From sustran at po.jaring.my Wed Mar 1 03:14:38 2000 From: sustran at po.jaring.my (SUSTRAN Network Secretariat) Date: Wed, 01 Mar 2000 02:14:38 +0800 Subject: [sustran] URGENT: arrest of Jakarta pedicab activists Message-ID: <3.0.6.32.20000301021438.00833440@relay101.jaring.my> Dear friends I have just received a troubling message from Bambang Susantono and Dodo Sambodo of the newly-formed INFORTRANS (Indonesian NGO Forum for Transportation) and Agus P. Sari of Pelangi Indonesia (as Joint Secretariat for INFORTRANS). INFORTRANS is asking for our help by sending appeals for the release of these Indonesian activists who have been working to have pedicabs ("becak") allowed in Jakarta. Below the appeal from INFORTRANS is an item from today's (1 March) Jakarta Post explaining the background and describing their trial yesterday (29 Feb). The article does not make clear whether or not the activists have been released but it appears that they have not. I will send any updates as I receive them. Paul * * * * * * * STATEMENT - INFORTRANS (Indonesian NGO Forum for Transportation) Our friends, Ms. Wardah Hafidz from Urban Poor Consortium (UPC) together with several other friends, Mr. Edi Saidi, Mr. Afrizal, Mr. Congki, and Mr. Anto have been and are still being held by Jakarta Special District Police Department due to their support for pedicab (becak in Indonesian word) drivers since Monday, 28 February 2000. The problems on the existence of BECAK in Jakarta in fact, as everybody knows, is still being legally processed (class action) through the Central Jakarta Courts. We therefore are disappointed that our friends are being held by the Jakarta Special District Police Department (Polda Metro Jaya). Therefore, due to the above mentioned reason, we, from INFORTRANS (Indonesian NGO Forum for Transportation) would like to ask for your kind attention and interference by involving international community support in order to put pressure on concerned agencies not to hold them any longer. Your kind support and request for not holding Ms. Hafidz and friends any longer could be addressed by fax to the following: 1. Polda Metro Jaya (Jakarta Special District Police Department) Jl. Jend. Sudirman No. 45 Jakarta Pusat Fax: +62 (21) 522-5646 2. Gubernur Kepala Daerah Tingkat I Jakarta Mr. Sutiyoso Jl. Merdeka Selatan No. 8 - 9 Jakarta 10110 Fax: +62 (21) 389-8653 3. DPRD Jakarta (Jakarta Regional House of Representative) Jl. Kebon Sirih No. 18 Jakarta Pusat Fax: +62 (21) 350-8781 Bambang Susantono & Dodo Sambodo on behalf of INFORTRANS (Indonesian NGO Forum for Transportation): WALHI, UPC, LpiST, YLBHI, ISJ, ICEL, YLKI, and PELANGI Indonesia Agus P. Sari on behalf of PELANGI Indonesia as Joint Secretariat of INFORTRANS Jalan Danau Tondano A4, Pejompongan, Jakarta 10210 Tel: (62-21)-571-9360, 573-2503. Fax: (62-21)-573-2503 * * * * * * * http://www.thejakartapost.com:8890/myrender?menu_name=article_details&id=659 678&category_code=j JAKARTA POST City News March 01, 2000 Courth declares activists guilty of illegal rally JAKARTA (JP): A judge at the Central Jakarta District Court declared on Tuesday that Wardah Hafidz and four other activists of the Urban Poor Consortium (UPC) were guilty for their failure to notify the police before organizing a rally the day before. Judge I Gde Sumitra said the five defendants were guilty for not notifying the police of their intention to lead a street rally of some 100 becak (pedicab) drivers in front of the Presidential Palace on Jl. Medan Merdeka Utara in Central Jakarta on Monday. "Wardah Hafidz, Afrizal Malna, Subroto Ahmad Muswanto, Edi Saidi, and Yan Adiputra are guilty of violating articles 510 and 511 of the Criminal Code and article 10 of the 1998 Law No. 9 on Demonstration," Sumitra said. "The defendants are fined Rp 2,250 (30 U.S. cents) and are obliged to pay a trial fee of Rp 500 each," he told the hearing in the absence of the defendants, who earlier left the courtroom in protest of the ongoing prosecution. More than 200 becak drivers showed up at Tuesday's hearing in support to the defendants. At the hearing, the defendants rejected all the charges, denying the legality of the 1998 law. "The law is a product of a regime that didn't appreciate its residents' rights to deliver their opinion," said Wardah. She renewed her earlier statements that it was the city administration which violated its own City Bylaw No. 11/1998 on Public Order by inviting becak drivers in 1998. The defendants were arrested on Monday evening when they refused to disperse as ordered by the police. The UPC's struggle for the becak to resume operation in the city received support from the National Awakening Party (PKB). A. Effendy Choirie, a PKB legislator for the House of Representatives' Commission I on Defense, Foreign and Political affairs, Andi Naimi Fuaidi, a PKB legislator for the House's Commission III on Agriculture and Food Affairs and Rustin Ilyas of PKB's central board said President Abdurrahman Wahid had the same commitment and orientation with UPC's struggle. "The President has allowed the becak to operate in residential areas," they said in a written statement, copies of which were made available to the press on Tuesday. Earlier in the morning, Wardah told The Jakarta Post the reason she wanted to meet with President Abdurrahman Wahid, was to ask him to live up to his statement of Jan. 23, in a TV interview with host Jaya Suprana, when he said he did not mind if pedicabs operated in housing complexes. "I wanted to clarify that matter with him. On Feb. 22, a raid of pedicabs was conducted in the capital, where pedicabs were even confiscated from the homes of the drivers. So, why did the President make a statement like that on TV?" She said that while protesting outside the palace, some 200 police officers had surrounded them at about 8:30 p.m. on Monday. "Via a megaphone, an officer announced that according to a Law, we were not supposed to be protesting there. He did not mention which law," Wardah told the Post. "The police officers gave us 15 minutes to clear the area. I asked the pedicab drivers if they wanted to leave, or stay. They said stay, so we stayed." "At 8:45 p.m., the officers assisted 13 of us, including LBH lawyer Daniel Panjaitan and myself, to get onto a police truck." "I reached Polda (city police headquarters) at about 9 p.m. I was brought to the City Police Intelligence office, where an intelligence officer questioned me. I told him, I wouldn't speak, since I don't know why I was brought to Polda in the first place," she said. "So, they made me and my friends wait in the lobby of the city police detectives, from about 11 p.m. When it reached 2:30 a.m., I went to that office (points at office of Lt. Col. Syahrul Mamma, chief of detectives for general crime) and told the officer that I was tired, I wanted to go home and sleep, and that I would come back fresh in the morning for interrogations," she said. "An officer by the name of Bambang said that if I did not want to be interrogated now, I might as well sleep here. I really, never expected them to be so difficult." (nvn/ylt) * * * * * * * A. Rahman Paul BARTER Sustainable Transport Action Network for Asia and the Pacific (the SUSTRAN Network) P.O. Box 11501, Kuala Lumpur 50748, Malaysia. E-mail: sustran@po.jaring.my URL: http://www.malaysiakini.com/sustran (under construction) Ask about our SUSTRAN NEWS FLASHES - news updates on people-centred, equitable and sustainable transport with a focus on countries in the global 'South'. From sustran at po.jaring.my Wed Mar 1 13:19:20 2000 From: sustran at po.jaring.my (SUSTRAN Network Secretariat) Date: Wed, 01 Mar 2000 12:19:20 +0800 Subject: URGENT: arrest of Jakarta pedicab activists In-Reply-To: <3.0.6.32.20000301021438.00833440@relay101.jaring.my> Message-ID: <3.0.6.32.20000301121920.008c4670@relay101.jaring.my> Further to the latest developments in Jakarta I feel prompted to post some text from our forthcoming Community Action Guide (now at the printers) which is relevant to the issue. ----------------------- In defence of pedicabs Pedicabs are NOT inefficient or backward. Just like taxis, buses and bicycles, they have a legitimate place as part of an integrated, people-centred and sustainable system of transport. They are uniquely suited to a particular niche - or class of trips. Recently, several cities in the West have even started pedicab services in their central areas. In many cities around the world that still have pedicabs, the pedicab drivers face many difficulties, including exploitation by owners of fleets of pedicabs. "Faced with this inequality and exploitation, how have different governments responded? In many countries there have been attempts to help rickshaw-pullers, mostly under the heading of 'rickshaw to the puller'. But everywhere these attempts have been rather half-hearted, whereas a lot of official energy has been devoted to abolishing the rickshaw... ... The real reasons for wanting to abolish cycle-rickshaws had nothing to do with 'efficiency' or 'humanity.' After all, rickshaw drivers were not the only undisciplined road-users. Nor were rickshaws the most wasteful users of road space. As for the 'humanitarian reasons', the authorities cared very little about the other aspects of the pullers' lives. The real reason for wanting to do away with cycle-rickshaws was that wealthy people didn't like them. They detracted from the modern city image that they were trying to create, and they got in the way of the motor cars." (Gallagher, 1992) Any city in which private cars face little or no restraint or restrictions can have no justification in restricting the operations of non-motorised vehicles, including pedicabs. ----------------------------- A. Rahman Paul BARTER Sustainable Transport Action Network for Asia and the Pacific (the SUSTRAN Network) P.O. Box 11501, Kuala Lumpur 50748, Malaysia. E-mail: sustran@po.jaring.my URL: http://www.malaysiakini.com/sustran (under construction) Ask about our SUSTRAN NEWS FLASHES - news updates on people-centred, equitable and sustainable transport with a focus on countries in the global 'South'. From craig_townsend at hotmail.com Wed Mar 1 17:25:19 2000 From: craig_townsend at hotmail.com (Craig Townsend) Date: Wed, 01 Mar 2000 17:25:19 WST Subject: [sustran] Re: URGENT: arrest of Jakarta pedicab activists Message-ID: <20000301092519.9520.qmail@hotmail.com> Not only in Jakarta are NMVs being pushed out! From the Manila Times 1 March 2000 Internet Edition: Atienza orders ban on pedicabs in Manila’s main thoroughfares Manila Mayor Lito Atienza announced that starting today, city hall and police authorities will strictly enforce an ordinance banning pedi-cabs, both motorized and manually operated, from entering major thoroughfares in the city. According to Atienza, the move is meant to ease the flow of traffic along the streets of Manila. Among those declared as off-limits to pedicabs are the following: First District—C.M. Recto Avenue, R-10 Road, Capulong St., H. Lopez Blvd., Tayuman St., Juan Luna St., Ilaya St. and Nicolas Zamora St.; Second District —C.M. Recto Ave., Jose Abad Santos Ave., Tayuman St., Solis St. and Juan Luna St.; Third District – C.M. Recto Ave., Rizal Ave., Aurora Blvd., Dimasalang St., Tayuman St., A.H. Lacson St., Oroquietta St., Felix Huertas St., Ma. Clara St., Laon Laan St., Soler St., Reina Regente, San Fernando St., Juan Luna St., Quintin Paredes St., Escolta, Dasmariñas St., Ongpin St., Tabora St., Ilaya St., G. Puyat St., R. Hidalgo St., Carriedo St., Quezon Blvd., Carlos Palanca St., Evangelista St., Gandara St., T. Alonzo St., Buenavidez St., Masangkay St., Andalucia St., and P. Casal St. Fourth District—Dimasalang St., A.H. Lacson St., C.M. Recto Ave., Laon Laan St., Dapitan St., M. Dela Fuente St., V.G. Cruz St., Maceda St., J. Fajardo St., S.H. Loyola St., T. Earnshaw, Nicanor Reyes St., Legarda St., Ma. Clara St., España and G. Tuazon St.; Fifth District—Roxas Blvd., Taft Ave., Quirino Highway, M.H. del Pilar, Mabini St., Adriatico St., Ma. Orosa St., Leon Guinto St., San Marcelino St., Soriano St., Magallanes Drive, J. Bocobo St., P. Burgos St., T.M. Kalaw St., U.N. Ave., Padre Faura St., Pedro Gil St., San Andres St., P. Ocampo St., Ayala Blvd., Arroceros St., Concepcion St., Romualdez St. and A. Francisco St. Sixth District—Legarda St., R. Magsaysay Blvd., Mendiola St., J.P. Laurel St., Concepcion Aguila St., Pres. Quirino Ave., Nagtahan, Paz M. Guanzon St., Jesus St., Laura St., M. Carreon St., Old Sta. Mesa St., Valenzuela St., V. Mapa St., P. Sanchez St., New Panaderos St., C. Palanca St., Gen. Solano St., and Nicanor Padilla St. He warned that those caught operating along major thoroughfares face a fine of P500 and a towing fee of P1,000. The same fine and towing fee will also be imposed against the owners or operators of pedicabs caught operating without a valid permit issued by city hall. Said pedicabs shall be impounded and will only be released after the owners have acquired the necessary operating permit. We cannot just stand back and allow chaos to rule the streets,” Atienza said. Atienza also said that while the city government is itself promoting the operation of pedicabs as a means of livelihood, this has to be strictly regulated. Meanwhile the move of the Manila City Hall and police authorities to ban pedicabs and tricycles from major thoroughfares of the city drew praises from hundreds of thousands of motorists, drivers and commuters who are oftentimes caught in traffic jams caused by these slow-moving transport vehicles. Lolita Marcial, a barangay official from Sta. Cruz and a secretary of a businessman, said pedicab and tricycle drivers don’t observe traffic rules. “They even enter one-way streets and counter the flow of traffic and if you tell them they are wrong, they’ll even shout unprintable words at you,” Marcial said. Manuel Aquino, Jr., an executive of a real estate firm, on the other hand, said it is high time that authorities should implement a long-existing ordinance designed to ease the flow of traffic. “They should have done it long ago. But it is never too late,” Aquino said. Lawyer Romeo Gonzales, who has to drive around Metro Manila to attend to his clients, said he was caught a number of times in the middle of a traffic jam caused by a slow-moving pedicab whose driver refused to give way to motorists. The move of Mayor Atienza and police authorities to ban pedicabs and tricycles from main streets would definitely ease the traffic flow, Gonzales said. Drivers of pedicabs and tricycles, as expected, reacted sharply to Atienza’s move. ¨ -- John Concepcion ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com From sustran at po.jaring.my Thu Mar 2 10:27:24 2000 From: sustran at po.jaring.my (SUSTRAN Network Secretariat) Date: Thu, 02 Mar 2000 09:27:24 +0800 Subject: [sustran] fwd - more debate over Delhi anti-diesel measures Message-ID: <3.0.6.32.20000302092724.00847b60@relay101.jaring.my> >From: "webadmin" >Organization: Centre for Science and Environment >Date: Wed, 1 Mar 2000 18:15:17 +530 >Subject: What's new at CSE, India ... > >***************************************************************** >A fortnightly electronic news bulletin from CSE, India, to a network of >friends and professionals interested in environmental issues. We send this >to people who we believe are involved in sustainable development >initiatives. You are welcome to unsu*scribe yourself, if you so choose, >just scroll down to the bottom of this page. >***************************************************************** > >------------------------------------------------- > >A message from the Director, Anil Agarwal: >Polluting politics > >DISINFORMATION and bad politics seem to go hand in hand. Now that the >Delhi government is showing that it is determined to fight growing air >pollution, a desperate effort seems to be on to try and confuse the issue >in the hope that action against polluters can be delayed, if not derailed. >The Tata Energy Research Institute (TERI) has suddenly woken up to say >that the government's move to ban the registration of all commercial >vehicles, except those running on compressed natural gas (CNG), will >promote global warming. TERI scientists seem to have suddenly pulled this >out of their hat, much like a magician conjuring up a rabbit. > >Of course, CNG being a gas with a high methane content is known to have >greenhouse gas potential. This is well-known and well-considered in public >policy. This is not to say that diesel, for which TERI obviously seems to >be lobbying, does not lead to global warming. In fact, there is increasing >evidence to show that diesel contributes in an equal measure to global >warming. It was a preferred fuel because of the alleged high efficiency of >diesel engines but the price differential and the lower costs of running >diesel cars has led to increasing usage and negates any advantage. > >But the issue that TERI scientists seemed to have missed completely is >that diesel engines emit high quantities of particulate matter which are >extremely small and highly carcinogenic. Particulate pollution is the most >serious pollutant in Delhi. Pollution due to PM 10 particles - particles >with a diameter less than 10 microns - reached an astonishing 820 >microgrammes per cubic metre on some days in the city's ambient air. This >is eight times higher than the national standard and possibly way above >anything recorded in any other city in the world. Mexico City, which is >widely considered as the most polluted in the world, has a smog alert >system. The authorities inform citizens about the state of the air on a >daily basis. If Delhi's particulate pollution levels are considered and >Mexico City rules imposed, the city would have a pollution emergency every >second day. In fact Delhi would have to close down for six months in the >year to make the air good enough to breathe. > >Therefore an action plan to control particulate pollution becomes vital. >Curbs on diesel use become a must. Because of this, the Supreme Court in >1998 had ordered that all buses over eight years old should move to CNG >from April 1, 2000 and all buses should be running on CNG by March 2001. >The court is also hearing a case recommending a ban on private diesel cars >in Delhi, as the spiralling growth of these cheaper-to-run-vehicles of the >rich, has the potential to negate any clean up efforts by the public >transport sector. > >The Delhi government long criticised for delaying the implementation of >these orders has finally decided to take a hard line. But no sooner does >it clear the proposal to register only buses, taxis and autorickshaws that >run on CNG from April 1, 2000, it is hit on the head. The timing is >amazing, simply because the decision to move public and commercial >transport to CNG had been taken almost two years ago. The Gas Authority of >India Limited has been busy setting up the infrastructure to provide the >city with CNG and everyone else, from the Supreme Court downwards, has >been pushing for the timely implementation of this crucial order. > >The question now being asked is whether Delhi, which is suffering from >severe local air pollution, should first take steps to deal with global >pollution. This is absurd. It is important to note that India does not >have commitments under the climate change convention to take action to >reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This is not to say that it should have >the right to pollute with impunity. Only that the convention clearly lays >down that those who have endangered the world's climate should be the >first to take action to reduce their emissions. We have seen precious >little of this till date. The Kyoto Protocol, signed in late 1997, lays >down commitments for the industrialised North to cut emissions but now the >richest and most polluting nations are trying to buy their way out of the >problem. They want to trade in cheap emission reductions from our part of >the world instead of taking action to cut emissions at home. > >Secondly, there is the issue of priorities. In the grossly climate- >unfriendly country like the US, states like New York and California were >faced with the choice of restricting diesel, that had less global warming >potential, against rising concerns over local air pollution. They clearly >stated that local health concerns had to take precedence over global >concerns. As a result both these states have programmes to induct more and >more CNG buses. Why then should Delhi citizens be treated differently? > >TERI's conjuring act is a part of the automobile lobby's sustained efforts >to block the introduction of CNG in Delhi. It is, therefore, not >surprising that only a few months ago the director of TERI was quoted in >newspaper reports as arguing that burning of leaves by the poor and not >automobiles, was the cause of air pollution in Delhi. Given that a TATA >company - TELCO - is leading the diesel brigade, should we call this >connivance, or term it a coincidence? > >- Anil Agarwal > >Visit our website at www.cseindia.org or www.oneworld.org/cse and check >out what's new. Our website carries our science and environment >fortnightly Down To Earth, a weekly Feature Service of articles on ... From jsum at arbld.unimelb.edu.au Thu Mar 2 10:44:15 2000 From: jsum at arbld.unimelb.edu.au (Jachrizal Sumabrata) Date: Thu, 02 Mar 2000 12:44:15 +1100 Subject: transport externalities in south In-Reply-To: <200002201753.MAA17408@department-of-alchemy.mit.edu> References: Message-ID: <200003020148.MAA24205@arbld.unimelb.edu.au> Hallo Chris, I would be very much interested in getting a copy of the report that you produced together with Todd Litman. It would be great if you could send me the electronic version of a full cost study of transport in Santiago Chile, published by the International Institute for Energy Conservation in March, 1997. With best regards. Jachrizal Sumabrata Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning The University of Melbourne Parkville, Victoria 3052, Australia Telephone, +61 3 9344 7053 Facsimile, +61 3 9344 5532 From craig_townsend at hotmail.com Thu Mar 2 10:47:52 2000 From: craig_townsend at hotmail.com (Craig Townsend) Date: Thu, 02 Mar 2000 10:47:52 WST Subject: [sustran] Re: transport externalities in south Message-ID: <20000302024752.99149.qmail@hotmail.com> Chris, Could you also forward a copy to me. Greatly appreciated. Craig ************************************************* Craig Townsend Institute for Sustainability & Technology Policy Murdoch University South Street, Murdoch Perth, Western Australia 6150 tel: (66 8) 9360-6293 fax: (66 8) 9360-6421 email: townsend@central.murdoch.edu.au >From: Jachrizal Sumabrata >Reply-To: sustran-discuss@jca.ax.apc.org >To: sustran-discuss@jca.ax.apc.org >Subject: Re: transport externalities in south >Date: Thu, 02 Mar 2000 12:44:15 +1100 > >Hallo Chris, >I would be very much interested in getting a copy of the report that you >produced together with Todd Litman. It would be great if you could send me >the electronic version of a full cost study of transport in Santiago Chile, >published by the International Institute for Energy Conservation in March, >1997. >With best regards. > >Jachrizal Sumabrata >Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning >The University of Melbourne >Parkville, Victoria 3052, Australia >Telephone, +61 3 9344 7053 >Facsimile, +61 3 9344 5532 ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com From sustran at po.jaring.my Thu Mar 2 12:21:50 2000 From: sustran at po.jaring.my (SUSTRAN Network Secretariat) Date: Thu, 02 Mar 2000 11:21:50 +0800 Subject: URGENT: arrest of Jakarta pedicab activists In-Reply-To: <3.0.6.32.20000301021438.00833440@relay101.jaring.my> Message-ID: <3.0.6.32.20000302112150.008c5d70@relay101.jaring.my> More from the Jakarta Post on the Becak issue. The arrests on Monday and the uncompromising attitude of the Jakarta government have provoked an angry response on the streets. ----------------------- The Jakarta Post City News March 02, 2000 Unbowed Sutiyoso says 'becak' must go JAKARTA (JP): Undaunted by strong resistance from becak (pedicab) drivers, Governor Sutiyoso said on Wednesday that the city administration would soldier on with its plan to clear the three-wheeled vehicles off the capital's streets. "We'll continue the operation to net the pedicabs, as mandated in the 1988 Bylaw No. 11 on Public Order," Sutiyoso said in Ciracas, East Jakarta, on the sidelines of a ceremony commemorating the City Fire Department's 81st anniversary. He condemned drivers who went on the rampage following a clash with city public order officials on Tuesday evening. At least six vehicles were damaged and four city officials sustained injuries. "I'm concerned that my residents could do such a thing to city officials," he said. Residents reportedly ran amok in areas of West and North Jakarta when city officials began the operation to impound pedicabs. Angry pedicab drivers burned a garbage truck from the City Sanitation Agency, an Isuzu Panther pickup of the City Public Order Office and a fire truck on Jl. Mangga Besar, West Jakarta. Four officials were reportedly injured in the incident. Another clash occurred on Jl. Pademangan III, North Jakarta, when a mob burned the Pademangan district office. They continued on to Jl. Gunung Sahari, where they burned a public minivan and smashed the windows of two Metro Mini public minibuses. The governor admitted it was difficult to tell if the pedicab drivers were responsible for all of the destruction. "I've been told that not all of the rioters were becak drivers, some of them were members of the community. There were provocateurs in the incidents," he said, urging city residents not to be easily provoked by rumors. Sutiyoso said later at City Hall that he was in a difficult position concerning the handling of the pedicabs. "When I was going easy on the drivers, city councilors asked me to uphold the city bylaw. On the other hand, residents have violently protested the city administration for conducting the operation." Interviewed separately, Deputy Governor for Administrative Affairs Abdul Kahfi said the residents' violent actions against city officials were considered crimes. "I urge the city police to thoroughly investigate these incidents." He said the operation would continue despite the drivers' opposition. City records show there are 1,967 pedicabs remaining in the capital, of which 318 are in Central Jakarta, another 418 in West Jakarta and the remaining 1,231 in North Jakarta. South and East Jakarta have been declared free of the vehicles. (nvn) All contents copyright ? of The Jakarta Post. webmaster@thejakartapost.com ---------------------------------------- Distributed for the purpose of education and research. A. Rahman Paul BARTER Sustainable Transport Action Network for Asia and the Pacific (the SUSTRAN Network) P.O. Box 11501, Kuala Lumpur 50748, Malaysia. E-mail: sustran@po.jaring.my URL: http://www.malaysiakini.com/sustran (under construction) Ask about our SUSTRAN NEWS FLASHES - news updates on people-centred, equitable and sustainable transport with a focus on countries in the global 'South'. From sustran at po.jaring.my Thu Mar 2 12:29:54 2000 From: sustran at po.jaring.my (SUSTRAN Network Secretariat) Date: Thu, 02 Mar 2000 11:29:54 +0800 Subject: [sustran] fwd: Jakarta seeks new traffic restraint methods Message-ID: <3.0.6.32.20000302112954.008cb4e0@relay101.jaring.my> The Jakarta Post City News March 02, 2000 Replacement 3-in-1 system sought JAKARTA (JP): As the three-in-one policy in restricted areas has only created a problem with traffic jockeys, the city administration is now looking for a new, more suitable system to handle traffic congestion during rush hours, an official said on Wednesday. "Governor Sutiyoso has ordered a review of the policy as it has only attracted children to serve as three-in-one traffic jockeys," head of the City Traffic and Land Transportation Agency Buyung Atang told The Jakarta Post. "We have detained more than 1,200 jockeys and fined more than 1,400 drivers. Yet, the jockeys keep returning and the drivers continue using them," he said. He said his agency had conducted research for the past three weeks by temporarily revoking the policy in an effort to calculate the number of private vehicles passing the restricted zones. "We didn't announce the provisional revocation of the policy as it would hamper our evaluation. Everyone would then pass through the restricted zones," he said, while insisting that the policy was still in effect. "Even without a public announcement, the number of cars entering the zones has jumped about 200 percent," he added. He said there were about 89,000 private vehicles passing through the restricted streets per week before the policy was revoked. Now, the number has jumped to 180,000. He dismissed speculation that the city administration would revoke the policy and impose a sticker system to overcome traffic congestion. "There's no such plan. We're just evaluating the three-in-one policy. The rest is up to the governor," Buyung said. He admitted, however, that there was a 1998 Presidential Decree No. 50 which allowed the city administration to impose a sticker system. "The governor listened to residents opposed to the sticker system and continued with the three-in-one policy," he said. The sticker system drew opposition from many areas, including the Indonesian Consumers Foundation (YLKI). Sutiyoso said earlier on Tuesday that with the sticker system the city administration would secure revenues to subsidize public transportation expenditures. "The money collected from stickers could be spent to subsidize the transportation owners' expenditures or to buy new buses," he said. "The current condition of our public transportation is very bad. Look at those buses of the state-owned PPD bus company," he added. Separately, deputy chairperson of YLKI, Agus Pambagio regretted Sutiyoso's decision to secretly revoke the administration's three-in-one policy. "The policy is a public policy, in which the public took part in the planning and execution stages. Therefore, any instruction or revocation should also be made public," said Agus on the sidelines of a seminar at the Ministry of Transportation building. He lashed out at the governor, accusing him of lacking sensitivity to the people's interests. "The decision has caused a great impact on jockeys since they will lose their jobs," he said. "It will increase criminal activities on the street because jobless jockeys may commit crimes on the street," he added. Agus demanded that the city administration make an announcement to end the confusion whether the policy was still in effect or not. "We only read it in the media. The decision should be made public to end confusion," he said. He supported the plan to replace the three-in-one policy, but suggested a thorough discussion before deciding a new system. "We should publicly discuss the liability of the recently-proposed sticker system before the administration puts the policy into effect," he said. (asa/nvn) All contents copyright ? of The Jakarta Post. webmaster@thejakartapost.com ------------------------------------ Distributed for the purpose of education and research. A. Rahman Paul BARTER Sustainable Transport Action Network for Asia and the Pacific (the SUSTRAN Network) P.O. Box 11501, Kuala Lumpur 50748, Malaysia. E-mail: sustran@po.jaring.my URL: http://www.malaysiakini.com/sustran (under construction) Ask about our SUSTRAN NEWS FLASHES - news updates on people-centred, equitable and sustainable transport with a focus on countries in the global 'South'. From sustran at po.jaring.my Thu Mar 2 17:23:59 2000 From: sustran at po.jaring.my (SUSTRAN Network Secretariat) Date: Thu, 02 Mar 2000 16:23:59 +0800 Subject: [sustran] fwd: Urgent! Bombay rail slum evictions appeal Message-ID: <3.0.6.32.20000302162359.008da5f0@relay101.jaring.my> [forwarded from the Asian Coalition for Housing Rights] .... We need a little help urgently! Jockin has just phoned with a big emergency in Bombay. They are evicting large numbers of railway slum dwellers, in violation of the state's resettlement policy, and in a reversal from the very enlightened resettlement process that the NSDF/Mahila Milan/SPARC alliance have been working for years to develop and implement. Jockin has asked all of us to send urgent faxes to three key government officials. I'm enclosing a copy of the letter we wrote from ACHR - can you please put it in your own words and fax your letters to the following right away : 1. Mr. Bongirwar, Chief Secretary, Government of Maharashtra Mantralaya, Mumbai, INDIA Fax Number : (91 22) 202-8594 2. Dr. Joshi, Urban Development Secretary Government of Maharashtra Mantralaya, Mumbai, INDIA Fax Number (91 22) 282-9282 3. Mr. Thamal, Housing Secretary Government of Maharashtra Mantralaya, Mumbai, INDIA Fax Number : (91 22) 202-5939 Date : 1 March, 2000 REGARDING : EVICTION OF RAILWAY SLUMS IN MUMBAI. Dear Mr. Bongirwar, We have learned with great alarm from our partner federation in India, the Railway Slum Dwellers Federation (RSDF), about the recent eviction of slum dwellers living along the railway tracks in Mumbai. Over the past five years, groups around Asia and Africa have watched with great enthusiasm as Mumbai's state-of-the-art resettlement policy for railway slum dwellers has evolved and been implemented. Effective working partnerships such as the one in Mumbai between the urban poor federations and various government agencies are the best news coming out of India, and exemplify enlightened governance, finding "win-win" solutions to urban problems that work for everyone - for the poor and for the city as a whole. Dozens of groups of government officials, NGO workers, policy makers, community members and representatives from bilateral and multilateral organisations have travelled from countries all over Asia and Africa to visit the model resettlement project along the Central Railway line at Kanjurmarg. The Kanjurmarg project has been documented at several stages in our publication, Housing by People in Asia, has been presented as a case study at the United Nations World Habitat Awards in Japan, and is scheduled to be visited by US President Mr. Bill Clinton later this year. Maharashtra State's resettlement policy has been held up in the Asia region as a model of practical, efficient, just and sustainable resettlement, which makes room for urban infrastructure projects, without destroying the lives or compromising the housing rights of poor families who come in their way. Maharashtra State Law guarantees every slum dweller residing in their community before the cut-off date of January 1, 1995 protection against eviction and entitles them to a secure, 225-sq. ft. dwelling on the same site, or close by. We are therefore shocked to learn of the eviction of hundreds of poor railway slum families whom this enlightened resettlement policy should be protecting and supporting. We request you most urgently to stop these illegal evictions at once, and to go back to the negotiating table with your partners in the RSDF, SPARC, the Railways and the SRA. If we can be of any assistance in this critical situation, we hope you will not hesitate to contact us. Thank you for your consideration. Yours, Somsook Boonyabancha, Secretary General, ACHR Director, Urban Community Development Office (UCDO) Asian Coalition for Housing Rights 73 Soi Sonthiwattana 4, Ladprao Road, Soi 110, Bangkok 10310, THAILAND Tel (662) 538-0919 Fax (662) 539-9950 E-mail: achrsec@email.ksc.net From ngaleano at dnp.gov.co Thu Mar 2 23:48:05 2000 From: ngaleano at dnp.gov.co (Nelson Arturo Galeano Cifuentes) Date: Thu, 2 Mar 2000 09:48:05 -0500 Subject: [sustran] transport externalities in south Message-ID: <4155E87BB44BD311B6DB0008C7F4F3371ABA18@dnpmail.dnp.gov.co> > Hallo Chris, > I would be very much interested in getting a copy of the report that you > produced together with Todd Litman. It would be great if you could send me > the electronic version of a full cost study of transport in Santiago > Chile, > published by the International Institute for Energy Conservation in March, > 1997. > With best regards. > > Ing. Nelson Galeano Asesor Transporte Urbano Gerencia de Participaci?n Privada en Infraestructura Departamento Nacional de Planeaci?n Bogot? Colombia Calle 26 No 13 -19 PH Tel ***57 1 2816515 FAx **57 1 3340367 From zmzaid at pd.jaring.my Thu Mar 2 23:52:19 2000 From: zmzaid at pd.jaring.my (ZAILANI Mohd Zaid) Date: Thu, 2 Mar 2000 22:52:19 +0800 Subject: [sustran] Re: URGENT: arrest of Jakarta pedicab activists Message-ID: <002301bf8456$ec088b20$6b678ea1@zmzaid> This reminds me the fate of trishaw in Kelantan, a north-eastern state in Malaysia, which reached almost full extinction. This is exactly what has happened to once upon a time a signature of Kota Bharu, state capital of Kelantan. ZAILANI From eric.britton at ecoplan.org Fri Mar 3 01:28:08 2000 From: eric.britton at ecoplan.org (tabnet) Date: Thu, 2 Mar 2000 17:28:08 +0100 Subject: [sustran] Brainpower needed Message-ID: <000d01bf8464$4b501a00$6fc5c0d8@think> Dear Friends, We are trying hard to arrange some high profile, successful follow-ups to last week's impressive Bogot? Car Free Day experience, including in North America. This note concerns a specific problem we face if we are ever going to make some near term inroads there. Here's the problem that we need your help with. For a variety of reasons, we need to find a new name for any such demonstration projects there. If we are so bald as to call it a "Car Free" Day in the States, we know in advance that we are going to have a lot more enemies and resistance than friends and support. But we want to take advantage of our momentum and do something there now, and so... we need to find a new name for our event. We do know what we want: (a) to get 'all' the cars out of the traffic stream for one thoughtful day, while (b) encouraging a multiplicity of innovations and careful, open, public inspection by any and all over that same period. One suggestion I pondered momentarily was that of a "Clean Transport Day", to which my reaction was (predictably?) less than tepid and for reasons that I am confident the members of this group will well understand. Of course something like "Sustainable Transport Day" might be an idea, but who in the world knows what "sustainable" means? So, not to put too fine a point to this... HELP!!! Eric Britton ecopl@n___technology, economy, society Le Frene, 8/10 rue Joseph Bara, F-75006 Paris, France 24 hour phone/voicemail/fax numbers: +331 5301 2896. Email postmaster@ecoplan.org Direct line: +331 4326 1323 Videoconferencing/group work +331 4441 6340 (1-4) In the US +1 888 522 6419 (toll free) From kerry.wood at paradise.net.nz Fri Mar 3 08:59:58 2000 From: kerry.wood at paradise.net.nz (Kerry Wood) Date: Fri, 03 Mar 2000 12:59:58 +1300 Subject: [sustran] Polluting politics in Delhi References: <3.0.6.32.20000302092724.00847b60@relay101.jaring.my> Message-ID: <38BF007B.DF95FEF5@paradise.net.nz> Dear Anil Agarwal One area where CNG is vulnerable to environmental criticism is leakage of unburnt gas. It is easy to check -- soapy water on a leaking joint blows bubbles -- but the checks need to be made. New Zealand introduced a good CNG retail usystem but then allowed it to wither to the point of collapse. I hope Delhi can do better. Regards -- Kerry Wood MICE MIPENZ MCIT Transport Consultant 1 McFarlane Street, Wellington 6001, New Zealand Phone + 64 4 971 5549 From ajain at kcrc.com Fri Mar 3 12:05:43 2000 From: ajain at kcrc.com (Jain Alok) Date: Fri, 3 Mar 2000 11:05:43 +0800 Subject: Brainpower needed Message-ID: How about "car-rest day" with some catchy slogan "Your car also deserves a rest". Alok Jain Hong Kong -----Original Message----- From: tabnet [mailto:eric.britton@ecoplan.org] Sent: March 3, 2000 12:28 AM To: sustran-discuss@jca.ax.apc.org Subject: [sustran] Brainpower needed Dear Friends, We are trying hard to arrange some high profile, successful follow-ups to last week's impressive Bogot? Car Free Day experience, including in North America. This note concerns a specific problem we face if we are ever going to make some near term inroads there. Here's the problem that we need your help with. For a variety of reasons, we need to find a new name for any such demonstration projects there. If we are so bald as to call it a "Car Free" Day in the States, we know in advance that we are going to have a lot more enemies and resistance than friends and support. But we want to take advantage of our momentum and do something there now, and so... we need to find a new name for our event. We do know what we want: (a) to get 'all' the cars out of the traffic stream for one thoughtful day, while (b) encouraging a multiplicity of innovations and careful, open, public inspection by any and all over that same period. One suggestion I pondered momentarily was that of a "Clean Transport Day", to which my reaction was (predictably?) less than tepid and for reasons that I am confident the members of this group will well understand. Of course something like "Sustainable Transport Day" might be an idea, but who in the world knows what "sustainable" means? So, not to put too fine a point to this... HELP!!! Eric Britton ecopl@n___technology, economy, society Le Frene, 8/10 rue Joseph Bara, F-75006 Paris, France 24 hour phone/voicemail/fax numbers: +331 5301 2896. Email postmaster@ecoplan.org Direct line: +331 4326 1323 Videoconferencing/group work +331 4441 6340 (1-4) In the US +1 888 522 6419 (toll free) From sustran at po.jaring.my Fri Mar 3 11:01:50 2000 From: sustran at po.jaring.my (SUSTRAN Network Secretariat) Date: Fri, 03 Mar 2000 10:01:50 +0800 Subject: fwd: Jakarta seeks new traffic restraint methods Message-ID: <3.0.6.32.20000303100150.0088a4f0@relay101.jaring.my> The Jakarta government has announced it will include NGO and community representatives in a working group to decide how best to restrain traffic in the city centre. If the groups in INFORTRANS (Indonesian NGO Forum for Transportation) need any information or suggestions to help them make a constructive contribution to the working group then I am sure there will be sustran-discussers ready to help, right? Paul -------------------------------------------- The Jakarta Post City News March 03, 2000 3-in-1 traffic policy back in gear JAKARTA (JP): While in search of a suitable system to handle traffic problems during rush hours, Governor Sutiyoso instructed the City Traffic and Land Transportation Agency on Thursday to reenact the temporarily suspended three-in-one policy in the city's restricted areas. "An evaluation of the three-in-one policy was held because it has encouraged children to serve as traffic jockeys," city spokesman Muhayat said at City Hall. The agency netted 1,402 jockeys and fined 1,292 vehicles in various operations from Aug. 24 last year until Feb. 4. The policy was temporarily revoked from Feb. 7 until Feb. 25 for evaluation purposes. Agency head Buyung Atang presented the evaluation of the three-week suspension to the governor earlier in the morning. "We didn't revoke the policy at all. We just loosened it for evaluation purposes," Buyung said, while admitting that the number of passing private cars increased dramatically after the policy was loosened. In the period from Jan. 31 until Feb. 4, the agency recorded 89,726 private vehicles and 47,153 public vehicles passing through the restricted areas during weekday rush hours. There were 180,504 private cars passing through the areas during the first week of the study, 246,297 and 266,243 cars during the second and third week. Meanwhile, the number of public transportation vehicles passing through the areas were 54,599, 56,237, and 57,167 for the same period. Buyung said the city administration would establish a working group to seek a replacement for the current system. "The group's members will consist of city officials, city councilors, community leaders, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), including the Indonesian Consumers Foundation (YLKI)," he said. He said the proposed system would include the use of a sticker system, whether as a single system or combined with the current system. "The group may also submit proposals or solutions to arrive at the best system," he said. (nvn) All contents copyright ? of The Jakarta Post. webmaster@thejakartapost.com ------------------------------- Distributed for the purpose of education and research. A. Rahman Paul BARTER Sustainable Transport Action Network for Asia and the Pacific (the SUSTRAN Network) P.O. Box 11501, Kuala Lumpur 50748, Malaysia. E-mail: sustran@po.jaring.my URL: http://www.malaysiakini.com/sustran (under construction) Ask about our SUSTRAN NEWS FLASHES - news updates on people-centred, equitable and sustainable transport with a focus on countries in the global 'South'. From sustran at po.jaring.my Fri Mar 3 12:12:02 2000 From: sustran at po.jaring.my (SUSTRAN Network Secretariat) Date: Fri, 03 Mar 2000 11:12:02 +0800 Subject: [sustran] Special lanes for 'driver only' cars at Singapore-Malaysia causeway Message-ID: <3.0.6.32.20000303111202.008963f0@relay101.jaring.my> To the Editor The Star newspaper Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Dear Editor I refer to the article in The Star, Thursday, March 2, 2000 "Special lanes for 'driver only' cars at causeway" which states that the Johor Customs and Excise Department will open special lanes for "driver only" cars beginning April 1 in a move to cut queuing time at the causeway. I understand that this proposal is made with good intentions but I would like to point out that it may be an unwise move. Here are my reasons. 1. This proposal will make travel across the causeway faster for 'driver only' cars. This will gradually encourage MORE AND MORE people to travel alone in cars. Therefore this plan can only cause MORE traffic and hence more congestion, not less, on the causeway. It will also contribute to more traffic on the streets of Johor Baru and Singapore. I wonder if the Johor Customs Department has consulted the transport authorities in Johor and Singapore about their plan? Whatever happened to trying to encourage 'car-pooling'. 2. 'Driver-only' cars are LESS efficient to process not more efficient as claimed in the article. From the narrow perspective of trying to keep VEHICLES moving ("easing congestion") this plan SEEMS at first glance to be a good idea since each 'driver-only' car does indeed take less time to process than each car with passengers. But the PURPOSE of the causeway is to move PEOPLE and GOODS. Getting vehicles across the causeway is only the method of moving those people and goods. It would actually be better all around if we could get more people and goods across by using fewer vehicles. If we look at the time taken at the checkpoint PER PERSON then we will notice that 'Driver-only' cars are LESS efficient than cars with 2 or 3 or 4 or 5 people in them. Imagine 100 people crossing the checkpoint. These 100 people cross in a line of 100 'driver-only' cars would take about the same time to process as the same 100 people in 20 cars (with 5 people in each car). The 100 'driver-only' cars would probably take slightly longer to process because of the extra shuffling forward of all those cars and extra searches of car boots. The 100 'driver-only' cars also create a much longer queue than the 20 high-occupancy-vehicles thus creating more of a nuisance and more pollution on the road from JB or back along the causeway. Conclusion: 'driver-only' cars are an inefficient way to get people across the causeway - they take more time per person and they occupy more road space per person. Therefore we should be discouraging 'driver-only' cars not encouraging them. The proposal to have special lanes for 'driver-only' cars is not a good idea. SOME ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS I do not want to be just negative. So here are some alternative suggestions for improving the efficiency of the causeway and checkpoints. a. Have special lanes for HIGH-OCCUPANCY CARS (HOVs - cars with 4 or more people). This lane should have guaranteed extra staff to be able to clear people quickly. It should be much faster to cross in an HOV than in a 'driver-only' car. This would give everyone a big incentive to car-pool and reduce the total number of vehicles. b. Do everything possible to minimise the delays for bus passengers and for buses at the checkpoints and on the causeway (there must be some things which have not been tried yet). c. Improve conditions for pedestrians and bicyclists crossing the causeway. A surprising number of people already cross by foot or bicycle but more would do so if the conditions were more attractive. This could include building shelter from the sun and rain over the walking (and cycling) ways. It could also include strict enforcement of anti-smoke-belching laws with a special focus of enforcement on the causeway approaches. d. Improve the JB bus and taxi system. The problems with public transport in JB discourage people from using public transport to cross the causeway. e. How to pay for the improvements? Here is a money making suggestion. How about having an "EXPRESS PREMIUM" lane for which motorists must pay an extra fee. This lane would tend to have a shorter queue because of the steep fee... but anyone rich enough and/or in a great hurry could choose this lane and get through very quickly. The money raised from the Express Lane could be used to pay for improvements for buses, walkers, bicylists or to offer EXTRA incentives for high occupancy vehicles (HOVs). I hope the authorities in JB will consider these alternative suggestions. Yours sincerely, A. Rahman Paul Barter Kuala Lumpur From matson at tig.com.au Fri Mar 3 23:59:26 2000 From: matson at tig.com.au (Murray Matson) Date: Fri, 03 Mar 2000 14:59:26 +0000 Subject: Brainpower needed In-Reply-To: <000d01bf8464$4b501a00$6fc5c0d8@think> Message-ID: <3.0.5.32.20000303145926.008071e0@pop.ihug.com.au> "Death to the Car Day?" At 05:28 02-03-00 +0100, you wrote: >Dear Friends, > >We are trying hard to arrange some high profile, successful follow-ups to >last week's impressive Bogot? Car Free Day experience, including in North >America. This note concerns a specific problem we face if we are ever going >to make some near term inroads there. Here's the problem that we need your >help with. > >For a variety of reasons, we need to find a new name for any such >demonstration projects there. If we are so bald as to call it a "Car Free" >Day in the States, we know in advance that we are going to have a lot more >enemies and resistance than friends and support. But we want to take >advantage of our momentum and do something there now, and so... we need to >find a new name for our event. > >We do know what we want: (a) to get 'all' the cars out of the traffic stream >for one thoughtful day, while (b) encouraging a multiplicity of innovations >and careful, open, public inspection by any and all over that same period. > >One suggestion I pondered momentarily was that of a "Clean Transport Day", >to which my reaction was (predictably?) less than tepid and for reasons that >I am confident the members of this group will well understand. > >Of course something like "Sustainable Transport Day" might be an idea, but >who in the world knows what "sustainable" means? > >So, not to put too fine a point to this... HELP!!! > >Eric Britton > >ecopl@n___technology, economy, society >Le Frene, 8/10 rue Joseph Bara, F-75006 Paris, France >24 hour phone/voicemail/fax numbers: +331 5301 2896. >Email postmaster@ecoplan.org Direct line: +331 4326 1323 >Videoconferencing/group work +331 4441 6340 (1-4) >In the US +1 888 522 6419 (toll free) > > > > > From rajendra.aryal at undp.org Fri Mar 3 13:39:35 2000 From: rajendra.aryal at undp.org (Rajendra Aryal) Date: Fri, 03 Mar 2000 10:09:35 +0530 Subject: [sustran] Re: Brainpower needed References: <3.0.5.32.20000303145926.008071e0@pop.ihug.com.au> Message-ID: <38BF4207.4932A85B@undp.org> Dear all, Since it is a concern for many people why not also attract the environmentalists here as a joint-effort. That means, why not say a "Air and Noise Pollution Free Day"? Bets regards. Rajendra Aryal Murray Matson wrote: > "Death to the Car Day?" > > At 05:28 02-03-00 +0100, you wrote: > >Dear Friends, > > > >We are trying hard to arrange some high profile, successful follow-ups to > >last week's impressive Bogot? Car Free Day experience, including in North > >America. This note concerns a specific problem we face if we are ever going > >to make some near term inroads there. Here's the problem that we need your > >help with. > > > >For a variety of reasons, we need to find a new name for any such > >demonstration projects there. If we are so bald as to call it a "Car Free" > >Day in the States, we know in advance that we are going to have a lot more > >enemies and resistance than friends and support. But we want to take > >advantage of our momentum and do something there now, and so... we need to > >find a new name for our event. > > > >We do know what we want: (a) to get 'all' the cars out of the traffic stream > >for one thoughtful day, while (b) encouraging a multiplicity of innovations > >and careful, open, public inspection by any and all over that same period. > > > >One suggestion I pondered momentarily was that of a "Clean Transport Day", > >to which my reaction was (predictably?) less than tepid and for reasons that > >I am confident the members of this group will well understand. > > > >Of course something like "Sustainable Transport Day" might be an idea, but > >who in the world knows what "sustainable" means? > > > >So, not to put too fine a point to this... HELP!!! > > > >Eric Britton > > > >ecopl@n___technology, economy, society > >Le Frene, 8/10 rue Joseph Bara, F-75006 Paris, France > >24 hour phone/voicemail/fax numbers: +331 5301 2896. > >Email postmaster@ecoplan.org Direct line: +331 4326 1323 > >Videoconferencing/group work +331 4441 6340 (1-4) > >In the US +1 888 522 6419 (toll free) > > > > > > > > > > From sustran at po.jaring.my Fri Mar 3 18:08:31 2000 From: sustran at po.jaring.my (SUSTRAN Network Secretariat) Date: Fri, 03 Mar 2000 17:08:31 +0800 Subject: Brainpower needed In-Reply-To: <000d01bf8464$4b501a00$6fc5c0d8@think> Message-ID: <3.0.6.32.20000303170831.0088e890@relay101.jaring.my> At 17:28 2/03/00 +0100, tabnet wrote: >We are trying hard to arrange some high profile, successful follow-ups to >last week's impressive Bogot? Car Free Day experience, including in North >America. This note concerns a specific problem we face if we are ever going >to make some near term inroads there. Here's the problem that we need your >help with. 1. Some more name suggestions: Traffic Reduction Day Less Traffic Day Traffic Free Day (trying to get away from just 'car' since in this part of the world traffic is a lot more mixed than in europe or north america). 2. Another Follow-up suggestion. Is it time to organise (unilaterally declare?) an INTERNATIONAL "car free" or "traffic free" or "traffic reduction" (or whatever) day?????? As Eric has appealed, it would need a catchy name that conveys a simple idea yet captures the range of possibilities - from pro-walking, pro-cycling, pro-pedicab, pro-public transport, anti-air-pollution, anti-traffic - the fact that we believe that cities and towns can have BETTER TRANSPORT WITH LESS TRAFFIC. This might be a nice project to give a sense of common purpose to all the multifarious advocates of change all over the world all working in various ways to achieve equitable transport systems that engender better health, safety, choice, access and ecological sustainability. Each local group could organise events and together we could really capture the attention of the international media and alert everyone that this movement really has some momentum. Events could include, but not be limited to, many simultaneous "car free" days all over the world. If there is any enthusiasm for this idea then a few of us could form a work team to make it happen. Any volunteers? Paul A. Rahman Paul BARTER Sustainable Transport Action Network for Asia and the Pacific (the SUSTRAN Network) P.O. Box 11501, Kuala Lumpur 50748, Malaysia. E-mail: sustran@po.jaring.my URL: http://www.malaysiakini.com/sustran (under construction) Ask about our SUSTRAN NEWS FLASHES - news updates on people-centred, equitable and sustainable transport with a focus on countries in the global 'South'. From r.noland at ic.ac.uk Fri Mar 3 18:24:54 2000 From: r.noland at ic.ac.uk (Noland, Robert) Date: Fri, 3 Mar 2000 09:24:54 -0000 Subject: [sustran] RE: Brainpower needed Message-ID: <0846B011B9A4D111A1EE006097DA4FCE03BED68D@icex1.cc.ic.ac.uk> I would suggest: "A Day without Congestion", mainly because congestion is the primary transport issue perceived by people in the U.S. Bob Noland Centre for Transport Studies Imperial College, London -----Original Message----- From: SUSTRAN Network Secretariat [mailto:sustran@po.jaring.my] Sent: Friday, March 03, 2000 9:09 AM To: sustran-discuss@jca.ax.apc.org Cc: alt-transp@flora.org; carfreeday@egroups.com Subject: Re: Brainpower needed At 17:28 2/03/00 +0100, tabnet wrote: >We are trying hard to arrange some high profile, successful follow-ups to >last week's impressive Bogot? Car Free Day experience, including in North >America. This note concerns a specific problem we face if we are ever going >to make some near term inroads there. Here's the problem that we need your >help with. 1. Some more name suggestions: Traffic Reduction Day Less Traffic Day Traffic Free Day (trying to get away from just 'car' since in this part of the world traffic is a lot more mixed than in europe or north america). 2. Another Follow-up suggestion. Is it time to organise (unilaterally declare?) an INTERNATIONAL "car free" or "traffic free" or "traffic reduction" (or whatever) day?????? As Eric has appealed, it would need a catchy name that conveys a simple idea yet captures the range of possibilities - from pro-walking, pro-cycling, pro-pedicab, pro-public transport, anti-air-pollution, anti-traffic - the fact that we believe that cities and towns can have BETTER TRANSPORT WITH LESS TRAFFIC. This might be a nice project to give a sense of common purpose to all the multifarious advocates of change all over the world all working in various ways to achieve equitable transport systems that engender better health, safety, choice, access and ecological sustainability. Each local group could organise events and together we could really capture the attention of the international media and alert everyone that this movement really has some momentum. Events could include, but not be limited to, many simultaneous "car free" days all over the world. If there is any enthusiasm for this idea then a few of us could form a work team to make it happen. Any volunteers? Paul A. Rahman Paul BARTER Sustainable Transport Action Network for Asia and the Pacific (the SUSTRAN Network) P.O. Box 11501, Kuala Lumpur 50748, Malaysia. E-mail: sustran@po.jaring.my URL: http://www.malaysiakini.com/sustran (under construction) Ask about our SUSTRAN NEWS FLASHES - news updates on people-centred, equitable and sustainable transport with a focus on countries in the global 'South'. From papon at inrets.fr Fri Mar 3 19:06:33 2000 From: papon at inrets.fr (Francis PAPON) Date: Fri, 3 Mar 2000 11:06:33 +0100 Subject: Brainpower needed In-Reply-To: <000d01bf8464$4b501a00$6fc5c0d8@think> Message-ID: To be positive : Funny Transport Day, Entertaining Transport Day, Enjoyable Transport Day Liveable Transport Day, Friendly Transport Day, Human Transport Day, Community Transport Day, Harmless Transport Day, Enhanced Transport Day Innovative Transport Day, Future Transport Day, 21st Century Transport Day > >We do know what we want: (a) to get 'all' the cars out of the traffic stream >for one thoughtful day, while (b) encouraging a multiplicity of innovations >and careful, open, public inspection by any and all over that same period. > >One suggestion I pondered momentarily was that of a "Clean Transport Day", >to which my reaction was (predictably?) less than tepid and for reasons that >I am confident the members of this group will well understand. > >Of course something like "Sustainable Transport Day" might be an idea, but >who in the world knows what "sustainable" means? > >So, not to put too fine a point to this... HELP!!! > >Eric Britton Francis Papon, charg? de recherche mailto:francis.papon@inrets.fr INRETS/DEST/EEM, fax +33145475606 2, av. du G?n?ral Malleret-Joinville, F-94114 Arcueil France http://www.inrets.fr/infos/centres/inrets/velo_arcueil.html From carbusters at ecn.cz Fri Mar 3 20:27:17 2000 From: carbusters at ecn.cz (Car Busters) Date: Fri, 3 Mar 2000 11:27:17 -0000 Subject: [sustran] Re: Brainpower needed Message-ID: <01bf8503$6ea3fc20$496214d4@non.wanadoo.fr> Dear Paul and Eric, Re: the idea of an international car-free day, we at Car Busters have been thinking just that. We are currently in the process of seeking grants to help launch a world car-free day, the idea being that we use the money to create posters and advertising that is available for use by local groups (giving an international "look" to the event) but that local actions are organised by local groups. We have a listserve which would be available for use for communication and coordination between groups and individuals. Our idea was to focus on the day not just as a one-off (appease the conscience) festivity, but as a day to go-car free and don't stop. Publicity materials such a poster and website will include tips and suggestions to aid personal change to a more sustainable lifestyle beyond the one-day event, and useful contact information for those wishing to join those working to reduce traffic and pollution, and associeted car-related problems all around the world: local groups & campaigners, professional advisors & policy makers etc. The aim is to link this day to the already planned European car-free day of 22 September. However, as this will be a Friday, we felt that it suffered too much from the probablitiy that people (regular commuters) would simply take a long weekend rather than explore the alternative modes of transport - walking, cycling, public transport. So, we thought to move the day forward to Thursday 21 September. With the emphasis on going car-free and not stopping, if the European day takes place the day after this global one, then it would not matter but rather emphasize the idea that this is not just a publicity stunt or "one off" but a serious proposition. The aim of the day would also be to "awaken" those who had not considered this problem for themselves. A sophisticated campaign utilising the media, posters, a television advert (from Adbusters), a web site (with downloadable posters and materials) and advertisements placed in various publications, would endeavour to counter the image of the car as created by car industry advertisers (sexy, sporty, high status, provider of freedom, etc.) and focus on the car's true affects (pollution, environmental destruction through road construction and resource extraction, illnesses and deaths in our cities, the loss of community space, etc.). The website would include posters for download by local groups for reproduction in their own cities which could be specifically targeted at groups / individuals who feel that life without a car is either beneath their status or too difficult for their lifestyle (business executives, single parents with young children etc.) I would be very glad to hear your comments on the above. The idea is very much in its infancy at this time, and has not fully incorporated lessons to be learned from Bogota. I agree that a change of name could have a positive impact in seeming more inclusive, but believe that words such as "reduction" "relief" etc. should not be used, as it gives an opt out clause to too many people. The ultimate aim of the day is to be car-free. Similarly, traffic is a difficult word, as people, cyclists, horses etc. are all part of "traffic". We don't wish to see a day with no traffic, we wish to see a day of alternative traffic (alternative to cars, taxis and the other big polluters) but even a name suggesting non-motorised transport day would be inappropriate as part of a car-free day's aim is to encourage people to explore public transport such as busses, trains and trams. Given that finding an alternative name to Car-Free involves so many diffculties and pitfalls perhaps there is sense in keeping the name that already has had publicity, growth and success? I await your comments with eagerness! Deborah. --------------------------------------------------------------------- CAR BUSTERS Magazine and Resource Centre Kratka 26, 100 00 Praha 10, Czech Republic Tel: +(420) 2-781-08-49 ; Fax: +(420) 2-781-67-27 -----Message d'origine----- De : SUSTRAN Network Secretariat ? : sustran-discuss@jca.ax.apc.org Cc : alt-transp@flora.org ; carfreeday@egroups.com Date : Friday, March 03, 2000 9:36 AM Objet : Re: Brainpower needed At 17:28 2/03/00 +0100, tabnet wrote: >We are trying hard to arrange some high profile, successful follow-ups to >last week's impressive Bogot? Car Free Day experience, including in North >America. This note concerns a specific problem we face if we are ever going >to make some near term inroads there. Here's the problem that we need your >help with. 1. Some more name suggestions: Traffic Reduction Day Less Traffic Day Traffic Free Day (trying to get away from just 'car' since in this part of the world traffic is a lot more mixed than in europe or north america). 2. Another Follow-up suggestion. Is it time to organise (unilaterally declare?) an INTERNATIONAL "car free" or "traffic free" or "traffic reduction" (or whatever) day?????? As Eric has appealed, it would need a catchy name that conveys a simple idea yet captures the range of possibilities - from pro-walking, pro-cycling, pro-pedicab, pro-public transport, anti-air-pollution, anti-traffic - the fact that we believe that cities and towns can have BETTER TRANSPORT WITH LESS TRAFFIC. This might be a nice project to give a sense of common purpose to all the multifarious advocates of change all over the world all working in various ways to achieve equitable transport systems that engender better health, safety, choice, access and ecological sustainability. Each local group could organise events and together we could really capture the attention of the international media and alert everyone that this movement really has some momentum. Events could include, but not be limited to, many simultaneous "car free" days all over the world. If there is any enthusiasm for this idea then a few of us could form a work team to make it happen. Any volunteers? Paul A. Rahman Paul BARTER Sustainable Transport Action Network for Asia and the Pacific (the SUSTRAN Network) P.O. Box 11501, Kuala Lumpur 50748, Malaysia. E-mail: sustran@po.jaring.my URL: http://www.malaysiakini.com/sustran (under construction) Ask about our SUSTRAN NEWS FLASHES - news updates on people-centred, equitable and sustainable transport with a focus on countries in the global 'South'. From ghawkes at sover.net Fri Mar 3 20:51:22 2000 From: ghawkes at sover.net (Gerry Hawkes) Date: Fri, 3 Mar 2000 06:51:22 -0500 Subject: [sustran] Alternative Name for Car Free Day(s) Message-ID: <028f01bf8506$cc8f8900$8d5fc6d1@gerry> With whatever name is chosen for a car free day or days, what about using a catchy descriptor phrase like . . . "UNCLOG THE ARTERIES" which of course not only implies freeing up the major highways, but also implies restoring yourself to good health. Best regards, Gerry Hawkes Bike Track, Inc. Woodstock, Vermont www.biketrack.com From sagaris at lake.mic.cl Fri Mar 3 22:01:52 2000 From: sagaris at lake.mic.cl (Lake Sagaris) Date: Fri, 03 Mar 2000 09:01:52 -0400 Subject: Brainpower needed In-Reply-To: <000d01bf8464$4b501a00$6fc5c0d8@think> Message-ID: <3.0.6.32.20000303090152.00876c20@webhost.cl> Alternate transport day People's transport day But BEST I think for publicity/education/success: Healthy transport day; or Healthy and Happy -- Transportation of the People, for the People, By the People -- ie walking and biking in particular are extremely healthy, also highlights that busing reduces air pollution... Mixing it with the idea of democracy and equality can help bring on board people who feel excluded or victimized when told they shouldn't drive or own a car, which is a major aspiration for many in developing countries and a symbol of democracy (to them). It also helps to upgrade the image of bike-riding, for example, which in a country like Chile is considered "lower-class" at least by drivers, because it is primarily working class people who use them to commute. Basically, forget about the car and focus on the alternatives that make this option worthwhile from the point of view of human health and the environment. If we develop this idea a bit further -- I think as a general rule of thumb it's easier to interest and motivate people if they feel they have a personal stake in something, and personal health is always an issue of great interest, particularly in developed countries, but also in many developing countries. I remember a friend who's a transport engineer reeling off figures on higher incidence of heart attacks and other life-threatening illnesses among car drivers, that would fit well here. Rather than asking people to make what they feel is an enormous sacrifice (many drivers feel their car is part of them) for the common good, education can be phrased in terms of: Back Pain? Take a positive step toward health: Walk to work or A general slogan along the lines of: Walk, Bike, Ride -- It's your health at stake. Or Breathe easier -- cut down on stress. Grab a cab and enjoy all the benefits of having your own chauffeur. (This obviously directed at car drivers: see below on taxis) Breathe easier -- Walk, bike, ride -- put the fun back into moving around the city. Make the city your gym. Walk a few blocks and catch a bus. Breathe deep and count every staircase (to the subway) as part of your personal health regime. Ride a bike -- rocket to work (or school). Take control of your health Walk, bike, ride to work today. You'll feel the difference. Add some relevant facts -- heart attacks, cancer, quality old age vs. severe disability, etc. Then specific posters (or TV or radio flashes) What do most doctors recommend to prevent heart attacks? Walking... You can do it today -- to the nearest subway, bus stop or work itself. What a great way to start the day! Remember when you were young and the world was your oyster? Recapture that feeling today -- ride your bike to work! Even busing fits within this framework, especially if you turn the walk to the bus stop into a joyous morning stroll. ON TAXIS: I also think transport and other planners have a fatal blind spot -- taxis. I know these can't compete with just about any other mode for efficiency, lower emissions, etc., but the way the nicotine patch is to the smoker trying to quit, is the way taxis should be treated with regard to individual car drivers. Taxis can be organized, regulated and given special privileges, which make them a better and faster alternative to the individual car than they are already are naturally. Car drivers will not leave their own wheel without the safety net of a quick fix if they're stuck somewhere and in a hurry -- that's where having quality taxi services available (I'm talking about city centers and other urban centers here of course, this is not a rural model) is crucial to tempting people to leave their car at home. For taxi drivers, it's cheaper and more efficient for them if they don't have to cruise looking for passengers, and if they have special lanes (in Santiago at least there are many streets not used for buses, where a special taxi lane would a) discourage individual car driving by increasing congestion for individual drivers; b) speed up movement, particularly over the medium distances; c) reduce the use of scarce land resources for parking and free it up for parks/greenspace; d) a well-thought out system would also save on fuel and reduce emissions, by allowing taxis to function with maximum efficiency. This could make taxi drivers a good constituency group for pressuring for sustainable traffic, rather than treating them as an anomaly that should be phased out. There's a lot you can do in the way of publicity for this too -- Stressed out from the daily commute? Wouldn't it be nice to just sit back and prepare your day, without worrying about crazy drivers or finding a cheap parking space? Have you thought about having your own chauffeur? You can do it. Thousands (millions whatever the figure for a particular place) already do. ...Then you can pitch both buses/subways and taxis. Join us on (date of Healthy Transport Day)... I know including a pro-taxi focus within a larger effort to build support for and use of sustainable transport is pretty unorthodox and usually ignored or frowned upon, but if it's the real world we want to change, we have to add a lot of strategic steps before we can hope to reach our ideal goals. I gave up a car years ago and now thoroughly enjoy mixing walking with the subway, buses and -- when I'm in a hurry -- a taxi. It really has been an enormous stress-reliever and has improved my work, since I can focus on what I'm doing and not worry about the driving. But I always know that when time's pinching I can grab a cab. It's much more time-efficient, not to mention cheaper, than trying to operate a car in the city. Anyway, this is just off the top of my head. Hope it's not too long. All best Lake Sagaris Ciudad Viva (Living City) Santiago, Chile At 05:28 PM 3/2/00 +0100, you wrote: >Dear Friends, > >We are trying hard to arrange some high profile, successful follow-ups to >last week's impressive Bogot? Car Free Day experience, including in North >America. This note concerns a specific problem we face if we are ever going >to make some near term inroads there. Here's the problem that we need your >help with. > >For a variety of reasons, we need to find a new name for any such >demonstration projects there. If we are so bald as to call it a "Car Free" >Day in the States, we know in advance that we are going to have a lot more >enemies and resistance than friends and support. But we want to take >advantage of our momentum and do something there now, and so... we need to >find a new name for our event. > >We do know what we want: (a) to get 'all' the cars out of the traffic stream >for one thoughtful day, while (b) encouraging a multiplicity of innovations >and careful, open, public inspection by any and all over that same period. > >One suggestion I pondered momentarily was that of a "Clean Transport Day", >to which my reaction was (predictably?) less than tepid and for reasons that >I am confident the members of this group will well understand. > >Of course something like "Sustainable Transport Day" might be an idea, but >who in the world knows what "sustainable" means? > >So, not to put too fine a point to this... HELP!!! > >Eric Britton > >ecopl@n___technology, economy, society >Le Frene, 8/10 rue Joseph Bara, F-75006 Paris, France >24 hour phone/voicemail/fax numbers: +331 5301 2896. >Email postmaster@ecoplan.org Direct line: +331 4326 1323 >Videoconferencing/group work +331 4441 6340 (1-4) >In the US +1 888 522 6419 (toll free) > > > From papon at inrets.fr Fri Mar 3 21:30:38 2000 From: papon at inrets.fr (Francis PAPON) Date: Fri, 3 Mar 2000 13:30:38 +0100 Subject: [sustran] Re: Brainpower needed In-Reply-To: <3.0.6.32.20000303170831.0088e890@relay101.jaring.my> References: <000d01bf8464$4b501a00$6fc5c0d8@think> Message-ID: A. Rahman Paul BARTER suggested >1. Some more name suggestions: >Traffic Reduction Day >Less Traffic Day >Traffic Free Day >(trying to get away from just 'car' since in this part of the world traffic >is a lot more mixed than in europe or north america). > As already stated by Car Busters, the aim is not to reduce or suppress all traffic, but only car traffic or (low occupancy) motor vehicle traffic, since pedestrians, cyclists, and public transport are also traffic. So instead of less traffic, you should say better/healthier/sustainable/clean/alternative/whatever traffic day. Best regards, Francis Papon, charg? de recherche mailto:francis.papon@inrets.fr INRETS/DEST/EEM, fax +33145475606 2, av. du G?n?ral Malleret-Joinville, F-94114 Arcueil France http://www.inrets.fr/infos/centres/inrets/velo_arcueil.html From ghawkes at sover.net Sat Mar 4 00:14:51 2000 From: ghawkes at sover.net (Gerry Hawkes) Date: Fri, 3 Mar 2000 10:14:51 -0500 Subject: Brainpower needed Message-ID: <02ae01bf8523$3988a7f0$8d5fc6d1@gerry> It seems hard to beat the name "Car Free Day" since that is really what we are looking for and since it also makes one think of a "Care Free Day". Best regards, Gerry Hawkes Bike Track, Inc. Woodstock, Vermont www.biketrack.com From rajatr at civil.iitb.ernet.in Sat Mar 4 02:13:21 2000 From: rajatr at civil.iitb.ernet.in (Rajat Rastogi 98404302) Date: Fri, 3 Mar 2000 22:43:21 +0530 (IST) Subject: [sustran] Re: Brainpower needed In-Reply-To: <3.0.6.32.20000303090152.00876c20@webhost.cl> Message-ID: one slogen which covers the basic theme of healthier transportation may be: BE WABMEF: Walking And Bicycling Makes (you) Environment Friendly. with warm compliments from, Rajat Rastogi ################################################################ # # # RAJAT RASTOGI, Research Scholar, QIP, # # Transportation Systems Engineering, # # Department of Civil Engineering, # # IIT, Powai, MUMBAI-400 076. # # Res.:QIP Qtr 12, Bldg.1,Hill Side. # # Phone:22-578 2545(Excn.)-7348(Lab),Bldg.5851 Res:5789276 # # E-Mail:rajatr@gemini.civil.iitb.ernet.in # # Deputed From: Engineering College KOTA - 324 007.Ph.426077 # ################################################################ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Feet First, Pedal Next and Motor May be. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ From carbusters at ecn.cz Sat Mar 4 05:01:23 2000 From: carbusters at ecn.cz (Car Busters) Date: Fri, 3 Mar 2000 20:01:23 -0000 Subject: [sustran] Negative thoughts on metro in general Message-ID: <01bf854b$40a41600$496214d4@non.wanadoo.fr> Sorry to come in late on this one, or if I have missed some of the messages, but I think I have something important to add, below. Paula Negron Poblete wrote, two weeks ago: >The question we can ask ourselves is this: is really the construction of a subway >the only solution to the transportation problems in a third world metropolis? or >can we find more suitable interventions in the area? The answers are (1.) no, and (2.) yes. Quito, population 1.3 million, has gone the route of an electric trolley system instead of metro in an effort to clean up the badly polluted air. Because of the pollution concerns, Quito chose the trolleys over buses even though the initial cost was 15% higher. Of course the city is at about the minimum size for a metro system anyway, but still, the example has been made, and the system has been financially stable. Of course, paying 15% more is wise, since the city saves in other ways because of the reduced pollution. Here in Prague, which is about the same size as Quito but features an extensive metro system, it is still possible to get almost anywhere efficiently by using trams and buses instead of (and sometimes faster than) metro. And certainly if the metro didn't exist, trams could be expanded greatly. I can say the same thing for Lyon, France, where I lived the last two years. And often metro systems are expanded to serve as basically a Park and Ride system -- serving suburbanites who drive to remote metro stations to go to and from work, and remain car-dependent in every other aspect of their lives. This is what the San Francisco BART system is, very much to the detriment of cheaper public transport that could form the foundation of a system designed to provide for efficient car-free living (i.e., trams or buses every ten or fewer minutes to within a short walk of all medium- or high-density locations, etc.). I personally favor limiting metro, and having above-ground electric trams/trolleys/light-rail form the foundation of the system. This way you can slowly physically replace the car-based system by taking back street space from the car and replacing it with car-free lanes with tram tracks. But if you create a system that just offers an "alternative" (metro or other) alongside the car-based system, you leave the available road space to cars exactly the same and thus you have no assurance that car traffic will be reduced (especially if the urban population is growing, because traffic expands to fill the available road space). So, to maximise your benefits, cars have to be physically barred from driving in the lanes converted from car to tram use. An added benefit of trams: people are not forced to become moles simply because the cars have forced all alternatives (literally and figuratively) underground. But it is always possible to have, as San Francisco has in addition to the BART system, a tram system that is underground in the densest part of the city but goes at street-level in all other areas. But again, if the cars were removed from just one street, Market Street, there would be no need to deprive people of a glimpse of daylight. Of interest to Latin American countries, the latter option would also be much cheaper. And have you noticed that no one talks to one another on metro, whereas they often do on trams or buses? Randy Ghent PS - Is it possible to have each message sent to this listserve automatically labelled as [sustan-discuss]? Without that, it's hard to organise one's e-mails. --------------------------------------------------------------------- CAR BUSTERS Magazine and Resource Centre Kratka 26, 100 00 Praha 10, Czech Republic Tel: +(420) 2-781-08-49 ; Fax: +(420) 2-781-67-27 From carbusters at ecn.cz Sat Mar 4 06:07:01 2000 From: carbusters at ecn.cz (Car Busters) Date: Fri, 3 Mar 2000 21:07:01 -0000 Subject: [sustran] World Car-Free Day (Re: Brainpower needed) Message-ID: <01bf8554$6b821ee0$496214d4@non.wanadoo.fr> Just a footnote to Debbie's message of this morning: People seem to like "World Car-Free Day" as the name. This also allows us to piggy-back onto, and expand upon, the European-wide car-free day set for September 22. Only, based on the information in Eric's report "Thursday: Breakthrough Strategies for Reducing Car Dependence in Cities" (see www.ecoplan.org), we think that Thursday, September 21 would be much better than a Friday event (as many people will skip work or start weekend trip early, etc., to avoid changing their travel habits, and thus not see the potential of an urban landscape transformed). So we propose this name and this date, but would be grateful for all comments, positive or negative. The next issue of Car Busters magazine, to be released in one month, will expand on the idea, based on all comments received. Also, we have a volunteer graphic artist from Finland here until mid-April who will assist us with posters and a web site for this event (and to improve our terribly ugly and unuseful existing site). The next few steps are to (1.) finalise the wording of what the proposal of this World Car-Free Day actually is, (2.) get groups around the world to sign on as interested in doing something locally, and then (3.) use all throw ideas off each other (we could use our traffic-L@eyfa.org listserve or another) to further develop the idea and plan of action. Best wishes, Randy Ghent --------------------------------------------------------------------- CAR BUSTERS Magazine and Resource Centre Kratka 26, 100 00 Praha 10, Czech Republic Tel: +(420) 2-781-08-49 ; Fax: +(420) 2-781-67-27 From negronpp at MAGELLAN.UMontreal.CA Sat Mar 4 11:10:31 2000 From: negronpp at MAGELLAN.UMontreal.CA (Paula Negron Poblete) Date: Fri, 03 Mar 2000 21:10:31 -0500 Subject: Negative thoughts on metro in general References: <01bf854b$40a41600$496214d4@non.wanadoo.fr> Message-ID: <38C07097.17F993A4@magellan.umontreal.ca> I agree with the fact that metro is not the only solution to transport problems, but we have to consider one thing: for politicians, "big infrastructure" brings "good critics" (or at least that's what they think). Imagine the construction of a subway line: it implies a lot of time and everyone in the city will be aware of it, a subway infrastructure is "solid and permanent". On the other hand, if autorities decide to implement othe solutions, maybe these won't be so spectacular as the subway. I think the decision to implement a subway has more political background. Car Busters a ?crit : > Sorry to come in late on this one, or if I have missed some of the > messages, but I think I have something important to add, below. > > Paula Negron Poblete wrote, two weeks ago: > >The question we can ask ourselves is this: is really the construction > of a subway >the only solution to the transportation problems in a > third world metropolis? or >can we find more suitable interventions in > the area? > From sustran at po.jaring.my Sat Mar 4 11:44:11 2000 From: sustran at po.jaring.my (SUSTRAN Network Secretariat) Date: Sat, 04 Mar 2000 10:44:11 +0800 Subject: [sustran] dates for world car free day Message-ID: <3.0.6.32.20000304104411.008e2610@relay101.jaring.my> I am amazed and encouraged by the response, especially from Car Busters who have clearly been working on this for some time! I just received their latest e-bulletin which also details their proposal for a World Car Free Day! Concerning dates: Carbusters wrote: >So, we thought to move the day forward to Thursday 21 September. With and "Lanyon, Ryan" wrote: >'Clean Air Day' is already an event sponsored by Environment Canada, it >just so happens to be the Wednesday of Envrionment Week/Commuter > Challenge each year. This year's events take place from June 5-9, > with Clean Air Day happening on June 7. It would be nice (but not essential) to find a date when most of the global population is enjoying moderate weather - because we hope to give as many people as possible a chance to have a positive initial walking/cycling/public transport experience. Fortunately, the Car Busters proposal for late September seems to be OK weatherwise. And building on momentum of the already-declared European event seems like a very good idea. September could still be pretty hot in much of southwest Asia (eg the Arabian Gulf) but in most other parts of the world I think Sept 21 would probably have pretty good weather, on average. This date also avoids major university and school examination times in most places (as far as I know). October may be the month with the best overall average weather around the populated parts of the world - which may explain why October is already so crowded with "international days". March might also be OK I think (but April and May are too hot in monsoon and desert parts of northern hemisphere). From sustran at po.jaring.my Sat Mar 4 11:48:16 2000 From: sustran at po.jaring.my (SUSTRAN Network Secretariat) Date: Sat, 04 Mar 2000 10:48:16 +0800 Subject: Brainpower needed Message-ID: <3.0.6.32.20000304104816.008b4ac0@relay101.jaring.my> A non-member submission which bounced. >Date: Sat, 4 Mar 2000 00:39:38 +0900 (JST) >From: owner-sustran-discuss@jca.ax.apc.org >To: sustran-discuss-approval@jca.apc.org >Subject: BOUNCE sustran-discuss@jca.ax.apc.org: Non-member submission from ["Lanyon, Ryan" ] > >From: "Lanyon, Ryan" >To: "'alt-transp@flora.org'" , > sustran-discuss@jca.ax.apc.org >Cc: carfreeday@egroups.com >Subject: RE: alt-transp Re: [sustran] Brainpower needed >Date: Fri, 3 Mar 2000 10:36:30 -0500 > >'Clean Air Day' is already an event sponsored by Environment Canada, it >just >so happens to be the Wednesday of Envrionment Week/Commuter Challenge >each >year. This year's events take place from June 5-9, with Clean Air Day >happening on June 7. Might be a great car-free tie in, especially with >the >Commuter Challenge. From kazi.hoque at ic.ac.uk Sun Mar 5 01:40:16 2000 From: kazi.hoque at ic.ac.uk (Hoque, Kazi) Date: Sat, 4 Mar 2000 16:40:16 -0000 Subject: [sustran] RE: URGENT: arrest of Jakarta pedicab activists Message-ID: <96F6345CAEAED311B7920090273FC18CAD7DFB@icex9.cc.ic.ac.uk> Although I agree with the pedicabs, I have to say that the major problem is the lack of discipline of the pedicabs. In Bangladesh for an example many people are killed everyday on rickshaws. Although I admit it is not always their fault. However when you have such variations speeds from cars, buses, baby taxis ( 3 wheeler scooter cabs) and rickshaws there will be bound to be conflicts. My major concern is safety, By standardising rickshaws in safety and build quality, things may improve. Also if a licensing system was introduced, it would improve the discipline. I also agree with Barter's statement that it is city's citizen trying to be a modern fashionable city to eradicate the pedicabs. Unfortunately the western world have to lead here and promote the pedicabs image. Maybe then we might see a renaissance in pedicab transport > -----Original Message----- > From: SUSTRAN Network Secretariat [SMTP:sustran@po.jaring.my] > Sent: Wednesday, March 01, 2000 4:19 AM > To: sustran-discuss@jca.ax.apc.org > Cc: vera@pelangi.or.id > Subject: Re: URGENT: arrest of Jakarta pedicab activists > > Further to the latest developments in Jakarta I feel prompted to post some > text from our forthcoming Community Action Guide (now at the printers) > which is relevant to the issue. > ----------------------- > > In defence of pedicabs > > Pedicabs are NOT inefficient or backward. Just like taxis, buses and > bicycles, they have a legitimate place as part of an integrated, > people-centred and sustainable system of transport. They are uniquely > suited to a particular niche - or class of trips. Recently, several cities > in the West have even started pedicab services in their central areas. > > In many cities around the world that still have pedicabs, the pedicab > drivers face many difficulties, including exploitation by owners of fleets > of pedicabs. > > "Faced with this inequality and exploitation, how have different > governments responded? In many countries there have been attempts to help > rickshaw-pullers, mostly under the heading of 'rickshaw to the puller'. > But > everywhere these attempts have been rather half-hearted, whereas a lot of > official energy has been devoted to abolishing the rickshaw... > > ... The real reasons for wanting to abolish cycle-rickshaws had nothing to > do with 'efficiency' or 'humanity.' After all, rickshaw drivers were not > the only undisciplined road-users. Nor were rickshaws the most wasteful > users of road space. As for the 'humanitarian reasons', the authorities > cared very little about the other aspects of the pullers' lives. > > The real reason for wanting to do away with cycle-rickshaws was that > wealthy people didn't like them. They detracted from the modern city image > that they were trying to create, and they got in the way of the motor > cars." (Gallagher, 1992) > > Any city in which private cars face little or no restraint or restrictions > can have no justification in restricting the operations of non-motorised > vehicles, including pedicabs. > ----------------------------- > > > A. Rahman Paul BARTER > Sustainable Transport Action Network for Asia > and the Pacific (the SUSTRAN Network) > P.O. Box 11501, Kuala Lumpur 50748, Malaysia. > E-mail: sustran@po.jaring.my > URL: http://www.malaysiakini.com/sustran (under construction) > > Ask about our SUSTRAN NEWS FLASHES - news updates on > people-centred, equitable and sustainable transport > with a focus on countries in the global 'South'. From kazi.hoque at ic.ac.uk Sun Mar 5 03:13:36 2000 From: kazi.hoque at ic.ac.uk (Hoque, Kazi) Date: Sat, 4 Mar 2000 18:13:36 -0000 Subject: Negative thoughts on metro in general Message-ID: <96F6345CAEAED311B7920090273FC18CAD7E01@icex9.cc.ic.ac.uk> Great but can really view this as an effective solutions to larger cities. What if London or NY stopped its metro network and had tram based system. It would be absolute hell. Take a look at Bangkok's metro system > -----Original Message----- > From: Car Busters [SMTP:carbusters@ecn.cz] > Sent: Friday, March 03, 2000 8:01 PM > To: sustran-discuss@jca.ax.apc.org > Subject: [sustran] Negative thoughts on metro in general > > Sorry to come in late on this one, or if I have missed some of the > messages, but I think I have something important to add, below. > > Paula Negron Poblete wrote, two weeks ago: > >The question we can ask ourselves is this: is really the construction > of a subway >the only solution to the transportation problems in a > third world metropolis? or >can we find more suitable interventions in > the area? > > The answers are (1.) no, and (2.) yes. > > Quito, population 1.3 million, has gone the route of an electric > trolley system instead of metro in an effort to clean up the badly > polluted air. Because of the pollution concerns, Quito chose the > trolleys over buses even though the initial cost was 15% higher. Of > course the city is at about the minimum size for a metro system > anyway, but still, the example has been made, and the system has been > financially stable. Of course, paying 15% more is wise, since the city > saves in other ways because of the reduced pollution. > > Here in Prague, which is about the same size as Quito but features an > extensive metro system, it is still possible to get almost anywhere > efficiently by using trams and buses instead of (and sometimes faster > than) metro. And certainly if the metro didn't exist, trams could be > expanded greatly. I can say the same thing for Lyon, France, where I > lived the last two years. > > And often metro systems are expanded to serve as basically a Park and > Ride system -- serving suburbanites who drive to remote metro stations > to go to and from work, and remain car-dependent in every other aspect > of their lives. This is what the San Francisco BART system is, very > much to the detriment of cheaper public transport that could form the > foundation of a system designed to provide for efficient car-free > living (i.e., trams or buses every ten or fewer minutes to within a > short walk of all medium- or high-density locations, etc.). > > I personally favor limiting metro, and having above-ground electric > trams/trolleys/light-rail form the foundation of the system. This way > you can slowly physically replace the car-based system by taking back > street space from the car and replacing it with car-free lanes with > tram tracks. But if you create a system that just offers an > "alternative" (metro or other) alongside the car-based system, you > leave the available road space to cars exactly the same and thus you > have no assurance that car traffic will be reduced (especially if the > urban population is growing, because traffic expands to fill the > available road space). So, to maximise your benefits, cars have to be > physically barred from driving in the lanes converted from car to tram > use. > > An added benefit of trams: people are not forced to become moles > simply because the cars have forced all alternatives (literally and > figuratively) underground. But it is always possible to have, as San > Francisco has in addition to the BART system, a tram system that is > underground in the densest part of the city but goes at street-level > in all other areas. But again, if the cars were removed from just one > street, Market Street, there would be no need to deprive people of a > glimpse of daylight. Of interest to Latin American countries, the > latter option would also be much cheaper. > > And have you noticed that no one talks to one another on metro, > whereas they often do on trams or buses? > > Randy Ghent > > PS - Is it possible to have each message sent to this listserve > automatically labelled as [sustan-discuss]? Without that, it's hard to > organise one's e-mails. > > --------------------------------------------------------------------- > CAR BUSTERS Magazine and Resource Centre > Kratka 26, 100 00 Praha 10, Czech Republic > Tel: +(420) 2-781-08-49 ; Fax: +(420) 2-781-67-27 > From sustran at po.jaring.my Sun Mar 5 22:18:32 2000 From: sustran at po.jaring.my (SUSTRAN Network Secretariat) Date: Sun, 05 Mar 2000 21:18:32 +0800 Subject: [sustran] Community Action Guide to transport Message-ID: <3.0.6.32.20000305211832.007e94d0@relay101.jaring.my> The SUSTRAN Network's new Community Action Guide, entitled "Taking Steps" has just been published. PLEASE CONTACT THE SUSTRAN NETWORK SECRETARIAT (sustran@po.jaring.my) FOR DETAILS ON HOW TO ORDER. The SUSTRAN Network runs on a tiny budget but we are able to provide a very limited number of free copies to non-profit organisations who cannot afford to pay. For all others, the minimum contribution per copy is RM 30 (inside Malaysia) or US$ 15 (from outside Malaysia). These contributions include the cost of postage and handling. This 120-page book provides a reference and guide to people-centred, equitable and sustainable urban transport. It is written especially to demystify urban transport issues for non-experts. The focus is on developing countries, especially in Asia. It includes introductions to: * Why we should worry about urban transport * Basic principles of people-centred, equitable and sustainable transport * What is happening in Asian urban transport * How we can move towards better urban transport (with examples) * What we can do (as communities, organisations, businesses and individuals) * Tools for action (A to Z of transport terms, directory of contacts, lists of readings and web resources) The production of the Community Action Guide was made possible by a grant from the Royal Netherlands Embassy in Kuala Lumpur. A. Rahman Paul BARTER Sustainable Transport Action Network for Asia and the Pacific (the SUSTRAN Network) P.O. Box 11501, Kuala Lumpur 50748, Malaysia. E-mail: sustran@po.jaring.my URL: http://www.malaysiakini.com/sustran (under construction) Ask about our SUSTRAN NEWS FLASHES - news updates on people-centred, equitable and sustainable transport with a focus on countries in the global 'South'. From sustran at po.jaring.my Mon Mar 6 10:43:09 2000 From: sustran at po.jaring.my (SUSTRAN Network Secretariat) Date: Mon, 06 Mar 2000 09:43:09 +0800 Subject: [sustran] fwd: Egypt traffic death sparks riot Message-ID: <3.0.6.32.20000306094309.008efc50@relay101.jaring.my> BBC World Service Sunday, 5 March, 2000, 20:12 GMT Egypt traffic death sparks riot Vehicles were set on fire by angry residents Egyptian police have opened fire on about 3,000 rioters on a main road north of the capital Cairo, wounding about 10 people. The riot erupted after a 16-year-old girl, Samah Mustafa, was killed by a speeding lorry. She had been trying to cross the road near the village of Mit Nema, about 15km north of Cairo. Reports say another 50 people - including six policemen - were injured during the disturbance, either by stones thrown by protesters or by the effects of police tear gas. Ms Mustafa's death was the latest in a string of fatal accidents that Mit Nama villagers have blamed on the failure of authorities to build foot bridges. The villagers also complain about the lack of action against motorists who routinely ignore traffic regulations. Driver 'critical' According to the reports, they seized the driver of the lorry that hit the girl, beat him severely and set his vehicle on fire. The driver was admitted to hospital in a critical condition. Residents of Mit Nema also set fire to a number of other vehicles and are reported to have pushed a boulder on to the local railway line, blocking trains for about an hour. Police said they had arrested about 20 people. Villagers said scores of people had been killed and injured along the road, which goes from Cairo to the Mediterranean port of Alexandria, as a result of speed violations and reckless driving. Official figures indicate that more than 6,000 people were killed in traffic accidents in Egypt in 1998. ------------------------ Distributed for the purpose of education and research. A. Rahman Paul BARTER Sustainable Transport Action Network for Asia and the Pacific (the SUSTRAN Network) P.O. Box 11501, Kuala Lumpur 50748, Malaysia. E-mail: sustran@po.jaring.my URL: http://www.malaysiakini.com/sustran (under construction) Ask about our SUSTRAN NEWS FLASHES - news updates on people-centred, equitable and sustainable transport with a focus on countries in the global 'South'. From farheen at riet.org.sg Mon Mar 6 11:57:12 2000 From: farheen at riet.org.sg (Farheen Mukri) Date: Mon, 6 Mar 2000 10:57:12 +0800 Subject: Special lanes for 'driver only' cars at Singapore-M alaysia causeway Message-ID: Paul, what an excellent letter. Wish you could also send it to Singapore's LTA... just to get a variance of opinion... :) I want to add that the conditions at the Causeway are further marred by the dense humidity coupled with full blown pollutive exhaust of vehicles that make it very difficult for cyclists/pedestrians in many ways. Whilst the Nature Society (Singapore) occasionally plans bike trips into parts of Johor, and time of departure is usu early morning (w/ends), it almost always is a hassle struggling with the bike-unfriendly motorists and narrow lanes on the way back. They must surely try to introduce bike lanes on the Causeway. About well over time I reckon. Plus the walking conditions are not terribly safe, altho' passable, but if the two traffic authorities cld look into resolving some of these issues, it wd really be most beneficial. Bests Farheen > ---------- > From: SUSTRAN Network Secretariat[SMTP:sustran@po.jaring.my] > > To the Editor > The Star newspaper > Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia > > > Dear Editor > > I refer to the article in The Star, Thursday, March 2, 2000 "Special lanes > for 'driver only' cars at causeway" which states that the Johor Customs > and > Excise Department will open special lanes for "driver only" cars beginning > April 1 in a move to cut queuing time at the causeway. > .................. (text docted) ........................ > SOME ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS > I do not want to be just negative. So here are some alternative > suggestions > for improving the efficiency of the causeway and checkpoints. > > a. Have special lanes for HIGH-OCCUPANCY CARS (HOVs - cars with 4 or more > people). This lane should have guaranteed extra staff to be able to clear > people quickly. It should be much faster to cross in an HOV than in a > 'driver-only' car. This would give everyone a big incentive to car-pool > and > reduce the total number of vehicles. > > b. Do everything possible to minimise the delays for bus passengers and > for > buses at the checkpoints and on the causeway (there must be some things > which have not been tried yet). > > c. Improve conditions for pedestrians and bicyclists crossing the > causeway. > A surprising number of people already cross by foot or bicycle but more > would do so if the conditions were more attractive. This could include > building shelter from the sun and rain over the walking (and cycling) > ways. > It could also include strict enforcement of anti-smoke-belching laws with > a special focus of enforcement on the causeway approaches. > > d. Improve the JB bus and taxi system. The problems with public transport > in JB discourage people from using public transport to cross the causeway. > > e. How to pay for the improvements? Here is a money making suggestion. > How > about having an "EXPRESS PREMIUM" lane for which motorists must pay an > extra fee. This lane would tend to have a shorter queue because of the > steep fee... but anyone rich enough and/or in a great hurry could choose > this lane and get through very quickly. The money raised from the Express > Lane could be used to pay for improvements for buses, walkers, bicylists > or > to offer EXTRA incentives for high occupancy vehicles (HOVs). > > I hope the authorities in JB will consider these alternative suggestions. > > Yours sincerely, > > A. Rahman Paul Barter > Kuala Lumpur > From sustran at po.jaring.my Mon Mar 6 11:19:58 2000 From: sustran at po.jaring.my (SUSTRAN Network Secretariat) Date: Mon, 06 Mar 2000 10:19:58 +0800 Subject: [sustran] fwd: NZ Sustainable Transport Network Newsletter Message-ID: <3.0.6.32.20000306101958.008fbbf0@relay101.jaring.my> Just this once I am forwarding the whole of this interesting newsletter from New Zealand to the list. But if you want to get future ones please contact Elizabeth Yeaman . Paul ------------------------------------ Sustainable Transport Network Newsletter Issue 9, February/March 20000 CONTENTS: ? Energy-Wise Transport Award ? New Zealand Transport Energy Facts ? Tauranga's $11.7 Million Cycle and Pedestrian Plan ? NZ Cycling Symposium - Call for Papers ? Bike Week 2000 ? Christchurch Cycle Strategy Updated ? Wellington Regional Land Transport Strategy Launched ? Update on Palmerston North's Green Bikes Scheme ? Sydney's Solar Powered Commuter Ferry ? UK Maximum Parking Standards ? E-Commerce Saves Transport Energy ? Oxford's 25 Years of Transport Demand Management ? Book Review: Street Reclaiming ? About this Newsletter Back copies of this newsletter are on the EECA website at http://www.eeca.govt.nz - just follow the Transport signpost. *** ENERGY-WISE TRANSPORT AWARD This year EECA will present its inaugural Energy-Wise Transport Award for projects which foster a more energy efficient, sustainable transport future for New Zealand. Entries for the award closed on 18 February. Nine entries for the Transport Award were received, with projects covering transport demand management, public transport, walking and cycling. The winner and highly commended projects will be announced at a prestigious awards ceremony on 23 March in Auckland. For those that miss the media announcements of the winner and highly commended projects, these will also be in the next issue of this newsletter. For more information on the Energy-Wise Awards ceremony contact Kathy Ogden at EECA. Ph: 0800 356 676. E-mail: Kathy.Ogden@eeca.govt.nz *** NEW ZEALAND TRANSPORT ENERGY FACTS New Zealand's transport sector is the largest and fastest growing energy-using sector in the economy. The following excerpts are taken from the transport energy facts document which is now available on EECA's website http://www.eeca.govt.nz (along with sources). ? Transport (excluding international transport) accounted for 40% of all consumer energy use in 1999 and totalled 172 petajoules (PJ). This amount of energy is equivalent to 4,900 million litres of petrol. ? The proportion of energy derived carbon dioxide emissions that come from transport was 45.5% in 1998. New Zealand has the highest proportion of carbon dioxide emissions from transport in the OECD (OECD average proportion of carbon dioxide emissions from transport is around 30%). ? Fossil fuels make up 99.9% of the energy used in transport. ? Transport energy demand has been growing at an average of 3.8% per year over the period 1991-1998. Non-transport energy use witnessed a decline of nearly 1% during the same period. ? Passenger transport accounts for 65% of transport energy use - the remainder is for freight. This is typical of OECD countries, where the proportion of transport energy use for passenger transport is in the range of 60-70%. ? Cars (including taxis, vans and other light vehicles) use 89.3% of passenger transport energy, the remainder being used for domestic air travel (7.4%), buses (3.0%), passenger trains and ferries (0.3%). ? Road freight accounts for 91% of freight transport energy, the remainder being used for coastal shipping (5%) and rail freight (4%). (Domestic air freight energy is included in the figure for passenger transport domestic air travel above). ? Cars (including taxis, vans and other light vehicles) account for 58% of all energy used in transport (road, sea, domestic air, rail \\ including freight) and 23% of all consumer energy used in New Zealand. ? Growth in transport has not been matched by growth in wealth. From 1980 to 1998 per capita income (adjusted for inflation) increased by 20%; over the same time period freight transport (tonne km) increased 36% and passenger transport (passenger km) increased 69%. ? The proportion of household expenditure on transport (excluding vehicle purchase and maintenance) has increased from 16% in 1994 to 18% in 1998. *** TAURANGA'S WALKING AND CYCLING STRATEGY Tauranga District Council has produced a draft Walking and Cycling Strategy, which aims to make the city more convenient, pleasant and safe for pedestrians and cyclists. The plan covers both transport and recreational facilities, with the transport-related initiatives including: ? ensuring all new council roading projects and road upgrades provide for cyclists and pedestrians ? ensuring all new subdivisions provide for pedestrian and cycle access ? new on-road cycle lanes ? new off-road walking and cycling tracks ? cycle parking facilities in the CBD and suburban centres ? improving cyclist and pedestrian safety in "black spot" areas ? enforcing regulations relating to vehicles parking on footpaths and cycle ways ? encouraging safe and responsible driver, cyclist and pedestrian behaviour. "The Plan had significant coverage in the local media" says Matthew Grainger, the Council's Facilities and Reserves Planner. "One of the main achievements of the process has been an increased awareness of pedestrian and cycling issues, and of the need to plan and provide for pedestrians and cyclists in the city." The councils draft plan was well received by the community, with almost all submissions being favourable. The Walking and Cycling Strategy will be finalised by June 2000. For more information contact: Matthew Grainger, Facilities and Reserves Planner, Tauranga District Council. Ph: 07 577 7257. E-mail: matthewg@tauranga-dc.govt.nz *** NZ CYCLING SYMPOSIUM - CALL FOR PAPERS "Making Cycling Viable" is the theme of the New Zealand Cycling Symposium 2000, to be held on Friday 14 and Saturday 15 July 2000 at Massey University, Palmerston North. The Symposium follows from the successful cycling conference in Hamilton, October 1997 "Planning for and Promoting Cycling in Urban Areas". Guest speakers confirmed include: ? Mayer Hillman - Emeritus Research Fellow, Policy Studies Institute, UK ? John Grimshaw - Sustrans/National Cycling Network, UK ? Terry Ryan - Australian Bicycle Council Papers are called for under the following topics: ? policy and funding examining the broader picture ? implementation - encouragement, education, engineering and enforcement ? benefits of cycling - health, environmental, social and economic To register your interest in attending, sponsorship opportunities or presenting a paper, please contact Sheralee MacDonald at EECA. E-mail: sheralee.macdonald@eeca.govt.nz Ph: 04 470 2226. If you are interested in presenting a paper, a 200 word abstract must be submitted by 14 April 2000. The NZ Cycling Symposium 2000 is a joint initiative from: ? Bicycle Industry Association of New Zealand ? Christchurch City Council ? Cycle Aware Palmerston North ? Cycling Advocates' Network ? Cycling Support NZ Inc ? Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority ? Hamilton City Council ? New Zealand Cycle Strategy Foundation Project ? Opus International Consultants ? Palmerston North City Council *** BIKE WEEK 2000 This year's Bike Week was held from the 12-20 February. The event is co-ordinated nationally by Street Skills (the cycle safety brand owned by the Cycle Steering Committee). This year's theme was "Always Look on the Bike Side of Life", with the aim of encouraging people to get out of their cars and onto their bikes. Event days included: ? Bike to School Day - Tuesday 15 February ? Bike to Work Day - Wednesday 16 February Despite the rain, about 150 Auckland cyclists turned up to partake of a free breakfast and entertainment for Bike to Work Day in Queen Elizabeth Square. Due to the inclement weather, the numbers were down on the 400 or so who came to the first Bikers Breakfast event in 1999. Still, those who came enjoyed themselves, and had a good chance of winning some of the spot prizes that were given away, including a mountain bike (which was a nice birthday present for the woman that won it!) The rain hit Christchurch too, starting the minute the Bike to Work Day event started in Cathedral Square. The were free breakfast for the 280 cycle commuters who braved the elements, with cafe stalls offering more elaborate breakfast fare at a reasonable rate. The Christchurch Wizard blessed the event, a celebrity bike race was held, and the band played on. Wellington was not spared the rain either, but the Bike to Work Day pretty well, getting good media coverage. Two Cabinet ministers (Trevor Mallard & Steve Maharey) rode to Parliament from home (and got a mention on midday National Radio news), and Green MP Rod Donald rode to the Civic Square breakfast. Bike to Work Day events were also held in other cities around the country. For more information on Bike Week contact: Michaela Graham or Felicity Close at the Health Sponsorship Council. Ph: 04 472 5777 E-mail: felicity@healthsponsorship.co.nz *** CHRISTCHURCH CYCLE STRATEGY UPDATED Christchurch City Council has set a target to increase commuter cyclists from 8% of the population to 13 per cent next year and up to 20 per cent by 2006. The target features in the Council's newly published "Cycle Strategy for Christchurch City". The strategy says Christchurch could be more cycle friendly. "While our roads are not busy by international standards, they are busy enough to be off-putting to some cyclists and potential cyclists, and the city's smog is discouraging" says Alix Newman, the Council's Cycle Planning Officer. The Council's efforts to make the city a more cycle friendly city will be guided by the strategy. The first Christchurch cycle strategy was published in 1996 and it provided the "driving force behind the City Council's efforts to improve cycling in the city since then." The new strategy builds on the lessons learnt from the first. "With this new strategy it is intended that the Council's efforts to improve cycling in the city will advance with new vigour," Alix says. Contact: Alix Newman, Christchurch City Council. Ph: 03 371 1472. E-mail: Alix.Newman@ccc.govt.nz *** WELLINGTON REGIONAL LAND TRANSPORT STRATEGY LAUNCHED The Wellington Regional Council launched its new Regional Land Transport Strategy on 14 December 1999. Its vision is to deliver a balanced and sustainable land transport system that meets the needs of the regional community. The concept of balance refers to the need to balance capacity within and between each mode along an entire route in each transport corridor, otherwise capacity increases designed to address a particular bottleneck will both attract more traffic onto the route and transfer the bottleneck further along the route. Sustainability refers to both environmental and economic sustainability. Overall fuel consumption and carbon monoxide emission levels at select sites are two performance indicators used in the strategy to measure environmental sustainability. The baselines used for these two indicators are for carbon monoxide at the Vivian/Victoria Street junction in Wellington - 33% excedence of the 8 hour maximum level; and for fuel consumption (which is a surrogate measure for carbon dioxide) - morning peak fuel consumption of 152,500 litres. These indicators and all others will be reported on yearly. The other objectives used in the development of the Strategy were accessibility and economic development, economic efficiency, affordability and safety. Using a package evaluation approach, perfected in New Zealand by the Wellington and Auckland Regional Councils, the most cost-effective set of proposals for the region were selected that best met the needs of the community and the identified objectives. A paper copy of the Regional Land Transport Strategy can be obtained by contacting Caroline Waiwiri at Wellington Regional Council. Ph: 04 385 6960 E-mail: caroline.waiwiri@wrc.govt.nz A PDF file of the Strategy can be downloaded from: http://www.wrc.govt.nz/rt/planning.htm *** UPDATE ON PALMERSTON NORTH'S GREEN BIKE SCHEME Palmerston North's Green Bikes scheme - free, bright green bikes around the city for everyone's use - was first reported in the first issue of this newsletter (see archived copies on EECA's website at http://www.eeca.govt.nz/ and follow the transport signpost). The Green Bike scheme now has around 1000 bikes, with more being donated weekly. The bikes are being used by a wide range of individuals and community groups. "We now release them on long term loan to children in foster care, people on probation, recently arrived refugees, those saving for a "real" bike and people on a low income whose car has broken down. A few have even become status symbols by High School Students. Tourists often borrow them" says John Hornblow, the Chair of the Palmerston North Green Bike Trust. Bike recycling had saved the landfill a considerable amount of space. The local Transfer Station is donating all bike parts dumped there to the Trust. Of the long term unemployed working on the restoration of the bikes, six have found permanent employment using the skills they have gained. Youth at risk and young people from the local IHC regularly come to paint the bikes. Over the two years the Trust have been operating they have averaged only 20 bikes a year actually written off - much lower that expected. Helmets, however, disappear at a faster rate. Still, the Trust argues that they are out there being used! The Trust needs to find a New Zealand manufacturer who will supply us with low cost helmets that meet the safety standards. As an advocate for safer cycling, the Trust is also active in supporting the city Cycling Officer. We lobby Council for the rapid implementation of the City Cycle Plan and are concerned about the trends towards less use of cycles - in the city and nationally. They are also working on a number of innovative ideas, including creating a fleet of tandems! "The scheme has won the respect and support of the community. It makes a valuable contribution to recycling and employment initiatives. And it is a model for other cities, as we often get requests for information from around the country" John says. For more information contact John Hornblow, Chair, Palmerston North Green Bike Trust. Ph: 06 357 9431 E-mail: hornblow@manawatu.gen.nz *** SYDNEY'S SOLAR POWERED COMMUTER FERRY A photovoltaic powered ferry is undergoing sea trials in Sydney, before its first commercial sailing in May 2000. A prototype of the "Solar Sailor II" has already been fully operational. The "Solar Sailor II" will be built to deluxe standard and will be able to carry 100 passengers on its route between Manly and Parramatta. The vessel features unique "SolarWings". The heart of the concept is that the one structure is a hybrid renewable energy collecting system. Photovoltaic panels form a solar collector on a "sail" in the shape of a wing. The vessel has a series of these wings, which can move in any direction to adapt to prevailing wind and sun conditions. This enables the vessel to sail faster and more efficiently than it could by wind (sails/wings) or solar (PV) power alone. More information is at: http://www.solarsailor.com.au/ssframes.html *** UK MAXIMUM PARKING STANDARDS Maximum numbers of parking spaces for different types of building uses have been drafted as part of UK planning policy guides , published in October 99. The parking maximums are designed to help reduce the car dependency of development and promote sustainable transport choices, whilst at the same time presenting a realistic proposition. The majority of New Zealand local authorities use minimum parking standards, not maximums, in their planning policies. For example, the proposed maximum parking standard for office buildings is 1 parking space per 35 square metres of gross floor space, for buildings above 2,500 square metres gross floor space. The proposed standards are already in use by some local authorities around the UK. The draft standards have been derived from analysis of existing levels of parking, consideration of the potential for changing travel patterns and consideration of potential effects on investment. The draft maximum parking standards are available on the UK Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions at: http://www.planning.detr.gov.uk/consult/ppg13/07.htm *** E-COMMERCE SAVES TRANSPORT ENERGY A recent US study has shown that shopping using the internet does save transport energy, despite the long distances goods may be shipped to the consumer. When clothing retailer Patagonia did an energy "lifecycle" analysis of its clothing, managers discovered that with traditional shipping, transportation accounted for six percent of the total energy needed to create and deliver its product. Using overnight mail (by air) raised that figure 28 percent. But even that is better for the atmosphere than driving to get it yourself. In both consumer and business e-commerce, the mode by which goods are shipped makes a huge difference. Water or rail use around 0.28 - 0.35 MJ per tonne-km. Shifting to a truck boosts that figure four- to five-fold, to more than 1.4 MJ per tonne-km. Putting that same freight on a plane increases energy use dramatically, to 10 MJ per tonne-km. More information on the report is at: http://www.cool-companies.org/ecom/pr5.cfm *** OXFORD'S 25 YEARS OF TRANSPORT DEMAND MANAGEMENT Oxford was one of the first cities in the UK to adopt traffic restraint policies, and to abandon road building as a solution to its transport problems. This has proved very successful with traffic levels having remained stable for over 25 years. Bus patronage has experienced an 80% growth in passengers in the last 10 years and economic vitality has been preserved. Oxford has a population of 130,000 (of which 20,000 are students) and serves as a regional centre for a scattered, largely rural population of about half a million people. The city has the largest Park and Ride system in the UK and extensive bus priority lanes and traffic signal systems. Deregulation of buses in 1986 resulted in real competition with two large bus companies operating extensive bus services. It is the only city in the UK with a battery electric scheduled bus service operating. Strategic land use policies, for the sub-region within which Oxford lies, take account of the critical landscape and environmental constraints and are complimentary to transport policies aimed at reducing car dependence and encouraging the use of alternative modes of travel. This information is from a paper presented at the 53rd Union Internationale des Transports Publics (UITP) Congress in Toronto, 1999. More information is at: http://www.uitp.com/torocd.htm *** BOOK REVIEW: STREET RECLAIMING Sustainable transport advocate, Caroline Winstone, has contributed the following review of David Engwicht's latest book, "Street Reclaiming - Creating Livable Streets and Viable Communities", Pluto Press 1999, NZ$ 35.95 If you have concerns about transport and the number of cars on your road, feel that streets are not safe enough, that children need more play areas, or you think we need stronger local communities, this is a book for you. David Engwicht, an Australian who lives in Brisbane, has put together an truly inspiring book full of practical ideas to get things changed, and very useful background information to help you on the way. The layout and illustrations make it very easy to look at, so that you can glean inspiring snippets just by letting the pages fall open. This is a book (and philosophy) which puts humanity, community, kids, and creativity firmly at the centre of city living, as opposed to machines, unlivable space, and top-down bureaucratic planning. It really is worth reading the lot. Tried and tested suggestions for reducing car use, which can be undertaken initially by very small groups, are backed up by reasons why we should do so. These include many benefits from keeping fitter by walking, to creating extra space for play, leisure and community activities. There is praise for colour in our streets, for multiple functions, humour, sensuality, change, and movable seating. The book focuses on celebration as a means to achieve change, and creating what people desire rather than opposing what they think is wrong (which, as all social activists know, can be a bit depressing). Illustrations of street living space from different countries and cultures enrich the material. The authors insights into dealing with local councils and changing perceptions are useful; the advantages of a less car-dependant society and benefits to local economies make compelling reading. Beg, steal, or borrow a copy, and share widely. *** ABOUT THIS NEWSLETTER This newsletter has been compiled by the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA). All issues of the newsletter are archived at EECA's website: http://www.eeca.govt.nz/ The newsletter aims to provide a link tying together an informal network of groups with a common interest in creating a more sustainable transport future for New Zealand, thereby realising the full range of benefits associated with improving transport energy use in New Zealand. In particular, we want to include the activities and views of sustainable transport end-user groups alongside those of central and local government and other transport providers. Under the umbrella of "sustainable transport end-users" are public transport users, pedestrians, cyclists, car-poolers and telecommuters. Ideas for items are also welcomed. To be added or removed from the e-mailing list for this newsletter, please contact Liz Yeaman, Transport and Local Government Executive at EECA, PO Box 388, Wellington. Ph: 04 470 2228. E-mail: Elizabeth.Yeaman@eeca.govt.nz From carbusters at ecn.cz Tue Mar 7 07:20:58 2000 From: carbusters at ecn.cz (Car Busters) Date: Mon, 6 Mar 2000 22:20:58 -0000 Subject: [sustran] Re: Negative thoughts on metro in general Message-ID: <01bf87ba$3f1b8c20$LocalHost@non.wanadoo.fr> Sorry if it wasn't clear, but I wasn't suggesting the dissolution of existing metro systems. Talk of "limiting metro" was as close as I got, which meant that we shouldn't just assume metro should be expanded, when, for example in Budapest, trams could do the job for one-tenth the cost. Of course megacities need metro, but the trend toward megacities and the depopulation of the countryside hasn't exactly been an ecologically sound trend either. In fact megacities haven't existed for more than 100 years or so anyway. But yes, we all have to deal with the practicalities of the present, I know. Further comments can be sent off the list, since people are probably getting tired of this discussion. Randy Ghent --------------------------------------------------------------------- CAR BUSTERS Magazine and Resource Centre Kratka 26, 100 00 Praha 10, Czech Republic Tel: +(420) 2-781-08-49 ; Fax: +(420) 2-781-67-27 From carbusters at ecn.cz Tue Mar 7 07:21:02 2000 From: carbusters at ecn.cz (Car Busters) Date: Mon, 6 Mar 2000 22:21:02 -0000 Subject: [sustran] Re: Brainpower needed Message-ID: <01bf87ba$41d35920$LocalHost@non.wanadoo.fr> Dear SUSTRAN and Alt-Trans listserve-ees, A few things to clarify: Firstly, Eric's "Brainpower needed" proposal was to be something to happen fairly quickly in the Americas to follow up on Bogota, not, as I understand it, something to happen as late as September under the name World Car-Free Day or another, tamer one. We had actually sent our World Car-Free Day proposal to Eric, and he expressed support for it, a few days before he wrote the "Brainpower needed" message. So let's be clear that we're talking about two different events here. My initial reaction is that we should avoid two international single-day events on roughly the same topic, and that what the Americas might need now might be best accomplished by thinking beyond the single-thematic-day concept. Also, it doesn't seems there's enough time to pull off a well-organised international day of action much before September anyway. Regarding the names proposed, they don't seem so bad for the first couple minutes of a brainstorm, but very, very far from a name to settle on. Isn't anyone out there in marketing or advertising? But I actually don't agree that we need to avoid using "car-free" in North America. The boldness of the World Car-Free Day name was precisely the point -- to push the envelope, to say and do what no one else will dare to say and do, to make few friends and take no prisoners -- and this is nearly the only way to get attention in the United States. As the Situationists used to say, "Soyez realiste; demandez l'impossible." (Be realistic; demand the impossible.) Be wise and be strategic of course, but being overly cautious and entirely unprovocative, will be, and has been, one of our downfalls. I could imagine every American radio talk-show host putting in his/her two cents about World Car-Free Day, but any kind of Traffic Reduction Day would barely get a mention. This isn't about making friends; it's about being on the scandalous, notorious cutting edge that will get talked about and end up getting the issues advanced and taken seriously one of these days (but certainly not today in Middle America, no matter how you disguise your true intentions by putting a Mom-and-apple-pie [albeit boring] name between you and the public). Something with the title and spirit of Traffic Reduction Day is exactly the sort of thing that keeps nearly everyone but an isolated segment of middle-aged men yawning at this movement (offensive as it may sound to say so to these listserves). What we need is some serious rejuvenation, revitalisation, kick in the pants. So, in that spirit, we submit the following proposal for a September 21 World Car-Free Day, as published in our March monthly bulletin... Randy Ghent WORLD CAR-FREE DAY: A PROPOSAL (yes, it's long, but please read and comment) Car Busters is hereby putting out a proposal for an annual World Car-Free Day for September 21. The idea is to expand upon the September 22 governmental European Car-Free Day, which will be truly European for the first time this year. The World Car-Free Day would fall on the day before, a Thursday, which, according to years of experience with car-free days, is the optimum day on which to hold such an event (see www.ecoplan.org/carfreeday/ for the report "Thursday: Breakthrough Strategies for Reducing Car Dependence in Cities"). Car-free days date back to the 1970's, but instead of being limited to single-day events organised by government, World Car-Free Day would be pitched as a day to "go car-free and don't stop" and focus on personal change beyond the one-day event, as with the car addiction theme, "don't quit quitting." There could even be a "count-down" leading up to the day, with people suggested to cut back their car use gradually each day step by step to wean themselves off the car. Through a sophisticated and "professional" campaign utilising the media, downloadable posters adaptable to any language, a 30-second TV spot, a web site and ads placed for free in various publications, World Car-Free Day would take on both industry and the image that advertising has given the car (sexy, macho, hip and cool, sporty, high-status, etc.). Press attention would seem promising, since the media have been desperate to find new angles to the hot car-free day story. With World Car-Free Day, we as the grassroots car-free movement frame the issues, choose the slogans, and design the poster and supporting materials. In a sense, we subvert car-free day, taking it away from the environment ministers and municipal governments, bringing it back to the grassroots. The campaign should be clever, polished, well thought-out, splashy, hard-hitting, humorous, radical and aimed a wider public beyond those already convinced. The trick is to successfully combine these characteristics, with care taken that the movement is advanced by the effort, rather than unintentionally set back. World Car-Free Day?s promoters (the collective "we") would attempt to get a large number of groups around the world to sign on in support of the effort and organise their memberships. The day would be taken more seriously if we got, say, 200 groups to sign on, representing all the continents. The web site and the posters would suggest four or five simple things that people can do, and the web site would also offer more ambitious personal action ideas. A video called "Autosaurus" (produced by Adbusters, Canada) could be modified for the occasion for about $100. This 30-second spot could be run on television to announce the event. Additional attention could be brought to the campaign if/when television stations refuse to run the spot, despite a willing payer. In sum, World Car-Free Day would be organised very similarly to the Buy Nothing Day campaign launched by Adbusters (while taking into account critique of that event). Only the issue is different and the event more or less already exists, but lacks the geographic scope and grassroots radicalism that we?d all collectively bring to it. Car Busters, through its magazine and other channels, would take a leadership role in promoting the event, producing the materials, offering its e-mail listserve for communication among groups, and publishing coverage of the event after-the-fact. We also can also take advantage of a volunteer graphic artist who has just joined us from Finland. The Towards Car-Free Cities II conference (Timisoara, Romania, April) could be used as a forum for developing the idea and building international (especially Eastern European) participation in it. After the initial materials (web site, posters, etc.) are produced, the Velo Mondiale 2000 conference (Amsterdam, June) could then be one primary place to expand the idea to other groups worldwide. Every aspect of this proposal is up for debate, elaboration and change. No one is going to copyright World Car-Free Day; it will be up to everyone to decide locally what they want to do with the idea. Please send in your feedback! --------------------------------------------------------------------- CAR BUSTERS Magazine and Resource Centre Kratka 26, 100 00 Praha 10, Czech Republic Tel: +(420) 2-781-08-49 ; Fax: +(420) 2-781-67-27 From townsend at central.murdoch.edu.au Wed Mar 8 02:14:50 2000 From: townsend at central.murdoch.edu.au (Craig Townsend) Date: Tue, 07 Mar 2000 09:14:50 -0800 Subject: [sustran] Vietnam Releases Modified Blueprint for HCM City in 2020 (fwd) Message-ID: <3.0.6.32.20000307091450.007a4c10@central.murdoch.edu.au> [vnforum] - Mesg from VNLink@aol.com Vietnam Releases Modified Blueprint for HCM City in 2020 HANOI, March 3 Asia Pulse - Planning for the overall development of HCM City until 2020 has been modified in line with social and economic changes in the last few years. Ho Chi Minh City's deputy chief architect An Dung said under the latest plans, which were approved by the government in late 1998, the city will be 40km to 50km wide, spanning some areas of Binh Duong, Dong Nai, Ba Ria-Vung Tau, Long An and Tay Ninh. It will be extended to the northwest, linking up with Thuan An in Binh Duong Province and Bien Hoa town in Dong Nai Province. The new planning programme focuses on developing the city to the south and south-east towards the sea front and connecting with Nhon Trach new urban area in Long Thanh, Dong Nai. The city's new centre will be built in Thu Thiem in District 2. It is estimated the city's population will reach 10 million people by 2020 including six million in the inner city. The city's new commercial services centres will be opened in Thu Thiem covering 1,700ha. Other major commercial centres, each covering 200ha, will be built in the Sai Gon South new urban centre and Binh Chanh and Hoc Mon suburban districts. Educational, medical and cultural facilities will also be located in the city's fringe areas. The city's National University covering 800ha will be in Thu Duc District and Thuan An in Binh Duong. Another university and vocational training centre will be built in Sai Gon South and other districts on 300ha. Modern polyclinics and general hospitals will be built in new districts. The Historical-Cultural and Ethnology Centre, Thu Duc golf course, and the Botanical Zoological Garden will be located in the northern part of District 9. Entertainment and sport facilities will be built near rivers and lakes in districts 9, Hoc Mon and Binh Chanh. The City's 460ha Physical Culture and Sport centre will be built in Rach Chiec, District 2. There are also plans for a green belt around the city to protect it from environmental pollution. The project includes the protection of 33,000ha of submerged saline mangrove forest in Can Gio District and the preservation of other historic forests. Transport projects will be a focus of substantial investment. The city's 21.4km East -West Highway will be built between 2001-2005 at a cost of VND8,101billion. City belt highways, roads networks linking the city centre with the nearby provinces of Dong Nai, Binh Duong and Long An and major industrial parks in outlying districts will also be built. Part of the planning involves the construction of several bridges across the Sai Gon River such as a bridge linking Thu Thiem with District 1 and bridges connecting Thanh Da with Binh Thanh District. A significant part of the State budget will be spent on public transport projects in the next 10 years to meet the demand for passenger travel which is expected to increase by 30 per cent by 2010 and 50 per cent by 2020. The railway development plan focuses on building an urban railway network, with a subway or elevated trains, building railway stations and upgrading the existing Hoa Hung rail station in HCM City. Modern ports are scheduled for Hiep Phuoc and Can Gio in the city 's fringe areas to increase the handling capacity of HCM City's ports to 70 million tonnes of cargo by 2020. As well as upgrading Tan Son Nhat international airport to handle 10-12 million passengers a year, a new international airport will be built in Long Thanh (Dong Nai) that can handle 20-30 million passengers a year. Water supply and drainage projects will be built to fully tap water sources from the Sai Gon and Dong Nai rivers to meet the city's rising demand of 3.6 million cu.m of water per day by 2010. About 95 per cent of the urban population will then have access to clean water. (VNA) --------------------------- VNForum Archive at http://gw.netimages.com/cgi-bin/fetch?newsgroup=vnforum To SUBSCRIBE/UNSUBSCRIBE to vnforum, send email to majordomo@saigon.com with one of the following text lines: subscribe vnforum or unsubscribe vnforum in the BODY of your message. ________________________________________________ Craig Townsend Institute for Sustainability & Technology Policy 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 From aldizon at pacific.net.sg Tue Mar 7 11:51:31 2000 From: aldizon at pacific.net.sg (Al Dizon) Date: Tue, 7 Mar 2000 10:51:31 +0800 Subject: [sustran] Re: cycling in Brunei References: <3.0.6.32.20000307091450.007a4c10@central.murdoch.edu.au> Message-ID: <000c01bf87e0$0b88c500$2901a8c0@cch.com.sg> Hello I plan to make several trips to Brunei between June and December 2000. I was just thinking that it might be good for me to bring my bicycle to get around the city and its environs. Any idea whether Brunei is as bike-friendly as Singapore or any other city? Al Dizon From ausbec at yahoo.com.au Wed Mar 8 11:06:38 2000 From: ausbec at yahoo.com.au (=?iso-8859-1?q?Rebecca=20Prince?=) Date: Wed, 8 Mar 2000 13:06:38 +1100 (EST) Subject: dates for world car free day Message-ID: <20000308020638.10686.qmail@web1202.mail.yahoo.com> The proposal for late September sounds great for Sydney in any other year than 2000. This year, however, the Olympics are on around that time, and with the huge amounts of tourists expected in and around the city, it may well be that the car free day would not be feasible. Rebecca --- SUSTRAN Network Secretariat wrote: > I am amazed and encouraged by the response, > especially from Car Busters who > have clearly been working on this for some time! I > just received their > latest e-bulletin which also details their proposal > for a World Car Free Day! > > Concerning dates: > > Carbusters wrote: > >So, we thought to move the day forward to Thursday > 21 September. With > > and "Lanyon, Ryan" wrote: > >'Clean Air Day' is already an event sponsored by > Environment Canada, it > >just so happens to be the Wednesday of Envrionment > Week/Commuter > > Challenge each year. This year's events take > place from June 5-9, > > with Clean Air Day happening on June 7. > > It would be nice (but not essential) to find a date > when most of the global > population is enjoying moderate weather - because we > hope to give as many > people as possible a chance to have a positive > initial > walking/cycling/public transport experience. > > Fortunately, the Car Busters proposal for late > September seems to be OK > weatherwise. And building on momentum of the > already-declared European > event seems like a very good idea. September could > still be pretty hot in > much of southwest Asia (eg the Arabian Gulf) but in > most other parts of the > world I think Sept 21 would probably have pretty > good weather, on average. > This date also avoids major university and school > examination times in most > places (as far as I know). October may be the month > with the best overall > average weather around the populated parts of the > world - which may explain > why October is already so crowded with > "international days". March might > also be OK I think (but April and May are too hot in > monsoon and desert > parts of northern hemisphere). > > > > > _____________________________________________________________________________ http://greetings.yahoo.com.au - Yahoo! Australia & NZ Greetings - Better choose an online card now... Valentine's Day is coming sooner than you think! From sustran at po.jaring.my Wed Mar 8 13:34:40 2000 From: sustran at po.jaring.my (SUSTRAN Network Secretariat) Date: Wed, 08 Mar 2000 12:34:40 +0800 Subject: [sustran] News Flash #37: Transport in the 'Global South' Message-ID: <3.0.6.32.20000308123440.008f0ba0@relay101.jaring.my> Sustainable Transport Action Network for Asia and the Pacific (the SUSTRAN Network) P.O. Box 11501, 50748 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. E-mail: URL: http://www.malaysiakini.com/sustran SUSTRAN News Flash #37 8 March 2000 News update on people-centred, equitable and sustainable transport with a focus on countries in the 'Global South'. CONTENTS 1. Invitation to SUSTRAN Network Assembly meeting 2. Community Action Guide to transport issues 3. Pedicabs under attack in Jakarta: activists arrested 4. Major new urban transport data publication 5. Bogot? makes history with Car Free Day 6. World Car-Free Day: a proposal 7. Anti-smoke belcher campaign in Manila 8. Delhi debates diesel versus CNG 9. Mumbai evictions of railway slum-dwellers 10. Bicycle donations to East Timor 11. Jakarta government seeks NGO input on traffic restraint plan 12. Wanted: Best Practice urban transport examples 13. RESOURCES 14. INTERNET RESOURCES 15. EVENTS 16. Quick quotes PLEASE RECOMMEND SUSTRAN NEWS FLASHES TO A FRIEND Do your colleagues and friends with an interest in transport issues receive SUSTRAN News Flashes? PLEASE PASS THIS EDITION ON TO THEM AND INVITE THEM TO JOIN. Or tell us their contact details and we can send them an invitation. 1. INVITATION TO SUSTRAN NETWORK ASSEMBLY MEETING The SUSTRAN Network is hoping to hold a meeting of members of the SUSTRAN Assembly in Jakarta on June 1, 2000. The SUSTRAN Assembly is the core formal membership of the SUSTRAN Network. The meeting is being arranged in order to tie in with the Conference on Sustainable Transportation & Clean Air, being held in Jakarta from May 29 to 31. ALL CURRENT MEMBERS OF THE SUSTRAN ASSEMBLY who can attend on those dates (May 29 to 1 June) are urged to IMMEDIATELY contact us (sustran@po.jaring.my) so that we can try to arrange funding to get you to these meetings in Jakarta. See http://www.malaysiakini.com/sustran/net.html for the list of current SUSTRAN Assembly members. If you are already funded to attend or if you can fund yourself then this would be very helpful. The Registration fee for the Conference on Sustainable Transportation & Clean Air is US$300 (if paid before 10 May 2000) and US$350 (if paid after 10 May 2000). You are not a member of the SUSTRAN Assembly? Do not despair! Other organisations that are active in promoting people-centred, equitable and sustainable transport in developing countries can apply to join the SUSTRAN Assembly and apply to attend the meetings in Jakarta (subject to certain conditions). Please contact us quickly to apply and to discuss the options for getting your representative to the meetings. Again, if you can fund yourself it would be very helpful. We need to move quickly if additional fundraising becomes necessary so please respond quickly - at the latest by 20 March, 2000. 2. COMMUNITY ACTION GUIDE TO TRANSPORT ISSUES The SUSTRAN Network's new book, entitled "Taking Steps: A Community Action Guide to People-centred, Equitable and Sustainable Transport" has just been published. This 120-page book provides a reference and guide to people-centred, equitable and sustainable urban transport. It is written especially to demystify urban transport issues for non-experts. The focus is on developing countries, especially in Asia. PLEASE CONTACT THE SUSTRAN NETWORK SECRETARIAT (sustran@po.jaring.my) FOR DETAILS ON HOW TO ORDER. The Guide includes introductions to: * Why we should worry about urban transport * Basic principles of people-centred, equitable and sustainable transport * What is happening in Asian urban transport * How we can move towards better urban transport (with examples) * What we can do (as communities, organisations, businesses and individuals) * Tools for action (A to Z of transport terms, directory of contacts, lists of readings and web resources) The SUSTRAN Network runs on a tiny budget but we are able to provide a very limited number of free copies to non-profit organisations who cannot afford to pay. For all others, the minimum contribution per copy is RM 30 (inside Malaysia) or US$ 15 (from outside Malaysia). These contributions include the cost of postage and handling. 3. PEDICABS UNDER ATTACK IN JAKARTA: ACTIVISTS ARRESTED There have been dramatic developments in the campaign to persuade the Jakarta authorities to allow becaks (pedicabs) to continue to operate in Jakarta (see previous report in SUSTRAN News Flash #35, Dec 11, 1999). On 17 February six becak drivers representing some 130 fellow drivers lodged a class-action civil lawsuit against Governor Sutiyoso demanding that the governor allow pedicab drivers to operate in housing complexes and markets in the capital. The filing of the lawsuit was witnessed by 150 pedicab drivers. The pedicab drivers allege that Governor Sutiyoso was inconsistent in his policy on pedicabs in the city. Bylaw No. 11/1988 rules that pedicabs are banned in the city, but on June 25 last year, Governor Sutiyoso decided to allow pedicab drivers to operate in the city due to the economic crisis. However, shortly afterward the governor reversed his decision leading to the confiscation of numerous pedicabs by city officials, sometimes through violence. "Even President Abdurrahman Wahid said on Jan. 23 that pedicabs were allowed to operate in housing complexes here," the lawsuit says. On Monday 28 February, several activists, including Ms Wardah Hafidz from Urban Poor Consortium (UPC)and Mr Edi Saidi, Mr Afrizal, Mr Congki, and Mr Anto were arrested by Jakarta Police outside the Presidential Palace for demonstrating with about 100 becak drivers against the Governor's policies on becaks. They were charged and convicted of participating in an "illegal" rally. More than 200 becak drivers showed up at Tuesday's hearing in support of the defendants. The defendants rejected all the charges, denying the legality of the 1998 law. "The law is a product of a regime that didn't appreciate its residents' rights to deliver their opinion," said Wardah. Please write letters urging that (1) pedicabs be allowed to operate in housing areas and markets of Jakarta; (2) that confiscations of pedicabs should stop (at least pending the outcome of the pedicab drivers' law suit); and (3) that the pedicab drivers' right to demonstrate be respected. Letters can be sent to: Mr. Sutiyoso, Gubernur Kepala Daerah Tingkat I Jakarta Jl. Merdeka Selatan No.8-9, Jakarta 10110, Indonesia. Fax:+62(21)389-8653 and DPRD Jakarta (Jakarta Regional House of Representative) Jl. Kebon Sirih No. 18, Jakarta Pusat, Indonesia. Fax: +62(21) 350-8781 [Contact: INFORTRANS (Indonesian NGO Forum for Transportation which includes WALHI, UPC, LpiST, YLBHI, ISJ, ICEL, YLKI, and PELANGI Indonesia.), Jalan Danau Tondano A4, Pejompongan, Jakarta 10210, Indonesia. Tel: (62-21)-571-9360, 573-2503. Fax: (62-21)-573-2503. Email: vera@pelangi.or.id]. 4. MAJOR NEW URBAN TRANSPORT DATA PUBLICATION Recently published "AN INTERNATIONAL SOURCEBOOK OF AUTOMOBILE DEPENDENCE IN CITIES, 1960-1990" by Jeff Kenworthy and Felix Laube, with Peter Newman, Paul A. Barter, Tamim Raad, Chamlong Poboon and Benedicto Guia (Jr). University Press of Colorado, 737 pages, 130 colour maps, 29 tables, 35 illustrations; ISBN 0-87081-523-7, US$125.00, JULY, 1999. This book provides a large reliable digest of urban data about land use, private and public transportation, energy use in transport, environment and economics. The book sets out detailed data on forty-six metropolitan areas in the United States, Australia, Canada, western Europe, and Asia for 1960, 1970, 1980, and 1990. The Asian cities covered are: Hong Kong, Singapore, Tokyo, Bangkok, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Manila, Seoul, Surabaya. Each city represented in the book has its own set of colour maps showing the various territorial boundaries and shape of the metropolitan area, the urbanised areas of the region, the freeway system and all the fixed track rail and bus-way systems. [Contact: University Press of Colorado, Fax +1 303 530 5306 or Darrin Pratt, Email: prattd@stripe.colorado.edu] 5. BOGOT? MAKES HISTORY WITH CAR FREE DAY Bogot? became the first major city in the "Global South" to hold a car free day on Thursday, 24 February 2000. Mayor Enrique Penalosa declared Thursday an auto-free day to force people to think about improving life in this traffic-choked metropolis. From 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., all private vehicles, including private cars, motorcycles, big trucks and sport utility vehicles, were barred from the capital. Very few drivers defied the order. The Mayor led a morning caravan of cyclists through quiet streets. Newscasts showed government ministers boarding buses. City Hall said traffic accidents fell from the daily average of 120 to 25, a drop of 79 percent. There were no injuries. Bogot?, a city of 6.4 million people, averages three traffic fatalities a day. Surveys show 65 percent of Bogot? residents supported the car-free day. The Bogot? authorities have had impressive help and support from many supporters around the world, rallied especially by Eric Britton of Ecoplan in Paris. For more details see http://www.ecoplan.org/carfreeday/ or contact Eric.Britton@ecoplan.org 6. WORLD CAR-FREE DAY: A PROPOSAL If you are inspired by Bogot?'s example, CAR BUSTERS in Prague (carbusters@ecn.cz) has put out a proposal for an annual World Car-Free Day for September 21. The idea is to expand upon the September 22 governmental European Car-Free Day, which will be truly European for the first time this year. The World Car-Free Day would fall on the day before, a Thursday, which, according to years of experience with car-free days, is the optimum day on which to hold such an event (see http://www.ecoplan.org/carfreeday/ for the report "Thursday: Breakthrough Strategies for Reducing Car Dependence in Cities"). Every aspect of this proposal is up for debate, elaboration and change. No one is going to copyright World Car-Free Day; it will be up to everyone to decide locally what they want to do with the idea. Please send in your feedback! 7. ANTI-SMOKE BELCHER CAMPAIGN IN MANILA A campaign against smoke belchers, as traffic polluting vehicles are known in the Philippines, was launched at the Asian Development Bank on 21 February. The campaign includes government authorities, heads of major bus, jeepney and truck organisations and representatives from civil society. The Bantay Usok (Guard Against Smoke) campaign is part of the ongoing US$300 million ADB-supported Metro Manila Air Quality Improvement Sector Development Program. A Swiss NGO, Swisscontact, will also begin a program to help transport organisations to improve vehicle maintenance in order to reduce fuel consumption and emission levels. An official website for the Implementing Rules and Regulations of the Clean Air Act (http://www.hangin.org) was also launched. At least 70 percent of Manila's air pollution is caused by traffic. [Source: press release from the Asian Development Bank]. 8. DELHI DEBATES DIESEL VERSUS CNG There is heated debate in Delhi over moves to allow the registration of only commercial vehicles running on compressed natural gas (CNG). The Supreme Court in 1998 ordered that all buses over eight years old should move to CNG from April 1, 2000 and all buses should be running on CNG by March 2001. The court is also hearing a case recommending a ban on private diesel cars in Delhi. The Delhi government has followed up on the court order with a proposal to register only buses, taxis and autorickshaws that run on CNG from April 1, 2000. In response, scientists at the TATA Energy Research Institute (TERI) have said that this proposal will promote global warming. The Director of the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) in New Delhi, Mr Anil Agarwal, has attacked the TERI position. He points to particulate matter as the city's main air pollution problem. Pollution due to PM 10 particles - particles with a diameter less than 10 microns - reach 820 microgrammes per cubic metre on some days in the city's ambient air. He points out that even in US states like New York and California (which contribute to global warming at rates many times higher than Delhi) local health concerns have taken precedence over global concerns leading to the purchase of more CNG buses. He alleges that TERI is acting as a part of the automobile lobby's efforts to block the introduction of CNG in Delhi. Mr Agarwal points out that a TATA company - TELCO - is a leader in the pro-diesel lobby. [Contact: Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), 41 Tughlakabad Institutional Area, New Delhi 110-062, India. Tel: 91 11 698-1110, 698-1124, 698-3394, 698-6399, Fax: 91 11 698 5879, Email: cse@cseindia.org, Web: http://www.cseindia.org or www.oneworld.org/cse] 9. MUMBAI EVICTIONS OF RAILWAY SLUM-DWELLERS We have learned with great alarm from the Asian Coalition and its partner federation in India, the Railway Slum Dwellers Federation (RSDF), about recent evictions of slum dwellers living along the railway tracks in Mumbai. This is particularly disappointing since over the past five years Mumbai's state-of-the-art resettlement policy for railway slum dwellers has been watched with great enthusiasm around the world. The effective working partnerships between urban poor federations and various government agencies have exemplified enlightened governance. The model resettlement project along the Central Railway line at Kanjurmarg has been presented as a case study at the United Nations World Habitat Awards in Japan, and is scheduled to be visited by US President Mr. Bill Clinton later this year. Maharashtra State Law guarantees every slum dweller residing in their community before the cut-off date of January 1, 1995 protection against eviction and entitles them to a secure, 225-sq. ft. dwelling on the same site, or close by. It is therefore shocking to learn of the eviction of hundreds of poor railway slum families whom this enlightened resettlement policy should be protecting and supporting. Please send letters and faxes to the Maharashtra State Government urging them to stop these illegal evictions at once, and to go back to the negotiating table with their partners in the RSDF, SPARC, the Railways and the SRA. The letters should be addressed to: 1. Mr. Bongirwar, Chief Secretary, Government of Maharashtra, Mantralaya, Mumbai, INDIA Fax Number : (91 22) 202-8594 2. Dr. Joshi, Urban Development Secretary, Government of Maharashtra, Mantralaya, Mumbai, INDIA Fax Number (91 22) 282-9282 3. Mr. Thamal, Housing Secretary, Government of Maharashtra, Mantralaya, Mumbai, INDIA Fax Number : (91 22) 202-5939 [Source: Somsook Boonyabancha, Secretary General, Asian Coalition for Housing Rights (ACHR), 73 Soi Sonthiwattana 4, Ladprao 110, Ladprao Rd, Bangkok 1030, Thailand. Tel [662] 538 0919, Fax: +662 539 9950, Email: achrsec@email.ksc.net]. 10. BICYCLE DONATIONS TO EAST TIMOR A man from Darwin, Mark Pate, visited Dili twice in early February to distribute about 650 bicycles donated by ordinary Australians. Mr Pate says he has had an excited response to the bikes in Dili and has sent them to rural areas of East Timor as well. He hopes to supply 200,000 bikes to East Timorese residents during the next five years. [Source: Australian Broadcasting Commission (ABC), 10 Feb 2000]. 11. JAKARTA GOVERNMENT SEEKS NGO INPUT ON TRAFFIC RESTRAINT PLAN The Jakarta government has announced it will include NGO and community representatives in a working group to decide how best to restrain traffic in the city centre. The city administration will establish a working group to seek a replacement for the current traffic restraint system, known as the three-in-one policy, under which vehicles entering the restricted zone in peak hours must have at least 3 occupants. An evaluation of the three-in-one policy was held because it has encouraged children to serve as traffic "jockeys" - offering themselves as passengers for a small fee. The working group's members will consist of city officials, city councillors, community leaders, and non-governmental organisations (NGOs), including the Indonesian Consumers Foundation (YLKI). [Source: The Jakarta Post, City News, March 03, 2000]. 12. WANTED: BEST PRACTICE EXAMPLES The United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat) and the Municipality of Dubai, UAE are again inviting submissions to participate in the 2000 Dubai International Award for Best Practices in Improving the Living Environment. In June 2000, 10 initiatives will be selected to receive the Dubai Award which includes a US$ 30,000 cash prize, a commemorative certificate and a trophy. They are particularly interested in seeing examples of actions and initiatives in transportation. The deadline for submissions is 31 March 2000. [Contact: Bill Kagai, Consultant, Best Practices & Local Leadership Programme, UNCHS (Habitat), P.O. Box 30030, Nairobi, Kenya. Tel: +254 2 623456, Fax: +254 2 623080, E-Mail: bestpractices@unchs.org, Web: http://www.bestpractices.org or http://www.sustainabledevelopment.org/blp/awards/ ]. 13. RESOURCES See item 2 above for announcement of the SUSTRAN Network's new book "TAKING STEPS: A Community Action Guide to People-centred, Equitable and Sustainable Transport." See item 4 above for announcement of "An International Sourcebook of Automobile Dependence in Cities, 1960-1990" by Jeff Kenworthy and Felix Laube, et al. "Pedestrian and Bicycle Planning: A Guide to Best Practices" by the Victoria Transportation Policy Institute. Available for download at http://www.vtpi.org then select "Pedestrian and Bicycle Issues". "Street Reclaiming - Creating Livable Streets and Viable Communities" by David Engwicht, Pluto Press 1999. "David Engwicht has put together a truly inspiring book full of practical ideas to get things changed, and very useful background information to help you on the way", says Caroline Winstone in the NZ Sustainable Transport Network Newsletter, Issue 9, February/March 2000. To order go to http://www.lesstraffic.com/ "Balancing the Load: Proceedings of the Asia and Africa Regional Seminars on Gender and Transport", International Forum for Rural Transport and Development. June and July 1999. [Contact: The Forum Secretariat, c/o Intermediate Technology, 150 Southampton Row, London WC1B 5AL, UK. Email: ifrtd@gn.apc.org, Web: http://www.gn.apc.org/ifrtd ]. CHANGE OF ADDRESS for Car Busters Magazine: CAR BUSTERS Magazine and Resource Centre, Kr?tk? 26, 100 00 Praha 10, Czech Republic. Tel: +(420) 2-781-08-49 ; Fax: +(420) 2-781-67-27, Email: carbusters@ecn.cz, Web: http://www.antenna.nl/eyfa/cb "Toolkits for Activists: A User's Guide to the Multilateral Development Banks". Download a full-text version of the Toolkits from http://www.bicusa.org or print out an order form from there. Spanish, Russian, Bahasa Indonesian, and Khmer versions are being prepared [Contact: Bank Information Center, 733 15th Street NW, Suite 1126, Washington, DC 20005, USA. phone: +(1 202) 737-7752, fax: +(1 202) 737-1155, e-mail: info@bicusa.org, web site: http://www.bicusa.org ]. "Handbook of Transport Modelling" edited by David Hensher and Kenneth Button. Elsevier Science, October 2000, ISBN 0-08-043594-7. US$162. (Part of the Handbooks in Transport series). [Contact: Elsevier Science http://www.elsevier.nl ]. "A UN Guide for NGOs" (contacts and services available in the United Nations system). Sept. 1999. [Contact: Tony Hill, UN NGO Liaison Service, Palais des Nations, 1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland. Tel: +41 22 917 2076, Fax: +41 22 917 0049, ngls@unctad.org] IATSS Research journal from Japan recently had an excellent special issue on Non-Motorised Transport (vol 23 no 2, 1999). Find out more at http://injurypreventionweb.org/iatss/iatss.htm 14. INTERNET RESOURCES The SUSTRAN-DISCUSS list on the promotion of "people-centred, equitable and sustainable transport with a focus on developing countries (the 'Global South')". Contact sustran@po.jaring.my for more information on how to join. Visit the on-line archives via http://www.malaysiakini.com/sustran then click on the menu-bar link "sustran-discuss". "Traffic Calming State of the Practice" downloadable at the web site of the Institute of Transportation Engineers: http://www.ite.org "Right to Clean Air" POSTER exhibition at the Auto Expo in New Delhi The Centre for Science and Environment's (CSE's). The entire exhibition (about 26 colour posters) can be downloaded from: http://www.oneworld.org/cse/html/cmp/cmp5autoexpo.htm UK anti-speed campaign: http://www.speed-campaign-info.fsnet.co.uk Includes "Speed Kills" in HTML and Word formats; "The Benefits of slower speeds" in Word and HTML; and the colourful leaflet "Why Reduce Speeds" as Acrobat PDF and scanned images. "Bus rapid transit" demonstration project in the United States: http://brt.volpe.dot.gov/ "Developing a Walking Strategy". Downloadable report from the UK Department of the Environment Transport and the Regions: http://www.local-transport.detr.gov.uk/walk/walk.htm 15. EVENTS UITP conference: "Public Transport - The Challenge". 10-11 April 2000, Mexico City, Mexico. [International Association of Public Transport (UITP), Avenue Herrmann-Debroux 17, B-1160 Brussels, Belgium, Tel +32 2 673 6100 - Fax +32 2 660 1072, E-mail: administration@uitp.com, URL: http://www.uitp.com ] "Towards Car Free Cities Avoiding the Mistakes of the West." Conference, Timisoara, Romania, April 10-15, 2000. [Contact: OP nr 12, CP 986, 1900 Timisoara, Romania. Tel :+40-56-183418, Fax :+40-56-183418, E-mail: tpn@banat.ro]. "CODATU IX World Congress on Urban Transportation" - central theme: Urban Transportation and the Environment, Mexico City 11-14 April 2000 [Contact: CODATU IX Scientific Committee, Christian JAMET, 9/11, Av. De Villars 75007 Paris, France. Fax: +33 1 44 18 78 04, E-mail: christian.jamet@stp-paris.fr or chazelle@entpe.fr, THE FINAL PROGRAMME IS AVAILABLE AT: http://www.codatu.org ]. "Road Pricing Agenda - progressing the electronic pricing agenda", Conference, 11-13 April 2000, Brisbane Australia. Presentations from World bank, Singapore, Hong Kong, New Zealand, United Kingdom, Denmark and France, and Australia. [Contact: Conference Secretariat, Tel: +617 3854 1611, fax +617 3854 1507, E-mail: ozaccom@ozaccom.com.au]. EARTH DAY 2000 is on April 22 - many of the events around the world are transport related. [Contact: Earth Day Network, 91 Marion St. Seattle, WA 98104 USA. Tel: + 1.206.876.2000, Fax: + 1.206.682.1184, E-mail: worldwide@earthday.net, Web: http://www.earthday.net ]. UN Millennium Forum, 22-26 May 2000 at United Nations headquarters. This is part of the preparations for the UN's Millennium Assembly in September. The complete preliminary program can be found at: http://www.millenniumforum.org. deadline for applications to attend has been extended to 31 March 2000. The Millennium Forum strives to solicit the best thinking of civil society in all its sectors worldwide as they relate to six broad themes: peace, the eradication of poverty, human rights, sustainable development, globalisation, and "strengthening and democratising" the United Nations. [The Millennium Forum, 866 United Nations Plaza, Suite 120, New York, NY 10017, USA. Tel: 1-212-803-2522, Fax: USA 212-803-2561, Email: mngof@bic.org]. INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE AND EXHIBITION: SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORTATION & CLEAN AIR, MAY 29 - 31, 2000, JAKARTA, INDONESIA. PLEASE TAKE NOTE OF THE CHANGED DATES. [For more information contact: Sustainable Transportation and Clean Air Conference Secretariat c/o Clean Air Project, Jakarta, Jalan Wijaya XII, No. 44, 12160 Jakarta, Indonesia. Phone: +62 21 739 40 41, Fax: +62 21 722 30 37, E-mail: catc2000@cbn.net.id]. "VELO MONDIALE 2000 World Bicycle Conference", June 18-22, 2000, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. [Contact: Congress Organisation Services, PO Box 1558, 6501 BN Nijmegen, The Netherlands, Fax: +31 24 360 1159, http://www.velomondial2000.nl/ ] Interface for Cycling Expertise (I-ce) is planning an Intensive Bicycle Training Programme to follow the Velo Mondiale conference in the Netherlands in June 2000. [For more information contact: I-ce, Predikherenstraat 17, 3512 TL Utrecht, The Netherlands. Tel. +31 - 30 - 230 45 21, Fax +31 - 30 - 230 45 21, Email: i-ce@cycling.nl, Web: http://www.cycling.nl]. "Reinventing Mobility - Challenge of the 21st Century", June 24 - 27, 2000, Bremen, Germany. Organised by Bremen initiative, the global campaign for business-municipality partnership towards a sustainable future for cities. [For further information: Ecolo-Ecology and Communication, Leher Heerstr. 102, D-28359 Bremen - Germany. Phone: +49-421-23.00.11.0; Fax:+49-421-23.00.11.18; E-mail: conference2000@bremen-initiative.de, Visit http://www.bremen-initiative.de ] "UITP Melbourne 2000 Public Transport Conference Event", 8 - 13 October 2000, includes both the International Union of Public Transport (UITP) Light Rail Conference and the Asia/Pacific Congress and City Transport Exhibition. Additional information is available on the website of the Government of Victoria (Australia) at: www.lightrail2000.vic.gov.au [International Association of Public Transport (UITP), Avenue Herrmann-Debroux 17, B-1160 Brussels, Belgium, Tel +32 2 673 6100 - Fax +32 2 660 1072, E-mail: administration@uitp.com, URL: http://www.uitp.com ] "XI Panamerican Conference in Traffic and Transportation Engineering" , 19-23 November, 2000, Gramado, state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. [Contact: Dr. Luis Antonio Lindau, President of the Organising Committee, Escola de Engenharia/UFRGS, Pra?a Argentina n.9 Sala 408, 90040-020 Porto Alegre, Brasil. Tel: + 55 51 316 3596, Fax : + 55 51 316 4007, email: panam@orion.ufrgs.br, Web: http://www.ufrgs.br/panam ] Call for Papers for the 54th UITP International Congress to be held in London, 20-25 May 2001. International Exhibition of Public Transport - City Transport 2001. London, England, 21-24 May 2001. In conjunction with the 54th UITP International Congress. [International Association of Public Transport (UITP), Avenue Herrmann-Debroux 17, B-1160 Brussels, Belgium, Tel +32 2 673 6100 - Fax +32 2 660 1072, E-mail: administration@uitp.com, URL: http://www.uitp.com ] "9th World Conference on Transport Research (WCTR)" to be held at ASEM International Convention Center, Seoul, July 22-27, 2001. Co-organisers: Korean Society of Transportation & The Korea Transport Institute. Deadline for submission of abstracts April 15, 2000. [For further information, contact: Secretariat of 9th WCTR Conference, The Korea Transport Institute, 2311 Daehwa-Dong, Ilsan-Gu, Koyang-city, Kyonggi-Do, 411-410, KOREA. Tel : +82-344-910-3100, Fax: +82-344-910-3200, Email: wctr@cis.koti.re.kr, Web: http://www.koti.re.kr/~wctr ] 16. QUICK QUOTES An account of transportation issues faced by members of the Self Employed Women's Association (SEWA) in and around Ahmedabad, India: "Women carry headloads of up to 40 kg and walking is the main mode of transportation, with many of the women interviewed walking anywhere even remotely accessible to cut transportation costs. Other modes of transport, such as bus or rickshaw , are secondary to walking. Buses, the second most important form of transportation to the women, are only used in emergencies..." Sangita Shrestova and Rekha Barve in "Balancing the Load: Proceedings of the Asia and Africa Regional Seminars on Gender and Transport", International Forum for Rural Transport and Development. "MOTORISTS involved in road deaths will find themselves treated as murder or manslaughter suspects under new instructions for police traffic investigators. Officers will be taught techniques used by detectives in murder hunts. They will be urged not automatically to regard fatalities as accidents but look at possible criminal cases and gather evidence for serious charges." The Times (UK), 17 Jan. 2000. ----------------------------------------------------- Written and compiled by A. Rahman Paul Barter The Sustainable Transport Action Network for Asia & the Pacific (the SUSTRAN Network) promotes and popularises people-centred, equitable and sustainable transport with a focus on Asia and the Pacific We rely on you, the participants in the network, for our news. Thank you to everyone who has sent material. Please keep it coming. We welcome brief news and announcements from all over the world. From Jimmy.Tan at komag.com Wed Mar 8 15:52:09 2000 From: Jimmy.Tan at komag.com (Jimmy Tan) Date: Tue, 7 Mar 2000 22:52:09 -0800 Subject: [sustran] RE: Brainpower needed Message-ID: <0C1FC1F95058D311BF3700104B6621FB0127138A@kmsx01.komag.com> It's great to hear that there is going to be an initiative to get the global car-free day going. How's "Free Ride Day" ? One reason is you are free to ride other sustainable alternative than cars. Another thing is that, free one's selves from cars. Yes free, free yourselves from being stuck in a 'motorize metal cage ' that hardly goes anywhere during traffic jams or rush hours. Or Free the environments form it's pollutants. JIMMY TAN jimmy.tan@komag.com KOMAG CAMPUS 3 EXT: 7401 423651 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://list.jca.apc.org/manage/private/sustran-discuss/attachments/20000307/b9159661/attachment.htm From sustran at po.jaring.my Wed Mar 8 17:00:20 2000 From: sustran at po.jaring.my (SUSTRAN Network Secretariat) Date: Wed, 08 Mar 2000 16:00:20 +0800 Subject: Brainpower needed In-Reply-To: <0C1FC1F95058D311BF3700104B6621FB0127138A@kmsx01.komag.com> Message-ID: <3.0.6.32.20000308160020.00902eb0@relay101.jaring.my> Hi Jimmy Thanks for participating in the sustran-discuss discussions. Can I ask one small favour though... please switch off the HTML option when you send to sustran-discuss. Some people complain. Thanks and best wishes. By the way, I have had a quick look so far at the bike route document you sent. Looks great.. Will try to respond in detail next week I hope. Busy with a few urgent things now. Paul At 22:52 7/03/00 -0800, you wrote: > It's great to hear that there is going to be an initiative to get >the global car-free day going. How's "Free Ride Day" ? One reason is you >are free to ride other sustainable alternative than cars. Another thing is >that, free one's selves from cars. Yes free, free yourselves from being >stuck in a 'motorize metal cage ' that hardly goes anywhere during traffic >jams or rush hours. Or Free the environments form it's pollutants. >jimmy.tan@komag.com >KOMAG CAMPUS 3 >EXT: 7401 >423651 A. Rahman Paul BARTER Sustainable Transport Action Network for Asia and the Pacific (the SUSTRAN Network) P.O. Box 11501, Kuala Lumpur 50748, Malaysia. E-mail: sustran@po.jaring.my URL: http://www.malaysiakini.com/sustran (under construction) Ask about our SUSTRAN NEWS FLASHES - news updates on people-centred, equitable and sustainable transport with a focus on countries in the global 'South'. From rijnsburger at waste.nl Wed Mar 8 18:39:40 2000 From: rijnsburger at waste.nl (rijnsburger@waste.nl) Date: Wed, 8 Mar 2000 10:39:40 +0100 Subject: [sustran] Re: Brainpower needed In-Reply-To: <3.0.6.32.20000308160020.00902eb0@relay101.jaring.my> Message-ID: <200003080946.AA21172@antenna.nl> <0C1FC1F95058D311BF3700104B6621FB0127138A@kmsx01.komag.com> X-mailer: Pegasus Mail for Win32 (v3.01d) I can't help contributing: Leave your car (for the) Day Leave your car (to)Day Leave your car Cheers Jaap !!!!! NEW ADDRESS AS FROM OCTOBER 1997 !!!!! *************************************************** I-CE, Interface for Cycling Expertise Predikherenstraat 17, 3512 TL Utrecht, The Netherlands tel/fax: +31 30 2304521 email: I-ce@cycling.nl *************************************************** From sustran at po.jaring.my Wed Mar 8 19:05:16 2000 From: sustran at po.jaring.my (SUSTRAN Network Secretariat) Date: Wed, 08 Mar 2000 18:05:16 +0800 Subject: [sustran] Correction on book order information Message-ID: <3.0.6.32.20000308180516.008af100@relay101.jaring.my> I wrote in the News Flash: >4. MAJOR NEW URBAN TRANSPORT DATA PUBLICATION >Recently published "AN INTERNATIONAL SOURCEBOOK OF AUTOMOBILE DEPENDENCE IN >CITIES, 1960-1990" by Jeff Kenworthy and Felix Laube, with Peter Newman, .... >[Contact: University Press of Colorado, Fax +1 303 530 >5306 or Darrin Pratt, Email: prattd@stripe.colorado.edu] There is a CORRECTION to these contact details. The contact details to order the book should in fact be: Todd Adcock at University of Oklahoma Press. His email address is mtadcock@ou.edu and the fax number that I gave is now defunct. An electronic order form is available which can be submitted electronically as an attachment to Todd Adcock at the above email address or relevant sections copied into the body of an email message. If you need the order form then please email Jeff Kenworthy at kenworth@central.murdoch.edu.au For international orders, a US toll free number (880-735-0476) may also work by dialing your country-specific international access code followed by 1-880-735-0476. This works from Australia. Sorry for any inconvenience. Paul From eric.britton at ecoplan.org Wed Mar 8 20:34:27 2000 From: eric.britton at ecoplan.org (eric.britton@ecoplan.org) Date: Wed, 8 Mar 2000 12:34:27 +0100 Subject: [sustran] "Brainpower needed" - Report and commentary In-Reply-To: Message-ID: Re: Brainpower Needed - Report And Commentary First of all, a note of real thanks to the several dozen of you who responded with not only your ideas and thought provoking suggestions, but also for your words of encouragement and support. Thank you. Certainly this can be counted a highly productive and encouraging exercise when we consider that to date ideas and responses have been received from Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan,, Malaysia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Peru, Philippines, Spain, Sweden, UK, the UNDP, and, yes indeed, even the good old United States of America. Wouldn't you say that this list goes a long way to showing how this idea is finally beginning to take hold? And what about this for a list? 21st Century Transport Day A Day To Breath A Day Without Congestion Air and Noise Pollution Free Day Alternate Transport Day Alternative Traffic Day Better Transport With Less Traffic Beyond Barriers Bird Singing Day Breath Easy Day Breath-Free Day Car Conscious Day Car Free Sundays Car Rest Day ("Your car also deserves a rest") City Revival Day Clean Air Day Clean Monday (If it happens to be Monday - Or Green Tuesday / Clean Tuesday if it happens to be Tuesday etc.) Clean Motion Day Clean Transport Day Clean Travel Day Community Transport Day Congestion Relief Day Day By Foot Drive-Less Day Enhanced Transport Day Enjoy Moving Enjoyable Transport Day Entertaining Transport Day Face Freedom Day Fair Mobility Day Flower Smelling Day Free Moving Day Free One's Selves From Cars Free Ride Day Free The Environment From Its Pollutants Friendly Transport Day Funny Transport Day Future Displacement Future Moving Future Transport Day Go! Clean Day Go! Green Day Green Monday Green Transport Day Greener Transport Day Green Travel Day Harmless Transport Day Healthy And Happy Day Healthy Transport Day Human Powered Day Human Transport Day Independence Day Innovative Transport Day Leave-Your-Car Day Less Traffic Day Liveable Transport Day Lose it and Move it Neighbourhood Day No Gas Day No Smog Day People's Transport Day Quiet Transport (Mobility?) Day Really Enjoy Moving Restful (Mobility) Transport Day Ride & Walk Day Road Rage Elimination Day See Your City Day Sleeping Car Day Sleeping Restful (Mobility) Transport Day Strive Not To Drive Day Sustainable Transport Day Traffic Free Day Traffic Peace Day Traffic Reduction Day Traffic Silence Day Transportation Of The People, For The People, By The People Travel Clean Day Travel Green Day Travel To Work Awareness Day True Transportation Enjoyment" True Transportation Joy UnCar Day Unclog The Arteries Day Urban Community Day Walk & Ride Day Walking and Bicycling Makes (You) Environment Friendly Day World Car-Free Day And then, most finally, from Murray Matson in Australia, the ever so restrained suggestion, "Death to the Car Day". (That should be an easy one to sell.) Now to some this may perhaps not be a particularly interesting enumeration, but I for one find it not only fascinating but also well worth inspection and pondering. What is it that we are trying to say? What are we attempting to get at with this idea of a day without cars? What indeed does this mean to people? This list, coming from many people and places as it does, can help us to understand not only what may or may not be an apt name for what we wish to do, but also the nature of the challenge before us. A huge world out there, with perhaps some common needs but also an enormous variety of perceptions and values. That's the challenge we face. But where does that leave us now, at least here in this site and program? Well as it happens (and I do hope that you will not be disappointed), just about at where we started. One of our respondents (Gerry Hawkes of Bike Track, Inc. in Woodstock, Vermont) made the point this way: "It seems hard to beat the name "Car Free Day" since that is really what we are looking for and since it also makes one think of a 'Care Free Day'." Indeed, "that is really what we are looking for..", so,] for now at least, we end up right where we began and for better or worse with Car Free Day, which is our choice since that very specifically is the goal which we are targeting: a day without cars, an opportunity to see our city as it might be, a window on the future, an exercise in popular democracy. Certainly to the extent that one (but only one) of our near term goals is to find support for such a project in the United States, this choice of title is not one that will necessarily endear us to the more chary bureaucracies with their Realpolitik attitudes toward the economic interests and lobbies which at least some of them seem to feel are more important than the interests of the citizens who pay their salaries. That's a pity since the facts in this case call for a more realistic and more responsible appraisal of what is going on. The simple fact is that cars, lots of cars, simply do not work well in cities, and that, knowing this, we should be prepared to seek out and develop new arrangements and mobility solutions. This shifts the economic ground in this particular portion of the market from the production and sales of today's cars to new kinds of vehicles and, above all, new packages of services. And even the bureaucracies should be able to spot this, never mind those groups who today make and support all those single occupancy vehicles that have little or no place in our cities. But we can also spot this: if the bureaucracies cannot come to grips with this in their more traditional, established way of weighing the public interest and deciding what to do next, then they may need a little help. And that is what the several thousand people who now come in and share ideas and information on this and other specialized public interest forums are well equipped to offer them. This is no time for us to be shy about all this. With the help of the new media, we are making important inroads on this new form of knowledge building and activism, so let us stay on top of these issues and keep pushing for these good ideas and fine learning opportunities. If we continue to work together on our common agenda, the old attitudes and inertia well simply give way. Better ideas will win out. And again my sincerest thanks for all these great responses. Eric Britton P.S. All of the original responses to and discussions of this call for ideas can be found in the eGroups component of our site, which you can get to by going first to http://www.ecoplan.org/carfreeday/, and from thence clicking the "@World Commentary" link on the menu. PPS. More on Bogot? and Italy to follow shortly. Ecopl@N ___ Technology, Economy, Society ___ Le Frene, 8/10 Rue Joseph Bara, 75006 Paris, France Eric.Britton@Ecoplan.Org URL Www.Ecoplan.Org 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 ghawkes at sover.net Wed Mar 8 21:17:17 2000 From: ghawkes at sover.net (Gerry Hawkes) Date: Wed, 8 Mar 2000 07:17:17 -0500 Subject: [sustran] Climate Change Search Engine Message-ID: <008401bf88f8$3fa41c90$935fc6d1@gerry> Since fossil fuel combustion in transportation contributes substantially to CO2 build up as well as other pollutants, I think most of you will be interested in the new search engine dedicated to climate change information at http://www.ClimateArk.org Best regards, Gerry Hawkes Eco Systems, Inc. & Bike Track, Inc. Woodstock, Vermont www.biketrack.com -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://list.jca.apc.org/manage/private/sustran-discuss/attachments/20000308/c9d9ec5b/attachment.htm From lucy.knight at ic.ac.uk Wed Mar 8 22:28:25 2000 From: lucy.knight at ic.ac.uk (Knight, L V) Date: Wed, 8 Mar 2000 13:28:25 -0000 Subject: [sustran] Do 20mph zones have a negative impact on the environment? Message-ID: <0846B011B9A4D111A1EE006097DA4FCE03A36BAB@icex1.cc.ic.ac.uk> The UK Road Safety Strategy recently launched by the government stated that an urban 20 mph speed limit would increase CO2 emissions and have a negative effect on the environment. In the next paragraph they gave support to self-enforcing 20mph zones in urban areas especially around schools. If anything I would think self-enforcing 20mph zones where vehicles are forced to slow down and speed up would not improve the quality of life for the immediate population, due to noise and vehicle emissions. However, it made me wonder if a balnket speed of 20mph would be detrimental to the environment, does anybody know the answer or have any commnets about 20mph zones? From intlbike at ibike.org Thu Mar 9 02:16:51 2000 From: intlbike at ibike.org (David Mozer) Date: Wed, 8 Mar 2000 09:16:51 -0800 Subject: Do 20mph zones have a negative impact on the environment? In-Reply-To: <0846B011B9A4D111A1EE006097DA4FCE03A36BAB@icex1.cc.ic.ac.uk> Message-ID: Optimum efficiency for all cars is not the same speed, it depends in part on the gearing. Noise and severity of accidents increase pretty directly with speed. Emissions are also a function of how warm the engine is and engines continue to pollute after they are turned off. It may be the case, if the trips are short, that the speed limit may have little impact on the total air pollution created for a trip. In which case you might as well go for quality of life. -----Original Message----- From: owner-sustran-discuss@jca.ax.apc.org [mailto:owner-sustran-discuss@jca.ax.apc.org]On Behalf Of Knight, L V Sent: Wednesday, March 08, 2000 5:28 AM To: 'sustran-discuss@jca.ax.apc.org' Subject: [sustran] Do 20mph zones have a negative impact on the environment? The UK Road Safety Strategy recently launched by the government stated that an urban 20 mph speed limit would increase CO2 emissions and have a negative effect on the environment. In the next paragraph they gave support to self-enforcing 20mph zones in urban areas especially around schools. If anything I would think self-enforcing 20mph zones where vehicles are forced to slow down and speed up would not improve the quality of life for the immediate population, due to noise and vehicle emissions. However, it made me wonder if a balnket speed of 20mph would be detrimental to the environment, does anybody know the answer or have any commnets about 20mph zones? From debi.beag at SoftHome.net Thu Mar 9 03:01:13 2000 From: debi.beag at SoftHome.net (Debi Goenka) Date: Wed, 08 Mar 2000 23:31:13 +0530 Subject: [sustran] LPG and CNG Message-ID: <38C69569.855DC33@SoftHome.net> We urgently need information on the implications on the use of LPG and CNG as an alternate fuel for automobiles, particularly heavy vehicles. We are also concerned about the safety aspects. Have any countries banned the use of either CNG or LPG for safety reasons? Could you please respond urgently? Thanks and Cheers Debi Goenka -- Debi Goenka Bombay Environmental Action Group Mobile: 98200-86404 e-mail: debi.beag@softhome.net Environmental Education Office Kalbadevi Municipal School # 54, 2nd floor Mumbai 400002 Tel: 2423126 Tfax: 2426385 Registered Office 4 Kurla Industrial Estate LBS Marg, Ghatkopar Mumbai 400086 Tel: 5147574 Fax: 5115810 Residence B 502 Glengate Hiranandani Gardens Powai Mumbai 400076 Tel: 5700638 Tfax: 5701459 From kazi.hoque at ic.ac.uk Thu Mar 9 03:36:28 2000 From: kazi.hoque at ic.ac.uk (Hoque, Kazi) Date: Wed, 8 Mar 2000 18:36:28 -0000 Subject: Negative thoughts on metro in general Message-ID: <96F6345CAEAED311B7920090273FC18CAD7E23@icex9.cc.ic.ac.uk> I believe in the statement of " that there should be horses for courses." However the tram example in Budapest is not the fault of the metro but with the planners who designed the systems. Of course you must have the the adequate market for a mass metro system. I believe the main reason for the metro system is to maintain the beauty of Budapest. Budapest is an old city, with old city problems. If the metro system was limited. Would the tram infrastructure cope with the demand? Costs should not be a deciding factor to alleviate the transport problems. If people are getting fed up with this discussion, please inform us so. Kazi Hoque > -----Original Message----- > From: Car Busters [SMTP:carbusters@ecn.cz] > Sent: Monday, March 06, 2000 10:21 PM > To: Lis - SUSTRAN Listserve > Subject: [sustran] Re: Negative thoughts on metro in general > > Sorry if it wasn't clear, but I wasn't suggesting the dissolution of > existing metro systems. Talk of "limiting metro" was as close as I > got, which meant that we shouldn't just assume metro should be > expanded, when, for example in Budapest, trams could do the job for > one-tenth the cost. Of course megacities need metro, but the trend > toward megacities and the depopulation of the countryside hasn't > exactly been an ecologically sound trend either. In fact megacities > haven't existed for more than 100 years or so anyway. But yes, we all > have to deal with the practicalities of the present, I know. > > Further comments can be sent off the list, since people are probably > getting tired of this discussion. > > Randy Ghent > > --------------------------------------------------------------------- > CAR BUSTERS Magazine and Resource Centre > Kratka 26, 100 00 Praha 10, Czech Republic > Tel: +(420) 2-781-08-49 ; Fax: +(420) 2-781-67-27 > > > From litman at vtpi.org Thu Mar 9 04:03:55 2000 From: litman at vtpi.org (Todd Litman) Date: Wed, 08 Mar 2000 11:03:55 -0800 Subject: Do 20mph zones have a negative impact on the environment? In-Reply-To: <0846B011B9A4D111A1EE006097DA4FCE03A36BAB@icex1.cc.ic.ac.uk > Message-ID: <3.0.6.32.20000308110355.00a22ad0@pop.islandnet.com> There are a number of vehicle operating cost models which include fuel consumption/speed curves for highway travel. These include: Peter Bein, et al., British Columbia Vehicle Operating Costs, Planning Services Branch, British Columbia Ministry of Transportation and Highways (Victoria, www.th.gov.bc.ca/bchighways), 1996. Highways Design and Maintenance (HDM) 4 Model, World Bank (Washington DC; www.RoadSource.com). MicroBENCOST, Texas Transportation Institute (http://tti.tamu.edu), 1997. The ones I've seen indicate that automobile fuel consumption is nearly flat between about 20 and 50 mph. There may be a slight reduction when you go from 20 mph to 30 mph, but it is just a few percent. Only below about 15 mph do you start seeing a significant increase in consumption rates. These curves represent unimpeded highway travel, I expect that minimal fuel consumption speeds would be somewhat lower under urban stop-and-go travel conditions, reducing maximum speeds reduces acceleration, which consumes lots of energy. My conclustion then is that the fuel consumption rates per mile would probably stay about the same if average traffic speeds declined from about 30 mph to about 20 mph. Reducing speeds is also likely to reduce total vehicle travel, resulting in additional fuel savings, which I suspect would more than offset any slight increase in fuel consumption per mile. Many studies indicate that vehicle mileage has an elasticity of -0.5 or more with respect to travel time, meaning that a 1% increase in travel time should reduce total vehicle travel by 0.5% or more. Reducing average travel speeds from 30 mph to 20 mph increases travel time by 33%, which should reduce total vehicle travel by 16% or more. Vehicle use imposes a number of other environmental impacts besides CO2 emissions. Emission rates vary from one to another, but most decline with vehicle speeds. For these reasons, I would not agree with the claim that a 20 mph speed limit has a "negative effect on the environment." At most, some environmental impacts could increase slightly. 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 At 01:28 PM 03/08/2000 -0000, lucy.knight@ic.ac.uk wrote: >The UK Road Safety Strategy recently launched by the government stated that >an urban 20 mph speed limit would increase CO2 emissions and have a negative >effect on the environment. > >In the next paragraph they gave support to self-enforcing 20mph zones in >urban areas especially around schools. If anything I would think >self-enforcing 20mph zones where vehicles are forced to slow down and speed >up would not improve the quality of life for the immediate population, due >to noise and vehicle emissions. > >However, it made me wonder if a balnket speed of 20mph would be detrimental >to the environment, does anybody know the answer or have any commnets about >20mph zones? 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 From kerry.wood at paradise.net.nz Thu Mar 9 09:22:37 2000 From: kerry.wood at paradise.net.nz (Kerry Wood) Date: Thu, 09 Mar 2000 13:22:37 +1300 Subject: [sustran] Do 20mph zones have a negative impact on the environment? References: <3.0.6.32.20000308110355.00a22ad0@pop.islandnet.com> Message-ID: <38C6EEC9.D1F6CE3E@paradise.net.nz> Broadly speaking, no. One figure I have seen is a range, from a10% fuel saving to a 5% fuel increase, depending on driving technique (aggressive second gear or relaxed third gear). This suggests that closely spaced traffic calming features will make aggressive driving pointless and so reduce fuel use. Road planners use curves of speed against fuel consumption, to calculate the effect of their roading schemes. (I have seen one of these that assumed a continuously falling curve: LESS fuel use at 200 km/h than at 50 km/h!) All these curves contain the assumption that speeds of less that 50 km/h (maybe more?) are due to stop-start driving in congested traffic, and so the curves are not applicable to slow and steady driving in traffic calmed streets. And of course noise and crashes are environment too. Regards -- Kerry Wood MICE MIPENZ MCIT Transport Consultant 1 McFarlane Street, Wellington 6001, New Zealand Phone + 64 4 971 5549 From townsend at central.murdoch.edu.au Fri Mar 10 02:28:54 2000 From: townsend at central.murdoch.edu.au (Craig Townsend) Date: Thu, 09 Mar 2000 09:28:54 -0800 Subject: [sustran] Hanoi Identifies New Measures to Resolve Traffic Jams Message-ID: <3.0.6.32.20000309092854.007a02d0@central.murdoch.edu.au> [vnforum] - Mesg from VNLink@aol.com Hanoi Identifies New Measures to Resolve Traffic Jams HANOI, March 8 Asia Pulse - The Ha Noi People's Committee and the Ministry of Transport (MOT) have identified new measures to resolve traffic jams and other related problems likely to arise during major celebrations to be organised in the capital this year. Most important of these is the 990th anniversary of the city that falls in October. At a meeting held here last week, local authorities and ministry officials discussed ways to improve implementation of major projects already in progress. These are being implemented at five entry points to the city - from national highways No. 1, 32, and 6, the Nguyen Van Cu, and the Hoa Lac National Highway. Four projects that relate to accessing National Highway No. 1 are being implemented by the Ministry of Transport and Ha Noi' Department of Transport and Public Works. These will upgrade infrastructure, road surfaces, drainage systems, plant trees and improve lighting systems on streets that enter the city from different directions. These include Le Duan Street; the section of Highway 1 that runs from Phap Van to Van Dien; Nguyen Van Cu Road; and clearing a bottleneck on Van Dien. A new bridge called Dien will be built at the gate to National Highway No.32. The Department of Transport and Public Works is also implementing a project to improve infrastructure along 3.2 km of Tay Son Road, which leads to National Highway No.6. Meanwhile, the dyke on the Red River's right bank is undergoing reconstruction, complementing projects worth VND88.325 billion aimed at widening the road from An Duong to Long Bien and upgrading infrastructure on Tran Quang Khai Road. Other projects in the pipeline include a round-road around the city. All the projects aim at making the city more beautiful for the many major celebrations slated for this year. Apart from Thang Long-Ha Noi's 990th anniversary, other landmark events include the 70th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of Viet Nam, the 25th anniversary of national reunification, and the 55th Anniversary of National Day. (VNA) ________________________________________________ Craig Townsend Institute for Sustainability & Technology Policy 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 From sustran at po.jaring.my Thu Mar 9 11:21:07 2000 From: sustran at po.jaring.my (SUSTRAN Network Secretariat) Date: Thu, 09 Mar 2000 10:21:07 +0800 Subject: [sustran] Re: Negative thoughts on metro in general In-Reply-To: <96F6345CAEAED311B7920090273FC18CAD7E23@icex9.cc.ic.ac.uk> Message-ID: <3.0.6.32.20000309102107.008e8c70@relay101.jaring.my> The debate over metro systems (and urban rail more generally) has been particularly vexed in developing countries. In my thesis (which will soon be available on the web) I present some evidence which may help to clarify the rail versus bus debate in low-income or middle-income cities. Putting it simply, I argued that it is policies towards motorisation and private vehicles (especially while the city is still low-income or lower-middle-income) that are decisive in the long run. This EARLY restraint of private traffic makes a big difference in influencing whether a city becomes public-transport oriented or private transport-oriented when it reaches upper-middle-income levels. It seems that a transit-oriented city (with urban rail) can be the long-term result of a low-cost urban transport strategy. I point out that several of the successful cities that now have extensive urban rail actually started out by pursuing a vigorous "low-cost" approach which included restraining ownership and use of private vehicles (and often refusing to build expensive expressways or subways - eg Zurich). Examples include Singapore, Seoul and Hong Kong and a number of European cities (for example Zurich, Amsterdam, Vienna and others). This strategy, especially the restraint of cars, helped to make sure that the bus (and/or tram) systems flourished even as incomes rose. So by the time these cities had reached upper-middle-income or high-income levels and started to get serious about investing in more expensive options, they still had rather low ownership of private vehicles and still had very high usage of public transport (50% or more of motorised travel). Also their urban land use patterns had been influenced by the dominance of public over private transport. So urban rail then looked a good option and was by then affordable. This "low-cost strategy leading towards transit-oriented cities" model above contrasts with the evolution of cities such as Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok and Taipei. These cities (for various reasons) chose not to restrain private vehicle ownership or usage as their incomes passed through the middle-income range when motorcycles and cars start to become affordable. So by the early 1990s when these cities reached upper-middle-incomes (or high-income in Taipei) they were faced with high private vehicle ownership - about 200 cars per 1000 people plus between 170 and 300 motorcycles per 1000 people. They also found themselves with poor, run-down bus systems that were carrying only between 15 and 30 percent of motorised work trips. In addition, rapid economic growth in the 1970s, 80s and early 90s took place with transport dominated by cars and motorcycles. So there has been quite a lot of dispersed building (by Asian standards - nothing like American sprawl) which is hard to serve by public transport. Even so these three cities have all now started to invest heavily in urban rail systems... but it will be a very uphill battle to regain lost ridership for public transport. This still begs the question of how does a city get the political will to restrain cars and motorcycles (especially if this conflicts with national priorities such as developing a motor industry). This is an open question. The earlier restraint begins the more politically palatable. Most of the cities I mentioned (Seoul, Hong Kong, and certain European cities) had high car and road taxes and high fuel prices from very very early. So people were accustomed to that. Singapore is one of the few places that imposed high levels of restraint rather late - after significant motorisation had already taken place. Perhaps Singapore's semi-authoritarian style of government made this possible. One big argument for urban rail is that it is essential to generating the political will to restrain private vehicles. Indeed, the authorities in Kuala Lumpur have been promising ("threatening"?) traffic restraint ever since the late 1970s but the fact that the public transport system was not good enough has always been the excuse. Now that a significant rail system is in place it is still argued that it is not good enough. Traffic restraint is now said to be waiting for the next major rail line to open. There is more to the story of course (eg variations on the theme in Japan, etc). I looked at a fairly small sample of cities so this is just a hypothesis which I am keen to explore further. But I had better stop before this becomes much too much to digest.... Paul A. Rahman Paul BARTER Sustainable Transport Action Network for Asia and the Pacific (the SUSTRAN Network) P.O. Box 11501, Kuala Lumpur 50748, Malaysia. E-mail: sustran@po.jaring.my URL: http://www.malaysiakini.com/sustran (under construction) Ask about our SUSTRAN NEWS FLASHES - news updates on people-centred, equitable and sustainable transport with a focus on countries in the global 'South'. From sustran at po.jaring.my Thu Mar 9 16:21:27 2000 From: sustran at po.jaring.my (SUSTRAN Network Secretariat) Date: Thu, 09 Mar 2000 15:21:27 +0800 Subject: [sustran] re: fwd: Urgent! Bombay rail slum evictions appeal Message-ID: <3.0.6.32.20000309152127.008b74b0@relay101.jaring.my> Dear sustran-discussers, Highly organised people power seems to have won the day in Mumbai. The railway authorities have been forced to back down after tens of thousands of people shut down the train services in the city by lying down on the tracks!! See forwarded messages below. Paul --------------------------------- From: achrsec@email.ksc.net Date: Wed, 08 Mar 2000 17:30:15 +0700 To: urujdr@pc.jaring.my Subject: From Tom in BKK Dear Folks, Good news! There's been a happy ending to the demolition crisis in the Bombay railway slums. The demolitions have been stopped and the 1,500 families who had their houses illegally bulldozed by the Railways are going to get alternative land. There's a lot more information about the crisis on the Shack Dwellers International (SDI) web site : http://www.dialogue.org.za And I'm adding below a more detailed note that just came from Joel Bolnick, at People's Dialogue in South Africa, which explains how the federations in Bombay responded to the demolitions and turned the crisis to their advantage. Subject: Update on demolitions in Mumbai Date: Mon, 6 Mar 2000 Dear all There has been a dramatic change of fortunes for the railway slum dwellers of Mumbai. Last week over 1500 families, who have lived for many years along the central and western lines, were forcefully evicted when the National Railway Authorities defied State law and ignored the resettlement efforts of their local counterparts in the city. The Railways acted on the pretext that they were clearing illegal structures that had been erected after 1/1/95. (Maharashtra State Law decrees that no slum dwelling constructed after that date may be demolished without alternative land being provided). However the railway authorities brought in their demolition squads and police protection with the clear intention of destroying all informal structures along the city lines. After several attempts by the Secretary of State to normalise the situation had been thwarted by the heavy-handedness of the railways the demolitions were finally brought to a halt - five days after they had started. Throughout the crisis NSDF and SPARC, with support from the State Government and Slum Rehabilitation Authority of Mumbai, had tried to ensure that only illegal structures - those constructed after 1/1/95 - were being demolished. However the Railways ignored this intervention. Whenever NSDF leaders or other government officials were absent from the scene wholesale demolitions occurred. The Railways apparently were under the impression that NSDF and SPARC had been painted into a corner because of their ongoing negotiations with the authorities (including the railways) around rehabilitation. However NSDF members, in a move reminiscent of Gandhi's passive resistance to British Rule, responded to the demolitions by mobilising tens of thousands of its members to shut down the train services in the city by lying down on the tracks. On Friday SPARC and NSDF broke off all negotiations with the State, city and railway authorities. On Saturday an emergency meeting was convened by the State Secretary. In a dramatic turnaround the meeting resolved that all demolitions were to stop immediately. The State Government also decreed that in future the responsibility to monitor the hutments along the railway line and any act of demolition was to be removed from the hands of the railway authorities. The monitoring of the hutments is now the sole responsibility of SPARC and NSDF. At the same meeting an 8 hectare piece of land was identified to accommodate those families whose hutments had been illegally demolished. NSDF was given the responsibility to manage the resettlement and to oversee the construction of formal housing. There will be continuing negotiations to ensure reparations for those families whose hutments were illegally demolished. So, as things stand at present, a disastrous week, has had a positive outcome. How did a vicious and illegal demolition turn into a victory for the railway slumdwellers in the city? Such a dramatic turnaround would not have occurred had the slumdwellers been weak or disunited. By coming together in savings collectives and by federating these collectives to thousands of others throughout India (and many more throughout the world) the Railway Slumdwellers Federation was able to withstand the assault from the state and simultaneously turn its initial defeats into positions of strength. Eventually the authorities were forced to realise that the slumdwelllers had a massive following throughout the city, strong international support. Most important of all it became clear to the State Government that the Federation was the only institution in the city that had a workable plan to find a win/win solution for the slumdwellers and the authorities. Asian Coalition for Housing Rights 73 Soi Sonthiwattana 4, Ladprao Road, Soi 110, Bangkok 10310, THAILAND Tel (662) 538-0919 Fax (662) 539-9950 E-mail: achrsec@email.ksc.net From daggers at knoware.nl Thu Mar 9 18:06:56 2000 From: daggers at knoware.nl (T. Daggers) Date: Thu, 9 Mar 2000 10:06:56 +0100 Subject: Negative thoughts on metro in general Message-ID: <01BF89AF.E48A1540@dynaisdn-165.knoware.nl> Dear Paul, It sounds interesting your thesis wich relates restraining car use to "relatively " low cost investment for the time being. Here are some figures from Henry Malbran R, ( hmalbran@mtt.cl)which he presented on a seminar in Lima Peru last year which might be of interest to you.(or others) Henry 's point is that he states that Latin American cities are caracterized by massive public transport. Local autorities have to make decisions in that context and put "the car in its place"He presented the following table: Capital cost by km for diferent tecnologies of transport (in Million U$) Busway < 0.5 Solobus Sistem 2-10 Tramway 5-15 Light Metro(rail) 10-30 Heavy metro (subway) 40-90 Kind regards, Ton Daggers Transport Consultant IBC the Netherlands P.O. Box 11501, Kuala Lumpur 50748, Malaysia. E-mail: sustran@po.jaring.my URL: http://www.malaysiakini.com/sustran (under construction) Ask about our SUSTRAN NEWS FLASHES - news updates on people-centred, equitable and sustainable transport with a focus on countries in the global 'South'. -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: application/ms-tnef Size: 3691 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://list.jca.apc.org/manage/private/sustran-discuss/attachments/20000309/d3f58072/attachment.bin From rogerh at foe.co.uk Thu Mar 9 19:19:39 2000 From: rogerh at foe.co.uk (Roger Higman) Date: Thu, 09 Mar 2000 10:19:39 +0000 Subject: LPG and CNG References: <38C69569.855DC33@SoftHome.net> Message-ID: <38C77ABB.43C0B70A@foe.co.uk> Debi I've never heard of any significant safety problems with CNG or LPG. In fact, on air quality grounds, they are to be preferred to heavy duty diesel. Roger Higman "A thorn in the side of Senior Campaigner (Atmosphere and Transport) the motor industry" Friends of the Earth (E,W+NI), Car Magazine 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 From eric.britton at ecoplan.org Thu Mar 9 20:45:43 2000 From: eric.britton at ecoplan.org (eric.britton@ecoplan.org) Date: Thu, 9 Mar 2000 12:45:43 +0100 Subject: [sustran] Negative thoughts on metro in general (and on from there) In-Reply-To: <3.0.6.32.20000309102107.008e8c70@relay101.jaring.my> Message-ID: With your permission I will make this brief. I have a time problem these days but I feel that it is important that we do what we can to put our heads together to move to a wise and broadly shared set of views on this important matter. Building on the past contributions of the last days under this heading, and lacking time to do it right and in full as I should like to, I shall have to make do with a list of hasty bullet points which perhaps in due course we can develop and refine into something more useful and perhaps more convincing. For now, this is the best I can do: Before we get to metros or whatever though, first a triad of bottom line points about transport in cities in the 21st century. 1. The first pillar of a viable 21st century city transportation system has to be social justice. a. Why social justice and not all the other stuff that they teach in transport and economics courses? b. Well, because social justice, got right, allows us (a) to maximize IQ available to the community at large (our most precious source of wealth and well-being) and (b) correspondingly reduce social tensions and the dangers that they will inevitably lead to (for example, the happy world of gated communities). c. And incidentally, the social justice argument also takes us directly to such things as clean air, low noise environments, etc. 2. The second is the acceptance that for reasons of simple geometry that cars (private solo-driver cars above all) simply do not work in cities. a. This means something that is on the one hand flagrantly simple and on the other almost exactly contrary to the whole of the conventional wisdom and policy of the past (which strove to _accommodate_ cars, which meant of course supporting them in a whole variety of ways). b. In 1980 or 1990 only madmen and visionaries (and the Swiss) said this sort of stuff, but we now have abundant proof not only that this is 100% true (proof which we have had, incidentally for many years indeed), but also that this can be done very nicely indeed (and here I can point to Zurich as one fine example. But far from the only one). c. As things presently stand, this is still a message which is (a) a minority view and (b) still basically confined to the leading edge in Europe. It still has close to zero credibility in either the US or the Third World. (And the more's the pity.) d. But this is already in the process of changing. 3. The third and last of this philosophical triad is our sound knowledge that the problems of transport in cities have to be tackled above all on the streets of the city, and not elsewhere. Why is this? a. Well, first because of the nature of the problem, a Parkinson's Transport Law whereby experience has vividly and repeatedly demonstrated that traffic in a city will expand to fill all available space. b. So, if you build a new metro for, say one or several billion dollars, at you will have at the end of the day is an expensive underground system that costs you lots of money to run and which is full to bursting, while at the same time up on the street all of the old problems remain and continue to aggravate daily, thanks to Parkinson's Transport Law. c. To resume: You have just spent a billion, you are condemned to keep spending money like losing blood just to keep the thing working, AND you have solved none of your problems. d. Does this mean that we should get rid of all metros? No, of course not. But it does lead us to this bottom line conclusion on metros: If you happen to have one, well great. But if you don't, Third World city or other, there are now a huge number of compelling reasons to give it a pass. e. Goodbye new metros. So... if you agree with this, I think the inevitable conclusion is that the goal of transport policy now has to be that of concentrating on dealing with the issues of mobility and access out in the open, which means coming to grips with the challenge of reclaiming the street system and the rest of the urban scape for a legitimately sustainable transportation system. How can we get the most sustainable bang per buck for our investments in the city's transport system? Let's see now. We gotta somehow get most of the cars out..... How do we go about that? We also know that mega investments in metros, urban highways, large central parking facilities, etc. are almost 100% in the wrong direction of what we need to attain. On the other hand, the new information and communications technologies are obviously going to be as critical as concrete and steel was in the old days. So, what does this mean? What happens next?.... I hope that we shall be able to take this further both in general and perhaps in the context of the follow-up and lessons of the Bogot? Car Free Day project, which, after all, just might be an interesting step in the right direction. Maybe. In the meantime I invite you to tune into http://www.ecoplan.org/carfreeday/ and join the discussions there are as well as here. It might be that this combination of the general and the specific may give us some good ideas with much broader, and saner, application. Thanks for bearing with me on this. I look forward with real interest to your critical comments. From joel at xs4all.nl Fri Mar 10 01:06:02 2000 From: joel at xs4all.nl (J.H. Crawford) Date: Thu, 09 Mar 2000 16:06:02 +0000 Subject: [sustran] Re: dates for world car free day In-Reply-To: <20000308020638.10686.qmail@web1202.mail.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <3.0.1.32.20000309160602.0069f0d8@pop.xs4all.nl> >The proposal for late September sounds great for >Sydney in any other year than 2000. This year, >however, the Olympics are on around that time, and >with the huge amounts of tourists expected in and >around the city, it may well be that the car free day >would not be feasible. Actually, Los Angeles was made largely carfree during its Olympics--that was seen to be the only way to hanlde the situation. Also, the Sydney Olympics has a large green thrust (even if it's mostly fictive). So why not? ### J.H. Crawford Carfree Cities postmaster@carfree.com http://www.carfree.com From joel at xs4all.nl Fri Mar 10 01:17:45 2000 From: joel at xs4all.nl (J.H. Crawford) Date: Thu, 09 Mar 2000 16:17:45 +0000 Subject: Do 20mph zones have a negative impact on the environment? In-Reply-To: <0846B011B9A4D111A1EE006097DA4FCE03A36BAB@icex1.cc.ic.ac.uk > Message-ID: <3.0.1.32.20000309161745.0069a0a4@pop.xs4all.nl> >However, it made me wonder if a balnket speed of 20mph would be detrimental >to the environment, does anybody know the answer or have any commnets about >20mph zones? Part of the issue here is that cars are engineered to run well at high speeds. The engines are far too large for slow speeds. I think most cars get the highest fuel efficiency in the 40 MPH range, but that will vary considerably from model to model. Wind drag increases with the SQUARE of the speed (whereas rolling resistance is roughly constant for a given distance). Total resistance is thus seen to decline rapidly with falling speeds. If cars were designed to run well at 20 MPH (with 5-10 HP engines), they would use far, far less fuel than is now the case at that speed. ### J.H. Crawford Carfree Cities postmaster@carfree.com http://www.carfree.com From ajain at kcrc.com Thu Mar 9 19:38:47 2000 From: ajain at kcrc.com (Jain Alok) Date: Thu, 9 Mar 2000 18:38:47 +0800 Subject: Negative thoughts on metro in general Message-ID: >caracterized by massive public transport. Local autorities have to make >decisions in that context and put "the car in its place"He presented the >following table: > > Capital cost by km for diferent tecnologies of transport > (in Million U$) > Busway < 0.5 > Solobus Sistem 2-10 > Tramway 5-15 > Light Metro(rail) 10-30 > Heavy metro (subway) 40-90 Capital cost of construction should be considered in light of carrying capacity that each of this system provide. I do not have figures for all the modes but heavy rail carries more than 5 times the people a tram system or a light rail system can carry. So the cost per passenger carried is very much the same. Now, this indeed relates to issues such as anticipated demand, utilisation etc. but thats what planning is all about. Regards Alok Jain Hong Kong From ebruun at rci.rutgers.edu Fri Mar 10 03:38:04 2000 From: ebruun at rci.rutgers.edu (Eric Bruun) Date: Thu, 9 Mar 2000 13:38:04 -0500 (EST) Subject: Negative thoughts on metro in general (and on from there) In-Reply-To: Message-ID: Eric, et. al. I don't have the time to spend either, much as I would like, but I have to make a comment. Up to now, I have almost always agreed with you. But "Goodbye to Metros" is a bit much. Look at productive capacity - capacity times speed (Productive Capacity), to see what the investment buys - if tremendous capacity over long distances in a reasonable amount of time is needed - nothing can outperform them. Of course, cost is a problem, but it is not true that other modes have the same performance, that is my only point. This doesn't mean they always go to the right places, have the right network configuration, or are properly connected to other modes, but one can say this about any proposed rail or busway investment. On the other hand, since the investment is permanent, one can eventually revise the connecting network to improve the overall system over time. Also, if you want to make service attractive in wealthier cities, you might have to invest in high performance. Parkinson's law does not always hold, either. Munich has had no increase in average trip length per capita for 20 years, even with massive increases in rail service. The secret is to take additional measures such as pedestrian malls, high parking prices, etc. to deter additional driving. Eric Bruun From negronpp at MAGELLAN.UMontreal.CA Fri Mar 10 04:05:47 2000 From: negronpp at MAGELLAN.UMontreal.CA (Negron Poblete Paula) Date: Thu, 9 Mar 2000 14:05:47 -0500 Subject: [sustran] Re: Negative thoughts on metro in general (and on from there) In-Reply-To: Message-ID: I don't think metros are the worst choice we can make, but let's get a bit real. Imagine a third world metropolis,which has multiple deficiencies: health,education, urban transport,culture, etc. Does it seem fair to invest a hughe amount of money in a subway system instead of investing in some other aspects that are equaly important? Does it sound sobad to invest in alternative modes like express buses or double buses? ___________________________ Paula NEGRON POBLETE Faculte de l'Amenagement Universite de Montreal On Thu, 9 Mar 2000, Eric Bruun wrote: > > > Eric, et. al. > > I don't have the time to spend either, much as I would like, but I > have to make a comment. > > Up to now, I have almost always agreed with you. But "Goodbye to > Metros" is a bit much. Look at productive capacity - capacity times > speed (Productive Capacity), to see what the investment buys - if > tremendous capacity over long distances in a reasonable amount of time is > needed - nothing can outperform them. Of course, cost is a problem, but it > is not true that other modes have the same performance, that is my only > point. This doesn't mean they always go to the right places, have > the right network configuration, or are properly connected to other > modes, but one can say this about any proposed rail or busway investment. > On the other hand, since the investment is permanent, one can eventually > revise the connecting network to improve the overall system over time. > > Also, if you want to make service attractive in wealthier cities, you > might have to invest in high performance. Parkinson's law does not > always hold, either. Munich has had no increase in average trip length per > capita for 20 years, even with massive increases in rail service. > The secret is to take additional measures such as pedestrian malls, > high parking prices, etc. to deter additional driving. > > Eric Bruun > > From ebruun at rci.rutgers.edu Fri Mar 10 04:21:33 2000 From: ebruun at rci.rutgers.edu (Eric Bruun) Date: Thu, 9 Mar 2000 14:21:33 -0500 (EST) Subject: [sustran] Re: Negative thoughts on metro in general (and on from there) In-Reply-To: Message-ID: No disagreement about that. But I didn't say that, either. I was only reacting to Eric Britton's and a few others' comments that seemed to say no more metros anywhere. Eric On Thu, 9 Mar 2000, Negron Poblete Paula wrote: > > I don't think metros are the worst choice we can make, but let's get a bit real. > Imagine a third world metropolis,which has multiple > deficiencies: health,education, urban transport,culture, etc. Does it seem fair > to invest a hughe amount of money in a subway system instead of investing in > some other aspects that are equaly important? Does it sound sobad to invest in > alternative modes like express buses or double buses? > > ___________________________ > Paula NEGRON POBLETE > Faculte de l'Amenagement > Universite de Montreal > > On Thu, 9 Mar 2000, Eric Bruun wrote: > > > > > > > Eric, et. al. > > > > I don't have the time to spend either, much as I would like, but I > > have to make a comment. > > > > Up to now, I have almost always agreed with you. But "Goodbye to > > Metros" is a bit much. Look at productive capacity - capacity times > > speed (Productive Capacity), to see what the investment buys - if > > tremendous capacity over long distances in a reasonable amount of time is > > needed - nothing can outperform them. Of course, cost is a problem, but it > > is not true that other modes have the same performance, that is my only > > point. This doesn't mean they always go to the right places, have > > the right network configuration, or are properly connected to other > > modes, but one can say this about any proposed rail or busway investment. > > On the other hand, since the investment is permanent, one can eventually > > revise the connecting network to improve the overall system over time. > > > > Also, if you want to make service attractive in wealthier cities, you > > might have to invest in high performance. Parkinson's law does not > > always hold, either. Munich has had no increase in average trip length per > > capita for 20 years, even with massive increases in rail service. > > The secret is to take additional measures such as pedestrian malls, > > high parking prices, etc. to deter additional driving. > > > > Eric Bruun > > > > > > From sagaris at lake.mic.cl Fri Mar 10 05:13:28 2000 From: sagaris at lake.mic.cl (Lake Sagaris) Date: Thu, 09 Mar 2000 16:13:28 -0400 Subject: [sustran] Re: Negative thoughts on metro in general (and on from there) In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <3.0.6.32.20000309161328.007be6a0@webhost.cl> Let me add, in the rigid classbound societies of developing countries, where the car is often the maximum symbol of having made it out of the bottom mud and into the light, noisy dangerously driven poorly kept buses are often the maximum symbol of the opposite. Metros, on the other hand, at least Santiago (Chile) offer one of the few models of social equality, transportation for the whole nation and not just the top or bottom half. EVERYONE uses the metro (if it coincides with their route). If you're talking about social justice and equality, metros are extremely important, perhaps not the be all and end all, but very useful at the practical AND the symbolic end. Cheers, Lake At 01:38 PM 3/9/00 -0500, you wrote: > > >Eric, et. al. > >I don't have the time to spend either, much as I would like, but I >have to make a comment. > >Up to now, I have almost always agreed with you. But "Goodbye to >Metros" is a bit much. Look at productive capacity - capacity times >speed (Productive Capacity), to see what the investment buys - if >tremendous capacity over long distances in a reasonable amount of time is >needed - nothing can outperform them. Of course, cost is a problem, but it >is not true that other modes have the same performance, that is my only >point. This doesn't mean they always go to the right places, have >the right network configuration, or are properly connected to other >modes, but one can say this about any proposed rail or busway investment. >On the other hand, since the investment is permanent, one can eventually >revise the connecting network to improve the overall system over time. > >Also, if you want to make service attractive in wealthier cities, you >might have to invest in high performance. Parkinson's law does not >always hold, either. Munich has had no increase in average trip length per >capita for 20 years, even with massive increases in rail service. >The secret is to take additional measures such as pedestrian malls, >high parking prices, etc. to deter additional driving. > >Eric Bruun > > From debi.beag at SoftHome.net Fri Mar 10 09:04:27 2000 From: debi.beag at SoftHome.net (Debi Goenka) Date: Fri, 10 Mar 2000 05:34:27 +0530 Subject: [sustran] Re: LPG and CNG References: <38C69569.855DC33@SoftHome.net> <38C77ABB.43C0B70A@foe.co.uk> Message-ID: <38C83C0B.8E0750DC@SoftHome.net> Dear Roger Thanks for the email. Perhaps I have not made my request for info clear - I was not referring to safety vis-a-cis air quality or air pollution, but safety in terms of storage, transport, use, etc. My information is that since LPG is heavier than air and therefore forms a pool when it leaks, it is more dangerous than CNG. Cheers Debi -- Debi Goenka Bombay Environmental Action Group Mobile: 98200-86404 e-mail: debi.beag@softhome.net Environmental Education Office Kalbadevi Municipal School # 54, 2nd floor Mumbai 400002 Tel: 2423126 Tfax: 2426385 Registered Office 4 Kurla Industrial Estate LBS Marg, Ghatkopar Mumbai 400086 Tel: 5147574 Fax: 5115810 Residence B 502 Glengate Hiranandani Gardens Powai Mumbai 400076 Tel: 5700638 Tfax: 5701459 From duarterf at ez-poa.com.br Fri Mar 10 09:49:55 2000 From: duarterf at ez-poa.com.br (Duarte Rosa Filho) Date: Thu, 9 Mar 2000 21:49:55 -0300 Subject: Negative thoughts on metro in general (and on from there) Message-ID: <00cb01bf8a2c$e0df7c00$3636f8c8@duarte> Greetings from Brazil. There is an article "A systematic review of busways", by David R. Martinelli, published in the Journal of Transportation Engineering, ASCE, Vol. 122, N0. 3, May/June 1996, p. 192 - 199. It says: ?Somewhat surprisingly, given the clear-cut advantages of bus rapid transit in most situation, and the extensive scholarly literature documenting these advantages, alternatives analyses comparing exclusive busways and rail rapid transit for particular metropolitan areas typically find that total system cost, and, in some instances, even the capital costs, of light and heavy rail systems, are less than those of comparable exclusive busway systems. This outcome, which has become more difficult to achieve increasing federal oversight of the ?Alternative Analysis? process, can usually be explained by a prior commitment to rail and a willingness to ?cook the numbers? until they yield the desired result.? It is an excellent paper which brings a lot of light into the subject being discussed. Cheers, Duarte -----Mensagem original----- De: Lake Sagaris Para: sustran-discuss@jca.ax.apc.org Data: Quinta-feira, 9 de Mar?o de 2000 17:19 Assunto: [sustran] Re: Negative thoughts on metro in general (and on from there) >Let me add, in the rigid classbound societies of developing countries, >where the car is often the maximum symbol of having made it out of the >bottom mud and into the light, noisy dangerously driven poorly kept buses >are often the maximum symbol of the opposite. Metros, on the other hand, at >least Santiago (Chile) offer one of the few models of social equality, >transportation for the whole nation and not just the top or bottom half. >EVERYONE uses the metro (if it coincides with their route). If you're >talking about social justice and equality, metros are extremely important, >perhaps not the be all and end all, but very useful at the practical AND >the symbolic end. > >Cheers, Lake >At 01:38 PM 3/9/00 -0500, you wrote: Eric, et. al. >> >>I don't have the time to spend either, much as I would like, but I >>have to make a comment. >> >>Up to now, I have almost always agreed with you. But "Goodbye to >>Metros" is a bit much. Look at productive capacity - capacity times >>speed (Productive Capacity), to see what the investment buys - if >>tremendous capacity over long distances in a reasonable amount of time is >>needed - nothing can outperform them. Of course, cost is a problem, but it >>is not true that other modes have the same performance, that is my only >>point. This doesn't mean they always go to the right places, have >>the right network configuration, or are properly connected to other >>modes, but one can say this about any proposed rail or busway investment. >>On the other hand, since the investment is permanent, one can eventually >>revise the connecting network to improve the overall system over time. >> >>Also, if you want to make service attractive in wealthier cities, you >>might have to invest in high performance. Parkinson's law does not >>always hold, either. Munich has had no increase in average trip length per >>capita for 20 years, even with massive increases in rail service. >>The secret is to take additional measures such as pedestrian malls, >>high parking prices, etc. to deter additional driving. >> >>Eric Bruun From duarterf at ez-poa.com.br Fri Mar 10 10:05:44 2000 From: duarterf at ez-poa.com.br (Duarte Rosa Filho) Date: Thu, 9 Mar 2000 22:05:44 -0300 Subject: LPG and CNG Message-ID: <00cc01bf8a2c$e1db4120$3636f8c8@duarte> Greetings from Brazil. The implications on the use of LPG are: less expensive operationg costs and environmentally cleaner, as a fuel originated from petroleum. Perhaps, the modifications needed to the existing bus engines will cost too much. There is a program of the government of Venezuela to forster its use all over the country. Here in Brazil, there are a lot of experiences with this kind of fuel, too. May be you will find some further information in one of the following sites: http://www.unb.br/ft/enc/sict/ - Transportation Information system of the Brazilian Tranportation Research Association http://www.antp.org.br/ - Brazilian Public Transportation Association http://www.geipot.gov.br/ - Brazilian Transportation Planning Agency http://www.fontur.gov.ve/ - Venezuelan Urban Transportation Foundation Cheers, Duarte -----Mensagem original----- De: Debi Goenka Para: Sustran Data: Quarta-feira, 8 de Mar?o de 2000 15:13 Assunto: [sustran] LPG and CNG >We urgently need information on the implications on the use >of LPG and CNG as an alternate fuel for automobiles, >particularly heavy vehicles. >We are also concerned about the safety aspects. Have any >countries banned the use of either CNG or LPG for safety >reasons? >Could you please respond urgently? >Thanks and Cheers >Debi Goenka > >-- > > > > > >Debi Goenka >Bombay Environmental Action Group > >Mobile: 98200-86404 >e-mail: debi.beag@softhome.net > > > >Environmental Education Office > >Kalbadevi Municipal School ># 54, 2nd floor >Mumbai 400002 > >Tel: 2423126 >Tfax: 2426385 > > >Registered Office > >4 Kurla Industrial Estate >LBS Marg, Ghatkopar >Mumbai 400086 > >Tel: 5147574 >Fax: 5115810 > > >Residence > >B 502 Glengate >Hiranandani Gardens >Powai Mumbai 400076 > >Tel: 5700638 >Tfax: 5701459 > From Mark.Diesendorf at uts.edu.au Fri Mar 10 10:42:32 2000 From: Mark.Diesendorf at uts.edu.au (Mark Diesendorf) Date: Fri, 10 Mar 2000 12:42:32 +1100 Subject: [sustran] Negative thoughts on metro in general In-Reply-To: <00cb01bf8a2c$e0df7c00$3636f8c8@duarte> References: <00cb01bf8a2c$e0df7c00$3636f8c8@duarte> Message-ID: It is not necessary to talk about cooking the books. It is also a question of which costs one counts and which one ignores. The comparison between the costs of busways and light rail, measured in cents per passenger per km travelled, depends sensitively upon the costs of land. In general a busway requires about 50% more land than a light rail easement, assuming that both are at ground level. In cities where land is expensive, this can give the advantage to light rail. In addition, as Eric Bruun has pointed out, rail (I would add, light as well as heavy) has a higher passenger capacity. So, provided the passengers are there, it is not obvious that busways are necessarily cheaper in cents per passenger per km travelled. Cheers, Mark >Greetings from Brazil. >There is an article "A systematic review of busways", by David R. >Martinelli, published in the Journal of Transportation Engineering, ASCE, >Vol. 122, N0. 3, May/June 1996, p. 192 - 199. >It says: ?Somewhat surprisingly, given the clear-cut advantages of bus rapid >transit in most situation, and the extensive scholarly literature >documenting these advantages, alternatives analyses comparing exclusive >busways and rail rapid transit for particular metropolitan areas typically >find that total system cost, and, in some instances, even the capital costs, >of light and heavy rail systems, are less than those of comparable exclusive >busway systems. This outcome, which has become more difficult to achieve >increasing federal oversight of the ?Alternative Analysis? process, can >usually be explained by a prior commitment to rail and a willingness to >?cook the numbers? until they yield the desired result.? >It is an excellent paper which brings a lot of light into the subject being >discussed. >Cheers, >Duarte > >-----Mensagem original----- From ajain at kcrc.com Fri Mar 10 11:09:49 2000 From: ajain at kcrc.com (Jain Alok) Date: Fri, 10 Mar 2000 10:09:49 +0800 Subject: Negative thoughts on metro in general Message-ID: And you add energy efficiency, reliability (i.e. running on schedule), speed etc. into the assessment. The metros would start making sense (but again they should not be considered panacea. The key thing here is that you have enough passenger demand required to support a metro line). Alok Jain Hong Kong > -----Original Message----- > From: Mark Diesendorf [mailto:Mark.Diesendorf@uts.edu.au] > Sent: March 10, 2000 9:43 AM > To: sustran-discuss@jca.ax.apc.org > Subject: [sustran] Negative thoughts on metro in general > > > It is not necessary to talk about cooking the books. It is also a > question of which costs one counts and which one ignores. > > The comparison between the costs of busways and light rail, measured > in cents per passenger per km travelled, depends sensitively upon the > costs of land. In general a busway requires about 50% more land than > a light rail easement, assuming that both are at ground level. In > cities where land is expensive, this can give the advantage to light > rail. > > In addition, as Eric Bruun has pointed out, rail (I would add, light > as well as heavy) has a higher passenger capacity. So, provided the > passengers are there, it is not obvious that busways are necessarily > cheaper in cents per passenger per km travelled. From ajain at kcrc.com Fri Mar 10 10:46:44 2000 From: ajain at kcrc.com (Jain Alok) Date: Fri, 10 Mar 2000 09:46:44 +0800 Subject: LPG and CNG Message-ID: Debi, I am not an expert on this issue but this information could help you. In Hong Kong, Government has set a mandatory requirement for use of LPG for all new taxis (at present all taxis run on diesel) registered from 2001 and the entire taxi fleet will have to use LPG by 2003 (if I remember correctly). The government here is also doing some pilot studies for the use of LPG for public light buses. Alok Jain Hong Kong -----Original Message----- From: Debi Goenka [mailto:debi.beag@SoftHome.net] Sent: March 9, 2000 2:01 AM To: Sustran Subject: [sustran] LPG and CNG We urgently need information on the implications on the use of LPG and CNG as an alternate fuel for automobiles, particularly heavy vehicles. We are also concerned about the safety aspects. Have any countries banned the use of either CNG or LPG for safety reasons? Could you please respond urgently? Thanks and Cheers Debi Goenka -- Debi Goenka Bombay Environmental Action Group Mobile: 98200-86404 e-mail: debi.beag@softhome.net Environmental Education Office Kalbadevi Municipal School # 54, 2nd floor Mumbai 400002 Tel: 2423126 Tfax: 2426385 Registered Office 4 Kurla Industrial Estate LBS Marg, Ghatkopar Mumbai 400086 Tel: 5147574 Fax: 5115810 Residence B 502 Glengate Hiranandani Gardens Powai Mumbai 400076 Tel: 5700638 Tfax: 5701459 From ajain at kcrc.com Fri Mar 10 11:02:06 2000 From: ajain at kcrc.com (Jain Alok) Date: Fri, 10 Mar 2000 10:02:06 +0800 Subject: Negative thoughts on metro in general (and on from there) Message-ID: > d. Does this mean that we should get rid of all metros? No, > of course not. > But it does lead us to this bottom line conclusion on metros: > If you happen > to have one, well great. But if you don't, Third World city > or other, there > are now a huge number of compelling reasons to give it a pass. > e. Goodbye new metros. Disagree. If you have the volume of passengers and you put the railway in the right place, the railways still more people than any other form of transport. And because it has dedicated right of way, the reliability of performance is unmatched. In Hong Kong, railways are run to their signalling capacity and are always full. They are not only profitable (no subsidies) but one of the safest in the world. And it is Government's vision to put in more and more railways and tie in landuse with the location of stations, so that railways can get 50% market share among all public transport trips (the public transport here already has about 80% trip share of the total). If anybody says, metros don't work, come to Hong Kong and you will probably change your opinion. Regards, Alok Jain Hong Kong From negronpp at MAGELLAN.UMontreal.CA Fri Mar 10 12:25:45 2000 From: negronpp at MAGELLAN.UMontreal.CA (Paula Negron Poblete) Date: Thu, 09 Mar 2000 22:25:45 -0500 Subject: [sustran] Re: Negative thoughts on metro in general (and on from there) References: Message-ID: <38C86B39.D7B48766@magellan.umontreal.ca> I don't think we should get rid of metros, but my concern is this: how a country can pay the first investment? because I don't think it's a matter of operation costs, but a matter of capital costs. Where do we find the money from? the World Bank? (as usual) at what interest rates? under what conditions? Jain Alok a ?crit : > If > anybody says, metros don't work, come to Hong Kong and you will probably > change your opinion. > > Regards, > Alok Jain > Hong Kong From ajain at kcrc.com Fri Mar 10 15:20:14 2000 From: ajain at kcrc.com (Jain Alok) Date: Fri, 10 Mar 2000 14:20:14 +0800 Subject: Negative thoughts on metro in general (and on f rom there) Message-ID: Or, from private investors.. Why railway investments have to be seen as Government investments? Private investments with some development rights etc. is becoming quite common. The railway company I work in, recently raised capital for future extensions from international financial market (more than successfully, I would say because it was over-subscribed). Regards Alok > -----Original Message----- > From: Paula Negron Poblete [mailto:negronpp@MAGELLAN.UMontreal.CA] > Sent: March 10, 2000 11:26 AM > To: sustran-discuss@jca.ax.apc.org > Subject: [sustran] Re: Negative thoughts on metro in general (and on > from there) > > > I don't think we should get rid of metros, but my concern is > this: how a > country can pay the first investment? because I don't think it's a > matter of operation costs, but a matter of capital costs. Where do we > find the money from? the World Bank? (as usual) at what > interest rates? > under what conditions? From rocae at hotmail.com Fri Mar 10 16:00:42 2000 From: rocae at hotmail.com (roberto evangelio) Date: Thu, 09 Mar 2000 23:00:42 PST Subject: [sustran] motor vehicle inspection syste Message-ID: <20000310070042.88474.qmail@hotmail.com> dear guys, We national Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) received a proposal from a private entity to finance and build a Motor Vehicle Inspection System (MVIS) nationwide under a Built-Own-Operate (BOO)scheme. This variance is allowed in The Philippines under its BOT Law. By the way, the MVIS is used as a test center for vehicle worthiness, including vehicle emmision before it can be registered. Although it is not strictly implemented here (as far as i know). At present, the government has built 5 (im not sure of the number) MVIS station. Our position then is to allow private sector to handle the testing through accreditation. That means allowing any existing or even new repair shop to test any vehicle for registration. In this way, we will encourage competition and hopefully reduce the cost. Of course, we have to set up standards for these private entities to follow. Im afraid that the impact of the new proposal is a virtual monopoly of the service and therefore may be costly for vehicle owners. Anyway, my concern is that this group may have an information on the current practice in other countries, which we can use as a pattern. Any feedback is most welcome thanks obet evangelio ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com From rocae at hotmail.com Fri Mar 10 16:04:22 2000 From: rocae at hotmail.com (roberto evangelio) Date: Thu, 09 Mar 2000 23:04:22 PST Subject: [sustran] motor vehicle inspection syste Message-ID: <20000310070422.25661.qmail@hotmail.com> dear guys, We national Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) received a proposal from a private entity to finance and build a Motor Vehicle Inspection System (MVIS) nationwide under a Built-Own-Operate (BOO)scheme. This variance is allowed in The Philippines under its BOT Law. By the way, the MVIS is used as a test center for vehicle worthiness, including vehicle emmision before it can be registered. Although it is not strictly implemented here (as far as i know). At present, the government has built 5 (im not sure of the number) MVIS station. Our position then is to allow private sector to handle the testing through accreditation. That means allowing any existing or even new repair shop to test any vehicle for registration. In this way, we will encourage competition and hopefully reduce the cost. Of course, we have to set up standards for these private entities to follow. Im afraid that the impact of the new proposal is a virtual monopoly of the service and therefore may be costly for vehicle owners. Anyway, my concern is that this group may have an information on the current practice in other countries, which we can use as a pattern. Any feedback is most welcome thanks obet evangelio ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com From dmohan at cbme.iitd.ernet.in Fri Mar 10 20:32:39 2000 From: dmohan at cbme.iitd.ernet.in (Dinesh Mohan) Date: Fri, 10 Mar 2000 17:02:39 +0530 Subject: Negative thoughts on metro in general (and on from there) References: Message-ID: <38C8DD57.3B84EE29@cbme.iitd.ernet.in> The debate on metros in this forum seems to revolve around ideologies, "successes", "failures", capital costs, etc. There are more issues: history of technolgy, habitation density on the metro corridor, structure of the city, per capita incomes etc. The concept of a metro is over a century old. The concept of people's rights for a decent living and to access whithin a city are of more recent origin. Techonlogies available for making surface transport more efficient, cleaner buses, online optimisation of movement, communication systems, making buses move in platoons, etc are hardly a decade old. With the advent of intelligent vehicle system technologies, surface transport systems of the next decade will have little resemblance to the past. Metros are ideal for very high density corridors, eg Hong Kong. Very few cities have living patterns similar to Hong Kong. As a matter of fact the success of the metro in HK is an outlier. Widely dispersed populations in cities with mixed land use patterns make modern high capacity bus systems much more efficient. Certainly much more amenable to change as the city changes structure and living and business patterns with time. Families generally cannot spend more than 10% of their income on transportation. The break-even costs for a metro seem to be int he range of USD 1.00 per trip, no matter where the metro is built. If we take a figure of 4 trips per family per day, the annual expenditure comes to USD 1,460 on transportation per family not counting other modes. This means that the annual family income must be more than USD 14,600. A figure beyond most families in the world. Dinesh Mohan Eric Bruun wrote: > No disagreement about that. But I didn't say that, either. I was only > reacting to Eric Britton's and a few others' comments that seemed to > say no more metros anywhere. Eric > > On Thu, 9 Mar 2000, Negron Poblete Paula wrote: > > > > > I don't think metros are the worst choice we can make, but let's get > a bit real. > > Imagine a third world metropolis,which has multiple > > deficiencies: health,education, urban transport,culture, etc. Does > it seem fair > > to invest a hughe amount of money in a subway system instead of > investing in > > some other aspects that are equaly important? Does it sound sobad to > invest in > > alternative modes like express buses or double buses? > > > > ___________________________ > > Paula NEGRON POBLETE > > Faculte de l'Amenagement > > Universite de Montreal > > > > On Thu, 9 Mar 2000, Eric Bruun wrote: > > > > > > > > > > > Eric, et. al. > > > > > > I don't have the time to spend either, much as I would like, but I > > > > have to make a comment. > > > > > > Up to now, I have almost always agreed with you. But "Goodbye to > > > Metros" is a bit much. Look at productive capacity - capacity > times > > > speed (Productive Capacity), to see what the investment buys - if > > > tremendous capacity over long distances in a reasonable amount of > time is > > > needed - nothing can outperform them. Of course, cost is a > problem, but it > > > is not true that other modes have the same performance, that is my > only > > > point. This doesn't mean they always go to the right places, have > > > > the right network configuration, or are properly connected to > other > > > modes, but one can say this about any proposed rail or busway > investment. > > > On the other hand, since the investment is permanent, one can > eventually > > > revise the connecting network to improve the overall system over > time. > > > > > > Also, if you want to make service attractive in wealthier cities, > you > > > might have to invest in high performance. Parkinson's law does not > > > > always hold, either. Munich has had no increase in average trip > length per > > > capita for 20 years, even with massive increases in rail service. > > > The secret is to take additional measures such as pedestrian > malls, > > > high parking prices, etc. to deter additional driving. > > > > > > Eric Bruun > > > > > > > > > > -- ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 5th World Conference on Injury Control>> http://www.ciionline.org/fiwoco If you have trouble sending mail to this server you may use temporarily. ************************************************************************ Professor Dinesh Mohan Coordinator, Transportation Research & Injury Prevention Programme, Head, WHO Collaborating Centre, Room 808 Main Building Indian Institute of Technology, Hauz Khas, New Delhi 110016, India Office: (91 11) 659 1147 FAX: (91 11) 685 8703 & 685 1169 E-mail: dmohan@cbme.iitd.ernet.in Home: (91 11) 649 4910 ************************************************************************ From dmohan at cbme.iitd.ernet.in Fri Mar 10 20:49:12 2000 From: dmohan at cbme.iitd.ernet.in (Dinesh Mohan) Date: Fri, 10 Mar 2000 17:19:12 +0530 Subject: [sustran] Re: LPG and CNG References: <00cc01bf8a2c$e1db4120$3636f8c8@duarte> Message-ID: <38C8E137.BFA0EBE8@cbme.iitd.ernet.in> Please see an analysis of CNG vs diesel at Fueling Heavy Duty Trucks:Diesel or Natural Gas? at Harvard Center for Risk Analysis, Risk in Perspective, JANUARY 2000 Volume 8, Issue 1, www.hsph.harvard.edu/-organizations/hcra/hcra.html Choices are not as easy as we think. It takes 20-30 minute to re fuel CNG. If you have 10,000 buses ....? Gas cylinders add enormous dead weight to a bus, so they can carry fewer passengers, so you need 10-15% more buses for the same number of passengers in a situation where buses run packed and overloaded. More buses, more road space, more accidents? Binary options are ideal for copmuter chips not real life. Dinesh Mohan Duarte Rosa Filho wrote: > Greetings from Brazil. > > The implications on the use of LPG are: less expensive operationg > costs and > environmentally cleaner, as a fuel originated from petroleum. Perhaps, > the > modifications needed to the existing bus engines will > cost too much. > > There is a program of the government of Venezuela to forster > its use all over the country. > > Here in Brazil, there are a lot of experiences with this kind of fuel, > too. > > May be you will find some further information in one of the following > sites: > http://www.unb.br/ft/enc/sict/ - Transportation Information system of > the > Brazilian Tranportation Research Association > http://www.antp.org.br/ - Brazilian Public Transportation Association > http://www.geipot.gov.br/ - Brazilian Transportation Planning Agency > http://www.fontur.gov.ve/ - Venezuelan Urban Transportation Foundation > > Cheers, > Duarte > > -----Mensagem original----- > De: Debi Goenka > Para: Sustran > Data: Quarta-feira, 8 de Margo de 2000 15:13 > Assunto: [sustran] LPG and CNG > > >We urgently need information on the implications on the use > >of LPG and CNG as an alternate fuel for automobiles, > >particularly heavy vehicles. > >We are also concerned about the safety aspects. Have any > >countries banned the use of either CNG or LPG for safety > >reasons? > >Could you please respond urgently? > >Thanks and Cheers > >Debi Goenka > > > >-- > > > > > > > > > > > >Debi Goenka > >Bombay Environmental Action Group > > > >Mobile: 98200-86404 > >e-mail: debi.beag@softhome.net > > > > > > > >Environmental Education Office > > > >Kalbadevi Municipal School > ># 54, 2nd floor > >Mumbai 400002 > > > >Tel: 2423126 > >Tfax: 2426385 > > > > > >Registered Office > > > >4 Kurla Industrial Estate > >LBS Marg, Ghatkopar > >Mumbai 400086 > > > >Tel: 5147574 > >Fax: 5115810 > > > > > >Residence > > > >B 502 Glengate > >Hiranandani Gardens > >Powai Mumbai 400076 > > > >Tel: 5700638 > >Tfax: 5701459 > > -- ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 5th World Conference on Injury Control>> http://www.ciionline.org/fiwoco If you have trouble sending mail to this server you may use temporarily. ************************************************************************ Professor Dinesh Mohan Coordinator, Transportation Research & Injury Prevention Programme, Head, WHO Collaborating Centre, Room 808 Main Building Indian Institute of Technology, Hauz Khas, New Delhi 110016, India Office: (91 11) 659 1147 FAX: (91 11) 685 8703 & 685 1169 E-mail: dmohan@cbme.iitd.ernet.in Home: (91 11) 649 4910 ************************************************************************ From rogerh at foe.co.uk Fri Mar 10 20:56:57 2000 From: rogerh at foe.co.uk (Roger Higman) Date: Fri, 10 Mar 2000 11:56:57 +0000 Subject: LPG and CNG References: <38C69569.855DC33@SoftHome.net> <38C77ABB.43C0B70A@foe.co.uk> <38C83C0B.8E0750DC@SoftHome.net> Message-ID: <38C8E309.789E3AF4@foe.co.uk> Debi LPG is heavier than air and could form a pool if it leaked, but I'm not aware of that happening. Perhaps it might be worth contacting someone in the Netherlands or Italy where LPG is more widely used. Try: Ton Sledsens on sledsens@snm.antenna.nl for the Netherlands and Andrea Molochi at foeitaly@gn.apc.org for Italy Roger Higman "A thorn in the side of Senior Campaigner (Atmosphere and Transport) the motor industry" Friends of the Earth (E,W+NI), Car Magazine 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 From eric.britton at ecoplan.org Sat Mar 11 01:12:04 2000 From: eric.britton at ecoplan.org (eric.britton@ecoplan.org) Date: Fri, 10 Mar 2000 17:12:04 +0100 Subject: [sustran] Methodological note (accessing mailings from past exchanges) Message-ID: Crude but sometimes effective: In the context of two of our more recent spirited and useful exchanges (examples: "Brainpower needed", Negative thoughts on metro in general) we have been asked by several people on several of these lists concerning whether or not there might be some easy way to access all the materials that eventually get posted here or there on a given topic. There may be several ways to do this, but here is one that we find handy: For example, for the two above topics, you can turn to the @Access on the Web site at http://www.ecoplan.org/access and slither down the menu to the Search button, where you can enter these or other key words, preferable in quotes (for more information on Search Tips, click the Search/Research link on the top of the menu for any of our sites where you will find full details). This will lead you to a list of references. If it is too long, just narrow it with a few more well chosen key words. And where it brings you into an eGroups discussion forum, you may find it handy to sort by Subject, which will bring up all the indicated subject titles in the same place (more or less, since some may have "Re:" before them and others "FW:", so you may have to thrash around a bit. Still no one claimed that this was perfect.) Alternatively, if you wish to see what someone, say, "Paula Negron Poblete" or "Kerry Wood" for example, had to say on some topic, it will suffice to run your search for their names. Or for a city... ditto. Likewise, you will find some pretty useful search functions with quite a large reach at our various other sites, such as for Car Free Days, Carsharing, @ccess Mobility Solutions, etc. Finally, if you want to search specific lists, including Sustran, utsg, transport-Communications, Eltis, etc., this can be done quickly and easily by going to the Search/Research page of each site. To conclude, our objective behind this all is to develop systems which can allow us all to make use of these exchanges beyond the first time they pop up on our screens, since some of them, if not all, provide useful counsel and insight indeed. It seems a great pity just to throw them away. After all, there is a lot of information, perspective, views and, yes, even knowledge there. Any further comments, suggestions, or help on this will be most welcome. All of this of course is work in 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 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 kishor.shrestha at ic.ac.uk Sat Mar 11 02:12:53 2000 From: kishor.shrestha at ic.ac.uk (Shrestha, Kishor) Date: Fri, 10 Mar 2000 17:12:53 -0000 Subject: [sustran] UK leading in pollution reduction Message-ID: <96F6345CAEAED311B7920090273FC18C48F53F@icex9.cc.ic.ac.uk> Dear all Recently, the UK Government has claimed that it is leading in reducing the harmful greenhouse gases. It has targeted to reduce the pollution level by two folds as of Kyoto climate change deal by year 2010. And the Government is keen towards the signing of legally binding EU commitment. The government has urged the need because of recent flood in Mozambique and Indonesian fires in 1996-1997. It shows the pollution is global issue and the UK alone has vowed to cut down the pollution level. My question to all of you- "Is it possible to reduce the pollution to the target level if the most of the countries in the world are not prepared to do so much in this line instead they are contributing to increase the pollution level" KK Shrestha Centre of Transport Studies Imperial College London From wcox at publicpurpose.com Sat Mar 11 02:13:26 2000 From: wcox at publicpurpose.com (Wendell Cox) Date: Fri, 10 Mar 2000 11:13:26 -0600 Subject: [sustran] Latest US Metropolitan Area Population Data References: <007601bf7e4d$ea9cf640$9bc2e2d8@heckler> <051401bf8226$cf22dd80$0100a8c0@newmicronpc> Message-ID: <00e101bf8ab3$f4712ca0$0100a8c0@newmicronpc> FYI Metropolitan Area Population estimates compiled from Census Bureau county population estimates that were released yesterday.... Alpha... http://www.demographia.com/db-met99.htm Ranked http://www.demographia.com/db-met99r.htm -- WENDELL COX CONSULTANCY: International Public Policy, Economics, Labor, Transport & Strategic Planning THE PUBLIC PURPOSE: Internet Public Policy Resource: http://www.publicpurpose.com Transport Policy Discussion Group: http://www.publicpurpose.com/ut-group.htm DEMOGRAPHIA: http://www.demographia.com Urban Policy Discussion Group: http://www.demographia.com/db-group.htm Telephone +1 618 632 8507; Fax +1 618 632 8538 - P.O. Box 841- Belleville, Illinois 62222 USA "To facilitate the ideal of government as the servant of the people by identifying and implementing strategies to achieve public purposes at a cost that is no higher than necessary." From ebruun at rci.rutgers.edu Sat Mar 11 03:52:19 2000 From: ebruun at rci.rutgers.edu (Eric Bruun) Date: Fri, 10 Mar 2000 13:52:19 -0500 (EST) Subject: LPG and CNG In-Reply-To: <38C83C0B.8E0750DC@SoftHome.net> Message-ID: For a good summary of the issues of alternative fuels, try the Transit Cooperative Research Program reports. I can't remember which volume, but they are listed at the American Public Transportation Association cite, www.apta.com. Then find the TCRP program and read the titles. The report has further references. You may also order one copy for free, although I do not know if APTA pays international postage. I hope this helps. Eric Bruun From joel at xs4all.nl Sat Mar 11 06:34:22 2000 From: joel at xs4all.nl (J.H. Crawford) Date: Fri, 10 Mar 2000 21:34:22 +0000 Subject: LPG and CNG In-Reply-To: <38C83C0B.8E0750DC@SoftHome.net> References: <38C69569.855DC33@SoftHome.net> <38C77ABB.43C0B70A@foe.co.uk> Message-ID: <3.0.1.32.20000310213422.0069d1fc@pop.xs4all.nl> >My information is that since LPG is heavier than air and >therefore forms a pool when it leaks, it is more dangerous >than CNG. LPG (propane) is a fair bit denser than air. It causes explosions when it gets into the holds of pleasure boats LNG (methane) is less dense than air and so tends to rise. Under most circumstances this leads to safe dispersion. CNG, however, is a greenhouse gas and should not be permitted to escape unnecessarily into the atmosphere. ### J.H. Crawford Carfree Cities postmaster@carfree.com http://www.carfree.com From joel at xs4all.nl Sat Mar 11 06:38:29 2000 From: joel at xs4all.nl (J.H. Crawford) Date: Fri, 10 Mar 2000 21:38:29 +0000 Subject: Negative thoughts on metro in general In-Reply-To: References: <00cb01bf8a2c$e0df7c00$3636f8c8@duarte> <00cb01bf8a2c$e0df7c00$3636f8c8@duarte> Message-ID: <3.0.1.32.20000310213829.006a044c@pop.xs4all.nl> >In addition, as Eric Bruun has pointed out, rail (I would add, light >as well as heavy) has a higher passenger capacity. So, provided the >passengers are there, it is not obvious that busways are necessarily >cheaper in cents per passenger per km travelled. Capacity is always an issue to be considered. Metros have the highest capacity of any system, up to 50,000 passengers per hour per track. Light rail can get to about half that. Electric systems are clean (at least locally), whereas buses have not only filthy exhaust but make a fearsome racket. Electric trolley buses are better, but all the wires look pretty bad. You have to choose your system based on traffic levels. ### J.H. Crawford Carfree Cities postmaster@carfree.com http://www.carfree.com From msenior at uswest.net Sat Mar 11 10:11:57 2000 From: msenior at uswest.net (Milnor H. Senior, III) Date: Fri, 10 Mar 2000 18:11:57 -0700 Subject: Cox & Litman V5 & Bruun References: <0C1FC1F95058D311BF3700104B6621FB01271364@kmsx01.komag.com> <001e01bf7df1$7cbe4d60$0100a8c0@newmicronpc> <38B4881D.87BDF932@dnvr.uswest.net> <051301bf8226$543cc4a0$0100a8c0@newmicronpc> Message-ID: <38C99D5D.9F932FD9@dnvr.uswest.net> Dear Wendell, The research I referred to came from "Urban Mobility: An International Perspective," in Routes/Roads, July 1995. I could not find my copy in all my research materials but as I recall the quote in the article is close to this: 'Buses are slowing as congestion increases. The average overall speed achieved on busways ranges from 6 to 17 mph. These low speeds are a function of frequent stops and the degree of priority at junctions.' Hope this helps. Sincerely, Milnor H. Senior, III Wendell Cox wrote: > Would be very interested in that research. Average auto commutes... during > peak travel periods in the US are approx 55 kph... though considerably > slower than that in NY (perhaps slower than bicycles). > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: Milnor H. Senior, III > To: > Sent: Wednesday, February 23, 2000 7:23 PM > Subject: Re: Cox & Litman V5 & Bruun > > > Dear Wendell Cox, > > The research I have seen on bus speeds around the world is that > > average bus speeds are 16 km per hour. > > Sincerely, > > Milnor H. Senior, III > > President - Bicycle Transportation Systems, Inc. > > > > Wendell Cox wrote: > > > > > Part 1.1 Type: Plain Text (text/plain) > > > Encoding: quoted-printable > > > > From debi.beag at SoftHome.net Sat Mar 11 09:03:52 2000 From: debi.beag at SoftHome.net (Debi Goenka) Date: Sat, 11 Mar 2000 05:33:52 +0530 Subject: [sustran] Re: Negative thoughts on metro in general (and on from there) References: <38C8DD57.3B84EE29@cbme.iitd.ernet.in> Message-ID: <38C98D68.12AA6778@SoftHome.net> I have been reading with interest the debate on metros, and I am surprised that no one has yet commented on the Bombay suburban train system, which is more than a century old. If it had to be built today, at today's prices,it would perhaps never have got built. Yet it is literally the lifeline of the city, with more than 4 million people using it every day. A breakdown in the train services brings the city to a grinding halt. The mimimum cost of the cheapest short distance ticket is Rs.2. A monthly pass costs about 10 times the cost of a single journey ticket for the same distance. And yet the suburban train network of Mumbai is still making a profit!! Costs of adding additional lines or building an underground metro are prohibitive. Yet options exist for upgrading the services - increase in frequencies, more coaches per train, etc. Simultaneously, the BEST, which runs the public bus service, with over 3500 buses on the roads of Bombay, is also doing an excellent job, and it also caters to a larger number of passengers per day i.e. more than 4 million commuters. Yet the BEST is operating at a major loss, and is only able to survive because the transport wing is cross subsidised by its income from electricity sales. In the long run, it would make a lot more sense if the BEST buses did not operate their long north-south routes (which are parallel to the rail tracks) but instead act as feeders to the railway stations, and also provide east west connections, which are much needed. The idea of introducing water transport is still in its infancy, and despite many recent efforts, has not really taken off. It is also quite expensive, compared to rail/road transport. Also, the trains do not cause any (local) pollution, whereas the buses, which are reasonably well maintained, still do. I don't really know if all this helps the debate, but I feel that every city perhaps needs to evolve its own transportation networks. But the bottom line is that the pay back times may be very high, and would thus require some form of government funding to survive. Cheers Debi -- Debi Goenka Bombay Environmental Action Group Mobile: 98200-86404 e-mail: debi.beag@softhome.net Environmental Education Office Kalbadevi Municipal School # 54, 2nd floor Mumbai 400002 Tel: 2423126 Tfax: 2426385 Registered Office 4 Kurla Industrial Estate LBS Marg, Ghatkopar Mumbai 400086 Tel: 5147574 Fax: 5115810 Residence B 502 Glengate Hiranandani Gardens Powai Mumbai 400076 Tel: 5700638 Tfax: 5701459 From eric.britton at ecoplan.org Sat Mar 11 22:30:53 2000 From: eric.britton at ecoplan.org (eric.britton@ecoplan.org) Date: Sat, 11 Mar 2000 14:30:53 +0100 Subject: [sustran] Negative thoughts on metro in general (and on from there) In-Reply-To: <00cb01bf8a2c$e0df7c00$3636f8c8@duarte> Message-ID: Ain't this a grand discussion? If you take the time to pull out and review the entire range of comments thus far received, as I have, you will I think find a number of interesting and useful insights, and questions, on which to build and hone your own views and choices on these matters. And since the people on these lists are among the most important sources in the world of advance thinking, counsel and decision support on the issues, this is, I believe, a useful exercise indeed. And if we are in fact moving toward a new paradigm of transport in cities (which is where I think this is going), I guess it would not be out of place if I chip in with a few more observations, building in part on the communications that have thus far come in: 1. One of the more interesting points been made here is the call for understanding our mobility options in cities as not some sort of archi-limited bipolar choice ("public" vs. "private' transport or nothing), but that we need instead to think in terms of the full "mobility spectrum", behind which in turn there are a wide range of institutions, ownership and entrepreneurial matters. Indeed, if we look around we can see that in many places one of the main enemies of better transport in cities has been the doctrinaire insistence that the only alternative to the private car is what roughly amounts to soviet-style (read rudimentary, costly and uncompetitive) "administered, deficitory public transport". May I suggest that as we take apart the results of the Bogot? Car Free Day experiment, and then try to piece it back together again via this collective process, we will see some pretty important evidence in support of the idea of getting a lot better at "in between" transport, such as new uses of "taxis", colectivos, vans, shared vehicles of many kinds, etc. 2. And may I insist on the importance of the new technology vector here? Most of us who have been educated to the transport field in the past tend to think in terms of boxes on wheels and their associated physical infrastructure. But transport in cities in the future is going to be, above all, an information-led sector which, in fact, is the only way that we are ever gong to be able to make our systems sustainable. However, when we begin to take that into consideration our whole original frame of reference collapses and an entire new range of issues and choices emerge. Thank God! 3. I hope that we are pretty much agreed that the basic argument here is not that we need to close down the London or Hong Kong metros, but rather to be sure that we are 100% rational, informed and unbiased when it comes to understanding how best to spent the NEXT BILLION DOLLARS that we may be able to get our hands on in City X. If you can make the argument for spending that on a metro over the counter arguments that the smartest and best informed of the people on this list, well then bravo! Do it! (But you won't be able to. It's that simple. So, as we say so demurely: "Goodbye to (new) metros.") 4. "Cooking the numbers:" We would certainly like to thank Duarte for reminding us about this important point. When it comes to mega transport projects, especially those which are to be funded one way or another by public sector institutions and their main partners and sources of counsel (who, let us remind ourselves, are by and large playing with someone else's money), there is a lot of cooking and recooking that goes on. Nor is this always in the interest of truth or the public interest. Caveat emptor. 5. If not metros, what then? Since we now know (a) that cars do not work in cities, including foremost among other grounds for simple reasons of geometry, (b) that Parkinson's Law of Transport in Cities will see to it that demand will always expand first to fill and then to overfill the supply of available infrastructure (until such time that the city just finally gives up and dies, that is), and (c) that even if we spend that billion dollars on our new metro that the Law will continue to prevail on the streets of the city, it strikes me that the first step is to decide to face the problems where they exist today, rather than try to run away from this cruel and unrelenting reality and try to bury them somehow, for what we know will be a few years at best. 6. This means that we have to face the facts and learn to work better, much better, with what we have by way of our (transport's) share of the total urban real estate in each place. Now, if such a challenge may come as something of a disappointment to people and institutions who have long believed that the correct course was to try to build your way out of the problem, it nonetheless opens up a huge range of areas of innovation and management which are new, exciting, different and potentially enormously powerful tools in the interest of sustainability. Perhaps the most difficult challenge comes at the very beginning here, as people and institutions who have been trained to think and act in one way need to learn to readjust their sights and tools. Fortunately their analytic and other skills are going to be critical to the conversion process, so it's not like being a 50 year old coal miner with no apparent place in the economy to go. All those good traffic engineering and planning skills are gong to be even more important, and more challenged, in our new transportation environment of the 2000's. For those of us who are concerned with matters of sustainability and transport in cities, these are hugely exciting times. Unless of course we choose to continue to burrow our way out of the sunlight and reason. Yours in ready compromise, Eric Britton P.S. SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORT REFERENDUM IN SWITZERLAND: Tomorrow, March 12, is the day of the vote. The call is for government and its agencies there to do whatever is needed to decrease motorized vehicle kms in the region by 50% over the course of the next ten years. The target area is the entire Swiss Confederation, the cantos, and the communes. For details see http://www.actif-trafic.ch/. Whether this public initiative makes it or not (Light a candle!), we propose that the results be carefully scrutinized in these various discussions groups and fora, in the hope that we can learn the lessons of this important experience in activist democracy (as opposed to the administered brand that so many seem to prefer... see de Tocqueville for further clarification on this one). ecopl@n ___ technology, economy, society ___ Le Frene, 8/10 rue Joseph Bara, 75006 Paris, France Eric.Britton@ecoplan.org URL www.ecoplan.org 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 Sun Mar 12 00:14:20 2000 From: eric.britton at ecoplan.org (eric.britton@ecoplan.org) Date: Sat, 11 Mar 2000 16:14:20 +0100 Subject: [sustran] Sustainable politics in Norway (energy) Message-ID: Kjell Dahle has just sent this note which I think is close enough to the interests and competence of a number of you to be of interest - and perhaps you may have some feedback for him as well. This plus tomorrow's Sustainable Transport Referendum in Switzerland begin to suggest that we might do well to consider crating a Sustainable Politics Forum somewhere under The Commons. From: kjell.dahle@senterpartiet.no (Kjell Dahle) To: wfsf-l@eou.edu, tp2000@egroups.com Date: Sat, 11 Mar 2000 15:40:02 +0100 Dear colleagues and friends, As some of you know, I have been the secretary general of the Centre party (one of the three coalition partners in the present Norwegian minority government) the last year, thus being one of the few futurists directly involved in practical politics. As some of you might know, this government has now just resigned as the result of an environmental dispute over whether to allow gas-fired power plants in Norway. The government position was to postpone gas-fired power plants until new technology makes it possible to decimate carbon dioxide emissions. (The proposed plants would produce about as much pollution as 1/3 of the Norwegian cars! ) What happened, was the following: 1) National pollution authorities turned down the application from a state-owned (sic!) company called "Environmental Power" (sic!) to build gas-fired power plants based on present, polluting technology. 2) Our government (which controlled only 25% of the seats in parliament) supported the decision of the pollution authorities. 3) A majority in Parliament (Labour and the right wing parties) wanted to instruct the government to reverse this decision. 4) The government presented a report from the experts of the Ministry of Justice, claiming that it would be against the pollution law if politicians reversed the decision of the pollution authorities. 5) The opposition parties then wanted to change the law, trying to instruct the government to initiate an amendment of the pollution law. 6) The government made it clear that it would only initiate amendments that made the law more environmental-friendly. 7) Labour and the Conservatives said they would vote against such a proposal from the government. 8) The prime minister said that his government would rather resign than initiate liberalizing amendments in the pollution law. 9) The government lost the parliamentary vote of confidence and resigned. This is the first time in history that a Norwegian government resigns as a result of losing an environmental dispute. Now my question is: Do any of you know other cases anywhere in the world where governments have resigned after having had the choice between resignation and implementation of decisions they consider as harmful to the environment ? (Independent of whether they have been voted down in Parliament or through referendums.) Best wishes Kjell Dahle From joel at xs4all.nl Mon Mar 13 04:30:50 2000 From: joel at xs4all.nl (J.H. Crawford) Date: Sun, 12 Mar 2000 19:30:50 +0000 Subject: [sustran] Re: Negative thoughts on metro In-Reply-To: References: <3.0.6.32.20000309102107.008e8c70@relay101.jaring.my> Message-ID: <3.0.1.32.20000312193050.006f9720@pop.xs4all.nl> Hi, all, I've been lurking on this topic all along, but now I feel like I have to rise up and defend metros. I've cut and pasted things from five different messages, and I'll respond to each in turn. Eric Britton: >>>>3. I hope that we are pretty much agreed that the basic argument here is not that we need to close down the London or Hong Kong metros, but rather to be sure that we are 100% rational, informed and unbiased when it comes to understanding how best to spent the NEXT BILLION DOLLARS that we may be able to get our hands on in City X. If you can make the argument for spending that on a metro over the counter arguments that the smartest and best informed of the people on this list, well then bravo! Do it! (But you won't be able to. It's that simple. So, as we say so demurely: "Goodbye to (new) metros.") I think you CAN justify it. Cities like Paris, London, Tokyo, Mexico City demand metros--you can't develop sufficient capacity any other way. At the same time, only metros can offer speeds that are competitive with private cars. All surface means have got to be slower, noisier, and less attractive. I grant you that trams are more pleasant for the riders, because there is something to see, but in every respect, metros are better for the non-users. I hope that we're all agreed that systems elevated above ground should never be built. Lake Sagaris >>>>Let me add, in the rigid classbound societies of developing countries, where the car is often the maximum symbol of having made it out of the bottom mud and into the light, noisy dangerously driven poorly kept buses are often the maximum symbol of the opposite. Metros, on the other hand, at least Santiago (Chile) offer one of the few models of social equality, transportation for the whole nation and not just the top or bottom half. EVERYONE uses the metro (if it coincides with their route). If you're talking about social justice and equality, metros are extremely important, perhaps not the be all and end all, but very useful at the practical AND the symbolic end. Interesting point. The London and New York systems are heavily used by the suit-and-tie crowd, along with everybody else. You'll not get these people onto city buses. "Nobody with a choice ever took a bus anywhere." Eric Bruun >>>>Up to now, I have almost always agreed with you. But "Goodbye to Metros" is a bit much. Look at productive capacity - capacity times speed (Productive Capacity), to see what the investment buys - if tremendous capacity over long distances in a reasonable amount of time is needed - nothing can outperform them. This is just plain true. If you've only got 25,000 passengers an hour, then you can try an LRV system. If you've got 50,000 then you have to use a metro. >>>>Of course, cost is a problem, but it is not true that other modes have the same performance, that is my only point. This doesn't mean they always go to the right places, have the right network configuration, or are properly connected to other modes, but one can say this about any proposed rail or busway investment. On the other hand, since the investment is permanent, one can eventually revise the connecting network to improve the overall system over time. Yes, see Toronto, for example. >>>>Also, if you want to make service attractive in wealthier cities, you might have to invest in high performance. Absolutely. Nothing can touch a metro on this criterion. >>>>Parkinson's law does not always hold, either. Munich has had no increase in average trip length per capita for 20 years, even with massive increases in rail service. The secret is to take additional measures such as pedestrian malls, high parking prices, etc. to deter additional driving. The real principle, I think, is that surface streets must be for pedestrians, not for cars, trucks, etc. Put the utilities where they belong, under ground. Of course, in smaller cities, metros are non-starters because the high capacity carries a cost that can't be borne by smaller cities. Dinesh Mohan >>>>Metros are ideal for very high density corridors, eg Hong Kong. Very few cities have living patterns similar to Hong Kong. As a matter of fact the success of the metro in HK is an outlier. Excellent example, but many cities still have densities that are plenty high enough for metros to work better than any other alternative. >>>>Widely dispersed populations in cities with mixed land use patterns make modern high capacity bus systems much more efficient. Certainly much more amenable to change as the city changes structure and living and business patterns with time. People hate buses. I think the solution is to build suitable rail systems (LRV or metro) into areas identified as suitable for increased densities. The high quality of service will attract the people and the redevelopment necessary to make the systems justify their costs. You have to be prepared to wait a while, though. You just aren't going to attract a high ridership with buses. Only Curitiba has been successful in this, and they're now busy replacing their bus routes with LRV systems. In first-world cities, no bus system you can devise is going to attract the BMW crowd. >>>>Families generally cannot spend more than 10% of their income on transportation. The break-even costs for a metro seem to be int he range of USD 1.00 per trip, no matter where the metro is built. If we take a figure of 4 trips per family per day, the annual expenditure comes to USD 1,460 on transportation per family not counting other modes. This means that the annual family income must be more than USD 14,600. A figure beyond most families in the world. I doubt that places like Mexico City are charging anywhere near $1/ride (anybody know?) Well, enough for now. Suffice it to say that metros have their place. Regards, ### J.H. Crawford Carfree Cities postmaster@carfree.com http://www.carfree.com From kerry.wood at paradise.net.nz Mon Mar 13 06:30:38 2000 From: kerry.wood at paradise.net.nz (Kerry Wood) Date: Mon, 13 Mar 2000 10:30:38 +1300 Subject: [sustran] Re: motor vehicle inspection syste References: <20000310070042.88474.qmail@hotmail.com> Message-ID: <38CC0C7A.EA0D370C@paradise.net.nz> Hi Roberto, everybody Allowing a company to do vehicle inspections should be OK if these requirements are met: - Good testing standards, allowing for the huge variability of vehicles even when in good condition. - Free re-inspection of a failed vehicle included in the test fee, so that owners of failed vehicles can get repairs done anywhere - A failed vehicle allowed on the road to get to a repairer or a test station. - A system for appealing against test failures. This kind of system seems to work well enough in New Zealand. Protection against fiddles by customers is needed too: The certificate must give the vehicles registration number, and be difficult to alter. A key check here is that all inspections are logged on a central computer, so any tester can enter the registration number and see where and when the vehicle was last inspected, and the reasons for any failure. This helps to stop owners trying to find a tester that will let them get away with a fault. -- Kerry Wood MICE MIPENZ MCIT Transport Consultant 1 McFarlane Street, Wellington 6001, New Zealand Phone + 64 4 971 5549 From kerry.wood at paradise.net.nz Mon Mar 13 06:31:44 2000 From: kerry.wood at paradise.net.nz (Kerry Wood) Date: Mon, 13 Mar 2000 10:31:44 +1300 Subject: [sustran] Some slightly positive thoughts on metro etc References: Message-ID: <38CC0CBC.50A10D39@paradise.net.nz> Could this discussion be beginning to slide towards metro bashing? We agree that London or Pairs (or Mumbai, although that is more like suburban rail) cannot just rip out their systems. But other cities are growing and will be -- or already are-- as big as these three. Will these growing cities never need metro? Tony Ridley describes 3 three essential pre-requisites for light rail, but they probably apply to any large transport infrastructure ("Light Rail - technology or way of life" TM Riddle ICE Transport 5/1992): -There must be political consensus regardless of the means of finance - It must be part of an urban transport strategy - There must be a clear decision-making framework I hesitate to add anything to this, but I can't resist: - Don't pick your technology too soon When the politicians say "light rail," "metro," "busway" or even "monorail", assume (unless it is a simple extension of an existing system) that they mean the four Hs: High quality, High capacity, Highly integrated, Hopefully affordable. If you want to shift 50 000 passengers an hour ( and especially if your city is sitting on London Clay) a metro is probably a good idea, If 10 000 an hour is enough and tunnelling is difficult, stay on the surface, with maybe the odd cut-and-cover underpass where it is really needed. Two parallel light rail lines might do the same job as a metro: say up to1000 m apart in the CBD, 2 or more km apart further out. But if a light rail route is to shift 25 000 / hr it needs very long trains, so cross streets might have to be closed to fit stations in. It also needs a lot of junction time: a train every 45 seconds (both ways), each occupying every junction for say 12 - 25 seconds. What will that do to POB (plain old bus) routes trying to cross the light rail routes? Or to freight transport? If you are moving that many people on a daily basis, some of them will be travelling a long way: will on-street light rail be fast enough to compete with cars? London put in a too-light light rail system in Docklands (because it was built down to a price), rebuilt it at enormous expense to a semi-metro, then put in a real metro through broadly the same area. Starting with a less metro-adverse approach might have been cheaper in the end. If you have political consensus, how do you check for cooking the numbers? -- Kerry Wood MICE MIPENZ MCIT Transport Consultant 1 McFarlane Street, Wellington 6001, New Zealand Phone + 64 4 971 5549 From eric.britton at ecoplan.org Tue Mar 14 00:13:08 2000 From: eric.britton at ecoplan.org (eric.britton@ecoplan.org) Date: Mon, 13 Mar 2000 16:13:08 +0100 Subject: [sustran] The Politics of Sustainability Message-ID: Further to (a) yesterday's message from Kjell Dahle on the topic of the fall of the latest Norwegian government's on the grounds of its refusal to undermine environmental policy there and (b) yesterday's referendum in Switzerland which garnered 21% of the votes for a proposition for steady and massive reduction in traffic over the next ten years (and which can be seen either as a thundering defeat or pretty encouraging first try at gaining support for this sort of initiative depending on your point of view), we have decided to open up a new working area under The Commons that will attempt to provide an independent international forum for information and discussion of these matters. You can find the rough first cut of the Politics of Sustainability site today at http://www.ecoplan.org/politics. In a first instance we are beginning by developing these ideas through an exposition of available materials on and discussions of the actif-trafic initiative, as a test case of sorts. And once we have our basic template, we intend to push out coverage in the coming weeks so as to provide in time a much broader base. Among the concepts that have already been targeted to get us started: the original Zurich U-bahn referendum, the Car Free Day approach, ISTEA, the original California LEV/ZEV legislation, and yet others. If you check out the site, you will note that we are trying here to stretch considerably beyond the limits of the usual discussion lists or Web fora, to the extent that our goal is to provide various ways in which the information and various views and discussions can be stocked and then called up in some convenient way when needed. You can see how we have done this in other cases with some rather good results, including for example the Car Free Day site at http://www.ecoplan.org/carfreeday/ and the @World carshare site at http://www.ecoplan.org/carshare. That anyway is the general idea. We think this could be a timely and potentially useful move. The politics of sustainability clearly needs more work. I hope you will have a look and give us your reactions, inputs and guidance on all this. It will be much appreciated. 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 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 negronpp at MAGELLAN.UMontreal.CA Tue Mar 14 03:49:58 2000 From: negronpp at MAGELLAN.UMontreal.CA (Paula Negron Poblete) Date: Mon, 13 Mar 2000 13:49:58 -0500 Subject: [sustran] Re: Negative thoughts on metro References: <3.0.6.32.20000309102107.008e8c70@relay101.jaring.my> <3.0.1.32.20000312193050.006f9720@pop.xs4all.nl> Message-ID: <38CD3856.34B4DAE0@magellan.umontreal.ca> Concerning J.H. Crawford's questions about Mexico city's metro, I have some answers. First of all, the cost. A ride costs about 0.15 USD (1.5 pesos), which is too low to allow to cover operating and adminnistrative costs (this costs are subsidized approximatively in 20%); but to rise this cost can be difficult, because a lot of people have a very low salary. In 1995, around 79% of the population of the Federal District (that's the main city) had an income between 1 and 3 minimums salaries (approx. 350 USD per month). Another problems concerns the aportaion of the metro in total travelling; even if the metro allows to move a lot of people, many of traveling made by metro are connected to another mean of transport, primary the microbuses. This situation makes that even if the metro carries more than 4 million people every day, the microbuses carry more than 16 million people! This is because the poorest people live in the periphery of the city, where there is no metro, so they have to use the microbuses. "J.H. Crawford" a ?crit : > > Hi, all, > > I've been lurking on this topic all along, but now I feel like I have > to rise up and defend metros. I've cut and pasted things from five > different messages, and I'll respond to each in turn. > > J.H. Crawford Carfree Cities > postmaster@carfree.com http://www.carfree.com From joel at xs4all.nl Tue Mar 14 05:01:43 2000 From: joel at xs4all.nl (J.H. Crawford) Date: Mon, 13 Mar 2000 20:01:43 +0000 Subject: [sustran] Re: Negative thoughts on metro In-Reply-To: <38CD3856.34B4DAE0@magellan.umontreal.ca> References: <3.0.6.32.20000309102107.008e8c70@relay101.jaring.my> <3.0.1.32.20000312193050.006f9720@pop.xs4all.nl> Message-ID: <3.0.1.32.20000313200143.006a0214@pop.xs4all.nl> Paula Negron Poblete said: >Concerning J.H. Crawford's questions about Mexico city's metro, I have >some answers. First of all, the cost. A ride costs about 0.15 USD (1.5 >pesos), which is too low to allow to cover operating and adminnistrative >costs (this costs are subsidized approximatively in 20%); Does this mean that full costs are $0.15 x 1.2 = $0.18 ? Would just $0.18 per ride be sufficient to cover full costs? If so, that's well below the $1/ride that's been mentioned. Admittedly, this is a low-cost labor market, so operating costs are compartively low. >but to rise >this cost can be difficult, because a lot of people have a very low >salary. In 1995, around 79% of the population of the Federal District >(that's the main city) had an income between 1 and 3 minimums salaries >(approx. 350 USD per month). That's understandable, given the very low wages of many people. It's a wealth-distribution issue, because the subsidy money is already coming from somewhere. >Another problems concerns the aportaion of >the metro in total travelling; even if the metro allows to move a lot of >people, many of traveling made by metro are connected to another mean of >transport, primary the microbuses. Thus a case of Integrated Public Transport. The metro is the part needed to tie together the high-density nodes. Minibuses (or other low-capital-cost transport) feed the metro. This may be a near-optimum solution. I'm know the problem is pollution, but if the private car were removed from the streets of Mexico City, then pollution would fall and congestion would largely disappear. >This situation makes that even if the >metro carries more than 4 million people every day, the microbuses carry >more than 16 million people! This is because the poorest people live in >the periphery of the city, where there is no metro, so they have to use >the microbuses. Rail is not a suitable solution in low-density areas. I'm familiar with the Indonesian Bemo, which provides excellent service in the less-densely settled areas of Java and Bali. It's a similar solution, although it's often very crowded by North American standards. Cheap, flexible, effective. Thanks for the info on the fare. Regards, ### J.H. Crawford Carfree Cities postmaster@carfree.com http://www.carfree.com From brent.efford at techmedia.co.nz Tue Mar 14 06:11:01 2000 From: brent.efford at techmedia.co.nz (Brent Efford) Date: Tue, 14 Mar 2000 10:11:01 +1300 Subject: [sustran] Re: metros or not References: <200003131700.CAA74063@mail.jca.apc.org> Message-ID: <004701bf8d30$b3e15960$2f9460cb@techmedia> Thanks to Kerry Wood for his comments. We both live in the capital of a small country with the usual public/private transport issues but neither metros nor light rail, though plenty of historical proposals for both. The either/or approach smacks of the mono-modalism pushed here by the bus-owner lobby - in their attempts to be the only mode, the utility of public transport as a whole has suffered. In Australia, LRT and subways seem to be symbiotic: look at Melbourne with one of the largest tram/LRT systems in the world expanding even after the underground railway loop was built. Or Sydney, with a mature city underground also expanding along with a new light rail line. Or Brisbane, with a recently electrified suburban railway system with a subway component also expanding at the same time as an all-new LRT system is being planned. My observation in all three cities is that the niche for each mode has been correctly identified, and that the LRT components (or bus for that matter) would be less efficient or viable without the subway. Cheers, Brent Efford TechMedia Services / Transport 2000 NZ PO Box 2626, Wellington, New Zealand Ph 04 801 9331; fax 04 801 9344; mob 025 887 387 www.techmedia.co.nz From esg at bgl.vsnl.net.in Tue Mar 14 19:56:07 2000 From: esg at bgl.vsnl.net.in (Environment Support Group) Date: Tue, 14 Mar 2000 15:56:07 +0500 Subject: [sustran] Re: LPG and CNG Message-ID: <3.0.5.32.20000314155607.007c4450@202.54.12.49> The use of LPG in private cars and autorickshaws has increased quite a bit in the past two years in Bangalore, a city with dense traffic movement, where almost 70% of the 6 million vehicles that ply are two wheelers, and about 20% are private cars. Such use became very popular as the running costs were claimed to be a third that of petrol (costing Rs. 30/litre: Rs. 44 = $1) and a LPG cylinder that is meant for kitchen use could be mounted in the vehicles. Small entrepreneurs took to this in a very big way and provided a device that allows for use of both fuels and switchover when needed. The cost for this device which initially was about Rs. 12000 has come down to half its price due to competition, and conversion services springing up all over the city. About 2 years ago, claiming LPG to be an environmentally benign fuel in an highly polluted city, a Judge of the High Court of Karnataka, Justice Saldanha, passed suo moto orders to convert all petrol driven rickshaws to gas, but without any explanation of how this was to be done. This was immediately struck down by the Chief Justice, as being without basis and rationale. However, the practice continued unabated, and presently some sources claim over 20,000 conversions have taken place, of cars and rickshaws. When affected private entrepreneurs approached the Court to lift the stay on J Saldanha's order, the opinion of the Karnataka Transport Minister Sageer Ahmed was sought. He argued the stay must continue as the fuel, regardless of being environmentally benign, was extremely hazardous for use in LMVs, and violative of the Indian Motor Vehicle's Act. The Indian Motor Vehicle's Act does not allow for use of LPG, and in the event of accidents, insurance claim cannot be made by vehicles using LPG. In the past month alone we have had two very serious incidents involving LPG based vehicles. A car using LPG caught fire, but thankfully on the city outskirts and during the night when traffic on the road was sparse. The owner initially claimed it was not run on LPG to claim insurance cover, but on thorough examination, two cylinders were found from the debris. And just over a week ago, another car caught fire in the very heart of the city during peak hour traffic. The car was being run on LPG, but at that time the driver claimed it was running on petrol. Thankfully, a local bunk had fire fighting equipment that rescued those present from a potentially disastrous situation. If I am not mistaken, there is a task force appointed by the Central Government following another accident that again took place in Bangalore almost a year ago. In this case a LPG run car started leaking gas, but there was no fire. Of critical safety concern is what are the risks associated with such a high number of LPG run vehicles on densely crowded streets of Bangalore. The accident rate here is very high. And therefore the risks associated with such if indeed there is a high velocity impact with an LPG run vehicle would also need to be considered. If any studies on such concerns are also available, in addition to responses already made to Debi's qery, I will be grateful for infomation. Leo Saldanha Environment Support Group Date sent: Fri, 10 Mar 2000 05:34:27 +0530 From: Debi Goenka Subject: [sustran] Re: LPG and CNG Dear Roger Thanks for the email. Perhaps I have not made my request for info clear - I was not referring to safety vis-a-cis air quality or air pollution, but safety in terms of storage, transport, use, etc. My information is that since LPG is heavier than air and therefore forms a pool when it leaks, it is more dangerous than CNG. Cheers Debi -- ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Environment Support Group (R) 36, Reservoir Road Basavanagudi Bangalore 560 004. INDIA Telefax: 91-80-6614855 Email: esg@bgl.vsnl.net.in ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ From esg at bgl.vsnl.net.in Tue Mar 14 23:20:05 2000 From: esg at bgl.vsnl.net.in (Environment Support Group) Date: Tue, 14 Mar 2000 19:20:05 +0500 Subject: [sustran] Re: LPG and CNG In-Reply-To: <3.0.5.32.20000314155607.007c4450@202.54.12.49> Message-ID: <3.0.5.32.20000314192005.007ab420@202.54.12.49> In my earlier posting, I made an error in the number of vehicles in Bangalore. It should read 600,000 and not 6 million. The population of Bangalore is over 5 million. Regrets Leo Saldanha At 03:56 PM 3/14/00 +0500, you wrote: > >The use of LPG in private cars and autorickshaws has increased >quite a bit in the past two years in Bangalore, a city with dense >traffic movement, where almost 70% of the 6 million vehicles that >ply are two wheelers, and about 20% are private cars. Such use >became very popular as the running costs were claimed to be a third that of >petrol >(costing Rs. 30/litre: Rs. 44 = $1) and a LPG cylinder that is >meant for kitchen use could be mounted in the vehicles. > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Environment Support Group (R) 36, Reservoir Road Basavanagudi Bangalore 560 004. INDIA Telefax: 91-80-6614855 Email: esg@bgl.vsnl.net.in ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ From debi.beag at SoftHome.net Wed Mar 15 11:03:04 2000 From: debi.beag at SoftHome.net (Debi Goenka) Date: Wed, 15 Mar 2000 07:33:04 +0530 Subject: [sustran] Re: LPG and CNG References: <3.0.5.32.20000314192005.007ab420@202.54.12.49> Message-ID: <38CEEF58.82E33B0F@SoftHome.net> Dear Leo is the use of domestic LPG cylinder for automobile use allowed in Karnataka? if so, this is extremely dangerous. safety standards mandate that like CNG tanks, LPG tanks should be fixed to the vehicle, and should be refilled at special LPG filling stations. Debi -- Debi Goenka Bombay Environmental Action Group Mobile: 98200-86404 e-mail: debi.beag@softhome.net Environmental Education Office Kalbadevi Municipal School # 54, 2nd floor Mumbai 400002 Tel: 2423126 Tfax: 2426385 Registered Office 4 Kurla Industrial Estate LBS Marg, Ghatkopar Mumbai 400086 Tel: 5147574 Fax: 5115810 Residence B 502 Glengate Hiranandani Gardens Powai Mumbai 400076 Tel: 5700638 Tfax: 5701459 From sustran at po.jaring.my Wed Mar 15 11:26:00 2000 From: sustran at po.jaring.my (SUSTRAN Network Secretariat) Date: Wed, 15 Mar 2000 10:26:00 +0800 Subject: [sustran] New Book - A Very Public Solution: Transport in the Dispersed City Message-ID: <3.0.6.32.20000315102600.0091f340@relay101.jaring.my> This new book is probably most relevant to the low-density, dispersed cities of Australia, New Zealand and North America rather than the lower-income cities of Asia, Latin America, Africa, etc. that are the main focus of this list. Nevertheless, it is relevant to the ongoing debate here on metros. The prices quoted are in Australian dollars. Paul ------------------------------------- NEW BOOK ANNOUNCEMENT Melbourne University Press is proud to announce the publication of a new book, A Very Public Solution: Transport in the Dispersed City by Paul Mees. About the book Why is public transport so poor in Australian cities? Why can't it be more like the fast, convenient systems in Europe? Unlike Europeans, most urban Australians live on far-flung suburban blocks rather than in high-density apartments. Most urban travel is to widespread suburban locations rather than to the city centre. It is often argued that fast, efficient public transport is impossible in our 'dispersed' cities. In A Very Public Solution, Paul Mees compares Melbourne's public transport system with the highly successful system in Toronto-a 'dispersed' city very like Melbourne with its suburban sprawl-and sheds new light on a century-old debate. This debate is particularly important now, as 'economic rationalists' move to privatise public transport in Australian cities. We can have European-style public transport, Mees argues, if our different forms of public transport stop competing with each other and start competing with the car. A Very Public Solution is the first serious work on public transport planning ever published in Australia. It is essential reading for everyone concerned with urban sustainability and our growing traffic problems. Paperback $29.95 (Australian dollars) 344 pages ISBN: 0 522 84867 2 About the author Dr Paul Mees lectures in Urban Transport Planning and Public Transport in the Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning at the University of Melbourne. A frequent media commentator on public transport issues, he has been President of the Public Transport Users Association (Vic) since 1992. In 1997, he was sued by the proprietors of City Link, Melbourne's new private toll freeway. Order details A Very Public Solution is available from all good bookshops or from Melbourne University Press (MUP). To order, print out the form below, complete and send to MUP, or visit http://www.mup.com.au/catalogue/0_522_84867_2.html. Please send me _____ copies of A Very Public Solution @ $29.95 per copy $____________ Plus postage: $____________ ($3 for one copy or $5 for two or more copies within Australia; please contact MUP for overseas postage costs) Total payable: $____________ _____ Cheque enclosed (payable to Melbourne University Press) Or charge my credit card: _____Mastercard _____Visa _____Bankcard _____Diners _____Amex Card no. _______________________________________________________ Expiry date _______________________________________________________ Signature _______________________________________________________ Name _______________________________________________________ Address _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________ State ______________ Postcode _________________ Country _______________________________________________________ Please send your order to (no stamp required): Reply Paid 1043 Melbourne University Press PO Box 278 Carlton South VIC 3053 Telephone: (+61 3) 9347 3455 Facsimile: (+61 3) 9349 2527 Email: marketing@mup.unimelb.edu.au Internet: http://www.mup.com.au From ajain at kcrc.com Wed Mar 15 11:13:32 2000 From: ajain at kcrc.com (Jain Alok) Date: Wed, 15 Mar 2000 10:13:32 +0800 Subject: [sustran] Diesel vs Natural Gas... Message-ID: Following recent discussions on LPG and CNG, I thought this might be of interest to people on this list, which I had saved from discussions on another list. Alok Jain Natural gas vs diesel There have been a number of references on the list to the supposed superiority of compressed natural gas over diesel for buses. The following may be of interest PSam For Immediate Release DIESEL OR NATURAL GAS? NEW HARVARD STUDY FINDS ENVIRONMENTAL PROS AND CONS WITH BOTH Which fuel is the right choice for heavy trucks and buses? Its a decision facing policymakers in California, at the EPA, and at government agencies around the world, as well as executives at automakers and corporations that operate fleets of buses or trucks. Phase 1 of a study comparing the two fuels, by the Harvard Center for Risk Analysis (HCRA) at Harvard School of Public Health, finds that there are advantages and disadvantages to each. Environmentally, natural gas is better at reducing particulate and NOx pollution. Diesel is better for reducing greenhouse gasses. Diesel is the fuel of choice now, but concerns about particulate pollution in diesel exhaust have prompted a move toward alternatives. The HCRA analysis finds that natural gas reduces emissions of fine particulates, those smaller than 2.5 microns. But natural gas may generate more ultra fine particles than diesel. Those are less than .1 micron. Several studies indicate that ultrafine particles may have an even more dramatic impact on health than those in the fine category. The study finds that because natural gas is primarily methane, a relatively simple molecule, it combusts more completely than many fuels, producing fewer emissions of several types, particularly NOx, an important contributor to ground level ozone and the formation of fine particulates. The advantages of diesel come from its efficiency. Diesel engines convert a large fraction of the available energy into useable work. As a result, diesel engines consume less fuel overall than if they were converted to natural gas. The HCRA study suggests that converting heavy trucks and buses from diesel to natural gas would increase emissions of C02, a significant greenhouse gas. In addition, the study finds that more widespread use of natural gas would likely increase the escape of methane into the atmosphere. Methane is approximately 20 times more potent as a greenhouse gas than CO2. The study finds that European regulators seem to be favoring diesel fuel as part of their effort to comply with the Kyoto agreements to stabilize CO2 and other greenhouse gas emissions. They are using tax incentives and emissions standards to encourage the use of new cleaner-burning diesel fuels. European vehicle manufacturers appear to be increasing their application of "green" diesel technology that captures significant amounts of particulates. The study finds that diesel has safety advantages over natural gas, which is a more flammable and explosive fuel to handle and store. It finds that diesel has a short term cost advantage, but that natural gas might end up with roughly the same costs if engines and refueling infrastructure become common. The Harvard Center for Risk Analysis promotes a more reasoned response to health, safety, and environmental risks. The full report can found at connected to the electronic version of this release that is posted there. arvard Center for Risk Analysis Harvard School of Public Health 718 Huntington Avenue Boston, Massachusetts 02115 Contacts: Edmond Toy, lead author, 617-432-1566, etoy@fas.harvard.edu David Ropeik, Director of Risk Communications. 617-432-6011, dropeik@hsph.harvard.edu From COLSZE at ntu.edu.sg Wed Mar 15 13:04:12 2000 From: COLSZE at ntu.edu.sg (Piotr Olszewski (Assoc Prof)) Date: Wed, 15 Mar 2000 12:04:12 +0800 Subject: [sustran] Re: Negative thoughts on metro Message-ID: I am somewhat dismayed by the amount of anti-metro sentiment expressed on this discussion list, of all places. "No more new metros!" ?? - this sounds more like a battle cry of the pro-car lobby! Has the enemy penetrated this list? (;-) Around the world the urban population keeps growing at an astonishing rate: there are already 20 megacities with over 8 million people and their number will keep increasing. How can one possibly solve their transport needs in a sustainable way without heavy rail? Rail transport uses 3 times less energy per passenger-km than bus and 9 times less than car. And metro is the only mode that can compete with cars on travel time, for an average commute distance (say, 10 km). This is not to say that metro is suitable for every large city, at any stage of development or that heavy rail is always better than LRT. Clearly, mistakes have been made in the past and often the limited funds available can be better spent on improving the existing tram or bus system than on 1 more km of a metro tunnel. For a successful metro project, some criteria must be met: there should be a critical population mass (minimum size), sufficient development density, minimum GDP level and preferably an urban planning/control system that promotes development along metro corridors. We can argue about the values of these thresholds but there should be some agreement on the vision for a sustainable transport system for large cities. Building a metro system, viewed as a strategic investment, may be needed to push sprawling megacities in developing countries towards a more sustainable urban form: a polynucleated city, with corridors of higher density along metro lines. It has been shown that such an urban structure is the most energy-efficient. ------------------------------------------- Piotr Olszewski colsze@ntu.edu.sg Nanyang Technological University, Singapore From COLSZE at ntu.edu.sg Tue Mar 14 15:49:22 2000 From: COLSZE at ntu.edu.sg (Piotr Olszewski (Assoc Prof)) Date: Tue, 14 Mar 2000 14:49:22 +0800 Subject: [sustran] Re: Negative thoughts on metro Message-ID: I am somewhat dismayed by the amount of anti-metro sentiment expressed on this discussion list, of all places. "No more new metros!" ?? - this sounds more like a battle cry of the pro-car lobby! Has the enemy penetrated this list? (;-) Around the world the urban population keeps growing at an astonishing rate: there are already 20 megacities with over 8 million people and their number will keep increasing. How can one possibly solve their transport needs in a sustainable way without heavy rail? Rail transport uses 3 times less energy per passenger-km than bus and 9 times less than car. And metro is the only mode that can compete with cars on travel time, for an average commute distance (say, 10 km). This is not to say that metro is suitable for every large city, at any stage of development or that heavy rail is always better than LRT. Clearly, mistakes have been made in the past and often the limited funds available can be better spent on improving the existing tram or bus system than on 1 more km of a metro tunnel. For a successful metro project, some criteria must be met: there should be a critical population mass (minimum size), sufficient development density, minimum GDP level and preferably an urban planning/control system that promotes development along metro corridors. We can argue about the values of these thresholds but there should be some agreement on the vision for a sustainable transport system for large cities. Building a metro system, viewed as a strategic investment, may be needed to push sprawling megacities in developing countries towards a more sustainable urban form: a polynucleated city, with corridors of higher density along metro lines. It has been shown that such an urban structure is the most energy-efficient. ------------------------------------------- Piotr Olszewski colsze@ntu.edu.sg Nanyang Technological University, Singapore From COLSZE at ntu.edu.sg Tue Mar 14 15:49:22 2000 From: COLSZE at ntu.edu.sg (Piotr Olszewski (Assoc Prof)) Date: Tue, 14 Mar 2000 14:49:22 +0800 Subject: [sustran] Re: Negative thoughts on metro Message-ID: I am somewhat dismayed by the amount of anti-metro sentiment expressed on this discussion list, of all places. "No more new metros!" ?? - this sounds more like a battle cry of the pro-car lobby! Has the enemy penetrated this list? (;-) Around the world the urban population keeps growing at an astonishing rate: there are already 20 megacities with over 8 million people and their number will keep increasing. How can one possibly solve their transport needs in a sustainable way without heavy rail? Rail transport uses 3 times less energy per passenger-km than bus and 9 times less than car. And metro is the only mode that can compete with cars on travel time, for an average commute distance (say, 10 km). This is not to say that metro is suitable for every large city, at any stage of development or that heavy rail is always better than LRT. Clearly, mistakes have been made in the past and often the limited funds available can be better spent on improving the existing tram or bus system than on 1 more km of a metro tunnel. For a successful metro project, some criteria must be met: there should be a critical population mass (minimum size), sufficient development density, minimum GDP level and preferably an urban planning/control system that promotes development along metro corridors. We can argue about the values of these thresholds but there should be some agreement on the vision for a sustainable transport system for large cities. Building a metro system, viewed as a strategic investment, may be needed to push sprawling megacities in developing countries towards a more sustainable urban form: a polynucleated city, with corridors of higher density along metro lines. It has been shown that such an urban structure is the most energy-efficient. ------------------------------------------- Piotr Olszewski colsze@ntu.edu.sg Nanyang Technological University, Singapore From esg at bgl.vsnl.net.in Wed Mar 15 13:44:41 2000 From: esg at bgl.vsnl.net.in (Environment Support Group) Date: Wed, 15 Mar 2000 09:44:41 +0500 Subject: [sustran] Re: LPG and CNG In-Reply-To: <38CEEF58.82E33B0F@SoftHome.net> References: <3.0.5.32.20000314192005.007ab420@202.54.12.49> Message-ID: <3.0.5.32.20000315094441.007c1eb0@202.54.12.49> Debi, Yes indeed. When I enquired over a year ago, the offer was that in case I did not have a cylinder to spare for use in the car (LPG for kitchen use is still a luxury), then the entrepreneur would get me a cylinder in the "black market". Refill services, are also pretty well organised for a premium. There are also other types of cylinders of smaller capacity (normal kitchen use is 14 kilos) that I have seen used, esp in autorickshaws, but I am not sure if they were specifically designed for such use (likely not). Incidentally, a Special Bench of the Karnataka High consisting of five judges passed judgement yesterday on the 56 suo moto orders issued over the past 2-3 years by Justice Saldanha. The High Court struck down all of them.... with the caveat that upon those orders that the Government has initiated action, such actions would not be reversed. One of the orders issued by J Saldanha directed all autorickshaws in Bangalore (approx. 35,000) should be converted to operate on LPG. On this the High Court has commented that such is a matter of policy and the Single Judge's order could not be sustained as the "ends do not justify the means". Leo Saldanha At 07:33 AM 3/15/00 +0530, you wrote: >Dear Leo >is the use of domestic LPG cylinder for automobile use >allowed in Karnataka? >if so, this is extremely dangerous. >safety standards mandate that like CNG tanks, LPG tanks >should be fixed to the vehicle, and should be refilled at >special LPG filling stations. >Debi >-- > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Environment Support Group (R) 36, Reservoir Road Basavanagudi Bangalore 560 004. INDIA Telefax: 91-80-6614855 Email: esg@bgl.vsnl.net.in ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ From sustran at po.jaring.my Wed Mar 15 15:41:12 2000 From: sustran at po.jaring.my (SUSTRAN Network Secretariat) Date: Wed, 15 Mar 2000 14:41:12 +0800 Subject: [sustran] Oops Sorry about multiple postings In-Reply-To: Message-ID: <3.0.6.32.20000315144112.008ad100@relay101.jaring.my> Dear sustran-discussers I am terribly sorry about the multiple postings from Piotr O. Before anyone flames him, he did ask me what had happened to a post that he had sent to the list. I had not seen any error messages (as list owner) and hastily concluded that he should resend. Wrong call!! Now I know that the servers sometimes do play tricks and hold onto things for a long time. In future I will wait longer before recommending reposting! So sorry folks. Living and learning here. Piotr also relays his apologies but did not want to add further to the traffic. My apologies to him too for the poor advice! Paul. From eric.britton at ecoplan.org Wed Mar 15 17:38:23 2000 From: eric.britton at ecoplan.org (eric.britton@ecoplan.org) Date: Wed, 15 Mar 2000 09:38:23 +0100 Subject: [sustran] Transport decision making, simulation and new uses of models Message-ID: Dear Friends, This is a category of decision making tools to which some of my colleagues and I have been giving quite a bit of thought and actual practical work and application over the last half dozen years. Behind all the shiny tools is a simple fact and that is that we human beings (and voters) are by and large pretty inertial creatures, and we basically fear for differences that may threaten the quality of our daily lives Like any big, unknown, uncertain change in our transportation system or daily movement habits and possibilities. So, the more we can look to any such changes with a certain level of certainty and confidence, the less likely we are to resist them Here is where these new techniques come in, and in this context I would like to draw your attention now to http://www.daimlerchrysler.com/index_e.htm?/news/top/t91108_e.htm Let me say no more about it at this point than that. The curious will have a look and draw their own conclusions. The complacent will move on. P.S. Is it perfect? Not likely. In fact I find their base visualization of the future of cities, or at least their base model, pretty scary (brrrh!) and far indeed from what I regard as desirable (far too nay pristine experts and omniscient administrators, not nearly enough active citizens). But all that aside the IDEA of the tool is one of enormous potential and validity, and one that I know that many of us will continue to pursue. Do we have a discussion here? 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 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 kishor.shrestha at ic.ac.uk Wed Mar 15 20:26:47 2000 From: kishor.shrestha at ic.ac.uk (Shrestha, Kishor) Date: Wed, 15 Mar 2000 11:26:47 -0000 Subject: [sustran] Re: Negative thoughts on metro Message-ID: <96F6345CAEAED311B7920090273FC18C48F549@icex9.cc.ic.ac.uk> I have a view that the feasibility of a metro system depends on the city's characteristics and inestement potential provided the population density is high and the city is comparatively larger. Even then the political will comes first before any engineers debate on it. Heavy rail becoming nowadays replaced by the popular LRT or old electric tram system. For a relatively densed population the LRT network may prove better than heavy rail in terms of frequency and station interval and networking with other modes of transport. So one cannot stay on one side for or anti-metro. There are many factors to be considered before we accept the metro proposal or reject it. Operation and mainteannce, governement subsidies, privatisation, technology factors may be a part of constraints in many cities. Hence, I would rather go for a suitable general criteria to formulate for the cities geographically spread over the world regarding rail system. > -----Original Message----- > From: Piotr Olszewski (Assoc Prof) [SMTP:COLSZE@ntu.edu.sg] > Sent: 14 March 2000 06:49 > To: 'sustran-discuss@jca.ax.apc.org' > Subject: [sustran] Re: Negative thoughts on metro > > I am somewhat dismayed by the amount of anti-metro sentiment expressed on > this discussion list, of all places. "No more new metros!" ?? - this > sounds > more like a battle cry of the pro-car lobby! Has the enemy penetrated > this > list? (;-) > > Around the world the urban population keeps growing at an astonishing > rate: > there are already 20 megacities with over 8 million people and their > number > will keep increasing. How can one possibly solve their transport needs in > a > sustainable way without heavy rail? Rail transport uses 3 times less > energy > per passenger-km than bus and 9 times less than car. And metro is the only > mode that can compete with cars on travel time, for an average commute > distance (say, 10 km). > > This is not to say that metro is suitable for every large city, at any > stage > of development or that heavy rail is always better than LRT. Clearly, > mistakes have been made in the past and often the limited funds available > can be better spent on improving the existing tram or bus system than on 1 > more km of a metro tunnel. For a successful metro project, some criteria > must be met: there should be a critical population mass (minimum size), > sufficient development density, minimum GDP level and preferably an urban > planning/control system that promotes development along metro corridors. > > We can argue about the values of these thresholds but there should be some > agreement on the vision for a sustainable transport system for large > cities. > Building a metro system, viewed as a strategic investment, may be needed > to > push sprawling megacities in developing countries towards a more > sustainable > urban form: a polynucleated city, with corridors of higher density along > metro lines. It has been shown that such an urban structure is the most > energy-efficient. > > ------------------------------------------- > Piotr Olszewski colsze@ntu.edu.sg > Nanyang Technological University, Singapore > From kishor.shrestha at ic.ac.uk Wed Mar 15 20:45:02 2000 From: kishor.shrestha at ic.ac.uk (Shrestha, Kishor) Date: Wed, 15 Mar 2000 11:45:02 -0000 Subject: [sustran] Re: Negative thoughts on metro Message-ID: <96F6345CAEAED311B7920090273FC18C48F54A@icex9.cc.ic.ac.uk> I have a view that the feasibility of a metro system depends on the city's characteristics and inestement potential provided the population density is high and the city is comparatively larger. Even then the political will comes first before any engineers debate on it. Heavy rail becoming nowadays replaced by the popular LRT or old electric tram system. For a relatively densed population the LRT network may prove better than heavy rail in terms of frequency and station interval and networking with other modes of transport. So one cannot stay on one side for or anti-metro. There are many factors to be considered before we accept the metro proposal or reject it. Operation and mainteannce, governement subsidies, privatisation, technology factors may be a part of constraints in many cities. Hence, I would rather go for a suitable general criteria to formulate for the cities geographically spread over the world regarding rail system. KK Shrestha Imperial College London > -----Original Message----- > From: Piotr Olszewski (Assoc Prof) [SMTP:COLSZE@ntu.edu.sg] > Sent: 14 March 2000 06:49 > To: 'sustran-discuss@jca.ax.apc.org' > Subject: [sustran] Re: Negative thoughts on metro > > I am somewhat dismayed by the amount of anti-metro sentiment expressed on > this discussion list, of all places. "No more new metros!" ?? - this > sounds > more like a battle cry of the pro-car lobby! Has the enemy penetrated > this > list? (;-) > > Around the world the urban population keeps growing at an astonishing > rate: > there are already 20 megacities with over 8 million people and their > number > will keep increasing. How can one possibly solve their transport needs in > a > sustainable way without heavy rail? Rail transport uses 3 times less > energy > per passenger-km than bus and 9 times less than car. And metro is the only > mode that can compete with cars on travel time, for an average commute > distance (say, 10 km). > > This is not to say that metro is suitable for every large city, at any > stage > of development or that heavy rail is always better than LRT. Clearly, > mistakes have been made in the past and often the limited funds available > can be better spent on improving the existing tram or bus system than on 1 > more km of a metro tunnel. For a successful metro project, some criteria > must be met: there should be a critical population mass (minimum size), > sufficient development density, minimum GDP level and preferably an urban > planning/control system that promotes development along metro corridors. > > We can argue about the values of these thresholds but there should be some > agreement on the vision for a sustainable transport system for large > cities. > Building a metro system, viewed as a strategic investment, may be needed > to > push sprawling megacities in developing countries towards a more > sustainable > urban form: a polynucleated city, with corridors of higher density along > metro lines. It has been shown that such an urban structure is the most > energy-efficient. > > ------------------------------------------- > Piotr Olszewski colsze@ntu.edu.sg > Nanyang Technological University, Singapore > From townsend at central.murdoch.edu.au Fri Mar 17 13:02:57 2000 From: townsend at central.murdoch.edu.au (Craig Townsend) Date: Thu, 16 Mar 2000 20:02:57 -0800 Subject: [sustran] [sustran] Vietnam Buses Message-ID: <3.0.6.32.20000316200257.0079d100@central.murdoch.edu.au> [vnforum] - Mesg from VNLink@aol.com Vietnam Transport Ministry to Scrap 20,000 Dangerous Old Buses HANOI, March 15 Asia Pulse - The Ministry of Transport has decided to gradually replace or refurbish dilapidated passenger buses to meet technical and safety requirements. Transport officials estimate 20,000 inter-provincial and inner city passenger buses should be replaced or upgraded. This year alone, up to 3,400 assorted passenger buses need to be replaced with new vehicles. They said the demand for travelling by inter-provincial passenger buses is increasing, but the bus transport sector meets only 15 per cent of the demand. This compares to 50 per cent in developed countries. The capital city of Hanoi, with a population of 2.4 million, has only 490 passenger buses that have more than 30 seats, representing 0.22 vehicles for every 1,000 residents. Worse still, up to 30 per cent of the city's buses are badly in need of repair. Trucks from the former Democratic Republic of Germany that have been converted into poor quality buses make up 70 per cent of the State-run transport sector. An increasing number are involved in road accidents. Ho Chi Minh City traffic police said 80 per cent of the city's buses are more than 10 years old. The public transport system is poor because of a lack of modern vehicles, inconvenient itineraries for Government employees and workers and little punctuality. The public transport networks in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City meet only four percent of the demand. More than 90 per cent of people travel by motorbike. To supplement the current stock of passenger buses, the Engineering Communications and Transport Corporation is planning a US$63.9 million project to assemble coaches and passenger buses locally. ASIA PULSE --------------------------- ________________________________________________ Craig Townsend Institute for Sustainability & Technology Policy 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 From sustran at po.jaring.my Fri Mar 17 17:22:51 2000 From: sustran at po.jaring.my (SUSTRAN Network Secretariat) Date: Fri, 17 Mar 2000 16:22:51 +0800 Subject: [sustran] fwd: M'sian Works Minister says no need for public views on bridge Message-ID: <3.0.6.32.20000317162251.007fe880@relay101.jaring.my> The Star Friday, March 17, 2000 Samy Vellu: No need for public views on bridge By A. Letchumanan KUALA LUMPUR: Works Minister Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu said there was no need to obtain public opinion on the construction of the RM2.1bil tunnel bridge link between Penang Island and the mainland. "This is not a privatised project. This is a government project and there is no need for public opinion," he told reporters after opening a Christian house of prayer in Batu Caves yesterday. Samy Vellu said there would be no proper roads in the country if public opinion was needed for construction of roads. "All will have to resort to travel by air if there are no proper roads. Are the people prepared for it?" he asked. Samy Vellu said the Government was borrowing money from overseas to undertake the project and not utilising public funds. The proposed bridge will be linking Bagan Ajam in Butterworth to Bagan Jermal on Penang Island. Samy Vellu was commenting on Aliran executive committee member Anil Netto's statement that the second link would further worsen traffic congestion on the island. [explanation for non-Malaysians: Aliran is an active human rights and civic-issues NGO which is often critical of the Government]. "The proposed link will only provide an additional inlet for cars to choke the island's already congested streets," Netto said. Netto also said if the state government had the interest of Penangites at heart, it should consult commuters, especially those using the ferry. Samy Vellu said Malaysians were getting very smart, adding that some even filed for compensation when the Government constructed interchanges on government-owned land. Samy Vellu said there is a need for roads as Malaysia was a developing country unlike developed countries which razed their forests for development. "These developed countries want Malaysia to preserve its forests for the benefit of the world. In fact, they should pay us for the fresh air and the natural resources which they are getting from us. This is what we have to discuss in the future," he said. Samy Vellu also disclosed that he would leave for Japan on Saturday to seek funding for the second link and an elevated highway in Kuala Lumpur. The elevated highway, expected to be 12km long, will start near the Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport and end at the Jalan Klang Lama interchange near Mid-Valley. Copyright ? 1995-2000. Star Publications (Malaysia) Bhd. (Co No. 10894-D) All rights reserved. --------------------------------------- Distributed for the purpose of education and research. A. Rahman Paul BARTER Sustainable Transport Action Network for Asia and the Pacific (the SUSTRAN Network) P.O. Box 11501, Kuala Lumpur 50748, Malaysia. E-mail: sustran@po.jaring.my URL: http://www.malaysiakini.com/sustran (under construction) Ask about our SUSTRAN NEWS FLASHES - news updates on people-centred, equitable and sustainable transport with a focus on countries in the global 'South'. From eric.britton at ecoplan.org Sat Mar 18 19:49:40 2000 From: eric.britton at ecoplan.org (eric.britton@ecoplan.org) Date: Sat, 18 Mar 2000 11:49:40 +0100 Subject: [sustran] Negative thoughts on metro in general (and on from there) Message-ID: Dear Colleagues, In 1972 or thereabouts a referendum was held in Zurich in an attempt to get public confirmation for a planned new metro project there. The expert proposal, despite strong political backing, was not approved by the electorate, with results that we all now know. My question to you this morning is this: Can anyone out there point us to some links or email us some materials that tell this interesting story. Truth is, I received a Ford Foundation grant back then to look at a trio of failed transportation initiatives (the others were the Third London Airport and the proposed Voie Express Rive Gauche here in Paris) and wrote up a pretty good report on it, but in my cosmic disorganization I can find no trace of all our hard work. Kind thanks if you come up with anything on this. With all good wishes, 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 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 Sun Mar 19 11:12:53 2000 From: sustran at po.jaring.my (SUSTRAN Network Secretariat) Date: Sun, 19 Mar 2000 10:12:53 +0800 Subject: [sustran] fwd: Third Penang Link: Government Funds belong to the People Message-ID: <3.0.6.32.20000319101253.00888c30@relay101.jaring.my> Aliran Media Statement http://www.malaysia.net/aliran/ms/2000/0317.htm The Third Penang Link: Government Funds belong to the People "There is no need for public opinion" Works Minister Samy Vellu's stand that there is no need to obtain public opinion on the proposed 2.1 billion-ringgit bridge-tunnel is appalling. His comments on the project - which would be the third link connecting Penang Island and the mainland - have laid bare the empty official rhetoric about being accountable and transparent to the people. Responding to our earlier statement, Samy Vellu was reported in The Star as saying, ''This is not a privatised project. This is a government project and there is no need for public opinion.'' We fail to understand his twisted logic. If this project is really a government project, then there is all the more reason to consult the public. Samy Vellu may argue that the Government is going to borrow the money from overseas to undertake the project. He should then explain how the foreign loan is going to be repaid. Is the loan going to be repaid from his pocket? Surely, it will be out of government funds since it is, as he says, a "government project." We would like to remind Samy Vellu and other Barisan Nasional politicians that government funds belong to the people - not to the Cabinet or the ruling coalition. So, as citizens and taxpayers, we have every right to be consulted, especially on major projects. And this is a major project - 2 billion ringgit of public money is at stake here. Samy Vellu then went off on a tangent, talking about people having no alternative but to travel by air if there are no proper roads. For good measure, he talked of developing countries that had razed their forests and now wanted Malaysia to preserve its forests for the benefit of the world. We fail to see what forests have to do with the bridge-tunnel project. First, Samy Vellu must categorically confirm that no private firms will be involved in this project - whether in the construction or as toll concessionaires - since this is supposed to be a "government project." Can he do this? Next, Samy Vellu should tell the Malaysian public how much the toll rate will be. Or are we to believe that there will be no toll since this is a "government project"? We don't understand why this project is being rammed down our throats when the most obvious, easiest, and economically feasible option - to vastly improve the ferry service - is totally ignored. The money needed to improve the ferry service - along with improved public transport to and from the ferry terminals - is peanuts compared with the 2-billion ringgit needed for a bridge-tunnel. So why is this option ignored? Are we expected to believe that the decades-old ferry service, which collects 7 ringgit in toll, is not viable but a bridge tunnel, which costs a whopping 2 billion ringgit, is? Aliran Executive Committee 17 March 2000 From johnernst at bigfoot.com Sun Mar 19 15:43:59 2000 From: johnernst at bigfoot.com (John Ernst) Date: Sun, 19 Mar 2000 13:43:59 +0700 Subject: [sustran] Re: fwd: M'sian Works Minister says no need for public views on bridge In-Reply-To: <3.0.6.32.20000317162251.007fe880@relay101.jaring.my> Message-ID: <4.2.2.20000319133757.00a75bd0@pop6.attglobal.net> Thanks for this article, Paul. From my experience, Samy Vellu's attitude typifies much of the challenge that advocates of sustainable transport face in Asia. John At 04:22 PM 3/17/00 +0800, you wrote: >The Star >Friday, March 17, 2000 > >Samy Vellu: No need for public views on bridge >... >Samy Vellu said there would be no proper roads in the country if public >opinion was needed for construction of roads. > >...Samy Vellu said there is a need for roads as Malaysia was a developing >country... - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - John Ernst Urban Transport Ecology SUSTRAN - Sustainable Transport Action Network for Asia and the Pacific www.malaysiakini.com/sustran ITDP - The Institute for Transport and Development Policy www.itdp.org 8 Sukhumvit Soi 49/9 Bangkok 10110 Thailand Tel +66(1) 813-1819 Fax +1(801) 365-5914 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - From sustran at po.jaring.my Sun Mar 19 21:08:19 2000 From: sustran at po.jaring.my (SUSTRAN Network Secretariat) Date: Sun, 19 Mar 2000 20:08:19 +0800 Subject: [sustran] Obituary: Martin Mogridge Message-ID: <3.0.6.32.20000319200819.008f2bf0@relay101.jaring.my> Sad news forwarded from the pednet-list. Some of Mogridge's writings have been quite and inspiration to me. And another former physicist! ----------------- The Times March 17 2000 OBITUARIES Transport planner who saw the folly of building ever more roads MARTIN MOGRIDGE Martin Mogridge, transport theorist, was born on December 2, 1940. He died on February 29 aged 59, after a stroke MARTIN MOGRIDGE applied his insights as a scientist to the ebb and flow of traffic. In doing so he demonstrated the validity of two significant paradoxes. The first is that in congested conditions, building more road capacity for cars makes both motorists and users of public transport worse off. By encouraging a shift from public transport to cars it fills up the new road space, makes public transport less frequent and more expensive, and results in a new equilibrium that is slower for all. The second paradox follows from the first: taxing the inefficient road user (the motorist) and subsidising the efficient (on buses and trains) will make all travellers better off. These arguments have been at the heart of the policy reversal that led to the abandoning of the expensive and damaging urban roadbuilding programmes that dominated postwar transport planning. That their implementation lagged so far behind their academic acceptance was a source of great frustration to Mogridge, but the most that he ever betrayed was mild exasperation. He was a self-effacing, gentle man who expected his logic to speak for itself. Having taken a doctorate in physics, Martin Mogridge worked for the Greater London Council almost from its inception until 1978, when he moved to the Centre for Transport Studies at University College London. From 1993 he ran his own consultancy. His most important client was London Transport, which he provided with powerful arguments for more investment in the public sector. With his long hair and leather trousers, he brought an exotic flair to the mundane world of transport planning. He delighted in keeping people guessing. His thought processes were eclectic, inscrutable and unpredictable. There was much more to him than transport planning. His literary interests ranged from science-fiction to Victorian erotica. A few years before his death he took up the study of Hebrew. He was a member of the Interplanetary Society, a body devoted to promoting the exploration of outer space. He is survived by his wife, Jackie. ------------------- Distributed for the purpose of education and research. A. Rahman Paul BARTER Sustainable Transport Action Network for Asia and the Pacific (the SUSTRAN Network) P.O. Box 11501, Kuala Lumpur 50748, Malaysia. E-mail: sustran@po.jaring.my URL: http://www.malaysiakini.com/sustran Ask about our SUSTRAN NEWS FLASHES - news updates on people-centred, equitable and sustainable transport with a focus on countries in the global 'South'. From eric.britton at ecoplan.org Mon Mar 20 18:02:29 2000 From: eric.britton at ecoplan.org (eric.britton@ecoplan.org) Date: Mon, 20 Mar 2000 10:02:29 +0100 Subject: [sustran] Information on ridesharing (pooling) programs - and shared bicycles Message-ID: >From @World CarSharing: Denys Roulin, organizer of last week's Swiss referendum calling for a 50% reduction in traffic over the next ten years (see The Politics of Sustainability at http://www.ecoplan.org/politics or www.actif-trafic.ch for more on this), has submitted the URL for a 'covoiturage' (ridesharing) program in Switzerland, which you can catch at either http://www.covoiturage.span.ch/ or via our Links button on our menu. This brings up an old matter which we have deal with here from time to time, and of which you will see some early traces in the 1998 Carshare Compendium on this site. For various reasons (one of them being technology overlap), we have decided to extend at least one corner of the @World Carshare site to offer some hospitality to these sister services, which you can now begin to access if you click Links & Media on our menu and from there the appropriate category. You will note that there are two groups, one given over to more conventional or 'ORGANIZED RIDESHARING' services, the second to 'DYNAMIC RIDESHARING' or hitchhiking. While we are at it, we also intend to expand this general information section of the site to include SHARED CYCLE projects, which are gaining considerable force of late and which have a lot in common with carsharing as most of us know it. (And who says that the same organization cannot handle both?). If you have ideas or candidates for us on any or all of this, it would be most appreciated if you might share them with us all. May I ask you to address your notes on this to me directly, so that we can avoid information overload. We'll try to handle this in an economic, non-disturbing way for our busy members, and at the same time try to acknowledge our sources and contributors. Let's keep sharing, 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 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 townsend at central.murdoch.edu.au Wed Mar 22 02:16:37 2000 From: townsend at central.murdoch.edu.au (Craig Townsend) Date: Tue, 21 Mar 2000 09:16:37 -0800 Subject: [sustran] Ban Krua opposition Message-ID: <3.0.6.32.20000321091637.0079e510@central.murdoch.edu.au> Here is the latest news from the Ban Krua saga in Bangkok. Ban Krua is a 200-year-old community of Muslim Chams from Cambodia who were settled in Bangkok (the community is now in the centre of the Bangkok urban region) by King Rama I in recognition of their loyal military service to Siam. A century later, when French gunboats advanced up the Chao Phraya River during the reign of King Rama V, Muslim seamen fought fiercely for Siamese independence. Half were killed and are buried in Ban Krua's three Muslim cemetaries. In 1987, one of these cemetaries and a mosque were targeted for destruction to make way for an elevated expressway. Intended to serve the World Trade Centre shopping centre owned by an influential Tejapaibul family, the proposed two kilometre expressway approach ramp would displace about 320 families. Residents protested and delayed the project. In 1993 the Ban Krua committee forced a series of public hearings and the government came down on the side of the residents, judging the access road as unecessary and the costs of relocation too high. In spite of this decision, the ETA has continued to push for construction. In September 1999 the project owner, Bangkok Expressway Plc (BECL), sent 50 workers and engineers into the area to demolish buildings. After a tense five-hour standoff the construction teams were forced out of the area. >From the Bangkok Post Internet Edition 21 March 2000 Land acquisition at a standstill: Community firm in opposition to ETA by Supoj Wancharoen The years-long process of land expropriation in Ban Krua for an expressway is practically at a standstill. Preecha Srithongsuk, governor of the Expressway and Rapid Transit Authority, said in the last three years only two blocks of land have been acquired. The agency needs 110 plots for the expressway. On the other hand, land expropriation in surrounding areas including Pathumwan Technical College and communities in Hua Chang has made good progress, he said. The ETA is scheduled to hand over the land to Bangkok Expressway Co Ltd, a construction firm, in October. The deadline has been extended from October 1998. The slow progress is due to resistance by the Ban Krua Muslim community, who want the project scrapped. The expressway authority plans to expropriate part of the community to build a two-kilometre elevated expressway link from Urupong to Ratchadamri Road. The link, called a Collector/Distributor or CD Road, is designed as part of the second-stage expressway system aimed to help traffic flow in Ratchadamri, Phloen Chit and Pratu Nam areas, and feed traffic to the system operated by Bangkok Expressway. The dispute has been noisy and ugly. Ruengrit Poonsawat, former ETA governor, put on a brave face and met community residents only to be greeted with boos and jeers. The community residents also burned the leaflets distributed by the ETA governor and his team. The publicity has been bad for the Muslim community but residents claimed they felt insecure due to rumours that some government agencies were setting fires to evict people. Saroj Lueksamlee, one of the community's leaders, said security has been tightened since the row broke out. Guards are placed around-the-clock to watch out for strangers and drug problems, he said. [Suspicious fires in the community have been a regular occurence over the last decade.] However, the dispute has been quiet for some time, thanks partly to the economic downturn which has dried up financial resources. Yet the truce may only be temporary as the expressway authority chief says the land expropriation programme will definitely proceed. Mr Preecha said he did not know if the construction firm would like to continue with the project. "But one thing is sure. We are obligated to honour the contract and give the company the land," the governor said. He said he would adopt a soft approach in dealing with Ban Krua community and try to make the residents understand the need for that particular section of the expressway. Legal action would be the last recourse if talks fail, he said. Meanwhile, a source at ETA said the agency was likely to ask to extend the deadline again and the company was likely to grant it. "Considering the economic situation, the company will have difficulty finding financial sources to fund construction. So when the builder doesn't push for the land, the ETA doesn't want to push the matter either," the source said. Payao Marittanaporn, assistant managing director of Bangkok Expressway, said the company could not say anything until the land is handed over. ________________________________________________ Craig Townsend Institute for Sustainability & Technology Policy 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 From intlbike at ibike.org Wed Mar 22 00:35:38 2000 From: intlbike at ibike.org (David Mozer) Date: Tue, 21 Mar 2000 07:35:38 -0800 Subject: [sustran] Essay Contest Deadline May 1 Message-ID: [Please feel free to copy and forward this announcement to schools, students and media, far and wide.] International Bicycle Fund Student Bicycle Essay Contest Over US$100 in Prizes SUBJECT: Your essay may be on any aspect of bicycling (history, touring, racing, commuting, role in society, learning, teaching, etc.) * ENTRY: Essays should be in English, legible and 2-3 pages. Entrants should base their paper on interviews, research, and/or personal opinion. Include you name, address, telephone number (if possible), age on the day that the entry is mailed, grade, name of your school, school address and your teacher?s name. Girls and boys from all countries are encouraged to participate. You need not be a bicyclist. All essays become the property of the International Bicycle Fund. ENTRY CATEGORIES AND FIRST PLACE PRIZES: A. Age 8 and under, US$20.00 (up to half of the entry may be illustration) B. Age 9-12, US$30.00 C. Age 13-16, US$50.00 Additional prizes may be awarded. DEADLINE: Entry must be postmarked by 1 May and arrive by 15 May. SEND ENTRIES TO: Essay Contest, International Bicycle Fund, 4887 Columbia Drive South, Seattle WA 98108-1919 USA. * Among the reasons for bicycling are ethics, health, fitness, aesthetics, economics, enjoyment, mobility, access and the environment. There are hundreds of possible topics. Here are some suggestions: environmental benefits of bicycles, making my town more bicycle-friendly, bicycling and my (my family or friend), why people bicycle, bicycling and health, history of bicycling in my country, important aspects of safe bicycling, bicycle tourism, famous people who have bicycled and why, famous bicycle rides, unique uses of bicycles, teaching someone to bicycle, etc. Original topics are encouraged. Choose the topic on which you can write the best essay. From ebruun at rci.rutgers.edu Wed Mar 22 07:00:23 2000 From: ebruun at rci.rutgers.edu (Eric Bruun) Date: Tue, 21 Mar 2000 17:00:23 -0500 (EST) Subject: [sustran] Re: Negative thoughts on metro in general (and on from there) In-Reply-To: Message-ID: Eric Britton, et.al: It seems pretty paradoxical to me that as the world supposedly gets wealthier, and cities get larger, that the justification for Metros gets more difficult? What would you suggest for Athens if the decision to invest was being made today if not a metro? Eric Bruun From fmontgom at its.leeds.ac.uk Wed Mar 22 21:44:57 2000 From: fmontgom at its.leeds.ac.uk (Frank Montgomery) Date: Wed, 22 Mar 2000 12:44:57 -0000 Subject: [sustran] (Fwd) FWD : Help in compiling encyclopedia Message-ID: <200003221244.MAA01240@mps3.leeds.ac.uk> ------- Forwarded Message Follows ------- Date sent: Wed, 22 Mar 2000 09:27:03 GMT Send reply to: lsanger@nupedia.com Priority: normal Subject: FWD : Help in compiling encyclopedia From: "UTSG List Owner" To: utsg@mailbase.ac.uk Copies to: lsanger@nupedia.com ------- Forwarded Message Follows ------- Send reply to: "Larry Sanger" Date sent: Tue, 21 Mar 2000 15:09:47 -0800 ===== Open content encyclopedia calls for submissions about transportation A major new encyclopedia project, Nupedia.com, requests expert help in constructing an "open content" encyclopedia, planned to become the largest general encyclopedia in history. The project has significant financial support, and its leaders and owners are committed to a years-long, intensive effort -- to founding an open, public institution. If you are an expert in any subject, your participation in the project will be welcome. We are in need of well-qualified writers, editors, and peer reviewers, and will be doing searches for subject area editors. Moreover, if you are a good writer and researcher, you may be interested in contributing short biographies, descriptions of cities, and other brief entries. What does it mean to say the encyclopedia is "open content"? This means that anyone can use content taken from Nupedia articles for almost any purpose, both for-profit or non-profit, so long as Nupedia is credited as the source and so long as the distributor of the information does not attempt to restrict others from distributing the same information. Nupedia will be "open content" in the same way that Linux and the Open Directory Project (dmoz.com) are "open source." As has been the case with those projects, we plan to attract a huge body of talented contributors. Since making our initial press release earlier this month, over 800 people from around the world have signed up as Nupedia members, including some very highly-qualified people (including Ph.D.'s in very many relevant subject areas). Because Nupedia will be open content, it will be in a freely-distributable public resource created by an international public effort. It is not an exaggeration to say that your contributions would help to provide an international public a free education. We believe Nupedia is, thus, a project worthy of your attention. If you want to join us or stay apprised of the progress of Nupedia, please take a minute to go to the Nupedia website at http://www.nupedia.com/ and become a member. (Becoming a member is quick, easy, and free.) Thank you very much for your attention. Larry Sanger, Ph.D. expected May 2000 Philosophy, Ohio State Editor-in-Chief, Nupedia.com San Diego, California P.S. If you wish to help promote this project -- something we would greatly appreciate -- please do forward this announcement to any *appropriate* forums and to colleagues you think may be interested (including your local/departmental mailing lists and newsgroups). Or, if you would rather that Nupedia make the announcement on a forum you frequent, please just give us a pointer to the forum and we can take it from there. From eric.britton at ecoplan.org Wed Mar 22 23:19:08 2000 From: eric.britton at ecoplan.org (eric.britton@ecoplan.org) Date: Wed, 22 Mar 2000 15:19:08 +0100 Subject: [sustran] Negative thoughts on metro in general (and on from there) In-Reply-To: Message-ID: Eric Bruun writes on this date: "It seems pretty paradoxical to me that as the world supposedly gets wealthier, and cities get larger, that the justification for Metros gets more difficult? What would you suggest for Athens if the decision to invest was being made today if not a metro? Eric Bruun " Excellent question. I have some slight advantage with this city choice having lived and worked there on two occasions for several moths at each time. Thanks for asking, Eric. So here's what I'd do. Step by step: 1. Ask by way of reminder to have in front of us the best estimates of costs of the metro project as planned, with of course additional estimates for externalities, including the cost to commerce, traffic, etc., of the disruptions created by and during the process of construction. 2. That will yield a number... whatever it is, along with, hopefully, a very brief summary of who is going to pay for what and when. 3. I then will ask for a brief point to point resume (say on 1-3 pages) of what are the exact targeted benefits, to whom, when, etc. 4. I then would put these numbers and short documents before this august group for a first set of ideas, reactions, and comments . 5. Then I will move to Athens. 6. In parallel I will start to work with the budget which I have requested and been given - exactly 5% of the estimated total cost (incidentally less than the annual interest otherwise paid on the total bill) - and will go to work to achieve a substantial proportion of the objectives within the next two years (so as to be in time for the Olympics with our new transportation infrastructure), along with a whole bunch of objectives and programs of my own. 7. One of my first steps will be to organize a REAL Car Free Day (not to be confused with the laconic variants that one sees in some places.. see http://www.ecoplan.org/carfreeday/ for more on that) - which will not only give ma lot of my policy and investment targets, but which will also give me the overwhelming political base I shall need in order to get done what we need to do. 8. I'll put up traffic cams all over the place (say a couple of hundred) linked to the Web. 9. All of this will be posted on the world's best bilingual Web site with all details, proposals, progress, etc. available for public information, discussion, and international expert comment and feedback. 10. We'd then also develop the world's best All-Mode Advanced Passenger Information System (see our first rough attempt ins Bilbao on this at http://www.transbilbao.net) Two years later, you'd see world level results and probably 80% of the Athenians would want me to run for mayor. Or maybe get the Elgin (or Parthenon, to give them their rightful name) Marbles back. Or should we just give the money to Bechtel and all go on vacation? With all good wishes, 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 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 Mar 23 11:20:01 2000 From: sustran at po.jaring.my (SUSTRAN Network Secretariat) Date: Thu, 23 Mar 2000 10:20:01 +0800 Subject: [sustran] IFRTD is moving Message-ID: <3.0.6.32.20000323102001.008df720@relay101.jaring.my> Forwarding this. The majordomo software stopped it cos it looked like an admin request. IFRTD = International Forum for Rural Transport and Development ---------------------------------------------- To: sustran-discuss@jca.ax.apc.org, rural-transport-development@mailbase.ac.uk Date: Wed, 22 Mar 2000 17:47:23 -0000 Subject: IFRTD CH*ANGE OF ADD*RESS Dear Friends and colleagues The IFRTD Secretariat offices will be closed tomorrow and Friday (23 and 24 March) due to our move to new premises. They will re-open again on Monday 27 March at the following address: IFRTD Secretariat 2 Spitfire Studios 63-71 Collier Street London N1 9BE United Kingdom The telephone and fax numbers also change as a result, these will be: Telephone + 44 20 7713 6699 Fax: + 44 20 7713 8290 For those of you who may be interested in visiting us, the nearest main line and underground station is Kings Cross. E-mail add*resses remain unch*anged fortunately. Please update your records accordingly. We look forward to continuing to work with you from our new site. Mike Noyes Deputy Executive Secretary IFRTD From jsum at arbld.unimelb.edu.au Fri Mar 24 13:55:06 2000 From: jsum at arbld.unimelb.edu.au (Jachrizal Sumabrata) Date: Fri, 24 Mar 2000 15:55:06 +1100 Subject: [sustran] one day without car In-Reply-To: <3.0.6.32.20000323102001.008df720@relay101.jaring.my> Message-ID: <200003240500.PAA13201@arbld.unimelb.edu.au> Dear Friends, Indonesian government (and NGO) announced that on 23 April 2K, will be the day without car. attached is the news from warta kota, appolgies it is in Bahasa Indonesia. cheers Jumat, 24 Maret 2000, 09:12 WIB Hari Bumi, Tanpa Kendaraan Jatinegara, Warta Kota Memperingati Hari Bumi tahun ini, Kantor Menneg LH mencanangkan gerakan sehari tanpa kendaraan bermotor. Tujuannya menyuarakan keprihatinan terhadap menurunnya kualitas lingkungan terutama akibat polusi dari transportasi. "Memang ini ide gila tetapi kualitas udara kita terutama di kota-kota besar sudah sedemikian parah dan mengancam sekali, jadi apa salahnya dicoba. Sehari saja tanpa kendaraan, ini bisa mengurangi polusi," tandas Asisten Menneg LH Bidang Pengelolaan Lingkungan Alam Ir Aca Sugandhy MSc, Kamis (23/3). Hari Bumi jatuh tanggal 22 April, namun peringatan di Indonesia dilakukan Minggu 23 April. "Kami berharap masyarakat berpartisipasi. "Di Bali saja pada saat Nyepi, masyarakatnya bisa tidak beraktivitas sama sekali. Jakarta bisa mencontohnya sehari saja," ucapnya. Jika berhasil, pemantauan sumber polusi bisa lebih tajam, apakah sumbernya kendaraan pribadi atau umum. Kemarin, kantor Menneg LH sudah berkoordinasi dengan beberapa instansi untuk pemantapan rencara itu, di antaranya dengan Bapedalda DKI, Dinas Pertamanan dan Keindahan Kota, DLLAJ, BMG, Lapan, LSM, Parpol, dan pengusaha. (mer) ----------------------------------------------------- Click here for Free Video!! http://www.gohip.com/freevideo/ From rajendra.aryal at undp.org Fri Mar 24 15:12:15 2000 From: rajendra.aryal at undp.org (Rajendra Aryal) Date: Fri, 24 Mar 2000 11:42:15 +0530 Subject: [sustran] Re: News Flash #37: Transport in the 'Global South' References: <3.0.6.32.20000308123440.008f0ba0@relay101.jaring.my> Message-ID: <38DB073F.3A93117D@undp.org> Dear friends, Kathmandu, capital city of Nepal, after badly hit by a haphazard traffic condition some positive trends on better traffic management are appearing. One of the moves the Traffic Police is undertaking now is the follwing newspaper clipping appeared in the leading daily "The Kathmandu Post" to improve the traffic condiiton of the city. Kathmandu, March 20 (PR) - Valley Traffic Police (VTPO) today urged the public to suggest ways to improve traffic condition in the capital. "The suggestions from the people, if constructive, will be implemented so that people's views are also taken into account while making the strategy of VTPO," said Pawan Kharel, Deputy Superintendent of Police at the VTPO. VTPO has set up a Traffic Control Room to both monitor and implement the ideas received from the public. VTPO is seeking the suggestions through phone, fax and email for the Traffic Week slated for the third week of May. With regards. Rajendra Aryal UNCDF From ajain at kcrc.com Fri Mar 24 16:17:35 2000 From: ajain at kcrc.com (Jain Alok) Date: Fri, 24 Mar 2000 15:17:35 +0800 Subject: [sustran] Re: News Flash #37: Transport in the 'Global South' Message-ID: Kathmandu was such a lovely city just a few years ago. Although the public transport was not good and there were not many cars, but the whole city used to walk and these things didn't really matter. I remember a study was done by Wilbur Smith Associates (if I remeber correctly) on the city's transport behaviour and an astounding number of trips (75%, I guess) were walk trips. Been there recently and the city is polluted (thats probably an understatement). The Bagmati river which probably inspired many ascetics towards divine force was no more than a sewer. The city is cluttered by scrapped Japanese cars (most of the taxis). The public transport is worse. Basically, one could see all the so called urban problems. This was GROWTH. Perhaps politics in the country is to blame, at least partly. I wonder if Kathmandu can again become a walking city. Alok Jain > -----Original Message----- > From: Rajendra Aryal [mailto:rajendra.aryal@undp.org] > Sent: March 24, 2000 2:12 PM > To: sustran-discuss@jca.ax.apc.org > Subject: [sustran] Re: News Flash #37: Transport in the 'Global South' > > > Dear friends, > > Kathmandu, capital city of Nepal, after badly hit by a > haphazard traffic condition > some positive trends on better traffic management are > appearing. One of the moves > the Traffic Police is undertaking now is the follwing > newspaper clipping appeared > in the leading daily "The Kathmandu Post" to improve the > traffic condiiton of the > city. > > Kathmandu, March 20 (PR) - Valley Traffic Police (VTPO) today > urged the public to > suggest ways to improve traffic condition in the capital. > > "The suggestions from the people, if constructive, will be > implemented so that > people's views are also taken into account while making the > strategy of VTPO," > said Pawan Kharel, Deputy Superintendent of Police at the VTPO. > > VTPO has set up a Traffic Control Room to both monitor and > implement the ideas > received from the public. VTPO is seeking the suggestions > through phone, fax and > email for the Traffic Week slated for the third week of May. > > With regards. > > Rajendra Aryal > UNCDF > From eric.britton at ecoplan.org Fri Mar 24 16:38:05 2000 From: eric.britton at ecoplan.org (eric.britton@ecoplan.org) Date: Fri, 24 Mar 2000 08:38:05 +0100 Subject: [sustran] Katmandu In-Reply-To: Message-ID: Dear Mr. Aryal and Colleagues, Your friends in Katmandu may find some use in the @ccess on the Web site at http://www.ecoplan.org/access, and its many extensions. I know too that there is a great deal of information, knowledge and good will on the part of our informal Sustran-guided group here (and a few other good lists as well). The trick will be to find a way to channel all of this to them in a way that will actually work Also if they wish to take contact, I will be pleased to share ideas with them, including that of setting up a Web site for them in support of their planned Traffic Week and their Traffic Control Room. That might serve as a channel of information, counsel and, one might hope, great good sense. With all good wishes, 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 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 Fri Mar 24 18:12:03 2000 From: eric.britton at ecoplan.org (eric.britton@ecoplan.org) Date: Fri, 24 Mar 2000 10:12:03 +0100 Subject: [sustran] Indonesian Car Free Day In-Reply-To: <200003240500.PAA13201@arbld.unimelb.edu.au> Message-ID: Dear Mr. Sumabrata, This is to let you now that we will be pleased to do whatever we can through the @World Car Free Day Consortium at http://www.ecoplan.org/carfreeday/ to support this terrific event. Can you give us any further details? I am afraid that my Bahasa Indonesian dialect is a bit rusty this morning, so if, say, in English, that would be splendid. Kind thanks for letting us know about this. I am sure that we all here want this to be a successful and productive event. With all good wishes, 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 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 Fri Mar 24 18:23:25 2000 From: sustran at po.jaring.my (SUSTRAN Network Secretariat) Date: Fri, 24 Mar 2000 17:23:25 +0800 Subject: [sustran] Re: one day without car In-Reply-To: <200003240500.PAA13201@arbld.unimelb.edu.au> References: <3.0.6.32.20000323102001.008df720@relay101.jaring.my> Message-ID: <3.0.6.32.20000324172325.008e0100@relay101.jaring.my> Here is a rough translation of the Indonesian Car Free Day news. It is not quite the kind of car-free day that Eric and co. have in mind but I guess it is a start. Sorry about some of the Indonesian abbreviations that are a mystery to me. At 15:55 24/03/00 +1100, Jachrizal Sumabrata wrote: >Indonesian government (and NGO) announced that on 23 April 2K, will be the day without car. attached is the news from warta kota, appolgies it is in Bahasa Indonesia. Friday, 24 March 2000 EARTH DAY, WITHOUT "VEHICLES" Jitinegara, City News To mark Earth Day this year, the "national ministry for the environment??" (LH=Lingkungan Hidup???) is organising a day without motor vehicles. The aim of this is to highlight the problems for environmental quality especially as a result of pollution from transport. "Of course, this is a crazy idea (!) but our air quality especially in the large cities has become serious and threatening, so what is the harm in trying (something like this). Only one day without motor vehicles - this can reduce pollution", added Ir. Aca Sugandhy MSc, Assistant in the Ministry in the field of Natural Environment on Thurday. Earth Day falls on 22 April but it will be marked in Indonesia on Sunday 23 April. "We hope that the community will participate. In Bali at the time of Nyepi (a festival) the community completely halts all normal activities. Jakarta can follow this example for just one day", he said. If successful, our monitoring of the sources of pollution can become more precise, whether the main sources are private vehicles or public. Recently, the "environment department office" has been coordinating with several bodies to carry out this plan, among them Jakarta City Government Parks and Beautification department, Dept of traffic and road transport, BMG (?), Lapan (?), LSM (?), Parpol (?), and private businesses. > Jumat, 24 Maret 2000, 09:12 WIB > Hari Bumi, Tanpa Kendaraan > Jatinegara, Warta Kota >Memperingati Hari Bumi tahun ini, Kantor Menneg LH mencanangkan gerakan >sehari tanpa kendaraan bermotor. Tujuannya menyuarakan keprihatinan >terhadap menurunnya kualitas lingkungan terutama akibat polusi dari >transportasi. >"Memang ini ide gila tetapi kualitas udara kita terutama di kota-kota besar >sudah sedemikian parah dan mengancam sekali, jadi apa salahnya dicoba. >Sehari saja tanpa kendaraan, ini bisa mengurangi polusi," tandas Asisten >Menneg LH Bidang Pengelolaan Lingkungan Alam Ir Aca Sugandhy MSc, >Kamis (23/3). >Hari Bumi jatuh tanggal 22 April, namun peringatan di Indonesia dilakukan >Minggu 23 April. "Kami berharap masyarakat berpartisipasi. "Di Bali saja >pada saat Nyepi, masyarakatnya bisa tidak beraktivitas sama sekali. Jakarta >bisa mencontohnya sehari saja," ucapnya. >Jika berhasil, pemantauan sumber polusi bisa lebih tajam, apakah sumbernya has >kendaraan pribadi atau umum. Kemarin, kantor Menneg LH sudah >berkoordinasi dengan beberapa instansi untuk >pemantapan rencara itu, di > antaranya dengan Bapedalda DKI, Dinas Pertamanan dan >Keindahan Kota, > DLLAJ, BMG, Lapan, LSM, Parpol, dan pengusaha. (mer) > ----------------------- A. Rahman Paul BARTER Sustainable Transport Action Network for Asia and the Pacific (the SUSTRAN Network) P.O. Box 11501, Kuala Lumpur 50748, Malaysia. E-mail: sustran@po.jaring.my URL: http://www.malaysiakini.com/sustran Ask about our SUSTRAN NEWS FLASHES - news updates on people-centred, equitable and sustainable transport with a focus on countries in the global 'South'. From rajendra.aryal at undp.org Fri Mar 24 21:02:18 2000 From: rajendra.aryal at undp.org (Rajendra Aryal) Date: Fri, 24 Mar 2000 17:32:18 +0530 Subject: [sustran] Re: News Flash #37: Transport in the 'Global South' References: Message-ID: <38DB594A.99F1E2B4@undp.org> Dear Sustran members, I do agree what Jain Alok syas about Kathmandu. That is true that the river is polluted, haphazard rapid urbanisation has taken place and the living conditions have rapidly deteriorated in past few years. However, the situation is not absolutely dark. There are of course some positive developments as well. Just after the restoration of democracy in 1991 a decision was made to bring diesel tempos (three wheelers) into the valley which worsened the quality of air. The government has completely banned the diesel three-wheelers. Nowadays the city only allows either battery-operated three-wheelers, so called "Safa Tempo (Clean Tempo)" or LPG-operated three-wheelers. Micro buses meeting the Euro-I standard are still foreseen. Elimination of those diesel three wheelers has substantially helped improve the quality of air in the valley. There are however still the old vehicles, as Alok has rightly pointed out plying over the city roads. In the month of February 2000, the government has made certain decisions, the abstract of which I would like to illustrate below. These steps would obviously hep control the emission produced by such old vehicles. 1. Vehicles considered useless by Government Agencies, Corporations and Diplomatic Missions are sold at auction. In view of the problems of pollution induced by such vehicles, new registration and trasfer of ownership of such vehicles will be banned in Bagmati Zone (the zone where major cities including Kathmandu is) with immediate effect. Similarly, registration and transfer of ownership of the auctioned vehicles which are 20 years old will be completely banned. Registration and transfer of ownership of the auctioned vehicles (which are less than 20 years old) will be done in other zones on condition that they will not be operated in Bagmati Zone. 2. Vehicles operating in Kathmandu Valley owned by Government Agencies, Corporations and Diplomatic Missions must comply with the Mass Emission Satndards specified by the government from time to time. However, those vehicles not complying with emission standards will be allowed to go to the garage and workshop for repair and maintenance with permission from the concerned authority of the government. Concerned authority of the government shall also monitor the condition of all vehicles and ensure their proper repair and maintenance to meet the required emission standards and carry certificates therof. All vehicles operating in the valley must obtain a sticker certifying their compliance with the Mass Emission Standards. Stickers are introduced few years back. But there are still open questions. How far would the government be able to enforce such measures and how far do the concerned public as well as instituions cooperate? Still, I feel the steps taken by the government as positive, the effects of which are still to be observed. As far as the question on making Kathmandu again a "walking city" it may not be feasible at this stage. However, while looking at the narrow streets and increasing number of vehicles on the street thereby induced long traffic jams during the day, I personally feel that at certain point the people may have to realize it and try to come back to what they had in the past. Regards. Jain Alok wrote: > Kathmandu was such a lovely city just a few years ago. Although the public > transport was not good and there were not many cars, but the whole city used > to walk and these things didn't really matter. I remember a study was done > by Wilbur Smith Associates (if I remeber correctly) on the city's transport > behaviour and an astounding number of trips (75%, I guess) were walk trips. > > Been there recently and the city is polluted (thats probably an > understatement). The Bagmati river which probably inspired many ascetics > towards divine force was no more than a sewer. The city is cluttered by > scrapped Japanese cars (most of the taxis). The public transport is worse. > Basically, one could see all the so called urban problems. This was GROWTH. > Perhaps politics in the country is to blame, at least partly. > > I wonder if Kathmandu can again become a walking city. > > Alok Jain > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: Rajendra Aryal [mailto:rajendra.aryal@undp.org] > > Sent: March 24, 2000 2:12 PM > > To: sustran-discuss@jca.ax.apc.org > > Subject: [sustran] Re: News Flash #37: Transport in the 'Global South' > > > > > > Dear friends, > > > > Kathmandu, capital city of Nepal, after badly hit by a > > haphazard traffic condition > > some positive trends on better traffic management are > > appearing. One of the moves > > the Traffic Police is undertaking now is the follwing > > newspaper clipping appeared > > in the leading daily "The Kathmandu Post" to improve the > > traffic condiiton of the > > city. > > > > Kathmandu, March 20 (PR) - Valley Traffic Police (VTPO) today > > urged the public to > > suggest ways to improve traffic condition in the capital. > > > > "The suggestions from the people, if constructive, will be > > implemented so that > > people's views are also taken into account while making the > > strategy of VTPO," > > said Pawan Kharel, Deputy Superintendent of Police at the VTPO. > > > > VTPO has set up a Traffic Control Room to both monitor and > > implement the ideas > > received from the public. VTPO is seeking the suggestions > > through phone, fax and > > email for the Traffic Week slated for the third week of May. > > > > With regards. > > > > Rajendra Aryal > > UNCDF > > From sustran at po.jaring.my Sat Mar 25 00:19:06 2000 From: sustran at po.jaring.my (SUSTRAN Network Secretariat) Date: Fri, 24 Mar 2000 23:19:06 +0800 Subject: [sustran] Fwd: infrastructure and financial recovery Message-ID: <3.0.6.32.20000324231906.008d8100@relay101.jaring.my> A forwarded request for information. Can anyone help Prof. Leinbach? >X-Sender: leinbach@pop.uky.edu >X-Mailer: QUALCOMM Windows Eudora Pro Version 4.0.2 >Date: Wed, 22 Mar 2000 11:04:38 -0500 >To: sustran@po.jaring.my >From: "Thomas R. Leinbach" >Subject: infrastructure and financial recovery > >Dear SUSTRAN folks: > >I am seeking any information (articles esp) which address the issue of the >impact of the 1997 financial crisis in Southeast Asia (esp Indonesia) on >transport infrastructure use and construction and the situation now that >recovery is under way. Many thanks for any information which you can >provide. Regards Tom Leinbach > >Professor Thomas R Leinbach >Department of Geography >University of Kentucky >1477 Patterson Tower >Lexington, KY 40506-0027 >Internet: leinbach@pop.uky.edu >Voice: 606-257-1276 >Fax: 606-323-1969 >www.uky.edu/AS/Geography/dept/leinbach.htm From debi.beag at SoftHome.net Tue Mar 28 09:15:24 2000 From: debi.beag at SoftHome.net (Debi Goenka) Date: Tue, 28 Mar 2000 05:45:24 +0530 Subject: [sustran] Reducing number of cars on the road Message-ID: <38DFF99C.FAC11ED9@SoftHome.net> I need suggestions on how the total number of cars on the road can be reduced every day. We are planning a 20% reduction every day by asking for cars with number plates ending in certain figures to be banned by a Court order. For example, cars with number plates ending with 1 or 2 would not be allowed on Mondays, and so on. Do you know of any place in the world where similar schemes have been tried/implemented? Thanks and cheers Debi Goenka -- Debi Goenka Bombay Environmental Action Group Mobile: 98200-86404 e-mail: debi.beag@softhome.net Environmental Education Office Kalbadevi Municipal School # 54, 2nd floor Mumbai 400002 Tel: 2423126 Tfax: 2426385 Registered Office 4 Kurla Industrial Estate LBS Marg, Ghatkopar Mumbai 400086 Tel: 5147574 Fax: 5115810 Residence B 502 Glengate Hiranandani Gardens Powai Mumbai 400076 Tel: 5700638 Tfax: 5701459 From litman at vtpi.org Tue Mar 28 10:17:44 2000 From: litman at vtpi.org (Todd Litman) Date: Mon, 27 Mar 2000 17:17:44 -0800 Subject: [sustran] Re: Reducing number of cars on the road In-Reply-To: <38DFF99C.FAC11ED9@SoftHome.net> Message-ID: <3.0.6.32.20000327171744.00a46100@pop.islandnet.com> At 05:45 AM 03/28/2000 +0530, Debi Goenka wrote: >We are planning a 20% reduction every day by asking for cars >with number plates ending in certain figures to be banned by a Court order. >Do you know of any place in the world where similar schemes >have been tried/implemented? That strategy has been tried in a number of places on a short-term basis, and for relatively long periods in Mexico City. For discussion see: Haynes Goddard, "Using Tradable Permits to Achieve Sustainability in the World's Large Cities," Environmental and Resource Economics, Vol. 10 1997, pp. 63-99. The experience has been rather negative, for a number of reasons, and you certainly can't expect a 20% reduction in total vehicle travel for the following reasons: * Many trips are simply deferred, not eliminated. If a motorist planned to go shopping by car, they will simply put it off until the next day, resuling in no actual reduction in mileage or emissions. * Wealthier households will purchase a second car with another license number, simply to have one available every day. These tend to be cheap, older, high polluting vehicles. Mexico City recorded a jump in the number of vehicles owned due to this policy. * As a practical matter, a large portion of vehicles must be exempted, including any vehicle used for business (taxis, delivery vehicles, vehicles used for construction work, etc.) and many professionals (doctors, salespeople, lawyers, etc.) demand excemptions based on their professional "needs." As a result, vehicle travel reductions and emission reductions are much smaller than projected, perhaps 5% at most. There are many other Transportation Demand Management strategies that I consider more effective, including higher fuel taxes, weight-distance charges, mileage-based insurance, parking pricing, emission fees, transit/HOV priority strategies, transit improvements, Smart Growth and pedestrian/cycling improvements. For information see "Potential TDM Strategies" and "Win-Win Transportation Solutions" at our website. In a few weeks we will also have an Online TDM Encyclopedia, that will provide more detailed information about these strategies. 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 From wcox at publicpurpose.com Tue Mar 28 08:34:25 2000 From: wcox at publicpurpose.com (Wendell Cox) Date: Mon, 27 Mar 2000 17:34:25 -0600 Subject: [sustran] Re: Reducing number of cars on the road References: <38DFF99C.FAC11ED9@SoftHome.net> Message-ID: <03a001bf9844$fd9287e0$0100a8c0@newmicronpc> This is exactly the system used in Mexico City. ----- Original Message ----- From: Debi Goenka To: Sustran Sent: Monday, March 27, 2000 6:15 PM Subject: [sustran] Reducing number of cars on the road > I need suggestions on how the total number of cars on the > road can be reduced every day. > We are planning a 20% reduction every day by asking for cars > with number plates ending in certain figures to be banned by > a Court order. > For example, cars with number plates ending with 1 or 2 > would not be allowed on Mondays, and so on. > Do you know of any place in the world where similar schemes > have been tried/implemented? > Thanks and cheers > Debi Goenka > -- > > > > > > Debi Goenka > Bombay Environmental Action Group > > Mobile: 98200-86404 > e-mail: debi.beag@softhome.net > > > > Environmental Education Office > > Kalbadevi Municipal School > # 54, 2nd floor > Mumbai 400002 > > Tel: 2423126 > Tfax: 2426385 > > > Registered Office > > 4 Kurla Industrial Estate > LBS Marg, Ghatkopar > Mumbai 400086 > > Tel: 5147574 > Fax: 5115810 > > > Residence > > B 502 Glengate > Hiranandani Gardens > Powai Mumbai 400076 > > Tel: 5700638 > Tfax: 5701459 > > From jhrhee at kuic.kyonggi.ac.kr Tue Mar 28 11:31:58 2000 From: jhrhee at kuic.kyonggi.ac.kr (=?iso-8859-1?B?wMzBvsij?=) Date: Tue, 28 Mar 2000 11:31:58 +0900 Subject: [sustran] Re: Reducing number of cars on the road Message-ID: <000a01bf985d$ca6a2e40$6b09f9cb@ns.kuic.kyonggi.ac.kr> Dear Debi Goenka: Yes, we tried same scheme few years ago in Seoul. After serious arguments between government officials and transport planners, the scheme has been terminated. That kind of simple scheme(not a policy) may be applied under the emergency case such as Olympic game period. Now, the scheme has been applied voluntarily in government buildings. The city govenment's policy has been changed to reduce auto demand by economic approches such as congestion pricing (you have to pay 2000won when you enter the CBD with less than 3 persons in your car), and increasing gas price, and so on. Good luck! Jongho Rhee Dept. of Urban and Transportation Eng. Kyonggi University Seoul and Suwon, South Korea -----???? ??????----- ???? ????: Debi Goenka ???? ????: Sustran ????: 2000?? 3?? 28?? ?????? ???? 9:22 ????: [sustran] Reducing number of cars on the road >I need suggestions on how the total number of cars on the >road can be reduced every day. >We are planning a 20% reduction every day by asking for cars >with number plates ending in certain figures to be banned by >a Court order. >For example, cars with number plates ending with 1 or 2 >would not be allowed on Mondays, and so on. >Do you know of any place in the world where similar schemes >have been tried/implemented? >Thanks and cheers >Debi Goenka >-- > > > > > >Debi Goenka >Bombay Environmental Action Group > >Mobile: 98200-86404 >e-mail: debi.beag@softhome.net > > > >Environmental Education Office > >Kalbadevi Municipal School ># 54, 2nd floor >Mumbai 400002 > >Tel: 2423126 >Tfax: 2426385 > > >Registered Office > >4 Kurla Industrial Estate >LBS Marg, Ghatkopar >Mumbai 400086 > >Tel: 5147574 >Fax: 5115810 > > >Residence > >B 502 Glengate >Hiranandani Gardens >Powai Mumbai 400076 > >Tel: 5700638 >Tfax: 5701459 From ganant at vsnl.com Tue Mar 28 13:05:44 2000 From: ganant at vsnl.com (Ananthakrishnan) Date: Tue, 28 Mar 2000 09:35:44 +0530 Subject: [sustran] Re: Reducing number of cars on the road References: <38DFF99C.FAC11ED9@SoftHome.net> Message-ID: <002701bf986b$0c13a580$5586c5cb@vsnl.net.in> The goal of reducing the number of cars is undoubtedly very positive, but India has a poor record of enforcement of any kind of regulation. As any visitor to India/citizen knows, regulation is only a route to bribery : driving licences, registration of vehicles, insurance claims, pollution checks. Such a ban is only likely to benefit corrupt policemen and transport staff. Todd's alternatives in TDM appear far more appealing. Increasing supply of public transport (which in any case is a pre-requisite for such a ban) and taxing private automobile use would be both socially and politically acceptable. More traffic is generated in India because of the failure of public transport to meet the need for greater mobility in a country which has a growing economy in the post-liberalisation phase. There is also little emphasis even from NGOs to integrate rail and bus, which would provide a total solution. G.Ananthakrishnan, Chennai-based journalist can be reached at Tel: + 91 44 8413942 , Fax: + 91 44 8415395. From townsend at central.murdoch.edu.au Wed Mar 29 05:28:30 2000 From: townsend at central.murdoch.edu.au (Craig Townsend) Date: Tue, 28 Mar 2000 12:28:30 -0800 Subject: [sustran] Manila 'carless days' Message-ID: <3.0.6.32.20000328122830.007ac210@central.murdoch.edu.au> >From the Philippine Star Online Edition, 28 March 2000 MMDA to hold hearings on 'carless days' By Marvin Sy We're dead serious about it. This seems to be the stern stand of the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) on its plan for a "carless day" in Metro Manila, in spite of the mounting protests from the motoring public. MMDA Chairman Jejomar Binay told reporters yesterday that public hearings will be conducted to solicit the inputs of the public and used in the plan's mechanism. He disclosed that the first hearing will be Wednesday next week (April 5). Metro Manila mayors and private motorist groups have been invited to attend. "The MMDA will make the methodology, after experiments, before the implementation of the program," said Binay. He added that a pilot-test of the carless day will be conducted in small areas of the metropolis. "The University of the Philippines is already practicing a carless day in its campus, so why can't we do it too?" he asked. The MMDA chief explained that the carless scheme is meant to address the growing air pollution in Metro Manila attributed to smoke belching of motor vehicles. The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) previously noted that around 90 percent of air pollution comes from motor vehicles, diesel engines in particular. It was also learned that 70 percent of motor vehicles plying the roads are privately owned. "Oppositors to this plan should not worry since we will not implement this without conducting a dialogue with all concerned," Binay assured them. Binay likewise claimed that it is "baseless" for some of the programs' critics to say that the carless scheme has not been adopted in other countries. The plan has been proven effective in a number of European and Latin American countries. "I know we will be met by negative reactions, especially from private motorists. Nothing is final yet," he said. ________________________________________________ Craig Townsend Institute for Sustainability & Technology Policy 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 From daggers at knoware.nl Tue Mar 28 16:56:06 2000 From: daggers at knoware.nl (T. Daggers) Date: Tue, 28 Mar 2000 09:56:06 +0200 Subject: [sustran] Re: Reducing number of cars on the road Message-ID: <01BF989C.633808C0@dynaisdn7-228.knoware.nl> In Bogota is a system called "pica y placa", free translated it means that even or odd numbers are not allowed on peak hours on the streets. Results are growing use of public transport including taxis. Some investigations also show higher travel speeds during peak hours for cars as consequence of less congestion. Cheers, Ton Daggers I need suggestions on how the total number of cars on the road can be reduced every day. We are planning a 20% reduction every day by asking for cars with number plates ending in certain figures to be banned by a Court order. For example, cars with number plates ending with 1 or 2 would not be allowed on Mondays, and so on. Do you know of any place in the world where similar schemes have been tried/implemented? Thanks and cheers Debi Goenka -- Debi Goenka Bombay Environmental Action Group Mobile: 98200-86404 e-mail: debi.beag@softhome.net Environmental Education Office Kalbadevi Municipal School # 54, 2nd floor Mumbai 400002 Tel: 2423126 Tfax: 2426385 Registered Office 4 Kurla Industrial Estate LBS Marg, Ghatkopar Mumbai 400086 Tel: 5147574 Fax: 5115810 Residence B 502 Glengate Hiranandani Gardens Powai Mumbai 400076 Tel: 5700638 Tfax: 5701459 -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: application/ms-tnef Size: 2193 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://list.jca.apc.org/manage/private/sustran-discuss/attachments/20000328/9095efad/attachment.bin From eric.britton at ecoplan.org Tue Mar 28 17:29:56 2000 From: eric.britton at ecoplan.org (eric.britton@ecoplan.org) Date: Tue, 28 Mar 2000 10:29:56 +0200 Subject: [sustran] Reducing number of cars on the road Message-ID: -----Original Message----- From: eric.britton@ecoplan.org [mailto:eric.britton@ecoplan.org] Sent: Sunday, March 26, 2000 6:06 PM To: Debi Goenka Subject: Reducing number of cars on the road Dar Debi Goenka, Yes, that kind of scheme had been tried in hundreds of places, though I for one have never liked them. It is not that they are impossible, but rather that out there on the streets of the real world they are complicated to implement, hard to enforce, tend to be unjust, the police really don't like them, and usually encounter considerable public and media opposition. I have often claimed that it's about the worst way to go about reducing traffic in cities - and I guess that's why so many places keep insisting on trying. It all sounds logical enough - but hey!, whoever said the life was logical? But what about this? Why don't you post your questions to the SUSTRAN list at sustran-discuss@jca.ax.apc.org and see what the others have to day. You should get a good and useful range of responses. With all good wishes, 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 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 rsashu at civil.iitb.ernet.in Tue Mar 28 17:55:40 2000 From: rsashu at civil.iitb.ernet.in (Ashish Verma (99404003)) Date: Tue, 28 Mar 2000 14:25:40 +0530 (IST) Subject: [sustran] Re: Reducing number of cars on the road In-Reply-To: <002701bf986b$0c13a580$5586c5cb@vsnl.net.in> Message-ID: Promoting public transport is a very effective means of reducing the no. of cars coming on to road. Besides this, some other measures could be- 1. Levying heavy car parking charges & car entry restrictions esp. in CBD area in order to discourage the use of car. 2. Promoting communication & information technology(internet, mobile phone etc.) so that the total no. of person trips can be reduced, thus reducing the car usage. Sincerely, Ashish Verma IIT Bombay On Tue, 28 Mar 2000, Ananthakrishnan wrote: > The goal of reducing the number of cars is undoubtedly very positive, but > India has a poor record of enforcement of any kind of regulation. As any > visitor to India/citizen knows, regulation is only a route to bribery : > driving licences, registration of vehicles, insurance claims, pollution > checks. > Such a ban is only likely to benefit corrupt policemen and transport staff. > Todd's alternatives in TDM appear far more appealing. Increasing supply of > public transport (which in any case is a pre-requisite for such a ban) and > taxing private automobile use would be both socially and politically > acceptable. > More traffic is generated in India because of the failure of public > transport to meet the need for greater mobility in a country which has a > growing economy in the post-liberalisation phase. > There is also little emphasis even from NGOs to integrate rail and bus, > which would provide a total solution. > > > G.Ananthakrishnan, Chennai-based journalist can be reached at Tel: + 91 44 > 8413942 , Fax: + 91 44 8415395. > From eric.britton at ecoplan.org Tue Mar 28 19:07:39 2000 From: eric.britton at ecoplan.org (eric.britton@ecoplan.org) Date: Tue, 28 Mar 2000 12:07:39 +0200 Subject: [sustran] Reducing number of cars on the road In-Reply-To: Message-ID: Dear Debi, Dear Sustran Crew, Quickly and further to my original forwarded note on this topic. There is one possible terrific justification for an Odd/Even scheme of which we should not lose sight (though it does not by any means blot out all the pitfalls that others have made so clear in this discussion and that in most cases have made them blunt swords indeed). And that is... in cases where you can somehow get one up and running that is not too awfully, visibly bad, that they can be used as a precursor for doing something better. Take our latest Car Free Day in Bogot? for example. There were a couple of precursors that helped lay the way for the Day, without which it might have been an even tougher uphill struggle. One such precursor is of course the highly visible mess out on the streets that just about everyone can see calls for radical action. The second, in the case of Bogot?, as the fact that they have spent a couple of years building up a largely leisure, occasional cycle path program, that turned out to be a terrific component of the solution package for that great day (the mayor's office reports that a million and a half people used their bikes that day). A third - and this gets us back to our subject here, and as we heard earlier today from Tom Daggers - is the fact that they already had been experimenting with an Odd/Even approach ("Pico y Placa"), which was providing proof of an awareness of the problems on the one hand and a willingness to try to do something about them on the other. If you want more on that you can simply jump over to the @World Car Free Day site at http://www.ecoplan.org/carfreeday/ , go to the Search button and pop in the word "Pico" (or Placa) and you will get a full explanation of this in either the original Spanish or a quick English translation. (Also, just in case you prefer not to, I append the latter to this note). So Odd/Even is not the worst measure in the world for trying to begin to deal with the problems is addresses, but (a) it's very very hard to make it work but (b) if you can do it without discrediting yourself in the process (hard work!!!), it may be a wedge in to the real solution sets which others are already bringing up in this fine forum of ours. Note: Our friends in Manila are apparently looking at the idea of a Car Free Day there. Great idea! And there they have something that they call the Unified Vehicular Volume Reduction Program (UVVRP). For more on that check out http://www.mmda.gov.ph/traffic.html. 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 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) PICO Y PLACA The idea of this project is to give Bogot?'s citizens the opportunity to share this city in the most pleasant possible way, with less stress and less contamination. At the moment, there are entering between 60,000 and 70,000 additional cars per year to Bogot?. Car against car is an approximated distance of 870 kms. If measures are not taken on the matter, in ten years the speed average of a car in Bogot? could approximately be of 15 kms/hr. The "Pico y Placa" project is a simple system that 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. The restriction for the circulation of the cars has been settled according to the following table: * Monday 1,2,3 and 4 are restricted * Tuesday 5,6,7 and 8 are restricted * Wednesday 9,0,1 and 2 are restricted * Thursday 3,4,5 and 6 are restricted * Friday 7,8,9 and 0 are restricted This project shows the citizen's collaboration, it is a social experiment in which all Bogotans have participated in one way or another to achieve a better quality of life. The principal benefits that have been driven out from this measure are: * An increase of the speed of displacement, * A reduction of the time of trip by 29 minutes (almost one hour per day) * A 10% of air pollution decrease and A US $50 saving per car per year on fuel. From sagaris at lake.mic.cl Tue Mar 28 21:36:49 2000 From: sagaris at lake.mic.cl (Lake Sagaris) Date: Tue, 28 Mar 2000 08:36:49 -0400 Subject: [sustran] Re: Reducing number of cars on the road In-Reply-To: <38DFF99C.FAC11ED9@SoftHome.net> Message-ID: <3.0.6.32.20000328083649.0079c460@webhost.cl> Santiago has "controlled" traffic on high smog days this way for years. The last two digits, or in extreme cases the last four, mark the vehicle for "restriction" on specific days according to a calendar that functions fall and winter and part of the spring, which are the high smog seasons. The restriction only applies to non-catalytic vehicles, which prompted wealthy Chileans, who are the ones who do most of the driving (only 20% of daily commutes are in cars) to simply go out and buy a second or third car. The measure is considered something of a bandaid, although if it had been part of a real effort to rework transportation in order to reduce driving it might be a different matter. All best Lake Living City. At 05:45 AM 3/28/00 +0530, you wrote: >I need suggestions on how the total number of cars on the >road can be reduced every day. >We are planning a 20% reduction every day by asking for cars >with number plates ending in certain figures to be banned by >a Court order. >For example, cars with number plates ending with 1 or 2 >would not be allowed on Mondays, and so on. >Do you know of any place in the world where similar schemes >have been tried/implemented? >Thanks and cheers >Debi Goenka >-- > > > > > >Debi Goenka >Bombay Environmental Action Group > >Mobile: 98200-86404 >e-mail: debi.beag@softhome.net > > > >Environmental Education Office > >Kalbadevi Municipal School ># 54, 2nd floor >Mumbai 400002 > >Tel: 2423126 >Tfax: 2426385 > > >Registered Office > >4 Kurla Industrial Estate >LBS Marg, Ghatkopar >Mumbai 400086 > >Tel: 5147574 >Fax: 5115810 > > >Residence > >B 502 Glengate >Hiranandani Gardens >Powai Mumbai 400076 > >Tel: 5700638 >Tfax: 5701459 > From dojie at transportas.com.ph Wed Mar 29 06:55:44 2000 From: dojie at transportas.com.ph (Ronaldo R. Manahan) Date: Wed, 29 Mar 2000 05:55:44 +0800 Subject: [sustran] Re: Reducing number of cars on the road In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <3.0.6.32.20000329055544.007d7100@transportas.com.ph> Dear Debi: >From Eric's reply... >Note: Our friends in Manila .... >For more on that check out http://www.mmda.gov.ph/traffic.html. Aside from that page, don't forget to check out the Saturday scheme also being implemented since February 1999 (http://www.mmda.gov.ph/traffic.html). The question lingering in my mind is that, through several years of implementation, are these schemes still achieving their intended benefits? There has been a number of papers written about the case in Mexico City and why it was a failure. I think the problem in Manila is that there is no coordination between government agencies promoting more vehicle sales and agencies trying to restrain their use. These types of TDM measures probably work only for a very short period of implementation. One cannot continue to apply short term programs over the long term, hoping to replicate the objectives. Best regards, Dojie Manahan Transportas Quezon City, Philippines From rocae at hotmail.com Wed Mar 29 09:16:33 2000 From: rocae at hotmail.com (roberto evangelio) Date: Tue, 28 Mar 2000 16:16:33 PST Subject: [sustran] Re: Reducing number of cars on the road Message-ID: <20000329001633.47111.qmail@hotmail.com> debi, The same scheme is currently being implemented in the Philippines. This is the guidelines: Monday: plate nunber ending in 1 and 2 are banned from 7:00 am to 7:00pm Tuesday: 3 and 4 Wednesday: 5 and 6 Thursday: 7 and 8 Friday: 9 and 0 Saturday: 9:30am to 2:30 pm : plate numbers ending in odd numbers are banned 2:30pm to 7:30pm: plate numbers ending in even numbers are banned. lately, the Metro Manila government are comtemplating a carless day on Sunday. I think a lot of people are againsts it. Maybe because of the frequency or even the idea itself. I'll keep you posted on this. obet >I need suggestions on how the total number of cars on the >road can be reduced every day. >We are planning a 20% reduction every day by asking for cars >with number plates ending in certain figures to be banned by >a Court order. >For example, cars with number plates ending with 1 or 2 >would not be allowed on Mondays, and so on. >Do you know of any place in the world where similar schemes >have been tried/implemented? >Thanks and cheers >Debi Goenka >-- > > > > > >Debi Goenka >Bombay Environmental Action Group > >Mobile: 98200-86404 >e-mail: debi.beag@softhome.net > > > >Environmental Education Office > >Kalbadevi Municipal School ># 54, 2nd floor >Mumbai 400002 > >Tel: 2423126 >Tfax: 2426385 > > >Registered Office > >4 Kurla Industrial Estate >LBS Marg, Ghatkopar >Mumbai 400086 > >Tel: 5147574 >Fax: 5115810 > > >Residence > >B 502 Glengate >Hiranandani Gardens >Powai Mumbai 400076 > >Tel: 5700638 >Tfax: 5701459 > ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com From t9802 at cc.utsunomiya-u.ac.jp Wed Mar 29 10:10:58 2000 From: t9802 at cc.utsunomiya-u.ac.jp (Mohsin J. Sarker) Date: Wed, 29 Mar 2000 10:10:58 +0900 Subject: [sustran] Re: Reducing number of cars on the road References: Message-ID: <002601bf991b$a495a320$0500a8c0@mjs> Hi there I agree that promoting public transport is a effective mean of reducing the no. of car. But under certain situation. We all know that automobile is such a transportation mode that no other mode can provide such utility/convenience to user. Under this characteristics of automobile, if we continue to improve transportation infrastructure or systems related to both automobile and public transport in parallel, then I think, there will be no reduction of car use. My suggestion in this regard, we should impose gap between demand and supply of auto-related infrastructure or system, while improving public transportation system. What do you think ? Is my idea absurd or strange ? Personally I do not like such TDM measures to reduce automobile use which causes social inequality. Congestion pricing, road pricing, higher gasoline tax may reduce automobile use, but will cause social inequality. In the above sentence, I used the word 'may', because in high income country, if everybody is able to pay the money of such pricing, then such TDM measures will not be effective. In developing countries or in the countries where both high and low income people live, such TDM measures will cause social inequality by facilitating high income people to use automobile more & more conveniently by forcing low income people to choose alternative transport modes. I think, we should look for such TDM measures which will not cause social inequality. About one of them I discussed in above paragraph. Other may restricting odd & even number vehicle, but there are lot of arguments on it. So, do you know any other TDM measures which will not cause social inequality but will reduce automobile use? Lets have a discussion on this point. Mohsin J. Sarker Ph,D, Candidate Regional Planning Department of Civil Engineering Utsunomiya University 7-1-2 Yoto, Utsunomiya, Japan 321-8585 Tel : +81-28-689-6223 Fax: +81-28-689-6230 Email: t9802@cc.utsunomiya-u.ac.jp ----- Original Message ----- From: "Ashish Verma (99404003)" To: Sent: Tuesday, March 28, 2000 5:55 PM Subject: [sustran] Re: Reducing number of cars on the road > > Promoting public transport is a very effective means of reducing the no. > of cars coming on to road. Besides this, some other measures could be- > 1. Levying heavy car parking charges & car entry restrictions esp. in CBD > area in order to discourage the use of car. > 2. Promoting communication & information technology(internet, mobile phone > etc.) so that the total no. of person trips can be reduced, thus reducing > the car usage. > > Sincerely, > Ashish Verma > IIT Bombay > > > On Tue, 28 Mar 2000, Ananthakrishnan wrote: > > > The goal of reducing the number of cars is undoubtedly very positive, but > > India has a poor record of enforcement of any kind of regulation. As any > > visitor to India/citizen knows, regulation is only a route to bribery : > > driving licences, registration of vehicles, insurance claims, pollution > > checks. > > Such a ban is only likely to benefit corrupt policemen and transport staff. > > Todd's alternatives in TDM appear far more appealing. Increasing supply of > > public transport (which in any case is a pre-requisite for such a ban) and > > taxing private automobile use would be both socially and politically > > acceptable. > > More traffic is generated in India because of the failure of public > > transport to meet the need for greater mobility in a country which has a > > growing economy in the post-liberalisation phase. > > There is also little emphasis even from NGOs to integrate rail and bus, > > which would provide a total solution. > > > > > > G.Ananthakrishnan, Chennai-based journalist can be reached at Tel: + 91 44 > > 8413942 , Fax: + 91 44 8415395. > > > > From rocae at hotmail.com Wed Mar 29 09:27:33 2000 From: rocae at hotmail.com (roberto evangelio) Date: Tue, 28 Mar 2000 16:27:33 PST Subject: [sustran] Re: Reducing number of cars on the road Message-ID: <20000329002733.41013.qmail@hotmail.com> Debi and Eric, > >Yes, that kind of scheme had been tried in hundreds of places, though I for >one have never liked them. It is not that they are impossible, but rather >that out there on the streets of the real world they are complicated to >implement, hard to enforce, tend to be unjust, the police really don't like >them, and usually encounter considerable public and media opposition. In the case of the Philippines, once the public has accepted the scheme, people began to adjust their daily routine. So once a week they have to leave their home early to be in the office by 7 am and leave at night after 7:00 pm. This scheme addresses traffic congestion by forcing motorist to adjust their travel schedule. But i think, there was really no big reduction of vehicles on the road. People are now used to the scheme and, at present I never heard of any complaints/opposition on this. obet ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com From negronpp at MAGELLAN.UMontreal.CA Wed Mar 29 12:09:49 2000 From: negronpp at MAGELLAN.UMontreal.CA (Paula Negron Poblete) Date: Tue, 28 Mar 2000 22:09:49 -0500 Subject: [sustran] Re: Reducing number of cars on the road References: <002601bf991b$a495a320$0500a8c0@mjs> Message-ID: <38E173FD.93DFC57A@magellan.umontreal.ca> Concerning the thoughts of Mohsin Sarker about social inequality, my thinking is that in develonig countries these inequalities already exists. When autorities decide to invest in highways to solve the congestion problem, it's a project that affects possitively mostly the high clases, if you consider that more than 50% of households doesn't have a private car (and that represents much more than 50% of the total population). So, when we talk about higher prices in fuel or congestion prices, I really don't think we're creating social inequality. I see social inequality more as a matter of accessibility to employment, like it's the case today. For more information about this subject, I recomend the article of Paulo Camara and David Banister "Spatial inequalities in the provision of public transport in Latin American cities" (Transport reviews, 1993, vol. 13, No. 4, pp. 351-373). Paula Negron University of Montreal From aldizon at pacific.net.sg Wed Mar 29 12:21:21 2000 From: aldizon at pacific.net.sg (Al Dizon) Date: Wed, 29 Mar 2000 11:21:21 +0800 Subject: [sustran] Re: Reducing number of cars on the road References: <002601bf991b$a495a320$0500a8c0@mjs> <38E173FD.93DFC57A@magellan.umontreal.ca> Message-ID: <000601bf992d$dda63aa0$2901a8c0@cch.com.sg> Lest we forget: public policy demands that roads are built to facilitate the movement of trade and commerce, and thus enable businessess, people and communities to carry out their business activities. Highways aren't built to solve congestion problem; congestion is solved by comprehensive urban planning, which may or may not require the development of road systems to keep comunities linked. Inequalities do exist in the use of road systems. Spatially, car users have more space than the mass transit user. But this is more than compensated for the price the mass transit user has to pay for the same trip. ----- Original Message ----- From: Paula Negron Poblete To: Sent: Wednesday, March 29, 2000 11:09 AM Subject: [sustran] Re: Reducing number of cars on the road > Concerning the thoughts of Mohsin Sarker about social inequality, my > thinking is that in develonig countries these inequalities already > exists. When autorities decide to invest in highways to solve the > congestion problem, it's a project that affects possitively mostly the > high clases, if you consider that more than 50% of households doesn't > have a private car (and that represents much more than 50% of the total > population). So, when we talk about higher prices in fuel or congestion > prices, I really don't think we're creating social inequality. I see > social inequality more as a matter of accessibility to employment, like > it's the case today. For more information about this subject, I recomend > the article of Paulo Camara and David Banister "Spatial inequalities in > the provision of public transport in Latin American cities" (Transport > reviews, 1993, vol. 13, No. 4, pp. 351-373). > > Paula Negron > University of Montreal From kerry.wood at paradise.net.nz Wed Mar 29 14:37:25 2000 From: kerry.wood at paradise.net.nz (Kerry Wood) Date: Wed, 29 Mar 2000 18:37:25 +1300 Subject: [sustran] Re: Reducing number of cars on the road References: <002601bf991b$a495a320$0500a8c0@mjs> <38E173FD.93DFC57A@magellan.umontreal.ca> Message-ID: <38E19693.6BAFB119@paradise.net.nz> Hi everybody Don't forget that if a change in transport policy crates social inequality, the solution does not have to be a transport one. Tax or social security changes might be much more efficient, equitable, sane. -- Kerry Wood From carbusters at ecn.cz Wed Mar 29 22:22:23 2000 From: carbusters at ecn.cz (Car Busters) Date: Wed, 29 Mar 2000 14:22:23 +0100 Subject: [sustran] Re: Reducing number of cars on the road Message-ID: <01bf9981$d14eda60$e86214d4@non.wanadoo.fr> Dear everyone, The most obvious way to reduce the number of cars on the road seems to have escaped mention in this discussion -- reducing the amount of road space devoted to cars. And when you think about it, that's what most of us are after anyway -- not keeping the same wide roads filled with half-used car lanes, but re-allocating some of these lanes to other uses (bicycles, trams, trees and plants, playgrounds, pedestrians, etc.). It may be obvious, but if you take a four-lane road, re-allocate two of the lanes to trams and bicycle lanes, leaving two car lanes, you thereby cut the maximum allowable car traffic by half, physically, and quite cheaply, too. The amount of road space we give to cars will ultimately set the maximum amount of traffic that the road system will allow for (see studies on traffic generation and evaporation). I used to live in a town, Arcata, California, that did this on two streets. Now, instead of four car lanes there are only two, plus a wide park-like center-divider with trees and grass, and a bike lane on each side. It was not a popular idea when first proposed, but afterward everyone sees that there are no negative side-effects, and no more congestion than before. The cars also go slower than before. However utopic this all may sound, places like Oxford, England, are doing this, too. Instead of only talking of traffic calming, the city council is seriously getting into closing roads to cars. But so often people think of public transport as something to add on top of the existing car infrastructure. Instead we need to replace car infrastructure. > if we continue to improve transportation infrastructure or systems related to both > automobile and public transport in parallel, then I think, there will be no > reduction of car use. Totally in agreement. This is why, among other things, two things need to happen (which are not normally politically popular) to turn things around: 1) We must stop further expansion of automobile infrastructure (road building, widening, parking lots...), or else the gains from our efforts will be cancelled out by sprawl. 2) In most places a lot of public transport (and pedestrian and cycling) infrastucture needs to be put in place, but not by doing it "parallel" to car infrastructure. Rather, repeated from above, space now devoted to the car needs to be reallocated to the alternatives, as well as for transformation into public space that doesn't devote itself exclusively to mobility. Randy Ghent --------------------------------------------------------------------- CAR BUSTERS Magazine and Resource Centre Kratka 26, 100 00 Praha 10, Czech Republic Tel: +(420) 2-781-08-49 ; Fax: +(420) 2-781-67-27 From dojie at transportas.com.ph Wed Mar 29 23:55:48 2000 From: dojie at transportas.com.ph (Ronaldo R. Manahan) Date: Wed, 29 Mar 2000 22:55:48 +0800 Subject: [sustran] Re: Reducing number of cars on the road In-Reply-To: <38E173FD.93DFC57A@magellan.umontreal.ca> References: <002601bf991b$a495a320$0500a8c0@mjs> Message-ID: <3.0.6.32.20000329225548.007d1220@transportas.com.ph> Paula, >For more information about this subject, I recomend >the article of Paulo Camara and David Banister "Spatial inequalities in >the provision of public transport in Latin American cities" (Transport >reviews, 1993, vol. 13, No. 4, pp. 351-373). Would you be able to tell me how I could get copies of these articles? Thanks. Dojie Manahan Transportas Quezon City, Philippines From carbusters at ecn.cz Wed Mar 29 23:24:05 2000 From: carbusters at ecn.cz (Car Busters) Date: Wed, 29 Mar 2000 15:24:05 +0100 Subject: [sustran] Re: Metro : Speed and mobility Message-ID: <01bf998a$7060ec80$e86214d4@non.wanadoo.fr> Hi Joel and others, I have to jump in late on this seemingly terminated metro discussion. Joel, you mention the need for metro because it's the only thing that can compete with the car's speed. But I see the car's high speed as one of its problems. As John Whitelegg's and others' work on time pollution has shown, higher speed leads to greater distances between destinations, rather than more free time. Instead we need mixed-use neighbourhoods that are as self-contained as possible -- providing jobs, shops, schools, homes. Here in Prague we have metro-induced sprawl, with Communist-style apartment blocs surrounding metro stations, and most everything else located closer to the city centre. If we assume that we will plan for and accommodate a certain speed and certain number of passengers per hour, then we change none of this, and we end up with a development pattern requiring excess travel. Whereas if we work toward reducing the need for mobility -- providing as much as possible near where people live, and also not providing the access to speed, encouraging longer-distance travel with an urban area -- then we start to change things more fundamentally. Do people agree here? But anyway, even if we kept today's put-everything-in-the-city-centre-except-housing-and-thus-require-lots -of-mobility approach, according to my quick math based on figures sent to this list recently, two more-or-less parallel but close together light-rail lines would still be cheaper than one metro line, with the same capacity and probably better service (because of twice as many stations on which to board). Or have I gotten this wrong somehow? Randy Ghent --------------------------------------------------------------------- CAR BUSTERS Magazine and Resource Centre Kratka 26, 100 00 Praha 10, Czech Republic Tel: +(420) 2-781-08-49 ; Fax: +(420) 2-781-67-27 From litman at vtpi.org Thu Mar 30 00:49:54 2000 From: litman at vtpi.org (Todd Litman) Date: Wed, 29 Mar 2000 07:49:54 -0800 Subject: [sustran] Re: Reducing number of cars on the road In-Reply-To: <002601bf991b$a495a320$0500a8c0@mjs> References: Message-ID: <3.0.6.32.20000329074954.01bd4160@pop.islandnet.com> I realize that it may seem that using pricing to limit automobile use is inequitable, because "the rich will drive and the poor will be forced onto transit/walking/cycling/ridesharing, etc.). But this is not true, for the following reasons: * Overall equity impacts depend entirely on what is done with the revenue. If congestion pricing, vehicle fees, increased fuel taxes or mileage fees are used to reduce existing regressive taxes, fund services used by lower-income people (such as pedestrian and cycling improvements, public transit, health care, education, etc.), or returned as some sort of per captia rebate, it can be overall progressive with respect to income. For discussion see "Using Road Pricing Revenue; Efficiency and Equity Considerations" at http://www.vtpi.org. * Pricing can be structured to be progressive. For example, congestion tolling can include giving each resident or car owner a certain number of free peak-period trips. To drive during peak periods more frequently motorists would need to purchase these from others or pay a toll. Similarly, per-kilometer fees can increase, so they are low for the first few thousand kilometers a vehicle is driven each year, and increase for more kilometers. * One of the greatest inequities of increasing automobile dependency is the reduction in the quantity and quality of other modes (i.e., buses are also stuck in traffic, and demand for transit declines, resulting in reduced service). Congestion fees, parking pricing and road pricing can avoid the congestion which makes every road user worse off (including bus passengers) and provide an incentive for middle-class car owners to continue using public transit, therefore maintaining quality of service. I believe that it is very important that people interested in reducing automobile depenceny support pricing instruments, despite the appearance of "inequity." This is simply wrong, and other TDM strategies cannot be effective without significant pricing reform. Our discussion should focus on how to make such pricing equitable and efficient. 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 At 10:10 AM 03/29/2000 +0900, Mohsin J. Sarker wrote: >Personally I do not like such TDM measures to reduce automobile use which >causes social inequality. Congestion pricing, road pricing, higher gasoline >tax may reduce automobile use, but will cause social inequality. In the >above sentence, I used the word 'may', because in high income country, if >everybody is able to pay the money of such pricing, then such TDM measures >will not be effective. In developing countries or in the countries where >both high and low income people live, such TDM measures will cause social >inequality by facilitating high income people to use automobile more & more >conveniently by forcing low income people to choose alternative transport >modes. I think, we should look for such TDM measures which will not cause >social inequality. About one of them I discussed in above paragraph. Other >may restricting odd & even number vehicle, but there are lot of arguments on >it. > >So, do you know any other TDM measures which will not cause social >inequality but will reduce automobile use? Lets have a discussion on this >point. > >Mohsin J. Sarker >Ph,D, Candidate >Regional Planning >Department of Civil Engineering >Utsunomiya University >7-1-2 Yoto, Utsunomiya, Japan 321-8585 >Tel : +81-28-689-6223 >Fax: +81-28-689-6230 >Email: t9802@cc.utsunomiya-u.ac.jp > >----- Original Message ----- >From: "Ashish Verma (99404003)" >To: >Sent: Tuesday, March 28, 2000 5:55 PM >Subject: [sustran] Re: Reducing number of cars on the road > > >> >> Promoting public transport is a very effective means of reducing the no. >> of cars coming on to road. Besides this, some other measures could be- >> 1. Levying heavy car parking charges & car entry restrictions esp. in CBD >> area in order to discourage the use of car. >> 2. Promoting communication & information technology(internet, mobile phone >> etc.) so that the total no. of person trips can be reduced, thus reducing >> the car usage. >> >> Sincerely, >> Ashish Verma >> IIT Bombay >> >> >> On Tue, 28 Mar 2000, Ananthakrishnan wrote: >> >> > The goal of reducing the number of cars is undoubtedly very positive, >but >> > India has a poor record of enforcement of any kind of regulation. As any >> > visitor to India/citizen knows, regulation is only a route to bribery : >> > driving licences, registration of vehicles, insurance claims, pollution >> > checks. >> > Such a ban is only likely to benefit corrupt policemen and transport >staff. >> > Todd's alternatives in TDM appear far more appealing. Increasing supply >of >> > public transport (which in any case is a pre-requisite for such a ban) >and >> > taxing private automobile use would be both socially and politically >> > acceptable. >> > More traffic is generated in India because of the failure of public >> > transport to meet the need for greater mobility in a country which has a >> > growing economy in the post-liberalisation phase. >> > There is also little emphasis even from NGOs to integrate rail and bus, >> > which would provide a total solution. >> > >> > >> > G.Ananthakrishnan, Chennai-based journalist can be reached at Tel: + 91 >44 >> > 8413942 , Fax: + 91 44 8415395. >> > >> >> > > > > 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 From negronpp at MAGELLAN.UMontreal.CA Thu Mar 30 01:20:00 2000 From: negronpp at MAGELLAN.UMontreal.CA (Paula Negron Poblete) Date: Wed, 29 Mar 2000 11:20:00 -0500 Subject: [sustran] Re: Reducing number of cars on the road References: <002601bf991b$a495a320$0500a8c0@mjs> <38E173FD.93DFC57A@magellan.umontreal.ca> <000601bf992d$dda63aa0$2901a8c0@cch.com.sg> Message-ID: <38E22D30.6A454467@magellan.umontreal.ca> I don't agree with the idea that inequalities are compensated with the price of transit's trips. Let's don't forget that the more the income is high, the more transport expenditures represent a small part of the income. Yes, highways are constructed to be used also for carrying goods, but it's also a fact that when budgets are small, choices have to be made, and public transport is not always a priority, except if the autorities want to make big projetcs (like subways, LTR) that can give a "positive" image. Paula Negron Al Dizon a ?crit : > > Lest we forget: public policy demands that roads are built to facilitate the > movement of trade and commerce, and thus enable businessess, people and > communities to carry out their business activities. Highways aren't built to > solve congestion problem; congestion is solved by comprehensive urban > planning, which may or may not require the development of road systems to > keep comunities linked. > > Inequalities do exist in the use of road systems. Spatially, car users have > more space than the mass transit user. But this is more than compensated for > the price the mass transit user has to pay for the same trip. From t9802 at cc.utsunomiya-u.ac.jp Thu Mar 30 09:19:43 2000 From: t9802 at cc.utsunomiya-u.ac.jp (Mohsin J. Sarker) Date: Thu, 30 Mar 2000 09:19:43 +0900 Subject: [sustran] Re: Reducing number of cars on the road References: <01bf9981$d14eda60$e86214d4@non.wanadoo.fr> Message-ID: <001301bf99dd$a6279fa0$0500a8c0@mjs> I did a research on the topic "Gap Between Demand and Supply of Auto-related Road Infrastructure and Urban Characteristics". I used the data of various Japanese cities and got significant relation between this gap and modal shares. We defined a gap index as the ratio of demand and supply of auto related road infrastructure. The result shows that at high gap index, there is higher public transport share and lower automobile share. On the other hand, there is low public transport share and higher automobile share at low gap index. So if we continue to make automobile more convenient by constructing or providing more auto-related facilities, then number of automobile will continue to increase simultaneously. Most interesting point is that in Japan, even after ensuring large tax revenues for road development, the increasing rate of automobile always surpassed the rate of road development. I think, this is not the case of Japan only, but also of other countries all over the world. Mohsin J. Sarker Ph,D, Candidate Regional Planning Department of Civil Engineering Utsunomiya University 7-1-2 Yoto, Utsunomiya, Japan 321-8585 Tel : +81-28-689-6223 Fax: +81-28-689-6230 Email: t9802@cc.utsunomiya-u.ac.jp ----- Original Message ----- From: "Car Busters" To: Sent: Wednesday, March 29, 2000 10:22 PM Subject: [sustran] Re: Reducing number of cars on the road > Dear everyone, > > The most obvious way to reduce the number of cars on the road seems to > have escaped mention in this discussion -- reducing the amount of road > space devoted to cars. And when you think about it, that's what most > of us are after anyway -- not keeping the same wide roads filled with > half-used car lanes, but re-allocating some of these lanes to other > uses (bicycles, trams, trees and plants, playgrounds, pedestrians, > etc.). > > It may be obvious, but if you take a four-lane road, re-allocate two > of the lanes to trams and bicycle lanes, leaving two car lanes, you > thereby cut the maximum allowable car traffic by half, physically, and > quite cheaply, too. The amount of road space we give to cars will > ultimately set the maximum amount of traffic that the road system will > allow for (see studies on traffic generation and evaporation). > > I used to live in a town, Arcata, California, that did this on two > streets. Now, instead of four car lanes there are only two, plus a > wide park-like center-divider with trees and grass, and a bike lane on > each side. It was not a popular idea when first proposed, but > afterward everyone sees that there are no negative side-effects, and > no more congestion than before. The cars also go slower than before. > > However utopic this all may sound, places like Oxford, England, are > doing this, too. Instead of only talking of traffic calming, the city > council is seriously getting into closing roads to cars. But so often > people think of public transport as something to add on top of the > existing car infrastructure. Instead we need to replace car > infrastructure. > > > if we continue to improve transportation infrastructure or systems > related to both > > automobile and public transport in parallel, then I think, there > will be no > > reduction of car use. > > Totally in agreement. This is why, among other things, two things need > to happen (which are not normally politically popular) to turn things > around: > > 1) We must stop further expansion of automobile infrastructure (road > building, widening, parking lots...), or else the gains from our > efforts will be cancelled out by sprawl. > 2) In most places a lot of public transport (and pedestrian and > cycling) infrastucture needs to be put in place, but not by doing it > "parallel" to car infrastructure. Rather, repeated from above, space > now devoted to the car needs to be reallocated to the alternatives, as > well as for transformation into public space that doesn't devote > itself exclusively to mobility. > > Randy Ghent > > --------------------------------------------------------------------- > CAR BUSTERS Magazine and Resource Centre > Kratka 26, 100 00 Praha 10, Czech Republic > Tel: +(420) 2-781-08-49 ; Fax: +(420) 2-781-67-27 > > > From t9802 at cc.utsunomiya-u.ac.jp Thu Mar 30 12:11:09 2000 From: t9802 at cc.utsunomiya-u.ac.jp (Mohsin J. Sarker) Date: Thu, 30 Mar 2000 12:11:09 +0900 Subject: [sustran] Re: Reducing number of cars on the road References: <002601bf991b$a495a320$0500a8c0@mjs> <38E173FD.93DFC57A@magellan.umontreal.ca> <000601bf992d$dda63aa0$2901a8c0@cch.com.sg> Message-ID: <001b01bf99f5$99416420$0500a8c0@mjs> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Al Dizon" To: Sent: Wednesday, March 29, 2000 12:21 PM Subject: [sustran] Re: Reducing number of cars on the road > Highways aren't built to solve congestion problem I think it is not true 100%. In some cases highways's are built to solve congestion problem. For example the bypasses of cities are built to reduce the raffic through the city. > Lest we forget: public policy demands that roads are built to facilitate the > movement of trade and commerce, and thus enable businessess, people and > communities to carry out their business activities. Yes, it is right. But is it essential to have automobile dominanted roads to enable businessess, movement of trade and commerce ? I don't think so. We can do all the things by well integrated alternative transport modes and by essential road facilities for them. Mohsin J. Sarker Ph,D, Candidate Regional Planning Department of Civil Engineering Utsunomiya University 7-1-2 Yoto, Utsunomiya, Japan 321-8585 Tel : +81-28-689-6223 Fax: +81-28-689-6230 Email: t9802@cc.utsunomiya-u.ac.jp Highways aren't built to > solve congestion problem; congestion is solved by comprehensive urban > planning, which may or may not require the development of road systems to > keep comunities linked. > > Inequalities do exist in the use of road systems. Spatially, car users have > more space than the mass transit user. But this is more than compensated for > the price the mass transit user has to pay for the same trip. > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: Paula Negron Poblete > To: > Sent: Wednesday, March 29, 2000 11:09 AM > Subject: [sustran] Re: Reducing number of cars on the road > > > > Concerning the thoughts of Mohsin Sarker about social inequality, my > > thinking is that in develonig countries these inequalities already > > exists. When autorities decide to invest in highways to solve the > > congestion problem, it's a project that affects possitively mostly the > > high clases, if you consider that more than 50% of households doesn't > > have a private car (and that represents much more than 50% of the total > > population). So, when we talk about higher prices in fuel or congestion > > prices, I really don't think we're creating social inequality. I see > > social inequality more as a matter of accessibility to employment, like > > it's the case today. For more information about this subject, I recomend > > the article of Paulo Camara and David Banister "Spatial inequalities in > > the provision of public transport in Latin American cities" (Transport > > reviews, 1993, vol. 13, No. 4, pp. 351-373). > > > > Paula Negron > > University of Montreal > > From kisansbc at bom5.vsnl.net.in Fri Mar 31 07:36:03 2000 From: kisansbc at bom5.vsnl.net.in (SAVE BOMBAY COMMITEE) Date: Thu, 30 Mar 2000 14:36:03 -0800 Subject: [sustran] Re: Negative Thoughts on metro in general References: <38E3D51B.6924D91F@bom5.vsnl.net.in> Message-ID: <38E3D6D3.86AE04E9@bom5.vsnl.net.in> SAVE BOMBAY COMMITEE wrote: > Dear Friends, > > Eric Braun has sent on 22.03.2000 a copy of his email to friend Eric > Britton. He has elaborated the step by step action to be taken. We > do not know whether Eric will take or rather be authorised by Athens > authority to take action accordingly. > > One must accept that decision on developing a metro has to be taken > by the citizens of Athems and by an public agency which will find > money for implementing it. We believe that citizens can decide on any > programme after weighing the press and cons. It is good to develop > sophisticated IT programme to reach out to global thinkers however > they cannot make Eric the mayor or Athens even following his > painstaking input. We do not have yet a global electoral forum for > electing persons ready to work in public. How do you like this ? > Best wishes, > > Kisan Mehta > President, Save Bombay Committee > 620, Jame Jamshed Raod, Dadar East > Mumbai - 400 014 > Tel 00 91 22 414 96 88 > Fax 00 91 22 415 55 36 > > > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://list.jca.apc.org/manage/private/sustran-discuss/attachments/20000330/175021a1/attachment.htm From sustran at po.jaring.my Fri Mar 31 00:29:20 2000 From: sustran at po.jaring.my (SUSTRAN Network Secretariat) Date: Thu, 30 Mar 2000 23:29:20 +0800 Subject: [sustran] fwd: Jakarta Special bus lane planned Message-ID: <3.0.6.32.20000330232920.0084d180@relay101.jaring.my> I spotted this posted on the web site of the Sustainable Urban Transport Project (SUTP) in Surabaya (being conducted by GTZ). http://www.sutp.org/ - which is worth a look. This new bus lane proposal looks good - getting the buses away from the congested kerb-side lane. But they will need to provide ways for passengers to reach the new bus stops in the median. Paul ---------------------------------------- The Jakarta Post, 13 March 2000 Special bus lane planned for Gambir to Blok M Route JAKARTA (JP): The City Traffic and Land Transportation Agency (DLLAJ) is to establish a bus lane serving passengers to and from Gambir railway station in Central Jakarta and Blok M Bus Terminal in South Jakarta, an official said on Friday evening. Agency head Buyung Atang said at City Hall the proposed route would likely utilize the far left of what is currently the street's fast lane. He said Governor Sutiyoso had agreed to the proposal and had ordered a team to evaluate it before its enactment. “The new bus lane will enable buses to use the fast lanes instead of the slow ones in order to avoid traffic congestion,” he said. “Our main targets are businesspeople and employees working along the busy streets of Jl. MH Thamrin, Jl. Sudirman, and Jl. Sisingamangaraja,” Buyung said. “We expect those people to leave their cars at home and instead use the new buses which can travel quickly through congested streets.” Each of the streets to be passed by the buses has three fast lanes and two slow lanes. Under the new plan, no other vehicles would be allowed to use the splecial lane. Buyung therefore believes that the new system would help beat the chronic traffic jams on the route. Unfortunately, he did not explain how passengers would be able to catch the buses, as they would need to cross the heavily slow lanes to the curb of the faster lane. The fare for the new buses has not yet been set, but Buyung assured that it would not be much more expensive than the current fare of Rp 2.300 (30 US cents)/passenger for air-conditioned buses in the city. “We will purchase about 50 buses to serve the new route,” Buyung said, without giving further details on the budget required. The kilometer Gambir to Blok M route is one of the busiest in the capital as it is mostly lined with skyscrapers. The agency also plans to carry out similar schemes along Jl. Pramuka in East Jakarta and in other heavily congested routes. From sustran at po.jaring.my Fri Mar 31 00:36:20 2000 From: sustran at po.jaring.my (SUSTRAN Network Secretariat) Date: Thu, 30 Mar 2000 23:36:20 +0800 Subject: [sustran] Re: Indonesian Car Free Day Message-ID: <3.0.6.32.20000330233620.0084f9e0@relay101.jaring.my> I think there is some confusion in Jakarta over whether the ban is to include all motor vehicles or just private motor vehicles. I hope we can help sort this out in time. As we know, the Car Free Day should mean a day without private vehicles. Public transport vehicles should be encouraged! Paul ---------------------------- [Jakarta Post, 24/03/2000] Refrain from driving on Earth Day: Government JAKARTA (JP): A senior government official has suggested that Indonesians limit the use of their cars and motorbikes for one day on April 23 to commemorate Earth Day and raise environmental awareness. The date was chosen primarily because it is a Sunday, which means that traffic is usually lighter than on weekdays. Earth Day itself falls on April 22. The plan is part of a series of programs organized by the office of the State Minister and nongovernmental organizations to raise environmental awareness. "Many (exhaust gas) emissions from vehicles in the city exceed tolerable limits, which contributes to the low air quality," Aca Sugandhy, the state minister of environment's assistant for environmental management said while unveiling the proposal. He said there would be an air quality check before and after the date to see if the program had made a difference to current conditions. "If the quality of the air improves, we will consider continuing the program to reduce the use of motor vehicles," he added. But the move appears to be nothing more than a symbolic gesture; Aca failed to elaborate on how Indonesians were to cope with their daily lives if they did not use motor vehicles. He did not say whether there would be any incentive for people not to use their cars or motorbikes, or whether there would be an alternative mode of transportation available for those who needed to commute. Public transportation drivers in particular scoffed at the idea. Several public minivan drivers said the proposal was silly and impossible to carry out. "I won't do it," Ai, 39, a driver based in Kebayoran Lama, South Jakarta, told The Jakarta Post. "It's impossible not to operate public transport. How will people go places?" he remarked. "But it may be possible for private cars. Rich families have three or four cars and all of them are on the road everyday," he added. Earth Day was first held in 1970 in the United States under the initiative of U.S. senator Gaylord Nelson. It is aimed at reminding people of the need to preserve the Earth. Hira Jhamtani, an environment expert from the National Consortium for Forest and Nature Conservation in Indonesia (Konphalindo), told the Post she fully supported the idea as a means of raising awareness. While conceding that the immediate impact of such a move might well be marginal, she said, however, it allowed each individual to make a personal contribution to the environment. "Earth Day is meant as a reminder that everybody should do something," Hira said. "Nothing is too small to preserve the earth," she said. Other plans for Earth Day include a campaign to substitute the ozone depleting CFCs (chlorofluorocarbon) with safer substances such as hydrocarbons (HC). CFCs are compounds consisting of chlorine, fluorine, and carbon and are commonly used as coolants in refrigerators and air conditioners, and as propellants in aerosol sprays. Aca also said the government would run a campaign against tortoise exploitation. He lamented that despite efforts to conserve tortoises, Indonesia still allows their export. "Our language of agreement is often not the same as the reality," he remarked. (08) ---------------------------------- Distributed for the purpose of education and research. A. Rahman Paul BARTER Sustainable Transport Action Network for Asia and the Pacific (the SUSTRAN Network) P.O. Box 11501, Kuala Lumpur 50748, Malaysia. E-mail: sustran@po.jaring.my URL: http://www.malaysiakini.com/sustran Ask about our SUSTRAN NEWS FLASHES - news updates on people-centred, equitable and sustainable transport with a focus on countries in the global 'South'.