From zmzaid at pd.jaring.my Mon Apr 2 18:20:37 2001 From: zmzaid at pd.jaring.my (ZAILANI Mohd Zaid) Date: Mon, 2 Apr 2001 17:20:37 +0800 Subject: [sustran] Research on Fleet Maintenance Message-ID: <000301c0bb64$423ea7a0$41898ea1@oemcomputer> To all SUSTRAN discussion group members. Zailani here from Malaysia. I am planning for my doctorate studies in transport and in the process of reviewing the literature and related research that has been done on fleet maintenance. Appreciate if anybody can lead me to the subject matter or the person who has done or are doing related or similar research. Thanks & regards. ZAILANI Mohd Zaid zmzaid@pd.jaring.my From eric.britton at ecoplan.org Mon Apr 2 20:05:57 2001 From: eric.britton at ecoplan.org (eric.britton@ecoplan.org) Date: Mon, 2 Apr 2001 13:05:57 +0200 Subject: [sustran] Today on Earth Car Free Day: Special New Colonist Issue on CarFree Cities In-Reply-To: <985430803.152.46802.l10@yahoogroups.com> Message-ID: This is to let you know that the TODAY selection for Earth Car Free Day for April 2nd, following the awful April 1st debacle of "Music City USA Car-Full Day", is the entire Special Issue on CarFree Cities of our good friends over at The New Colonist. Read all about it at www.carfreeday.com (For tomorrow's Today selection, we have given into incredible popular pressure (two people) who have asked us to make one-click available the original World War II US poster, "When you ride alone you ride with Hitler!". This carshare publicity is a large pdf file, but it is virus free.) And while you are wandering about in out site, don't forget to sign in. All it takes is a click, and a conscience. We know we are going to hear from you, Eric Britton PS. We need your nominations and suggestions for future TODAY pieces that will help wake up and inform. Earth Car Free Day 2001 is at www.carfreeday.com "We must be the change we wish to see" The Commons ___technology, economy, society ___ Le Frene, 8/10 rue Joseph Bara, 75006 Paris, France Eric.Britton@ecoplan.org Tel: +331 4326 1323 URL ecoplan.org From geobpa at nus.edu.sg Wed Apr 4 14:50:50 2001 From: geobpa at nus.edu.sg (Paul Barter) Date: Wed, 4 Apr 2001 13:50:50 +0800 Subject: [sustran] fwd: Delhi public transport crisis again Message-ID: <2C9E855D35B9D01198190020AFFBE8CB0A00939C@exs04.ex.nus.edu.sg> Again, it seems the bus system plus other services like autorickshaws have been severely disrupted in Delhi. Any comments or insights on this from our Indian or Delhi-based participants? Paul ------------- Straits Times Interactive Apr 04, 2001 http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/storyprintfriendly/0,1887,34426,00.html? New Delhi commuters torch buses as crisis hits transport The anger erupts after a court orders thousands of smoky vehicles off the roads in a bid to clean up the city's air, leading to a shortage of buses By Nirmal Ghosh INDIA CORRESPONDENT NEW DELHI - The Indian capital was plunged into chaos yesterday as furious commuters torched buses to protest against a lack of public transport after a court order forced thousands of smoky vehicles off the roads. Tens of thousands of commuters were stranded and blocked the streets, trying in desperation to hitch rides in private cars or on motor scooters. A crowd of 2,000 burnt six public buses and broke the windows of 10 more on the outskirts of New Delhi, expressing their anger and frustration after waiting for hours. The crisis is expected to last all week - but hard-hit schools and businesses will get some respite tomorrow and Friday, which are public holidays. Some schools closed for the week yesterday. The few buses plying the streets were mobbed, with commuters sitting on rooftops and clinging to the window grilles at the back. Only about 2,000 buses were on the streets yesterday - down from the usual 12,500. At the heart of the problem is an effort to clean up the capital's environment after decades of neglect and galloping growth. The city, with a population of close to 14 million, has become the most densely populated in the country. In 1998, the Supreme Court ordered all Delhi-registered commercial vehicles to convert to compressed natural gas (CNG), instead of diesel and petrol. After several extensions, the final deadline fell last Sunday. Owners of transport vehicles waited as long as possible to convert, hoping they would not have to, because the conversion can cost up to 7,000 rupees (S$280) per vehicle, although the CNG is said to be less expensive in the long run. As Monday was a public holiday, the full scale of the chaos only surfaced yesterday. Officials had assured the public that at least 5,000 buses would be on the road by Monday and more yesterday. In the event only about 1,100 reached the streets on Monday, about 2,000 yesterday and, by the end of the week, only 5,000 are expected to be in use. The Supreme Court ruled last week that those bus operators who had applied for CNG conversion and made down payments could take to the streets - but with special permits. But it takes hours to issue a permit. The Times of India said in an editorial yesterday: 'Who is behind the mess? It's a bunch of politicians who uncaringly allowed deadline after court deadline to pass. They did so obviously presuming politicians are accountable to none.' The CNG conversion drive is part of an effort on several fronts to address the problem of New Delhi's pollution, much of which is caused by car emissions, especially from diesel and from old-technology two-stroke auto-rickshaw engines. As part of the effort, hundreds of polluting small-scale industrial units have been closed down, and thousands of taxis and auto-rickshaws converted to CNG. While the drive has created severe problems with thousands in the city thrown out of jobs, officials said the capital's air-pollution levels had already dropped. Companies and businesses across the city reported yesterday that about 10 per cent of their staff did not come to work. Driver Vikram Singh told The Straits Times: 'I came to work one hour late. I was clinging to the back of the bus. 'The auto-rickshaws were charging many times the normal fare. There were huge crowds at the bus stops. Only a few were running. I was lucky.' Copyright ? 2001 Singapore Press Holdings Ltd. All rights reserved. ------------- forwarded for the purposes of education and research under the fair play provisions of copyright law. From ganant at vsnl.com Wed Apr 4 15:12:39 2001 From: ganant at vsnl.com (ANANT) Date: Wed, 4 Apr 2001 11:42:39 +0530 Subject: [sustran] Re: fwd: Delhi public transport crisis again In-Reply-To: <2C9E855D35B9D01198190020AFFBE8CB0A00939C@exs04.ex.nus.edu.sg> Message-ID: Delhi's problem, which other Indian metros are sure to encounter sooner rather than later, is traceable to the low priority to maintenance that is generally accorded to vehicles in this country. Number of private vehicles is continuing to mount in India, under the liberalised economic regime. Public transport corporations running buses are invariably given lowest priority, and they operate ramshackle buses. The replacement schedule for buses is not adhered to, and buses eight years old and more are found in many cities. The question that Delhi poses is : should there be a shift away from diesel-fuel buses to other fuels in cities heavily dependent on bus-based mobility ? If air quality studies indicate a need for this, what is the optimal ratio ? Delhi in addition has the problem of slow progress of a planned subway train system. Chennai is making faster progress on its elevated system that will run approx 15 km by mid 2002, connecting vast residential localities with one part of the business district. What would be the role of tram systems in today's scenario, for a developing country ? Calcutta (now Kolkatta) has an ancient system that still creaks along. In a related area, can there be improvement in car occupancy, through use of Information Technology with programmes that will enable matching of travel needs ? Any information on readymade or tailored packages for car/ride share, as well as studies in this area would be useful. Anant Chief Reporter, The Hindu, Chennai, India Tel: + 91 44 8413942 91 44 4834848 -----Original Message----- From: owner-sustran-discuss@jca.ax.apc.org [mailto:owner-sustran-discuss@jca.ax.apc.org]On Behalf Of Paul Barter Sent: 04 April 2001 11:21 To: 'aasust_discuss' Subject: [sustran] fwd: Delhi public transport crisis again Again, it seems the bus system plus other services like autorickshaws have been severely disrupted in Delhi. Any comments or insights on this from our Indian or Delhi-based participants? Paul ------------- From akiladinakar at hotmail.com Wed Apr 4 19:58:01 2001 From: akiladinakar at hotmail.com (Akila Dinakar) Date: Wed, 04 Apr 2001 10:58:01 -0000 Subject: [sustran] Re: fwd: Delhi public transport crisis again Message-ID: Hello: It was one of my predictions that environmental issues will occupy top priority in newspapers and other media. True to that came the Gujarat earthquake which was a human tragedy, having environmental degradation behind the magnitude. Next comes the burning of buses in New Delhi. It is good to see public agitating for a public cause, though the modus operandi is ultimately not good for them. It is equally good to see the Chief Minister joining issue with the public, if only they had been more effective in averting this crisis. In Chennai recently, when an environmentalist from an organisation that was mainly responsible for this Court ruling was here, I asked him what was the rationale behind the judgement when one bus, with one tail-pipe pollution was transporting thousands of passengers should be taken off the road when you are not able to control the burgeoning private automobiles, cars and two-stroke two wheelers, lorries which constitute the maximum pollution and disperse it at the street level. I asked him why don't you instead lobby for better pavements to make walking more attractive, safe cycling tracks to help people take to this healthy and non-polluting mode of transport instead of targetting buses which transporting lakhs of people per day with minimal pollution per head. He did not have an answer as he had already admitted that their persuasion did not work with the oil and automobile industry! There is no doubt in the fact that pollution should be minimised. But we have to take care that at the very outset we should not hit where it hurts most. Thank You. Akila Dinakar. >From: Paul Barter >Reply-To: sustran-discuss@jca.ax.apc.org >To: "'aasust_discuss'" >Subject: [sustran] fwd: Delhi public transport crisis again >Date: Wed, 4 Apr 2001 13:50:50 +0800 > >Again, it seems the bus system plus other services like autorickshaws have >been severely disrupted in Delhi. Any comments or insights on this from >our >Indian or Delhi-based participants? >Paul >------------- > >Straits Times Interactive >Apr 04, 2001 >http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/storyprintfriendly/0,1887,34426,00.html? > >New Delhi commuters torch buses as crisis hits transport > >The anger erupts after a court orders thousands of smoky vehicles off the >roads in a bid to clean up the city's air, leading to a shortage of buses > >By Nirmal Ghosh >INDIA CORRESPONDENT > >NEW DELHI - The Indian capital was plunged into chaos yesterday as furious >commuters torched buses to protest against a lack of public transport after >a court order forced thousands of smoky vehicles off the roads. > >Tens of thousands of commuters were stranded and blocked the streets, >trying >in desperation to hitch rides in private cars or on motor scooters. > >A crowd of 2,000 burnt six public buses and broke the windows of 10 more on >the outskirts of New Delhi, expressing their anger and frustration after >waiting for hours. > >The crisis is expected to last all week - but hard-hit schools and >businesses will get some respite tomorrow and Friday, which are public >holidays. > >Some schools closed for the week yesterday. > >The few buses plying the streets were mobbed, with commuters sitting on >rooftops and clinging to the window grilles at the back. > >Only about 2,000 buses were on the streets yesterday - down from the usual >12,500. > >At the heart of the problem is an effort to clean up the capital's >environment after decades of neglect and galloping growth. > >The city, with a population of close to 14 million, has become the most >densely populated in the country. > >In 1998, the Supreme Court ordered all Delhi-registered commercial vehicles >to convert to compressed natural gas (CNG), instead of diesel and petrol. > >After several extensions, the final deadline fell last Sunday. > >Owners of transport vehicles waited as long as possible to convert, hoping >they would not have to, because the conversion can cost up to 7,000 rupees >(S$280) per vehicle, although the CNG is said to be less expensive in the >long run. > >As Monday was a public holiday, the full scale of the chaos only surfaced >yesterday. > >Officials had assured the public that at least 5,000 buses would be on the >road by Monday and more yesterday. > >In the event only about 1,100 reached the streets on Monday, about 2,000 >yesterday and, by the end of the week, only 5,000 are expected to be in >use. > >The Supreme Court ruled last week that those bus operators who had applied >for CNG conversion and made down payments could take to the streets - but >with special permits. > >But it takes hours to issue a permit. > >The Times of India said in an editorial yesterday: 'Who is behind the mess? >It's a bunch of politicians who uncaringly allowed deadline after court >deadline to pass. They did so obviously presuming politicians are >accountable to none.' > >The CNG conversion drive is part of an effort on several fronts to address >the problem of New Delhi's pollution, much of which is caused by car >emissions, especially from diesel and from old-technology two-stroke >auto-rickshaw engines. > >As part of the effort, hundreds of polluting small-scale industrial units >have been closed down, and thousands of taxis and auto-rickshaws converted >to CNG. > >While the drive has created severe problems with thousands in the city >thrown out of jobs, officials said the capital's air-pollution levels had >already dropped. > >Companies and businesses across the city reported yesterday that about 10 >per cent of their staff did not come to work. > >Driver Vikram Singh told The Straits Times: 'I came to work one hour late. >I >was clinging to the back of the bus. > >'The auto-rickshaws were charging many times the normal fare. There were >huge crowds at the bus stops. Only a few were running. I was lucky.' > >Copyright © 2001 Singapore Press Holdings Ltd. All rights reserved. >------------- > >forwarded for the purposes of education and research under the fair play >provisions of copyright law. > _________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com. From czegras at MIT.EDU Fri Apr 6 06:58:15 2001 From: czegras at MIT.EDU (Chris Zegras) Date: Thu, 05 Apr 2001 17:58:15 -0400 Subject: [sustran] Fwd: New! Disposable Cars! Message-ID: <5.0.0.25.2.20010405175422.02b7f7e0@po9.mit.edu> I suspect that these new vehicles will be a hit among those participating in GESOVOOSASTD. >brilliant. > >http://www.theonion.com/onion3712/disposable_car.html >_________________________________________________________________ >Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com -------------------------------------------------- Christopher Zegras MIT * Center for Environmental Initiatives * Room E40-468 1 Amherst Street * Cambridge, MA 02139 Tel: 617 258 6084 * Fax: 617 253 8013 From czegras at MIT.EDU Fri Apr 6 07:00:19 2001 From: czegras at MIT.EDU (Chris Zegras) Date: Thu, 05 Apr 2001 18:00:19 -0400 Subject: [sustran] Fwd: New! Disposable Cars! Message-ID: <5.0.0.25.2.20010405175951.02b79360@po9.mit.edu> I suspect that these new vehicles will be a hit among those participating in GESOVOOSASTD. >X-Originating-IP: [18.89.0.131] >From: "Joshua Switzky" >To: varatz@mit.edu, czegras@mit.edu, adam@igc.org >Subject: Fwd: New! Disposable Cars! >Date: Thu, 05 Apr 2001 21:33:34 >X-OriginalArrivalTime: 05 Apr 2001 21:33:34.0933 (UTC) >FILETIME=[118D2850:01C0BE18] > >brilliant. > >http://www.theonion.com/onion3712/disposable_car.html >_________________________________________________________________ >Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com -------------------------------------------------- Christopher Zegras MIT * Center for Environmental Initiatives * Room E40-468 1 Amherst Street * Cambridge, MA 02139 Tel: 617 258 6084 * Fax: 617 253 8013 From geobpa at nus.edu.sg Sat Apr 7 12:03:03 2001 From: geobpa at nus.edu.sg (Paul Barter) Date: Sat, 7 Apr 2001 11:03:03 +0800 Subject: [sustran] fwd: Singapore car sharing update Message-ID: <2C9E855D35B9D01198190020AFFBE8CB0A0093AC@exs04.ex.nus.edu.sg> Straits Times Apr 07, 2001 Car sharing saves her a bundle Access to your own private transport can cost as little as $100 a month, if you choose to join a co-operative By Philip Allen FREELANCE estate agent and mother of two Margie Lee, 33, has to juggle work appointments with looking after her children. As her husband uses the family car, she normally relies on public transport. But she also has another option - car sharing. For $100 a month, she has access to a car whenever she needs one at short notice - through NTUC Income's car co-operative. This began in 1997. Generally, she uses the car twice a week for three to four hours at a time. The flexibility of the scheme is one of the reasons she has remained a satisfied customer from the time she joined it when it was launched. 'I usually book for about three hours at a stretch,' she said. 'If that's not enough, I call them to extend.' Another big benefit for her is the cost. She finds taking taxis to meet clients for viewings of homes expensive. 'Living in Pasir Ris, it costs at least $12 to $15 to go to the city centre,' she said. Renting a car is also a poor option, because of its cost, she added. 'You pay $80 to $120 for a day's use. That blows my one-month budget in a single day!' ......................... for the rest of the story see http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/storyprintfriendly/0,1887,35197,00.html? From geobpa at nus.edu.sg Sat Apr 7 12:29:11 2001 From: geobpa at nus.edu.sg (Paul Barter) Date: Sat, 7 Apr 2001 11:29:11 +0800 Subject: [sustran] FW: Join in the Earth Car Free Day! Message-ID: <2C9E855D35B9D01198190020AFFBE8CB0A0093AD@exs04.ex.nus.edu.sg> -----Original Message----- From: World Wide [mailto:worldwide@earthday.net] Sent: Wednesday, 4 April 2001 1:55 To: Recipient List Suppressed:; Subject: Join in the Earth Car Free Day! Dear friends, Welcome to Earth Month! This month, tens of thousands of Earth Day events will be held in nearly every country on Earth. Wherever you are on 22 April, we hope you will join your brothers and sisters worldwide in celebrating our planet and calling for sustainability! Register your Earth Day plans online at http://www.earthday.net. (Follow the links to "List your Event.") Every action taken for Earth Day is important. We want to hear from you! If you do not have access to the web, please email your event plans to us at worldwide@earthday.net TAKE ACTION ON 19 APRIL -- EARTH CAR FREE DAY! Join people across the world in a huge protest against air pollution and a call for sustainable transportation! The world's first Earth Car Free Day will be on 19 April 2001, the Thursday before Earth Day (22 April). The aim of the event is to draw global attention to the 700 million cars that travel the world's roadways and fuel traffic congestion, pollution, disease, and global warming. Pledge to stay out of cars on 19 April by going to www.carfreeday.com and signing in. Earth Car Free Day is a totally voluntary, grassroots movement. It enables us, the citizens, to take the battle against global warming and foul air into our own hands. Right around the world, people will be staying out of cars, riding bicycles, walking, or participating in open-air festivals on streets blocked from cars as part of this event. Car free day activities are being held across the planet in countries including Australia, Bangladesh, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Colombia, Czech Republic, France, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Iran, Moldova, Nepal, Netherlands, Nigeria, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Romania, Russia, Singapore, Switzerland, Taiwan, the U.S., and the UK. Participate simply by staying out of cars, or by organizing a car free day activity: * If you have to take your car, invite your neighbors and co-workers along. * Join or start a car-share club. * Organize a walk or bike to school or work program. * Start a petition to your local government to support car free day initiatives. For more information on these and other car free day projects, please visit http://www.ecoplan.org/carfreeday/EarthCFD/general/kits.htm Under the long-term leadership and commitment of The Commons, the idea of a car free day has begun to make headway in cities around the world. On 19 April, people and groups will come together to bicycle, walk, skate, take the bus and demonstrate that there are many good alternatives to solo-driver cars in cities. Help us demand clean air and sustainable transportation by staying out of cars on 19 April! And be sure to register your involvement at www.carfreeday.com. ***************************** Each of you is an agent of change and a valuable part of Earth Day Network. If you haven't yet told us what you will be doing for Earth Day 2001, please let us know so we can share your plans with the world! Register your plans at www.earthday.net or email them to worldwide@earthday.net. You are important to Earth Day and we look forward to hearing from you! For the Earth, Earth Day Network Worldwide Team: Serryn Janson Vickery J. Prongay Helen Couture Rodriguez Sierra James Leigh-Anne Havemann ***************************** EARTH DAY is 22 April every year. HELP SPREAD THE EARTH DAY NETWORK... Invite your friends and colleagues to become involved in Earth Day. They can subscribe to this list by sending a message to worldwide@earthday.net with the word "subscribe" in the subject line. If you would like to stop receiving this bulletin, please reply to this message and put the word "unsubscribe" in the subject line. This email is also being sent in Spanish and French. From eric.britton at ecoplan.org Sun Apr 8 00:05:46 2001 From: eric.britton at ecoplan.org (eric.britton@ecoplan.org) Date: Sat, 7 Apr 2001 17:05:46 +0200 Subject: [sustran] Re: Fwd: New! Disposable Cars! In-Reply-To: <5.0.0.25.2.20010405175951.02b79360@po9.mit.edu> Message-ID: You will, quite possibly to your deepest distress, fine yourself a media hero in Today. PS Let's sign in your Center as part of the solution. eric From geobpa at nus.edu.sg Tue Apr 10 09:58:21 2001 From: geobpa at nus.edu.sg (Paul Barter) Date: Tue, 10 Apr 2001 08:58:21 +0800 Subject: [sustran] FW: tehelka.com -'CNG is an elitist fetish' Message-ID: <2C9E855D35B9D01198190020AFFBE8CB0A0093B8@exs04.ex.nus.edu.sg> Here is an item on Delhi's air pollution issue sent by Prof Dinesh Mohan of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi - he was interviewed by Tehelka.com, the famous hard-hitting Indian news site. I have included the plain text from the article below but it is much easier to read with the formatting at the web site itself. And there is a fine picture of Dinesh as a bonus! ;-) Paul http://www.tehelka.com/currentaffairs/apr2001/ca040601dinesh1.htm 'CNG is an elitist fetish' Dr Dinesh Mohan, Henry Ford professor for Transportation Safety, rubbishes conventional wisdom and questions what he calls a "manufactured consensus" on the viability of adopting the CNG technology and what it bodes for the health of the city, in this interview to Manish Chand New Delhi, April 6 The madness unleashed on Delhi's roads on April 1 was somewhat more than a harmless joke. Those in the know saw it as triggered off by the government's mishandling of the Supreme Court order that directed the Delhi government to ensure full retrofitting of the city's public transport to Compressed Natural Gas (CNG). Since then, the focus has mostly been on the logistics and the economics of the switchover, but very few doubted the efficacy of the eco-friendly technology itself. However, aided and abetted by politicians and polemicists, scepticism is back in the air and some people are taking a hard look at the claims being made of CNG as the magic fuel that will clean up Delhi's polluted air. How far do you think is CNG a viable technology to reduce air pollution? We shouldn't get stuck in this debate over whether CNG is important or not. The primary issue is the improvement of the lives of people in Delhi, and in the process a reduction in pollution. No single drug can solve the problem. All this technological fix is like depending on drugs. That's a wrong approach. In that case, what are more lasting ways to reduce pollution? There are three ways to reduce pollution. The first way is to reduce the number of trips people make in a day. But in a society that is poor and is getting richer that's a difficult thing to control. The second thing to consider is that if they take trips, how many of them could be by non-polluting methods. ------------------------------------------------------------------ "The way buses are constructed today, no middle-class person who can afford it will allow their children and women to use buses" ------------------------------------------------------------------ The two non-polluting modes are walking and using rickshaws and bicycles. There is enough evidence to show that if more people walk or use bicycles, then their health naturally improves. It is a double-barrel fix. To encourage more people to use these modes, you have to make the roads safer. Another thing you have to do is to separate slow traffic and fast traffic. That is eminently feasible in Delhi as there are plenty of arterial roads here. A report making this recommendation was made to the Delhi government around 1998. The chief minister and transport minister of Delhi are in favour of it. It is the professionals in the government who are holding it back. It is not a hare-brained scheme as it has been implemented in many countries in the world, like the US, many European countries and China. One reason that discourages people from walking and cycling is the popular perception that the roads are not safe... Yes, the key point here is safety. It's absolutely important to ensure that pedestrians can cross safely. Unless a crossing is safe, old men and children cannot cross the road. Another important thing to take care of is the fly-overs that are being made in Delhi, they discourage people from walking and bicycling. Roads should also be free of eve teasers and crime. If we can ensure all these, then at least 10 per cent of more people will not be using polluting modes. The second way to reduce pollution is to encourage public transport so that people do not go in for cars. Even the current buses pollute less per passenger, so you cannot call them polluting modes. They are still eco-friendly. We should be thankful that these buses exist. The important thing is to make these buses safer and the way to do is to have low platform buses with automatic doors. There is a report that says that 70 per cent of those who get killed in public transport are during entry and exit. The way buses are constructed today, no middle-class person who can afford it will allow their children and women to use buses. Tehelka.com is a part of Buffalo Networks Pvt. Ltd. copyright ? 2000 tehelka.com forwarded for the purposes of research and education. From geobpa at nus.edu.sg Tue Apr 10 15:29:33 2001 From: geobpa at nus.edu.sg (Paul Barter) Date: Tue, 10 Apr 2001 14:29:33 +0800 Subject: [sustran] FW: Sustainable Transport Network Newsletter #15 Message-ID: <2C9E855D35B9D01198190020AFFBE8CB0A0093BE@exs04.ex.nus.edu.sg> Here are some selected excerpts (that seem relevant to this list) from the latest NZ Sustainable Transport Network Newsletter #15. The whole newsletter will soon be at their web site. Dr Paul Barter Geography, NUS -----Original Message----- From: Elizabeth Yeaman [mailto:Elizabeth.Yeaman@eeca.govt.nz] Sent: Tuesday, 10 April 2001 9:33 To: sustran@po.jaring.my Subject: Sustainable Transport Network Newsletter #15 Sustainable Transport Network Newsletter Issue 15, March/April 2001 CONTENTS: ? Transport Habits Targeted in Energy Strategy ? Is Your Project an Award Winner? ? Green Transport On-Line - UC Rideshare ? Transport Demand Management Encyclopaedia On Line ? Green Bikes in Nelson ? ....and Planned for Porirua City ? Orbiter - A Big Success ? Cycling Symposium 2001 - Call For Papers ? Walking Good For The Economy - Expert ? International Pedestrian Conference - Report Back ? Public Transport Growth Continues to Outstrip Driving Growth in US ? IPENZ Transportation Group Study Award ? Diary Date EECA Marketing Public Transport conference Friday August 3, 2001 ? Bike to Work Day - Report Back ? Commuter Challenge Sees Bikes Faster Than Cars Back copies of this newsletter are on the EECA website at http://www.eeca.govt.nz - just follow the Transport signpost. *** .... WALKING IS GOOD FOR THE ECONOMY, SAYS EXPERT Good public transport, large-scale pedestrian areas and inner-city cycle networks make cities wealthier, says international expert Professor Carmen Hass-Klau. Professor Hass-Klau spoke at three well-attended EECA seminars in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch last month on the need to create quality walking environments in towns and cities. She is a professor of civil engineering, transport and public transport systems at the University of Wuppertal in Germany and also runs an environmental consultancy in the UK. Hass-Klau said that in order to promote walking, city planners needed to create residential areas and city centres that have a mix of retailing, housing and employment. They need to design visually interesting streets, provide attractive alternatives to car use and apply traffic management measures to reduce speeds in residential and central city streets. "These policies are used in a number of European cities. They show impressive results in terms of economic vitality and good quality of life," she said She said she saw lots of potential in New Zealand cities to boost walking, cycling, and public transport. She particularly praised Christchurch as one of the best New World cities she had seen after travelling extensively. For a copy of the paper presented by Professor Hass-Klau please contact Bernadine Walsh at EECA on 09-916 4640 or e-mail Bernadine.Walsh@eeca.govt.nz *** REPORT BACK - WALKING THE 21ST CENTURY CONFERENCE Around 120 delegates attend an international walking conference in Perth in February including four New Zealand-based attendees: ? Liz Yeaman, EECA ? Elizabeth Anderson, National Transport Strategy Co-ordinator, Ministry of Transport ? Deb Hurdle, Hillary Commission ? Mike Thompson, Pedestrian Advocate, Christchurch City Council Most of the papers reinforced the social, economic and environmental benefits of greater pedestrian activities. There was a significant emphasis on the health benefits too. A few insights into urban transport demand management policies for key European cities were presented - such as jointly addressing parking management and pedestrian activity in Copenhagen. The highlight of the conference was two presentations surrounding the TravelSmart initiative being undertaken in Perth by German consultant Werner Brog of Socialdata. Werner outlined the proportion of car trips which could be undertaken by other modes, based on research in Munich and Perth. Gary John of the Department of Transport in Western Australia outlined the effectiveness of the TravelSmart individualised marketing programme for increasing walking trips in Perth. The initiative demonstrated an impressive cost-benefit ratio for the project of 12:1. Another paper from Ian Ker of Transport WA quantified the benefits of each km of car trip replaced by walking - each 1,000km/year of car travel transferred to walking has a net present value (NPV) of A$2,309 over 30 years. All papers from the conference are on the web at http://www.transport.wa.gov.au/conferences/walking/index.html *** ..... COMMUTER CHALLENGE SEES BIKES FASTER THAN CARS As part of Bike Wise National Bike Week, Bike Wise held a Commuter Challenge in Wellington on Wednesday 21 February, National Bike to Work Day. Three teams (car, bike and bus) each with a member stationed in Johnsonville, Brooklyn, Oriental Bay and Karori commuted into Civic Square in peak morning traffic, in an attempt to discover the most effective means of commuter transport in Wellington. The team whose members all arrived in Civic Square first were declared the winners. Celebrity participants in the Commuter Challenge included Debbie Matoe and Lionie Matoe of the Shakers, Zavana Aranga and Maleme Williams of the White Sox, Olympian Trevor Shailer and Wellington City Councillor Andy Foster. The Commuter Challenge proved beyond any doubt that biking is the most effective form of commuter transportation. With a convincing win over the bus and car teams, (second and third place respectively) the cyclists took away the Commuter Challenge title this year. >From Johnsonville the bike took 20 minutes, beating the bus by a massive 12 minutes and the car by a staggering 18 minutes, indicating it is far quicker to leave the car at home and bike or bus to work. From Karori the bike took 9 minutes, beating the car by an impressive 8 minutes and the bus by 10 minutes. From Brooklyn the bike took 6 minutes, beating the car by 3 minutes and the bus by 5 minutes. From Oriental Bay the bike took 6 minutes, beating the car by 1 minute and the bus by 5 minutes. "Not only did the cyclists win the Commuter Challenge, their journeys cost substantially less than the expense of running a car, provided healthy, fun and invigorating morning exercise, and were environmentally friendly," says Felicity Close of the Health Sponsorship Council. Only one of the cyclists was able to take advantage of a cycle lane as they made their way in to the city. "With more provision of quality cycling facilities, more cyclists would feel safer on the roads and consequently, bike more often," says Felicity. For more information contact Felicity Close, Health Sponsorship Council. Ph: 04 472 5777 E-mail: felicity@healthsponsorship.co.nz *** 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 ad*ded or re*moved 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 bayk at quickweb.com.ph Tue Apr 10 18:23:06 2001 From: bayk at quickweb.com.ph (Heckler) Date: Tue, 10 Apr 2001 17:23:06 +0800 Subject: [sustran] Fw: [fireflynews] Firefly Tours: Bicycle Tours for the Rest of Us Message-ID: <003f01c0c1a0$aeee12e0$0100a8c0@COMPUTER3> Firefly Tours: Bicycle Tours for the Rest of UsTo the Sustran Group: I'm forwarding the announcement for our Tour of the Fireflies on Earth Day, April 22. Wish you were here to join us. My Groups | fireflynews Main Page Firefly Tours: Bicycle Tours for the Rest of Us Summer in the Philippines has, for a long time, been associated with bicycle races and the ubiquitous Marlboro Tour. The grueling 2,500 kilometer stage race all over the country evokes images of hard core, professional, sun-burnt, lean and mean cyclists. The debut of the Tour of the Fireflies was a break in this tradition. Here was a mass bike ride, not for the elite professionals of Philippine cycling, nor for the daily bike commuters and off-road enthusiasts alone. Here was a bike ride for the rest of us ? ordinary Filipinos who would occasionally bike recreationally, perhaps with the wife and kids, during the weekends, in our own communities, or places like the Quezon Memorial Circle or the UP Academic Oval. This was a Tour aimed not at winning over somebody, but at beating something. That something was the specter of air pollution and unsafe vehicle emissions. It was a ride for clean air. The 1st Tour (April 25, 1999) was participated in by around 500 participants at the starting line at the Quezon Memorial Circle, swelling to around 1,000 in mid-ride. The mass of cyclists meandered through seven cities in the metro: Quezon City, Marikina, Pasig, Mandaluyong, Makati, Pasay, Manila and Kalookan ? a total of 50 kilometers. The 2nd Tour (April 30, 2000) basically replicated the route followed by the first Tour, but featured more participants (up to a high of 2,000, again many of whom joined mid-ride), and saw the launching of the Brigade's Recycle-a-Bicycle (RAB) Project. Tours of the Fireflies are not simple bike rides. The riders are in costumes. The more creative, the better ? for which those with the best costumes were awarded prizes at ride's end. Prizes are also given to women riders, the oldest and youngest riders. What is perhaps most significant about these tours is that they are organized by the purely volunteer-driven Firefly Brigade. A very loose and flexible organization governs the parplays' (as the volunteers endearingly call each other) efforts. There is only a convenor and a treasurer, with the rest dividing themselves into different committees and areas of work. What has fuelled the parplays was sheer will and dedication to something very dear to their hearts. The Firefly Brigade actually stemmed from one woman's dream. Katti Sta. Ana (a.k.a., Jill / Queen Firefly), convenor and founder of the Brigade, and an award-winning visual artist and bicycle commuter. "It was in January 1999 that I was 'possessed' by the idea. You know how you become excited by an idea, you resolve to do something about it, but then you forget about it the next day. This was an idea, however, that refused to go away." Katti soon connected with the Cycling Advocates (CYCAD), another bike and sustainable transport advocacy group set up by Mon Fernan. She then convinced the Philippine Daily Inquirer (through friend Aina Zulueta) to help in the publicity for the Tour. "Aina just called out of the blue and I told her about the idea - this grand environmental event. It didn't have a name yet. She called at a time when I was thinking that I can call the Inquirer and ask for help but was procrastinating because I was scared of the huge responsibility." Initial plans for the Tour were grand ? consisting of a Joey Ayala concert, an environmental fair, a "Big March" simultaneous with the mass bike ride. "We brainstormed. May nag-suggest pa ng hot air balloon flying at regatta. Ni hindi ko alam kung ano yung regatta. But would you believe I considered the hot air balloon idea? Ganoon ako ka-possessed." Mon and Katti crashed into a Mother Earth meeting when they heard that NGOs were organizing Earth Day activities. "Nagbigay kami ng handouts ng idea namin with lots of graphics care of another parplay, Joanne de Leon. I remember clearly that on that very day, Mon suggested that we call the group the Firefly Brigade." The copy 'When was the last time you saw fireflies' was given by Lory Tan (of Bookmark fame) when Katti told him about the grand plan. Mon then added on to it and he coined 'Tour of the Fireflies" as the name for the fun ride. The two used Cycad's funds and pulled money out of their own pockets to bankroll the first Tour while waiting for approval for a grant from the Foundation for the Philippine Environment (FPE). These initial parplay efforts coincided with the legislative and media campaigns by other groups to have the Clean Air Act passed. "Para ngang nagkasabay-sabay ang campaigns noon. We were organizing the first Tour when I saw the first TV ads for clean air. Shortly thereafter, I heard that the Clean Air Act was already being drafted." In true bayanihan and damayan spirit, various groups and organizations provided behind-the-scenes support and warm bodies for the actual ride: artists from Ilustrador ng Kabataan (InK); the UP Diliman Century Riders, and Cycling Advocates (CYCAD); the bicycle-riding traffic enforcers and police forces of the Metro-Manila Development Authority (MMDA) and Philippine National Police. Pedal Power is People Power This year, the Firefly Brigade has declared as its theme for the 3rd Tour of the Fireflies: Pedal Power is People Power! A Citizens' Bike Ride for Livable Cities and Good Governance. This year's Tour aims to: raise awareness about the inter-related environmental issues besetting Metro Manila and the need for good governance and public participation in resolving these issues; promote the Marikina Bikeways Project; and, provide hands-on experience to participants that bike-friendly cities are actually feasible, given the will and the numbers. The Tour will begin and end at the Marikina Riverbanks Center. Check-in & registration will start at 5:30 am (amphitheater area) and the ride will begin at 7:00 am. True to its theme, it will pass through Malaca?ang, the Edsa Shrine, and North Greenhills where Polk Street is! The Ride is open to all. However, children below the age of 13 years old must be accompanied by an adult registered participant. All participants, adults & kids alike, are very much encouraged to wear costumes and decorate their bikes. The Firefly Brigade has prepared cash & special prizes for the best costumed participant and best decorated bikes. Registration fee is only P 50. Souvenir items can be pre-ordered. One may register at The Bike Room (Cartimar), Joven Bike Shop (Amang Rodriguez near cor Marcos Hi-way), Roosevelt Bike Shop (Roosevelt Ave. near cor. Baler), Extreme (Timog cor. Panay), Bicycle Works (Aurora Blvd, Cubao, near Isetann), Bisikleta Atbp (Marikina: JP Rizal cor Sumulong Hi-way near Bingo) or at The Body Shop's Metro Manila stores. The Tour's driving force The Tour of the Fireflies is a labor of love of everyone who has involved themselves believing that his or her efforts combined with those of others will make our air breathable again and the quality of our lives better. On the surface, the Tour may seem to be nothing but an event for crazy, bicycle-loving people. What pedals it forward is a cause and a drive that far exceeds the energy that is required to finish 50 kilometers. Parplays believe that in good time, they will see the fruits of their labor--when our cities are calmer and our air sweet again. To quote from Jaime Lerner, the prime mover behind the success of the city of Curituba in Brazil -- an encouraging model of a livable city: "There is a kind of syndrome of tragedy that poisons our thinking about the city. The problems are so great, people say no solution is possible. That's the mentality of defeat, and an excuse for doing nothing. The fundamental thing is to begin." To learn more about this historic Pedal Power event, visit www.fireflybrigade.org or contact the Firefly Brigade at tel nos 682-4304 / 430-4205 or e-mail fireflybrigade@mindgate.net. To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: fireflynews-unsubscribe@egroups.com Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service. From eric.britton at ecoplan.org Wed Apr 11 19:59:40 2001 From: eric.britton at ecoplan.org (eric.britton@ecoplan.org) Date: Wed, 11 Apr 2001 12:59:40 +0200 Subject: [sustran] =?iso-8859-1?Q?Why_IT'S_A_BAD_IDEA_to_try_something_like_a_car_free_day._?= In-Reply-To: <986978576.735.81605.l10@yahoogroups.com> Message-ID: Tomorrow we shall be carrying an article in our good e-journal TODAY! on Earth Car Free Day (www.carfreeday.com), which will be based on a list of all the reasons why we have been told that IT'S A BAD IDEA to try something like a car free day. Or this car-free day. Or not by us. Or next week. Etc. We would be grateful if you would consent to scratch the appropriate parts and share with us your candidates. Shorter is better than longer, and we do prefer to avoid vulgarity. On the other hand, a certain amount of inflammatory language may be not altogether inappropriate here. To spare the group the minutia, I propose that you send your candidates to us at BadIdea@ecoplan.org. We are thinking about running this tomorrow, one week to the day before the grand opening of Earth Car Free Day. And while we will not encumber the listing with references, we will all I am sure be grateful for your good ideas. We hope to hear from you. And we hope of course that your plans and ideas for the 19th are moving nicely ahead. Keep us posted Eric Britton Earth Car Free Day 2001 is at www.carfreeday.com "We must be the change we wish to see" The Commons ___technology, economy, society ___ Le Frene, 8/10 rue Joseph Bara, 75006 Paris, France Eric.Britton@ecoplan.org Tel: +331 4326 1323 URL ecoplan.org From debi at beag.net Sun Apr 15 08:56:05 2001 From: debi at beag.net (Debi Goenka) Date: Sun, 15 Apr 2001 05:26:05 +0530 Subject: [sustran] Sky bus for Mumbai Message-ID: <3AD8E395.D48492F2@beag.net> I have just attended a presentation made by Mr Rajaram, Managing Director of Konkan Railway Ltd., on his proposal to set up a "Sky Bus" in Mumbai, and other parts of India. This is a revolutionary concept which will apparently provide cheap, clean, non-polluting mass transport to the citizens of Mumbai. Capital Costs are estimated at Rs.450 million per kilometre. Travel costs are estimated at Rs.0.30 per passenger kilometre. Time required to put up this project is 2 years. All components are prefabricated and assembled on site. Maximum capacity of this project is 90,000 passengers per hour per direction!! The Maharashtra Government Cabinet has already approved this project in principle. Sounds good, doesn't it? Cheers Debi -- Debi Goenka Bombay Environmental Action Group e-mail: debi@beag.net debi.beag@softhome.net Environmental Education Office Kalbadevi Municipal School # 54, 2nd floor Mumbai 400002 Tel: 91-22-2423126 Tfax: 91-22-2426385 Residence B 502 Glengate Hiran Gardens Powai Mumbai 400076 Tel: 91-22-5700638 Tfax: 91-22-5701459 From wcox at publicpurpose.com Sun Apr 15 09:57:39 2001 From: wcox at publicpurpose.com (Wendell Cox) Date: Sat, 14 Apr 2001 19:57:39 -0500 Subject: [sustran] Re: Sky bus for Mumbai References: <3AD8E395.D48492F2@beag.net> Message-ID: <003401c0c547$12b86c40$7a7e2e3f@y8f2e> Sounds like something worth hearing more about.... WENDELL COX CONSULTANCY: THE PUBLIC PURPOSE & DEMOGRAPHIA http://www.publicpurpose.com (public policy) http://www.demographia.com (demographics & land use) Telephone: +1.618.632.8507 - Facsimile: +1.810.821.8134 PO Box 841 - Belleville, IL 62222 USA ----- Original Message ----- From: Debi Goenka To: Sustran Sent: Saturday, 14 April, 2001 18:56 Subject: [sustran] Sky bus for Mumbai > I have just attended a presentation made by Mr Rajaram, > Managing Director of Konkan Railway Ltd., on his proposal to > set up a "Sky Bus" in Mumbai, and other parts of India. > > This is a revolutionary concept which will apparently > provide cheap, clean, non-polluting mass transport to the > citizens of Mumbai. Capital Costs are estimated at Rs.450 > million per kilometre. Travel costs are estimated at Rs.0.30 > per passenger kilometre. Time required to put up this > project is 2 years. All components are prefabricated and > assembled on site. > > Maximum capacity of this project is 90,000 passengers per > hour per direction!! > > The Maharashtra Government Cabinet has already approved this > project in principle. > > Sounds good, doesn't it? > > Cheers > > Debi > > -- > > > > > > Debi Goenka > Bombay Environmental Action Group > > e-mail: debi@beag.net > debi.beag@softhome.net > > > Environmental Education Office > > Kalbadevi Municipal School > # 54, 2nd floor > Mumbai 400002 > > Tel: 91-22-2423126 > Tfax: 91-22-2426385 > > > > Residence > > B 502 Glengate > Hiran Gardens > Powai Mumbai 400076 > > Tel: 91-22-5700638 > Tfax: 91-22-5701459 From sujit at vsnl.com Sun Apr 15 14:33:35 2001 From: sujit at vsnl.com (Sujit Patwardhan) Date: Sun, 15 Apr 2001 11:03:35 +0530 Subject: [sustran] Re: Sky bus for Mumbai In-Reply-To: <3AD8E395.D48492F2@beag.net> Message-ID: <20010415053043.7BD6340C6@giaspn01.vsnl.net.in> 15 April 2001 Debi, Certainly does sound interesting but can one get more details? From where? Has it been tried anywhere else? Any initiative in strengthening the public mass transport mode is good news but it would be good to get all the details. With good wishes, -- Sujit ----------------------- At 05:26 AM 4/15/01 +0530, you wrote: >I have just attended a presentation made by Mr Rajaram, >Managing Director of Konkan Railway Ltd., on his proposal to >set up a "Sky Bus" in Mumbai, and other parts of India. > >This is a revolutionary concept which will apparently >provide cheap, clean, non-polluting mass transport to the >citizens of Mumbai. Capital Costs are estimated at Rs.450 >million per kilometre. Travel costs are estimated at Rs.0.30 >per passenger kilometre. Time required to put up this >project is 2 years. All components are prefabricated and >assembled on site. > >Maximum capacity of this project is 90,000 passengers per >hour per direction!! > >The Maharashtra Government Cabinet has already approved this >project in principle. > >Sounds good, doesn't it? > >Cheers > >Debi > >-- PARISAR, Yamuna, ICS Colony, Ganeshkhind Road, Pune 411 007 Tel: 5537955 ***************************************************************** In nature there are neither Rewards nor Punishments--- there are Consequences. ***************************************************************** >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Latest NEWS !!! ----------------------- Join the Cycle Rally on 19th April 2001 to celebrate the Earth Day 2001. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> From geobpa at nus.edu.sg Mon Apr 16 13:01:53 2001 From: geobpa at nus.edu.sg (Paul Barter) Date: Mon, 16 Apr 2001 12:01:53 +0800 Subject: [sustran] Re: Sky bus for Mumbai Message-ID: <2C9E855D35B9D01198190020AFFBE8CB0A0093D7@exs04.ex.nus.edu.sg> (this bounced from the list so I am forwarding it. I think Prof Dhingra's email address may have changed slightly so the list software did not recognise him. Paul.) Date: Sun, 15 Apr 2001 16:53:42 +0530 (IST) From: Prof S L Dhingra To: Sustran Subject: Re: [sustran] Sky bus for Mumbai In-Reply-To: <3AD8E395.D48492F2@beag.net> Message-ID: MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII I fully agree with Mr Rajaraman and Mr Debi Goenka about the credentials of the proposed Skybus in Mumbai. A presentation was made in MMRDA about six months back .It was attended by me along with other expert invitees. Next public presentation by Mr Rajaraman, M.D of Konkan Rly Corpn will take place at Yashwant Rao Chavan Hall near Mantralaya on 21st instant. The correct figures for the capacity of two coach sbybus is 15,000 passengers per hour per direction and the correct fare likely to be charged is Re. 1.00 per Km of the journey. See some more details in the news item on Skybus on 13th april.2001 in Times of India Mumbai edition. With warm compliments, Sincerely, dhingra ***********end of message******************* * Dr S. L DHINGRA * * Prof. of TRANSP. SYSTEMS ENGG. (TSE) * * CIVIL ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT * * INDIAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY * * POWAI,BOMBAY-400 076,INDIA * * VOICE:091-022-5767329/01(OFF)/8329(RES) * * 5720001(RES) Private * * 5722545 EXTN 7329/7301(Off)* * 5726530 .. 7348(LAB) * * .. 8329(RES) * * FAX :091-022-5767302/5723480 * * GRAMS:TECHNOLOGY,BOMBY,INDIA * * TELEX:011-72313 IITB IN * * EMAIL:dhingra@civil.iitb.ac.in * * URL:http://www.civil.iitb.ac.in/ * * civil_people/faculty_dir/dhingra/ * * index.html * ******************************************** From geobpa at nus.edu.sg Tue Apr 17 12:32:47 2001 From: geobpa at nus.edu.sg (Paul Barter) Date: Tue, 17 Apr 2001 11:32:47 +0800 Subject: [sustran] FW: Earth Day 2001 Asia E-mail News No. 1 Message-ID: <2C9E855D35B9D01198190020AFFBE8CB0A0093DB@exs04.ex.nus.edu.sg> Some Earthday Asia news which includes several transport-related events (in Bangladesh and Korea). Paul -----Original Message----- From: owner-world@www.feel2001.net [mailto:owner-world@www.feel2001.net]On Behalf Of ASAP21 Sent: Monday, 16 April 2001 4:04 To: contact@fee2001.net Subject: Earth Day 2001 Asia E-mail News No. 1 >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Earth Day 2001ASIA <<<<<<<<<<<<<<< Earth Day Asia E-mail News No. 1 2001.April 13 by ASAP21(JAPAN) >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Earth Day 2001ASIA <<<<<<<<<<<<<<< The 21st century is being hailed by many as the environmental era, and the upcoming Earth Day 2001 will be the first global environmental celebration of the 21st century. Expanding the impact of Earth Day to reach people who were previously unaware of environmental issues is a major step toward the realization of this new era. Various activities are being planned for the celebration of Earth Day in the Asia Pacific region. Although we are unable to report on every activities, here are some of the highlights of what?fs taking place throughout the region. We hope you find this update informative, and our thanks to all those who have sent us information on local activities! @Bangladesh Two Stroke Vehicle Free Avenue Date: 4/22, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Place:Dhaka, Khulna,Rajshahi, Sylhet Description: Plan to make one of the busy avenues of Dhaka Metropolitan City, Chittagong, Rajshahi, Sylhet and Khulna free from the vehicles of two-stroke engine from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. with cooperation of concerned authorities. URL: www.esdobd.org Organization: Environment & Social Development Organization-ESDO (Contact person: Hossain Shahriar / Siddika Sultana) Tel: 880-2-912-2729 E-mail: esdo@bdmail.net @China China Earth Day 2001 Description: A. Renewable energy survey The survey will ask the Chinese people whether they are willing to pay a small amount more to buy wind power from Inner Mongolia. B. Earth Week events Earth Week will involve seven days of environmental awareness activities on seven themes: caring for trees, green community, green campus, green shopping, green hotel, green office and green transportation. C. The China NGO Forum D. Earth Day 2001 ?gGreen Family Commitment?h Signature Action: GVB will print and distribute The cards will be distributed nationwide through newspapers, magazines, Internet, and newsletters. Celebrities and political leaders will be asked to sign commitment cards. E. Downtown Beijing Earth URL: www.gvbchina.org Organization: Global Village of Beijing (GVB), China Youth Development Foundation, World Wide Fund for Nature China (WWF), China NGO Cooperation and Promotion Committee, China Environmental Journalists Association, and the Environmental Development Research Institute (Contact person: Dan Siebers) Tel: (8610) 62893120 Fax: (8610) 62894845; E-mail: gvb@public3.bta.net.cn @South Korea Earth Day 2001 Korea Place:Seoul Description: A."Car-free street, Breathing Earth" B. Water-themed events C. Bike parade As an opening event, 2000 bicycles departs from every corner of Seoul and arrives at the event place(or departs from event place to each direction). D. Other eco-related streets performance Organization: Earth Day 2001 Korea Tel: (82)2-735-9293/4 Fax: (82)2-735-9295 E-mail: dalon@hanmail.net ********!!!!!WE HAVE LAUNCHED "FEEL2001" !!!!!!!!********** :) URL: http://www.feel2001.net/ We finally launched "Feel2001", Earth Day Photo Gallery on website. Please visit the website and see how worldwide Earth Day events are like. We are waiting for your photos and messages, too! Please send your images and voice messages to contact@feel2001.net For details, please send e-mails to contact@feel2001.net ************************************************************************* Good luck for your Earth Day and we are looking forward to hearing from you soon!!!! All the best, ASAP21(Action for Sustainable Asia Pacific 21) ************************************** Kikuko Mizuno ASAP21(Action for Sustainable Asia Pacific 21) http://www.asap21.org/ ************************************** From eric.britton at ecoplan.org Thu Apr 19 02:21:07 2001 From: eric.britton at ecoplan.org (eric.britton@ecoplan.org) Date: Wed, 18 Apr 2001 19:21:07 +0200 Subject: [sustran] ECFD 2001. The nose of the camel is under the tent Message-ID: Dear Friends of Sustainable Transportation, Well, Earth Car Free Day 2001 is fast upon us - opening up for business at dawn tomorrow for the first time in this or any other century. If you journey CO2-free to our website at www.carfreeday.com you will see what we have managed to accomplish over these last six months of volunteer ground-laying work with zero dollars of taxpayer money and no official support of any kind. We hope that you will take your time when you get there since there is a great deal to see. Today, barely three weeks after we opened up our new (original, fast and terrific by the way) ECFD database, more than two hundred groups, cities, individual citizens and families have registered projects for this first Day. The latest, which whipped in barely an hour ago from a Moscow school and entirely in Russian, has been blasted into the best translation we plus our machines could manage, and there you have it: a touching and original effort in support of the great Day by thirteen year old schoolchildren, their teachers and parents. And then there are the city-wide projects in Halifax, Pune, Seattle, Bhaktapur, Pusan, Singapore, Surabaya and the list goes on. Here's an interesting thought for you. None of this... none! would ever be taking place if our all-volunteer team had not rolled up their sleeves and got to work on this in the first place. Who says that the Internet is useless for anything serious? Visitors are rolling into the site at www.carfreeday.com at a tempo of close to one a minute. And while most of them are not going to be ready in time to do very much on this first day, judging from the flood of email that is coming in every one of them has started to think about it. Which indeed is what this first ever Earth Car Free Day is all about. Getting people to think about it, getting them together, and giving them a handy place to go to get materials, ideas and inspirations of what they can do next to make the transportation arrangements of their cities more sustainable and more socially just. Okay. Now let's talk about you. What if anything can you do at this late date? I can imagine that many of you, busy as you are, may be feeling a slight pang of guilt about not being able to get to this earlier. But fear not! we have prepared an escape hatch for you. And while we would have liked it certainly if your schedules had permitted you to talk your mayor into issuing one of our ECFD City Proclamations (you'll see that when you click City-Wide CFDs), or possibly to have started an ECFD Petition in your community (see the Citizen Initiative section for more on that), there still is something very positive and useful you can do in the next five minutes. If you do to the site at www.carfreeday.com you will see at the very top a linked image with a mother and child crossing a street (borrowed form our German cousins actually). If you click that you will see a small handful of slots that you can quickly fill in, which will tell the world what you think of this kind of "trickle-up" approach to the challenges of sustainability. The car free day approach as we understand it may not be able to make good on all of the ambitious and worthy objectives of Kyoto, but it is a valuable parallel instrument. And indeed, it just may be this sort of swelling grassroots movement that will put the pressure on our elected representatives to stop the posturing and start to do something concrete and useful. Because there is a great deal that we can do, without waiting for the present American Administration to reveal its mid-game plan. So take a minute to join in and let us know that you are or at least seriously wish to be 'part of the solution'. With all good wishes, Eric Britton Earth Car Free Day is permanently at www.carfreeday.com Sustainable Development and Social Justice "Earth Car Free Day 2001: The nose of the camel is under the tent." The Commons ___technology, economy, society ___ Le Frene, 8/10 rue Joseph Bara, 75006 Paris, France Eric.Britton@ecoplan.org Tel: +331 4326 1323 From geobpa at nus.edu.sg Thu Apr 19 15:20:17 2001 From: geobpa at nus.edu.sg (Paul Barter) Date: Thu, 19 Apr 2001 14:20:17 +0800 Subject: [sustran] FW: Car Busters Bulletin #25 Message-ID: <2C9E855D35B9D01198190020AFFBE8CB0A0093EE@exs04.ex.nus.edu.sg> Hi sustran-discussers, Note some references below to postings on sustran-discuss recently re UNEP's weak policy. Paul -----Original Message----- From: owner-englishbulletin-l@ecn.cz [mailto:owner-englishbulletin-l@ecn.cz]On Behalf Of Car Busters Sent: Tuesday, 17 April 2001 7:45 To: englishbulletin-l@ecn.cz Subject: Car Busters Bulletin #25 ======================================== -- -- -- -- CAR BUSTERS BULLETIN -- -- -- -- ======================================== 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 - ............................................................................ ..... Monthly edition no. 25 - April 2001 - English version ............................................................................ ...... Car Busters is a magazine and resource centre for the world car-free/anti-car movement. IN THIS EDITION: - HASTINGS ALLIANCE LAUNCHED - UNEP HEAD CALLS FOR SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORT STRATEGIES (BY PROMOTING CARS) - ACTIVIST CALENDAR - ANNOUNCEMENTS - JOBS - MATE BOOKLET AVAILABLE - DISCLAIMER HASTINGS ALLIANCE LAUNCHED U.K. local and national groups call for alternative to bypasses. Leading environment and transport organisations, backed by a combined membership of almost 2 million, have joined together to fight plans to build two bypasses around Hastings. The Hastings Alliance is calling on Deputy Prime Minister, John Prescott, to refuse permission for the schemes to go ahead. Contacts: Gillian Bargery (Hastings Alliance) 01424 429956 Tony Bosworth (FOE) 0113 389 9958 / 07941 176642 (mob) UNEP HEAD CALLS FOR SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORT STRATEGIES (BY PROMOTING CARS) BRUSSELS/NAIROBI, March 2001 - "In response to growing greenhouse gas and other vehicle emissions, and the expectation that worldwide growth invehicle ownership and kilometres driven will continue to increase, we must radically rethink our approach to road transportation," said Klaus Toepfer, Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). Speaking at 'Clean Energy World Tour 2001 - the launch of the BMW Hydrogen Fleet in Belgium' - Toepfer said that "sustainable transport strategies need to be developed and should include three elements: increased fuel efficiency of vehicles alternative fuel vehicles and changed transport patterns. In this regard, alternative fuels, such as hydrogen and biofuels, can be part of the solution.'' In other words, according to UNEP sustainable transport = more cars. Therefore the International Bike Fund responded like this: "The irony of this statement is that UNEP was an early contributor to sprawl in Nairobi and its staff owns a large and identifiable fleet of gas guzzling SUVs. Even the substance of the statement is suspect. As has been consistent with UNEP since its inception a couple decades ago, it is looking for a technological solution as if that is the only impact of private vehicles." International Bicycle Fund -- www.ibike.org ACTIVIST CALENDAR * MONT BLANC MANIFESTO. Trucks now penetrate and suffocate even the remotest Alpine valleys. Well, not all of them: the irreductible French in the town of Chamonix have decided that the Mont Blanc Transit Route won't see any trucks again after the terrible catastrophe in the Mont Blanc tunnel on March 24, 1999 which killed 39 people. They have launched a petition for individuals, a manifesto for organisations and they have all big French environmental organisations behind them. So it's high time you helped them as well by: - making your organisation sign the manifesto on: ugatza@gmx.net - signing the petition against the return of trucks to the Mont Blanc on the following website: www.chamonix.org/arsmb * EUROPEAN AND AMERICAN GOVERNMENTS ADMIT TO BEING "USELESS" AND ASK IF ANYONE ELSE HAS A CLUE ABOUT WHAT TO DO ABOUT THE ENVIRONMENTAL CRISIS. TELL THEM! *EU asks citizens to save the earth in one month! The people of the European Union have one month to say what policies they think can create wealth and jobs without destroying the environment. http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20010328/sc/environment_eu_dc_1.html Send in your messages and tell them how it is! *The Environmental Protection Agency (USA) has opened a public comment period on a legal petition asking the agency to address emissions of green-house gases by cars and trucks. This is the first time that the U.S. government has asked the general public for their opinions on Global Warming. The comment period is open through May 23, and an overwhelming response will either compel EPA to take action on global warming (!) or lend weight to any subsequent actions. For more information: http://www.autopollution.org or http://www.icta.org. *SUMMER CYCLING *Bikesummer Vancouver 2001 - The Summer of Velo Love! Bikesummer, the annual Bicycle love-in, following the traditions of Bikesummer San Francisco 1999 and Chicago 2000, will be held in Vancouver and Victoria, British-Columbia, Canada this August 2001. More Information: www.bikesummer.org bikesummer@bikesexual.org *Baltic Sea Bike Tour, June 4 - July 24. Connect with other groups around the Baltic Sea and promote sustainable transportation while enjoying the great atmosphere of cycling in an international Bike tour. The tour starts from Turku (Finland) to head for the E.U. Summit in G?teborg for June 13, staying there for a few days and then continuing towards Denmark to take the ferry from southern Sweden to Germany. From there on nothing much of the route is decided upon yet but it will cross the Baltic countries at some point and end in Tallinn around July 24th. Contact: Hannes Pekkala; pekkalahannes@hotmail.com +358 40 708903 ANNOUNCEMENTS * Online TDM Encyclopedia. The first comprehensive Internet tool for Transportation Demand Management Planning is now available free at the Victoria Transport Policy Institute website. http://www.vtpi.org. For more info: Todd Litman: litman@vtpi.org * Wanted: Contacts to potential sponsors of a project of sustainable bus transport in the Beskydy mountains (lying on the Czech, Polish and Slovakian territory). Contact: Miroslav Hustak (Friends of the Earth, Ostrava, CR): mira.hustak@atlas.cz * Pan African Bicycle Conference (PABIC) November 21 to 25, 2001, in Jinja, Uganda - The Changing Role of the Bicycle in Africa. Preparation workshop on May 17-18. Any comments and input are most welcome at fabio@source.co.ug JOBS * THE MEDITERRANEAN SOS NETWORK, an environmental NGO in Athens, Greece have an opening for an EVS to begin middle of June - early July (position open for six months with the possible option of extending it for another six months). The position will be working on a new youth network: MARE - Mediterranean Social Ecological Network (composed of about 40 Mediterranean NGOs and grassroots groups working on both environmental and social issues.) Send your CV and a letter of motivation to medsos@ath.forthnet.gr Closing Date: April 30, 2001. For more about the evs program at: www.europa.eu.int/comm/education/ youth /action2.html MATE BOOKLET AND MAP STILL AVAILABLE! DO YOU WANT TO KNOW MORE about the European transport situation? Then the MATE Booklet (eighty pages) is for YOU! It is a comprehensive guide to what is happening, who's making that happen and who's trying to stop it from happening in the spider-like murky web of European transport, including a detailed overview of European transport projects TENs and TINA. Making it an invaluable resource to any environmental activist. It comes complete with a handy, large, easy-to-use 100X80cm2 SUPERMAP!, detailing the projects listed in the booklet. If you'd like a copy you'd better order soon before we run out at carbusters@ecn.cz ! DISCLAIMER THE CAR BUSTERS COLLECTIVE warns all our readers who don't believe that Bush will save the world with his big oil farts to stop being cynical! All he and his fossil-fuel chums want to do is reforest the planet and save the panda and would merrily do so if all those troublesome greeny-hippy scum get out of the way. [END] From johnernst at asia.com Sat Apr 21 02:08:48 2001 From: johnernst at asia.com (John Ernst) Date: Sat, 21 Apr 2001 00:08:48 +0700 Subject: [sustran] UNEP, electric bicycles? Message-ID: <4.2.2.20010420134802.00a6a490@pop6.attglobal.net> It seems UNEP's pro-car statement (see Car Busters #25 - sent by Paul Barter, 19 April) shows the extent of the car industry's vision of sustainable cities -- paved and congested, but with much less pollution. (Incidentally, the hydrogen BMW's were also a key feature of Bangkok's International Motor Show earlier this month.) Curiously, hidden among Ford's "environmental" cars and now featured in a new Lee Iacocca company (see New York Times article reference below) are electric assisted bicycles. I believe I am as skeptical of EV/alt-fuel solutions as anyone, but the bicycles are intriguing. As far as I know, they are still bicycles, but with a small electric motor and battery added. Thus they are not fast, not congesting, and perhaps can allow use by segments of the elderly and the physically challenged who could not previously use a bicycle. Is this a really sustainable EV? John From the New York Times, 19April: "Electric bicycles are a natural for people who are starting to gray in America," said Lee Iacocca, the former Chrysler chairman who is now president of EV Global Motors Company, which makes a line of electric bicycles called E-Bikes. Indeed, electric bikes let batteries (and chips) do much of the work when muscles aren't enough. But companies are still waiting for the sales to kick in. http://www.nytimes.com/2001/04/19/technology/19BIKE.html?0419ci Video of the Think Electric Bike in action: http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/reference/041901bike.ram - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - John Ernst - Asia Regional Director 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 geobpa at nus.edu.sg Mon Apr 23 17:32:38 2001 From: geobpa at nus.edu.sg (Paul Barter) Date: Mon, 23 Apr 2001 16:32:38 +0800 Subject: [sustran] FW: seminar on rural transport in Indonesia Message-ID: <2C9E855D35B9D01198190020AFFBE8CB0B86F2E2@exs04.ex.nus.edu.sg> This bounced initially because it was in html. Forwarding anyway and using the chance to remind everyone that we can't yet handle html or attachments on this list (because they cause too many problems with the current arrangements). Please send all meassages in plain text. Thanks. Paul -----Original Message----- From: "lbt" To: Subject: seminar rural transportation Date: Mon, 23 Apr 2001 11:14:54 +0700 Dear Sir or Madam, Please be informed that Gadjah Mada University (Civil Engineering Department) in collaboration with Coordinator Ministry of Economic Affairs and National Development Planning Agency will organize a seminar with topic "Role of Rural Transportation in Supporting Regional/Local Social and Economic Development". The Seminar will be held on: Date : Tuesday, 22nd May 2001 Time : 08.00 AM - finish Venue : Hyatt Regency Yogyakarta The topics of seminar are: 1. Government policies in rural development, rural transportation infrastructure and services 2. Strategic issues in rural transportation in relation with rural development 3. Decentralization and role of the local government in the development of rural transportation 4. The role of rural transport in the context of urban-rural linkages in poverty alleviation and employment creation 5. The managing and financing rural transport infrastructures/services 6. The integration of rural road in the larger road network in Indonesia 7. Social issues in the rural accessibility The expected attendants are from: 1. Local and central government agencies 2. Academics 3. Private sectors, professional associations 4. NGOs 5. Donor agencies and financial sectors 6. International investors 7. International organizations Contribution are: For registration before 7th May 2001 : Rp. 275.000,00 For registration after 7th May 2001 : Rp. 350.000,00 Due date : 15th May 2001 The registration fee can be paid through: 1.. Bank transfer to BNI branch UGM, with account number 228.780608152.901, b.n. Suryo Hapsoro Tri Utomo. 2.. Post office and send to the Seminar Secretariat of Rural Transportation, Civil Engineering Dept., Faculty of Engineering, Gadjah Mada University, Jl. Grafika No. 2 Yogyakarta, 55281 Indonesia To obtain further information please visit our homepage on http://sipil.ugm.ac.id. and http://www.geocities.com/transportasiperdesaan/index.htm, or please contact: Secretariat RUNAP ILO ASIST-UGM Civil Engineering Department Faculty of Engineering Gadjah Mada University Jl. Grafika No.2 Yogyakarta 55281 Indonesia Tel: (62-274) 545675, Fax: (62-274) 545676, Email: lbt@tsipil.ugm.ac.id Please circulate this message to experts on rural transportation and development. Thank you very much for your kind of attention. With best regards, Noor Mahmudah Manager RUNAP ILO ASIST- AP From mobility at igc.org Mon Apr 23 22:59:04 2001 From: mobility at igc.org (mobility@igc.org) Date: Mon, 23 Apr 2001 09:59:04 -0400 Subject: [sustran] Re: UNEP, electric bicycles? Message-ID: i don't have any problem with electric bikes or electric assist pedicabs. battery weight remains a problem, however, or cost. probably tighter emission controls on motorcycles would help the economic viability of this sector, no? walter sustran-discuss@jca.ax.apc.org wrote: > It seems UNEP's pro-car statement (see Car Busters #25 - sent by Paul Barter, 19 April) shows the extent of the car industry's vision of sustainable cities -- paved and congested, but with much less pollution. (Incidentally, the hydrogen BMW's were also a key feature of Bangkok's International Motor Show earlier this month.) Curiously, hidden among Ford's "environmental" cars and now featured in a new Lee Iacocca company (see New York Times article reference below) are electric assisted bicycles. I believe I am as skeptical of EV/alt-fuel solutions as anyone, but the bicycles are intriguing. As far as I know, they are still bicycles, but with a small electric motor and battery added. Thus they are not fast, not congesting, and perhaps can allow use by segments of the elderly and the physically challenged who could not previously use a bicycle. Is this a really sustainable EV? John From the New York Times, 19April: "Electric bicycles are a natural for people who are starting to gray in America," said Lee Iacocca, the former Chrysler chairman who is now president of EV Global Motors Company, which makes a line of electric bicycles called E-Bikes. Indeed, electric bikes let batteries (and chips) do much of the work when muscles aren't enough. But companies are still waiting for the sales to kick in. http://www.nytimes.com/2001/04/19/technology/19BIKE.html?0419ci Video of the Think Electric Bike in action: http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/reference/041901bike.ram - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - John Ernst - Asia Regional Director 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 ghawkes at sover.net Tue Apr 24 00:51:11 2001 From: ghawkes at sover.net (Gerry Hawkes) Date: Mon, 23 Apr 2001 11:51:11 -0400 Subject: [sustran] Electric Bicycles - Improving Range & Performance Message-ID: <016d01c0cc0d$392fd0d0$915fc6d1@gerry> We are working on solutions that eventually should result in transportation infrastructure enhancements that will significantly improve the range, performance and affordability of electric bicycles and light electric vehicles. You can read more details about what we envision at http://www.biketrack.com/visions.htm Gerry Hawkes Bike Track, Inc. Woodstock, Vermont USA www.biketrack.com ghawkes@biketrack.com -----Original Message----- From: mobility@igc.org To: sustran-discuss@jca.ax.apc.org Date: Monday, April 23, 2001 10:01 AM Subject: [sustran] Re: UNEP, electric bicycles? >i don't have any problem with electric bikes or electric assist pedicabs. battery weight remains a problem, however, or cost. probably tighter emission controls on motorcycles would help the economic viability of this sector, no? > >walter > > >sustran-discuss@jca.ax.apc.org wrote: >> It seems UNEP's pro-car statement (see Car Busters #25 - sent by Paul Barter, 19 April) shows the extent of the car industry's vision of >sustainable cities -- paved and congested, but with much less >pollution. (Incidentally, the hydrogen BMW's were also a key feature of >Bangkok's International Motor Show earlier this month.) > >Curiously, hidden among Ford's "environmental" cars and now featured in a >new Lee Iacocca company (see New York Times article reference below) are >electric assisted bicycles. > >I believe I am as skeptical of EV/alt-fuel solutions as anyone, but the >bicycles are intriguing. As far as I know, they are still bicycles, but >with a small electric motor and battery added. Thus they are not fast, not >congesting, and perhaps can allow use by segments of the elderly and the >physically challenged who could not previously use a bicycle. > >Is this a really sustainable EV? > >John > > > From the New York Times, 19April: > >"Electric bicycles are a natural for people who are starting >to gray in America," said Lee Iacocca, the former Chrysler >chairman who is now president of EV Global Motors Company, >which makes a line of electric bicycles called E-Bikes. >Indeed, electric bikes let batteries (and chips) do much of >the work when muscles aren't enough. But companies are still >waiting for the sales to kick in. >http://www.nytimes.com/2001/04/19/technology/19BIKE.html?0419ci > >Video of the Think Electric Bike in action: >http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/reference/041901bike.ram > > >- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - >John Ernst - Asia Regional Director > >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 ebruun at rci.rutgers.edu Tue Apr 24 05:27:15 2001 From: ebruun at rci.rutgers.edu (Eric Bruun) Date: Mon, 23 Apr 2001 16:27:15 -0400 (EDT) Subject: [sustran] Re: UNEP, electric bicycles? In-Reply-To: Message-ID: I agree with Walter. Eric Bruun On Mon, 23 Apr 2001 mobility@igc.org wrote: > i don't have any problem with electric bikes or electric assist pedicabs. battery weight remains a problem, however, or cost. probably tighter emission controls on motorcycles would help the economic viability of this sector, no? > > walter > > > sustran-discuss@jca.ax.apc.org wrote: > > It seems UNEP's pro-car statement (see Car Busters #25 - sent by Paul Barter, 19 April) shows the extent of the car industry's vision of > sustainable cities -- paved and congested, but with much less > pollution. (Incidentally, the hydrogen BMW's were also a key feature of > Bangkok's International Motor Show earlier this month.) > > Curiously, hidden among Ford's "environmental" cars and now featured in a > new Lee Iacocca company (see New York Times article reference below) are > electric assisted bicycles. > > I believe I am as skeptical of EV/alt-fuel solutions as anyone, but the > bicycles are intriguing. As far as I know, they are still bicycles, but > with a small electric motor and battery added. Thus they are not fast, not > congesting, and perhaps can allow use by segments of the elderly and the > physically challenged who could not previously use a bicycle. > > Is this a really sustainable EV? > > John > > > From the New York Times, 19April: > > "Electric bicycles are a natural for people who are starting > to gray in America," said Lee Iacocca, the former Chrysler > chairman who is now president of EV Global Motors Company, > which makes a line of electric bicycles called E-Bikes. > Indeed, electric bikes let batteries (and chips) do much of > the work when muscles aren't enough. But companies are still > waiting for the sales to kick in. > http://www.nytimes.com/2001/04/19/technology/19BIKE.html?0419ci > > Video of the Think Electric Bike in action: > http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/reference/041901bike.ram > > > - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - > John Ernst - Asia Regional Director > > 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 ajain at kcrc.com Tue Apr 24 10:29:28 2001 From: ajain at kcrc.com (Jain Alok) Date: Tue, 24 Apr 2001 09:29:28 +0800 Subject: [sustran] Re: UNEP, electric bicycles? Message-ID: What is the difference between an electric bicycle and electric scooter? Can somebody enlighten? Alok Jain > -----Original Message----- > From: Eric Bruun [mailto:ebruun@rci.rutgers.edu] > Sent: 24 April, 2001 4:27 AM > To: sustran-discuss@jca.ax.apc.org > Subject: [sustran] Re: UNEP, electric bicycles? > > > > I agree with Walter. Eric Bruun > > On Mon, 23 Apr 2001 mobility@igc.org wrote: > > > i don't have any problem with electric bikes or electric > assist pedicabs. battery weight remains a problem, however, > or cost. probably tighter emission controls on motorcycles > would help the economic viability of this sector, no? > > > > walter > > > > > > sustran-discuss@jca.ax.apc.org wrote: > > > It seems UNEP's pro-car statement (see Car Busters #25 - > sent by Paul Barter, 19 April) shows the extent of the car > industry's vision of > > sustainable cities -- paved and congested, but with much less > > pollution. (Incidentally, the hydrogen BMW's were also a > key feature of > > Bangkok's International Motor Show earlier this month.) > > > > Curiously, hidden among Ford's "environmental" cars and now > featured in a > > new Lee Iacocca company (see New York Times article > reference below) are > > electric assisted bicycles. > > > > I believe I am as skeptical of EV/alt-fuel solutions as > anyone, but the > > bicycles are intriguing. As far as I know, they are still > bicycles, but > > with a small electric motor and battery added. Thus they > are not fast, not > > congesting, and perhaps can allow use by segments of the > elderly and the > > physically challenged who could not previously use a bicycle. > > > > Is this a really sustainable EV? > > > > John > > > > > > From the New York Times, 19April: > > > > "Electric bicycles are a natural for people who are starting > > to gray in America," said Lee Iacocca, the former Chrysler > > chairman who is now president of EV Global Motors Company, > > which makes a line of electric bicycles called E-Bikes. > > Indeed, electric bikes let batteries (and chips) do much of > > the work when muscles aren't enough. But companies are still > > waiting for the sales to kick in. > > http://www.nytimes.com/2001/04/19/technology/19BIKE.html?0419ci > > > > Video of the Think Electric Bike in action: > > http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/reference/041901bike.ram > > > > > > - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - > > John Ernst - Asia Regional Director > > > > 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 sujit at vsnl.com Tue Apr 24 13:46:09 2001 From: sujit at vsnl.com (Sujit Patwardhan) Date: Tue, 24 Apr 2001 10:16:09 +0530 Subject: [sustran] Re: UNEP, electric bicycles? In-Reply-To: Message-ID: <20010424044746.D3932837@giaspn01.vsnl.net.in> 24 April 2001 Alok Jain's has a valid point. There isn't much difference between an electric cycle and an electric scooter...UNLESS the battery is so small that it cannot propel the cycle any faster than pedalling can and the only purpose it serves is to assist steep climbs WITH the feet still pushing the pedals. There are two issues involved here. The fuel shouldn't be polluting and belong to the non-renewable category. The second concerns our views on promotion of private (personal) vehicles on the roads. Non polluting vehicles in excessive numbers can also cause congestion and if the bike doesn't need human effort for propulsion it CAN be brought on the roads for superfluous trips..I feel when human effort (of pedalling) is involved one is less likely to make needless trips on the vehicle. But this is a tricky issue and needs to be seen from all sides I feel. -- Sujit At 09:29 AM 4/24/01 +0800, you wrote: >What is the difference between an electric bicycle and electric scooter? > >Can somebody enlighten? > >Alok Jain >> -----Original Message----- >> From: Eric Bruun [mailto:ebruun@rci.rutgers.edu] >> Sent: 24 April, 2001 4:27 AM >> To: sustran-discuss@jca.ax.apc.org >> Subject: [sustran] Re: UNEP, electric bicycles? >> >> >> >> I agree with Walter. Eric Bruun >> >> On Mon, 23 Apr 2001 mobility@igc.org wrote: >> >> > i don't have any problem with electric bikes or electric >> assist pedicabs. battery weight remains a problem, however, >> or cost. probably tighter emission controls on motorcycles >> would help the economic viability of this sector, no? >> > >> > walter >> > >> > >> > sustran-discuss@jca.ax.apc.org wrote: >> > > It seems UNEP's pro-car statement (see Car Busters #25 - >> sent by Paul Barter, 19 April) shows the extent of the car >> industry's vision of >> > sustainable cities -- paved and congested, but with much less >> > pollution. (Incidentally, the hydrogen BMW's were also a >> key feature of >> > Bangkok's International Motor Show earlier this month.) >> > >> > Curiously, hidden among Ford's "environmental" cars and now >> featured in a >> > new Lee Iacocca company (see New York Times article >> reference below) are >> > electric assisted bicycles. >> > >> > I believe I am as skeptical of EV/alt-fuel solutions as >> anyone, but the >> > bicycles are intriguing. As far as I know, they are still >> bicycles, but >> > with a small electric motor and battery added. Thus they >> are not fast, not >> > congesting, and perhaps can allow use by segments of the >> elderly and the >> > physically challenged who could not previously use a bicycle. >> > >> > Is this a really sustainable EV? >> > >> > John >> > >> > >> > From the New York Times, 19April: >> > >> > "Electric bicycles are a natural for people who are starting >> > to gray in America," said Lee Iacocca, the former Chrysler >> > chairman who is now president of EV Global Motors Company, >> > which makes a line of electric bicycles called E-Bikes. >> > Indeed, electric bikes let batteries (and chips) do much of >> > the work when muscles aren't enough. But companies are still >> > waiting for the sales to kick in. >> > http://www.nytimes.com/2001/04/19/technology/19BIKE.html?0419ci >> > >> > Video of the Think Electric Bike in action: >> > http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/reference/041901bike.ram >> > >> > >> > - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - >> > John Ernst - Asia Regional Director >> > >> > 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 >> - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - >> >> >> > PARISAR, Yamuna, ICS Colony, Ganeshkhind Road, Pune 411 007 Tel: 5537955 ***************************************************************** In nature there are neither Rewards nor Punishments--- there are Consequences. ***************************************************************** From rajendra.aryal at undp.org Tue Apr 24 18:05:26 2001 From: rajendra.aryal at undp.org (Rajendra Aryal) Date: Tue, 24 Apr 2001 14:35:26 +0530 Subject: [sustran] Autorickshaw Pollution in Dhaka References: Message-ID: <3AE541D6.4522BAD1@undp.org> Solution for rickshaw pollution in Dhaka Monday, 23 April 2001: UNDP, in partnership with Rupantarita Prakritik Gas Co. Ltd., is offering hope for cleaner air to the inhabitants of Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, by promoting the use of compressed natural gas to replace gasoline as fuel for the city's 60,000 auto-rickshaws. "We believe that this project will demonstrate the benefits of compressed natural gas as an energy source for auto-rickshaws, or 'baby taxis' as they are known in Dhaka," said Jorgen Lissner, UNDP Resident Representative. "This is cheaper and cleaner technology, which benefits the auto-rickshaw drivers financially, and will make it easier to breathe in Dhaka," he said. The $1.2 million project will help the gas company gain technical skills in the use of compressed natural gas to power vehicles. New fuel will reduce pollution by auto-rickshaws. The one-year project will convert 300 auto-rickshaws to run on compressed natural gas. The demonstration of the benefits is expected to ultimately lead all 60,000 auto-rickshaws to shift to the cheaper, cleaner fuel. The auto-rickshaws alone emit 25 per cent of the tiny particles of soot and 60 per cent of the toxic, smog-forming hydrocarbons of all motor vehicles in the city. This level of pollution is a serious health hazard, particularly for the very young and the elderly. The initiative will also help Bangladesh become more energy self-sufficient. The country has large reserves of natural gas, and compressed natural gas can be made available to domestic consumers at prices significantly lower than imported oil. At the same time, the use of domestic resources will contribute to reducing the county's heavy dependence on imported fuel. The project will also help demonstrate the effectiveness of the compressed natural gas technology to decision-makers in the government , the private sector and other stakeholders. The Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources is administering the project and Environment Canada is providing technical and management support. For more information contact: Ali Ashraf, UNDP Bangladesh at From lfwright at usa.net Tue Apr 24 23:27:45 2001 From: lfwright at usa.net (Lloyd Wright) Date: Tue, 24 Apr 2001 10:27:45 EDT Subject: [sustran] Re: [[sustran] Autorickshaw Pollution in Dhaka] Message-ID: <20010424142745.15784.qmail@aw164.netaddress.usa.net> Sounds like an interesting project. However, the CNG rickshaws sometimes end up with higher pollution levels if good maintenance is not practiced. The lessons from elsewhere have indicated that a poorly maintained petrol vehicle may produce fewer emissions than a well-maintained CNG vehicle, although CNG is clearly cleaner if good maintenance is practiced. Additionally, why is the project pursuing CNG over LPG? Has UNDP also considered improved human-powered rickshaw designs? These type of designs that have met with some success in India. "Rajendra Aryal" wrote: Solution for rickshaw pollution in Dhaka Monday, 23 April 2001: UNDP, in partnership with Rupantarita Prakritik Gas Co. Ltd., is offering hope for cleaner air to the inhabitants of Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, by promoting the use of compressed natural gas to replace gasoline as fuel for the city's 60,000 auto-rickshaws. "We believe that this project will demonstrate the benefits of compressed natural gas as an energy source for auto-rickshaws, or 'baby taxis' as they are known in Dhaka," said Jorgen Lissner, UNDP Resident Representative. "This is cheaper and cleaner technology, which benefits the auto-rickshaw drivers financially, and will make it easier to breathe in Dhaka," he said. The $1.2 million project will help the gas company gain technical skills in the use of compressed natural gas to power vehicles. New fuel will reduce pollution by auto-rickshaws. The one-year project will convert 300 auto-rickshaws to run on compressed natural gas. The demonstration of the benefits is expected to ultimately lead all 60,000 auto-rickshaws to shift to the cheaper, cleaner fuel. The auto-rickshaws alone emit 25 per cent of the tiny particles of soot and 60 per cent of the toxic, smog-forming hydrocarbons of all motor vehicles in the city. This level of pollution is a serious health hazard, particularly for the very young and the elderly. The initiative will also help Bangladesh become more energy self-sufficient. The country has large reserves of natural gas, and compressed natural gas can be made available to domestic consumers at prices significantly lower than imported oil. At the same time, the use of domestic resources will contribute to reducing the county's heavy dependence on imported fuel. The project will also help demonstrate the effectiveness of the compressed natural gas technology to decision-makers in the government , the private sector and other stakeholders. The Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources is administering the project and Environment Canada is providing technical and management support. For more information contact: Ali Ashraf, UNDP Bangladesh at ____________________________________________________________________ Get free email and a permanent address at http://www.amexmail.com/?A=1 From ebruun at rci.rutgers.edu Wed Apr 25 03:22:32 2001 From: ebruun at rci.rutgers.edu (Eric Bruun) Date: Tue, 24 Apr 2001 14:22:32 -0400 (EDT) Subject: [sustran] More on UNEP, electric bicycles? In-Reply-To: <20010424044746.D3932837@giaspn01.vsnl.net.in> Message-ID: It is a tricky issue, that is for sure. It can not be separated from the issue of poor public transport. Is it any wonder than people buy mopeds and scooters when the public transport is slow, crowded, and unreliable? The massive use of them is inevitable if incomes grow but public transport deteriorates due to ever worsening congestion. Eric Bruun On Tue, 24 Apr 2001, Sujit Patwardhan wrote: > 24 April 2001 > > > Alok Jain's has a valid point. > > There isn't much difference between an electric cycle and an electric > scooter...UNLESS the battery is so small that it cannot propel the cycle > any faster than pedalling can and the only purpose it serves is to assist > steep climbs WITH the feet still pushing the pedals. > > There are two issues involved here. The fuel shouldn't be polluting and > belong to the non-renewable category. The second concerns our views on > promotion of private (personal) vehicles on the roads. Non polluting > vehicles in excessive numbers can also cause congestion and if the bike > doesn't need human effort for propulsion it CAN be brought on the roads for > superfluous trips..I feel when human effort (of pedalling) is involved one > is less likely to make needless trips on the vehicle. But this is a tricky > issue and needs to be seen from all sides I feel. > -- > Sujit > > > > > > > At 09:29 AM 4/24/01 +0800, you wrote: > >What is the difference between an electric bicycle and electric scooter? > > > >Can somebody enlighten? > > > >Alok Jain > >> -----Original Message----- > >> From: Eric Bruun [mailto:ebruun@rci.rutgers.edu] > >> Sent: 24 April, 2001 4:27 AM > >> To: sustran-discuss@jca.ax.apc.org > >> Subject: [sustran] Re: UNEP, electric bicycles? > >> > >> > >> > >> I agree with Walter. Eric Bruun > >> > >> On Mon, 23 Apr 2001 mobility@igc.org wrote: > >> > >> > i don't have any problem with electric bikes or electric > >> assist pedicabs. battery weight remains a problem, however, > >> or cost. probably tighter emission controls on motorcycles > >> would help the economic viability of this sector, no? > >> > > >> > walter > >> > > >> > > >> > sustran-discuss@jca.ax.apc.org wrote: > >> > > It seems UNEP's pro-car statement (see Car Busters #25 - > >> sent by Paul Barter, 19 April) shows the extent of the car > >> industry's vision of > >> > sustainable cities -- paved and congested, but with much less > >> > pollution. (Incidentally, the hydrogen BMW's were also a > >> key feature of > >> > Bangkok's International Motor Show earlier this month.) > >> > > >> > Curiously, hidden among Ford's "environmental" cars and now > >> featured in a > >> > new Lee Iacocca company (see New York Times article > >> reference below) are > >> > electric assisted bicycles. > >> > > >> > I believe I am as skeptical of EV/alt-fuel solutions as > >> anyone, but the > >> > bicycles are intriguing. As far as I know, they are still > >> bicycles, but > >> > with a small electric motor and battery added. Thus they > >> are not fast, not > >> > congesting, and perhaps can allow use by segments of the > >> elderly and the > >> > physically challenged who could not previously use a bicycle. > >> > > >> > Is this a really sustainable EV? > >> > > >> > John > >> > > >> > > >> > From the New York Times, 19April: > >> > > >> > "Electric bicycles are a natural for people who are starting > >> > to gray in America," said Lee Iacocca, the former Chrysler > >> > chairman who is now president of EV Global Motors Company, > >> > which makes a line of electric bicycles called E-Bikes. > >> > Indeed, electric bikes let batteries (and chips) do much of > >> > the work when muscles aren't enough. But companies are still > >> > waiting for the sales to kick in. > >> > http://www.nytimes.com/2001/04/19/technology/19BIKE.html?0419ci > >> > > >> > Video of the Think Electric Bike in action: > >> > http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/reference/041901bike.ram > >> > > >> > > >> > - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - > >> > John Ernst - Asia Regional Director > >> > > >> > 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 > >> - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - > >> > >> > >> > > > PARISAR, > Yamuna, ICS Colony, Ganeshkhind Road, Pune 411 007 > Tel: 5537955 > ***************************************************************** > In nature there are neither Rewards nor Punishments--- > there are Consequences. > ***************************************************************** > > From ajain at kcrc.com Wed Apr 25 12:27:25 2001 From: ajain at kcrc.com (Jain Alok) Date: Wed, 25 Apr 2001 11:27:25 +0800 Subject: [sustran] Re: More on UNEP, electric bicycles? Message-ID: I think it is more than poor public transport. The popularity of light-weight two-wheelers (this is how I prefer to call them to avoid the ambiguity between "electric sccoter" and "electric bicycle") is mainly due to basic human desire to have a mobility where one can go where he/she wants to go on his terms (all these attributes such as cost, travel time, directness of travel etc.). One of the problems with these light-weight two-wheelers is that they do not belong to the road because they tend to be much slower than the rest of the vehicular traffic, which put the riders of these 2-wheelers at risk. They do not belong to the footpath or walkway either because they are a bit fast for that and put other users at risk of injury. So, if we want them to be like bicycles, they must be generally slower than human powered ones because that will take the incentive of speed out but will still be useful for elderly and infirm. Regards Alok Jain > -----Original Message----- > From: Eric Bruun [mailto:ebruun@rci.rutgers.edu] > Sent: 25 April, 2001 2:23 AM > To: sustran-discuss@jca.ax.apc.org > Subject: [sustran] More on UNEP, electric bicycles? > > > > It is a tricky issue, that is for sure. It can not be > separated from the > issue of poor public transport. Is it any wonder than people > buy mopeds > and scooters when the public transport is slow, crowded, and > unreliable? > The massive use of them is inevitable if incomes grow but > public transport > deteriorates due to ever worsening congestion. > > Eric Bruun > > > On Tue, 24 Apr 2001, Sujit Patwardhan wrote: > > > 24 April 2001 > > > > > > Alok Jain's has a valid point. > > > > There isn't much difference between an electric cycle and > an electric > > scooter...UNLESS the battery is so small that it cannot > propel the cycle > > any faster than pedalling can and the only purpose it > serves is to assist > > steep climbs WITH the feet still pushing the pedals. > > > > There are two issues involved here. The fuel shouldn't be > polluting and > > belong to the non-renewable category. The second concerns > our views on > > promotion of private (personal) vehicles on the roads. Non polluting > > vehicles in excessive numbers can also cause congestion and > if the bike > > doesn't need human effort for propulsion it CAN be brought > on the roads for > > superfluous trips..I feel when human effort (of pedalling) > is involved one > > is less likely to make needless trips on the vehicle. But > this is a tricky > > issue and needs to be seen from all sides I feel. > > -- > > Sujit > > > > > > > > > > > > > > At 09:29 AM 4/24/01 +0800, you wrote: > > >What is the difference between an electric bicycle and > electric scooter? > > > > > >Can somebody enlighten? > > > > > >Alok Jain > > >> -----Original Message----- > > >> From: Eric Bruun [mailto:ebruun@rci.rutgers.edu] > > >> Sent: 24 April, 2001 4:27 AM > > >> To: sustran-discuss@jca.ax.apc.org > > >> Subject: [sustran] Re: UNEP, electric bicycles? > > >> > > >> > > >> > > >> I agree with Walter. Eric Bruun > > >> > > >> On Mon, 23 Apr 2001 mobility@igc.org wrote: > > >> > > >> > i don't have any problem with electric bikes or electric > > >> assist pedicabs. battery weight remains a problem, however, > > >> or cost. probably tighter emission controls on motorcycles > > >> would help the economic viability of this sector, no? > > >> > > > >> > walter > > >> > > > >> > > > >> > sustran-discuss@jca.ax.apc.org wrote: > > >> > > It seems UNEP's pro-car statement (see Car Busters #25 - > > >> sent by Paul Barter, 19 April) shows the extent of the car > > >> industry's vision of > > >> > sustainable cities -- paved and congested, but with much less > > >> > pollution. (Incidentally, the hydrogen BMW's were also a > > >> key feature of > > >> > Bangkok's International Motor Show earlier this month.) > > >> > > > >> > Curiously, hidden among Ford's "environmental" cars and now > > >> featured in a > > >> > new Lee Iacocca company (see New York Times article > > >> reference below) are > > >> > electric assisted bicycles. > > >> > > > >> > I believe I am as skeptical of EV/alt-fuel solutions as > > >> anyone, but the > > >> > bicycles are intriguing. As far as I know, they are still > > >> bicycles, but > > >> > with a small electric motor and battery added. Thus they > > >> are not fast, not > > >> > congesting, and perhaps can allow use by segments of the > > >> elderly and the > > >> > physically challenged who could not previously use a bicycle. > > >> > > > >> > Is this a really sustainable EV? > > >> > > > >> > John > > >> > > > >> > > > >> > From the New York Times, 19April: > > >> > > > >> > "Electric bicycles are a natural for people who are starting > > >> > to gray in America," said Lee Iacocca, the former Chrysler > > >> > chairman who is now president of EV Global Motors Company, > > >> > which makes a line of electric bicycles called E-Bikes. > > >> > Indeed, electric bikes let batteries (and chips) do much of > > >> > the work when muscles aren't enough. But companies are still > > >> > waiting for the sales to kick in. > > >> > http://www.nytimes.com/2001/04/19/technology/19BIKE.html?0419ci > > >> > > > >> > Video of the Think Electric Bike in action: > > >> > http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/reference/041901bike.ram > > >> > > > >> > > > >> > - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - > > >> > John Ernst - Asia Regional Director > > >> > > > >> > 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 > > >> - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - > > >> > > >> > > >> > > > > > PARISAR, > > Yamuna, ICS Colony, Ganeshkhind Road, Pune 411 007 > > Tel: 5537955 > > ***************************************************************** > > In nature there are neither Rewards nor Punishments--- > > there are Consequences. > > ***************************************************************** > > > > > From Pguitink at worldbank.org Wed Apr 25 23:48:51 2001 From: Pguitink at worldbank.org (Pguitink@worldbank.org) Date: Wed, 25 Apr 2001 10:48:51 -0400 Subject: [sustran] Re: More on UNEP, electric bicycles? Message-ID: In The Netherlands electric bicycles are very popular among the elderly. It is a kind of 'hybrid' where you have the option to use it as a bicycle, or to switch on the electric 'engine' which is mainly used with strong headwinds or to climb one of the (scarce) hills. The speed of these hybrids is limited by law at 25 km/h. and they share the bikepaths with other bicycles without any problems. Recently, the law in The Netherlands has been changed, putting mopeds which are going faster (by law up to 40 km/h, but in reality up to 60-70 km) again on the road where they were some 20 years ago. While I have not seen any accident data yet, I think this should work well in urban areas where traffic speeds are generally in the 40-50 km/h range,but I am not sure how it affects interurban traffic. Cheers, Paul Guitink Sr. Transport Specialist Latin America and Caribbean Region MSN I5 506 The World Bank Phone + 1 202 473 3948 Fax +1 202 676 9594 From eric.britton at ecoplan.org Thu Apr 26 01:43:52 2001 From: eric.britton at ecoplan.org (eric.britton@ecoplan.org) Date: Wed, 25 Apr 2001 18:43:52 +0200 Subject: [sustran] Dhaka: 2/3 wheelers, and 2 stroke engines Message-ID: One thing we have learned over the last several decades of doing not very well on this score, is that a truly sustainable transportation system needs to be pieced together from many disparate and uneven parts. We know, moreover, that a substantial part of the necessary adjustments will turn out to be outside of matters which normally fall into the realm of transportation per se - which of course is one of the reasons why it has proven such a problem for those with specifically transport expertise to get the needed job done. In this context of the need for weave solutions of many strands and parts, the ongoing discussion here about the UNDP et al CNG autorickshaw proposal is, for example, taking place at the same time that a local NGO in Bangladesh, the Environment and Social Development Organization - ESDO, is leading a parallel campaign which in my view is of at least as much interest. For the story on this: the Earth Car Free Day/Sustainable Transportation Forum at www.carfreeday.com. Once there you can get the ESDO/Dhaka profile by clicking the Registration Desk, there "Find a City" where you pop Dhaka. And there is their program. The ESDO Profile concludes with the follow comment which we have made on their project, and concerning which we would be pleased to have your comments. And we look forward to working with those responsible for the UNDP/Rupantarita Prakritik Gas Co. proposal for CNG rickshaws, which we feel certainly merits coverage in this context as well. Eric Britton, The Commons, Paris * * * * * "This is an excellent initiative, both for the people and the city of Dhaka, and as a fine example of how people and groups in other places can move from being passive observers to focused activists ready to make a useful contribution to their community. This is the first major "trickle-up" effort of this sort known to us that has targeted two-stroke engines in this way. "South-east Asian cities and their people are suffering enormously from the impacts of their present chaotic and unthought out transportation arrangements. It is our view that the solution, at least in the near term, does not lay in investing billions in metro systems or other such magic wands, but in coming to grips with the contradictions that are out there in the streets today. Because of the economic, social and political delicacy of everything that has to do with transport, the many and major changes that are needed must have strong public support. They must be doable without large injections of cash. And they must target the needs of all levels of society, with particular attention to those who are most disadvantaged. "Two wheeled vehicles continue to be one of the most elusive areas for sound transport policy and practice, and it has to be said that until now no clear model has as yet emerged as to how they should best be treated. They certainly constitute an enormous menace to well-being in many ways. On the other hand, there are strong arguments for them out there in the real world, including not least of which their sheer presence and numbers, and that is a fact that needs to be faced. Starting with two-stroke engines and all the environmental and health menaces that they bring with them as ESDO is going in Bangladesh is, in our view, a great way to begin." * * * * * From geobpa at nus.edu.sg Fri Apr 27 10:16:21 2001 From: geobpa at nus.edu.sg (Paul Barter) Date: Fri, 27 Apr 2001 09:16:21 +0800 Subject: [sustran] FW: Pan African Bicycle Conference - FABIO-news Apr/2001 Message-ID: <2C9E855D35B9D01198190020AFFBE8CB0B86F2F3@exs04.ex.nus.edu.sg> -----Original Message----- From: FABIO [mailto:fabio@source.co.ug] Sent: Thursday, 26 April 2001 11:16 To: ... Subject: FABIO-news Apr/2001 Dear Mobility / Bicycle Lovers, Advocates, Planners and Policy Makers, RE: PAN AFRICAN BICYCLE CONFERENCE AND LAST CALL FOR PAPERS The First African Bicycle Information Office is organising an International Bicycle Conference scheduled to take place on the 21st - 25th November 2001 in Jinja. This event is targeting academicians, mobility experts, bicycle organisations, bicycle industires, governments, and other levels of policy making and interested individuals and institutions. The idea behind this confernce is to create a forum for sharing ideas, expertise and experiences and considers the meaning of non motorised mobility in teh developing countries particularly Africa. A PABIC planning workshop has been organised to take place on the 17th and 18th May 2001 in Jinja. Among other things, this workshop will look at the different paper extracts so as to design the conference accordingly. In this respect, we would like to make a final call for papers for PABIC under the themes indicated. The papers should focus: Bicycle and policy taxation Bicycle and gender Safe roads to schools Transport planning in Developing Countries Transport accessibility and affordability Bicycle and Agriculture Networking and advocacy for affordable mobility Sustainable transport, development and human settlement Non motorised transport and the environment Non motorised transport and the economy Rural non motorised transport/ Appropriate technology transport for smaller holder farmer Women , health productivity and rural mobility The role of civil society in structural planning for rural and urban areas. These are broad topics, but your focus should be narrowed down according to your experiences. The extract should be not more than 350 words clearly stating the purpose of work to be described in the final paper. These letters should reach FABIO Secretariate, not later than 10th May 2001. The paper should be written using WORD 97 or an earlier format and e-mailed to us as an attachment. In this context we are currently building up a website, which can be accessed under: www.connect-uganda.net/fabiobspw.htm Thank you very much for your interest and cooperation. With many greetings from Jinja, the FABIO team From geobpa at nus.edu.sg Mon Apr 30 10:08:56 2001 From: geobpa at nus.edu.sg (Paul Barter) Date: Mon, 30 Apr 2001 09:08:56 +0800 Subject: [sustran] FW: Short report on Earth Car Free Day 2001 - "A good beginning" Message-ID: <2C9E855D35B9D01198190020AFFBE8CB0B86F2F5@exs04.ex.nus.edu.sg> Date: Fri, 27 Apr 2001 17:35:28 +0200 From: Subject: Short report on Earth Car Free Day 2001 - "A good beginning" Note: This is the final email communication in this series. Dear Car Free Friends, Well, as of today we have this first Earth Car Free Day a full week behind us. And what is it that we can most honestly say about what has been accomplished after all these months of hard work by so many people and groups across the planet? A great achievement? Have we changed the world? Even one city? Hmm. Well, here we will do well to be both modest and absolutely honest. Here in a couple of paragraphs is how we have been responding to enquiries about this from the media and some of the government and international organizations that have shown various forms of interest in or involvement with the car-free day approach. ECFD I: THE BALANCE OF ACCOMPLISHMENT: A wide range of self-organized events, large and small, in a hundred or so of cities involving millions of people all over the world. A wide array of city wide programs in places like Halifax, Pune, Taipei, Katmandu, Seattle, Pusan, Hong Kong and a surprising range of other towns and cities of vastly different sizes and kinds. Cooperative neighborhood projects led by cycling and walking groups, schools, health agencies, environmentalists, and at least one museum and one church. That plus a terrific range of projects and proposals by individual citizens and families, many of which not only useful steps for sustainability for the individuals involved and their immediate communities, but also interesting models for all of us who wonder what we might do to do our part in all this. Our own conclusion about this finally is that what is most notable about what has been done thus far is that we are off to a great start. We have targeted a very important problem area which is not only enormous in its dimensions and just about universal in its reach but also where there is enormous potential for creative interaction and "cross-learning". And of course with the emerging toolkit of the world wide web we now have the means for doing this in a way which is as potentially effective as it is 100% independent and entirely free to any and all who want to use it. Certainly one of the accomplishments of this whole effort has been the creative use of the Internet to create the permanent infrastructure of freely available information, tools and materials that you now find here at www.carfreeday.com. And indeed this wide open public site provides all of the information that anyone might conceivably need to arrive at a mature understanding of what indeed have been the achievements of the first Earth Car Free Day. All you have to do is turn to the database and to the several guest books that have been maintained over the last months to see not only what has been done thus far, but also what are the attitudes of people and groups toward these issues, coming as they do from vastly different places and cultures. For all these reasons, and encouraged by the enthusiastic responses of many people from many places, we have decided to continue to build on and develop this base not only in the coming months but for at least the full decade ahead. And if you go to www.carfreeday.com you will see that even in this last week a number of things have gotten underway to make sure that this is going to emerge as a useful part of, let's call it, the 'new sustainability infrastructure'. The direct integration of the latest Gist software into the site so that it can now be quickly if ever so roughly translated into half a dozen languages, including already basic Japanese and Chinese as well as the more usual... (In fact, we will be very interested to have your reactions and suggestions about this new part of the site. We have been working with machine translations on our programs and site for several years now, but this appears to be the best yet.) A final section of the site that we would call to your attention is the TODAY! paperless journal, which we are using as a window on leading projects, events and concepts around the world. Tomorrow, for example, we shall be featuring the first car-free day project ever in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, where they have taken quite an interesting first cut at the challenge of increasing awareness of the problems before it is too late. And many others will follow in the days and months ahead. Including perhaps yours? But let me not belabor all this. The fact is that the Earth Car Free Day/Sustainable Transportation Forum now sits firmly on the Net and is there to speak for itself. To complete this update note, I now turn to . . . NEXT STEPS: A. IF YOU WERE INVOLVED IN AN EARTH CAR FREE DAY EVENT THIS YEAR, may we ask you for: 1. A brief description of how your project went: the good, bad and the ugly 2. Estimated number of participants and how they participated 3. Pictures, if you have them (links to them are best) 4. Any links to news articles regarding your event, or if they are not on the web then emails of these articles 5. Whether you plan to participate next year in ECFD 2002 -- which will be on Monday April 22, Earth Day B. IF NOT, BUT YOU HAVE ALREADY SIGNED IN AS "READY TO PARTICIPATE", may we ask you to have a look at your Profile, going first to the Registration Desk and from there to your city to see your entry. You will see that there is place there for you to post your ideas for future local projects and partners, as well as your suggestions for how we might do a better job of supporting future events and projects. C. IF YOU HAVE NOT YET SIGNED IN, and would now like to do so to indicate your interest in future events, we invite you to go to the Registration Desk, click the Quick Sign-In and pop in the first set of items, plus if you think it appropriate the "Ready to Participate" item on the drop down menu. D, FOR OUR PART, we intend to extend, maintain and improve this site, the database, the various communications and language tools, and to maintain this communications channel as a LOW-VOLUME information link. Ideally, the whole thing will work as a window on the world of car free and other examples of sustainable transport "pattern breaks" which you can open when and as you wish. It will be our job to make sure that it is interesting and useful when you turn to it. Over the course of the coming year we intend to mail out a short monthly progress report and update, but other than that you should be freed of unwanted mail from here. CALENDAR OF COMING EVENTS In closing we would like to invite you to keep us informed of related events over the coming year. Our Calendar of Coming Events already has two dozen national and local projects such as Walk to School Days, Free Bus Day, Cycle Weeks, Shed your Car Day, Telework Centers, Car-Free Challenge Month, Sustainable Transport Months, and the list goes on -- and we feel it will be handy to have good information on all these good events available for easy reference in one central place here. We would also like to ask you to suggest or nominate one other group or project known to you whom we should perhaps be adding here as 'part of the solution'. We heard two phrases by people working on these challenges which strike a chord for the future as far as our own work and attitude is concerned. The first was when our friends in Pune India explained to us so nicely that "we are in this for the long slog". And the second was the great expression as one participant put it so well: "With your first Earth Car Free Day, the nose of the camel is now under the tent". Yes it is. Eric Britton Earth Car Free Day is permanently at www.carfreeday.com Sustainable Development and Social Justice The Commons ___technology, economy, society ___ Le Frene, 8/10 rue Joseph Bara, 75006 Paris, France Eric.Britton@ecoplan.org Tel: +331 4326 1323