[sustran] Re: Guangzhou bans electric bicycles

[Zvi Leve]

Hello,

Just to reiterate Sujit's plea for greater emphasis on non-motorized 
modes - this extract is from a note which I sent on the side to Carlos:

For those of us concerned with 'sustainable transport', one can probably 
agree that transport alternatives should be driven by functionality: 
mobility is not about 'the ride' but rather the destination (ie the trip 
purposes). But it is clear that most "normal" people do not subscribe to 
this 'purely functional' point of view. Cars have become a consumer 
good, just like any other - in fact they are one of the largest sellers 
on EBay! Cars are status symbols. People want them, and they choose 
their car model as an expression of who they are. Why is this OK for 
cars, but not for bikes? Why is it normal that people should choose cars 
(or some other sort of motorized vehicle) as their income increases? Why 
is a luxury car for transport but a luxury bike is not?

Zvi

ps. Sujit, you express yourself extremely well in english!

Sujit Patwardhan wrote:
> ....
> .
> We need to make cycling not just acceptable but also give it a high 
> social status for being a non-polluting, energy efficient and 
> sustainable mode of transport. Electric bikes are certainly far better 
> in this respect than cars or even motorcycles/scooters.
>
> --
> Sujit
>