh@foe.co.uk http://www.foe.co.uk ------------------------------ End of sustran-discuss V1 #677 ****************************** From Callaway at VOLPE.DOT.GOV Tue Aug 1 22:44:36 2000 From: Callaway at VOLPE.DOT.GOV (Callaway, Cassandra) Date: Tue, 1 Aug 2000 09:44:36 -0400 Subject: [sustran] (no title) Message-ID: On September 14-15, 2000, the Federal Highway Administration and its U.S. Department of Transportation and Environmental Protection Agency partners will host the second Transportation and Community and System Preservation Pilot (TCSP) Program Workshop in Washington, D.C. TCSP is a research and grant program under the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA 21) to fund innovative transportation strategies that enhance community preservation, environmental protection, and social equity. The workshop will bring together people with shared interests in transportation, environmental, and land use issues to learn the latest on the TCSP Program. Workshop participants will include representatives from U.S. DOT and other federal agencies; state and local governments; non-profits; national associations; and the private sector. Some of the 119 current TCSP grantees will report on their progress and lessons learned. U.S. DOT staff will provide TCSP program information, inclu! ! ding how to apply. Workshop topics may include how to: * Coordinate metropolitan and statewide transportation planning; * Form effective partnerships; * Leverage resources; * Encourage community involvement in transportation planning; and, * Evaluate results to provide insights for a national audience. Additional information and registration materials are available at the TCSP web-site: and by e-mail to: whalley@volpe.dot.gov From eric.britton at ecoplan.org Tue Aug 1 23:47:17 2000 From: eric.britton at ecoplan.org (ecoplan (paris)) Date: Tue, 1 Aug 2000 16:47:17 +0200 Subject: [sustran] dedicated busway, more buses In-Reply-To: <965127964.8123@egroups.com> Message-ID: The Hindu reported on July 30: "2000 Volvo buses from Sweden are to be placed on select routes in Bangalore, Southern India. The State Transport Minister, C.R.Sageer Ahmed said the first phase of the Metro Bus Project involved a 12 km dedicated track between Jayanagar Bus Station and Shivajinagar Bus Station." (Thanks to G. Ananthakrishnan,) Dear Colleagues, This "Metro Bus Project", to respond to Wendell Cox's question, is indeed a derivative of the original Curitiba project, of which the latest version is currently abuidling in Bogot? under the name Transmilenio. (For the former you can go to @ccess on the Web site at http://www.ecoplan.org/access, click Learning From and then Curitiba), and for the latter go to http://www.alcaldiabogota.gov.co/transmilenio/index.html) The tone of the article seems to indicate that this is a sure thing, with "The buses expected to be on Bangalore roads by December". That might well be a good thing, but I am obliged to wonder how realistic it is. This is not to pour cold water on what can be a terrific transportation concept in the right circumstances, but let me see if I can try to put this into quick perspective. I'll do this here in public and give those better informed and closer to the sources an opportunity to correct and amplify. Here are my main sticking points: 1. If they are to meet their December deadline, then they must almost be through building the guideway and those buses must be well advanced on the assembly line. Building the infrastructure for these SurfaceMetro systems (as well tend to call them) is not something that can be done overnight. (Again a progress check of the Transmilenio should help clarify how this works.) 2. These systems make a pretty considerable claim on the urban real estate in each place. Usually they require wide urban boulevards, which of course are not always so easy to find in densely built up areas. 3. The article suggest that the Swedish Development Agency might pay for the buses. Well, if so they better already have the money in the bank. While SIDA is an efficient organization by the usual international standards, it still is very much a government bureaucracy, and things take time there. Also, it may be noted that the Swedes have not been handing over very many of their hard earned Kroner since the Indian government decided that they needed to test a few atomic bombs. Indeed, I do think that the Scan-well is running quite dry at the moment. 4. Other sticking points for such a project, and all the more given the very tight reported timetable, include: (a) the not so evident telematics which are required to support a system of this sort (identification, acquisition, financing and getting the stuff on line, tested and debugged to permit commercial operation); (b) the organizational and management challenges involved in making such a novel system work properly; and (c) the small problem of how you handle the problem of what is in effect competition with the private bus operators and other transporters who compete for the same street space. Never mind all the usual car folk, who rarely take this sort of thing lying down. I sincerely hope that someone is going to step forward now and correct my errors and worries as set out in the above, because it would sure be great to know for a fact that a terrific new, high performing, cost-effective, clean, affordable, etc. transport system was about to come on line in Bangalore. The world certainly needs such examples. And if this project is actually on, we will be pleased to open up a portion of the site in our @ccess on the Web program to help track progress. Eric Britton ecopl@n ___ technology, economy, society ___ Le Frene, 8/10 rue Joseph Bara, 75006 Paris, France Eric.Britton@ecoplan.org URL www.ecoplan.org Mobile: +336 80 96 78 79 Voice/Videoconference +331.4441.6340 (1-4) Voicemail/Fax hotline: Europe +331 5301 2896 Voicemail/Fax hotline: North America +1 888 522 6419 (toll free) From ganant at vsnl.com Wed Aug 2 03:27:22 2000 From: ganant at vsnl.com (Ananthakrishnan) Date: Tue, 1 Aug 2000 23:57:22 +0530 Subject: [sustran] Re: dedicated busway, more buses References: Message-ID: <002c01bffbe6$380402a0$37e3c7cb@default> Many thanks for the responses. Will try to get these points clarified earliest. The Government of the State in question is in the grip of an entirely unrelated crisis - one of its prominent actors was kidnapped by forest bandits a day after the busway report appeared. We will unfortunately have to wait for this crisis (which has led to riots and arson in Bangalore) to blow over before working on such mundane things as transport. Just one of those Indian peculiarities. Ananthakrishnan ----- Original Message ----- From: "ecoplan (paris)" To: Cc: Sent: Tuesday, August 01, 2000 8:17 PM Subject: [sustran] dedicated busway, more buses > The Hindu reported on July 30: "2000 Volvo buses from Sweden are to be > placed on select routes in Bangalore, > Southern India. The State Transport Minister, C.R.Sageer Ahmed said the > first phase of the Metro Bus Project involved a 12 km dedicated track > between Jayanagar Bus Station and Shivajinagar Bus Station." (Thanks to G. > Ananthakrishnan,) > > Dear Colleagues, > > This "Metro Bus Project", to respond to Wendell Cox's question, is indeed a > derivative of the original Curitiba project, of which the latest version is > currently abuidling in Bogot? under the name Transmilenio. (For the former > you can go to @ccess on the Web site at http://www.ecoplan.org/access, click > Learning From and then Curitiba), and for the latter go to > http://www.alcaldiabogota.gov.co/transmilenio/index.html) > > The tone of the article seems to indicate that this is a sure thing, with > "The buses expected to > be on Bangalore roads by December". That might well be a good thing, but I > am obliged to wonder how realistic it is. This is not to pour cold water on > what can be a terrific transportation concept in the right circumstances, > but let me see if I can try to put this into quick perspective. I'll do > this here in public and give those better informed and closer to the sources > an opportunity to correct and amplify. Here are my main sticking points: > > 1. If they are to meet their December deadline, then they must almost be > through building the guideway and those buses must be well advanced on the > assembly line. Building the infrastructure for these SurfaceMetro systems > (as well tend to call them) is not something that can be done overnight. > (Again a progress check of the Transmilenio should help clarify how this > works.) > > 2. These systems make a pretty considerable claim on the urban real estate > in each place. Usually they require wide urban boulevards, which of course > are not always so easy to find in densely built up areas. > > 3. The article suggest that the Swedish Development Agency might pay for the > buses. Well, if so they better already have the money in the bank. While > SIDA is an efficient organization by the usual international standards, it > still is very much a government bureaucracy, and things take time there. > Also, it may be noted that the Swedes have not been handing over very many > of their hard earned Kroner since the Indian government decided that they > needed to test a few atomic bombs. Indeed, I do think that the Scan-well is > running quite dry at the moment. > > 4. Other sticking points for such a project, and all the more given the very > tight reported timetable, include: (a) the not so evident telematics which > are required to support a system of this sort (identification, acquisition, > financing and getting the stuff on line, tested and debugged to permit > commercial operation); (b) the organizational and management challenges > involved in making such a novel system work properly; and (c) the small > problem of how you handle the problem of what is in effect competition with > the private bus operators and other transporters who compete for the same > street space. Never mind all the usual car folk, who rarely take this sort > of thing lying down. > > I sincerely hope that someone is going to step forward now and correct my > errors and worries as set out in the above, because it would sure be great > to know for a fact that a terrific new, high performing, cost-effective, > clean, affordable, etc. transport system was about to come on line in > Bangalore. The world certainly needs such examples. And if this project is > actually on, we will be pleased to open up a portion of the site in our > @ccess on the Web program to help track progress. > > Eric Britton > > ecopl@n ___ technology, economy, society ___ > Le Frene, 8/10 rue Joseph Bara, 75006 Paris, France > Eric.Britton@ecoplan.org URL www.ecoplan.org > Mobile: +336 80 96 78 79 > Voice/Videoconference +331.4441.6340 (1-4) > Voicemail/Fax hotline: Europe +331 5301 2896 > Voicemail/Fax hotline: North America +1 888 522 6419 (toll free) > > > From eric.britton at ecoplan.org Wed Aug 2 05:23:46 2000 From: eric.britton at ecoplan.org (ecoplan (paris)) Date: Tue, 1 Aug 2000 22:23:46 +0200 Subject: [sustran] =?iso-8859-1?Q?_Bogot=E1_Transmilenio_Overview?= Message-ID: From: ASUNTOS INTERNACIONALES [mailto:consnacion@gaitana.interred.net.co] Sent: Tuesday, 1 August 2000 8:47 PM INVERSI?N PRIMERA FASE: US$117 millones FECHA DE INICIACI?N: Marzo 2000 DESCRIPCI?N A trav?s de este megaproyecto la Alcald?a Mayor busca mejorar la calidad de vida de los bogotanos y a incrementar la competitividad de la ciudad. Este sistema de transporte masivo por buses se compone de tres elementos b?sicos: la construcci?n de infraestructura vial exclusiva para el transporte p?blico, el dise?o y montaje de una operaci?n controlada que permita administrar eficientemente el sistema de transporte, y la utilizaci?n de veh?culos de alta capacidad que muevan un alto volumen de pasajeros de manera segura, r?pida y confortable. La infraestructura requerida ser? provista por el Distrito y su dise?o contar? con criterios de respeto, armon?a y renovaci?n del espacio p?blico urbano. El recaudo de los ingresos provenientes de la prestaci?n del servicio estar? a cargo de un tercero de car?cter privado quien deber? proveer los sistemas de pago utilizando tarjetas inteligentes o boletos magn?ticos, y encargarse del manejo de un fondo fiduciario que ser? el responsable de remunerar a los operadores de acuerdo al cumplimiento de los par?metros de operaci?n establecidos. Los operadores de las rutas troncales deber?n adquirir el parque automotor nuevo necesario para prestar el servicio y mantenerlo en ?ptimas condiciones de operaci?n. Estos veh?culos deber?n ajustarse a par?metros t?cnicos fijados por TransMilenio en asocio con el Ministerio de Transporte. En las rutas alimentadoras inicialmente se podr? utilizar el parque automotor existente en Bogot? esperando renovarlo en el corto plazo para mejorar la seguridad y calidad del servicio ofrecido a los usuarios Bogotanos. El proyecto se dividir? en dos fases: a.. 3 Troncales para la Fase 1 (Calle 80, Autopista Norte y Avenida Caracas) b.. 4 Troncales para la Fase 2 (Avenida Suba, Avenida Norte-Quito-Sur, Avenida de las Am?ricas y el Corredor F?rreo del Sur). DATOS RELEVANTES - Primera Fase Total Kil?metros por construir 41 N?mero buses/ cupo total 470 buses/160 pasajeros bus Capacidad de transporte 660.000 pasajeros/d?a Inversi?n US $ 117 millones Crecimiento PIB adicional en Bogot? a?o 2001 0.8% Disminuci?n tasa desempleo por TransMilenio 0.4% en 2001 0.6% en 2002 Empleo 17,175 Con este sistema de Transporte masivo se beneficia no s?lo el 72% de la poblaci?n Bogotana que actualmente se transporta en bus urbano, sino tambi?n el 19% restante que se moviliza en veh?culo particular, pues TransMilenio ser? una alternativa de transporte p?blico de calidad, y con su puesta en marcha se mejorar? el flujo de veh?culos particulares en las v?as. Este sistema de transporte beneficiar? a los usuarios del sistema de transporte, cuyas condiciones de seguridad se mejorar?n y se elevar? su nivel de vida. Se dar? fin a la llamada "guerra del centavo", y con ello los salarios de los conductores dejar?n de depender de la cantidad de pasajeros que recojan durante el trayecto, y contar?n con un contrato de trabajo. Transformar el sistema de transporte existente en la ciudad es transformar la vida de muchos de los habitantes de Bogot? que viven en promedio dos horas y veinte minutos al d?a en un bus urbano. Lograr que el sistema de transporte p?blico transite a una velocidad de 25 kil?metros por hora (y no a 8 o 10 km/h como actualmente sucede) mediante carriles exclusivos y estaciones cada quinientos metros permite ordenar el tr?fico de la ciudad y economizar a los ciudadanos una hora diaria de transporte. OSCAR EDMUNDO DIAZ Asesor en Asuntos Internacionales - Advisor on Foreign Affairs - Consejeria para la Nacion y las Relaciones Internacionales - Special Advisor Office for National and Foreign Affairs - Alcaldia Mayor - City Hall - Calle 10 # 3 - 61 Bogota COLOMBIA Tels: (571) 352-1611 / (571) 337-5320 / (571) 281-5209 Fax: (571) 352-1618 Home Page: http://www.alcaldiabogota.gov.co E-mail: consnacion@interred.net.co diazoe@latino.net.co ============ Machine translation: TRANSMILENIO INVESTMENT FIRST PHASE: US$117 millions DATE OF INITIATION: March 2000 DESCRIPTION Through this megaproyecto the Mayor's office bigger search to improve the quality of life of the from Bogot? ones and to increase the competitiveness of the city. This system of massive transport for buses is composed of three basic elements: the construction of infrastructure exclusive vial for the public transportation, the design and assembly of a controlled operation that he/she allows to administer the system of transport, and the use of vehicles of high capacity that you/they move a high volume of passengers in a sure, quick and comfortable way efficiently. The required infrastructure will be provided by the District and its design will have approaches of respect, harmony and renovation of the urban public space. He collects of the revenues coming from the benefit of the service it will be in charge of a third of private character who will provide the payment systems using intelligent cards or magnetic tickets, and to take charge of the handling of a fiduciary bottom that will be the responsible one of remunerating to the operators according to the execution of the established operation parameters. The operators of the routes truncate them they will acquire the necessary new self-driven park to lend the service and to maintain it under good operation conditions. These vehicles will be adjusted to technical parameters fixed by TransMilenio in I associate with the Ministry of Transport. In the routes alimentadoras one will be able to initially to use the existent self-driven park in Bogot? hoping to renovate it in the short term to improve the security and quality from the offered service to the users From Bogot?. The project will be divided in two phases: a. 3 routes for the Phase 1 ) b.. 4 routes for the Phase 2 BACKROUND DATA First Phase Total Kilometers to build 41 Number buses / it fitted total 470 buses/160 pass./bus Capacity of transport 660.000 pasajeros/d?a Investment US $117 millions Growth additional GDP in Bogot? year 2001 0.8% Decrease unemployment for TransMilenio 0.4% in 2001 0.6% in 2002 Employment 17,175 This system of mass transport not only benefits the population's 72% that at the moment is transported in urban bus, but also 19 remaining% moves in private cars, because TransMilenio will be an alternative of public transportation of quality, and with its setting in march will improve the flow of particular vehicles in the roads. This system of transport will benefit the users of the system of transport whose safe-deposit conditions will improve and its level of life will rise. End will be given to the call war of the cent", and with it the wages of the drivers will stop to depend on the quantity of passengers that you/they pick up during the itinerary, and they will have a force account. To transform the system of existent transport in the city is to transform the life of many of the inhabitants from Bogot? that live on the average two hours and twenty up-to-date minutes in an urban bus. To achieve that the public transportation system traffics hourly to a speed of 25 kilometers (and not to 8 or 10 km/h like at the moment it happens) by means of exclusive rails and park each five hundred meters it allows to order the traffic of the city and to economize to the citizens a daily hour of transport. For more, contact: OSCAR EDMUNDO DIAZ Counsel in International Matters - Advisor on Foreign Affairs - - Special Advisor Office for National and Foreign Affairs - City Hall - Bogot? COLOMBIA Tels: (571) 352-1611 / (571) 337-5320 / (571) 281-5209 Fax: (571) 352-1618 Home Page: http://www.alcaldiabogota.gov.co E-mail: consnacion@interred.net.co diazoe@latino.net.co From eric.britton at ecoplan.org Wed Aug 2 19:53:41 2000 From: eric.britton at ecoplan.org (ecoplan (paris)) Date: Wed, 2 Aug 2000 12:53:41 +0200 Subject: [sustran] London road pricing project Message-ID: Dear Colleagues, This proposed project represents an extremely important and most challenging policy initiative which we view as being well worth following as it unfolds in the months ahead. It touches on many issues of The Commons which stretch well beyond considerations of access and transport efficiency per se. If the sponsors manage to get it done, and get it done right, this is going to be quite an accomplishment. I propose therefore that we get together to build up a shared database and e-resource which will be freely available to any and all. To get this going we have set up a "Link Library" for these references in our @ccess on the Web site at http://www.egroups.com/links/access-forum/London_Road_Pricing__000965122402/ . A handful of links and articles have been placed there today, but that is mainly intended just to get this process underway. In an attempt to make this as easy as possible, we have opened up the Links section so that anyone can go in and add their links. When you do this, kindly take a minute however to indicate carefully the topic, source and date so that the others will be able to see if this is a source they may wish to pursue. We also invite comment and discussion under this heading in the main @ccess forum, for which the direct mail address is access-forum@egroups.com . You will see the full set of messages on this topic in the Message Center at http://www.egroups.com/messages/access-forum . If you have any questions or further suggestions on this, please get in touch. We look forward to your materials, references and comments. Regards, Eric Britton ecopl@n ___ technology, economy, society ___ Le Frene, 8/10 rue Joseph Bara, 75006 Paris, France Eric.Britton@ecoplan.org URL www.ecoplan.org Day phone: +331 4326 1323 Mobile: +336 80 96 78 79 24 hour Voicemail/Fax hotline: Europe +331 5301 2896 Voicemail/Fax hotline: North America +1 888 522 6419 (toll free) From alanhowes at usaksa.com Thu Aug 3 04:52:20 2000 From: alanhowes at usaksa.com (Alan P Howes) Date: Wed, 02 Aug 2000 22:52:20 +0300 Subject: [sustran] Re: dedicated busway, more buses In-Reply-To: <002c01bffbe6$380402a0$37e3c7cb@default> References: <002c01bffbe6$380402a0$37e3c7cb@default> Message-ID: Sorry to be way off subject - But I was profoundly depressed at the reaction in Karnataka to the kidnapping - the kidnapper was a Tamil, so let's go and beat up some Tamils. Alas for the human race! Like Eric, I will be very interested to see what comes of the Bangalore Metrobus initiative. There is a reasonable amount of material on Metrobus on Volvo's website (www.volvo.com ?) - and they have a pack of material which they are happy to send out. [Ha! Just looked at the Volvo website - the stuff on Metrobus seems to have gone, unless someone else can find it.] On Tue, 1 Aug 2000 23:57:22 +0530, "Ananthakrishnan" wrote: >Many thanks for the responses. Will try to get these points clarified >earliest. The Government of the State in question is in the grip of an >entirely unrelated crisis - one of its prominent actors was kidnapped by >forest bandits a day after the busway report appeared. We will unfortunately >have to wait for this crisis (which has led to riots and arson in Bangalore) >to blow over before working on such mundane things as transport. Just one >of those Indian peculiarities. -- Alan Howes, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (Otherwise Perthshire, Scotland) alanhowes@usaksa.com [home] ** WORKING AGAIN (as long as the string holds!] ** PLEASE DO NOT SEND LARGE MESSAGES (>100kB) WITHOUT PRIOR NOTICE howesap@saptco.com.sa [work] http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/alanhowes/ [Needs Updating!] From eric.britton at ecoplan.org Thu Aug 3 05:13:31 2000 From: eric.britton at ecoplan.org (ecoplan (paris)) Date: Wed, 2 Aug 2000 22:13:31 +0200 Subject: [sustran] dedicated busway, more buses In-Reply-To: Message-ID: Alan Howes asks about "material on MetroBus on Volvo's website" I tried Volvo directly too, but the only thing that worked for me was to go to The Commons Home page (http://ecoplan.org), pop "Curitiba" into the Search box on the menu, click #1 "Curitiba References", and from there click #4, "Volvo on Curitiba". And there it is. (You would think if I can work it that way that I should also be able to take it backward and give you a simpler path. But no!, I was not able to do that.) Sorry if this seems a bit round about, but at least it shows how our site works (and that from time to time it can even be a useful tool). Regards, Eric Britton ecopl@n ___ technology, economy, society ___ Le Frene, 8/10 rue Joseph Bara, 75006 Paris, France Eric.Britton@ecoplan.org URL www.ecoplan.org Mobile: +336 80 96 78 79 Voice/Videoconference +331.4441.6340 (1-4) Voicemail/Fax hotline: Europe +331 5301 2896 Voicemail/Fax hotline: North America +1 888 522 6419 (toll free) From sustran at po.jaring.my Thu Aug 3 19:48:02 2000 From: sustran at po.jaring.my (SUSTRAN Resource Centre) Date: Thu, 03 Aug 2000 18:48:02 +0800 Subject: [sustran] More evidence on particulate air pollution danger Message-ID: <3.0.6.32.20000803184802.008c7680@relay101.jaring.my> New Scientist this week reports: Hold your breath Tiny particles of dirt in the air of cities really can kill you A FRESH analysis of a classic pollution study has vindicated its conclusion that city-dwellers in Europe and the US are dying young because of microscopic particles in the air. Most of the concern about particulate pollution began in 1993 with the publication of the Harvard "Six Cities" study, which identified particles with a diameter of less than 10 micrometres (PM10) as a threat to public health. A team of researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, led by Douglas Dockery, compared death rates and pollution levels in six American cities by following more than 8000 adults for up to 16 years. They found that the death rates increased in almost direct proportion to the level of particulate pollution. People living in the most polluted city--Steubenville, Ohio--had a 26 per cent risk of dying young compared with residents of the cleanest city, which was Portage, Wisconsin (New England Journal of Medicine, vol 329, p 1753). A larger study by the American Cancer Society in 1995 tested these findings by following 550 000 adults over seven years. Once again, there appeared to be a strong link between death rates and particulate pollution. Critics of these studies argued, however, that other differences between the cities--such as poverty--might be responsible for the different death rates. So the Health Effects Institute, an independent research organisation in Cambridge, Massachusetts, funded jointly by industry and the US government's Environmental Protection Agency, spent three years re-analysing the data and testing dozens of different explanations for the results. They controlled for factors such as education, ethnicity, income levels and the availability of health care, as well as differences in other pollutants, temperature and humidity. But the re-analysis broadly confirmed the original conclusion. "For the most part, the inclusion of these additional [factors] did not alter the association," says team leader Daniel Krewski of the University of Ottawa. "We were very surprised and relieved, actually," says Dockery. Adrian Pope of the Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, who led the American Cancer Society study, hopes the results will end the controversy. The HEI study suggests that tiny particles with a diameter of less than 2.5 micrometres, or PM2.5, are more dangerous than PM10. Most of the PM2.5 fraction is caused by by-products of combustion, which may contain more carcinogens. Currently the US sets air-quality standards for both PM10 and PM2.5. Europe only has a standard for PM10, but the European Commission is due to review its particle pollution standards. Roy Harrison of the University of Birmingham, who advises the British government on particulate air pollution, says separate monitoring is unnecessary because, in Britain at least, PM2.5 levels rise and fall with PM10 levels. But Tim Brown of Britain's National Society for Clean Air says researchers need to know more about how particle composition--and not just size--affects health. Brown asks: "Are all particles equally dangerous?" Nell Boyce >From New Scientist magazine, 05 August 2000. ? Copyright New Scientist, RBI Limited 2000 -------------------------------- Distributed for the purpose of education and research. A. Rahman Paul BARTER SUSTRAN Resource Centre Information services for the Sustainable Transport Action Network for Asia and the Pacific (the SUSTRAN Network) sustran@po.jaring.my http://www.malaysiakini.com/sustran http://www.geocities.com/sustrannet From eric.britton at ecoplan.org Wed Aug 2 19:53:41 2000 From: eric.britton at ecoplan.org (ecoplan (paris)) Date: Wed, 2 Aug 2000 12:53:41 +0200 Subject: [sustran] London road pricing project Message-ID: Dear Colleagues, This proposed project represents an extremely important and most challenging policy initiative which we view as being well worth following as it unfolds in the months ahead. It touches on many issues of The Commons which stretch well beyond considerations of access and transport efficiency per se. If the sponsors manage to get it done, and get it done right, this is going to be quite an accomplishment. I propose therefore that we get together to build up a shared database and e-resource which will be freely available to any and all. To get this going we have set up a "Link Library" for these references in our @ccess on the Web site at http://www.egroups.com/links/access-forum/London_Road_Pricing__000965122402/ . A handful of links and articles have been placed there today, but that is mainly intended just to get this process underway. In an attempt to make this as easy as possible, we have opened up the Links section so that anyone can go in and add their links. When you do this, kindly take a minute however to indicate carefully the topic, source and date so that the others will be able to see if this is a source they may wish to pursue. We also invite comment and discussion under this heading in the main @ccess forum, for which the direct mail address is access-forum@egroups.com . You will see the full set of messages on this topic in the Message Center at http://www.egroups.com/messages/access-forum . If you have any questions or further suggestions on this, please get in touch. We look forward to your materials, references and comments. Regards, Eric Britton ecopl@n ___ technology, economy, society ___ Le Frene, 8/10 rue Joseph Bara, 75006 Paris, France Eric.Britton@ecoplan.org URL www.ecoplan.org Day phone: +331 4326 1323 Mobile: +336 80 96 78 79 24 hour Voicemail/Fax hotline: Europe +331 5301 2896 Voicemail/Fax hotline: North America +1 888 522 6419 (toll free) From intlbike at ibike.org Thu Aug 3 20:15:33 2000 From: intlbike at ibike.org (David Mozer) Date: Thu, 3 Aug 2000 04:15:33 -0700 Subject: [sustran] FW: Transportation software or videos for developing countries? Message-ID: -----Original Message----- From: Barney P. Popkin [mailto:bppopkin@sirius.com] Sent: Saturday, July 22, 2000 1:26 PM To: IBF (E-mail) Subject: Transportation software or videos for developing countries? Help! I spent Friday afternoon at the University of California, Berkeley, Transportation Library perusing McTrans magazine, etc. For the non-profit International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives, I am preparing a resources guide to "Transportation Options to Improve Air Quality and Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Developing and Transitioning Countries." I'm stumped in finding transportation SOFTWARE and transportation VIDEOS for developing and transitioning countries. Might you provide me with a list or direct me to others who might? Thanks in advance. For information on ICLEI, please see . Best wishes, Barney P. Popkin Resources Management Consultant 701 Shotwell Street San Francisco, CA 94110-2611 U.S.A. Phone 415-282-8056, fax 415-282-3886 E-mail bppopkin@sirius.com, web page http://bppopkin.tripod.com/ Managing resources safely, strategically, and sustainably From sagaris at lake.cl Thu Aug 3 21:33:08 2000 From: sagaris at lake.cl (Lake Sagaris) Date: Thu, 03 Aug 2000 08:33:08 -0400 Subject: [sustran] Re: More evidence on particulate air pollution danger In-Reply-To: <3.0.6.32.20000803184802.008c7680@relay101.jaring.my> Message-ID: <3.0.6.32.20000803083308.0079ca00@127.0.0.1> Great posting Nell. Thanks very much. Lake (Santiago, Chile) At 06:48 PM 8/3/00 +0800, you wrote: >New Scientist this week reports: > >Hold your breath >Tiny particles of dirt in the air of cities really can kill you > >A FRESH analysis of a classic pollution study has vindicated its conclusion >that city-dwellers in Europe and the US are dying young because of >microscopic particles in the air. > >Most of the concern about particulate pollution began in 1993 with the >publication of the Harvard "Six Cities" study, which identified particles >with a diameter of less than 10 micrometres (PM10) as a threat to public >health. A team of researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health in >Boston, led by Douglas Dockery, compared death rates and pollution levels >in six American cities by following more than 8000 adults for up to 16 years. > >They found that the death rates increased in almost direct proportion to >the level of particulate pollution. People living in the most polluted >city--Steubenville, Ohio--had a 26 per cent risk of dying young compared >with residents of the cleanest city, which was Portage, Wisconsin (New >England Journal of Medicine, vol 329, p 1753). > >A larger study by the American Cancer Society in 1995 tested these findings >by following 550 000 adults over seven years. Once again, there appeared to >be a strong link between death rates and particulate pollution. Critics of >these studies argued, however, that other differences between the >cities--such as poverty--might be responsible for the different death rates. > >So the Health Effects Institute, an independent research organisation in >Cambridge, Massachusetts, funded jointly by industry and the US >government's Environmental Protection Agency, spent three years >re-analysing the data and testing dozens of different explanations for the >results. They controlled for factors such as education, ethnicity, income >levels and the availability of health care, as well as differences in other >pollutants, temperature and humidity. > >But the re-analysis broadly confirmed the original conclusion. "For the >most part, the inclusion of these additional [factors] did not alter the >association," says team leader Daniel Krewski of the University of Ottawa. >"We were very surprised and relieved, actually," says Dockery. Adrian Pope >of the Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, who led the American Cancer >Society study, hopes the results will end the controversy. > >The HEI study suggests that tiny particles with a diameter of less than 2.5 >micrometres, or PM2.5, are more dangerous than PM10. Most of the PM2.5 >fraction is caused by by-products of combustion, which may contain more >carcinogens. > >Currently the US sets air-quality standards for both PM10 and PM2.5. Europe >only has a standard for PM10, but the European Commission is due to review >its particle pollution standards. Roy Harrison of the University of >Birmingham, who advises the British government on particulate air >pollution, says separate monitoring is unnecessary because, in Britain at >least, PM2.5 levels rise and fall with PM10 levels. > >But Tim Brown of Britain's National Society for Clean Air says researchers >need to know more about how particle composition--and not just >size--affects health. Brown asks: "Are all particles equally dangerous?" > >Nell Boyce > >>From New Scientist magazine, 05 August 2000. > >? Copyright New Scientist, RBI Limited 2000 >-------------------------------- > > > >Distributed for the purpose of education and research. > >A. Rahman Paul BARTER >SUSTRAN Resource Centre >Information services for the Sustainable Transport Action Network >for Asia and the Pacific (the SUSTRAN Network) >sustran@po.jaring.my >http://www.malaysiakini.com/sustran >http://www.geocities.com/sustrannet > Ojo con cambio de direcci?n/ Note change of address: sagaris@lake.cl From sustran at po.jaring.my Tue Aug 8 10:24:01 2000 From: sustran at po.jaring.my (SUSTRAN Resource Centre) Date: Tue, 08 Aug 2000 09:24:01 +0800 Subject: [sustran] fwd: Klang Valley Common ticketing system Message-ID: <3.0.6.32.20000808092401.00912970@relay101.jaring.my> Business Times (Malaysia): http://www.nstpi.com.my/z//Current_News/BT/Friday/Business/20000803190037 Nation: Common ticketing system to integrate public transportation By EIRMALASARE BANI 03 August 2000 A PRIVATE consortium comprising seven operators has been formed to implement a common ticketing system to expedite integration of the public transport in the Klang Valley, Transport Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ling Liong Sik said. He said City Hall is undertaking a study on the system, together with the light rail transit (LRT) and bus operators. However, he declined to elaborate further. ?They are close to a solution,? he told reporters after launching Bandar Sunway?s SunTrek 2000 monorail in Subang Jaya yesterday. The common ticketing system will allow passengers to use similar tickets on both the LRT and buses. Earlier in his speech, Dr Ling said the integration of the urban transport system is important for city centres like the Klang Valley to grow further and to reduce traffic congestion at the same time. He added that the Government is gradually implementing a parking policy where the availability of parking space in the city centres will be minimised and the rates made more expensive. ?Such policy, however, cannot be made overnight to prepare the public for the changes,? he said. He said the Government had undertaken several strategies to manage the traffic in urban centres, especially in the Klang Valley, such as through the development of an efficient, integrated and environment-friendly public transport system. Others include the amalgamation of city bus companies, upgrading of public transport terminals and road infrastructure, and implementation of more effective traffic demand management measures. In addition, the Government will ?facilitate the use of multimodal transport? by systematically integrating transport infrastructure, such as the provision of bus lanes, pick-up and drop-off points for buses and taxis, and park-and-ride facilities for private vehicles close to LRT and commuter stations. Dr Ling said a recent study showed that during peak hours, over 80 per cent of the vehicles in Kuala Lumpur city centre are private cars whereas in cities like London and New York, 90 per cent of the vehicles are public vehicles like buses and taxis. ?The time will come when an integrated transport system becomes a necessity rather than choice to city dwellers,? he said, adding that the younger generation are more receptive towards using public transport. On the rail-based transport system currently being developed, he said the Government is committed to complete the project ?at the earliest possible date? and to integrate it with the existing Sistem Transit Aliran Ringan Sdn Bhd (STAR), Projek Usahasama Transit Ringan Automatik Sdn Bhd (Putra) and KTM Bhd?s commuter trains. The rail projects still under construction are the KL Monorail and Express Rail Link, due to be completed in 2002. The Government recently instructed the Corporate Debt Restructuring Committee (CDRC) to oversee debtor-creditor negotiations of five main bus and rail operators in Kuala Lumpur and to study the possibility of having a single LRT system in the country. The operators _ STAR, Putra, KTM, Intrakota Consolidated Bhd and Park May Bhd _ are said to be running at a loss and facing some RM10 billion of combined debt. It is believed that the CDRC proposal has been submitted and includes reverting the ownership of all assets to the Government, which would later engage the private sector to operate and maintain the assets through five-year franchises. Copyright ? The New Straits Times Press (Malaysia) Berhad, Balai Berita 31, Jalan Riong, 59100 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. --------------------------------- Distributed for the purpose of education and research. A. Rahman Paul BARTER SUSTRAN Resource Centre Information services for the Sustainable Transport Action Network for Asia and the Pacific (the SUSTRAN Network) sustran@po.jaring.my http://www.malaysiakini.com/sustran http://www.geocities.com/sustrannet From ecologic at gn.apc.org Tue Aug 8 16:19:42 2000 From: ecologic at gn.apc.org (John Whitelegg) Date: Tue, 8 Aug 2000 08:19:42 +0100 Subject: [sustran] Singapore Message-ID: <01C00111.77D69FC0@useray52.uk.uudial.com> Dear Sustran discussers, Can anyone tell me what the latest situation is in Singapore with respect to area licensing and to electronic road pricing/congestion charging. Specifically What is currently in place How much does it cost Does it work Because I don't believe in exploitation I will happily send to those who reply a report I have just written on the economic, social and environmental impact of aviation and how to curb the growth of flying through emission charges. Very best wishes and thanks John Whitelegg From eric.britton at ecoplan.org Tue Aug 8 17:02:05 2000 From: eric.britton at ecoplan.org (eric.britton@ecoplan.org) Date: Tue, 8 Aug 2000 10:02:05 +0200 Subject: [sustran] Re: Singapore In-Reply-To: <01C00111.77D69FC0@useray52.uk.uudial.com> Message-ID: John, Gilbert reference follows. When you complete your report why don't we just place it in the @ccess or WTP&P library (along with anything else of yours that you think might be of use to people. eric 8. SPOTLIGHT ON AVIATION IMPACTS The environmental impacts of aviation are receiving increasing attention. The IGFR Open Research Program Research Group <20. transport> (contact: igfr@i...) recently drew our attention to Issue No. 3 of the Sustainable Transportation Monitor which focuses on aviation. It states that '...of all transport modes, aviation is the least environmentally sustainable at present, and shows the least promise of becoming sustainable.' At currently typical vehicle occupancies and fuel efficiencies, air travel fuel use per person is similar to the rate for car travel. However, the climate change impact of air travel is estimated at about three times the rate of car travel - primarily because engine emissions at altitudes of 10-11 km appear to have a more potent greenhouse effect than the same emissions at sea level. For example, high altitudes enhance the formation and greenhouse potency of ozone from NOx emissions. Global air travel is growing at about 5 percent annually. The Sustainable Transportation Monitor is available in pdf format at http://www.web.net/~cstctd from the Sustainable Transportation Centre in Canada. Contact: Centre for Sustainable Transportation, 15 Borden Street, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5S 2M8. Phone (1 416) 923-9970, Fax (1 416) 923-6531, E-mail: Richard Gilbert at cstctd@web.net From imccrae at trl.co.uk Tue Aug 8 17:13:57 2000 From: imccrae at trl.co.uk (Dr I S McCrae) Date: Tue, 8 Aug 2000 9:13:57 +0100 Subject: [sustran] Re: Singapore Message-ID: John, is it possible to purchase a copy of your report? Regards Ian ________________________________________________________________________ Dr Ian S McCrae Air Pollution and Emissions Group Transport Research Laboratory Old Wokingham Road Crowthorne Berkshire, RG45 6AU United Kingdom Tel: +44 1344 770271 Fax: +44 1344 770028 Email: imccrae@trl.co.uk ________________________________________________________________________ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Original Message - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Dear Sustran discussers, Can anyone tell me what the latest situation is in Singapore with respect to area licensing and to electronic road pricing/congestion charging. Specifically What is currently in place How much does it cost Does it work Because I don't believe in exploitation I will happily send to those who reply a report I have just written on the economic, social and environmental impact of aviation and how to curb the growth of flying through emission charges. Very best wishes and thanks John Whitelegg - - - - - - - - - - - - End of Original Message - - - - - - - - - - - - ______________________________________________________________ This communication contains information which is confidential and may also be privileged. It is for the exclusive use of the addressee. If you are not the addressee, please note that any distribution, copying or use of this communication, or the information therein, is prohibited. If you have received this communication in error, please notify us by reply. From farheen at riet.org.sg Tue Aug 8 19:17:56 2000 From: farheen at riet.org.sg (Farheen Mukri) Date: Tue, 8 Aug 2000 18:17:56 +0800 Subject: [sustran] Re: Singapore Message-ID: Hi John, Well I thought the LTA website (www.lta.gov.sg) would have all this info, such as charges, rate of increase, timings etc... but no, i guess not. Let me just share what I know. The ERP charge is for CBD areas (from 7.30am to 7pm) and the highway usage only in the mornings. All vehicles entering the CBD area pay between S$1 to S$2 per entry. So if you exited the CBD area and remembered smthg else and need to drive back in, the ERP meter will just happily deduct a second time round. Money is deducted from cash cards in Electronic Units installed in each vehicle. Charges are higher between 7.30am-9.30am and I think 4.30pm - 7pm compared to those for 9.30 am to 4.30pm. Some highways have a entry charge which varies from $0.50 to $2.20 depending on the time of morning. Whether it works -- well, it's still hard to tell. While some pple car pool (not enough obviously) and an increasing number are switching to the MRT and buses, there does seem, on some roads, to be an ease in traffic flow. But I can't be certain about this. Having said that I don't think we have really bad traffic jams that keep you on the road for more than 1 hour, just allowing cars to inch bit by bit. I could be wrong. There is no ERP on Saturdays or Sundays and you can imagine the packed roads esp on Saturdays, right in the heart of town. Maddening. Since the connections from bus to train and vice versa are relatively good, there is a gradually noticeable number of Singaporeans who tend not to drive into 'town' (meaning generally the main shopping belt) and instead switch to public transport. But I guess it's not a significant difference. Farheen > ---------- > From: John Whitelegg[SMTP:ecologic@gn.apc.org] > Reply To: sustran-discuss@jca.ax.apc.org > Sent: 08 August, 2000 3:19 PM > To: 'sustran-discuss@jca.ax.apc.org' > Subject: [sustran] Singapore > > Dear Sustran discussers, > > Can anyone tell me what the latest situation is in Singapore with respect > to area licensing and to electronic road pricing/congestion charging. > Specifically > > What is currently in place > How much does it cost > Does it work > > Because I don't believe in exploitation I will happily send to those who > reply a report I have just written on the economic, social and > environmental impact of aviation and how to curb the growth of flying > through emission charges. > > Very best wishes and thanks > > John Whitelegg > From eric.britton at ecoplan.org Tue Aug 8 19:54:09 2000 From: eric.britton at ecoplan.org (eric.britton@ecoplan.org) Date: Tue, 8 Aug 2000 12:54:09 +0200 Subject: [sustran] Storm after the quiet In-Reply-To: Message-ID: Farheen Mukri wrote on this date in the context of area licensing and road pricing in Singapore: "There is no ERP on Saturdays or Sundays and you can imagine the packed roads esp on Saturdays, right in the heart of town. Maddening." One can see the same thing in Bogot?, where there is a brilliant (if I may say) car traffic limitation scheme that goes by the name "Pico y Placa" that has the same effect. The system forbids the circulation of cars twice a week, twice a day, from 7 A.M. to 9 A.M. and from 5:30 P.M. to 7:30 P.M., in agreement with the last number of the board of the vehicle (go to The Commons and type "Pico" into the Search box and you'll find the original references in both Spanish and English). Now this system, simple as it may seem, has real, very noticeable impacts. But then, one minute later, at 9:01, all hell breaks loose and the cars hit the fan. Same thing at the other end of the scale. Apparently just like we see in Singapore. My question to the group is this: Is this not sufficiently interesting and notable a phenomenon to somehow be of use to us? Doesn't it show, prove, something considerable and important? Cannot we somehow use this clear demonstration and knowledge to help us do better yet? Perhaps there is already a whole corpus of strategic work in this domain that is available and that I do not happen to have stumbled on. If so, I hope to see much more of it. (When we have so few tools that seem to work, we had better let no opportunity go unexploited. N'est-ce pas?) Eric Britton The Commons ___ technology, economy, society ___ Le Frene, 8/10 rue Joseph Bara, 75006 Paris, France Eric.Britton@ecoplan.org URL www.ecoplan.org Mobile: +336 80 96 78 79 Voice/Videoconference +331.4441.6340 (1-4) Voicemail/Fax hotline: Europe +331 5301 2896 Voicemail/Fax hotline: North America +1 888 522 6419 (toll free) From COLSZE at ntu.edu.sg Wed Aug 9 19:45:58 2000 From: COLSZE at ntu.edu.sg (Piotr Olszewski (Assoc Prof)) Date: Wed, 9 Aug 2000 18:45:58 +0800 Subject: [sustran] Re: Singapore Message-ID: I feel obliged to respond to John's request and add a few points to Farheen's report. We have been monitoring the ALS and ERP effects for some time now and have lots of data. The general conclusion is that the system works well, in the sense that it keeps the main roads free from congestion on weekdays, during what is considered to be economically important periods: 7:30-9:30 for expressways and major arterials leading to the centre and 7:30-19:00 for the city area itself. Traffic is quite sensitive to the ERP even though the charges are relatively small - comparable to a one-hour parking fee here (and well below what it costs in other cities!). Traffic speeds are monitored by the Land Transport Authority and the rates are revised every 3 months to maintain the speeds within the desirable bands. If the speed drops below a threshold value, the ERP rate is raised, if the speed is higher than the upper threshold, the rate is lowered. Drivers respond even to small changes by re-timing or re-routing their trips. We have found the elasticity of traffic volume to the ERP charge to be -0.1 for the city commuters and -0.2 for expressways in the morning; -0.2 for the city during the day and -0.6 in the evening. The ERP works better than the ALS: under the old system most commuters had monthly licences, which means that once they bought it, their subsequent driving behaviour was not affected. When the system was changed to ERP per-entry method of charging, traffic volumes to the CBD dropped by 20%, although the individual rates were lower than the daily licence before. Another good indication that the new system is a more effective demand management tool is that the total revenue from ERP is now less than what it used to be under ALS, although there are now more roads subjected to pricing and the congestion is not worse. The problem of big traffic surges, which used to occur before and after the ALS periods, is now hardly evident. This is due to the 'shoulder pricing' method which involves the rate increasing in small steps every half an hour in the morning and decreasing in the evening. While this is effective and may be well understood by regular commuters, it is confusing to an occasional user (like myself) - one is never sure how much will be deducted from the cash card! - especially with rates being revised every 3 months. A more substantial and official report on the ERP experience by A.P.G. Menon may be found in February 2000 issue of the TEC. ---------------------------------------------- Piotr Olszewski colsze@ntu.edu.sg Tel: (+65) 790-5320 Fax: (+65) 791-0676 Nanyang Technological University, Singapore > -----Original Message----- > From: Farheen Mukri [mailto:farheen@riet.org.sg] > Sent: Tuesday, August 08, 2000 6:18 PM > To: 'sustran-discuss@jca.ax.apc.org' > Subject: [sustran] Re: Singapore > > > Hi John, > > Well I thought the LTA website (www.lta.gov.sg) would have > all this info, > such as charges, rate of increase, timings etc... but no, i guess not. > > Let me just share what I know. The ERP charge is for CBD > areas (from 7.30am > to 7pm) and the highway usage only in the mornings. > > All vehicles entering the CBD area pay between S$1 to S$2 per > entry. So if > you exited the CBD area and remembered smthg else and need to > drive back in, > the ERP meter will just happily deduct a second time round. Money is > deducted from cash cards in Electronic Units installed in > each vehicle. > Charges are higher between 7.30am-9.30am and I think 4.30pm - > 7pm compared > to those for 9.30 am to 4.30pm. > > Some highways have a entry charge which varies from $0.50 to > $2.20 depending > on the time of morning. > > Whether it works -- well, it's still hard to tell. While some > pple car pool > (not enough obviously) and an increasing number are switching > to the MRT and > buses, there does seem, on some roads, to be an ease in > traffic flow. But I > can't be certain about this. Having said that I don't think > we have really > bad traffic jams that keep you on the road for more than 1 hour, just > allowing cars to inch bit by bit. I could be wrong. There is no ERP on > Saturdays or Sundays and you can imagine the packed roads esp > on Saturdays, > right in the heart of town. Maddening. > > Since the connections from bus to train and vice versa are > relatively good, > there is a gradually noticeable number of Singaporeans who > tend not to drive > into 'town' (meaning generally the main shopping belt) and > instead switch to > public transport. But I guess it's not a significant difference. > > Farheen > > > ---------- > > From: John Whitelegg[SMTP:ecologic@gn.apc.org] > > Reply To: sustran-discuss@jca.ax.apc.org > > Sent: 08 August, 2000 3:19 PM > > To: 'sustran-discuss@jca.ax.apc.org' > > Subject: [sustran] Singapore > > > > Dear Sustran discussers, > > > > Can anyone tell me what the latest situation is in > Singapore with respect > > to area licensing and to electronic road pricing/congestion > charging. > > Specifically > > > > What is currently in place > > How much does it cost > > Does it work > > > > Because I don't believe in exploitation I will happily send > to those who > > reply a report I have just written on the economic, social and > > environmental impact of aviation and how to curb the growth > of flying > > through emission charges. > > > > Very best wishes and thanks > > > > John Whitelegg > > > From nainisofjan at pd.jaring.my Wed Aug 9 23:48:04 2000 From: nainisofjan at pd.jaring.my (S. Husnaini) Date: Wed, 9 Aug 2000 22:48:04 +0800 Subject: [sustran] Fwd: GETTING THERE Message-ID: <200008091450.e79EoHa09108@smtp2.jaring.my> www.malaysiakini.com Aug 9, 2000 GETTING THERE A. Rahman Paul Barter Is there a plot to eliminate pedestrians? Is there a macabre conspiracy bent on preventing Malaysians from walking anywhere? Would this shadowy group stoop to killing off the few brave pedestrians who fail to take their hints? Does this cabal of evil plotters consider walking to be un-Malaysian? There is disturbing evidence in our streets. Of course, official policy is actually to encourage walking. The anti-walking conspiracy must be a very devious one. Picture if you will a brainstorming session of Central Branch of the secret "Prevention of Walking Society (POWS)" "Hey what if we could persuade pedestrians to risk their skins and walk on the roadway instead of on the footpath? No problem! Just make the footpaths difficult to walk on. How about some land mines? No stupid. That's much too obvious, lah! Ooh I have an idea! Make the footpaths about a foot higher than the street so that every time there is a driveway or corner those pesky pedestrians will have to step down and up. Ha ha, good one! And put lots of obstacles in their way. How about a few phone booths, big poles, bits of wire sticking out of the ground, hawker stalls, and stuff. Hey look at that taxi rank there.. we should put a big metal fence around it so pedestrians have to squeeze between it and that open drain! Looks like we already stole the drain covers, good work team! Hee hee we're really getting somewhere now, there is no way anyone in a wheelchair could get through there!" Visualise the impatient chair ticking off the members as they examine their detailed street maps "You idiots, look at that intersection. Why is there still a pedestrian phase on those traffic lights? Build a pedestrian bridge lah! You know, a jejantas. Why should a few useless pedestrians stop the traffic? What's that you say at the back? They keep crossing on the ground even when there is a jejantas? Hah! Then padan muka when they get hit by a lorry! And a few police "saman" will send them the right message - what are they doing walking anyway? Would pedestrians still get across this street too easily? Hmm.. how about a nice big fence in the median strip? A good hurdle to make things more interesting as they dash across. Come to think of it. Don't even build the jejantas. Just remove the lights, build the fence, turn the street into a highway and then only promise to build the pedestrian bridge in a few years time he he." Someone else calls out that vehicles travelling at 30 km/h or less have less than a 5% chance of killing a pedestrian even if they hit one. So a special note goes on the whiteboard "make sure motor vehicles always go as fast as possible" and "Persuade police to enforce speed limits only on big highways where there are no pedestrians." The conspirators also decide that the young should never even get into the habit of walking anywhere. Traffic around schools must be made as chaotic and dangerous as possible so that parents fear to let their children walk to school. As the session continues the whiteboard fills with more and more ideas on how to discourage or slaughter all those annoying pedestrians. One conspirator points out that it would be too obvious if they eliminated all pedestrian lights and pedestrian phases in traffic lights. Better to put in some pedestrian lights but make sure they usually don't work. And how about pedestrian lights that turn on and off at random even when no-one presses the button, so motorists and walkers both start ignoring them completely. One plotter even suggests a few token pedestrian zones in the city but then adds the sly twist that there must be no shade trees in the pedestrian areas, just little palm trees designed especially to give NO shade at all. Nothing like a blast of tropical midday sun to empty the pavement of pattering feet. OK, let's get back to reality now... OF COURSE THERE IS NO CONSPIRACY to inflict genocide on people who use their feet or wheelchairs to move around. What a ridiculous idea. For a start, we are all pedestrians sometimes. Most trips involve at least some walking even if only to lurch from the parking lot to the office or house. A plot against pedestrians would be a plot against all of us. In fact, I should point out that there are SOME excellent efforts being made here and there in Kuala Lumpur and other municipalities around the country to make things a little easier and safer for pedestrians. These worthy efforts do offer some hope that Malaysia's pedestrians can soon be taken off the endangered species list. The fanciful conspiracy theory above is obviously way over the top! But then again, how do YOU explain all those obstacle-riddled footpaths, pedestrian bridges, faulty pedestrian lights and all those little non-shady palm trees? ------------------------------------------------------------------------ A. Rahman Paul Barter is a researcher and writer on urban transport in Asia. He has lived in Kuala Lumpur since 1994. GETTING THERE is a regular column about transport issues in Malaysia. From akiladinakar at hotmail.com Thu Aug 10 01:01:07 2000 From: akiladinakar at hotmail.com (Akila Dinakar) Date: Wed, 09 Aug 2000 16:01:07 GMT Subject: [sustran] Re: Fwd: GETTING THERE Message-ID: That was a great write-up. Even in Chennai, lack of walking space for pedestrians is a major problem. While some pseudo steps are taken to remove pavement dwellers to make way for pedestrians, once removed, the area is leased out for car parking and the remaining little area becomes `unwalkable' as they are used as a free public convenience. The Chennai Corporation, rather audaciously has constructed 10 flyovers and plans 15 more, ribbon-thin, buses don't ply on some of them. They occupy major portions of already small and congested roads. The authority which has to monitor that citizens get so many metres pavement space to walk on has reduced pavements in the fly-over zones to a couple of inches. As good as having no pavement at all, pedestrians are forced to take the road where heavy vehicles come with menacing speed. With no place to walk, just think about cycling! Bye from akiladinakar@hotmail.com, Reporter, The Hindu, Chennai. >From: "S. Husnaini" >Reply-To: sustran-discuss@jca.ax.apc.org >To: >CC: , "Tunku Mohar" , >"Donet H" , "AF2 Png" , "ZonK >Wahie" , "Wong CH" , "Sheenah Kanthar" >, "Manok SMN" , "Jran Chong" >, "Geroj AsmuniA" , "Bazlan Wan" >, "Liza Rahim" >Subject: [sustran] Fwd: GETTING THERE >Date: Wed, 9 Aug 2000 22:48:04 +0800 > >www.malaysiakini.com >Aug 9, 2000 > > >GETTING THERE >A. Rahman Paul Barter > >Is there a plot to eliminate pedestrians? > > >Is there a macabre conspiracy bent on preventing Malaysians from walking >anywhere? Would this shadowy group stoop to killing off the few brave >pedestrians who fail to take their hints? > >Does this cabal of evil plotters consider walking to be un-Malaysian? There >is disturbing evidence in our streets. Of course, official policy is >actually to encourage walking. The anti-walking conspiracy must be a very >devious one. > >Picture if you will a brainstorming session of Central Branch of the secret >"Prevention of Walking Society (POWS)"… > >"Hey what if we could persuade pedestrians to risk their skins and walk on >the roadway instead of on the footpath? No problem! Just make the footpaths >difficult to walk on. How about some land mines? >No stupid. That's much too obvious, lah! Ooh I have an idea! Make the >footpaths about a foot higher than the street so that every time there is a >driveway or corner those pesky pedestrians will have to step down and up. > >Ha ha, good one! And put lots of obstacles in their way. How about a few >phone booths, big poles, bits of wire sticking out of the ground, hawker >stalls, and stuff. Hey look at that taxi rank there.. we should put a big >metal fence around it so pedestrians have to squeeze between it and that >open drain! Looks like we already stole the drain covers, good work team! >Hee hee we're really getting somewhere now, there is no way anyone in a >wheelchair could get through there!" > >Visualise the impatient chair ticking off the members as they examine their >detailed street maps… > >"You idiots, look at that intersection. Why is there still a pedestrian >phase on those traffic lights? Build a pedestrian bridge lah! You know, a >jejantas. Why should a few useless pedestrians stop the traffic? >What's that you say at the back? They keep crossing on the ground even when >there is a jejantas? > >Hah! Then padan muka when they get hit by a lorry! And a few police "saman" >will send them the right message - what are they doing walking anyway? >Would pedestrians still get across this street too easily? Hmm.. how about >a nice big fence in the median strip? A good hurdle to make things more >interesting as they dash across. > >Come to think of it. Don't even build the jejantas. Just remove the lights, >build the fence, turn the street into a highway and then only promise to >build the pedestrian bridge in a few years time…he he." > >Someone else calls out that vehicles travelling at 30 km/h or less have >less than a 5% chance of killing a pedestrian even if they hit one. So a >special note goes on the whiteboard "make sure motor vehicles always go as >fast as possible" and "Persuade police to enforce speed limits only on big >highways where there are no pedestrians." > >The conspirators also decide that the young should never even get into the >habit of walking anywhere. Traffic around schools must be made as chaotic >and dangerous as possible so that parents fear to let their children walk >to school. > >As the session continues the whiteboard fills with more and more ideas on >how to discourage or slaughter all those annoying pedestrians. One >conspirator points out that it would be too obvious if they eliminated all >pedestrian lights and pedestrian phases in traffic lights. Better to put in >some pedestrian lights but make sure they usually don't work. And how about >pedestrian lights that turn on and off at random even when no-one presses >the button, so motorists and walkers both start ignoring them completely. > >One plotter even suggests a few token pedestrian zones in the city but then >adds the sly twist that there must be no shade trees in the pedestrian >areas, just little palm trees designed especially to give NO shade at all. >Nothing like a blast of tropical midday sun to empty the pavement of >pattering feet. > >OK, let's get back to reality now... OF COURSE THERE IS NO CONSPIRACY to >inflict genocide on people who use their feet or wheelchairs to move >around. What a ridiculous idea. For a start, we are all pedestrians >sometimes. Most trips involve at least some walking even if only to lurch >from the parking lot to the office or house. A plot against pedestrians >would be a plot against all of us. > >In fact, I should point out that there are SOME excellent efforts being >made here and there in Kuala Lumpur and other municipalities around the >country to make things a little easier and safer for pedestrians. These >worthy efforts do offer some hope that Malaysia's pedestrians can soon be >taken off the endangered species list. The fanciful conspiracy theory above >is obviously way over the top! > >But then again, how do YOU explain all those obstacle-riddled footpaths, >pedestrian bridges, faulty pedestrian lights and all those little non-shady >palm trees? > > >------------------------------------------------------------------------ >A. Rahman Paul Barter is a researcher and writer on urban transport in >Asia. He has lived in Kuala Lumpur since 1994. GETTING THERE is a regular >column about transport issues in Malaysia. > ________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com From eric.britton at ecoplan.org Thu Aug 10 01:27:52 2000 From: eric.britton at ecoplan.org (eric.britton@ecoplan.org) Date: Wed, 9 Aug 2000 18:27:52 +0200 Subject: [sustran] GETTING THERE In-Reply-To: Message-ID: On walking in cities: -- Further to today's earlier notes from Paul Barter and Akila Dinakar We have been impressed by the work that has been done in a number of instances in which very specific, recognizable point to point illustrated walking profiles have been done and made broadly available, including via print and electronic media. Well done, it makes a good story and can help focus attention and get support for doing better. The idea, as most of you surely know, is to use a combination of route maps, photographs, drawings and verbal descriptions to show step by step what a given immediately recognizable trip involves. Every pitfall, every pothole, every dangerous intersection, lack of protected walkway can thus be identified. It is also a good idea to identify the individual who is making the trip, and of course this can be a great school project. Also, it can be effective in showing the kinds of barriers and stresses that people who have small children, strollers, or who have to move by wheelchair or otherwise impaired. The idea is to keep pounding away, one by one, until support begins to coalesce and things start to get done. In parallel with them, analysts can begin to draw up lists and outline plans for specific remedial projects and actions which can also be given full public play. We would be pleased to post such profiles for any city on the @ccess on the Web site at http://www.ecoplan.org/access and make them broadly known. Eric Britton The Commons ___ technology, economy, society ___ Le Frene, 8/10 rue Joseph Bara, 75006 Paris, France URL www.ecoplan.org From sagaris at lake.cl Thu Aug 10 03:18:03 2000 From: sagaris at lake.cl (Lake Sagaris) Date: Wed, 09 Aug 2000 14:18:03 -0400 Subject: [sustran] Re: GETTING THERE In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <3.0.6.32.20000809141803.007fa310@127.0.0.1> Hi everyone -- great article on pedestrians. Just wanted to let you know that we have launched our e-discussion (in Spanish) of a Sustainable Transport Agenda for Santiago. I hesitate to send the four messages (invitation, backgrounder, draft proposal, menu of solutions/tactics/etc.) to this list, since it is all in Spanish, but if anyone's interested, please let me know and I will send you the messages direct. You can also check out our website, specifically the Transporte Agenda page, at www.ciudadviva.cl. All best, Lake Lake Sagaris Santiago, Chile At 06:27 PM 8/9/00 +0200, you wrote: >On walking in cities: -- Further to today's earlier notes from Paul Barter >and Akila Dinakar > >We have been impressed by the work that has been done in a number of >instances in which very specific, recognizable point to point illustrated >walking profiles have been done and made broadly available, including via >print and electronic media. Well done, it makes a good story and can help >focus attention and get support for doing better. > >The idea, as most of you surely know, is to use a combination of route maps, >photographs, drawings and verbal descriptions to show step by step what a >given immediately recognizable trip involves. Every pitfall, every pothole, >every dangerous intersection, lack of protected walkway can thus be >identified. It is also a good idea to identify the individual who is making >the trip, and of course this can be a great school project. Also, it can be >effective in showing the kinds of barriers and stresses that people who have >small children, strollers, or who have to move by wheelchair or otherwise >impaired. > >The idea is to keep pounding away, one by one, until support begins to >coalesce and things start to get done. In parallel with them, analysts can >begin to draw up lists and outline plans for specific remedial projects and >actions which can also be given full public play. > >We would be pleased to post such profiles for any city on the @ccess on the >Web site at http://www.ecoplan.org/access and make them broadly known. > >Eric Britton > >The Commons ___ technology, economy, society ___ >Le Frene, 8/10 rue Joseph Bara, 75006 Paris, France >URL www.ecoplan.org > > > Ojo con cambio de direcci?n/ Note change of address: sagaris@lake.cl From pascal at pop.gn.apc.org Thu Aug 10 19:44:47 2000 From: pascal at pop.gn.apc.org (Pascal Desmond) Date: Thu, 10 Aug 2000 10:44:47 +0000 Subject: [sustran] World Transport Policy & Practice -- quarterly announcement Message-ID: World Transport Policy & Practice, a quarterly journal edited by John Whitelegg, is available free of charge as Adobe Acrobat? PDF files on the internet at [http://www.ecoplan.org/wtpp/general/current.htm]. This will help it to reach a wider readership, encompassing advocates and activists as well as academics and advisers. Please advise [mailto:pascal@gn.apc.org] if you no longer wish to receive the quarterly announcement. Contents of Volume 6, Number 2, 2000: Editorial John Whitelegg Sustainably Distributed? An environmental critique of the UK Government's 1999 White Paper on Distribution Francis M Vanek Mobility & Accessibility: the yin & yang of planning William Ross The Vasco da Gama Bridge on the Tagus Estuary: A paradigm of bad decision making, but good post-evaluation Jo?o Joanaz de Melo Pedestrian priority planning principles John Seaton Let's Bike - The 10 Point Pedalling Action Programme to support cycling Ulrike Huwer If you have difficulty in downloading the file, please contact [mailto:postmaster@ecoplan.org] World Transport Policy & Practice Eco-Logica Ltd., 53 Derwent Road, LANCASTER, LA1 3ES. U.K. telephone +44 1524 63175 fax +44 1524 848340 Editor: Professor John Whitelegg [mailto:ecologic@gn.apc.org] Business Manager: Pascal Desmond [mailto:pascal@gn.apc.org] http://www.ecoplan.org/wtpp/index.htm -- Kind regards Pascal Desmond. From sustran at po.jaring.my Fri Aug 11 10:38:17 2000 From: sustran at po.jaring.my (SUSTRAN Resource Centre) Date: Fri, 11 Aug 2000 09:38:17 +0800 Subject: [sustran] fwd: Seminar on accessibility and rural development planning Message-ID: <3.0.6.32.20000811093817.008d7da0@relay101.jaring.my> SEMINAR ON ACCESSIBILITY AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT PLANNING AT BIRLA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY & SCIENCE BITS PILANI November 25-26, 2000 Supported by INTERNATIONAL FORUM FOR RURAL TRANSPORT AND DEVELOPMENT, UK Introduction The conventional approach of road network planning in India is primarily based on criteria such as density of roads or distance of the villages of given population from all-weather roads. It has been possible to connect nearly 53 percent of about 6 lakh villages in the country in the last 50 years or so through the road development plans. While acknowledging the need for a minimum basic road network in the country, it is becoming increasingly apparent that the provision of connectivity does not always increase the accessibility and response to the needs of the majority of the population. For example, very often the special transportation needs of women, aged and disabled are neglected and the roles of non-motorized transport modes ignored. Based on research carried out mainly in the Less Developed Countries (LDCs) of Africa and Asia since the beginning of 1980s, it has been observed that a need-based approach of providing accessibility to services and facilities is more effective than the provision of connectivity to the villages. Attempts have also been made to integrate road planning with the multi-sectoral rural development programme. As a result, a new methodology known as Integrated Rural Accessibility Planning (IRAP) has been developed. Recently developed tools such as GIS and Remote Sensing have also been applied in a few studies in this area. These efforts highlight the need to explore the great potential of these methodologies and techniques for application to present rural development context in India. Objective and Topics Various government departments, researchers, academicians and NGOs in India have been working in different aspects of rural development planning and applications. The main objective of the seminar is to bring together all the stakeholders on a common platform to share their experiences, throw more light on the advances in integrated rural accessibility and development planning and examine the possibilities of application of recently developed tools. The seminar will include but not limited to the following topics: ? Rural road network planning; ? Labour-based road construction and maintenance; ? Integrated rural accessibility and development planning tools for local level planners; ? Utility of non-motorized transport modes in rural areas; ? Gender and rural transport; ? Economic and social impact assessments of alternative solutions in muti-sectoral planning; ? Application of GIS, Remote Sensing and IT in rural development planning; ? Special rural accessibility problems in desert, mountainous and flood-prone regions. Call for papers Original and high quality research papers are invited for presentation at the seminar on the topics as mentioned. The prospective authors are requested to send 2 copies of abstract prepared on A-4 sheets, not exceeding 500 words, indicating clearly the objectives and conclusions latest by 20 September, 2000. Decision regarding acceptance will be intimated by 10 October, 2000. All correspondence may please be addressed to: Prof. Ashoke K. Sarkar Civil Engineering Group BITS Pilani, 333 031 Rajasthan, India Email : asarkar@bits-pilani.ac.in Phone: 01596 - 45073 (Ext) 254 (O) 44113 (R) Dr. Motilal Dash Humanistic Studies Group BITS Pilani, 333 031 Rajasthan, India Email : dash@bits-pilani.ac.in Phone: 01596 - 45073 (Ext) 334 (O) 45209 (R) _______________________________________________ Our website: http//www.bits-pilani.ac.in From fenyk at eden.rutgers.edu Fri Aug 11 11:27:43 2000 From: fenyk at eden.rutgers.edu (Heather M. Fenyk) Date: Thu, 10 Aug 2000 22:27:43 -0400 Subject: [sustran] nationwide bus strike in El Salvador References: <3.0.6.32.20000811093817.008d7da0@relay101.jaring.my> Message-ID: <004401c0033b$bdb6c700$82f60680@rutgers.edu> August 10, 2000 Nation Wide Bus Strike in El Salvador Salvadorans have been walking more than usual these past two days. In reaction to a motion in the government to stop subsidizing diesel, 12 thousand buses have stopped service. In order to get to where they need to be many people are taking military vehicles, microbuses, taxis, trains, or simply using their own two feet. Many of the major roads in El Salvador are lined by thousands of buses who have parked themselves in the shoulders of the freeways in order to make their protest more visible. In some key sections of San Salvador the buses are parking clear across the streets, creating severe traffic jams. In spite of the threats of the government, the strike is expected to continue tomorrow. The governments plan to cut the diesel subsidy comes within a National plan to privatize the road system in El Salvador. If bus subsidies are cut, cost for public transportation will rise dramatically. Not only will the poor be able to travel, but costs of basic foodstuffs will also rise as gasoline prices rise. ______________________heather m. fenyk rutgers university - planning and public policy p.o. box 446 - new brunswick, nj 08903 tel. +1 732 846-7993 | fax. +1 732 846-7993 fenyk@eden.rutgers.edu http://www.policy.rutgers.edu/index.html From thomas.krag at email.dk Fri Aug 11 17:21:21 2000 From: thomas.krag at email.dk (Thomas Krag) Date: Fri, 11 Aug 2000 10:21:21 +0200 Subject: [sustran] Sv: [sustran] De-marketing the Car - Paper and discussion Message-ID: <001801c0036d$36f4b7e0$9902f2d4@oemcomputer> It is very true that the use of cars is associated with strong emotions. Car users will often make their choice of mode based on an overestimation of the car performance and an underestimation (if notal total ignorance) of the alternatives. Marketing strategies concerning improving the image of the alternatives have been successful. Several studies have shown that both image and use can be influenced by a number of "soft" measures. Still, however, the strength of the attraction to the car is big, which makes the idea of reducing this attraction by marketing means obvious. Campaigning groups have for decades argued about the negative impacts of the car. That it's dangerous, polluting, generally destructive to the urban environment and unjust in the sense, that it so to say steal mobility from other potential road users. One cannot say that this negative marketing has been unsuccessful. The problems of the car is widely accepted. Probably also some people choose alternatives due to the environmental impact of the car. The effect in terms of numbers is however limited. A Danish study suggests that only 1% of the users of bicycles and public transport can be found in this group. The negative car marketing has also an adverse effect. People don't want to be confronted with their "bad" behaviour and have developed a strong filter to avoid thinking about the negative consequences of their choice. This filter is probably effective also towards not-so-negative communication about cars. "De-marketing" of the car should therefore be very intelligent in order not to fall in the trap developed to filter out traditional anti-car communication. It is very true that it has to make use of emotions. Humour would also be an effective tool. And respect of the target group imperative, something which often weakens the anti-car communication. Be careful telling people that they are irrational. Let them find out themselves - or do it in a funny and gentle way. The Greater Copenhagen Transport Authority has for some years had a campaign under the headline "The bus - unlike the other cars". This can be seen as an example of such a careful car de-marketing as part of a usual public transport marketing campaign. -- Thomas Krag Transport Consultant Wilhelm Marstrands Gade 11 - DK-2100 K?benhavn ? tel +45 35 42 86 24, thomas.krag@email.dk From jhk at ihe.nl Fri Aug 11 17:51:23 2000 From: jhk at ihe.nl (jan herman koster) Date: Fri, 11 Aug 2000 10:51:23 +0200 Subject: [sustran] DELFT LOW-COST MOBILITY STATEMENT Message-ID: <3993BE8A.2E57DD5@ihe.nl> >From 21st - 23d June 2000, the Expert Group Meeting on Low-Cost Mobility was held in Delft, The Netherlands. The meeting was organised by IHE Delft, on behalf of the World Bank, as a parrallel event to VeloMondial 2000. The proceedings of the Meeting are currently being prepared, and will in due course be available through IHE. In addition, the Meeting produced the below 'Delft Low-Cost Mobility Statement'. For more information contact Mrs T. van der Klis: phone +31.15.2151896; fax +31.15.2122921; e.mail kli@ihe.nl. Jan H. Koster Chair, Organising Committee Head, Dept. of Transport and Road Engineering IHE Delft ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ THE DELFT LOW-COST MOBILITY STATEMENT >From 21-23 June 2000, some 80 experts gathered at IHE Delft, The Netherlands, to participate in the World Bank/Velomondial2000/IHE Delft Expert Group Meeting on Low-Cost Mobility in African Cities . The group consisted of politicians, administrators and professionals from African national, provincial and local government levels, NGO representatives, staff from External Support Agencies (ESA's), researchers, consultants and other independent experts. The background materials, presented papers as well as the outcomes of the working group sessions conducted during the Meeting, have been reflected in the proceedings of the Meeting . Those proceedings also contain the below 'Delft Low-Cost Mobility Statement', to which the participants in the Meeting have agreed and committed themselves . We, the participants in the Expert Group Meeting on Low-Cost Mobility in African Cities, Recognising the importance of personal mobility for economic and social development, and convinced that affordable mobility is on the critical path to sound economic and social development in Sub-Saharan African Cities, which must include rather than exclude the poor; Concerned that the already low levels of mobility of the urban poor in African cities will decline further with the rapid rate of urbanisation and prevailing urban mobility policies which tend to ignore the mobility needs of the poor; Recognising the dominant role of walking and (the potential role of) cycling within African towns and cities; Convinced that more efficient and safer walking and cycling positively contribute to poverty alleviation, economic development, health improvement and environmental protection; Referring to Article 150 of the Habitat II Global Plan for Action, which reads: 'Non-motorised transport is a major mode of mobility, particularly for low-income, vulnerable and disadvantaged groups. One structural measure to counteract the socio-economic marginalization of these groups is to foster their mobility by promoting these affordable, efficient and energy-saving modes of transport'; Also referring to article 7.53.c of Agenda 21, which commits governments to 'encourage non-motorised modes of transport by providing safe cycle-ways and foot-ways in urban and suburban centres in countries, as appropriate'; Recognising that these modes have been marginalized in planning, infrastructure provision and traffic management in many African towns and cities, which has resulted in economic losses due to inefficiences, in economic and social exclusion, and in high economic costs and human suffering as a result of traffic accidents; Having taken note of the important findings of the Sub-Sahara Africa Transport Programme's Pilot Project on Non-Motorised Transport (SSATP/NMT), which, in summary, are that the mobility and traffic safety of the majority of urban inhabitants can be enhanced substantially through the application of a menu of low-cost and straightforward interventions which yield high investment cost/benefit ratio; Call upon African national, provincial and local governments, civil society and all other relevant parties, including ESA's , to support and implement the following actions: ACTIONS AT NATIONAL AND LOCAL LEVELS 1. Awareness raising A major stumbling block in realising efficient and affordable mobility in African cities is the lack of awareness amongst politicians, administrators and professionals at national and local levels of the benefits of low-cost mobility options. In order to restore a balance in, and increase the efficiency of the urban transport systems, national awareness raising strategies will need to be developed and implemented. These should target politicians, administrators and professionals at the national and local level, and aim at raising their awareness of the economic and social importance of mobility, of the major role of walking and (the potential for) cycling, of the current inefficiencies of the urban transport systems as regards these modes, and of the ways and means to enhance low-cost mobility. 2. Mainstreaming low-cost mobility Low-cost mobility has a direct relationship with, amongst others, poverty alleviation, economic and social development, employment generation, urban upgrading and development, and environmental protection. Rather than developing stand-alone low-cost mobility policies, national and local governments are urged to integrate low-cost mobility in policies, strategies, programmes, plans and projects that address these issues. As walking and cycling are an important part of the wider urban transport systems, they should be treated as such. For this reason, national and local governments are urged to include these modes into mainstream urban transport policies, strategies, programmes, plans and infrastructure investment projects. In addition, the requirements for efficient and safe walking and cycling should be included in national urban roads design standards. The draft document ' Productive and Liveable African Cities: Guideline for Pedestrian and Bicycle Traffic' includes relevant proposals for such standards. 3. Stakeholder participation As is the case in other sectors, stakeholder participation is crucial in the preparation and implementation of sound and equitable policies, strategies, programmes, plans, and projects. National and local governments are urged to credibly involve, as a major group of stakeholders, pedestrians and cyclists in any decision-making process which directly or indirectly relates to their mobility and traffic safety requirements. In doing this, they should pay particular attention to the mobility needs of women, which are particularly affected by inappropriate urban transport solutions. 4. Demonstration projects Although the validity and applicability of the findings of the SSATP/NMT Pilot Project are beyond doubt, they are based on a limited number of isolated engineering and cycling promotion pilot interventions. The consistent application of the 'menu of interventions' as an output of the pilot project at a large scale, and the monitoring and dissemination of the results thereof, will greatly help in raising awareness of the importance of efficient and safe walking and cycling, and in convincing politicians, administrators and professionals at the national and local levels, as well as the public at large, that this efficiency and safety can be greatly increased at relatively limited costs. For this reason, national and local governments are urged to plan and implement, at city or district level, a number of such demonstration projects in a number of countries, and to disseminate the results within Sub-Sahara Africa. 5. Local application Independently of, and in parallel with these demonstration projects, local governments can and should make a start with addressing the mobility and safety needs of pedestrians and cyclists, whenever and wherever possible. In doing this, the guidelines produced under the SSATP/NMT Pilot Project are a useful tool, as is the exchange of experience through the network of experts on low-cost mobility. 6. Human resources capacity building It is recognised that professional leadership capacities (urban planning and management, transport planning and management) are well below what is required, both in quality and in numbers, to prepare and implement sound and equitable low-cost mobility policies for the fast growing African towns and cities. This has undoubtedly contributed to the near exclusion of the requirements of pedestrians and cyclists in urban transport and land-use policies and infrastructure investments. National governments are urged to redress this situation, by providing relevant education and training opportunities, as well as attractive employment conditions, for professionals involved in urban mobility at the national and local levels. In addition, current relevant university level curricula should be upgraded to reflect current thinking about (low-cost) urban mobility, in order to better prepare graduates for their tasks. ACTIONS AT THE INTERNATIONAL LEVEL 7. Mainstreaming low-cost mobility ESA's are urged to integrate low-cost mobility in their current and future aid policies and to promote its application in national and local strategies, plans, programmes and projects which they support and which aim at poverty alleviation, economic and social development, employment generation, urban development and upgrading, and environmental protection. They are also urged to provide technical and financial support (both grants and loans) to urban transport plans and projects only if these do justice to the importance and major modal share of walking and (the potential for) cycling in African cities. 8. Support to demonstration projects The identification, preparation, execution and monitoring of local demonstration projects (see 4. above) will require outside technical and financial support. In this connection, the Low-Cost Urban Mobility Demonstration Programme proposed under the UNCHS Sustainable Cities Programme is a relevant initiative, which qualifies for support by ESA's. 9. Support to human resources capacity building As in many instances existing human resources at the professional level are either very weak or non-existent, national governments will require external support in building human resource capacities and in upgrading relevant university curricula. In view of limited resources and in order to promote regional networking and knowledge sharing, the establishment of a regional 'Centre of Excellence' should be seriously considered. Such a centre could develop and provide training of trainers courses, post-graduate education modules and programmes and assistance to universities in the upgrading of curricula, staff development and strengthening of the related educational/training infrastructure. This Centre could also serve as the coordination unit for a Network of Experts on Low-Cost Mobility which would disseminate experiences and promote exchange amongst professionals working in this field. 10. Further pilot work and dissemination under SSATP. The SSATP/NMT Pilot Project has delivered valuable lessons which are applicable in a large number of situations. Nevertheless, more coordinated pilots should be carried out. The supporters of the SSATP are urged to include a follow-up NMT Pilot Project for additional interventions in its programme of activities. The SSATP is also urged to put in place a programme for much wider dissemination of the findings of the SSATP/NMT Pilot Project, as well as those of follow-up pilot activities and the proposed demonstration programmes. In order to fulfil these activities and to do justice to the crucial role of non-motorised transport in African cities, the SSATP is also urged to ensure that low-cost urban mobility remains a recognisable element within this important initiative. As participants in the Expert Group Meeting, we commit ourselves to promote the proposed actions, to actively strengthen the network that the Meeting has helped to establish, to keep each other informed of successes and failures in implementation activities, and to meet again in the year 2005 to take stock of progress and to update the plan of action. Delft, The Netherlands 23d June 2000 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- jan herman koster http://www.ihe.nl Phone: +31 (0)15 2151750 ________________________ ____ ____ ___________ ______ |International Institute | |_ _||_ _||_ ________| | | |for Infrastructural, | || ||____||__||__ | | | Hydraulic and | _||_ _||_ _||__||____ | | | Environmental | |____||____||___________| |______| |____________Engineering_| D E L F T From eric.britton at ecoplan.org Fri Aug 11 23:39:55 2000 From: eric.britton at ecoplan.org (EcoPlan) Date: Fri, 11 Aug 2000 16:39:55 +0200 Subject: [sustran] De-marketing the Car - Paper and discussion In-Reply-To: <965987543.1029@egroups.com> Message-ID: This is just to let the group know that the discussions under this heading are continuing under The Commons, and that the latest comments of Thomas Krag that appeared here have been added to the Discussion Panel, which can be accessed by going to the home page of The Commons at http://ecoplan.org and clicking Discussion Panel at the base of the menu. Just in case you may have eventual comments and ideas to share with the group. Eric Britton ecopl@n ___ technology, economy, society ___ Le Frene, 8/10 rue Joseph Bara, 75006 Paris, France URL www.ecoplan.org From sustran at po.jaring.my Sat Aug 12 11:16:09 2000 From: sustran at po.jaring.my (SUSTRAN Resource Centre) Date: Sat, 12 Aug 2000 10:16:09 +0800 Subject: [sustran] fwd: Electronic conference: Urban public transport in developing countries Message-ID: <3.0.6.32.20000812101609.00971af0@relay101.jaring.my> I just received this announcement from Darren Saywell and M Sohail Khan of Loughborough University. Sustran-discussers may want to participate. Paul --------------------- URBAN PUBLIC TRANSPORT IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES: ELECTRONIC CONFERENCE The conference on "urban public transport and sustainable livelihoods' is planned to take place between 6 September - 20 October 2000. The conference will be based around the research findings from a Department for International Development (DFID) sponsored project, details of which are given at the end of this message. Urban public transport A significant percentage of the world's population is urbanised. It is not just the growing proportion of urban dwellers, but also the rate at which urbanisation is occurring that is creating an unprecedented demand on access to and quality of urban services. The livelihood of the majority of urban resident is linked to the provision of urban services, including public transport. Urban public transport (including large and mini buses, non-motorised vehicles, three wheelers and local urban railways) is of particular importance to the urban poor as it is the only means available to them to travel longer distances. This electronic conference will aim to discuss issues related to the linkages between urban public transport and 'sustainable livelihoods'. Additionally, the conference will present experience gained from a DFID research project, "Partnerships to Improve Access and Quality of Public Transport for the Urban Poor", which was focused around the case study city of Karachi, Pakistan The conference will be divided into three phases: 1. Linkages between urban public transport and the sustainable livelihoods approach; 2. Presentation and reflection on the project's key findings; 3. A discussion of the lessons learned and future direction of research. WHY PARTICIPATE? ? At the end of the e-conference a synthesis report will be produced and circulated to all participants. This will summarise the key points arising from the conferences' phases. On request, a copy of the project's main outputs can be obtained; ? The e-conference provides an opportunity to understand more about links between urban transport and sustainable livelihoods and to share real life experiences from the field. ? The e-conference will bring together a wide range of stakeholders - NGO's, researchers, government staff, consultants - to discuss practical elements behind urban transport provision; ? It will give you an opportunity to voice your comments on the subject of urban public transport for the poor. HOW TO PARTICIPATE? If you want to join this e-conference, simply send a message asking to subscribe to the list owner at: transport-partnerships-request@mailbase.ac.uk WHAT NEXT? Once you have subscribed to this list, you will (after a few days) receive further information about the forthcoming conference. This will involve details of the background paper on which the conference will focus, conference phases and protocols governing participation. Other information and resources about the e-conference can be found at: [http://www.lboro.ac.uk/wedc/projects/ptup/index.htm]. We very much hope you will be able to join us in this important initiative. With best wishes, Dr. M.Sohail Research Manger Institute for Development Engineering, Water, Engineering and Development Centre, Loughborough University, Leicestershire LE11 3TU, UK Tel: +44 1509 222890; Fax: +44 1509 211079 . Purpose of the project The purpose of the project is to identify, explore and document critical issues in the provision of transport services for and in low-income settlements in developing countries. The identified issues can be used at policy and operational level for better provision of transport services to low income communities in urban areas. In the methodology, a sustainable livelihood framework was used to set the research framework. The assumption of this research project is that transport services make a significant contribution to the livelihood of the urban poor. The contribution (both positive and negative) to livelihoods includes access to employment and income generation opportunities, education, health, social networks (such as extended families which can help in securing incomes) and necessary goods and services. The focus of the research was in Karachi, Pakistan, which is a city of between 10-13 million in the south of Pakistan. It is a city with a diversity of economic activities and a wide mix of different social groups including a substantive migrant community, drawn primarily from India and other areas in Pakistan. Context of the project Alleviation of poverty is the key objective of any international development policy. The strategy adopted by donors such as the Department for International Development (DFID), can be summarised as follow (DFID white paper on international development): ? Policies and actions which promote sustainable livelihoods; ? Better education, health and opportunities for poor people; ? Protection and better management of the natural and physical environment. To translate policies into actions on the ground, understanding the ground realities, historical and socio-economic context is necessary. A holistic and integrated approach is proposed to be more beneficial as compared to the purely sectoral approach to identify the key policies and practices to improve the livelihoods of the poor. One such approach is 'sustainable livelihoods' (SL). This study briefly reports on the findings of applications of such an approach on the issue of urban public transport. .......... Urban Services Unit Water, Engineering and Development Centre (WEDC) Loughborough University, Leicestershire LE11 3TU, UK Tel: +44 1509 222890; Fax: +44 1509 211079 http://www.lboro.ac.uk/wedc/ (WEDC) http://www.lboro.ac.uk/garnet/ (GARNET) From sustran at po.jaring.my Sat Aug 12 12:30:02 2000 From: sustran at po.jaring.my (SUSTRAN Resource Centre) Date: Sat, 12 Aug 2000 11:30:02 +0800 Subject: [sustran] fwd: transport specialists wanted at WB Message-ID: <3.0.6.32.20000812113002.0084db60@relay101.jaring.my> forwarded from the rural transport and development list: -------------------------------- Dear friends Here is notification about potential opportunities for transport specialists in the World Bank for those of you who maybe interested. Best wishes Priyanthi The World Bank's main mission, as you know, is to help developing countries reduce poverty and improve living standards. Achieving our mission requires dedicated commitment. That is why we believe strategic staffing is a critical priority in order to fulfill the emerging work program demands in high profile areas. Our senior managers in theTransport Sector, Infrastructure Department have been able to identifysome openings to be filled in the very near future for Transport Specialists Therefore the Bank's Central Recruitment Department, in Washington, D.C. and Paris, is completing an international, external assignment to identify suitable candidates for this position for which we would greatly appreciate your advice. The generic position description is attached below for reference. The main requested fields of expertise would be: Transport infrastructure and services; policy formulation Privatization and commercializing/ concessioning Public sector reform and restructuring Institutional and financial development of the transport sector on a suustainable basis Maintenance and rehabilitation; management and finance Mobility and accessibility in developing countries The positions will be based at the Bank's Headquarters in Washington, D.C. We strongly encourage women to apply. We are confident that these are challenging opportunities, and as such we would like to bring them to the attention of as many professionals as possible. Therefore we would appreciate any suggestions you may have concerning either individuals or organizations you think we should inform of these vacancies. We are hoping to identify some potential candidates before September 10, 2000. Applicants should send their CV to: Roberto Amorosino, World Bank, European Office, Recruitment Unit, 66 avenue d'Iena, 75116 Paris, France - fax +33 1 4069 3065 - EM: ramorosino@worldbank.org Recruitment Officer (See attached file: JDTransport.doc) ________________________________________________________________________ Priyanthi Fernando Executive Secretary International Forum for Rural Transport and Development 2 Spitfire Studios 63-71 Collier Street London N1 9BE UK Tel: +44 (0)20 7713 6699 Fax: +44 (0)20 7713 8290 email: ifrtd@gn.apc.org OR priyanthi.fernando@mcmail.com Web page: http://www.gn.apc.org/ifrtd ________________________________________________________________________ Priyanthi Fernando Executive Secretary International Forum for Rural Transport and Development 2 Spitfire Studios 63-71 Collier Street London N1 9BE UK Tel: +44 (0)20 7713 6699 Fax: +44 (0)20 7713 8290 email: ifrtd@gn.apc.org OR priyanthi.fernando@mcmail.com Web page: http://www.gn.apc.org/ifrtd From craig_townsend at hotmail.com Mon Aug 14 17:05:34 2000 From: craig_townsend at hotmail.com (Craig Townsend) Date: Mon, 14 Aug 2000 17:05:34 WST Subject: [sustran] Impending Ban Krua confrontation Message-ID: >From The Bangkok Post Internet Edition, 14 July 2000 (http://bangkokpost.com/today/140800_News01.html) Five communities vow to block survey teams Confrontation looms as deadline nears Supoj Wancharoen Residents of Ratchathewi and Pathum Wan districts, including the Ban Krua Muslim community, confirmed their readiness yesterday for a looming confrontation with the Expressway and Rapid Transit Authority (ETA). The authority has overriden all objections and announced it will begin entering their communities from next week to begin surveying for a controversial new expressway access ramp. About 300 representatives of five communities met at a mosque in historic Ban Krua community at 2pm yesterday and agreed to bar access to ETA surveyors. They came from Ban Krua, Wat Phrayayoung, Saphan Huachang, Petchaburi 20 and Wat Pathumwanaram communities. The planned 2-km road would run through their neighbourhoods along the Saen Saep canal from Uruphong to Ratchadamri road. Ban Krua leader Sarote Phuaksamlee confirmed his people were resolute in opposing the ETA, and asked if the other communities were also determined to keep on fighting. Their affirmations were unanimous. Also present at the gathering were representatives from the Assembly of the Poor, southerners who oppose the Thai-Malaysian gas pipeline, and inshore fishermen from the South. They also promised to support Ban Krua and its neighbours in opposing the expressway. They all had common cause in opposing the government, they said. Mr Sarote said the government must honour the conclusions of two past public hearings which concluded the short expressway link would be of no benefit to Bangkok traffic. "The government has never recognised the poor's problems. It pleases only the rich," he said. The first public hearing was chaired by economist Narongchai Akaraseranee, from April to June 1993, and the other by economist Ammar Siamwalla, from April to September 1994. Both hearing came out against the ETA's planned 4.5 billion baht "collection and distribution road". Poramet Phuto, a Ban Krua leader, said his people would not leave their homes. "The ETA recently applied for a budget of 3.5 billion baht to expropriate the land, despite the fact its staff have not been able to enter it yet," he said. "The cabinet finally rejected the request and this means that Ban Krua helped the government save money." He rejected the expressway authority's offer to build flats for residents who agree to move out. The agency would not have enough money for the flats, and the designated sites in Min Buri and Nong Chok districts were almost fully occupied. Another Ban Krua speaker said the young men had announced their readiness to exercise their strength to block ETA staff from entering their community. Kingkaew Attakorn, from the Kasemsan Palace community that is included in the expropriation list, said her family would fight to the end to protect the property. "Our land is expensive, about a million baht per rai. If we needed money we would have sold it, but we are determined to keep it to show respect to our ancestors. "We denied entrance to ETA staff who said our land would be expropriated. Their message is an insult to us," she said. The authority announced on July 24 it would definitely move in to make surveys that would lead to expropriation, and gave people 30 days to prepare. The Ban Krua community has been opposing the road since 1988. It is part of the second-stage expressway system awarded to Bangkok Expressway Co. ******************************************************* Craig Townsend, PhD Candidate & Researcher Apt. 35, Krisda Mansion 11/26 Sukhumvit Soi 1, Wattana, Bangkok 10110 Thailand tel: (66 2) 251-6472 fax: (66 2) 255-5933 Institute for Sustainability & Technology Policy (ISTP) Murdoch University, South Street, Murdoch Perth, Western Australia 6150 tel: (61 8) 9360-6293 fax: (61 8) 9360-6421 email: townsend@central.murdoch.edu.au ________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com From sustran at po.jaring.my Thu Aug 17 13:57:09 2000 From: sustran at po.jaring.my (SUSTRAN Resource Centre) Date: Thu, 17 Aug 2000 12:57:09 +0800 Subject: [sustran] fwd: more diesel salvos from CSE in Delhi Message-ID: <3.0.6.32.20000817125709.00838730@relay101.jaring.my> From: "webadmin" Organization: Centre for Science and Environment Date: Wed, 16 Aug 2000 13:43:19 +530 Subject: What's new at CSE, India ... What's new at the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), New Delhi, India ... PRESS RELEASE MAY 10,2000 CSE accuses DTC of fooling people about having chanced upon a technique of reducing particulate emissions from diesel buses substantially that may render moving to CNG unnecessary. DTC is bent upon diverting public attention from CNG by initiating a pilot project on diesel buses instead of focussing on the implementation of the Supreme Court order on CNG just 8 months before the deadline expires. Without paying any heed to the urgent need for drastic cut in particulate matter pollution in the city and the Supreme Court directive to give an undertaking on the implementation schedule of the CNG order, DTC carries on with a disinformation campaign on CNG. A press release from CSE at http://www.cseindia.org/html/au/au4_20000810.htm ... ------------------------------------------------- A message from the Director, Anil Agarwal: HIGH ON GAS IT SEEMS that a new study from Harvard University in USA has vindicated the position of the pro-diesel lobby that compressed natural gas (CNG) is also very polluting. The report started appearing in newspapers, conveniently on the very day that the Supreme Court was to hear the case on moving diesel buses to CNG. Copies of this report that "conclusively" proved that CNG emitted nanoparticles (particles less than 0.1 micron) as against the information that diesel emitted fine and ultra-fine particles (particles of 2.5-1 micron) mysteriously landed on the desks of Delhi government officials. By July, with the government failing to implement the court order, this campaign had assumed gigantic proportions. Even the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi went public saying that CNG was not desirable. So what is this study all about? A close look at this six-page study done by the Harvard Centre for Risk Analysis in January 2000 shows that firstly it is only a preliminary survey that quotes rather vaguely from non- referenced studies. It says, "some studies suggest that CNG emits more ultra-fine particles than diesel". Secondly, it is obviously biased in the selective information it quotes. Thirdly, it lacks credibility because it is funded by Navistar, one of the world's leading truck and (diesel) engine manufacturers. The following week, Parvez Hashmi, the transport minister and the man responsible for implementing the Supreme Court's order cited a December 1999 US study prepared by the General Accounting Office (GAO). The report, he said, makes it clear that the US has a "very small proportion (5 per cent) of the transit bus fleet running on alternative fuels like CNG" and that CNG has inherent problems. The implication was that it was not possible for Delhi to move to CNG. But once again take a look at the selective use of the information in this "misinformation campaign". The GAO report itself says that natural gas buses have a promising future. Hashmi also does not care to note that the US Department of Energy (DOE) says that the discussion material in this report is "loosely based on informal conversations and interviews with a small industry group". The department says that the GAO report gives the wrong impression that CNG has technical problems as much of the report dwells on poor fleet experiences in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Since then market conditions have changed substantially. For instance, says this department of the US government, nearly 20 per cent of all new bus orders are now for alternative fuel, primarily natural gas. What Hashmi forgets to say is that because of the growing success of CNG, the US government is now encouraging Interstate Clean Transportation Corridors - highways where CNG will be available throughout the route. He also does not care to cite that the new regulations in California mandate that operators with more than 15 buses must only replace their old vehicles or buy new vehicles that run on alternative fuels. USA already has 87,500 natural gas vehicles and over 1,000 CNG outlets. This is not to say that creating myths about CNG is a monopoly of Indian industry. The international diesel lobby is fighting the move to switch to alternative fuels too. However, in India, where both information and scientific ability are limited it is easier to spread half-truths and try to subvert court orders. In April 2000, fed up with this trend, the US Department of Environment issued a press release, Natural Gas Buses: Separating Myth from Fact. This reflects on each point that is being used to confuse Delhi's decision-makers. For instance, one argument used to discount the CNG option is the high cost of converting a diesel engine to CNG. However, what is not said is that while a CNG bus has a high initial cost, it has lower operation and maintenance costs. Also, what is not said conveniently, is that when estimating the cost of the diesel option one has to take into consideration what it will cost to reduce the emissions of a diesel bus to the level of a CNG bus. There are numerous studies to show that there is a very high cancer risk involved in the use of diesel because of tiny particulates and Delhi has a bad problem of particulates. The alternative proposed by Indian bus manufacturers is that Delhi should adopt Euro II buses instead of CNG. But Euro II and even Euro III (adopted in 2000 in Europe), buses would still emit ten times more particulates than CNG. The only viable option currently that competes with CNG is to go for Euro IV buses, fitted with catalyst-based diesel particulate filters, using ultra- low sulphur diesel, where the sulphur content is less than 15 parts per million (PPM). Compare this to Delhi where after much chest beating the government has succeeded in getting "low" sulphur diesel which has a sulphur content of 500 PPM. Think of all the costs involved then? That all this is happening at a time when our country is thinking, according to newspaper reports, of sending a mission to the moon to demonstrate its scientific prowess is incredible. We will only go down in history as being scientifically so incompetent that we could not even make a CNG engine work. - Anil Agarwal Visit our website at www.cseindia.org and check out what's new. Our website carries our science and environment fortnightly Down To Earth, a weekly Feature Service of articles on environment and a daily environment news flash by subject categories. We also give regular updates on all of our campaigns on topics like vehicular pollution, climate change, biodiversity, water resources, wildlife, forests etc. Our online library of books, journals, images and videos is searchable through a thesaurus of environmental keywords at http://data.cseindia.org We are also looking for reciprocal linking to other websites in this area. Let us know your website address and we would be happy to link to you. Please feel free to forward this message to other interested individuals. **************************************************************** * NOTE CHANGE IN OUR EMAIL ADDRESS: PLEASE NOTE IT AS FOLLOWS * **************************************************************** CENTRE FOR SCIENCE AND ENVIRONMENT ( CSE ) 41, TUGHLAKABAD INSTITUTIONAL AREA, NEW DELHI- 110 062 TELE: 608 1110, 608 1124 608 3394, 608 6399 FAX : 91-11-608 5879 VISIT US AT: http://www.cseindia.org Email: webadmin@cseindia.org **************************************************************** Distributed for the purpose of education and research. A. Rahman Paul BARTER SUSTRAN Resource Centre Information services for the Sustainable Transport Action Network for Asia and the Pacific (the SUSTRAN Network) sustran@po.jaring.my http://www.malaysiakini.com/sustran http://www.geocities.com/sustrannet From sustran at po.jaring.my Fri Aug 18 15:45:20 2000 From: sustran at po.jaring.my (SUSTRAN Resource Centre) Date: Fri, 18 Aug 2000 14:45:20 +0800 Subject: [sustran] fwd: Klang Valley transit system financial woes Message-ID: <3.0.6.32.20000818144520.008e32f0@relay101.jaring.my> >From Asiaweek magazine http://www-cgi.cnn.com/ASIANOW/asiaweek/magazine/2000/0818/biz.transport.html AUGUST 18 , 2000 VOL. 26 NO. 32 New Trains, Old Problems The government may buy all the losing players By ARJUNA RANAWANA Kuala Lumpur For Mazidah Ali, Kuala Lumpur's mass transit system is a dream. From her apartment near the University of Malaya to work in a not-too-central bank takes about 30 minutes on the gleaming Putra light rail train. She is lucky. The Malaysian capital has not one but two new mass transit lines up and running and a third line that connects the city to the suburbs, but many commuters are finding the trains to be expensive, inconvenient or just plain irrelevant. Forty percent of the city's office workers are employed within the Golden Triangle of downtown Kuala Lumpur. Despite the three rail lines ? owned and operated by different private companies ? there is only one stop in the area. A fourth line, projected to be a monorail, was specifically meant to serve the dense downtown. On-again-off-again construction started in 1998. It last shut down in August 1999. While some commuters complain the system is incomplete, others say the lack of coordination when the rail systems do intersect is a bigger problem. Travelers wanting to change lines must physically leave one station and walk into another. Add to this the lack of coordination between rail and two public bus systems and you begin to understand a system that is downright inhospitable to commuters ? not to mention seriously unprofitable. Every main player in the city's transit business is losing money. Putra, the most technologically sophisticated of all the systems, lost $22.6 million in the first nine months of its current fiscal year, which ended June 30. The red ink, coming on sales of just $8 million, suggests how deeply troubled the operation is. The line was built for $1.2 billion and projected to carry 140,000 passengers a day along its 29-km run. Traffic has recently reached 125,000 per day but that was accomplished only by slashing fares as much as 60%. Putra, which stands for Projek Usahasama Transi Ringan Automatik, announced last November that it was defaulting on interest payments to service its $526 million construction loan. Putra is owned by Renong, a sprawling, well-connected conglomerate. The city's other commuter rail line born in 1998 is called STAR, Sistem Transit Aliran Ringan. That system carries fewer passengers than Putra and is known to be losing money, though exact figures are not available. Finally, the KTM (Keretapi Tanah Melayu) commuter system, an electrified railway that links the capital to towns in the heavily populated Klang Valley, lost about $15 million in the fiscal year ended June 30. The monorail that represents the important unfinished piece of Kuala Lumpur's transit puzzle ran out of money in the middle of construction. The owner, Vincent Tan, recently landed another loan and construction could resume soon. The original completion date of mid-2000, however, is out of the question. The two bus companies have done no better. Park May, the older of the two, lost $5.3 million in the first three quarters of the fiscal year. The other, Intrakota, is losing an undisclosed amount. The answer to both the operating and profitability problems, according to the state's Corporate Debt Restructuring Committee, is to consolidate all the pieces under government ownership. In the case of KTM, such a move would reverse an earlier privatization. In 1992, KTM was created to run the railway network covering most of peninsular Malaysia. Buying all these loss-making private transit companies is potentially controversial. Renong owns the Park May bus line as well as Putra. Intrakota is owned by another well-connected company, DRB-Hicom. And Renong and DRB both own pieces of KTM. But analyst Tan Beng Ling of the Internet investment advisory site Surf88.com says the government has no choice: "This is not the time to debate whether there should be a government role or not. Government involvement is necessary." Tan warns that consolidating the various ownerships is not a sure-fire solution. She notes that each of the five main players sometimes act like private fiefdoms with no outside responsibilities. "Bringing together the five operators who have been competing against each other is hard. All of them have been like kings of their project. Now they'll have to make compromises." Another danger in the public buyout is that the sale would be used as a pretext to help out politically connected companies. "Conceptually [the government buyout] is the right thing to do," says one transportation analyst who asks to remain anonymous. "The government will have to step in and take over because these systems are providing an important public service. However, the government will have to use taxpayer money, and it should pay only a fair value. It shouldn't pay a premium and bail out troubled companies." Another lesson in getting from here to there. Write to Asiaweek at mail@web.asiaweek.com ------------------------------------------------ Distributed for the purpose of education and research. A. Rahman Paul BARTER SUSTRAN Resource Centre Information services for the Sustainable Transport Action Network for Asia and the Pacific (the SUSTRAN Network) sustran@po.jaring.my http://www.malaysiakini.com/sustran http://www.geocities.com/sustrannet From eric.britton at ecoplan.org Sat Aug 19 08:00:18 2000 From: eric.britton at ecoplan.org (EcoPlan) Date: Sat, 19 Aug 2000 01:00:18 +0200 Subject: [sustran] Major overhaul of @World Car Free Day site in preparation for September events Message-ID: Dear Colleagues, Barely one month from the combined World/European Car Free Day push of 21 and 22 September, we have been hard at work in an attempt to render our @World Car Free Day site at http://ecoplan.org/carfreeday more inviting, easier and more useful as an information, planning and international collaborative tool. A number of changes have already been made and more are in progress; however we feel that the new site is now far enough along in its development that it should already prove useful to any of you who are thinking about or working on car free day projects and programs in your cities. At this point we should like to invite your comments and suggestions, including if you have any news on your projects and plans for this year. The site is already a very rich source of information both for planning and research purposes, and in this respect we would like to draw your attention in particular to the new Search functions which are considerably more powerful and extensive. At this point, they provide coverage of more than a dozen leading international sources that deal with our topic, but if you have others which you feel should be included in our regular weekly search routine, let us now and we will add them to our search list. Let me close this note with a word on the current of resistance that we are seeing in a number of places, including in some leading European cities and concerned institutions to the car free day programs that are currently underway. It is our position that we need to listen to what these people are saying, and even if we may not ultimately agree with their conclusions, we should be aware that they are serious people and have some things to say which we must take into consideration. So let's honor those who may not agree with all our great ideas, and learn to listen to and learn from them. We probably have a thing or two to learn. Finally, I would like to make one point which we have always tried to keep to the fore in our work on this concept over the last dozen years, and that is that the objective of a car free day is above all to set the stage for significant changes in the transportation infrastructure and delivery arrangements of that place. And since the people and groups who are presently being significantly underserved by today's arrangements in most of our cites are, in fact, close to a majority, there is every reason that these major changes should be getting underway immediately and with massive public support. If a car free day serves to make this point, then it is doing its job. If it's only a transient hiccup in the daily life of the city and an annoyance to many of the people that live and work there, then it's probably more trouble than it's worth. I look forward to your feedback and continuing support of this fine concept. Eric Britton ecopl@n ___ technology, economy, society ___ Le Frene, 8/10 rue Joseph Bara, 75006 Paris, France Eric.Britton@ecoplan.org URL www.ecoplan.org Mobile: +336 80 96 78 79 Voice/Videoconference +331.4441.6340 (1-4) Voicemail/Fax hotline: Europe +331 5301 2896 Voicemail/Fax hotline: North America +1 888 522 6419 (toll free) From eric.britton at ecoplan.org Mon Aug 21 03:24:54 2000 From: eric.britton at ecoplan.org (ecoplan.adsl) Date: Sun, 20 Aug 2000 20:24:54 +0200 Subject: [sustran] World Car Free Day Preparations and cooperation for success Message-ID: The following message has just been dispatched to the group of people cooperating with the @World Car Free Day site at http://ecoplan.org/carfreeday -- and we thought it might be of interest to SUSTRAN's members as well. I might mention that the only non-European country thus far that is developing a national program and Web page to which we shall be linking is Japan - but perhaps there are others? In any event, we hope you find some use in this. eb = = = = = = -----Original Message----- From: ecoplan.adsl [mailto:eric.britton@ecoplan.org] Sent: Sunday, 20 August 2000 8:14 PM To: carfreeday@egroups.com Subject: Preparations and cooperation for success Dear Friends, With World, European and who knows what other Car Free Days coming up on us in the weeks directly, and embellished as we are by a fine improved new World Car Free Day Web site, Library and communications facilities, it is perhaps a good moment to see what happens if we put our heads together in an attempt to improve all this information that is available to cities and groups who wish to do better in all this. To this end, I would like to draw your attention both to the new site at http://ecoplan.org/carfreeday/ , and once you are there to the section "BEST PRACTICES" which sets out some of the goals and arguments behind this whole idea of a truly interactive group project. As you will see we are trying to assemble a certain number of leading examples of best practice, in the hope of stimulating groups and projects in formation that are on the lookout for new ideas and approaches to accomplishing what we must in all fairness recognize is quite a difficult set of challenges. Are there a couple of places and projects that we can point them to that will help them to do better in their own cities? Are there some techniques or tricks that they might consider that will help them get their messages across as part of their efforts to get the widest base of local public support? You'll see the seven categories that we have earmarked for you attention, but you may have other ideas as well. If so, let us hear from you. Two perhaps a bit more subtle areas in which we are looking for feedback. The first is our search for NEGATIVE EDITORIALS or essays that set out some strongly felt arguments against the car free day concept - or at least against certain ways of going about it. We would very much like to have a couple of provocative examples here, as a challenge and reminder that cities are complex places and that different opinions exist and have to be confronted. In this same spirit, we are hoping to hear form you concerning barriers and obstacles that your projects are running into - things that are making it hard for your Day to succeed. We feel that it is important to share these messages, discouraging as they can be, since so often people in a given place tend to feel that they are the only ones who are running into these barriers. And of course if you have any ideas about how to get around them, well all the better. Finally, what about prizes, some form or recognition or broader publicity for the leading examples that we are now hot in pursuit of? Any ideas for us there? If you belong to a prestigious institution, have first rate media access, or - why not? - if you have access to funds which can be used to finance a more concrete sort of prizes or recognition, well you can be sure that we all will be interested to hear from you. There you have it. There are many cities and teams out there who could use a hand. And who better than all of you to do just that. With best wishes to you all, Eric Britton The Commons ___ technology, economy, society ___ Le Frene, 8/10 rue Joseph Bara, 75006 Paris, France Eric.Britton@ecoplan.org URL www.ecoplan.org Mobile: +336 80 96 78 79 Voice/Videoconference +331.4441.6340 (1-4) Voicemail/Fax hotline: Europe +331 5301 2896 Voicemail/Fax hotline: North America +1 888 522 6419 (toll free) From craig_townsend at hotmail.com Mon Aug 21 11:00:32 2000 From: craig_townsend at hotmail.com (Craig Townsend) Date: Mon, 21 Aug 2000 11:00:32 WST Subject: [sustran] Bangkok car free day Message-ID: >From the Bangkok Post Internet Edition, 19 August 2000 Car-free day to be declared: Protest gesture at soaring oil price Yuthana Praiwan A car-free day is to be declared next month in Bangkok in protest against soaring fuel costs. The government will encourage motorists to leave their vehicles at home on Sept 22, PM's Office Minister Savit Bhodivihok said yesterday. The carless Friday is in response to the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries' production limits, which are forcing up prices. Mr Savit said the government could not, at a time of austerity, introduce tax cuts to help stabilise retail pump prices. "It would affect the state's monetary position and result in a weaker baht, which would inevitably result in a further oil price rise anyway," he said. Talks would be held soon with the National Energy Policy Office, the Thai Merchants Association and other private sector interests on launching the car-free day campaign. This week, the Industry Ministry ordered Thaioil to lower the wholesale price of oil supplied to the Petroleum Authority of Thailand by US$1 a barrel. It was hoped this would prevent pump prices from going over 17 baht a litre. ________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com From pendakur at interchange.ubc.ca Tue Aug 22 00:01:15 2000 From: pendakur at interchange.ubc.ca (Dr. V. S. Pendakur) Date: Mon, 21 Aug 2000 08:01:15 -0700 Subject: [sustran] Re: Bangkok car free day References: Message-ID: <000201c00b87$719a4500$a15e17cf@ramakka> Right output. Wrong reason. Cheers. ----- Original Message ----- From: Craig Townsend To: Sent: Monday, August 21, 2000 4:00 AM Subject: [sustran] Bangkok car free day > >From the Bangkok Post Internet Edition, 19 August 2000 > > Car-free day to be declared: Protest gesture at soaring oil price > > Yuthana Praiwan > > A car-free day is to be declared next month in Bangkok in protest against > soaring fuel costs. > > The government will encourage motorists to leave their vehicles at home on > Sept 22, PM's Office Minister Savit Bhodivihok said yesterday. > > The carless Friday is in response to the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting > Countries' production limits, which are forcing up prices. > > Mr Savit said the government could not, at a time of austerity, introduce > tax cuts to help stabilise retail pump prices. "It would affect the state's > monetary position and result in a weaker baht, which would inevitably result > in a further oil price rise anyway," he said. > > Talks would be held soon with the National Energy Policy Office, the Thai > Merchants Association and other private sector interests on launching the > car-free day campaign. > > This week, the Industry Ministry ordered Thaioil to lower the wholesale > price of oil supplied to the Petroleum Authority of Thailand by US$1 a > barrel. > > It was hoped this would prevent pump prices from going over 17 baht a litre. > > ________________________________________________________________________ > Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com > From debi at beag.net Wed Aug 23 11:04:57 2000 From: debi at beag.net (Debi Goenka) Date: Wed, 23 Aug 2000 07:34:57 +0530 Subject: [sustran] Global warming Message-ID: <39A33149.8B04E8F0@beag.net> Please visit www.climatevoice.org and add your support to halt global warming. Thanks and cheers Debi -- Debi Goenka Bombay Environmental Action Group e-mail: debi@beag.net debi.beag@softhome.net Environmental Education Office Kalbadevi Municipal School # 54, 2nd floor Mumbai 400002 Tel: 91-22-2423126 Tfax: 91-22-2426385 Registered Office 4 Kurla Industrial Estate LBS Marg, Ghatkopar Mumbai 400086 Tel: 91-22-5147574 Fax: 91-22-5115810 Residence B 502 Glengate Hiran Gardens Powai Mumbai 400076 Tel: 91-22-5700638 Tfax: 91-22-5701459 From sustran at po.jaring.my Wed Aug 23 12:22:43 2000 From: sustran at po.jaring.my (SUSTRAN Resource Centre) Date: Wed, 23 Aug 2000 11:22:43 +0800 Subject: [sustran] Regional Seminar on Transport to be held in KL Message-ID: <3.0.6.32.20000823112243.00906140@relay101.jaring.my> Here are some more details on this seminar that was announced earlier. For anyone who is interested I can email you the pdf brochure that is mentioned below. Please email me OFF-list (sustran@po.jaring.my) to request the attachment. Paul >From: CityNet >Subject: Urban Transport Seminar > >Dear Partner, > >UNESCAP, CityNet and the City of Kuala Lumpur are organizing a Regional >Policy Seminar on Transport and Communications Challenges in the 21st Century. > >The Seminar will bring over 100 representatives including mayors, city >managers, business people in the transport and communication industries, as >well as NGOs, CBOs and research insitutions. > >The Seminar is expected to recommend regional actions and approaches for >integrating urban transport and information and communications technologies >for an economically productive and >environmentally sustainable future. The result of the Seminar will be >presented to the next Ministerial Conference on Transport and >Communications to be held in the third quarter of 2001. > >We would like to invite you to participate in this important Seminar. We >feel that your participation is critical in providing substantive inputs >and making this Seminar a success. > >Attached is an information brochure of the event. It is in PDF format and >will require Acrobat Reader software (available for free at >http://www.acrobat.com) > >Please feel free to distribute the brochure further through your networks. >There are no participation fees involved. Some sponsorships are available >for CityNet members. > >We look forward to your active participation. > >With best regards > > >Dato' Lakhbir Singh Chahl >Secretary General > >Attachment Converted: "C:\My Documents\SUSTRAN Attachments\pamphlet3.pdf" > >CityNet >5F, International Organizations Center >Pacifico Yokohama, 1-1-1 Minato Mirai >Nishi-ku, Yokohama 220-0012 Japan >Tel: (81-45) 223-2161 Fax: (81-45) 223-2162 > From sustran at po.jaring.my Fri Aug 25 19:00:25 2000 From: sustran at po.jaring.my (SUSTRAN Resource Centre) Date: Fri, 25 Aug 2000 18:00:25 +0800 Subject: [sustran] fwd: bremen partnership awards Message-ID: <3.0.6.32.20000825180025.0083e730@relay101.jaring.my> A forwarded message from the bremen initiative ************* Press release ************* Create the future. together: The bremen partnership award - putting real flesh on the bones of the growing global commitment to partnership ---- WHY? ---- Quality of life in cities is a concern for all of us. We need to set the course now - for a future that has already begun and needs to be shaped in a sustainable way. ----- What? ----- Many projects run by businesses and municipalities as partners are already facing this responsibility. The bremen partnership award - to be conferred in April 2001- is designed to reward the partnership projects that are really working. Launched by bremen initiative - the global campaign for business and municipality partnerships led by the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen, Germany with wide international support- it will focus on projects striving to make cities more liveable and better places in which to do business. bremen initiative is not only looking for project plans but above all for real projects that have already been implemented. And this is the worldwide uniqueness of the award: the celebration of partnerships between business and municipality offering tangible solutions for an urban quality of life which is favourable to economic activities and above all sustainable. --------------- When and where? --------------- bremen initiative now invites the submission of best practices from all parts of the world which have been built on three key pillars: urbanity, challenge of sustainability, and partnership. Awards will be given in five categories: each one will include a grant to help enable the success story of the project to be continued or responsibility for future generations secured. The award ceremony will take place at the 2nd International Conference on "business and municipality - new partnerships for the 21st century" to be held in Bremen on 4-7 April 2001. ---------- Categories ---------- The award categories and selection criteria have been carefully developed on the basis of an extensive international expert survey. They span the whole range of sustainability issues such as: efficiency, protection of resources, global responsibility, social justice, diversity, citizens' participation, built and natural environment of urban settings, and more. -------- Aply now -------- All applications will be evaluated by partners of bremen initiative as well as urban experts in accordance with a fully transparent procedure. The shortlisted finalists in each category will then be presented to an international jury for final evaluation and decision. ---- How? ---- Applications, which must be jointly submitted by the business and municipality partners, should be forwarded online or digitally and in English only (via email, on a disk or CD-ROM). Closing date for applications is 15 January 2001. At bremen initiative's website http://www.bremen-initiative.de/award application forms are ready to be downloaded or filled in online. For further information please contact Jana Ludmann at the bremen partnership award office c/o ecolo, Tel +49(0)421 23 00 11 0, Fax +49(0)421 23 00 11 18 or send an email on award@bremen-initiative.de. ****END**** -- bremen initiative managing agency and bremen partnership award office c/o ecolo ecology and communication Leher Heerstr.102 D-28359 Bremen phone +49-421-230011-0 fax +49-421-230011-18 info@bremen-initiative and award@bremen-initiative.de visit the global campaign of the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen, Germany http://www.bremen-initiative.de -------------------------- Die Sparkasse Bremen - Partner of bremen initiative visit http://www.sparkasse-bremen.de swb AG - Partner of bremen initiative visit http://www.swb-AG.de -------------------------- bremen partnership award: Be informed - click this link http://www.bremen-initiative.de/award/ YOU MAY APPLY NOW - WORLDWIDE From sustran at po.jaring.my Tue Aug 29 22:56:30 2000 From: sustran at po.jaring.my (SUSTRAN Resource Centre) Date: Tue, 29 Aug 2000 21:56:30 +0800 Subject: [sustran] Taking Steps book Message-ID: <3.0.6.32.20000829215630.0085b430@relay101.jaring.my> Dear friends We have realised that the SUSTRAN Network book (TAKING STEPS: A Community Action Guide to People-Centred, Equitable and Sustainable Urban Transport) has not been affordable for many people. Therefore we are lowering the requested contributions to: US$7 for anyone in developing countries, US$12 for those in OECD countries, RM20 for anyone inside Malaysia. More information about the book, including sample pages, is at: http://www.geocities.com/sustrannet/actionguide/outline.htm Samples of material from the book can also be seen via: http://www.geocities.com/sustrannet/ten_steps.htm Details on how to order are BELOW or at: http://www.geocities.com/sustrannet/actionguide/AGorder.htm We are also able to send just a few more free copies to a small number of non-profit organisations in developing countries. So please contact me quickly if you believe your organisation deserves a free copy. Best wishes, Dr A. Rahman Paul BARTER SUSTRAN Resource Centre sustran@po.jaring.my Information services for the Sustainable Transport Action Network for Asia and the Pacific (the SUSTRAN Network) http://www.malaysiakini.com/sustran http://www.geocities.com/sustrannet -------------------------------------- TO ORDER THE BOOK - print out the form below and send with contribution to: SUSTRAN Resource Centre P.O. Box 11501, Kuala Lumpur 50748, MALAYSIA Please make cheques or drafts payable to the "SUSTRAN Resource Centre". Wire transmission is also a payment option - please ask us for the details. Sorry we cannot handle credit cards or postal money orders -------------- Please send me copies of TAKING STEPS: A Community Action Guide to People-centred, Equitable and Sustainable Transport. I enclose my cheque / bank draft / money order for US$ / RM (being my minimum contribution for the book(s) plus my donation towards the non-profit work of the SUSTRAN Resource Centre). Name: Organisation: Type of Organisation: Postal Address: Country: Telephone: Fax: Email: Web: http:// From eric.britton at ecoplan.org Wed Aug 30 02:23:10 2000 From: eric.britton at ecoplan.org (ecoplan.adsl) Date: Tue, 29 Aug 2000 19:23:10 +0200 Subject: [sustran] US article - "Cities in region want to make mean streets safe for pedestrians" Message-ID: We have been speaking with John Whitelegg about doing a special issue of the Journal of World Transport Policy and Practice on the topic of The Pedestrian Friendly City, and so when the following reference came through the Net I immediately had a look and pass if along for your information. In the meantime, I would also like to invite you to have a look at our almost completed major rehab of the World Transport Web site at http://www.ecoplan.org/wtpp -- and if you have any thoughts for us on the Pedestrian Friendly issue, or more generally on either articles or themes for future issues, this is the place to turn. Regards, = = = = = Eric Britton ecopl@n ___ technology, economy, society ___ Le Frene, 8/10 rue Joseph Bara, 75006 Paris, France Eric.Britton@ecoplan.org URL www.ecoplan.org Mobile: +336 80 96 78 79 Voice/Videoconference +331.4441.6340 (1-4) Voicemail/Fax hotline: Europe +331 5301 2896 Voicemail/Fax hotline: North America +1 888 522 6419 (toll free) ===== Cities in region want to make mean streets safe for pedestrians By Gordon Smith COPLEY NEWS SERVICE August 28, 2000 http://www.uniontribune.com/news/state/20000828-0010_1n28peds.html ""But throughout the Los Angeles area, officials are taking sides like never before with the neglected peons of the traffic world: pedestrians. In Santa Monica, engineers are installing "smart" crosswalks and other improvements designed to make it easier and safer to cross streets on foot. In Santa Ana, a task force is focusing on safety education in neighborhoods whose Latino residents are especially vulnerable to pedestrian accidents. Meanwhile, Glendale, Redondo Beach and other cities in the region are increasingly using "stings" involving pedestrian decoys to nab speeding drivers. Sometimes, cops also zero in on pedestrians who dart into streets or jaywalk far from crosswalks. In these cities and many others, officials are buzzing over the "three E's" that they believe will improve life for people on foot: engineering, education and enforcement. If Los Angeles -- the nation's car capital -- can turn itself into a pedestrian-friendly metropolis, some experts say, other cities around Southern California and the West will follow suit. But the efforts, though numerous, are scattered and poorly coordinated. They also point up the difficulty and expense of trying to retrofit an urban landscape for pedestrians when cars have been king for decades. ..." Article continues... From t4-inoue at nri.co.jp Thu Aug 31 21:02:03 2000 From: t4-inoue at nri.co.jp (Taiichi INOUE) Date: Thu, 31 Aug 2000 21:02:03 +0900 Subject: [sustran] ITS Lectures at KEIO University Message-ID: <200008311159.UAA19078@nrims1.nri.co.jp> Dear experts, KEIO University has begun ITS lectures for students since 1999. A web site on this program is shown at the address below; http://www.its-lectures.ae.keio.ac.jp/index_e.html If you are interested in this program, please check it. Think globally, Act locally. Senior Consultant Taiichi Inoue Social Systems Consulting Dept.1 Nomura Research Institute,Ltd. 2-2-1,Ootemachi,Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100,JAPAN tel +81-3-5203-0806 fax +81-3-5203-0764 Website http://www.nri.co.jp/ From t4-inoue at nri.co.jp Thu Aug 31 21:02:03 2000 From: t4-inoue at nri.co.jp (Taiichi INOUE) Date: Thu, 31 Aug 2000 21:02:03 +0900 Subject: [sustran] ITS Lectures at KEIO University Message-ID: <200008311159.UAA19078@nrims1.nri.co.jp> Dear experts, KEIO University has begun ITS lectures for students since 1999. A web site on this program is shown at the address below; http://www.its-lectures.ae.keio.ac.jp/index_e.html If you are interested in this program, please check it. Think globally, Act locally. Senior Consultant Taiichi Inoue Social Systems Consulting Dept.1 Nomura Research Institute,Ltd. 2-2-1,Ootemachi,Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100,JAPAN tel +81-3-5203-0806 fax +81-3-5203-0764 Website http://www.nri.co.jp/