From sutp at sutp.org Wed Jul 1 12:26:14 2009 From: sutp at sutp.org (SUTP Team) Date: Wed, 01 Jul 2009 08:56:14 +0530 Subject: [sustran] Reading List - Car Free Development Message-ID: <4A4AD756.30804@sutp.org> The idea of Car Free Development is gaining increasing attention around the globe. Designing streets for people, not just cars, is considered to be a key issue in efforts aimed at reducing car dependency and promoting low carbon mobility, such as public transport enhancement and fostering non-motorised transport. Moreover, recent concepts summarised under the term New Street Design help to reconcile traffic movement with the needs of pedestrians and the desire for attractive public spaces. This document aims at providing the reader with an overview of the latest available literature on Car Free Development and New Street Design. Moreover, it includes links to a wide range of related organisations and projects. Download: http://www.sutp.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1714&Itemid=1&lang=uk -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://list.jca.apc.org/public/sustran-discuss/attachments/20090701/3fed2c02/attachment.html From edelman at greenidea.eu Wed Jul 1 16:54:16 2009 From: edelman at greenidea.eu (Todd Edelman, Green Idea Factory) Date: Wed, 01 Jul 2009 09:54:16 +0200 Subject: [sustran] Re: Indonesia's traffic nightmare In-Reply-To: <01f601c9f8ba$9bb5acb0$d3210610$@britton@ecoplan.org> References: <01f601c9f8ba$9bb5acb0$d3210610$@britton@ecoplan.org> Message-ID: <4A4B1628.4090407@greenidea.eu> Regarding Toyota, how more sure do we need to be? They are in the no. 1 sales position, traffic in Jakarta is particularly anti-human, manufacturers and their lobby are pressuring for more automobile-oriented infrastructure and rules... sounds like 100% or more. Toyota's business - aside from commercial and PT vehicles - is probably 99.5% supporting Old Mobility (I know that some Priuses, etc. are used for carshare). If the automobile manufacturers present us with a 10- or even 20-year plan to sustainably downsize to the point where they are only producing new automobiles for carshare, taxis and rural use, plus parts for long-term upkeep of existing vehicles... I will buy shares in Toyota and its competitors. - T Eric Britton wrote: > > This is the kind of item in which I believe it is very very important > to be 100% sure that one has all the facts straight. > > > > Eric Britton > > > > | Editor | World Streets > | The New Mobility Agenda > | Paris | +331 4326 1323 | Skype > newmobility > > > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ > > -------------------------------------------------------- > To search the archives of sustran-discuss visit > http://www.google.com/coop/cse?cx=014715651517519735401:ijjtzwbu_ss > > -------------------------------------------------------- > If you get sustran-discuss via YAHOOGROUPS, please go to http://list.jca.apc.org/manage/listinfo/sustran-discuss to join the real sustran-discuss and get full membership rights. > > ================================================================ > SUSTRAN-DISCUSS is a forum devoted to discussion of people-centred, equitable and sustainable transport with a focus on developing countries (the 'Global South'). -- -------------------------------------------- Todd Edelman Green Idea Factory Urbanstr. 45 D-10967 Berlin Germany Skype: toddedelman Mobile: ++49 0162 814 4081 Home/Office: ++49 030 7554 0001 edelman@greenidea.eu www.greenidea.eu www.facebook.com/toddedelman www.flickr.com/photos/edelman CAR is over. If you want it. "Fort mit der Autostadt und was Neues hingebaut!" - B. Brecht (with slight modification) -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://list.jca.apc.org/public/sustran-discuss/attachments/20090701/33cef6fb/attachment.html From eric.britton at ecoplan.org Wed Jul 1 18:45:08 2009 From: eric.britton at ecoplan.org (Eric Britton) Date: Wed, 1 Jul 2009 11:45:08 +0200 Subject: [sustran] FW: [World Streets discussion] [World Streets] July is World Carshare month on World Streets Message-ID: <019a01c9fa30$a1180550$e3480ff0$@britton@ecoplan.org> July is World Carshare month on World Streets. What exactly does that mean and what might it mean for all of us here? In truth we have no clear idea at this point as to how this is going to play out, other than to use this great new medium that is World Streets in collaboration with the World Carshare Consortium of the New Mobility Agenda which has been looking into this issues in a collaborative international expert forum since 1997. Let's see what happens when we put two good sustainability tools together. Carsharing: the missing link in your city's sustainable transport system The World Carshare Consortium is a free, cooperative, independent, international communications program supports carsharing projects and programs, worldwide. Since 1997 it offers a convenient place on the web to gather and share information and independent views on projects and approaches, past, present and planned future, freely and easily available to all comers. Today it serves as an information and exchange point for some 460 members coming if form more than thirty countries. Why does the New Mobility Agenda support a concept that may to some appear to be so off-beat and marginal as carsharing? Simple! We think it's a great, sustainable, practical mobility idea whose time has come and whose potential impact is quite simply huge. Carsharing: the missing link in your city's sustainable transport system. But carsharing is not yet a universal phenomenon as it should be. It is our firm belief that these is not one city, note one community even on this planet that should not be taking a careful look at carsharing. A better way to get around. The following map showing people who came into the Consortium website this morning illustrates both the accomplishment and the challenge . . . we now have to get together to fill in all those empty white swaths. Let's see if we can now put World Streets and others to this great and worthy task. July - Carsharing Month on World Streets Our goal for the month is to see if we can encourage and publish at least two or three good articles each week over the month, and quite possibly if we are lucky one a day. After all the world has lots of carsharing in its future and if we can't help the world to understand that, well we are not doing our job. Now we are counting on you to join in on this. So start to think about your contribution. Bear in mind that our readers come from many different places and while they are undeniably sharp when it comes to matters of sustainable transport, their knowledge of carsharing will often be a bit patchy. Here are some of the kinds themes we would like to see addressed over the month. ? Outstanding public sector programs, research, etc. that are showing the way ? Cities that understand and are giving strong examples ? What can national programs, agencies do to support and speed the penetration of good carshare projects? ? Ideas for smaller community and even rural carsharing ? Carsharing in Global South cities ? What?s going on in Japan? ? How come no carsharing in China, India and South East Asia? (And when do we start?) ? The sociology of carsharing ? Who carshares? ? Carsharing on university and business campuses ? Combining carsharing and ride sharing ? iPhone et al one-click access to carshare use ? Does the future belong to Zip, Hertz, Avis, etc.? ? Coming carshare events where they can come and learn for themselves ? What about a list of outstanding carshare consultants available to work with you ? And update our World Carshare supplier list as well ? Outstanding reports and publications (critically presented of course). ? Bad News Department: I am sure you will have some candidates there ? Personal essay on experience with carsharing ? learning, adaptation ? Videos The idea is that after a month of total emersion (well almost) in a swirling sea of world carsharing, our readers are going to come away with a pretty sophisticated understanding of how this works and can work in their cities (and in their own lives) So pitch in, do your bit, and reap the benefits of open teamwork. Eric Britton, Editor -- Posted By Eric Britton to World Streets at 7/01/2009 11:28:00 AM -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://list.jca.apc.org/public/sustran-discuss/attachments/20090701/76501ed3/attachment.html From edelman at greenidea.eu Wed Jul 1 19:05:12 2009 From: edelman at greenidea.eu (Todd Edelman, Green Idea Factory) Date: Wed, 01 Jul 2009 12:05:12 +0200 Subject: [sustran] Bamboo bikes on BBC Message-ID: <4A4B34D8.9040700@greenidea.eu> From bush to bike - a bamboo revolution By Kieron Humphrey Lusaka * On the outskirts of Lusaka, Zambia, next year's crop of bicycles is being watered by Benjamin Banda. * "We planted this bamboo last year," he says, "and now the stems are taller than me. When it's ready we'll cut it, cure it and then turn it into frames." Mr Banda, is the caretaker for Zambikes, a company set up by two Californians and two Zambians which aimed to build bikes tough enough to handle the local terrain. Co-founder Vaughn Spethmann, 24, recalls how it all started with a game of football. "We were here on a university field trip and we organized a match against some locals. Afterwards we asked them what they did, and they said: 'Nothing'. They didn't have jobs. "So we decided to come up with a business which would be a source of employment and provide a useful product." That product was the rugged, bright yellow Zambike, assembled at the firm's smart red-brick workshop set in sun-browned farmland. Other projects followed as the mechanics' skills improved: a sturdy cargo bike, a bike trailer and a bike-drawn "zambulance", now in use at 10 clinics around Lusaka. * Good vibrations * Meanwhile Santa Cruz-based bike designer Craig Calfee was experimenting with bamboo as a material for bike frames. His prototypes proved that the strength and lightness of the plant made it a great substitute for metal. As a bonus it had excellent vibration-dampening properties, making it comfortable for riding over long distances. It was eye-catching too - Mr Calfee's stand was besieged when he unveiled his first bamboo frame at a bike show. Mr Calfee hatched a plan to manufacture the frames in developing countries, distribute them in the US and share the profits. He had already set up a workshop in Accra, Ghana, and started looking for more bike producers, nicknamed "bambooseros". The industry telegraph started humming and soon he was talking to Zambikes. "We were so excited," says Mr Spethmann. "The thought of Zambian-made products being sold in the USA. That just doesn't happen." There are many reasons why it's so unusual: capital is difficult to raise in Zambia; tools and raw materials - if available - are expensive; skilled labour is in short supply; and bureaucracy isn't. In this context having a low-cost raw material on the doorstep is a godsend. "And of course there's very little impact on the environment," says Dustin McBride, the other American on the Zambikes management team. * Growth market * Inside the workshop, bike mechanic Elastus Lemba is setting up treated bamboo pieces on a jig made from plumber's pipes and bicycle parts. It looks low-tech, but that's intentional. Mr Calfee wanted a production process that did not require sophisticated machinery. With wood glue holding the frame in place, Mr Lemba binds the joints using sisal - tough cord made from plant fibre soaked in epoxy. Hand-making the frames in this way takes at least a week. After a final sanding and coat of varnish, each batch of bamboosero bikes will be shipped to the USA, tested, fitted with wheels, pedals, handlebars and brakes, and put on sale. So will the bike be a success? Mr Calfee thinks so, based on all the enquiries and advance orders he has received. "Hundreds of people have asked when they can buy one. From a bike messenger who wants an affordable fixie to a wealthy collector who wants one from each bamboosero location." " * It was never just about bikes. We want to change lives * " Mwewa Chikamba, Zambikes co-founder He is convinced the price tag - $475 (?290) for road or mountain bike frames, and more than $900 (?550) for a finished bike - won't put people off. "The only criticism I've had is that they might be too cheap. "After all, buyers are helping to get self-sustaining businesses off the ground in developing economies, and they're getting a unique bike into the bargain." The mood is optimistic at Zambikes too. Operations co-ordinator Divilance Machilika, watches company cook Fabian Mumba taking a finished bamboo bike for a spin around the yard. "I can see these selling well in America. They'll like them because they're natural," he says. Mr Machilika lived in a tent on the site for a year while the workshop was being built. A quick learner, he soon mastered construction skills and bike mechanics. Now he oversees day-to-day running of the workshop. * Benefit to the community * One of the founders, Mwewa Chikamba, says Mr Machilika is an example of what Zambikes wanted to achieve. "It was never just about bikes. We wanted to give our workers practical skills and reward their dedication. We want to change lives," he says. Assistance is also offered in the form of business coaching or discretionary loans - Mr Machilika used one such loan to buy a plot of land. "I want to build three houses there. I'll use the rent money to start other businesses and employ people myself." Instead of charging interest, Zambikes asks staff to demonstrate that the investment made in them is benefiting their community. Perseverance and an innovative approach to product design and working practices have helped Zambikes put down strong roots. But in a business environment that leaves much to be desired, it is no surprise that they have not yet seen a profit. If the bamboo bike shoots out of the shops as fast as Mr Calfee predicts, that may be about to change too. -- -------------------------------------------- Todd Edelman Green Idea Factory Urbanstr. 45 D-10967 Berlin Germany Skype: toddedelman Mobile: ++49 0162 814 4081 Home/Office: ++49 030 7554 0001 edelman@greenidea.eu www.greenidea.eu www.facebook.com/toddedelman www.flickr.com/photos/edelman CAR is over. If you want it. "Fort mit der Autostadt und was Neues hingebaut!" - B. Brecht (with slight modification) -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://list.jca.apc.org/public/sustran-discuss/attachments/20090701/f57529e1/attachment.html From litman at vtpi.org Thu Jul 2 12:26:06 2009 From: litman at vtpi.org (Todd Alexander Litman) Date: Wed, 01 Jul 2009 20:26:06 -0700 Subject: [sustran] VTPI News - Summer 2009 Message-ID: <20090702033416.3C8192C42B@mx-list.jca.ne.jp> ----------- VTPI NEWS ----------- Victoria Transport Policy Institute "Efficiency - Equity - Clarity" ------------------------------------- Summer 2009 Vol. 12, No. 3 ----------------------------------- The Victoria Transport Policy Institute is an independent research organization dedicated to developing innovative solutions to transportation problems. The VTPI website (http://www.vtpi.org ) has many resources addressing a wide range of transport planning and policy issues. VTPI also provides consulting services. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ NEW DOCUMENTS ============== "Are Vehicle Travel Reduction Targets Justified? Evaluating Mobility Management Objectives Such As Targets To Reduce VMT And Increase Use Of Alternative Modes" (http://www.vtpi.org/vmt_red.pdf ) This report investigates whether transportation policies should include mobility management objectives, such as targets to reduce vehicle travel and encourage use of alternative modes. Such objectives are justified on several grounds. Mobility management can provide many benefits, and specific policy objectives provide guidance for strategic planning. Many mobility management strategies are market and planning reforms that increase transport system efficiency and equity. Mobility management objectives help shift planning practices to better prepare for future demands. Mobility management criticism tends to reflect an older, automobile-oriented transportation planning paradigm which considers a limited range of objectives, impacts and options. More comprehensive analysis tends to favor mobility management. 2009 Transit Performance Spreadsheet (http://www.vtpi.org/Transit2009.xls ) This spreadsheet contains a wealth of transportation system performance data for U.S. cities, and a variety of analysis concerning the relationships between public transportation travel and outcomes such as vehicle travel, mode split, congestion delays, traffic fatalities, and consumer transportation expenditures. * * * * * UPDATED REPORTS ======================== We recently updated the following reports. "Safe Travels: Evaluating Mobility Management Traffic Safety Impacts" (http://www.vtpi.org/safetrav.pdf ) "Transportation Elasticities: How Prices and Other Factors Affect Travel Behavior" (http://www.vtpi.org/elasticities.pdf ) "Economic Value of Walkability" (http://www.vtpi.org/walkability.pdf ) "Evaluating Transportation Land Use Impacts" (http://www.vtpi.org/landuse.pdf ) * * * * * PUBLISHED ELSEWHERE =================== "Parking Management Best Practices: Making Efficient Use Of Parking Resources" Zoning Practice Issue Number 6, American Planning Association (http://www.planning.org/zoningpractice ) Until recently, most planners assumed that parking should be abundant and free. This article describes how to adjust parking planning practices to take advantage of management solutions to significantly reduce the parking supply required in a particular situation and to provide other economic, social, and environmental benefits. Planetizen Blogs (http://www.planetizen.com ): "Memo From Future Self: Hope For The Best But Prepare For the Worst" (http://www.planetizen.com/node/39418 ) * * * * * BEEN THERE - DONE THAT ======================= Australia Visit During March and April Todd Litman toured five Australian cities to share information at conferences and workshops. For information see the following summary published in the Transport Research and Policy Analysis Bulletin http://www.transport.vic.gov.au/DOI/Internet/planningprojects.nsf/AllDocs/3F5841926D27D774CA25740A007C3193?OpenDocument#todd * * * * * UPCOMING EVENTS ================= Transportation Research Board Joint Summer Conference (http://guest.cvent.com/EVENTS/Info/Summary.aspx?e=ed57e411-12a8-456d-bfba-8f8b3b33b851 ), July 19-22, 2009, Seattle, Washington. VTPI will join more than 300 transportation professionals representing more than 30 TRB committees at this mid-year conference. Todd Litman will present a paper, "Performance Indicators On The Path To Sustainability" at the international conference, "Toward Transport System for Green Growth in the North Pacific" in Honolulu, Hawaii, August 13-14, sponsored by the East-West Center (http://www.eastwestcenter.org ) and the Korean Transport Institute (http://english.koti.re.kr ). This visit may include a public workshop on sustainable transportation planning in Honolulu on August 12 (please contact us if you may be interested). Todd Litman will present research, "Transportation and Health: The Evidence and the opportunities" at the American Public Health Association 137th Annual Meeting, session 5097.0, Wednesday, November 11, 2009 at 10:30 AM, in Philadelphia, PA. For more information see http://apha.confex.com/apha/137am/webprogram/Session27792.html. * * * * * USEFUL RESOURCES ================= Reid Ewing and Eric Dumbaugh (2009), ?The Built Environment and Traffic Safety: A Review of Empirical Evidence,? Journal of Planning Literature, Vol. 23 No. 4, May 2009, pp. 347-367; at http://jpl.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/23/4/347. The article reaches two conclusions counter to accepted transportation engineering theory. First, the traffic environments of dense urban areas appear to be safer than the lower-volume environments of the suburbs. The reason is that many fewer miles are driven on a per capita basis, and the driving that is done is at lower speeds that are less likely to produce fatal crashes. Second, at least in dense urban areas, less-?forgiving? design treatments?such as narrow lanes, traffic-calming measures, and street trees close to the roadway?appear to enhance a roadway?s safety performance when compared to more conventional roadway designs. Plan-It Calgary (http://www.calgary.ca/planit ) is a comprehensive regional planning program that has sponsored excellent research including: "Housing Affordability and Smart Growth in Calgary" by Ray Tomalty and Murtaza Haider (http://www.calgary.ca/docgallery/BU/planning/pdf/plan_it/housing_afford_and_smarth_growth_report.pdf ). "The Built Environment and Health" by Lawrence Frank & Co (http://www.calgary.ca/docgallery/BU/planning/pdf/plan_it/health_and_wellness_reports.pdf ) "Traffic & Transportation Policies and Strategies in Urban Areas in India" (http://urbanindia.nic.in/moud/programme/ut/Traffic_transportation.pdf ). This study by Wilbur Smith developed a Transport Performance Index for evaluating urban transportation systems and prioritizing system improvements in Indian cities. It consists of the following factors: * Public Transport Accessibility Index (the inverse of the average distance (in km) to the nearest bus stop/railway station (suburban/metro). * Service Accessibility Index (% of Work trips accessible in 15 minutes time). * Congestion Index (average peak-period journey speed relative to a target journey speed). * Walkability Index (quantity and quality of walkways relative to roadway lengths). * City Bus Transport Supply Index (bus service supply per capita). * Para-Transit Supply Index (para-transit vehicle supply per capita). * Safety Index (1/traffic fatalities per 100,000 residents). * Slow Moving Vehicle (Cycling) Index (availability of cycling facilities and cycling mode share). * On-street Parking Interference Index (1/(portion of major road length used for on-street parking + on-street parking demand). "Footfalls: Obstacle Course To Livable Cities" (http://www.cseindia.org/campaign/apc/pdf/Walkability.pdf ) by the Right To Clean Air Campaign, Centre For Science And Environment This study provides Detailed analysis of walking conditions in Indian cities. This analysis indicates that walkability is overlooked and undervalued in transport planning, and that improved walkability is justified for equity and efficiency sake. It provides specific recommendations for improving walking conditions to address a variety of planning objectives. "Reclaiming City Streets For People: Chaos Or Quality Of Life?" (http://ec.europa.eu/environment/pubs/pdf/streets_people.pdf ), by the European Commission Directorate-General For The Environment. This guidebook describes why and how to reallocate urban road space to improve walking and cycling conditions, and create more livable communities. It includes recommendations for implementation, and several case studies. "Applying Health Impact Assessment To Land Transport Planning" (http://www.landtransport.govt.nz/research/reports/375.pdf ) This study, sponsored by the New Zealand Transport Agency, assesses the need for health impact assessment (HIA), in the context of the New Zealand Transport Strategy and relevant legislation, and provides recommendations for better integrating HIA into transportation planning. Sincerely, Todd Alexander Litman Victoria Transport Policy Institute (www.vtpi.org) litman@vtpi.org Phone & Fax 250-360-1560 1250 Rudlin Street, Victoria, BC, V8V 3R7, CANADA ?Efficiency - Equity - Clarity? -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://list.jca.apc.org/public/sustran-discuss/attachments/20090701/add9c241/attachment.html From edelman at greenidea.eu Fri Jul 3 15:33:55 2009 From: edelman at greenidea.eu (Todd Edelman, Green Idea Factory) Date: Fri, 03 Jul 2009 08:33:55 +0200 Subject: [sustran] Free or cheap public transport for pensioners... also in the Global South? Message-ID: <4A4DA653.6070104@greenidea.eu> http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/8131567.stm BBC NEWS Developing world faces age crisis By Mark Doyle World affairs correspondent, BBC News *New research warns of a population time bomb for developing nations as the ratio of elderly people rises faster than in the industrialised world. * A report for the French Institute for Demographic Studies says poorer states have only a short time to set up workable pension schemes. The alternative is the prospect of vast numbers of their elderly people living in poverty, the report warns. The trend has not begun in Africa's poorest states but experts say it will. It is well known that the proportion of older people is rising in richer countries, where many governments and companies are already struggling to meet pension commitments. Historic advances in medical science - such as vaccines - have been one reason, as have improvements in public hygiene, such as piped water, and the advancement of birth control methods. But the French research, by social scientist Gilles Pison, says the trend is now hitting parts of the developing world - and at a faster and gathering pace. * Gathering pace * An indicator of the speed of this "population ageing" is the time it takes for the proportion of people over a retirement age of 65 to double - from 7% of the overall population to 14%. In France this process took more than a century. In China, the world's most populous country, the process has only just begun - but is projected to take less than a quarter of that time, some 25 years. The study says economic advances that increase levels of education and global mass communications are making people change their habits far more quickly than they did in the old industrialised nations. Education levels are rising faster in much of Asia now, for example, than they did in Victorian England. * Strapped for cash * In Vietnam and Syria, the French researchers say, "population ageing" is set to rise even faster than it is now in China. The proportion of elderly in these two states is set to double over a mere 17-year period, beginning in a few years' time. People living longer sounds good - for now. But it may also mean that the governments of developing countries, already strapped for cash, have only got a few more decades of having enough people of working age, who pay taxes, to set up practical retirement finance schemes. If the French researchers are right, it means the current pension crunch in rich countries may look relatively insignificant compared with what is coming in the future for the rest of the world. Story from BBC NEWS: http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/in_depth/8131567.stm Published: 2009/07/02 19:55:39 GMT ? BBC MMIX -- -------------------------------------------- Todd Edelman Green Idea Factory Urbanstr. 45 D-10967 Berlin Germany Skype: toddedelman Mobile: ++49 0162 814 4081 Home/Office: ++49 030 7554 0001 edelman@greenidea.eu www.greenidea.eu www.facebook.com/toddedelman www.flickr.com/photos/edelman CAR is over. If you want it. "Fort mit der Autostadt und was Neues hingebaut!" - B. Brecht (with slight modification) -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://list.jca.apc.org/public/sustran-discuss/attachments/20090703/a94434f4/attachment.html -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: news_logo.gif Type: image/gif Size: 1123 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://list.jca.apc.org/public/sustran-discuss/attachments/20090703/a94434f4/news_logo.gif From yanivbin at gmail.com Sat Jul 4 03:49:52 2009 From: yanivbin at gmail.com (Vinay Baindur) Date: Sat, 4 Jul 2009 00:19:52 +0530 Subject: [sustran] More BRT corridors, more buses Message-ID: <86b8a7050907031149o54d940e8s3ed023671ebdb8e@mail.gmail.com> *Date:03/07/2009* *URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2009/07/03/stories/2009070357710400.htm* ------------------------------ New Delhi * More BRT corridors, more buses * Gaurav Vivek Bhatnagar * Public transport initiative reviewed by Court-appointed panel and Delhi Govt. * ------------------------------ * More buses to be inducted under the cluster scheme Eurto-4 compliant diesel in Delhi by 2010 * ------------------------------ NEW DELHI: The public transport initiative in the Capital was reviewed at a meeting between the Supreme Court-appointed Environment Pollution Control Authority panel head Bhure Lal and member Sunita Narain and Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, Transport Minister Arvinder Singh Lovely and senior officials here on Thursday. It was announced at the meeting that a study on the proposed second Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) corridor from Karawal Nagar to the Commonwealth Games Village would be completed by September and tenders would be floated thereafter. Also, the meeting was informed that the second phase of the first BRT corridor that connected Ambedkar Nagar to the north of Delhi would become operational by August. It has also been decided that an automatic fare collection system and global positioning system would be installed in all the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) buses for better time and route management. The meeting was informed that the DTC intends to increase its own strength to about 6,500 buses but the biggest bottleneck coming in the way was the inability of big suppliers like Tata and Ashok Leyland to supply so many low-floor buses on time. While Mr. Bhure Lal is understood to have stated that he would take up the matter with these companies, sources said since a decision has now been taken to have semi-low-floor buses in the fleet as well, this supply constraint had been reduced to a great extend. Simultaneously, the Delhi Government is now moving fast on the process of allowing private operators to run a clusters of buses. The first person to bag the tender has submitted a bank guarantee and is expected to get in 250 buses in a few months. The remaining 17 clusters would be re-tendered and now the operators would be allowed 50 per cent low-floor and 50 per cent semi-low-floor buses. This process is likely to be completed by September and about 4,500 buses are expected to come through this route. So in all, as against the requirement of about 9,000 buses, Delhi would have about 11,000 buses in a couple of years. Sources said these private operators would get the buses on their own and are expected to look at options from other countries like China as well. The EPCA members were also keen that a public transport fund be created under which private car owners and other road users should be taxed for subsidising and funding public transport in Delhi. Such a system is already in place in Surat and is part of the conditions stipulated under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission. The meeting was also informed by Mr. Bhure Lal that Euro 4-compliant diesel with only 50 parts per million of sulphur would be made available in Delhi from April 1, 2010. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://list.jca.apc.org/public/sustran-discuss/attachments/20090704/641e8b48/attachment.html From secretariat at transed2010.hk Fri Jul 3 19:10:58 2009 From: secretariat at transed2010.hk (secretariat) Date: Fri, 03 Jul 2009 10:10:58 GMT Subject: [sustran] TRANSED 2010 First Announcement & Call for Abstracts Message-ID: <20090703181008.SM03980@[192.168.168.67]> Dear Friends,Hong Kong is proud to present the ?12th International Conference on Mobility and Transport for Elderly and Disabled Persons (TRANSED 2010)?, 2 to 4 June 2010. This event is hosted by The Hong Kong Society for Rehabilitation and co-sponsored by the U.S. Transportation Research Board.Please find the attached TRANSED 2010 First Announcement and Call for Abstracts for your information.It will be much appreciated if you could kindly forward this message and disseminate the First Announcement and Call for Abstracts to your friends and colleagues, as well as to?those?people who may be interested to?attend and/or make submission of an abstract to the?captioned Conference. Meanwhile, should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact our Conference Organizer:Ms Veronica Cheng or Ms Rachel LeePC Tours and Travel302 Tower A, New MandarinPlaza14 Science Museum Road, Tsimshatsui EastKowloon, Hong KongTel: (852) 2734 3315 or (852) 2734 3317Email: transed2010@rehabsociety.org.hkThe Call of Abstracts for Papers and Posters has now been extended to August 31, 2009.For further update on TRANSED 2010, please visit our conference website: http://www.transed2010.hk/.Look forward to seeing all in Hong Kong in June 2010.Yours sincerely,Benny CheungChairmanInternational Steering CommitteeTRANSED 2010 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://list.jca.apc.org/public/sustran-discuss/attachments/20090703/5921522d/attachment-0001.html -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... 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Name: Transed 2010 leaflet 060609.pdf Type: application/octet-stream Size: 207680 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://list.jca.apc.org/public/sustran-discuss/attachments/20090703/5921522d/Transed2010leaflet060609-0001.bin From edelman at greenidea.eu Sat Jul 4 15:41:51 2009 From: edelman at greenidea.eu (Todd Edelman, Green Idea Factory) Date: Sat, 04 Jul 2009 08:41:51 +0200 Subject: [sustran] Japan rethinks silent hybrid cars Message-ID: <4A4EF9AF.8040909@greenidea.eu> (Sustran readers: Forgive this posting about hybrids, I am posting this because of the comments from Toyota, in relation to Jakarta where Toyota is king and disabled people have to carry signs and dont have accessibility-infrastructure... this is already a social concern) - T *** BBC NEWS * Japan rethinks silent hybrid cars* *Japan is considering the introduction of noise-making devices for near-silent hybrid cars following safety fears from vision-impaired pedestrians. * "Vision-impaired people feel that hybrid vehicles are dangerous", a transport ministry official told AFP. The top-selling hybrid vehicles run almost without any sound when they change from fuel to battery mode. The ministry of transport has brought together a panel that will draw up a report by the end of the year. The panel is considering forcing manufacturers of hybrid cars to introduce a sound-making function that alerts passersby to the presence of a vehicle. "Blind people depend on sounds when they walk, but there are no engine sounds from hybrid vehicles when running at low speed," the transport ministry official said. The world's most popular hybrid, the Prius, was launched by Toyota in 1997. Paul Nolasco, a spokesman for Toyota Motor in Tokyo, told the BBC it had no immediate plans to add noise-making devices to the hybrid vehicles. "But if it becomes a social concern, it is something we will have to address", Mr Nolasco added. Story from BBC NEWS: http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/asia-pacific/8132548.stm Published: 2009/07/03 11:01:56 GMT ? BBC MMIX -- -------------------------------------------- Todd Edelman Green Idea Factory Urbanstr. 45 D-10967 Berlin Germany Skype: toddedelman Mobile: ++49 0162 814 4081 Home/Office: ++49 030 7554 0001 edelman@greenidea.eu www.greenidea.eu www.facebook.com/toddedelman www.flickr.com/photos/edelman CAR is over. If you want it. "Fort mit der Autostadt und was Neues hingebaut!" - B. Brecht (with slight modification) -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://list.jca.apc.org/public/sustran-discuss/attachments/20090704/c851f0df/attachment.html -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: news_logo.gif Type: image/gif Size: 1123 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://list.jca.apc.org/public/sustran-discuss/attachments/20090704/c851f0df/news_logo.gif From paulbarter at nus.edu.sg Sun Jul 5 18:18:06 2009 From: paulbarter at nus.edu.sg (Paul Barter) Date: Sun, 5 Jul 2009 17:18:06 +0800 Subject: [sustran] fwd: Lagos LRT plans Message-ID: An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://list.jca.apc.org/public/sustran-discuss/attachments/20090705/5d7d7983/attachment.html From eric.britton at ecoplan.org Wed Jul 8 17:31:45 2009 From: eric.britton at ecoplan.org (Eric Britton) Date: Wed, 8 Jul 2009 10:31:45 +0200 Subject: [sustran] [World Streets] Subscribe, support, get involved Message-ID: <01f401c9ffa6$890e4e80$9b2aeb80$@britton@ecoplan.org> [From World Streets today. Click here for article: http://tinyurl.com/ws-subscribe ] World Streets: Subscribe, support, get involved Passion is great; financial support makes the passion available for the long term. After four months of proving its worth day after day, bringing carefully selected news, expert views, comments and leads to more than forty-five thousand visitors from more than forty countries on all continents, World Streets is reaching out to get active subscriber support. The tough reality is that we will be unable to continue publication unless we have your support. So it's time for you to subscribe, support, get involved * Context: But first, if you have not yet got to this, click here to read the letters of support coming in from one hundred Principal Voices of sustainable transportation worldwide. 1. Subscribe to World Streets Annual subscription is 29 Euros ($39.00 if you prefer) -- the same price by the way as for a subscription to V?lib's great and otherwise free share bike service. This strikes us as a good model, since like V?lib once you have signed up the rest is free. First class sustainable mobility for all. Help yourself. And help the world. Subscribers have full access to all sections of the site, and as well receive the monthly summary report. You also for your money get a guided tour to V?lib, Mobilien (BRT), "breathing streets", our "political tramway" and the other remarkable highlights of the ongoing process of sustainable transport innovation in Paris when your travels bring you here. Also, we are here to answer your questions and review eventual problems or projects with you by email or Skype. It is very much an active subscription. How to subscribe: ? * So please, if you can possibly afford it, get out your virtual check book and click here for step by step help for payment by credit card, PayPal, bank transfer or check. * 2. But what happens if you cannot afford to subscribe? We are well aware that a number of our readers, particularly those in the poorer developing countries and unfunded local environment and transport groups, cannot afford even such a small amount. To you we have three messages of solidarity. First, please do continue to come into World Streets and make use of the hard work of all those who are pitching in here. We need you to carry on with your work and contributions, and if we can help you in this way, so much the better. Second, we invite you to keep an eye on what is going on in your city and country, and when appropriate let us know of projects, problems, accomplishments, which will help us all to better understand the full complexity of our shared task. One excellent way to do this, is to sign in to the World Eyes on the Street network, for which full details are available if you click here . Finally, send us a simple email message telling us that you appreciate and are making use of our work. And perhaps a few suggestions and reactions for us to consider as we strike to do better. Also, if we have a large number of these messages of support, this will help in our search for longer term funding to support this work. After all, we have to be sustainable too. (Click here to add your message of support.) 3. Supporting World Streets/Sponsorship We are going to need significant financial support if World Streets is to continue. This is clear without a doubt. Despite the many volunteers pitching in with ideas, articles and encouragement, our programs are still costly to run and require an annual budget on the order of EUR 100,000 to get the job done. (There is a lot going on here, the iceberg under the tip, which is needed for the journal and which you never see, including management and oversight of all that goes into maintaining the New Mobility Agenda focus programs and sites ? see www.program.newmobility.org to get an idea on that.) This level of funding normally can come only from foundations, public agencies, or well-to-do individuals. But there is scope for smaller, more strategic donations as well, and here is maybe where you will have some ideas. Your counsel and initiative will be helpful in several ways. * By making a contribution - large or small - you are sending us a strong signal that what we are doing has value. * Your contributions will help us to fund the diversity of our existing programs at the quality level and frequency you are used to. * An active contributor base helps us equally to turn to the foundations, agencies, and individuals that can make more sizable contributions to help us make-up a budget shortfall. But there is possibly an even more important reason for you to make your voice heard in this way. World Streets and the New Mobility Agenda are voices of the sustainable cities movement that have an international role and high visibility, including in your country and city. If you can help register strong votes of support for these new approaches in this way (and we are talking about the smallest symbolic contribution that technology permits), this message is going to have even stronger international impact. Some of you have asked how much to give. The possible range, a range that is useful for us, is in fact enormous. If you are a student or struggling to make ends meet in a poor city or country, even one dollar would be loaded with significance. Please don't be embarrassed or shy. It is a wonderful way to join in. Your small contribution carries a very big message. The annual subscription cost of course is ? 29/US$ 39 ? that's a module to consider. And if your circumstances permit you to easily double or more that, then this is really starting to help. Looking at it from the other end, our daily costs run on the order of $500.00 Which quickly adds up to a couple of thousand dollars a week, four times that for the month, and for the year . . . well you already have that figure. Those are modules that some of you at least may wish to consider if your resources permit. 4. What about viral fund raising? If Obama could do this so successfully, what should keep a worthy collaborate project like World Streets, and smart people like us, from stealing a page from his book? Now, I have no idea how that works, but the idea of having someone who deeply shares our concerns and values step forward to take the lead and then go out on their own to develop contributions from friends, family, colleagues and neighbors for the good cause, well that sounds like a do-able idea to me. So if you have thoughts on this, please do get in touch. I am sure there has to be something there. Curious to know more about your company on Streets? * Click here to read what more than 80 of your international colleagues have to say about World Streets. 5. Other forms of support: If you are able to offer technical help or tools, editorial or reporting services, media or communications support, or wish to get involved in the outreach projects, please get in touch. There is a lot of work involved in making this a world level contribution to sustainable development and social justice. Also you may wish to check here to have an idea of work in progress and areas in which help is needed. Fees: Several friends have asked why we do not simply charge for the information and services our various New Mobility programs render. Our answer to that is simple. Since we started these collaborative networking projects, starting in 1988, we decided that everything that comes out of this collaborative work should be entirely free. Sustainable development is a huge challenge which requires that many people get involved with as few barriers as possible. We wish to remain faithful to this principle of open access. Advertising: Others have made the good suggestion that we should develop additional revenues in support of the sites by bringing in advertising. In a world of ubiquitous, unrelenting advertising for stuff, we wish to keep these programs not just free, but free from commercial messages. (Not only that they distract and take up valuable screen real estate which we need too badly to stay on message; so we can't give it away.) With your help and support, and that of like-minded individuals, we will remain faithful to these principles and continue to offer quality programs that will help ensure the sustainability of our cities and lives. Eyes on the Street: : But there is more to this than money. What about pitching in and join our World Eyes on the Street Observatory?. No obligation, no time required (and no pay), but we do want you to at least be looking and thinking about it. More on Eyes at http://newmobilityagenda.blogspot.com/2009/03/world-streets-correspondents.html (And not only that, the company is terrific.) ? 6. And finally our many thanks to the first group of you who have already pitched in and helped us get this far. (Is your name there?) As per 7 July: Over these first four months we have received paid in subscriptions and other support from a first group of thirty eight of our international colleagues. Is your name on this list: Albert Hahn, Igor Abreu, Michael Alba, France B, Boris Berenfeld, Benoit Beroud, Dirk Bogaert, Anzir Boodoo, Mark Braund, Tim Caswell, Roy Chase, Philippe Crist, Allen Damon, Peter Ekenger, Mariella Giannetti, David Greenstein, Per-Homann Jespersen, Joao Lacerda, Nicolas le-Douarec, Zvi Leve, Jerry McIntire, Mikel Murga, Carlos Felipe Pardo, Sujit Patwardhan, Richard Peace, Stephen Plowden, Karl-Heinz Posch, Alon Rozen, Roy Russel, Lee Schipper, J-Baptiste Schmider, Ruediger Six, April Streeter, Christopher Sumpton, Matthew Thyer, Dirk van Dijl, Lewis Wolman, Susan Zielinski, Wolfgang Zuckermann This is very heartwarming and while it covers only a small part of what we need to be able to continue publication, is extremely encouraging. So from the bottom of my heart, thank you for showing your support and solidarity. For the rest, thank you in advance for your contributions, counsel and support. Believe me, we couldn't do this without you! Eric Britton Editor, World Streets On the morning of 6 July 2009, who dropped into World Streets to pick up a free copy of our beleaguered planet's only sustainable transportation daily? Check it out. -- Posted By Eric Britton to World Streets at 7/07/2009 07:54:00 PM __._,_.___ __,_._,___ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://list.jca.apc.org/public/sustran-discuss/attachments/20090708/d164d00b/attachment.html From eric.britton at ecoplan.org Sat Jul 11 16:15:19 2009 From: eric.britton at ecoplan.org (Eric Britton) Date: Sat, 11 Jul 2009 09:15:19 +0200 Subject: [sustran] "The only good green vehicle is a shared green vehicle" Message-ID: <019501ca01f7$5c23f250$146bd6f0$@britton@ecoplan.org> The following is an interesting exchange about "green automotive technologies", which we draw to your attention in reverse order for reasons you will see here. The first piece (printed second here) is an article under the title " Zipcar Launches All-Electric Car-Share Scheme" which appeared yesterday 10 July in "gas2.0 biofuels, oil, a revolution". Looks to me like a basic cut and paste of a new releases by Zipcar. (Fair enough!) The second piece, a commentary to that article by our old friends over at City CarShare in San Francisco (Hey, we love Zipcar too!) is more interesting in that it provides broader context on "green vehicles" ("The only good green vehicle is a shared green vehicle") For that reason we print it first. (Thanks City CarShare, if you recall it was seven long years ago that my follow jurors and I chose you as one of three co-winners of the top award of the Stockholm Partnerships for Sustainable Cities" Clearly we did not make a mistake back then, and how great to have you still out there and doing your bit for our planet.) Source: http://gas2.org/category/cars/electric-cars-evs/ ( It is instructive to work ones way down the chain behind www.gas2.org. True to their title: EVs and alternative fuels are up at the top of their list. Fair enough!) Eric Britton PS. "The only good green vehicle is a shared green vehicle" is a phrase that was, to the best of my memory, first uttered by John Wayne in his immortal environmental film The Green Berets (1968). What is generally forgotten was that his full phrase was "The only good green vehicle is a shared green vehicle. And a horse." Funny the way that we tend to truncate complexity. PPS. July is carsharing month on World Streets. Have you made your contribution yet? We are waiting for you (and Big John is too.) Anita said on July 10th, 2009 at 10:48 pm City CarShare, a San Francisco nonprofit car sharing organization, is pleased to see that Zipcar is integrating more fuel-efficient cars into its fleet. There are a few inaccuracies in the article, however, which we feel compelled to highlight. For example, this article is incorrect in stating that Zipcar was the first to introduce a hybrid into a car share fleet. City CarShare, a leader in introducing green vehicles, introduced hybrids into our fleet in early 2002. We also had eight Ford Think electric vehicles in our fleet in 2002, which were recalled along with all of the Ford Think EVs (we also experienced charging issues described in the article). This year we introduced two hybrid plug-in vehicles - we can't claim to be the first, however, since Autoshare (Toronto) and HourCar (Minneapolis) were first in North America. While increasing the number of hybrids that Zipcar has in its worldwide fleet is commendable, we hope to see Zipcar continue to increase the percentage of hybrids in its fleet and, for that matter, to include only fuel-efficient and top-rated low-emission vehicles. For City CarShare, and many other independent car share providers, our vehicles are at the top of their class for fuel-efficiency and low emissions, with hybrids comprising over 1/3 of our fleet and growing. As Zipcar provides more eco-sensitive cars - and we hope to see this trend continue - we also encourage them to promote 'less driving' by their members, in contrast to their current advertising campaign, which promotes driving as much as you want as long as you return the car. If pursued, these efforts would lead to fewer miles of travel for their customers, reducing total emissions and congestion in the areas they operate. Finally, for those interested, there are approximately 30 independent car share providers in North America, working in their communities to reduce car ownership and driving. Many have contributed to, and adhere to, the Car Share Industry Code of Ethics, which can be found at http://www.carsharingindustry.org Zipcar Launches All-Electric Car-Share Scheme By Andrew Williams . Source: http://gas2.org/category/cars/electric-cars-evs/ US-based car-share giant Zipcar Inc. has launched its first ever Electric Vehicle Pod , featuring an all-electric Citroen C1 and a Plug-In Toyota Prius. The vehicles, among the most efficient and technologically advanced on the road today, can be hired by the hour for a fraction of the cost of owning one. The company figures that EVs are ideally suited for early, large-scale use in Zipcar's car sharing platform since the average Zipcar trip lasts just under four hours and less than 25 miles, well within the range of a typical EV. * > See also: Seattle will be the Leader in Clean Energy and Electric Vehicles * > Get Gas 2.0 by RSS or sign up by email. In a press release last weekend, Scott Griffith, Chairman and CEO of the company, the world's largest car-sharing scheme said: "Since early in this decade, Zipcar has been integrating alternative vehicles into the fleet - giving our members the opportunity to push the envelope and evaluate a range of advanced-vehicle technologies. Our proprietary car sharing technology platform allows us to manage a variety of cutting-edge vehicles, serving hundreds of thousands of Zipsters who benefit from convenience, cost savings and a commitment to reducing carbon emissions." Zipcar was an early adopter of alternative fuel technologies, and in 2003 became the first car sharing company to offer hybrids to its members. The following year, they teamed up with Toyota to offer all-electric RAV 4's. In the last five years, Zipcar has added a respectable 1,000 hybrids to the fleet, more than any other car-sharing company, and estimates more than 100,000 unique members have driven an EV or hybrid. With all good wishes, Eric Britton | Editor | World Streets | The New Mobility Agenda | Paris | +331 4326 1323 | Skype newmobility -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://list.jca.apc.org/public/sustran-discuss/attachments/20090711/a80de204/attachment.html -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: image/png Size: 63214 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://list.jca.apc.org/public/sustran-discuss/attachments/20090711/a80de204/attachment.png -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: image/jpeg Size: 2580 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://list.jca.apc.org/public/sustran-discuss/attachments/20090711/a80de204/attachment.jpe From sudhir at cai-asia.org Sun Jul 12 10:03:14 2009 From: sudhir at cai-asia.org (Sudhir) Date: Sun, 12 Jul 2009 09:03:14 +0800 Subject: [sustran] 9% of people would be riding bikes or walking more often Message-ID: Have a look at this http://www.synovate.com/insights/infact/issues/200906/ please note ( even with limited small sample) - small % of people plan to use public transport more and more importantly* *only 9% of people would be riding bikes or walking more often!!! Overall, 14% of respondents across the 18 markets say they will use public transport more often in the coming year. The highest level of agreement was China at 39%. Kelvin Gin says Chinese people are definitely curtailing spending but we also need to remember that not that many people own cars yet in China. "Even though this is an urban sample (so potentially more car owners) and China is arguably the world's top car market, you still have well over a billion people here who do not own a vehicle. They have to get to places somehow so public transport is always in demand in Chinese cities. The Government is improving public infrastructure all the time too." There was also a high response in Korea where a third of respondents said they will use more public transport and ByeongHwan Je puts this down to simple economics. "Korea imports 100% of its petroleum and gas from other nations and is therefore very price-sensitive. Even though fuel prices are down from last year, fuel for personal vehicles is still quite a luxury. The Government also actively pushes the use of public transport." Only 2% of American respondents say they will use more public transport in the next 12 months. The survey also asked if people would be riding bikes or walking more often and an overall 9% agreed that they would. The highest results were Korea at 20%, Germany at 17%, China at 16% and Japan at 15%. Shinya Goto, Head of Synovate Japan's Motoresearch team says that multiple factors are at work. "Public transport, walking and bike riding are no doubt more popular in all these markets for similar reasons... the environment, exercise and economics. But in the case of Japan there is another important factor at work, one that has implications for the auto industry. "The younger generation is moving away from personal transport. From the late teens to around 30, we see much less inclination to own a vehicle. These young people are environmentally aware and would rather spend their money on mobiles and clothes, taking public transport and creating a 'cocoon' with their mobiles or iPods. This is a real change from other generations." CEO of Synovate Motoresearch, Scott Miller, says this trend will move beyond Japan. "Two car households will become one car households. More and more, owning a car may not be viewed as that responsible. "Smart car makers are already working to find types of vehicles and performance characteristics that will not make people feel responsible for environmental damage; and working to stop the reputation that cars are bad for the world. "So it's not all doom and gloom - not by a long shot. Quite simply, cars are freedom... and people value freedom above most other things. If they continue to enjoy guilt-free freedom, the car will stay a large part of daily lives for many people." -- Sudhir Gota Transport Specialist CAI-Asia Center Unit 3510, 35th Floor, Robinsons-Equitable Tower, ADB Avenue, Ortigas Center, Pasig City Metro Manila, Philippines 1605 Tel: +63-2-395-2843 Fax: +63-2-395-2846 http://www.cleanairnet.org/caiasia Skype : sudhirgota -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://list.jca.apc.org/public/sustran-discuss/attachments/20090712/1560bd3f/attachment.html From eric.britton at ecoplan.org Mon Jul 13 18:37:23 2009 From: eric.britton at ecoplan.org (Eric Britton) Date: Mon, 13 Jul 2009 11:37:23 +0200 Subject: [sustran] Climate is the Portal to New Mobility - I In-Reply-To: <20090713101421.14706q1vxqtclkh9@webmail.manchester.ac.uk> References: <003901c8fb89$d1393de0$73abb9a0$@britton@ecoplan.org> <20080812110450.i82v33bbzgg0ccgo@webmail.manchester.ac.uk> <016801ca0391$565765f0$030631d0$@britton@ecoplan.org> <20090713101421.14706q1vxqtclkh9@webmail.manchester.ac.uk> Message-ID: <019a01ca039d$8920fdf0$9b62f9d0$@britton@ecoplan.org> Tomorrow's feature for World Streets - For you guiding coments and suggestions Message to the United Nations Climate Change Conference 2009: The climate agenda is getting high political and media attention worldwide, and there are many important events scheduled for the months immediately ahead. That is good. But in our view the agenda for sustainable transport system reform at all levels is timid, incoherent and in large part irrelevant given the real priorities. Well, what is relevant then? How can we get the level of innovation and reform that is going to be critical in the years immediately ahead? "We have to reduce about 80% of our greenhouse gas emissions over the next 10 to 15 years." - President William Jefferson Clinton, in announcing the Clinton Climate Initiative in Los Angeles in August 2006 A dozen things we know for sure about transport and climate that we would like to share with you in the run-up to Copenhagen: 1. Public policy is catastrophically underperforming in terms of technology and human impacts on climate, all sectors in. 2. President Clinton was unquestionably right when three years ago he targeted: "80% GHG reductions . . . over the next 10 to 15 years". 3. This level of aggressive response has however not been broadly picked up by most of the agencies, institutions and interests concerned, the great majority of whom have tilted to a much longer, more leisurely, more passive conversion strategy. (Keynes was never righter in his "in the long run . . " statement than here.) 4. That is an enormous strategic and moral enormous error and now needs to be corrected as a highest priority. 5. The transport sector, all in, accounts for on the order of 20 +/- 5% of greenhouse gas emissions 6. Our sector has one very special characteristic that is not generally appreciated, including by the experts -- and that is that of all the main sectors it is the easiest in which to achieve very high impact, near term results. 7. This being the case, we propose that sustainable transport system reform be taken a very high priority in the climate policy debate, since we are well positioned to function as a sort of "learning system" for the rest. 8. Our responsibility in our sector is in the immediate term, i.e., targeting and attaining significant (two digit) decreases in the two to four years immediately ahead. 9. The main instrument of transport system reform lies in the strategic and radical reduction of motorized traffic (vehicle miles/kilometers travelled). This is 100% unambiguous. There is no other path. 10. Based on the results of the last years we are most demonstrably failing in this mission. 11. However, we know exactly how to achieve this. 12. Moreover these sharp and fast GHG reductions will serve us well on many other scores as well (fossil fuel reductions, stronger economies, improved mobility for all, health, life quality, economic renewal, more broadly beneficial technology progress, etc. You know the list by heart.) The trick is wise governance. The politics of transportation . And that is where all of us here come in. Let us write a joint letter to Copenhagen and all involved, and see if we can get a higher profile for the very short term reforms that we know to be possible in our sector. And so necessary. In a first instance kindly get in touch either via the Comment section that follows just below or if you prefer in private to editor@worldstreets.org We can then organize it as we have done with the 99 supporting statements that have come in over the last two weeks, and make it broadly known. Our first step to Copenhagen. Will that work for you? Eric Britton -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://list.jca.apc.org/public/sustran-discuss/attachments/20090713/7f3bb35f/attachment.html From eric.britton at ecoplan.org Wed Jul 15 16:55:49 2009 From: eric.britton at ecoplan.org (Eric Britton) Date: Wed, 15 Jul 2009 09:55:49 +0200 Subject: [sustran] =?iso-8859-1?Q?Happy_birthday_V=E9lib_2009_-_Almost_the?= =?iso-8859-1?Q?re?= Message-ID: <022801ca0521$c0c7ce20$42576a60$@britton@ecoplan.org> Later today a final version of this will be posted to World Streets. If in the meantime you have comments or suggestions, that would, as always be most welcome. Happy birthday V?lib 2009 Well here you are dear child, already two years old and for such a young thing you have certainly been very active over these first 730 days. More than 50 million rides, going on three hundred thousand annual pass holders, and finally the full complement of 20,000 bikes on the streets. And as if that were not enough, here you are already venturing out into thirty surrounding towns and suburbs to give each of them V?lib's of their own. You turned out to be too good a present for Paris to keep you for itself. You, and the Paris and JCDecaux teams that make you work day after day, have been busy continually fine-tuning your bikes, maintenance procedures, station locations, software, like redistribution and everything else that it takes to make you an appreciated partner of Paris's first-rate, internationally competitive, affordable new mobility system. Few of us really understood at the beginning how important you were going to be, and I bet that even you did not fully appreciate the extent that you would become part of a major transformation process. V?lib and us And those of us who hop on your bikes every day ? our editor for example estimates that he has made more than 2000 trips, most of which worked out very well ? are in a pretty good position to appreciate your contribution. It is not that you are perfect, oh no! but certainly good enough that for many of us you have become a part of our daily mobility solution, an almost always agreeable part of our day to day lives. You don't have to be absolutely perfect, almost perfect will do just fine. A trained V?lib user (it was you that trained us dear V?lib) has a whole series of backup strategies just in case we do not find a working bicycle at the first station or a parking slot when making a mad dash for a transit connection -- and for still somehow getting wherever it is we need to go when we need to get there. We love you most of all, but if the rain is too hard, the snow is falling, or we cannot find that bike, we have a workaround. That is part of our partnership deal with you. And now let us have a look at your 2009 birthday gift. This is an important day and we have been giving this a fair amount of thought over the last weeks, and when you give a gift you really want it to be useful, and used. And of course the best gifts are the ones that can be shared. We would very much like to come up with a present this year that would help you to deal with the problems associated with your nice bicycles which are too often being vandalized or stolen. As the world knows, those are big numbers and really do need attention and ingenious ways of dealing with them. But that is sufficiently challenging that we have to back off this time and can only promise to give it thought we would share ideas from many parts with this as they come in. So our gift this year is one that we hope you will like. We want to help you with what is probably your Number 2 operational problem, smoothing the distribution of bikes over the system. Here is what we propose. A sketch plan for using small financial incentives for getting and improve distribution of bikes throughout the system. We are well aware that smoothing the redistribution process is not one that is unique to Paris and that is a fundamental structural problem that needs to be dealt with just about everywhere in a strategic manner. So here is our gift proposal. By the numbers: 1. We propose you introduce an overlay software system to provide small financial incentives for anyone who parks a bicycle in a station which is empty (or almost empty). Which will also apply to anyone who picks up a bicycle from a station which is full (or almost full). 2. In other words, make us the users and the beneficiaries part of the solution. 3. This process can work of course only where there is a basic logistics/financial system which will support it. But in your case V?lib we think you have in place just about everything you need to make this one work. (And many of your brothers and sisters in other cities should be able to do this as well.) 4. The idea is to automatically credit a specific sum to registered users who provide these valuable services. There are several key details which need to be figured out before going ahead, which include the following: 5. What exactly should be the sum awarded to participants? One Euro, two, three? Well that will depend on balancing (a) what works as an incentive on the one hand, and (b) the costs you presently have to bear for manual distribution. 6. What exactly should be the "station threshold', i.e., should the award be made only to those who add a first bike to an empty station, or should it be also made for second and third bikes being brought in? And ditto for freeing places in a full stand? This the operator will be well-positioned to figure out, and in any event by nature of the flexibility of the underlying logistics system, this can be played with and fine-tuned in the early stages of the project. 7. Behind all this, it is useful to have precise information on the cost of physically moving a bike at present. Our own best guess, not only for Paris but for the more than a dozen other systems that we have visited and observed, is that this has to run on the order of four Euros per bike, plus or minus 2. But this of course the city and the operator will know. 8. Such payments will of course be made only to people holding annual passes, However it may also be worth considering whether a special arrangement might be set up in which users register for the program and the financial incentives that go along with it. 9. An advantage of this approach, which we might call "dynamic redistribution" as opposed to physically lugging the bikes around, is that it is a continuous process, with all the advantages that this entails 10. One final advantage that comes to mind is that something like this increases the feeling of public ownership of the system, which in itself is one of the tools you need to fight against the problems of bicycle theft and abuse. It will not deal with all aspects of that challenge, but it is one of the many small steps that can be taken to drive down those numbers to something which is financially and socially tolerable. So there you have it your V?lib, World Streets present to you on this important day. And hey! as we were saying, this is the kind of gift that you can both use yourself and share with the world. So do it, and our friends in Barcelona, Montreal, Seville, Rome and the more than one hundred cities in the world that have already installed their own public bicycle system. And the thousand or so cities that are looking to you dear V?lib for ideas, encouragement and your example. You have been a very good girl. Thank you. Happy birthday V?lib! -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://list.jca.apc.org/public/sustran-discuss/attachments/20090715/c11234c9/attachment.html From eric.britton at ecoplan.org Wed Jul 15 17:54:55 2009 From: eric.britton at ecoplan.org (Eric Britton) Date: Wed, 15 Jul 2009 10:54:55 +0200 Subject: [sustran] Car Diets - 2009. Soon coming to World Streets Message-ID: <028201ca0529$ef470f10$cdd52d30$@britton@ecoplan.org> The concept of a "car diet" has been around for several years now and Zipcar (good on them) is making good use of it in their marketing materials. But they are also an important part of the wing of our New Mobility Agenda strategies and measures that involve trying to rationalize car use in our day to day lives. We have had several runs at this, the last being back in August 2006 when we launched as part of our (ungrammatical) "Lots less cars in cities" project the idea of a World Low-Car Diet Challenge. You will find that page just below. Or live via http://tinyurl.com/ws-diet So and against this backdrop. . . this is to invite authors, contributors to a strong update thinkpiece on Car Diets - 2009 to go on the front page of World Streets - you favorite sustainable transport daily (and the only one) - as soon as it is ready for show time. Might that be you? If so, please drop a line to or Skype our editor - editor@wolrldstreets.org or Skype: newmobility. Kind thanks, Eric Britton | Editor | World Streets | The New Mobility Agenda | Paris | +331 4326 1323 | Skype newmobility World Low-Car Diet Challenge Exec Sum: This is a wide open public brainstorm on what we believe could be a very creative sustainability exercise with real impact. With your kind permission, we propose that we discuss this and post whatever useful responses, critical observations, announcements, projects, etc that might come out of it via the Lots Less Cars Idea Factory , for which the group mail address is LotsLessCars@yahoogroups.com, Okay, let's go. Building blocks of a cooperative world-wide Low-Car Diet program Understand before we dig in here that what follows is proposed as food for thought. By no means should it be interpreted as a proposal for "the best way" to do this. It's one way and when you think about it, you will come up with a better one for yourselves. And your city. Every one unique and demanding human attention. 1. What is an LCD Challenge Program? A laid back invitation, support and award program which invite people to "give up their car for one month". (IF you click here you will be taken to the latest Google listing which at this point offers in addition to latest news on the subject more than 67,000 LCD entries. That's at least a start . and an indication of the media worthiness of this approach) 2. Does it have to be associated with a Car Free Day? Hell no. This is just an idea for you to play with and put to work for yourselves as you wish. In fact it's not even our idea. We're just passing it on for you to figure out how if at all to put it to work for your city. 3. Minimum qualifications (For Example): (a) You have to have a car, (b) you have to agree to a program of draconian reduction of its use for daily transport purposes in your city (this program of your own devising and does not necessarily entail complete abandonment of your car for extra-urban and exception purposes); but you (c) have to agree to keep the little travel log (honestly of course) for the full month (or at least that part of it during which you are trying to stick to the diet . . . and yes it is allowed to "cheat" if you absolutely must, but you have to do it in public. ) 4. The Diet? (For Example): Best to be tailor-made by each candidate, perhaps together with the "New Mobility Doctor' in the booth. (You shouldn't in any event go on a diet without consulting your doctor!) No reason for them to lose all that weight at one severe go. The candidate would then sign on for such dietary things as (a) getting to work by means other than own car for x days a week; (b) say walking or biking with the kids to school; (c) more neighborhood shopping instead of the car to a distant mega super market (smaller purchases, healthier eating habits); and their list goes on. For them 5. Travel Log (For etc., etc.): The idea is to invite them to keep a very simple travel log over the month. which they could fill out in a few minutes each day just to trace their progress. The actual log might have one page per day, and plenty of room for comments and observations. Ideally it will be designed for easy use on the home computer, and hence easy to share. 6. Local sponsors: Ideally, the LCD Challenge would be jointly sponsored by a number of local organizations, companies and groups. Any car share operators who might be present, the public transport operators, taxi companies, bike clubs, environmental groups, hospitals, public health, local lung and clean air groups, maybe some of the merchants who understand that this can work for them too, etc. And a foundation or two or just local people and families who care. Quite a list if you think about it. (And why not, the local AA, drug treatment, and anti-smoking groups who after all have long experience in this. Turns out that we have more than one monkey on our collectives backs) 7. International sponsors: Certain foundations, climate and environmental groups come to mind. But, in fact, we would even like to see if we can find an auto manufacturers, or alternatively an energy company, to come in and back this program on the grounds that it provides a new and more sustainable approach to car ownership and use -- in a society which is quite unlikely to give up all their cars overnight. 8. Car Free Day launch: One idea could be to do a "public launch" of the program on the occasion of your next Car Free Day - with a public announcement and support program for a high profile coordinated Low-Car Diet Challenge Program. Here are a couple of the possible working parts if you will bear with me. 9. It could be good to have a visible public booth in some central area with people to talk to who can help explain the program, a few useful and perhaps a bit funny tracts explaining how the whole things works, 10. We would want people to come into the booth to talk and learn about it - and that already would be a first small victory. (After all, how many people in your city have actually heard of a "Low-Car Diets?) 11. What about the idea of having some way to show a number of short videos which support this idea? We already have quite a collection of videos and clips and in addition to the five minute trailer for Contested Streets and the wonderful ninety second Man in the Street interview in Groningen, you will surely be able to find one or two handfuls for people to gander at which help to explain what at the heart of it all this is all about. (Again to get there you go to http://www.newmobility.org and click them on the to menu. IF you want to talk about others, I will be pleased either to talk to you about this or via private email.) 12. Also the idea of giving up your car, or thinking about it, might lend itself to comic treatment, so think about inviting some local actors or comedians to do a routine on this. Could be very funny and get attention. 13. It would be important that all this be media savvy and bring in local media - maybe even as one of the partners? (The local media could even offer prizes themselves, why not?) 14. One idea might be to invite the local papers, radio and TV (great possible friends and hungry for local stuff) to come to the booth on say an hourly basis. There they would see not only the exhibit and the "LCD Thermometer" which shows how many people (a) have come to talk about it and (b) actually signed up for the LCD. And then maybe some interviews with either the organizers of some of these people who have decided to give it a whirl. 15. The pre-launch media build-up will of course also be critical for success. 16. Prizes and for what? Let's start with the prizes. It seems to me if this whole thing is to swing, the prizes should be many, varied, interesting and directly related to what this whole thing is all about. (I guess that leaves out your Hummer). Since the whole thing is to have a high profile, it should be a no-brainer to bring in companies and others who wish to be identified with doing this wonderful thing for their city. 17. For what? Well, it would seem to me that anyone who tries and sticks to it for the full month this should somehow be feted and reworded. Of course the most important reward is what they are going for themselves and their families, and for the community by being neighbors. And as leaders and role models (at an age where these are in rather short supply). 18. One idea might be to invite them to put their travel logbook 'real time' in the web so as to publicly trace their problems, fears, accomplishments, occasional disagreements perhaps, attitudes for the whole thing. People should also be encouraged form the beginning to understand that this is not an easy thing, and that even if they start and later decide to throw in the towel that this is no disgrace. Not everyone who desires to stop smoking or snacking in front of the boob tube makes it the first time around. The important thing is to try. And, if they shoes to, to try in public. 19. The idea of a short essay is a good one, but I wonder if as Chris Bradshaw has just pointed out that the real victory will be to have one more person or family (hey, maybe two?) move over to a car-lite life style. Perhaps that could be the last two pages of the LCD logbook. 20. The Grand Grand Prize: This is for the person of the family who after their one month diet have learned enough to decide to sell their car and go instead for a package of mobility services which probably will include car sharing, public transport, cycling, walking and, who knows? maybe even hitch-hiking. Against some form of guarantee that this new life style will last for at least one year, the winners will receive (for example) free membership in the local carshare organization, free or hugely reduced public transport passes or access; a bike or two and maybe some walking or running shoes. Could be very neat. And certainly if well handled a handsome media event. 21. Then, exactly one month after the Big Launch, the wonderful public report, award ceremony, and maybe a round table and debate. Invite the mayor. Invite the editor of the local paper. Invite the head of the local Chamber of Commerce or downtown business association. Make it into a bit deal. And oh yes, have fun and make your children proud of you. As hapless 'author' of the original World Car Free Days call back in 1994 in Toledo Spain with Thursday - A Breakthrough Strategy for Reducing Car Dependence in Cities, I have all too often been disappointed in the level of, let's call it, 'social entrepreneurships' behind most of the Days -- all too many of which have turned out to be rather drab affairs, quickly done, little loved, and even more quickly forgotten. In a phrase, sorry to say, real losers. Oh dear. Fortunately there are out there in the world a lot of bright and hard working people with ideas of their own, and as a result there have been some really wonderful Car Free Days, -- and the proof has often been that they were not quickly forgotten but actually have helped starting the transformation of the community toward a more sustainable New Mobility environment. Which of course was the whole idea in the first place. So here we are more than a decade later and I really do think that if we push this year for Low-Car Diet challenge programs in as many places as might be ready to pick up this challenge, well that would be a wonderful step ahead. Your turn. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://list.jca.apc.org/public/sustran-discuss/attachments/20090715/a90a7800/attachment.html -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: image/jpeg Size: 32272 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://list.jca.apc.org/public/sustran-discuss/attachments/20090715/a90a7800/attachment.jpe From sudhir at cai-asia.org Wed Jul 15 18:57:06 2009 From: sudhir at cai-asia.org (Sudhir) Date: Wed, 15 Jul 2009 17:57:06 +0800 Subject: [sustran] Sustainable Transport and Media - Ahmadabad case study Message-ID: Dear all, Please find an analysis of media reports on Ahmadabad BRTS. We reviewed nearly 153 English news articles for this... http://cai-asia.blogspot.com/2009/07/media-study-of-ahmedabad-brts.html We can learn many things from media reporting and we need to get the good stories out in media for getting more support.... thanks, Sudhir Gota Transport Specialist CAI-Asia Center Unit 3510, 35th Floor, Robinsons-Equitable Tower, ADB Avenue, Ortigas Center, Pasig City Metro Manila, Philippines 1605 Tel: +63-2-395-2843 Fax: +63-2-395-2846 http://www.cleanairnet.org/caiasia Skype : sudhirgota -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://list.jca.apc.org/public/sustran-discuss/attachments/20090715/bb0eaa65/attachment.html From whook at itdp.org Wed Jul 15 23:52:41 2009 From: whook at itdp.org (Walter Hook) Date: Wed, 15 Jul 2009 10:52:41 -0400 Subject: [sustran] Re: Sustainable Transport and Media - Ahmadabad case study In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: thanks for doing this. Very interesting! We have tried hard to convince the MC to proactively lead the media in a coordinated campaign, and have offered support with professionals, but the MC thus far has felt his weekly general press conferences on all topic were sufficient. The generally positive media coverage indicates that thus far this has not caused any major problems. Even we dont know when the system will open... On Wed, Jul 15, 2009 at 5:57 AM, Sudhir wrote: > Dear all, > > Please find an analysis of media reports on Ahmadabad BRTS. We reviewed > nearly 153 English news articles for this... > > http://cai-asia.blogspot.com/2009/07/media-study-of-ahmedabad-brts.html > > We can learn many things from media reporting and we need to get the good > stories out in media for getting more support.... > > thanks, > Sudhir Gota > Transport Specialist > CAI-Asia Center > Unit 3510, 35th Floor, Robinsons-Equitable Tower, > ADB Avenue, Ortigas Center, Pasig City > Metro Manila, Philippines 1605 > Tel: +63-2-395-2843 > Fax: +63-2-395-2846 > http://www.cleanairnet.org/caiasia > Skype : sudhirgota > > -------------------------------------------------------- > To search the archives of sustran-discuss visit > http://www.google.com/coop/cse?cx=014715651517519735401:ijjtzwbu_ss > > -------------------------------------------------------- > If you get sustran-discuss via YAHOOGROUPS, please go to > http://list.jca.apc.org/manage/listinfo/sustran-discuss to join the real > sustran-discuss and get full membership rights. > > ================================================================ > SUSTRAN-DISCUSS is a forum devoted to discussion of people-centred, > equitable and sustainable transport with a focus on developing countries > (the 'Global South'). > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://list.jca.apc.org/public/sustran-discuss/attachments/20090715/759cb0ed/attachment.html From eric.britton at ecoplan.org Thu Jul 16 18:35:32 2009 From: eric.britton at ecoplan.org (Eric Britton) Date: Thu, 16 Jul 2009 11:35:32 +0200 Subject: [sustran] Lesson from Curitiba: To go slow you have to move fast Message-ID: <0fa801ca05f8$c781a0b0$5684e210$@britton@ecoplan.org> "Former Mayor Jaime Lerner sits down with Elizabeth Press of New York's Streetfilms and discusses how and why he made the first pedestrian street in the middle of downtown Curitiba. And in one second less than four minutes, he gives us a master class on how you get sustainable transport projects done. Let's listen to him." Click to http://WorldStreets.org/ today for more. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://list.jca.apc.org/public/sustran-discuss/attachments/20090716/6fc1880f/attachment.html From eric.britton at ecoplan.org Sat Jul 18 23:14:07 2009 From: eric.britton at ecoplan.org (Eric Britton) Date: Sat, 18 Jul 2009 16:14:07 +0200 Subject: [sustran] [World Streets] Taxis for sustainable mobility Message-ID: <030901ca07b2$0a1a7680$1e4f6380$@britton@ecoplan.org> Featured on World Streets today Taxis are a vital actor in the New Mobility Agenda. There can be no doubt about that. However, for various reasons - historical, institutional, jurisdictional, work and ownership patterns --they are often hard to bring into a unified big picture. For this reason, World Streets is pleased to share with you this announcement of the International IRU Taxi Forum in the run-up to COP15 in December. More will follow. -- Click to http://www.WorldStreets.org/ for full article. To comment, once you have read through the aritlce, you will see the Comment link at the end. World Streets welcomes discussion. Eric Britton Managing Editor | editor@worldstreets.org | World Streets | The New Mobility Agenda | Paris | +331 4326 1323 | Skype newmobility Posted By Eric Britton to World Streets at 7/18/2009 03:53:00 PM -- -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://list.jca.apc.org/public/sustran-discuss/attachments/20090718/cb3e3478/attachment.html -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: image/png Size: 38845 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://list.jca.apc.org/public/sustran-discuss/attachments/20090718/cb3e3478/attachment.png -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: image/jpeg Size: 9191 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://list.jca.apc.org/public/sustran-discuss/attachments/20090718/cb3e3478/attachment.jpe From eric.britton at ecoplan.org Sat Jul 18 23:24:08 2009 From: eric.britton at ecoplan.org (Eric Britton) Date: Sat, 18 Jul 2009 16:24:08 +0200 Subject: [sustran] [World Streets] How can we save the world auto industry? Message-ID: <033c01ca07b3$7ef55c30$7ce01490$@britton@ecoplan.org> When I look at World Streets I wonder why it wasn't done before, because it's so obvious that we need an international platform like this! - Esther, Anaya Barcelona. Spin Featured on World Streets today: How can we save the world auto industry? The world automotive industry churns out new cars, buses and trucks presently at a clip of about 70 million vehicles per year. And whatever the difficulties that are presently being faced by certain manufacturers in countries and regions in which they are located, and whatever may be your personal preferences, it is not about to go away. Cars, buses and trucks are part of our mobility future. In addition to the new ones that are coming in at that healthy deca-million clip, we currently "enjoy" an inventory on the order of not far from one billion motor vehicles of all types and sizes in various parts of our gasping planet, not including, famously, the rising swarm of motorized two wheelers that are baffling planners and policy makers in cities around the world. * Click to http://www.WorldStreets.org/ for full text. * To comment, once you have read through the aritlce, you will see the Comment link at the end World Streets welcomes discussion. Eric Britton Managing Editor | editor@worldstreets.org | World Streets | The New Mobility Agenda | Paris | +331 4326 1323 | Skype newmobility -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://list.jca.apc.org/public/sustran-discuss/attachments/20090718/a6905b56/attachment.html -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: image/png Size: 38845 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://list.jca.apc.org/public/sustran-discuss/attachments/20090718/a6905b56/attachment.png -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: image/jpeg Size: 9191 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://list.jca.apc.org/public/sustran-discuss/attachments/20090718/a6905b56/attachment.jpe From sudhir at cai-asia.org Tue Jul 21 07:11:35 2009 From: sudhir at cai-asia.org (Sudhir) Date: Tue, 21 Jul 2009 06:11:35 +0800 Subject: [sustran] Urban transport policy finalised - Pakistan Message-ID: Maybe our friends from Pakistan can update us on this.... http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/pakistan/provinces/14-urban-transport-policy-finalised-zj-05 *RAWALPINDI: The Punjab Planning and Development Department has finalised an urban transport policy, recommending that the government should evolve a mechanism to use road tax revenue for development of roads and related infrastructure. * The ?Urban Transport Policy Study? for five cities of the Punjab further suggests creation *of a dedicated traffic and transport fund wherein all collecting agencies transfer road related taxes to the fund*. The cities are Rawalpindi, Lahore, Gujranwala, Faisalabad and Multan. At present the income from the transport sector is being collected by several departments. Provincial government collects road taxes and then extends allocations to urban transport sector through several departments. City governments collect certain revenues and they become part of their overall budget. The study suggests future budgets for urban transport system should allocate special fund. As envisaged in the ?Vision 2020,? the Punjab government intends to develop urban areas into sustainable, livable and well-managed engines of economic growth. Urban development and its management are critically linked with sound, comprehensive and strategic metropolitan level of long term planning. There is a range of structural and institutional impediments to urban development and management in Punjab. The study suggests that new taxes should be considered to balance the road usage among various modes of transportation. Any new tax to be levied has to provide a corresponding benefit to the road users. The primary focus should be on generating funds from the system itself as proposed through the dedicated fund, which may be managed by the authority responsible for the urban transport sector. To control vehicle volume on the roads and encourage public to use alternative means of transportation like buses and mass transit, a one-time tax on vehicles at the time of their registration may be considered. However, the timing for implementation of such tax has to be co-related to the availability of decent alternative means of transportation. To support financing under public-private partnership, several endowment funds should be set up, each serving a specific purpose like investment on buses or rolling stock for mass transit system or parking plazas. The objective of such funds will be to support the private sector in financing the project at affordable cost. The study identified several problems in the way of preparing a sustainable urban transport development system. Major problems include high population growth rate and migration, high volumes of vehicles, haphazard planning and poor execution of projects, severe traffic congestion and gridlock and environmental degradation. Another major gap exists in mechanism of financing which is primarily dependent on public sector allocation. Under the illustration, provincial government grants a loan of Rs2 billion which is equally matched by a consortium of commercial banks to finance the leasing of buses by private sector. The benefits that may accrue from the Endowment Fund could be over 1,200 new buses on road in the first year, over 400 new buses every subsequent year and cost to government would be the interest free loan of Rs2 billion managed by banks. -- Sudhir Gota Transport Specialist CAI-Asia Center Unit 3510, 35th Floor, Robinsons-Equitable Tower, ADB Avenue, Ortigas Center, Pasig City Metro Manila, Philippines 1605 Tel: +63-2-395-2843 Fax: +63-2-395-2846 http://www.cleanairnet.org/caiasia Skype : sudhirgota -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://list.jca.apc.org/public/sustran-discuss/attachments/20090721/cfbba1f8/attachment.html From eric.britton at ecoplan.org Tue Jul 21 16:13:23 2009 From: eric.britton at ecoplan.org (Eric Britton) Date: Tue, 21 Jul 2009 09:13:23 +0200 Subject: [sustran] Improving bus design cools passengers, saves fuel Message-ID: <022101ca09d2$be748590$3b5d90b0$@britton@ecoplan.org> I thought this was interesting. Any comments, further background? Eric Britton Contact: Sunil Kale srk@mech.iitd.ac.in Inderscience Publishers Slotted buses keep passengers cool Improving bus design cools passengers, saves fuel A simple redesign of public buses used in hot and dry climates could make passengers more comfortable without the need to use extra fuel running air conditioning, according to a study published in the International Journal of Heavy Vehicle Systems. Sunil Kale of the Department of Mechanical Engineering, at the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, India, and colleagues point out that the majority of passenger trips are taken in open window buses. Worldwide, buses are the principal means of commuting within and between cities, the researchers explain. For cost reasons, particularly in the developing world, only a small fraction (less than 5%) of inter-city vehicles are air-conditioned. They add that air-conditioning is not a commercially or environmentally viable alternative to simply opening the side windows and even the doors. Opened windows are supposed to improve airflow and keep passengers cool while the bus moves. However, the cooling effect of open side windows is inadequate for comfort in the hottest parts of the world on a crowded bus. Kale's team has now carried out an aerodynamic study of fluid flow in a 1:25 model. Their findings suggest that a few simple modifications to conventional design could significantly boost cooling airflow with none of the cost or energy requirements of an air- conditioning system. The turbulent flow into a standard bus does not allow air into all areas. Passengers sitting near or standing in the aisle do not receive any ventilation, while those in the front seats receive airflow from the rear. The team has found that a wide vent at the front and rear of a bus will draw air into the bus at a much better rate than side windows. A similar boost can be obtained with adjustable roof vents. These modifications would allow cooling air to increase the comfort zone of the bus from a mere 11% of the interior volume to more than 50%. This means that all passengers will experience some cooling airflow. In addition to improved comfort there is an overall reduction in drag. Some of this drag reduction could be sacrificed to provide grills and filters to prevent the influx of insects and dust. Optionally a passive evaporative cooling system could be incorporated into the vents to cool the incoming air and further boost the comfort inside the bus. "In a long-term policy perspective of sustainable transport, buses form an important mode of transport that needs to be strengthened," the researchers say, "Besides improving fuel economy, passenger comfort is a major issue with such buses especially in tropical climates." ### "Aerodynamics of a bus with open windows" in International Journal of Heavy Vehicle Systems, 2009, 16, 459-488 With all good wishes, Eric Britton Managing Editor | editor@worldstreets.org | World Streets | Paris | +331 4326 1323 | Skype newmobility -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://list.jca.apc.org/public/sustran-discuss/attachments/20090721/7a8239c2/attachment.html From alok.priyanka at gmail.com Wed Jul 22 09:30:38 2009 From: alok.priyanka at gmail.com (Jains) Date: Wed, 22 Jul 2009 08:30:38 +0800 Subject: [sustran] Re: Improving bus design cools passengers, saves fuel In-Reply-To: <3121862721493562595@unknownmsgid> References: <3121862721493562595@unknownmsgid> Message-ID: <6e4025ad0907211730sfbcd2efu78a8f2fbb7779547@mail.gmail.com> Interesting!! What happens when it rains or when it is too cold? The obvious option would be to close the vents but then the comfort of the passengers inside will get compromised. Regards Alok Jain On Tue, Jul 21, 2009 at 3:13 PM, Eric Britton wrote: > I thought this was interesting. Any comments, further background? > > > > Eric Britton > > > > Contact: Sunil Kale > srk@mech.iitd.ac.in > Inderscience Publishers > Slotted buses keep passengers cool Improving bus design cools passengers, > saves fuel > > A simple redesign of public buses used in hot and dry climates could make > passengers more comfortable without the need to use extra fuel running air > conditioning, according to a study published in the *International Journal > of Heavy Vehicle Systems*. > > Sunil Kale of the Department of Mechanical Engineering, at the Indian > Institute of Technology Delhi, India, and colleagues point out that the > majority of passenger trips are taken in open window buses. > > Worldwide, buses are the principal means of commuting within and between > cities, the researchers explain. For cost reasons, particularly in the > developing world, only a small fraction (less than 5%) of inter-city > vehicles are air-conditioned. They add that air-conditioning is not a > commercially or environmentally viable alternative to simply opening the > side windows and even the doors. > > Opened windows are supposed to improve airflow and keep passengers cool > while the bus moves. However, the cooling effect of open side windows is > inadequate for comfort in the hottest parts of the world on a crowded bus. > > Kale's team has now carried out an aerodynamic study of fluid flow in a > 1:25 model. Their findings suggest that a few simple modifications to > conventional design could significantly boost cooling airflow with none of > the cost or energy requirements of an air- conditioning system. > > The turbulent flow into a standard bus does not allow air into all areas. > Passengers sitting near or standing in the aisle do not receive any > ventilation, while those in the front seats receive airflow from the rear. > The team has found that a wide vent at the front and rear of a bus will draw > air into the bus at a much better rate than side windows. A similar boost > can be obtained with adjustable roof vents. > > These modifications would allow cooling air to increase the comfort zone of > the bus from a mere 11% of the interior volume to more than 50%. This means > that all passengers will experience some cooling airflow. In addition to > improved comfort there is an overall reduction in drag. Some of this drag > reduction could be sacrificed to provide grills and filters to prevent the > influx of insects and dust. Optionally a passive evaporative cooling system > could be incorporated into the vents to cool the incoming air and further > boost the comfort inside the bus. > > "In a long-term policy perspective of sustainable transport, buses form an > important mode of transport that needs to be strengthened," the researchers > say, "Besides improving fuel economy, passenger comfort is a major issue > with such buses especially in tropical climates." > > ### > > "Aerodynamics of a bus with open windows" in *International Journal of > Heavy Vehicle Systems*, 2009, 16, 459-488 > > > > > > > > With all good wishes, > > > > Eric Britton > > Managing Editor > > > > | editor@worldstreets.org | World Streets | > Paris | +331 4326 1323 | Skype newmobility > > > > -------------------------------------------------------- > To search the archives of sustran-discuss visit > http://www.google.com/coop/cse?cx=014715651517519735401:ijjtzwbu_ss > > -------------------------------------------------------- > If you get sustran-discuss via YAHOOGROUPS, please go to > http://list.jca.apc.org/manage/listinfo/sustran-discuss to join the real > sustran-discuss and get full membership rights. > > ================================================================ > SUSTRAN-DISCUSS is a forum devoted to discussion of people-centred, > equitable and sustainable transport with a focus on developing countries > (the 'Global South'). > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://list.jca.apc.org/public/sustran-discuss/attachments/20090722/00398c70/attachment.html From vissu.indian at gmail.com Wed Jul 22 15:47:43 2009 From: vissu.indian at gmail.com (Gantasala Visweswara Rao) Date: Wed, 22 Jul 2009 12:17:43 +0530 Subject: [sustran] Re: Improving bus design cools passengers, saves fuel In-Reply-To: <6e4025ad0907211730sfbcd2efu78a8f2fbb7779547@mail.gmail.com> References: <3121862721493562595@unknownmsgid> <6e4025ad0907211730sfbcd2efu78a8f2fbb7779547@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: I think this is innovative. The industry needs to adopt such GREEN technologies to improve passenger comfort. --Vissu On Wed, Jul 22, 2009 at 6:00 AM, Jains wrote: > Interesting!! What happens when it rains or when it is too cold? The > obvious option would be to close the vents but then the comfort of the > passengers inside will get compromised. > Regards > Alok Jain > On Tue, Jul 21, 2009 at 3:13 PM, Eric Britton wrote: > >> I thought this was interesting. Any comments, further background? >> >> >> >> Eric Britton >> >> >> >> Contact: Sunil Kale >> srk@mech.iitd.ac.in >> Inderscience Publishers >> Slotted buses keep passengers cool Improving bus design cools passengers, >> saves fuel >> >> A simple redesign of public buses used in hot and dry climates could make >> passengers more comfortable without the need to use extra fuel running air >> conditioning, according to a study published in the *International >> Journal of Heavy Vehicle Systems*. >> >> Sunil Kale of the Department of Mechanical Engineering, at the Indian >> Institute of Technology Delhi, India, and colleagues point out that the >> majority of passenger trips are taken in open window buses. >> >> Worldwide, buses are the principal means of commuting within and between >> cities, the researchers explain. For cost reasons, particularly in the >> developing world, only a small fraction (less than 5%) of inter-city >> vehicles are air-conditioned. They add that air-conditioning is not a >> commercially or environmentally viable alternative to simply opening the >> side windows and even the doors. >> >> Opened windows are supposed to improve airflow and keep passengers cool >> while the bus moves. However, the cooling effect of open side windows is >> inadequate for comfort in the hottest parts of the world on a crowded bus. >> >> Kale's team has now carried out an aerodynamic study of fluid flow in a >> 1:25 model. Their findings suggest that a few simple modifications to >> conventional design could significantly boost cooling airflow with none of >> the cost or energy requirements of an air- conditioning system. >> >> The turbulent flow into a standard bus does not allow air into all areas. >> Passengers sitting near or standing in the aisle do not receive any >> ventilation, while those in the front seats receive airflow from the rear. >> The team has found that a wide vent at the front and rear of a bus will draw >> air into the bus at a much better rate than side windows. A similar boost >> can be obtained with adjustable roof vents. >> >> These modifications would allow cooling air to increase the comfort zone >> of the bus from a mere 11% of the interior volume to more than 50%. This >> means that all passengers will experience some cooling airflow. In addition >> to improved comfort there is an overall reduction in drag. Some of this drag >> reduction could be sacrificed to provide grills and filters to prevent the >> influx of insects and dust. Optionally a passive evaporative cooling system >> could be incorporated into the vents to cool the incoming air and further >> boost the comfort inside the bus. >> >> "In a long-term policy perspective of sustainable transport, buses form an >> important mode of transport that needs to be strengthened," the researchers >> say, "Besides improving fuel economy, passenger comfort is a major issue >> with such buses especially in tropical climates." >> >> ### >> >> "Aerodynamics of a bus with open windows" in *International Journal of >> Heavy Vehicle Systems*, 2009, 16, 459-488 >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> With all good wishes, >> >> >> >> Eric Britton >> >> Managing Editor >> >> >> >> | editor@worldstreets.org | World Streets | Paris | +331 4326 1323 | Skype newmobility >> >> >> >> -------------------------------------------------------- >> To search the archives of sustran-discuss visit >> http://www.google.com/coop/cse?cx=014715651517519735401:ijjtzwbu_ss >> >> -------------------------------------------------------- >> If you get sustran-discuss via YAHOOGROUPS, please go to >> http://list.jca.apc.org/manage/listinfo/sustran-discuss to join the real >> sustran-discuss and get full membership rights. >> >> ================================================================ >> SUSTRAN-DISCUSS is a forum devoted to discussion of people-centred, >> equitable and sustainable transport with a focus on developing countries >> (the 'Global South'). >> > > > -------------------------------------------------------- > To search the archives of sustran-discuss visit > http://www.google.com/coop/cse?cx=014715651517519735401:ijjtzwbu_ss > > -------------------------------------------------------- > If you get sustran-discuss via YAHOOGROUPS, please go to > http://list.jca.apc.org/manage/listinfo/sustran-discuss to join the real > sustran-discuss and get full membership rights. > > ================================================================ > SUSTRAN-DISCUSS is a forum devoted to discussion of people-centred, > equitable and sustainable transport with a focus on developing countries > (the 'Global South'). > -- Vissu Support Akshaya patra: Unlimited food for education ( http://www.akshayapatra.org/donate.html) Every small contribution makes a difference. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://list.jca.apc.org/public/sustran-discuss/attachments/20090722/9e848799/attachment.html From alan at ourpeagreenboat.co.uk Thu Jul 23 06:17:44 2009 From: alan at ourpeagreenboat.co.uk (Alan Howes) Date: Wed, 22 Jul 2009 22:17:44 +0100 Subject: [sustran] Re: Improving bus design cools passengers, saves fuel References: <022101ca09d2$be748590$3b5d90b0$@britton@ecoplan.org> Message-ID: Interesting indeed. A/C in buses is not only expensive to install and run, but in my experience is also a maintenance nightmare - A/C faults being about as prevalent as all the other faults put together. The principles seem sound. But I would be interested in views on another long-standing idea of mine, which could be applied to hot-climate buses with or without A/C. This is an exterior false roof - an extra roof 5-10 cms above the existing one, with an air space between the two roofs and gaps all around. So the false roof keeps the sun off the real roof, reducing heat transference. Would it work? (I am not a mechanical engineer!) And if it would, why has it not been tried - or has it? Cheers, Alan -- Alan Howes, Perthshire, Scotland ----- Original Message ----- From: Eric Britton To: sustran-discuss@list.jca.apc.org Cc: srk@mech.iitd.ac.in Sent: Tuesday, July 21, 2009 8:13 AM Subject: [sustran] Improving bus design cools passengers, saves fuel I thought this was interesting. Any comments, further background? Eric Britton Contact: Sunil Kale srk@mech.iitd.ac.in Inderscience Publishers Slotted buses keep passengers cool Improving bus design cools passengers, saves fuel A simple redesign of public buses used in hot and dry climates could make passengers more comfortable without the need to use extra fuel running air conditioning, according to a study published in the International Journal of Heavy Vehicle Systems. Sunil Kale of the Department of Mechanical Engineering, at the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, India, and colleagues point out that the majority of passenger trips are taken in open window buses. Worldwide, buses are the principal means of commuting within and between cities, the researchers explain. For cost reasons, particularly in the developing world, only a small fraction (less than 5%) of inter-city vehicles are air-conditioned. They add that air-conditioning is not a commercially or environmentally viable alternative to simply opening the side windows and even the doors. Opened windows are supposed to improve airflow and keep passengers cool while the bus moves. However, the cooling effect of open side windows is inadequate for comfort in the hottest parts of the world on a crowded bus. Kale's team has now carried out an aerodynamic study of fluid flow in a 1:25 model. Their findings suggest that a few simple modifications to conventional design could significantly boost cooling airflow with none of the cost or energy requirements of an air- conditioning system. The turbulent flow into a standard bus does not allow air into all areas. Passengers sitting near or standing in the aisle do not receive any ventilation, while those in the front seats receive airflow from the rear. The team has found that a wide vent at the front and rear of a bus will draw air into the bus at a much better rate than side windows. A similar boost can be obtained with adjustable roof vents. These modifications would allow cooling air to increase the comfort zone of the bus from a mere 11% of the interior volume to more than 50%. This means that all passengers will experience some cooling airflow. In addition to improved comfort there is an overall reduction in drag. Some of this drag reduction could be sacrificed to provide grills and filters to prevent the influx of insects and dust. Optionally a passive evaporative cooling system could be incorporated into the vents to cool the incoming air and further boost the comfort inside the bus. "In a long-term policy perspective of sustainable transport, buses form an important mode of transport that needs to be strengthened," the researchers say, "Besides improving fuel economy, passenger comfort is a major issue with such buses especially in tropical climates." ### "Aerodynamics of a bus with open windows" in International Journal of Heavy Vehicle Systems, 2009, 16, 459-488 With all good wishes, Eric Britton Managing Editor | editor@worldstreets.org | World Streets | Paris | +331 4326 1323 | Skype newmobility ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ -------------------------------------------------------- To search the archives of sustran-discuss visit http://www.google.com/coop/cse?cx=014715651517519735401:ijjtzwbu_ss -------------------------------------------------------- If you get sustran-discuss via YAHOOGROUPS, please go to http://list.jca.apc.org/manage/listinfo/sustran-discuss to join the real sustran-discuss and get full membership rights. ================================================================ SUSTRAN-DISCUSS is a forum devoted to discussion of people-centred, equitable and sustainable transport with a focus on developing countries (the 'Global South'). -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://list.jca.apc.org/public/sustran-discuss/attachments/20090722/89ff3a21/attachment.html From etts at indigo.ie Thu Jul 23 07:15:55 2009 From: etts at indigo.ie (etts at indigo.ie) Date: Wed, 22 Jul 2009 18:15:55 -0400 Subject: [sustran] Improving bus design cools passengers, saves fuel Message-ID: <380-220097322221555305@M2W004.mail2web.com> The concept sounds good and is worth testing (although I expect it has been researched already). I agree with Alan that air-con is expensive to buy, expensive to run, and expensive to maintain. For many warm-but-not-excessively-hot countries, "semi-aircon" is a reasonable compromise - especially if we must trade-off among comfort, frequency and fares for passengers who are vey price-sensitive (i.e. a small increase in tariffs has a direct impact on the family diet). About the earlier e-mail on ventilation design, one little problem is that the bus needs to be moving to gain the cooling benefits. In most cities where we need this simple technology, we also face serious congestion with long periods of slow (or no) movement of buses. Windows cease to function as ventilation and instead become 'windows of opportunity' for hawkers and vendors plying their wares and cold drinks to the perspiring passengers. This worthy technology must be supported by good bus priority in some locations, and in other locations by the elimination of roadside 'friction' caused by encroachment, vendors, stopping traffic, etc. Once you have a reasonable technical design, stop seeking perfection on the aerodynamics and focus on the traffic flow. Effectiveness is the product of the ventilation characteristics and the speed - if either approaches zero, the outcome is zero. Optimal result will come from good performance in both, whereas perfection in one without the other is of little value to the long-suffering passenger. Bus priority is the fundamental enabler for profitable, reliable, efficient bus operations. Without good operating conditions, bus services degenerate on every parameter. By contrast, when we provide the conditions for the buses to operate as the designers made them, we tick all the other boxes. Unfortunately, this is not easily achieved. However, the more we understand how much damage it causes to all else that we try to do, the more we appreciate that we must face this challenge. With best wishes, Brendan. ____________________________________________________________________________ __________ Brendan Finn e-mail : etts@indigo.ie tel : +353.87.2530286 ----- Original Message ----- From: Alan Howes To: sustran-discuss@list.jca.apc.org Sent: Wednesday, July 22, 2009 10:17 PM Subject: [sustran] Re: Improving bus design cools passengers, saves fuel Interesting indeed. A/C in buses is not only expensive to install and run, but in my experience is also a maintenance nightmare - A/C faults being about as prevalent as all the other faults put together. The principles seem sound. But I would be interested in views on another long-standing idea of mine, which could be applied to hot-climate buses with or without A/C. This is an exterior false roof - an extra roof 5-10 cms above the existing one, with an air space between the two roofs and gaps all around. So the false roof keeps the sun off the real roof, reducing heat transference. Would it work? (I am not a mechanical engineer!) And if it would, why has it not been tried - or has it? Cheers, Alan -- Alan Howes, Perthshire, Scotland ----- Original Message ----- From: Eric Britton To: sustran-discuss@list.jca.apc.org Cc: srk@mech.iitd.ac.in Sent: Tuesday, July 21, 2009 8:13 AM Subject: [sustran] Improving bus design cools passengers, saves fuel I thought this was interesting. Any comments, further background? Eric Britton Contact: Sunil Kale srk@mech.iitd.ac.in Inderscience Publishers Slotted buses keep passengers cool Improving bus design cools passengers, saves fuel A simple redesign of public buses used in hot and dry climates could make passengers more comfortable without the need to use extra fuel running air conditioning, according to a study published in the International Journal of Heavy Vehicle Systems. Sunil Kale of the Department of Mechanical Engineering, at the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, India, and colleagues point out that the majority of passenger trips are taken in open window buses. Worldwide, buses are the principal means of commuting within and between cities, the researchers explain. For cost reasons, particularly in the developing world, only a small fraction (less than 5%) of inter-city vehicles are air-conditioned. They add that air-conditioning is not a commercially or environmentally viable alternative to simply opening the side windows and even the doors. Opened windows are supposed to improve airflow and keep passengers cool while the bus moves. However, the cooling effect of open side windows is inadequate for comfort in the hottest parts of the world on a crowded bus. Kale's team has now carried out an aerodynamic study of fluid flow in a 1:25 model. Their findings suggest that a few simple modifications to conventional design could significantly boost cooling airflow with none of the cost or energy requirements of an air- conditioning system. The turbulent flow into a standard bus does not allow air into all areas. Passengers sitting near or standing in the aisle do not receive any ventilation, while those in the front seats receive airflow from the rear. The team has found that a wide vent at the front and rear of a bus will draw air into the bus at a much better rate than side windows. A similar boost can be obtained with adjustable roof vents. These modifications would allow cooling air to increase the comfort zone of the bus from a mere 11% of the interior volume to more than 50%. This means that all passengers will experience some cooling airflow. In addition to improved comfort there is an overall reduction in drag. Some of this drag reduction could be sacrificed to provide grills and filters to prevent the influx of insects and dust. Optionally a passive evaporative cooling system could be incorporated into the vents to cool the incoming air and further boost the comfort inside the bus. "In a long-term policy perspective of sustainable transport, buses form an important mode of transport that needs to be strengthened," the researchers say, "Besides improving fuel economy, passenger comfort is a major issue with such buses especially in tropical climates." ### "Aerodynamics of a bus with open windows" in International Journal of Heavy Vehicle Systems, 2009, 16, 459-488 With all good wishes, Eric Britton Managing Editor -------------------------------------------------------------------- mail2web LIVE ? Free email based on Microsoft? Exchange technology - http://link.mail2web.com/LIVE From eric.britton at ecoplan.org Fri Jul 24 13:42:26 2009 From: eric.britton at ecoplan.org (Eric Britton) Date: Fri, 24 Jul 2009 06:42:26 +0200 Subject: [sustran] WorldTransport Forum People first: Transport Planning and Policy for the Urban Poor Message-ID: <015601ca0c19$26f952b0$74ebf810$@britton@ecoplan.org> On Behalf Of Aaron Thomas Sent: Thursday, July 23, 2009 5:06 PM To: WorldTransport@yahoogroups.com Subject: Re: WorldTransport Forum People first: Transport Planning and Policy for the Urban Poor Given that it is the urban poor who bear the brunt (bear the largest costs) of destructive/exclusionary transport systems while gaining the least, it seems difficult to justify postponing a discussion of this topic that Eric so wisely has proposed. Is an acceptable compromise with Lake's point about preparation to hold a less formal / more open forum discussion on this topic for at least part of August, i.e. instead of polished articles, wider participation in the form of open discussion and contributions? with good wishes, Aaron 2009/7/22 Lake Sagaris Eric - This is a great topic - urban transport and social justice/poverty elimination. But I think we should take more time to organize it and plan several columns/opinion pieces/informative articles to provide a solid basis for any discussion. I think several people from Interface for Cycling Expertise partners in developing countries could contribute, but we need more lead time to do a good job. I will copy this to some of them. All best Lake _____ From: WorldTransport@yahoogroups.com [mailto:WorldTransport@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Eric Britton Sent: July-22-09 3:40 AM To: WorldTransport@yahoogroups.com Subject: WorldTransport Forum People first: Transport Planning and Policy for the Urban Poor Dear Friends, Over at World Streets - http://WorldStreets.org/ -- we have started just this month to organize month-long 'conversations' on selected sustainable transport topics which we believe can be enhanced by specifically focused, time-delimited discussions. The first of these (still in process for the month of July) has been looking at carsharing from a number of angles. You can get an idea of how this works out by clicking to http://tinyurl.com/ws-carshare. The focus topic selected for August is a new collaborative approach in Italy which you can check out today at http://tinyurl.com/ws-italy . That's just fine, but I have been burning over the last two years or so to organize an all-continent collaborative conversation to have a closer look at People first: Transport Planning and Policy for the Urban Poor, and I would now like to see if you might have any thoughts for us on that if we were to make it a focus topic for August or September. The need is huge, we have been seeing here through your conversations about Indian cities, but there is a big and all too often unjust world out there and the urban poor are being ignored - other when they get angry and start burning cars and buses - in our sector as in many others. And indeed in ALL parts of the world. So we have a real topic here, and for my part and if we can get enough support for this idea, I would like to dig in already in August, even though that is only a bit more than a week away. Our topic is so very rich, so very important, and so very much neglected when it's time to plop down the taxpayer dollars for transportation investments, that it really should not wait. So if you agree on this, it would be great to hear from you, and if there is a sufficient positive response I can start to hammer out a draft "work plan" for the month, again for your review and remarks. Then August comes and we all start to be as mart as we can. It will be a great month, and maybe at the end one of us will decide to write the whole thing up to show how a couple of dozen, hundreds perhaps citizens and groups who care can show the way. I am very eager to hear from you. Do we have a topic? A consensus to get started? Eric Britton | editor@worldstreets.org | World Streets | Paris | +331 4326 1323 | Skype newmobility -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://list.jca.apc.org/public/sustran-discuss/attachments/20090724/e5d3b60e/attachment.html From eric.britton at ecoplan.org Fri Jul 24 19:18:02 2009 From: eric.britton at ecoplan.org (Eric Britton) Date: Fri, 24 Jul 2009 12:18:02 +0200 Subject: [sustran] [World Streets] Update: World Carshare month on World Streets Message-ID: <0cfd01ca0c48$08aca030$1a05e090$@britton@ecoplan.org> The full article under this heading appears in today's World Streets at http://WorldStreets.org/ PS. Read World Streets: The voice of sustainable transport Update: World Carshare month on World Streets Three quarters of the way through World Carshare month here, a quick resume of action and accomplishments thus far, along with a small shopping list for our active collaborators of work to be completed in the weeks ahead, hopefully. Quite a reasonable flow of materials and comments have come in as a result of this first attempt on our part to see what happens if we provide a specific topic focus for one month of attention and collaborative inputs under World Streets. If you click here or under the corresponding item on the toolbar just to the left, you will be able to call up all of the articles and commentaries received under this topic heading to date. -- Posted By Eric Britton to World Streets at 7/24/2009 11:42:00 AM -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://list.jca.apc.org/public/sustran-discuss/attachments/20090724/30f126bd/attachment.html From eric.britton at ecoplan.org Wed Jul 29 17:17:57 2009 From: eric.britton at ecoplan.org (Eric Britton) Date: Wed, 29 Jul 2009 10:17:57 +0200 Subject: [sustran] [World Streets] Thinking out loud about the World Naked Bike Ride. Message-ID: <086201ca1025$1718b510$454a1f30$@britton@ecoplan.org> For full article go to http://WorldStreets.org/ If you have narrow notions about how people should get about in cities, World Streets is probably not the place for you. We take a big house approach. It has to be like that. Which means that every day here brings its fair share of surprises, rattling in more often than not without advance notice from many different places, different kinds of people, with a huge span of ideas, values and concerns. Look what slipped through the door late last night. New Mobility without frills. Reflections on the World Naked Bike Ride - by Charles Montgomery Portland, June 14, 2009 At midnight, near the rail yards of northwest Portland, a drum chorus began a thunderous steam engine beat. Riders drifted out of the night like schools of fish. Their eyes and their bicycles reflected the incandescent glint of streetlamps. The skin of five thousand naked bodies glowed pale. A few people wore shoes. Some even wore helmets. But for the most part, it was bare bottoms jiggling in the murky light, and breasts too, and penises, humbled by the chill breeze. My companions and I thought it would be amusing to witness the World Naked Bike Ride. We had no intention of joining. But how can you witness thousands of remarkably beautiful people hooting and howling and chanting, seemingly overjoyed, not just by their own nakedness, but by the sudden shock of freedom and camaraderie it offered--how can you move among such a spectacle and not be compelled to rip off your own clothes, to hide them under the roadside clover, and join the ride? Reason fell away. I sheepishly . . . ? Read more -- Click to http://WorldStreets.org -- Posted By Eric Britton to World Streets at 7/29/2009 06:16:00 AM -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://list.jca.apc.org/public/sustran-discuss/attachments/20090729/67dbdac4/attachment.html From eric.britton at ecoplan.org Wed Jul 29 18:49:10 2009 From: eric.britton at ecoplan.org (Eric Britton) Date: Wed, 29 Jul 2009 11:49:10 +0200 Subject: [sustran] [World Streets] "Solving humanity's most pressing problems". Comments? Message-ID: <121401ca1031$d612d200$82387600$@britton@ecoplan.org> The Buckminster Fuller Challenge "Each year a distinguished jury awards a $100,000 prize to support the development and implementation of a strategy that has significant potential to solve humanity's most pressing problems and the 2009 results are in!" (All graphics and text here taken from prize announcement at http://challenge.bfi.org/home >From Buckminster Fuller Challenge release: Congratulations to the winning proposal by the Smart Cities Group at the MIT Media lab: Sustainable Personal Mobility and Mobility-on-Demand Systems. 2009 Grand Prize Winner: Sustainable Personal Mobility and Mobility-on-Demand Systems And here it is: * For full article click to http://challenge.bfi.org/home Your comments are warmly invited here. -- Posted By Eric Britton to World Streets at 7/29/2009 11:40:00 AM __._,_.___ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://list.jca.apc.org/public/sustran-discuss/attachments/20090729/d14ada76/attachment.html From eric.britton at ecoplan.org Thu Jul 30 01:09:33 2009 From: eric.britton at ecoplan.org (Eric Britton) Date: Wed, 29 Jul 2009 18:09:33 +0200 Subject: [sustran] "Solving humanity's most pressing problems". Message-ID: <16b501ca1066$f8a67e90$e9f37bb0$@britton@ecoplan.org> "Solving humanity's most pressing problems". - today on World Streets at http://WorldStreets.org/ I would very much like to encourage comments and critical discussion of this approach. Are you telling me that this is the sort of thing we should be getting behind? Or what? Kind thanks Eric Britton -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://list.jca.apc.org/public/sustran-discuss/attachments/20090729/d4cec535/attachment.html From eric.britton at ecoplan.org Thu Jul 30 23:58:13 2009 From: eric.britton at ecoplan.org (Eric Britton) Date: Thu, 30 Jul 2009 16:58:13 +0200 Subject: [sustran] =?utf-8?Q?World_Streets=5D_New_comment_on_=22Solving_hu?= =?utf-8?Q?manity=E2=80=99s_most_pressing_problems=22?= Message-ID: <037501ca1126$2c17ff00$8447fd00$@britton@ecoplan.org> From: Robin Chase [mailto:noreply-comment@blogger.com] Robin Chase has left a new comment on your post " "Solving humanity?s most pressing problems". Comme...": I know Bill Mitchell and this lab very well. They are a great group that thinks far outside the box -- and this how I would characterize the role of the Media Lab (although I am not an expert). They have done a terrific job of capturing the public's imagination. And they have offered up an image (and images) that the press adores and gets used often. We can and should learn from that. I have. Is a row of shared cars for short-distance travel a good use of dense city curbsides? No. Is the idea of inductive power generation along major blocks throughout metro areas a realistic option (especially financially) any time soon? no Are one-way shared vehicles going be operationally viable in the near term? No (witness Velib). Does the one-size vehicle replace car ownership in cities? No, doesn't meet all call mobility needs. Does a one-form factor of vehicle take advantage of the diversity of vehicles that distinguishes car sharing from car ownership? No. Bill and his lab have heard me say all these things. I continue to like them and admire their work. They are doing a lot of things right. Note, they got the award. Posted by Robin Chase to World Streets at Thursday, 30 July, 2009 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://list.jca.apc.org/public/sustran-discuss/attachments/20090730/60bd937a/attachment.html From eric.britton at ecoplan.org Fri Jul 31 02:10:02 2009 From: eric.britton at ecoplan.org (Eric Britton) Date: Thu, 30 Jul 2009 19:10:02 +0200 Subject: [sustran] [World Streets] New Mobility Hubs: Connecting the dots Message-ID: <048601ca1138$968c2c50$c3a484f0$@britton@ecoplan.org> http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_kbTo-M_pSuw/SkMMPOzfTuI/AAAAAAAAA-o/OF8EX31q3xY/s200/pic-suez.gifThe next generation of urban transportation is about connecting the dots, bringing diverse innovations together in ways that work better for users than the single occupancy vehicle alone. Sue Zielinski introduces the New Mobility Hubs program, an initiative of City Connect, Ford Motor Company, the University of Michigan SMART project and local partners, with ongoing projects in N. America, Germany, India and South Africa. # # # Recognizing that neither alternative fuels nor pricing alone will save the day in this rapidly urbanizing world, a groundswell of transportation innovation is arising worldwide. However these innovations are too rarely linked in way that can provide a convenient, practical, affordable door-to-door trip for the user. The next generation of urban transportation is about connecting the dots, bringing diverse innovations together in ways that work better for users than the single occupancy vehicle alone. For full article ? http://WorldStreets.org/ -- Posted By Eric Britton to World Streets at 7/30/2009 06:35:00 PM . -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://list.jca.apc.org/public/sustran-discuss/attachments/20090730/d7f49e3a/attachment.html -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: image/png Size: 17040 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://list.jca.apc.org/public/sustran-discuss/attachments/20090730/d7f49e3a/attachment.png From eric.britton at ecoplan.org Fri Jul 31 16:09:01 2009 From: eric.britton at ecoplan.org (Eric Britton) Date: Fri, 31 Jul 2009 09:09:01 +0200 Subject: [sustran] Depreciation periods for buses in Singapore Message-ID: <01ab01ca11ad$ca0155e0$5e0401a0$@britton@ecoplan.org> From: Mike Kilburn [mailto:mkilburn@civic-exchange.org] Sent: Tuesday, July 28, 2009 11:39 AM Does anyone know over how many years Singapore depreciates its bus fleet and whether this is mandated by law? I am asking because Civic Exchange is conducting a study of franchised buses in Hong Kong, as a major contributor to roadside pollution, and we are looking for examples of jurisdictions that place some sort of limit on the operating life of a bus. In HK depreciation (ranging between 14 and 20 years) is a key consideration, but I would be very interested to hear of any control measures, such as roadworthiness test requirements, environmental performance indicators, limits on engine type (e.g. Singapore has banned all pre Euro and Euro 1 vehicles). Many thanks Mike Kilburn Civic Exchange -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://list.jca.apc.org/public/sustran-discuss/attachments/20090731/a5ed03be/attachment.html From lutman at globalnet.co.uk Fri Jul 31 20:38:48 2009 From: lutman at globalnet.co.uk (Peter Lutman) Date: Fri, 31 Jul 2009 12:38:48 +0100 Subject: [sustran] Re: Depreciation periods for buses in Singapore In-Reply-To: <01ab01ca11ad$ca0155e0$5e0401a0$@britton@ecoplan.org> References: <01ab01ca11ad$ca0155e0$5e0401a0$@britton@ecoplan.org> Message-ID: <473F00ED78364917B8D66E72EA44B6CE@PeterPC> RFI: Depreciation periods for buses in SingaporeDear Eric / Mike, Depreciation is an internal matter for the owner / operator of the vehicle and can be approached in one of several ways. Some operators will use "straight line" depreciation writing down the initial cost in equal instalments over a number of years that they choose. Some coach operators will write down the amount over say 8 years and use the second-hand value towards the purchase price of a modern replacement. Others will use a percentage of the initial cost and the remaining balance each year to reflect the lower maintenance costs in the vehicle's early years and the higher cost as it grows older. (Even though depreciation is a non-cash charge used only for the books and maintenance is a real cost affecting cash flow, balancing these can be useful for accounting purposes). It is common in well managed companies to provide for not just historic depreciation, but also for replacement of the asset which will cost more as a result of inflation and imposition of higher standards by statutory authorities e.g. Euro IV or V engines. When I ran a bus company in the UK, we wrote down minibuses over 4 years, midibuses over 8 years and heavyweight single and double deck buses over 14 years, but many lasted longer. London Transport got rid of hundreds of rear engined double deckers in the 1980s at far less than their written-down value (and wrote off the balance) becuase they had problems maintaining these vehicles. Currently they are disposing of 7 year old articulated buses in a similar way because the Mayor doesn't like them! The operating life of a bus is quite different from the bookkeeping - there are thousands of fully depreciated UK buses well over 14 years old used on school contract or other low-mileage work which are fully depreciated. The statutory requirements are that every vehicle must be presented annually at a Government Test Centre where it must meet rigorous safety and environmental standards before being permitted to be used for a further 12 months. Spot checks may be made in the intervening period. I seem to recall that Shanghai had a limit on the age of buses which could be used in that region, and I believe that it may have been as low as 7 years. While this may have been realistic for some of the rubbishy diesel buses which could shake themselves to bits, it was not sensible for the trolleybuses which can last for 25 or more years and did not seem to be applied to them. Turning to Hong Kong, all of Citybus and New World First Bus vehicles are air-conditioned as are the majority of Kowloon Motor Bus's fleet which makes them even greater polluters. Citybus recognised the pollution problem (Causeway Bay being one of the worst-affected areas) and tried hard to persuade the authorities that some of the very high frequency routes should be converted to Trolleybus operation. They converted a double-deck diesel bus into a Trolleybus with a small auxiliary engine for off-wire and depot running and erected a test track in their parking depot near Aberdeen. Alas, the authorities did not want to know - even the proposals to demonstrate the benefits on Aberdeen local bus routes and / or the redevelopment of the former Kai Tak airport were rejected. The same attitude was applied when Hong Kong Tramways built 3 modern-looking electric trams with air-conditioning and sought permission to charge a supplementary fare just as the buses do. This was refused despite the fact that the trams are totally non-polluting at the point of operation (although the Lamma Island Power Plant may produce a little more) so the A/C units on the trams were removed. Summing up, if a jurisdiction mandates that no PCV will be certified for further use after a certain age, that is one thing. It has nothing to do with the depreciation policies of the operator. Hong Kong only has itself to blame for refusing to try totally non-polluting Trolleybuses despite having a willing, progressive operator. Peter Lutman FCILT ******************************************************************** This email and any attachments are confidential to the intended recipient and may also be privileged. If you are not the intended recipient please delete it from your system and notify the sender. You should not copy it or use it for any purpose nor disclose or distribute its contents to any other person. ******************************************************************** ----- Original Message ----- From: Eric Britton To: Sustran-discuss@list.jca.apc.org Cc: mkilburn@civic-exchange.org Sent: Friday, July 31, 2009 8:09 AM Subject: [sustran] Depreciation periods for buses in Singapore From: Mike Kilburn [mailto:mkilburn@civic-exchange.org] Sent: Tuesday, July 28, 2009 11:39 AM Does anyone know over how many years Singapore depreciates its bus fleet and whether this is mandated by law? I am asking because Civic Exchange is conducting a study of franchised buses in Hong Kong, as a major contributor to roadside pollution, and we are looking for examples of jurisdictions that place some sort of limit on the operating life of a bus. In HK depreciation (ranging between 14 and 20 years) is a key consideration, but I would be very interested to hear of any control measures, such as roadworthiness test requirements, environmental performance indicators, limits on engine type (e.g. Singapore has banned all pre Euro and Euro 1 vehicles). Many thanks Mike Kilburn Civic Exchange ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ -------------------------------------------------------- To search the archives of sustran-discuss visit http://www.google.com/coop/cse?cx=014715651517519735401:ijjtzwbu_ss -------------------------------------------------------- If you get sustran-discuss via YAHOOGROUPS, please go to http://list.jca.apc.org/manage/listinfo/sustran-discuss to join the real sustran-discuss and get full membership rights. ================================================================ SUSTRAN-DISCUSS is a forum devoted to discussion of people-centred, equitable and sustainable transport with a focus on developing countries (the 'Global South'). -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://list.jca.apc.org/public/sustran-discuss/attachments/20090731/bc6c9da6/attachment.html From eric.britton at ecoplan.org Fri Jul 31 22:42:30 2009 From: eric.britton at ecoplan.org (Eric Britton) Date: Fri, 31 Jul 2009 15:42:30 +0200 Subject: [sustran] [World Streets] A family of small mice needs your help Message-ID: <031201ca11e4$c4471950$4cd54bf0$@britton@ecoplan.org> Today we want to tell you about a children's book on our subject, and beyond that to see if any of you out there might be interested in lending a hand so that we can create a handsome electronic version, and possibly in other languages.. The Mouse Family (that's Alvin, the poor harassed father there - - >) needs a little professional help. Behind the mice: Back in 1992, Year IV of the New Mobility Agenda, we had the idea that we should be doing more with children, not only to teach them (what do we really have to teach?) but rather to engage them with a first small step. They are, after all, our future. After talking this over with a couple of my colleagues (Wolfgang Zuckermann, who became our poet, and Roget Tweed, our artist) several things ensued, of which one that enjoyed a certain success at the time was the joint creation of the first children's book in a series, entitled "Family Mouse Behind the Wheel". -? Read the full posting at http://WorldStreets.org/ -- Posted By Eric Britton to World Streets at 7/31/2009 12:14:00 PM -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://list.jca.apc.org/public/sustran-discuss/attachments/20090731/b8b2f6e5/attachment.html