From christinelaurence at pacific.net.au Sun Mar 1 13:25:39 2009
From: christinelaurence at pacific.net.au (Christine Laurence)
Date: Sun, 1 Mar 2009 15:25:39 +1100
Subject: [sustran] road safety campaigns in the Philippines?
Message-ID: <5EB071DE25A149319B10BE36A09E6B7E@Laptop>
Hi there,
A friend who makes documentaries is currently working in the Philippines and
interested in preparing a road safety TV ad for his local area. I think his
main interest is wearing motor cycle helmets.
Can anyone point me in the direction of any relevant campaigns, information
sources etc?
Thank you.
Christine Laurence
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From eric.britton at ecoplan.org Tue Mar 3 11:43:29 2009
From: eric.britton at ecoplan.org (Administrative User)
Date: Tue, 3 Mar 2009 03:43:29 +0100
Subject: [sustran] "World Streets" - on your doorstep this morning
Message-ID: <40cf01c99baa$b124e2e0$136ea8a0$@britton@ecoplan.org>
Paris, 2 March 2009
Dear friends and colleagues around the world,
Today, March 2nd 2009, is the opening day of a new 21st century newspaper
devoted to concise and independent reporting on leading edge developments in
the field of sustainable transportation worldwide. Entitled World Streets
you can pick it up for the first time this
morning at http://www.worldstreets.org.
This collaborative initiative of the New Mobility Agenda can be described
in a few words as follows:
1. Authoritative information on leading edge thinking and practice in
the field of sustainable transportation, world-wide.
2. Focusing on transport in cities
3. Tackling above all the challenges of how to achieve big, fast
greenhouse gas reductions
4. On the lookout for measures, projects and policies that are going to
pay off within two to four years.
Our goal is to make World Streets focused enough, concise enough, and
interesting enough to be worthy of your attention on a regular basis.
World Streets is the latest collaborative project of the New Mobility Agenda
, an active force for change and improvement
in the transport sector worldwide since 1988.
Stay in touch. As always your comments, inputs, and insights will prove to
be our success.
Eric Britton
Founder and Collaborating Editor
World Streets
The New Mobility Agenda
Technology transforms time and space
. . . and our minds
New Mobility Partnerships - http://www.newmobility.org
& check out World Streets -- www.Worldstreets.org
Europe: 8/10 rue Joseph Bara, 75006 Paris, France
T: +331 4326 1323 or +339 7044 4179 Skype: ericbritton
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From eric.britton at ecoplan.org Fri Mar 6 16:27:13 2009
From: eric.britton at ecoplan.org (Eric Britton)
Date: Fri, 6 Mar 2009 08:27:13 +0100
Subject: [sustran] World Streets and the Greening of Seville
In-Reply-To: <8AA79866DFAE4BD9931C0B264B0606E9@celeron>
References: <003f01c99bcc$69797150$3c6c53f0$@britton@ecoplan.org>
<8AA79866DFAE4BD9931C0B264B0606E9@celeron>
Message-ID: <009701c99e2d$00ba8330$022f8990$@britton@ecoplan.org>
Dear friends and colleagues,
A quick update on next week in Seville, together with a thought on how it
might be useful for you,
I have been invited to spend some time in Seville thanks to a kind
invitation of the organizers of a conference on public bicycle organized by
the office of the city's mayor together with the Spanish network of cities
for cycles ( ll Jornadas de la Bicicleta P?blica de la Red de Ciudades por
la Bicicleta). You can see the whole story on the conference at
www.bicicletapublica.org
My participation in the conference will revolve around my providing them a
brief analytic reminder on how public bikes have managed to get as far as
they have until now, and then to discuss some of the opportunities (and
oops-the pitfalls) of planning and implementing such systems. My
"authority" for being able to do a reasonable job on this is not only a
result of the projects I have worked with and visited (including my four
times a day on average adventures with Velib), but also on the extensive
reports, brainstorming and information sharing we have had under the World
City Bike forum over the last two years (www.citybike.newmobility.org).
In parallel with this and the reason for this letter: after some discussion
with my Spanish colleagues I decided to be a great opportunity to use my
visit there to lay the base for the first of our World Streets City
Profiles, reporting on Seville's Transportation Greening Project. In this
respect I have the good luck that the organizers are helping me arrange
visits and interviews.
But now my question to you: Are there one or two things that you might like
me to try to report to you on in the final World Streets profile?
Likewise, if you have any sources or references that you think might help me
do a good job for all our readers and collaborators, now would be a great
time for me to have them. After all Streets is a true collaborative effort
and this is one more good example of how that can work.
A quick word on the next edition of World Streets. If you go to the site --
www.Worldstreets.org -- you will see in the upper left the interim results
of a reader poll in which we are asking our visitors to indicate what they
feel is the appropriate interval for new editions -- and the winner thus far
is the call for a fresh updated series of entries each week. The plan for
now therefore is to organize here so that each Monday morning when you get
in it will be a fresh copy of Streets on your desk. (Actually for now you
have to check into the site to pick it up, though we will shortly figure out
how to do this and more convenient manner.)
So thanks for sharing your thoughts and questions on Seville -- best done by
any other e-mail to editor@Worldstreets.org, and if you do check into
Streets give a thought to recording your ideas about how often you think
should appear.
Saludos cordiales,
Eric Britton
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From kanthikannan at gmail.com Fri Mar 6 15:12:54 2009
From: kanthikannan at gmail.com (Kanthi Kannan)
Date: Fri, 6 Mar 2009 11:42:54 +0530
Subject: [sustran] Re: Pedestrian Campaign by Mr. Karnik!!
Message-ID: <49b0bf09.1e078e0a.1ca9.758e@mx.google.com>
Dear all
Please read this. Great Stuff!!. We only wish we are able to contact people
like Mr. Karnik who can make a difference. :-)
Regards
Kanthi
Power to the pedestrian
5 Mar 2009, 0101 hrs IST, Kiran Karnik,
Power to the people, is a slogan now rarely heard. To many, all it means is
electrification of homes! Yet, these four words have the force of
history behind them. They connote a philosophy, a system of governance,
which has swept across the globe, laying low many a king, feudal lord and
dictator. Not all autocrats and despots have disappeared yet, but the idea
of people?s power has certainly shaken them.
Democracy is a necessary means of empowering people; however, to the extent
it is restricted to voting, it is far from sufficient. Electoral democracy
has many limitations ? even drawbacks ? especially when it degenerates into
majoritarianism or unregulated licence. Oppression of the few by the many
is, unfortunately, not an unknown by-product of democracy. Ironically, the
reverse ? small organised groups of hoodlums holding the majority to ransom
(as in many bandhs and strikes) ? is also facilitated by ?democratic
freedom? and encouraged by vote-bank politics. If empowerment of every
individual is the goal, it is necessary to go beyond mere elections and
ensure: participatory democracy; tolerance and encouragement of diversity in
life-style and thought; decentralisation of political and economic power;
and equitable access to information, communication and education.
Decentralisation ? through the creation of a third level of formal
governance by constitutional amendments empowering panchayats and urban
local bodies ?and the Right to Information Act have, together, given a huge
boost to grass-roots democracy and accountability. Potentially, these are
revolutionary steps in truly transferring power to the people. Yet, the
actual realisation of this is stymied by many obstacles and sometimes
contradicted by other measures. The rich and powerful continue to enjoy
special privileges and wield influence completely disproportionate to their
numbers; they also appropriate a far bigger share of public expenditure than
is justified. The plight of the pedestrian is a good metaphor for this.
Political netas and corporate leaders are hardly ever seen walking in the
streets of our cities (though a few do run on them during marathons).
Therefore, pedestrians ? mostly the ubiquitous but indefinable ?common man?
? get short shrift. Over the last few years, the motor car has been getting
ever greater precedence over the pedestrian and the cyclist.
Footpaths have been shrinking in a flurry of road-widening projects, and
even existing cycle-lanes have disappeared. An attempt in Delhi to give
precedence to cycles and buses through dedicated lanes (as part of a bus
rapid transit system) has met tremendous resistance from motorists.
Fortunately, following its success in Delhi, a ?metro? (train) system is now
being put in place in major cities. However, one is not sure if this is a
genuine recognition of the dire need to create mass public transportation
systems, or is merely the flavour of the day.
The doubt about decision-makers? serious commitment to efficient public
mobility arises from the contrast between the hundreds of crores being spent
on fly-overs and road-expansion in cities, and the distinct miserliness and
lethargy with regard to procurement of buses and facilities for pedestrians.
The priority for cars at the cost of pedestrians is evidenced by the ?free
left turn? at traffic signals. While this facilitates the movement of
vehicular traffic, the resulting continuous flow means that a pedestrian
wanting to cross the road must either be capable of out-running Usain Bolt,
or be a great believer in re-incarnation! Pedestrian over-bridges and
sky-walks would be solutions but these, unlike the proliferation of
fly-overs, are a rarity. Escalators and lifts to help the aged or
differently-abled to use overbridges ? where they exist ? are, of course,
unaffordable, unlike fly-overs! Pedestrian subways are but few; in Delhi,
the aspiring world-class city, they are so filthy and unsafe that no one
uses them. This, but naturally, does not bother decision-makers.
In contrast, in many cities around the world, the pedestrian is getting
increasing importance ? and space. In London ? a second home to many of
India?s rich and powerful ? the width of the foot-paths on Oxford Street,
for example, is probably double that of the road. Despite the very heavy
traffic and constant congestion, no one even thinks of widening the road at
the cost of the foot-path. In many other cities, particularly in Europe,
large areas are ?pedestrian-only? zones. The result, despite adverse weather
for many months in the year, is far more walkers. Most people there walk to
and from the nearest station or bus-stop. In contrast, our shrinking, uneven
and often non-existent footpaths discourage walking. Those who do walk are
often left with no option but to use the road ? disrupting traffic and
risking injury. Little wonder that Indians prefer to use a car even for
short distances. On the other hand, London and Singapore, amongst other
cities, levy steep congestion charges on cars entering designated parts of
the city, thereby discouraging use of private transport while reducing
pollution and traffic density.
In most countries, public authorities and vehicle drivers respect pedestrian
rights, giving walkers the right-of-way in many situations. In India, cars
run on fuel power, but also on feudal power: they assume almost divine
right-of-way everywhere. Government?s actions ? through its investment
policy, priorities and its disdain for pedestrians ? reinforce this sense of
superiority. Even in Mumbai, a city in which the offspring of the
upper-classes too used to travel to school or college by bus or the ?local?
(train), the change is perceptible; driven, doubtless, by the neglect and
decay of a public transport system trying hard to retain its legendary
efficiency.
To make ?power to the people? beyond mere clich?, what better way than by
empowering pedestrians? Here is an opportunity for the central and state
governments to work closely with the third tier, the urban body, and
initiate a major exercise in pedestrianisation; to put this in the same
class, and with similar priority and resources, as building fly-overs or
modernising airport terminals. Industry and civil society must play a major
role in shaping this new societal architecture and life-style, one that is
environment-friendly and empowering.
(The author is a strategy and policy analyst & honorary president, India
Habitat Centre)
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From sudhir at cai-asia.org Fri Mar 6 18:57:46 2009
From: sudhir at cai-asia.org (Sudhir)
Date: Fri, 6 Mar 2009 17:57:46 +0800
Subject: [sustran] CAI-Asia Center Job Openings - Transport Specialist
Message-ID:
*TERMS OF REFERENCE*
* *
Position Title: Transport Specialist
Location: Manila, Philippines with
local/international travel
Duration of Appointment: Regular staff (3 months probation)
Estimated Start Date: April/May 2009
Deadline for Application: 20 March 2009
* *
* *
* I. **BACKGROUND TO CAI-ASIA *
* *
The *Clean Air Initiative for Asian Cities (CAI-Asia)* promotes and
demonstrates innovative ways to improve the air quality of Asian cities by
sharing experiences and building partnerships.
CAI-Asia was established in 2001 as a joint initiative of the Asian
Development Bank, the World Bank and the former United States - Asia
Environmental Partnership, and has grown to become the main regional
initiative on urban air quality management (AQM). It is part of a global
Clean Air Initiative, which also includes sister initiatives for Latin
American Cities (CAI-LAC) and in Sub-Saharan Africa (CAI-SSA). The CAI-Asia
Center began operating as an independent non-profit organization in 2007,
with headquarters in Manila. It is the secretariat of the CAI-Asia
Partnership with 120 members, and works together with country networks in
eight Asian countries.
The CAI-Asia Center has two core programs: the air quality management (AQM)
program and the transport program, with clear linkages to health, climate
change and energy management. Its flagship event, the Better Air Quality
(BAQ) workshop, brings together 1,000 air quality stakeholders.
The CAI-Asia Center collects and documents knowledge, convenes stakeholders
and influences standards and policies on urban AQM. CAI-Asia's work has
contributed to the (a) adoption of stricter vehicle emissions and fuel
quality standards in several Asian countries and cities, (b) establishment
of processes policy dialogues for regional policy harmonization and
acceleration of development of national policies on air quality management;
(c) the integration of air quality and sustainable transport in the
strategies, policies, loans, and projects of development agencies; (d)
increased and accelerated uptake of new technologies and measures to reduce
air pollution; (e) improve efficiency and coordination between organizations
working on air quality and sustainable transport in Asia; and (f) the
allocation of funds towards AQM and sustainable transport.
A Transport Specialist is sought under the CAI-Asia Center?s Transport
Program.
* *
*II. ** RESPONSIBILITIES AND SCOPE OF WORK *
Under the direct supervision of the Transport Program Manager, the Transport
Specialist shall support the implementation of programs and projects of the
CAI-Asia Center.
*A. **Project Development and Implementation*
? Provide assistance in the implementation of projects on
transportation issues (e.g. related to contribution of transportation to air
pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, fuel and vehicle technology as well
as fuel economy, and transportation planning and demand management). This
includes the preparation of project reports, meeting proceedings,
presentations, workshops, conferences and events, including logistical and
administrative arrangements
? Provide information and support to CAI-Asia Country Networks in
various Asian countries on transportation issues
? Deliver other tasks assigned by the Transport Program Manager
and/or Executive Director of the Center
*B. **Inputs to Knowledge Management and Capacity Building *
* *
? Contribute to the research and profiling of transportation-related
studies, policies, projects, initiatives, and other materials relevant for
Asia and post on the CAI-Asia website (www.cleanairnet.org/caiasia) and the
CitiesACT portal (www.citiesact.org)
? Issue monthly sustainable transport e-newsletters
? Maintain the transport database in the Center
? Write articles for publication and inclusion on the CAI-Asia
website
*III. **ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS AND CRITERIA *
? A university degree in environmental sciences, environmental
management, natural sciences, engineering, communication, and/or
development-related discipline. *An advanced degree in transportation
planning and/or engineering is preferred *
? At least 3-5 years experience in transportation ? related issues
in Asia
? Knowledge and experience in air pollution and/or greenhouse gas
emissions forecasting from the transport sector
? Work experience in developing countries in Asia is an advantage
? Excellent oral and written communication skills, fluency in
English, initiative and good interpersonal skills
? Ability to work independently and as part of multi-cultural and
multi-disciplinary team
? Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications required, and
database, statistics software, and website development experience is an
advantage
*IV. **DURATION AND REMUNERATION *
The selected candidate will be appointed for an initial one-year position
with a 3-month probationary period, with the possibility of renewal. The
basic monthly salary starts at *PhP 86,470.00*, subject to tax
imposed by the Government of the Philippines. In addition, social benefits
as required under Philippines law will be provided (SSS, PhilHealth and HDMF
contributions, and 13th month). Leave entitlements include 24 incentive
leave days (paid vacations and sick days) and 11 regular holidays per year.
This position is open to applicants with citizenship from Asian countries.
In the case of an international recruitment the CAI-Asia Center will pay for
one international airfare at the beginning and end of the contract. A modest
relocation grant, equivalent to one month net salary will be paid as well.
*V. **HOW TO APPLY *
Quoting reference application Transport Specialist on subject line,
applicants should email their application letter and current CV (as Word
attachments) to Ms. Gianina Panopio (gianina.panopio@cai-asia.org), no later
than 20 March 2009, 5:00 pm, Manila time.
All applicants should state the reasons for their interest in the position,
relevant details of qualifications and experience, and contact details for
three referees.
Only short listed candidates will be contacted. For further information on
the position please contact Mr. Herbert Fabian, Transport Program Manager of
the CAI-Asia Center at bert.fabian@cai-asia.org.
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From eric.britton at ecoplan.org Tue Mar 10 18:22:09 2009
From: eric.britton at ecoplan.org (Eric Britton)
Date: Tue, 10 Mar 2009 10:22:09 +0100
Subject: [sustran] Support World Streets - A new page for New Mobility
Message-ID: <1baa01c9a161$b0895660$119c0320$@britton@ecoplan.org>
World Streets - Insights from leading
thinkers and practitioners around the world
Europe: 8/10 rue Joseph Bara, 75006 Paris, France USA: 9440
Readcrest Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90210
Paris, Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Ex. Sum: To support World Streets and the
New Mobility Agenda in 2009
. Click here
to donate one dollar (or more!).
. Need payment help - click
here
Dear Sustran Friends:
We invite you to visit, use and support World Streets
and the programs of the New Mobility Agenda
over all of 2009. To make your small but
important supporting contribution in about two minutes please click here
. (If you need payment
instructions or help click
here).
Your 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 fund the diversity of our existing
programs at the quality level and
frequency you are used to.
* Despite the many volunteers working with us, our programs are still
costly to run and require an annual budget of approximately EUR 100,000. An
active contributor base helps us equally to turn to the foundations,
agencies, and individuals who can make more sizable contributions to help us
make up a significant budget shortfall.
Coming from Sustran this is a partially important signal I think. It shows
to whoever cares to consider it, that our long term free partnership and
collaboration has meaning for you. Enough for you to take the time to make a
contrition. For us it is a very big dollar indeed.
Some of you have asked how much to give. My short answer is to each
according to their means and commitment to our shared concerns. Or I could
suggest using a rough Streets equivalent that might ring a bell with you:
* The price of a bus ticket
* Of a rental bike
* Or that tank of gasoline you save just by thinking about it . . .
What is most important at this point is for you to sign on to register your
concrete expression of interest and concern.
Fees: Several friends have asked why we do not simply charge for the
information and services our various New Mobility programs render. My 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. We wish to remain faithful to
this principle.
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 advertising, we wish to keep these programs not just
free, but free from commercial messages. 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.
Thank you in advance for that contribution and support - we couldn't do this
without you!
Eric Britton
The New Mobility Agenda
cid:image001.jpg@01C8DAF3.F7EBC130
Technology transforms time and space
. . . and our minds
New Mobility Partnerships - http://www.newmobility.org
& check out World Streets -- www.Worldstreets.org
Europe: 8/10 rue Joseph Bara, 75006 Paris, France
T: +331 4326 1323 or +339 7044 4179 Skype: ericbritton
USA: 9440 Readcrest Drive Los Angeles, CA 90210
T: +1 310 601-8468 Skype : newmobility
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From eric.britton at ecoplan.org Sat Mar 14 19:14:00 2009
From: eric.britton at ecoplan.org (Eric Britton)
Date: Sat, 14 Mar 2009 11:14:00 +0100
Subject: [sustran] World Streets This Week. 2-9 March 2009
Message-ID: <012801c9a48d$9b467600$d1d36200$@britton@ecoplan.org>
cid:image001.png@01C9A48B.936B6C30
World Streets This Week. 2-9 March 2009
World Streets on a single page. Highlights selected articles appearing over
week, with direct links to full text, illustrations and media. Want more?
? Click to go to www.worldstreets.org
? Click here to subscribe:
subscribe@worldstreets.org
? And here to support: www.support.worldstreets.org
Welcome to World Streets:
-> First time visitors invited to start here
The 21st century newspaper that has a single job: to provide you with high
quality, readable, concise food for thought, and leads specifically on the
topics of sustainable mobility, sustainable cities, and . .
>From the Leading Edge:
-> America before streets were civilized.
Looking back at 2009 from the closing days of Barrack Obama?s presidency, it
is sometimes surprising to appreciate how much has changed in the
relationship between people, places and traffic, . . .
World Streets Profiles:
-> Denis Baupin: a driving force to change Paris
As transportation chief of the French capital for seven years, Baupin was
the force behind the development of Paris's hugely successful
bicycle-sharing program, V?lib'.
Honk: -
>The
traffic in your mind
Our first-ever Honk! a 42 second video prepared by the Mobizen carshare
company, to get across the idea that carsharing is just a bit different from
the old way we used to do it,
Bad News Department:
-> The reported demise of world?s largest city bike project
We look at a spate of bad reporting on what is however a legitimate problems
threatening public bike sites around the world: vandalism and theft. But as
you will see the patient is very much out and around.
Cross-Blog Dialogue:
->The No-Excuses Zone
Gordon Price from Vancouver introduces the No-Excuse Zone for urban cycling,
which he in turn picked up from colleagues in Australia (more evidence of
the small world syndrome).
>From World Streets Archives:
->
Sweden's
Vision Zero program
Claes Tingvall compares road safety to workplace management. While the
employee or citizen, must follow guidelines, it is the responsibility of the
employer, or government, to provide a safe environment,
Reader Poll:
-> Frequency of publication
Should Streets be developed as a daily, weekly, monthly, or ad hoc
unscheduled publication. Give us your counsel by voting in the Reader Poll
that appears to your immediate left.
Translating World Streets:
-> Reader comments on pros and cons
Commentaries thus far on translation quality and usability in Chinese,
German, Indonesian, Portuguese and Spanish
World Streets Workshop/Laboratory:
->
Shortcomings, plans, improvements needed
Plenty of room for improvement, Issues and plans here. Reader comments,
suggestions invited.
Editor's page:
-> On Fair Use in World Streets
It is the 21st century and information in its various forms travels faster,
wider and more freely than ever before, creating ambiguities and issues of
intellectual property which are far from being resolved.
World Streets, a collaborative project of the New Mobility Partnerships.
? Click here to subscribe:
subscribe@worldstreets.org
New Mobility Agenda - The Commons - 8 rue Joseph Bara, 75006 Paris, France
T: +331 4326 1323
New Mobility Partnerships - 9440 Readcrest Drive, Los Angeles, CA
90210 T: +1 310 601-8468
Please feel free to share.
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From eric.britton at ecoplan.org Mon Mar 16 16:31:19 2009
From: eric.britton at ecoplan.org (Eric Britton)
Date: Mon, 16 Mar 2009 08:31:19 +0100
Subject: [sustran] [World Streets] Greening New York: Bicycle safety and
infrastructure (Europea...
Message-ID: <011a01c9a609$355f6310$a01e2930$@britton@ecoplan.org>
On Behalf Of Michael Yeates
Sent: Monday, March 16, 2009 6:13 AM
Subject: World Streets] Greening New York: Bicycle safety and infrastructure (Europea...
Click to: http://newmobilityagenda.blogspot.com/2009/03/greening-new-york-bicycle-safety-and_1698.html
Thanks for those thoughts and experiences Eric (see below).
There are two aspects which my experiences in Europe but also here in Australia have led me to pursue and if not promote, then at least try to get others to quietly but seriously consider.
1. Convenience is as important as safety if not more important: At first this seems completely wrong but in fact if safety is pursued, in most cases, practice shows that convenience is reduced, often to the point where a barrier is created for some if not most. So it may be that in some circumstances where a proposal is made to improve the safety of cyclists or pedestrians that a trade-off for increased convenience and reduced safety may be needed.
But have a look at points #1-5 below and it becomes more clear that reducing the danger while improving (or not reducing) the convenience while highly desirable, is not essential. It is maintaining and improving convenience which is both achievable and feasible ... and essential ... albeit not by itself. Improved safety is a likely if not inevitable outcome as can be seen from the following point and other points below.
2. Reclaiming the streets (or reclaiming street space) is not about banning motor vehicles: The 30/20/10 (preferably in km/h NOT mph?) illustrates that there is no need to reclaim street space IF motor vehicles are much less of a problem or threat. More to the point, the speed advantages of motor vehicles are so reduced (ie the "convenience" of motoring is so reduced) that other modes (and what better than cycling?) are then much more likely to be preferred. And when that occurs as it does in many many places world-wide, it becomes obvious that there is no need to "ban" motorists as is implied by "car free" campaigns. Indeed why ban motorists may well be one way to consider this in detail in order to see how other strategies can, and do, work to achieve better outcomes.
Of course these and the five below are inter-related but the issue is about getting support for rather getting support against. So why ban motorists if that isn't necessary ie if the desired outcomes can be achieved by sharing the roads/streets?
It may come as a bit of a shock to some traffic planners and advocates but there is barely a street, road or freeway on the planet that isn't convenient to use for cyclists so why try to build a separate network other than to allow business as usual in the adjacent road space?
Of course it is never quite as simple as that and nothing is ever perfect. Indeed one idea that doesn't get much promotion is the idea of CYCLIST AND PEDESTRIAN PRIORITY on roads and streets. It simply reverses the legal onus and responsibility in favour of peds and cyclists rather than motorists.
So if like the hierarchy that places pedestrians first, cyclists second, etc etc, we argue consistently that in principle, urban roads are the spaces for cyclists, as well as for motorists and pedestrians, to share, then solutions such as those in much of Europe but also many places elsewhere become rather self-obvious ... and those that oppose these ideas, more obvious in their motives also. Both good outcomes....!
Put another way, there is very little needs be done or money spent on the roads. And what is done can be implemented incrementally ... although the bigger the area, the better because consistency matters.
The effort and money is needed to change how we have allowed roads (in particular urban roads) to be used.
Indeed the emphasis on changing the roads, being so costly, is almost inevitably counter-productive. We provide reasons for NOT changing how the roads are or could be used.
This might still result in some necessary changes to the roads.
But then lets not so quickly forget the lessons we learned from Hans Monderman which if applied to cyclists may well necessitate removing some of those comfortable and reliable old "separation" techniques such as separate paths and bike lanes in favour of "sharing the road"?
Michael Yeates
At 02:57 AM 16/03/2009, you wrote:
[ http://newmobilityagenda.blogspot.com/2009/03/slowth.html]
The following commentary was made yesterday in response to a discussion on www.LivableStreets.com looking at different approaches to providing cycle paths and other forms of street architecture modifications, major and minor, to protect the cyclist. The discussants were partially looking at this in the context of New York's ongoing vigorous efforts to develop a major cycling program after many years of neglect.
Eric Britton
Editor, World Streets
Lessons learned in Europe
International experience at the leading edge, mainly in European cities that are doing the job, put some interesting lessons on the table.
For starters, let???s make sure that we do not allow ourselves to get too comfortable too fast. By that I mean I am not at all sure that the best approach to safe cycling is to start by shopping around for the most attractive cycle path designs to be put in your city's streets here or there. I can understand the temptation but we have here a systemic problem which requires more than occasional attractive street architecture.
Safe cycling is based on the existence of networks which provide a safe travel environment over the areas and routes most taken by cyclists. By which I mean to say that a lovely cycle facility here and there does not by itself promote safe cycling (in fact conceivably it can make cycling even more dangerous). What is needed from the beginning is without letting up to drive toward that basic network. To accomplish this, it means targeting a solution set that is pretty pervasive, far more so than most plans today even dare aim for.
What do you do when what you need to do definitely outstrips the resources, approaches and plans that are traditionally available to you? The only way to do this is to change the rules. That happens in five main parts.
1. Speed reductions: ("Don ???t leave home without them.")
The first pillar of new mobility policy is to slow down the traffic on EVERY street in the city. I do not say this lightly and I understand the extent to which this runs against long-standing practices and what people regard as their fair interest. But there is no longer any mystery about this at the leading edge. I do not imagine that there is a competent (note the word) traffic planner today who will argue for top speeds in excess of 30 mph in the city. 30 mph is terrific, and though too fast for safe cycling is something which we can reasonably target for the Main Avenue's and thoroughfares. For the rest a policy of 10/20/30 is feasible, fair and do-able. Once you get over the shock.
2. Reclaim street space:
The second prong of the strategy is that the creation of a safe network requires taking over at least portions of a quite large number of streets in the city. This is accomplished in two ways, the first being the alteration of the street architecture, taking over lanes for fully protected cycling. The most popular, parking lane out/bike lane in, often works very nicely when the cycle lanes work against the flow of traffic. The second prong of street reclaiming is the hard edge of speed reductions. In these cases top speeds on the side streets drop to something like 10 to 15 mph, with 10 leading better than 15. Again for most cross-town traffic in Manhattan this should not be a problem.
3. "Occuper le terrain": (French for safety in numbers. )
You are seeing that in New York already, though I have to guess you are not yet at the tipping point on that. But the more people you get out on the street on their bicycles every day, the more that everybody involved moves up a couple of notches day after day in the learning process. The cyclists learn how to behave better to protect themselves in traffic, drivers get accustomed to looking out for those small wavering frail figures, the police learn how to play their part in this learning process, and the system they have today learns and adapts.
4. "Street code":
The Highway Code , a collection of laws, advice and best practice for all road users, which mainly functions as a written basis for learning to drive as well as stipulating the letter of the law (licensing, required safety equipment, default rules, etc.) In Europe this happens at a national level, with room in some places for stricter local ordinances. In the US mainly a state prerogative.
I understand that you are looking into this for New York. Many European cities are advancing on the idea of establishing a far tougher "street codes" specifically adapted to the special and more demanding conditions of driving in city traffic. This is becoming especially important as we start to see a much greater mix of vehicles, speeds and people on the street. The idea is works is that culpability for any accident on street, sidewalk or public space, is automatically assigned to the heavier faster vehicle. This means that the driver who hits a cyclist has to prove his innocence, as opposed to today where the cyclist must prove the driver's guilt (not always very easy to do). This is not quite as good as John Adams' magnificent 1995 formulation whereby every steering wheel of every car , truck and bus would be equipped with a large sharp nail aimed directly at the driver???s heart-- but it can at least help getting things moving in the right direction.
5. It's a Learning System:
Once you start to break the ice to the point where provision of cycling facilities even starts to be an issue, it is probably best to think of the city and the street network as a learning system. And learning of course takes place over time, and if you are lucky leads to a continuous stream of adjustments as you go along. There may be a bit of comfort in that, if you are patient enough, because what it definitely means is that any cycling improvements you can conceivably come up with today has to be thought of not as a solution but as the start of the path. This is very definitely process oriented planning.
* * *
So we really do know what to do, and we do know that it requires a combination of foresight, originality, guile and pragmatic planning from the beginning. Fortunately there is plenty of international experience which backs this up.
Paris is an example of one that I live with and cycle in every day over a decades-long period of steady adaptation and change. It is definitely not Copenhagen or Amsterdam. It is work in progress. Only a few years ago Paris was a city that was planning almost exclusively for cars and yet over the past decade has gradually began to build up a network for safe cycling. Perhaps not so much safe as safer, and the role of the planners here is to use the full cookbook of approaches in a dynamic organic manner so that each day things get a little bit better. Because all this has become part of the culture, the mainstream culture, it is no longer a big deal and so do the good works are able to go on every day.
Of course if cycling is your game it would be great to be able to import whole hog those terrific physical infrastructures that are found in Dutch and Danish cities. But this takes decades and I do not see it happening overnight in most US cities, New York among them. What is interesting about the Paris example, and we are certainly not the only one, is the manner in which safe cycling infrastructure is being built up step by step and day by day. We are not yet at the point at which we can feel comfortable with Gil Penalosa's "8 to 80 rule", remember, where cycling is safe for your eight-year-old daughter and your eighty-year-old grandfather. But give us a time and we will get there - and I hope you will too.
--
Posted By ericbritton to World Streets at 3/13/2009 05:52:00 PM
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From eric.britton at ecoplan.org Mon Mar 16 20:17:05 2009
From: eric.britton at ecoplan.org (Eric Britton)
Date: Mon, 16 Mar 2009 12:17:05 +0100
Subject: [sustran] term limits on World Streets automatic postings here
Message-ID: <01c901c9a628$bf022020$3d066060$@britton@ecoplan.org>
Dear colleagues,
Just to remind you very briefly as indicated at the outset of this month the
various materials flowing from our new World Streets project are to be
automatically forwarded here only over the course of the month of March.
As per 1st April if you wish to continue to follow this aspect of the
project, you will need to sign in to the New Mobility Caf?, for which all
you need to do is to send a blank letter to
NewMobilityCafe-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
We hope you find World Streets a good addition to your library and reference
system.
With all good wishes,
Eric Britton
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From sudhir at cai-asia.org Wed Mar 18 12:03:26 2009
From: sudhir at cai-asia.org (Sudhir)
Date: Wed, 18 Mar 2009 11:03:26 +0800
Subject: [sustran] CAI-Asia Center Job Openings - Transport Specialist
In-Reply-To:
References:
Message-ID:
please note that Friday is the deadline... :-)
*TERMS OF REFERENCE*
* *
Position Title: Transport Specialist
Location: Manila, Philippines with
local/international travel
Duration of Appointment: Regular staff (3 months probation)
Estimated Start Date: April/May 2009
Deadline for Application: 20 March 2009
* *
* *
* I. **BACKGROUND TO CAI-ASIA *
* *
The *Clean Air Initiative for Asian Cities (CAI-Asia)* promotes and
demonstrates innovative ways to improve the air quality of Asian cities by
sharing experiences and building partnerships.
CAI-Asia was established in 2001 as a joint initiative of the Asian
Development Bank, the World Bank and the former United States - Asia
Environmental Partnership, and has grown to become the main regional
initiative on urban air quality management (AQM). It is part of a global
Clean Air Initiative, which also includes sister initiatives for Latin
American Cities (CAI-LAC) and in Sub-Saharan Africa (CAI-SSA). The CAI-Asia
Center began operating as an independent non-profit organization in 2007,
with headquarters in Manila. It is the secretariat of the CAI-Asia
Partnership with 120 members, and works together with country networks in
eight Asian countries.
The CAI-Asia Center has two core programs: the air quality management (AQM)
program and the transport program, with clear linkages to health, climate
change and energy management. Its flagship event, the Better Air Quality
(BAQ) workshop, brings together 1,000 air quality stakeholders.
The CAI-Asia Center collects and documents knowledge, convenes stakeholders
and influences standards and policies on urban AQM. CAI-Asia's work has
contributed to the (a) adoption of stricter vehicle emissions and fuel
quality standards in several Asian countries and cities, (b) establishment
of processes policy dialogues for regional policy harmonization and
acceleration of development of national policies on air quality management;
(c) the integration of air quality and sustainable transport in the
strategies, policies, loans, and projects of development agencies; (d)
increased and accelerated uptake of new technologies and measures to reduce
air pollution; (e) improve efficiency and coordination between organizations
working on air quality and sustainable transport in Asia; and (f) the
allocation of funds towards AQM and sustainable transport.
A Transport Specialist is sought under the CAI-Asia Center?s Transport
Program.
* *
*II. ** RESPONSIBILITIES AND SCOPE OF WORK *
Under the direct supervision of the Transport Program Manager, the Transport
Specialist shall support the implementation of programs and projects of the
CAI-Asia Center.
*A. **Project Development and Implementation*
? Provide assistance in the implementation of projects on
transportation issues (e.g. related to contribution of transportation to air
pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, fuel and vehicle technology as well
as fuel economy, and transportation planning and demand management). This
includes the preparation of project reports, meeting proceedings,
presentations, workshops, conferences and events, including logistical and
administrative arrangements
? Provide information and support to CAI-Asia Country Networks in
various Asian countries on transportation issues
? Deliver other tasks assigned by the Transport Program Manager
and/or Executive Director of the Center
*B. **Inputs to Knowledge Management and Capacity Building *
* *
? Contribute to the research and profiling of transportation-related
studies, policies, projects, initiatives, and other materials relevant for
Asia and post on the CAI-Asia website (www.cleanairnet.org/caiasia) and the
CitiesACT portal (www.citiesact.org)
? Issue monthly sustainable transport e-newsletters
? Maintain the transport database in the Center
? Write articles for publication and inclusion on the CAI-Asia
website
*III. **ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS AND CRITERIA *
? A university degree in environmental sciences, environmental
management, natural sciences, engineering, communication, and/or
development-related discipline. *An advanced degree in transportation
planning and/or engineering is preferred *
? At least 3-5 years experience in transportation ? related issues
in Asia
? Knowledge and experience in air pollution and/or greenhouse gas
emissions forecasting from the transport sector
? Work experience in developing countries in Asia is an advantage
? Excellent oral and written communication skills, fluency in
English, initiative and good interpersonal skills
? Ability to work independently and as part of multi-cultural and
multi-disciplinary team
? Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications required, and
database, statistics software, and website development experience is an
advantage
*IV. **DURATION AND REMUNERATION *
The selected candidate will be appointed for an initial one-year position
with a 3-month probationary period, with the possibility of renewal. The
basic monthly salary starts at *PhP 86,470.00*, subject to tax
imposed by the Government of the Philippines. In addition, social benefits
as required under Philippines law will be provided (SSS, PhilHealth and HDMF
contributions, and 13th month). Leave entitlements include 24 incentive
leave days (paid vacations and sick days) and 11 regular holidays per year.
This position is open to applicants with citizenship from Asian countries.
In the case of an international recruitment the CAI-Asia Center will pay for
one international airfare at the beginning and end of the contract. A modest
relocation grant, equivalent to one month net salary will be paid as well.
*V. **HOW TO APPLY *
Quoting reference application Transport Specialist on subject line,
applicants should email their application letter and current CV (as Word
attachments) to Ms. Gianina Panopio (gianina.panopio@cai-asia.org), no later
than 20 March 2009, 5:00 pm, Manila time.
All applicants should state the reasons for their interest in the position,
relevant details of qualifications and experience, and contact details for
three referees.
Only short listed candidates will be contacted. For further information on
the position please contact Mr. Herbert Fabian, Transport Program Manager of
the CAI-Asia Center at bert.fabian@cai-asia.org.
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From fekbritton at gmail.com Wed Mar 18 16:20:21 2009
From: fekbritton at gmail.com (ericbritton)
Date: Wed, 18 Mar 2009 00:20:21 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [sustran] [World Streets] Honk! A new Paris? Hang on
Message-ID: <1237360821832.230abef9-7580-4672-9bc7-59c7fe131566@google.com>
[http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/17/arts/design/17paris.html?_r=1&emc=eta1]
12.00 Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE
MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt
0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New
Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} I
thought this might be a rotten way for you to start your day. Just to
let you know that all the dinosaurs are not dead. This chilling Brave
New World illustration from an article in today's New York Times. Click
here to check it out.
The news is not quite as bad as that, this being one of the more
outrageous images resulting from an architectural completion
commissioned by the government last summer, looking for ideas for Le
Grand Paris (the greater Paris region which as yet has no legal entity,
but which is marked by very large economic and life quality differences
depending on where you live. They selected ten mainly well known
architectural firms to have a go. For more you can Google "Le Grand
Paris" Perhaps someone might tell me how much do architects actually
know and or think about the complex ins and outs of sustainable
transportation. A lot?
Eric Britton
Source and fair use:
This article originally appeared in the New York Times of 16 March
2009, by their reporter Nicolai Ouroussoff. You can view their original
article here.
And click here to view World Street's policy on Fair Use. Comments
welcome.
--
Posted By ericbritton to World Streets at 3/18/2009 07:56:00 AM
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From fekbritton at gmail.com Wed Mar 18 19:08:56 2009
From: fekbritton at gmail.com (ericbritton)
Date: Wed, 18 Mar 2009 03:08:56 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [sustran] [World Streets] Silent cities
Message-ID: <1237370935753.8ee1d7ab-2f01-46f3-8270-92ebdd12c4da@google.com>
[http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2001/jul/19/mpsurgery23]
[From the New Mobility Cafe of this date.] Here is an idea which might
go on the World Streets website but I'd like to run it through this
group first.There have been suggestions that electric cars might need
to have artificial noise generators to warn pedestrians and cyclists,
who rely to a great extent on auditory cues, of their approach. See for
example the article of 4 Dec 2008 obtained by searching for "noise
vehicle" on .It has occurred to me to ask why not require vehicles to
be silent while putting the onus on the drivers to avoid pedestrians
and cyclists. The former, if universal, would bring an unimaginable
improvement to the quality of life, and not only in cities, because
these days many rural areas are as noisy. The latter -- strict
liability -- would force motorists to lower their speeds by enough to
make the streets safe for all.All surface transport vehicles --
lorries, buses, trains and boats -- would be required to install
electric engines. Trains and trolleybuses would run under wires as now,
but could also take power to batteries while on the move and thereby
run on unwired sections. Solar power from the deserts would be used to
ensure that this power was emission-free. Low noise surfaces would be
installed on major highways where motorists would be able to go fast.
Aviation, where noise is probably inevitable, would be tightly
constrained in favour of high speed trains and completely outlawed
during the normal hours of sleep.Private vehicles would be subject to a
mileage tax in addition to an energy tax (which would be returned to
the providers of renewable electricity).There would be problems with
people with limited vision, but given that Monderman stated that he
thought people should be able to cross the road walking backwards (i.e.
with no forward vision) I think these should be soluble. Are there any
other problems which would make this vision unfeasible?Simon Norton
Cambridge, UK
--
Posted By ericbritton to World Streets at 3/17/2009 10:55:00 AM
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From fekbritton at gmail.com Thu Mar 19 17:32:57 2009
From: fekbritton at gmail.com (ericbritton)
Date: Thu, 19 Mar 2009 01:32:57 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [sustran] [World Streets] Carsharing in Japan: Status report
Message-ID: <1237451577115.c6f54af3-6cee-482e-88bf-f4ef56e9fed5@google.com>
[http://www.ecomo.or.jp/environment/carshare/carshare_list.html]
Dear Eric, Please forward this message to the World Carshare Forum and
World Streets. According to our survey in January 2009, there were 20
carsharing organizations in Japan and a total of 563 vehicles were
being shared by 6396 registered members at 357 car stations.The figure
of registered members has doubled since January 2008. You can access
the web site of each carsharing organizations from our web
site.http://www.ecomo.or.jp/environment/carshare/carshare_list.html
Shimpei IchimaruFoundation for Promoting Personal Mobility and
Ecological TransportationTokyo, Japan
--
Posted By ericbritton to World Streets at 3/19/2009 09:29:00 AM
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From fekbritton at gmail.com Thu Mar 19 22:14:58 2009
From: fekbritton at gmail.com (ericbritton)
Date: Thu, 19 Mar 2009 06:14:58 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [sustran] [World Streets] Common sense on "next generation"
carsharing - Paris, London ...
Message-ID: <1237468497908.73460a44-1508-403f-9811-ea3454807ff5@google.com>
[http://www.climatechangecorp.com/content.asp?contentid=6026]
[The following piece of this date graciously shared with us by the
author and the Climate Change Group ]Could London follow Paris with
electric car sharing?]18 Mar 2009 | Author: Toby Procter | - Boris
Johnson's electric cars will not be as green as those powered by the
French, so why not just hop on a bus instead?Aiming to make London the
?electric capital of Europe?, London Mayor Boris Johnson told the
London assembly on 25 February that a working group was considering a
plan along the lines of the Autolib? electric car rental scheme planned
for Paris for 2010, and wanted to greatly expand support for charging
points around London.Johnson hoped for a "sizeable chunk" of the ?250m
government funding for electric vehicle initiatives, and added that he
wanted to see at least half the 8,000-vehicle fleet owned by the
Greater London Authority replaced by electric vehicles as soon as
possible, while warning that considerable sums were necessary in order
to invest in a technology that is "almost there ... but not quite".Last
October, the Paris authorities announced plans for an ?Autolib?
electric car-sharing scheme to do on four wheels what the successful
V?lib bicycle sharing scheme has done on two. Paris proposes 2,000 EVs
to be available from 200 city centre underground car parks and 500
parking bays, and another 2,000 in the city?s suburbs. These vehicles
could be booked online, picked up in one bay and left in another at the
journey?s end.Electric cars still have teething problems. Problem one
is that these cars - some are not technically cars, but ?quadricycles?
such as the REVA and Aixam Mega ? are produced in small numbers and
cost more than comparable ordinary cars, despite offering limited
range, utility and space.Problem two is the infrastructure EVs need,
given their batteries? present shortcomings. Most EVs? batteries need
recharging for 7-8 hours after around 100 miles. The 40 Elektrobay
street-side recharging units already in place in London cost around
?7,500 per unit installed - multiply that by 700 units as with the
Paris scheme - and it adds up to a huge sum of cash.Then there?s the
cost of telematics and accounting systems and associated hardware to
charge users for the ?juice? and the rentals. Elektromotive, the UK
firm which has supplied London?s recharging points to date, recently
signed an agreement with the Renault-Nissan Alliance, which hopes for
global EV market leadership from the launch of its first electric cars
in 2012, but solutions to large-scale recharging/parking infrastructure
issues remain unproven.London is likely to start, as have some other
local authorities, by buying more electric vehicles for the GLA fleet,
whose journeys start and end at depots where off-road recharging units
can more easily be installed.To date, car sharing clubs have remained
small-scale, though in London, the City Car Club saw membership rise
109% last year, and rival Whizzgo?s rose 42%. One such company might
take on the management of an EV sharing scheme. But it would provide
electric car access only to the few, so might not deserve big
subsidies.The question of whether electric cars in London are the
greenest option should also be asked. France relies on nuclear energy
for around 80% of its electricity and therefore has a much lower carbon
electricity supply than the Brits.And according to estimates cited by
the French EV maker Aixam, on average people only need cars in London
for 4-mile journeys. Might they be better off taking a bus? Improving
bus services might cut urban CO2 emissions more efficiently than a
token fleet of electric cars available only to the few.However London
decides to pump-prime electric transport, the Mayor should reflect on
the fact that some of the latest small diesel cars from European
manufacturers emit CO2 emissions below 100gm/km, well below the 2012
limit proposed by the EU, and scarcely more than the average 87g/km
calculated for electric cars by the UK's King Review of Low Carbon
Cars, factoring in the UK?s renewables-poor generation mix.
--
Posted By ericbritton to World Streets at 3/19/2009 02:09:00 AM
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From eric.britton at ecoplan.org Thu Mar 19 23:08:59 2009
From: eric.britton at ecoplan.org (Eric Britton)
Date: Thu, 19 Mar 2009 15:08:59 +0100
Subject: [sustran] Relaunch of Cities for Mobility Homepage
Message-ID: <021e01c9a89c$42c8a4e0$c859eea0$@britton@ecoplan.org>
- Spanish and French version below-
Dear members and friends of "Cities for Mobility",
we are very pleased to announce the relaunch of the
homepage of the global network "Cities
for Mobility" (
http://www.cities-for-mobility.org). The new site appears in a new design
which is modern, colourful, and user-friendly. Thanks to a new and clear
structure, the objectives and activities of the network can be identified
easier. The new homepage also includes a "latest news" area, informing
regularly on interesting news from the network as well as on events,
projects and other developments in the field of urban mobility. A special
highlight is the new "membersmap" (under Membership) where all member cities
of the network are marked. You can see on this map how our member cities are
distributed around the world.
We hope you will enjoy the new homepage and we are looking forward to
receiving your comments on it. Do you like it? Is there anything else you
think should be placed on the homepage? Don't hesitate to give us your
opinion.
You will find on the homepage very soon detailed information on the upcoming
Cities for Mobility World Congress that will take place from 14-16 June 2009
in the city of Stuttgart.
Hope to see you in June in Stuttgart!
Kind regards
Your Coordination Office
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Estimados miembros y amigos de "Cities for Mobility",
tenemos mucho gusto en anunciarles el relanzamiento de la
p?gina web de la red global "Cities for
Mobility" (
http://www.cities-for-mobility.org). La nueva p?gina tiene un dise?o
moderno, colorido y de f?cil manejo. Gracias a una nueva y clara
estructura, se pueden apreciar mas f?cilmente los objetivos y actividades de
la red. La nueva p?gina web tambi?n incluye un sector "latest news", en
donde se informa regularmente sobre novedades interesantes de la red as?
como en general acerca de eventos, proyectos y otros desarrollos en el ?rea
de la movilidad urbana. Vale tambi?n la pena destacar el nuevo "membersmap"
(bajo Membership) en el cual todas las ciudades que son miembros de la red
est?n marcadas. Se puede apreciar en el mapa como est?n repartidos las
ciudades miembros alrededor del mundo.
Esperamos que disfruten la nueva p?gina web y les agredecer?amos mucho nos
env?en sus comentarios. Les gusta la p?gina? Consideran que hay cosas que
faltan y que se deber?an incluir? No duden en darnos su opini?n.
Encontrar?n muy pronto en la p?gina web informaci?n detallada sobre el
Congreso Mundial de Cities for Mobility que se celebrar? del 14 al 16 de
junio del 2009 en la ciudad de Stuttgart.
Esperamos verlos en junio en Stuttgart.
Muchos saludos les env?a
su Oficina de Coordinaci?n
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Chers membres et amis de Cities for Mobility
Nous sommes tr?s heureux d'annoncer la relance de la
page d'accueil du r?seau mondial
"Cities for Mobility" (
http://www.cities-for-mobility.org). Le nouveau site appara?t dans une
nouvelle conception qui est moderne, color? et facile d'utiliser. Merci ?
une nouvelle structure claire, les objectifs et les activit?s du r?seau
peuvent ?tre identifi?s de fa?on plus facile. La nouvelle page d'accueil
comprend une zone "last news" pour informer r?guli?rement sur de nouvelles
int?ressantes sur le r?seau ainsi que sur les ?v?nements, projets et autres
d?veloppements dans le domaine de la mobilit? urbaine. Un aspect original
est le nouveau "membersmap" (rubrique "membership"), o? toutes les villes
membres du r?seau sont marqu?s. Vous pouvez voir sur cette carte, la fa?on
dont nos villes sont distribu?es ? travers le monde.
Nous esp?rons que vous appr?cierez la nouvelle page d'accueil et nous nous
r?jouissons de recevoir vos commentaires. Est-ce que la page vous pla?t?
Existe-t-il tout ce que vous pensez doit ?tre plac? sur la page d'accueil?
N'h?sitez pas ? nous donner votre avis.
Vous trouverez sur la page d'accueil tr?s prochainement des informations
d?taill?es sur le Congr?s mondial de Cities for Mobility qui aura lieu le
14-16 Juin 2009 dans la ville de Stuttgart.
En esp?rant vous voir en Juin ? Stuttgart.
Amicalement
votre bureau de coordination
----------------------------------------------------------------------
City of Stuttgart,
Mayor's Policy Office
Coordination Office "Cities for Mobility"
Rathaus, Marktplatz 1
D-70173 Stuttgart
Germany
Telephone: +49 711/ 216 - 85 01
Fax: +49 711/ 216 - 61 05
E-Mail: cfm@stuttgart.de
Website: http://www.cities-for-mobility.org
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From fekbritton at gmail.com Fri Mar 20 01:41:10 2009
From: fekbritton at gmail.com (Eric Britton)
Date: Thu, 19 Mar 2009 09:41:10 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [sustran] [World Streets] The Greening of New York: March 2009
Message-ID: <1237480869791.cf40880d-6b59-44a6-a845-3adad1e57915@google.com>
[http://transalt.org]
12.00 Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE
MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt
0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New
Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} We decided to make the month of March
one of heavy traffic between New York City and World Streets.
After years of growing civic involvement pushing hard toward more
sustainable transportation arrangements in a city and region long
dominated by cars, and held back by a highly resistant tradition-bound
administration and political establishment, the City has come out of
the doldrums in the last couple of years and is now making progress
toward engaging a major new mobility overhaul.
This process, this often bumpy road, is in our view of sufficient
interest that it should be made more broadly known to the international
community. Any time a city series engages the challenge of making the
move toward more sustainable transportation, this has to be of interest
to other cities and groups around the world who were looking for good
examples and ideas to fire their own transition.
And as always the traffic will run in two ways, and we know that it is
going to be interesting too to see how others with deep experience in
their own cities see and share their lessons and thoughts with
colleagues in New York.
You can follow these exchanges real-time each day by going to our good
search engine and popping in "Greening of New York" into the Streets
section. If you have subscribed to the New Mobility Caf?
(NewMobilityCafe-subscribe@yahoogroups.com), you will receive them as
they appear. You will also receive highlights in the "This Week on
World Streets" summaries.
* To call up all the entries in this series thus far, click here.
--
Posted By Eric Britton to World Streets at 3/09/2009 05:30:00 AM
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From alena.morrison at iiid.net Thu Mar 19 23:48:58 2009
From: alena.morrison at iiid.net (Alena Morrison)
Date: Thu, 19 Mar 2009 15:48:58 +0100
Subject: [sustran] Expert Forum Traffic&Transport Information Systems 2009
Message-ID:
Dear Dir or Madam
The International Institute for Information Design (IIID) in Vienna
continues its highly successful Expert Forum Traffic & Transport
Information Systems into the 4th year. Unsurpassed in its field, this
year's event - Scheduled & on-demand transport: Envisioning
information driven alliances - will re-define 'integrated transport'
and discuss traveller information as prominent key for a new era of
mobility. The addressed re-definition shifts the focus from
"transport" to "mobility" which implies an analoguous focus-shift from
a provider's to a traveller's point of view.
The Expert Forum is geared to discuss market potentials, to promote
successful initiatives in user-centered mobility schemes and to
exemplify the key role of information to make people abandon
traditional travelling habits in exchange for sustainable alternatives
with a higher degree of freedom at reasonable or even lower costs.
Your interest and expertise in transport might lead you to consider
submitting a proposal in response to our Call for Speakers (first
deadline 10 May 2009), details are available here. You will find
information on the event, our "Call for Speakers" and website link
posted below, which you are free to pass on to like-minded
colleagues. Furthermore posting the information about the Expert
Forum and our Call for Speakers would allow us to reach those who can
make a valuable contribution. Therefore, I would like to ask you to
announce Traffic&Transport 2009, and our call for speakers in the most
appropriate format available.
If you would like more information, please do not hesitate to contact
the Assistant Coordinator at IIID, Alena Morrison, who will be happy
to oblige.
Looking forward to hearing from you soon,
Kind Regards,
Alena Morrison
Assistant Coordinator
International Institute for Information Design (IIID)
Palffygasse 27/17
1170 Wien/Vienna
Austria
T: +43 (0)1 403 66 62
alena.morrison@iiid.net
Call for Speakers
IIID Traffic&Transport 2009 / 4th IIID Expert Forum Traffic &
Transport Information Systems
The world's leading event in the field
10/11 September 2009, Tech Gate Vienna, Austria
Theme: "Scheduled & on-demand transport: Envisioning information
driven alliances"
Chair: Per Mollerup (Mollerup Designlab A/S, Copenhagen, Denmark /
Faculty of Design, Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne,
Australia)
Organizer:
IIID International Institute for Information Design
in cooperation with:
BMVIT Austrian Federal Ministry of Transport, Innovation and Technology
OeBB Austrian Federal Railways
Deadline for proposals, phase 1: 10 May 2009
http://www.iiid-expertforum.net/
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From sudhir at cai-asia.org Mon Mar 23 09:46:39 2009
From: sudhir at cai-asia.org (Sudhir)
Date: Mon, 23 Mar 2009 08:46:39 +0800
Subject: [sustran] Sustainable Urban Mobility in Asia (SUMA) News Digest Vol.
6 Issue 3
Message-ID:
Sustainable Urban Mobility in Asia (SUMA) News Digest Vol. 6 Issue 3 - 23
March 2009
SUMA News Digest is a free weekly e-mail publication that features news,
information, and events related to sustainable urban transportation in Asia.
*** VISIT THE SUMA PAGES: http://www.cleanairnet.org/suma ***
SUMA PARTNERS ON THE MOVE!
Fourth Regional Environmentally Sustainable Transport (EST) Forum of the
Asian EST Initiative- co-organized by UNCRD
UNCRD with Ministry of Land, Transport, and Maritime Affairs (MLTM)-Republic
of Korea organized the fourth EST forum in in Seoul, Republic of Korea. The
participants adopted a statement for the promotion of environmentally
sustainable transport in Asia ? referred as Seoul Statement
Read more:
http://www.uncrd.or.jp/env/4th-regional-est-forum/index_seoul_statement.htm
The presentations can be accessed at
http://www.uncrd.or.jp/env/4th-regional-est-forum/index_presentation.htm
Cycle-inclusive planning in Indian cities - Interface for Cycling Expertise
For the first time in India, a manual on designing infrastructure suitable
for bicycles in India is being readied, which would help planners and
policymakers achieve bicycle-friendly cities and policies.
Read more @
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Pune/Now-a-manual-on-designing-infrastructure-for-cycles/articleshow/4239780.cms
CAI Asia participated in the Low Carbon Cities Symposium at on 16-18
February 2009 in Nagoya.
The presentations can be accessed at
http://www.gcp-urcm.org/A20090216/HomePage and
http://www.gcp-urcm.org/A20090217/HomePage
NEWSREPORTS
HEADLINES
Thailand: Bangkok Footpaths
http://www.cleanairnet.org/caiasia/1412/article-73271.html
Singapore: Too many taxi drivers
http://www.cleanairnet.org/caiasia/1412/article-73272.html
Vietnam: 16.4 million Euro for bus project in central highland city
http://www.cleanairnet.org/caiasia/1412/article-73275.html
India: State may tax cars to buy buses
http://www.cleanairnet.org/caiasia/1412/article-73269.html
China: Public transportation meeting opens in Taipei
http://www.cleanairnet.org/caiasia/1412/article-73276.html
China ? Hong Kong: Tax break set for electric vehicles
http://www.cleanairnet.org/caiasia/1412/article-73248.html
Global: International Agencies Launch 50% Global Fuel Economy Plan at Geneva
Motor
http://www.theautochannel.com/news/2009/02/28/452132.html
Asia: ADB funds study to develop clean, inclusive transport system for Asian
cities
http://www.cleanairnet.org/caiasia/1412/article-73251.html
* * * *
INTERESTING FINDS/SEMINARS
Climate change mitigation and co-benefits of feasible transport demand
policies in Beijing
Urban car transportation is a cause of climate change but is also associated
with additional burdens such as traffic congestion and air pollution.
Studies of external costs and potential impacts of travel demand management
help to define policy instruments that mitigate the damaging impact of
transportation. In this interesting research, the authors have analyzed
different externalities of car transportation in Beijing and showed that the
social costs induced by motorized transportation are equivalent to about
7.5?15.0% of Beijing?s GDP. Read more at
http://www.cleanairnet.org/caiasia/1412/article-73247.html
Efficiency in Sustainable Mobility Thematic Research Summary
This paper deals with the minimisation of the resource costs of a given
transport system and the maximisation of its performance. Costs considered
include those borne by the transport users and those by the transport
operators. The relief of congestion and reliability is a significant element
in the consideration of efficiency.
Read more :
http://www.transport-research.info/Upload/Documents/200902/20090224_132039_90921_TRS_Efficiency.pdf
Rulemaking to Consider the Proposed Regulation to Implement the Low Carbon
Fuel Standard
In this rulemaking, the Air Resources Board (ARB/ Board) staff is proposing
to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG) by lowering the carbon content
of transportation fuels used in California. The regulation is referred to as
the California Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS). The LCFS will reduce GHG
emissions from the transportation sector in California by about 16 million
metric tons (MMT) in 2020. These reductions account for almost 10 percent of
the total GHG emission reductions needed to achieve the State?s mandate of
reducing GHG emissions to 1990 levels by 2020. Read more @
http://www.cleanairnet.org/caiasia/1412/article-73268.html
Economic valuation of transport related health effects Review of methods and
development of practical approaches, with a special focus on children
The main objective of this project was to develop practical approaches to
the economic valuation of transport-related health effects, including a
focus on children. The development of the approaches was based on two
reviews of relevant literature: one of recent epidemiological literature to
identify the health endpoints related to road transport for which sufficient
evidence exists for including them in economic valuation and another of
literature on economic approaches to valuation of health costs due to road
transport to derive guidance on the best way forward. A practical approach
for road noise, transport-related air pollution and road crashes is
presented; key issues regarding insufficient physical activity related to
hindering effects of transport on commuter cycling and walking are
discussed. The report also presents example calculations for the selected
health endpoints which are based on the developed practical approaches for
noise, air pollution and road crashes.
Read more @ http://www.cleanairnet.org/caiasia/1412/article-73277.html
2009 FTA Characteristics of Bus Rapid Transit for Decision Making
This report describes the physical, operational, cost, performance and
potential benefits of BRT's constituent elements both individually and
combined as integrated systems. Its intended audience includes urban
transportation professionals and officials involved in developing and
evaluating high performance transit systems, of which BRT is one
alternative. This report is the updated version of 2004 report.
Read more @ http://www.nbrti.org/CBRT.html
CALL FOR RESEARCH PAPERS
We in CAI-Asia are looking for good analytical/research papers on
Sustainable Transport and Air Pollution. If you would like your paper to be
linked/ published in the CAI website, please let us know?
* * * *
MARK YOUR CALENDARS
Transport Asia 2009 Exhibition, Karachi, Pakistan, 28-30 March 2009
http://www.transportasia.com.pk/
The 4th International Conference on Future Urban Transport, Goteburg,
Sweden, 19-21April 2009 http://www.fut.se/
Urban Transportation 2009, Abu Dhabi, UAE, 26-29 April 2009
http://www.iqpc.com/ShowEvent.aspx?id=166586
Sustainable Development 2009, Cyprus, 13 - 15 May 2009
http://www.wessex.ac.uk/09-conferences/sustainable-development-2009.html
Transport for a Global Economy -Challenges & Opportunities in the Downturn
-Leipzig Congress Centre
26-29 May 2009
http://www.internationaltransportforum.org/2009/Forum2009.html
eceee 2009 Summer Study, C?te d'Azur, France, 1-6 June 2009
http://www.eceee.org/summer_study/
Urban Transport 2009, Bologna, Italy, 22-24 June 2009
http://www2.wessex.ac.uk/09-conferences/urban-transport-2009.html
* * * CONTRIBUTE * * *
To contribute articles, news items, or event announcements for the next
issue, send an email with the complete details and URL source to
suma-news-owner@googlegroups.com with subject "FOR SUMA NEWS". Past issues
from March and April 2008 are found at
http://groups.google.com/group/suma-news
* * * ABOUT SUMA * * *
The Sustainable Urban Mobility in Asia (SUMA) program is supported by the
Asian Development Bank through a grant from Swedish International
Development Cooperation Agency. SUMA is implemented by the Clean Air
Initiative for Asian Cities Center (www.cleanairnet.org/caiasia), in
partnership
with EMBARQ - the World Resources Institute Center for Sustainable Transport
(http://embarq.wri.org), GTZ Sustainable Urban Transport Project (
www.sutp.org), Interface for Cycling Expertise (www.cycling.nl), Institute
for Transportation and Development Policy (www.itdp.org), and United Nations
Center for Regional Development (www.uncrd.or.jp/est)
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From eric.britton at ecoplan.org Mon Mar 23 20:25:18 2009
From: eric.britton at ecoplan.org (Eric Britton)
Date: Mon, 23 Mar 2009 12:25:18 +0100
Subject: [sustran] What/who keeps holding back newmobility reform.
Message-ID: <01af01c9abaa$1800b7a0$480226e0$@britton@ecoplan.org>
Dear Colleagues,
I would like to invite your attention to the following small strategic
piece, which I hope will be of interest to you. And if you have any
questions, comments, or suggestions on how to improve, it would be good to
have them either in private to me at eric.britton@newmobility.org or if you
feel it appropriate via NewMobilityCafe@yahoogroups.com
If I learn from you that it is good enough I would like to prepare it as an
editorial for World Streets.
Kind regards/Eric britton
What/who keeps holding back newmobility reform.
If you get it, newmobility is a no-brainer. However while that is a great
starting place, it is not going to get the job somehow miraculously done. We
have a few sticking points here to overcome first. Let's have a quick look.
After some years of talking with cities, and working and observing in many
different circumstances, here are some of the barriers we and others most
frequently encounter in trying to get collaborative transportation reform
programs off the ground, including even in cities that really do need a
major mobility overhaul.
1. Mayor/city manager: The mayor or prime city leader either: does not
get it, feels that she knows the whole area well enough to require nothing
else, does not think this is a matter of high priority, does not have enough
time to get his arms around it, feels confident that his staff has this well
under control, or or
2. City council: Where you have city councils taking these decisions, it
turns out that they are often much better at disagreeing then agreeing, at
least when any unfamiliar idea comes before them. And yet, if we do not get
some kind of consensus for change at the top this is never going to happen.
3. City's transportation experts: The city's main transportation expert,
team, is not that interested in having any "outside help", other than the
usuals. Anything else is often seen as a challenge to their authority and
expertise.
4. Local Consultants: The specialized consultants who work in the sector
in that city, or have contact with it, feel that they do not need any
additional help since this is after all they are job and specialty.
5. Local business groups, who the most part are firmly wedded to the idea
of cars and car access (AKA parking) as being the key to the success of
their businesses.
6. Public interest groups: Specific transportation, environmental groups
(cycling, pedestrian, public space, emissions, quality of life, specific
neighborhood groups, etc.) tend to be committed to their specific missions
and far more often than not simply do not get together to create a global
sustainable cities program, as indeed should be the case.
7. In-place transportation service providers: bus/transit services,
taxis, others -- tend to be the most part quite narrowly focused on their
specific business area, often already under some financial duress, and by
and large not known to be open to new ideas or new ways of doing things.
Including new and much broader partnerships with other service providers and
actors in the community. And finally. . .
8. Local media: For reasons of their own, advertising revenues included,
have rarely really bought into the sustainability agenda.
9. The "local car lobby". While there are financial interests tied to
the continuing abundant unfettered use of cars in the city, including local
auto dealers, any businesses that might be suppliers to the sector, parking
businesses, the great bulk of this "lobby" is an unquestioned implied
understanding that nothing should be done that would change your
relationship with your car.
10. All of us: Doubtless the biggest single obstacle to deep
transportation reform is a result of the fact that that it deals with a
highly visible area of public life in which just about everybody, from
mayor to dogcatcher, feels that they have a high degree of implicit
expertise in figuring out what works and what will not work in their city. .
. because transport is something that they do every day and can see with
their own eyes. This is the Achilles' heel of transportation policy, this
very human tendency for just about everybody to feel that if they do it i.e.
move around every day) this means they understand it. The trouble with this
is that transport in cities is a highly complex metabolism of great systemic
complexity that is far closer to that of the human brain than say another
glass of beer. Thus one of the main challenges of deep transportation reform
is to help citizens and decision makers come to grips with these challenges
of complexity, without at the same time removing it from their role as
active and responsible citizens and placing it entirely in the hands of
centralized experts. There is a major communications challenge here. And a
governance challenge as well.
How many potential barriers is that already, ten? And if you think of it in
terms of your city, I am sure you are going to spot most if not all of the
above and yet others, making it the first challenge of anyone who wishes to
advance the sustainable transportation agenda in that place to understand
this terrain and to figure out ways of coping with it.
For sure, it is going to be impossible to take on and convert all of these
interests at once. But the fundamental concepts and potential of a
21st-century mobility system are such that if we take a strategic approach
to dealing with these barriers, taking them on one at a time and with great
patience and foresight, the policy agenda can be opened up and perhaps some
first small victories can be achieved. Once this has happened, the rest
will follow in due course.
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From editor at worldstreets.org Mon Mar 23 23:03:30 2009
From: editor at worldstreets.org (Eric Britton)
Date: Mon, 23 Mar 2009 07:03:30 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [sustran] [World Streets] Op-Ed. Jan Gehl, Mesage from Copenhagen
Message-ID: <1237817010390.66a357bb-4097-47b0-92e7-fd2712cf2a57@google.com>
[http://www.gehlarchitects.com]
People FirstJan Gehl, Gehl Architects, Copenhagen, DenmarkMany
challenges face today?s societies: from increasing carbon emissions to
our reliance on depleting energy resources, from increasing social
segregation to the obesity epidemic. All these challenges come at a
great cost: from monetary to environmental, and every inhabitant pays a
price. We believe many of these challenges can be addressed simply by
thinking about ?people first? when planning cities.The Value of People
Oriented PlanningIf the urban population is invited to use public space
by walking or bicycling, the effects are highly positive in meeting
these challenges. It may seem banal that more bicycle lanes equal more
bicyclists, a well-connected pedestrian network results in more
pedestrians, a well-working public transport system results in more
people using public transport ? whereas more roads means more cars. It
seems simple. More and more studies demonstrate that a good pedestrian
and bicycling environment is not in contradiction with good sales
numbers. On the contrary, local businesses do better in neighborhoods
that favor soft traffic, and cities that perform well on livability
attract investors and business.Planning for EverybodyCreating a good
public realm enables different groups in society to meet on equal
terms. If we want to take planning for all people seriously, we have to
give everybody the chance of being mobile ? a key element in today?s
society. Good conditions for people, without a car, give more people
the opportunity to be a real part of the society.Lessons from
CopenhagenFor the past 45 years Copenhagen, Denmark, has been on a
continuous journey to make life better for its inhabitants and, in
2008, the city was named the best city in the world for quality of
life. This achievement is the result of a contiguous strategy of
turning the focus around from a car-orientated culture to a people
friendly environment - one that favors a good public realm, through
public transport and amenities. For example, 36% of all Copenhageners
commute to work by bicycle - a completely healthy, democratic and
sustainable mode of transportation. Our goal is to reach 50% by 2015.US
Cities Leading the Way?Planning for people? can make cities safer, more
environmentally friendly, livelier and healthier. Presently, Gehl
Architects is working with cities across the United States, including
New York City, Seattle and San Francisco, in the joint effort of making
these cities even greater. We hope the Obama Administration will
support and lead this development even further in the years to come.Jan
Gehl jan@gehlarchitects.dkGehl Architects ? Urban Quality Consultants,
www.gehlarchitects.comCopenhagen, Denmark
--
Posted By Eric Britton to World Streets at 3/23/2009 02:51:00 PM
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From editor at worldstreets.org Tue Mar 24 00:20:41 2009
From: editor at worldstreets.org (Eric Britton)
Date: Mon, 23 Mar 2009 08:20:41 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [sustran] [World Streets] Honk! Contested Streets
Message-ID: <1237821641150.a44a1c8f-9b06-48c5-b90e-fdb64ffe9707@google.com>
[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YF4Q2badOng&feature=related]
Contested Streets is a documentary produced by the New York City
advocacy group Transportation Alternatives, and made by Cicala
Filmworks that explores the rich diversity of New York City street life
before the introduction of automobiles and shows how New York can
follow the example of other modern cities that have reclaimed their
streets as vibrant public spaces. The 57 minute film was premiered in
New York City on 27 June 2006 and is available for purchase at cost
from Transportation Alternatives. Contested Streets features new
footage of reclaimed streets in London, Copenhagen and Paris and
features interviews with New York savvy notables such as Ken Jackson,
Mike Wallace, Bob Kiley, Eric Britton, Jan Gehl, Majora Carter, Kathryn
Wylde, Enrique Penalosa, James Howard Kunstler and many more - -- who
help us to make our way through the morass of problems, resistances and
opportunities that all our cities face. Cicala Filmworks is a
full-service film, video, and new-media production company.
Headquartered in New York City, the company produces content as varied
as documentary programming, industrial videos, TV commercials, web
content, and short and feature films. ? View a 5 minute trailer of
Contested Streets here. ? To obtain a copy of the DVD, click here. ? To
know more about Cicala Filmworks, click here.
--
Posted By Eric Britton to World Streets at 3/23/2009 04:12:00 AM
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From yanivbin at gmail.com Tue Mar 24 13:06:59 2009
From: yanivbin at gmail.com (Vinay Baindur)
Date: Tue, 24 Mar 2009 09:36:59 +0530
Subject: [sustran] BMTC has the money, but no buses
Message-ID: <86b8a7050903232106w5f23aafat43b19588d0681316@mail.gmail.com>
http://www.expressbuzz.com/edition/story.aspx?Title=BMTC%20has%20the%20money,%20but%20no%20bus&artid=Vg5S1IjOgRE=&SectionID=wIcBMLGbUJI=&MainSectionID=wIcBMLGbUJI=&SectionName=UOaHCPTTmuP3XGzZRCAUTQ==&SEO=BMTC,%20BANGALORE,%20BUS
BMTC has the money, but no buses
BANGALORE: Deadliness set, funds available and announcements made. But BMTC
cannot induct 1,000 new buses by June 30. Reason: Low production capacity of
manufacturing firms. The Centre under the Jawaharlal Nehru Urban Renewal
Mission (JNNURM) has made available funds to city transport agencies for
purchase of buses.
Only 20-30 pc available in time The one-time grant would be of great help in
expanding the BMTC fleet but inducting 1,000 new buses by June 30, 2009 is
?humanly impossible," said a senior official at BMTC. ?Only 20 to 30 per
cent of the required number may be available on time,? he added.
Deadline relaxation needed JNNURM scheme is applicable to 35 cities (with a
million-plus population) across India and all city transport corporations
need to purchase buses before the deadline, which implies a requirement of
18,000 new buses by June 30, 2009. JNNURM guidelines also stress on
promoting Indian bus firms.
Considering the production capacities of bus companies, no urban transport
corporation would be able to add all new buses in time. If all corporations
make a request to the department of urban development of Union Government,
they my consider extending the deadline, a BMTC official said.
?BMTC might need an extension of just three months to meet the demand if the
bus companies give preference to BMTC as it was the first amongst the city
transport corporations to call for tenders and place orders in this regard,?
the official said. BMTC, however, could avail the funds against the buses
already inducted in 2008-09 as the funds cover only that year.
Not all hi-tech The state government in its current budget has a provision
of Rs 500 crore for adding 1,000 ?hi-tech? (usually low-floor) buses to
BMTC?s fleet.
However, the acceptable height of the bus floor under the JNNURM guidelines
is upto 900 mm. However, at least 20 per cent of buses have to be low-floor
(floor height 385-400 mm). Rest could be semi-low floor (650-850 mm) and
Normal (900 mm) buses.
On whether all new buses would be hitech low floor buses, the official said:
?The production rate of low-floor buses is low and they are very expensive.
So, we decided to add 700 ordinary buses, 100 semi low-floor buses and 200
low-floor buses.? Following the direction from the Union Government on the
use of JNNURM funds for the purpose, BMTC published invitations for tender
on Feb 20 and finalised the bid by March 2.
In accordance with JNNURM guidelines on promoting Indian companies, BMTC was
looking at giving orders to Tata Motors, Ashok Leyland and Eicher. As Eicher
did not participate in the tendering process, the order for ordinary buses
was shared between Tata Motors and Ashok Leyland. Low-floor buses would be
supplied by Volvo.
Low production capacity Many cities including Bangalore, Delhi and
Ahmedabad, in the past, have suffered major setbacks in fleet-expansion due
to low capacity of the bus manufacturing industry. Delivery of buses came
with delay of months. Tata Motors and Ashok Leyland, together, have 90 per
cent share in bus manufacturing industry in India but they cannot deliver
more than a 100 buses every month. In the case of the delay in delivering
Delhi Transport Corporation?s order, Tata had to pay a penalty of Rs 2 crore
last year.
BMTC cannot procure all 200 low-floor buses on time too as Volvo, the
supplier of these buses, alone doesn?t have enough capacity to meet the
deadline and BMTC is not considering Tata Marcopolo buses at the moment.
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From editor at worldstreets.org Tue Mar 24 19:23:16 2009
From: editor at worldstreets.org (Eric Britton)
Date: Tue, 24 Mar 2009 03:23:16 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [sustran] [World Streets] What/who keeps holding back newmobility
reform.
Message-ID: <1237890195911.d0693a9a-62a9-470c-88d9-7814fb6f7c06@google.com>
[http://www.strategy.newmobility.org]
Eric Britton, Editor, World Streets, Paris, FranceIf you get it,
newmobility is a no-brainer. However, while that is a great starting
place, it is not going to get the job somehow miraculously done. We
have a few potential sticking points here that need to be overcome
first. Let's have a quick look.After some years of talking with cities,
and working and observing in many different circumstances, here are
some of the barriers are most frequently encountered in trying to get
innovative transportation reform programs off the ground, including
even in cities that really do need a major mobility overhaul.1. The
Mayor/city manager: The mayor or prime city leader either: does not get
it; feels that she knows the whole area well enough to require nothing
else; does not consider this to be a matter of high priority; feels
confident that his staff has this well under control, or quite simply
does not have enough time to get her arms around it.2. The City
Council: Where you have city councils taking these decisions, it turns
out that they are often much better at disagreeing then agreeing, at
least when any unfamiliar , to them unproven, idea comes before them
for decision. And yet, if we do not get some kind of consensus for
change at the top this is never going to happen.3. The city's
transportation experts: The city's main transportation expert, team,
may well not be interested in having any "outside help". Anything else
is often seen as a challenge to their authority and expertise. So we
basically have a turf problem.4. Local consultants: The specialized
consultants who already work in the sector in that city, or have
contact with it, feel that they do not need any additional help since
this is after all their job and specialty.5. Local business groups, who
the most part are firmly wedded to the idea of cars and car access (AKA
parking) as being the key to the success of their businesses.6.
Transportation service providers: bus/transit services, taxis, school
and special service buses, others -- tend to be the most part quite
narrowly focused on their specific business area, often already under
some financial duress, and thus for the most part not known to be open
to new ideas or new ways of doing things. Including new and much
broader partnerships with other service providers and actors in the
community. This is not the case for all cities, but most operators are
under such financial pressure that they have little or no margin for
innovation or experimentation.7. Public interest groups: Specific
transportation, environmental groups (cycling, pedestrian, public
space, emissions, quality of life, specific neighborhood groups, etc.)
tend to be committed to their specific missions and far more often than
not simply do not get together to create a global sustainable cities
program, as indeed should be the case.8. Local media: For reasons of
their own, advertising revenues included, have rarely really bought
into the sustainability agenda.9. The "local car lobby". While there
are financial interests tied to the continuing abundant unfettered use
of cars in the city, including local auto dealers, any businesses that
might be suppliers to the sector, parking businesses, the great bulk of
this "lobby" is an unquestioned implied understanding that nothing
should be done that would change your relationship with your car.10.
All of us: Doubtless the biggest single obstacle to deep transportation
reform is a result of the fact that it deals with a highly visible area
of public life in which just about everybody, from mayor to dogcatcher,
feels that they have a high degree of implicit expertise in figuring
out what works and what will not work in their city. . . because
transport is something that they do every day and can see with their
own eyes. This is the Achilles' heel of transportation policy, this
very human tendency for just about everybody to feel that if they do it
i.e. move around every day) this means they understand it. The trouble
with this is that transport in cities is a highly complex metabolism of
great systemic complexity that is far closer to that of the human brain
than say another glass of beer. Thus one of the main challenges of deep
transportation reform is to help citizens and decision makers come to
grips with these challenges of complexity, without at the same time
removing it from their role as active and responsible citizens and
placing it entirely in the hands of centralized experts. There is a
major communications challenge here. And a governance challenge as
well.* * *How many potential barriers is that already, ten? And if you
think of it in terms of your own city, I am sure you are going to spot
most if not all of the above and yet others. It is thus the first
challenge of anyone who wishes to advance the sustainable
transportation agenda in that place to understand this difficult
terrain and to figure out ways of coping with it.For sure, it is going
to be impossible to take on and convert all of these interests at once.
But the fundamental concepts and potential of a 21st-century mobility
system are such that if we take a strategic approach to dealing with
these barriers, taking them on one at a time and with great patience
and foresight, the policy agenda can be opened up and perhaps some
first small victories can be achieved. Once this has happened, the rest
will follow in due course.Our best counsel for transportation reform:
Start at the top and engage and work your way down this list one by
one. Build up your support base , and gradually expand it Be known as a
great and patient listener.* * *You may find some interest in reading
the above in parallel with the strategic summary for new system
planning and implementation of the New Mobility Agenda which you will
find here ? www.strategy.newmobility.org.
--
Posted By Eric Britton to World Streets at 3/24/2009 11:20:00 AM
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From yanivbin at gmail.com Wed Mar 25 03:33:37 2009
From: yanivbin at gmail.com (Vinay Baindur)
Date: Wed, 25 Mar 2009 00:03:37 +0530
Subject: [sustran] On city roads, divided, we stand
Message-ID: <86b8a7050903241133n690108dbuc25bfd216c108cca@mail.gmail.com>
On city roads, divided, we stand
http://www.expressbuzz.com/edition/story.aspx?Title=On+city+roads,+Divided,+we+stand&artid=KgmspykeHvs=&SectionID=Qz/kHVp9tEs=&MainSectionID=fyV9T2jIa4A=&SectionName=UOaHCPTTmuP3XGzZRCAUTQ==&SEO=BCTP,%20traffic,%20RCC,%20cement%20concrete
BANGALORE: The Bangalore City Traffic Police (BCTP) is leaving no stone
unturned to bring down the number of road accidents, particularly the fatal
ones.
The latest attempt at bringing in traffic discipline is the laying of
reinforced cement concrete (RCC) medians, which has come under criticism
from the public for various reasons. Additional Commissioner of Police
(Traffic & Security) Praveen Sood said that the traditional concrete blocks,
boulders and iron grills road medians in the city are being replaced with
RCC median.
?The rate of road accidents will come down by 15 per cent once the RCC
medians are in place. There were a lot of disadvantages in the earlier types
of road medians, which had also become a cause for accidents,? he added.
Sood informed that the new RCC median will be painted with reflective paints
with B-TRAC?s one-meter high reflective hazard markers at the ends and
reflective median markers on the top of the medians. ?The RCC median is
durable and has a long life. Owing to their toughness, these medians cannot
be broken or removed, as it was being done by road-users for their
convenience earlier. Moreover, it looks clean,? he said.
?There is no need for road medians if our traffic was disciplined. The RCC
median is 40 cm in height and is laid on the roads, which are at least 14
mts wide. This can improve traffic behaviour among the motorists. Once this
is done, parking enforcement would be the department?s duty,? Sood added.
He said that a vehicle involved in a road accident cannot run over to the
other side of the road and kill or injure other persons if these medians are
put. ?By April-end, the work of laying RCC road medians collectively done by
the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) and the BCTP, will be
completed,? Sood added. Sood claimed that even after an increase in the area
of the city, the number of fatal accidents have come down when compared to
previous years. That apart, a project to put high-rise medians for a few
roads, on the lines of Delhi, is in the pipeline. ?High-rise medians of 90
cm would be put in the place of existing iron grills median. This can be
done only when pedestrian facilities like sub-way or skywalks are provide,?
Sood said.
BBMP Chief Engineer (Major Roads) Chikkarayappa said that the total cost of
the project (RCC median) is Rs 10 crore. ?Out of 65 km identified in the
city, 24 km have been covered,? he added
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From chuwasg at yahoo.com Wed Mar 25 15:13:03 2009
From: chuwasg at yahoo.com (chuwa)
Date: Tue, 24 Mar 2009 23:13:03 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [sustran] New Share Bike scheme in Taipei
Message-ID: <828602.99583.qm@web36907.mail.mud.yahoo.com>
A new public bike scheme just started by the Taipei goverment and supported by Giant bicycle in Taipei. As stated on the wibsite: "Bicycle is clearly growing trend all around the world. It is a symbol of advanced, civic and a green city. The cycling population in Taiwan is growing rapidly acrros all ages."
The ambition of the project is to promote the use of bicycle as the "last mile" connection for public transportation. This encourage a new commuting culture to let more people to take public transport. Increase transport efficiency while reducing the energy consumption. as the same time.
The YouBike system is controled by automated electronic system, using RFID and smart card system.?
The YouBike Public Bicycle System uses the EasyCard as the membership card. Short-term card registration is available from the information kiosk at each rental point. Long-term card can be applied via the YouBike website or service center.
First 30 minutes of each session is free then $10 for each additional 15 minutes.?
Some statistic:Automated bicycle station: ?11RFID tagged parking space: 754YouBikes: ?500Service center: 1
Link:http://www.youbike.com.tw/upage/english.htm
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From editor at worldstreets.org Wed Mar 25 17:43:50 2009
From: editor at worldstreets.org (Eric Britton (France))
Date: Wed, 25 Mar 2009 01:43:50 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [sustran] [World Streets Daily] Report: Bicycle Sharing Systems
Worldwide: Selected Cas...
Message-ID: <1237970630445.0420e2d4-ab90-4d4a-9690-a1bcec3b3284@google.com>
[http://www.cityryde.com/reports]
Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE
MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt
0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New
Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} CityRyde LLC, a bicycle sharing
consultancy founded in 2007 based in Philadelphia, PA would like to add
a cherry on top of the information the World City Bike Forum provides -
a free report just released that focuses on the bike sharing systems we
get asked about most frequently. Enter "Bicycle Sharing Systems
Worldwide: Selected Case Studies" - a high-level synopsis that includes
critical information about major vendors and deployments such as
JCDecaux with Velib', Clear Channel Outdoors with SmartBike DC, Public
Bike Systems with Bixi, B-cycle with Momentum B-cycle, CEMUSA with
Nbici and Veolia Transportation with OyBike. CityRyde has spent years
researching and analyzing information about bike sharing
implementations and their providers and strives to be the trusted
source of bike sharing knowledge. For the first time ever, this
information is compiled into a high-level synopsis which is easy to
read and shared openly to the public. "Bike Sharing Systems Worldwide:
Selected Case Studies" focuses on the systems we get asked about most
frequently, including major vendors and deployments such as JCDecaux
with Velib?, Clear Channel Outdoors with SmartBike DC, Public Bike
Systems with Bixi, B-cycle with Momentum B-cycle, CEMUSA with Nbici,
and Veolia Transportation with OyBike. We have captured critical
information about the systems including membership demographics, usage
information, implementation costs, rental costs, bike share technology
(bike, kiosk, locking mechanism), and implementation statistics.
Download this document at no charge by visiting our reports page at
www.cityryde.com/reports Don't hesitate to contact us with any
questions, comments, concerns, etc. Jason Meinzer,
JHSMeinzer@cityryde.com CityRyde LLC ? "Bicycle Sharing Consultants"
www.CityRyde.com Philadelphia, PA USA
__._,_.___
--
Posted By Eric Britton (France) to World Streets Daily at 3/25/2009
07:41:00 AM
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From editor at worldstreets.org Wed Mar 25 18:08:37 2009
From: editor at worldstreets.org (Eric Britton (France))
Date: Wed, 25 Mar 2009 02:08:37 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [sustran] [World Streets Daily] YouBike: New Share Bike scheme in
Taipei
Message-ID: <1237972117408.0f5995b5-12c9-44e9-920f-265e8109d270@google.com>
[http://www.youbike.com.tw/upage/english.htm]
A new public bike scheme just started by the Taipei goverment and
supported by Giant bicycle in Taipei. As stated on the
wibsite: "Bicycle is clearly growing trend all around the world. It is
a symbol of advanced, civic and a green city. The cycling population in
Taiwan is growing rapidly acrros all ages."The ambition of the project
is to promote the use of bicycle as the "last mile" connection for
public transportation. This encourage a new commuting culture to let
more people to take public transport. Increase transport efficiency
while reducing the energy consumption. as the same time.The YouBike
system is controled by automated electronic system, using RFID and
smart card system. The YouBike Public Bicycle System uses the EasyCard
as the membership card. Short-term card registration is available from
the information kiosk at each rental point. Long-term card can be
applied via the YouBike website or service center.First 30 minutes of
each session is free then TWD 10 (about $0.30) for each additional 15
minutes.Some statistics:? Automated bicycle station: 11? RFID tagged
parking space: 754? YouBikes: 500? Service center: 1English language
website at: http://www.youbike.com.tw/upage/english.htmContact for
further information: service@youbike.com.tw or Fax 02 2722-4211
--
Posted By Eric Britton (France) to World Streets Daily at 3/25/2009
08:00:00 AM
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From editor at worldstreets.org Wed Mar 25 20:14:42 2009
From: editor at worldstreets.org (Eric Britton (France))
Date: Wed, 25 Mar 2009 04:14:42 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [sustran] [World Streets Daily] "Street code": A World Streets
Campaign for 2009
Message-ID: <1237979681892.c571deab-ed1a-48f8-811e-926e65ff5efa@google.com>
The Highway Code: a collection of laws, advice and best practice for
all road users, which mainly functions as a written basis for learning
to drive as well as stipulating the letter of the law (licensing,
required safety equipment, default rules, etc.) In Europe this happens
at a national level, with room in some places for stricter local
ordinances. In the US mainly a state prerogative. In all cases the code
itself is the creature of the automotive age and is primarily concerned
with defining the role and characteristics of motor vehicle driver and
owner behavior.Many European cities are of late starting to advance on
the idea of establishing a far tougher "street codes", specifically
adapted to the special and more demanding conditions of driving in city
traffic. This is becoming especially important as we start to see a
much greater mix of vehicles, speeds and people on the street. If
streets are for cars, well this is probably not a priority. But if they
are "public spaces" and open to the full range of uses and users, then
perhaps something along these lines is called for.The idea is works is
that legal responsibility for any accident on street, sidewalk or
public space, is automatically assigned to the heavier faster vehicle.
This means that the driver who hits a cyclist has to prove his
innocence, as opposed to today where the cyclist must prove the
driver's guilt (not always very easy to do).This is not quite as good
as John Adams' magnificent 1995 formulation whereby every steering
wheel of every car , truck and bus would be equipped with a large sharp
nail aimed directly at the driver?s heart-- but it can at least help
getting things moving in the right direction.We propose to make this a
major campaign theme of World Streets in 2009 and invite our readers to
submit their reports, ideas and comments over the course of the months
ahead.If you look over toward the top of the left menu here, you will
see that we have opened up a reader poll in an attempt to get your
views as well. We also invite comment here on the results.The editor
--
Posted By Eric Britton (France) to World Streets Daily at 3/25/2009
12:06:00 PM
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From zvi.leve at gmail.com Wed Mar 25 22:17:42 2009
From: zvi.leve at gmail.com (Zvi Leve)
Date: Wed, 25 Mar 2009 09:17:42 -0400
Subject: [sustran] Re: New Share Bike scheme in Taipei
In-Reply-To: <828602.99583.qm@web36907.mail.mud.yahoo.com>
References: <828602.99583.qm@web36907.mail.mud.yahoo.com>
Message-ID:
Montreal's public bike scheme - Bixi
- also has the active
involvement of local designers, manufacturers and even
software developers.
Getting over that "last mile" connection will be quite a challenge. It is
not enough to just make the option available. One really needs to think
about how the transition from public transport to bicycle to destination
will be carried out. If any step of the process is not comfortable or
convenient, it can be enough to discourage someone from choosing the public
transport mode completely!
In case anyone was surprised by the $ values for the 15 additional minutes,
I assume that these are New Taiwan Dollars so $10 = $US 0.30 (= 30 cents),
which is much more reasonable.
Best,
Zvi
2009/3/25 chuwa
> A new public bike scheme just started by the Taipei goverment and supported
> by Giant bicycle in Taipei.
>
> ...
>
> First 30 minutes of each session is free then $10 for each additional 15
> minutes.
>
>
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From edelman at greenidea.eu Wed Mar 25 23:42:17 2009
From: edelman at greenidea.eu (Todd Edelman, Green Idea Factory)
Date: Wed, 25 Mar 2009 15:42:17 +0100
Subject: [sustran] Re: New Share Bike scheme in Taipei
In-Reply-To:
References: <828602.99583.qm@web36907.mail.mud.yahoo.com>
Message-ID: <49CA42C9.6020109@greenidea.eu>
BIXI certainly has a detailed and enthusiastic website but I have two
serious questions about imagery:
shows helmets on some people. I
didn't really see helmets anywhere else on the website -- also not in
the photos from the launch. I am not sure what message BIXI is trying to
create with that image. The obstacles regarding public bikes where there
are mandatory helmet laws are well known to us all.
shows what looks like a fast
residential street with no separate or even marked infrastructure for
cyclists. In fact, it seems that in the process of parking a bike one
could have issues with cars or other vehicles in the right lane. With
this comment I am not arguing for any solution in particular but it
would be great if cities or people get the suggestion that making
substantial infrastructure changes on the street is a wonderful idea.
Also, BIXI considers it a positive that its racks and system are
easy-to-install but I would argue that more permanent-seeming
infrastructure is better. Whether it is tram tracks and catenary, a
built-up BRT corridor or planted trees etc. in former car space it
indicates a commitment from the city and its citizens. Doing something
which can be removed just for a pilot can be a good idea, of course.
Regards,
T
Zvi Leve wrote:
> Montreal's public bike scheme - Bixi
> - also has the active
> involvement of local designers, manufacturers and even software
> developers.
>
>
[...]
--
--------------------------------------------
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.flickr.com/photos/edelman
CAR is over. If you want it.
"Fort mit der Autostadt und was Neues hingebaut!"
- B. Brecht (with slight modification)
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From edelman at greenidea.eu Wed Mar 25 23:48:47 2009
From: edelman at greenidea.eu (Todd Edelman, Green Idea Factory)
Date: Wed, 25 Mar 2009 15:48:47 +0100
Subject: [sustran] Bicycles for Everybody in South Africa
Message-ID: <49CA444F.5000902@greenidea.eu>
South African Bike Factory in New Phase
http://www.bike-eu.com/news/3337/south-african-bike-factory-in-new-phase.html
[Question: Is lighting a luxury or a necessity?)
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa -- The Shova Kalula project to provide a bike
for everyone in South Africa has entered a new phase. The national
Department of Transport (DoT) has issued an 'expression of interest' to
establish a bicycle manufacturing plant in South Africa to produce
bicycles for its Shova Kalula (=Bicycles for Everybody) project.
The project, which aims to ensure the roll-out of one-million bicycles
by 2014, forms part of government's action programme and is expected to
contribute to government's anti-poverty strategy and second economy
interventions. It is to promote the use of non-motorised transport,
especially for low-income households.
In 2007 Shova Kalula got the presidential blessing at the congress of
the South African Department of Transport and was renamed 'Shova Kalula
Million Bike Programme'. At that time the target for the first
production year and affordability programme was set to 60,000 units,
80,000 for the second year and 100,000 for the third year, with a
personal commitment of Minister of Transport Radebe to achieve a
production level of one million bicycles by 2014.
"The Shova Kalula project had already ensured the distribution of 59,000
bicycles, 26,000 of which have been assembled in South Africa during the
2008/9 financial year", commented DoT spokesperson Sam Monareng.
Monareng also told "Engineering News Online" that it had asked the
Department of Trade and Industry to assist in evaluating the bids
received under the 'expression of interest'. He said that only one
manufacturing plant was being planned and that a specific province or
region had not been determined.
/Photo: Ron Thompson/
For related items on Shova Kalula, click here
--
--------------------------------------------
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.flickr.com/photos/edelman
CAR is over. If you want it.
"Fort mit der Autostadt und was Neues hingebaut!"
- B. Brecht (with slight modification)
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From zvi.leve at gmail.com Thu Mar 26 00:18:34 2009
From: zvi.leve at gmail.com (Zvi Leve)
Date: Wed, 25 Mar 2009 11:18:34 -0400
Subject: [sustran] Re: New Share Bike scheme in Taipei
In-Reply-To: <49CA42C9.6020109@greenidea.eu>
References: <828602.99583.qm@web36907.mail.mud.yahoo.com>
<49CA42C9.6020109@greenidea.eu>
Message-ID:
Bixi certainly has many good ideas, but I have serious concerns about their
pricing model for Montreal. Note that their rates may work elsewhere, but
Montreal already has a huge number of bicyclists and relatively inexpensive
public transport. They are pricing the service more like a 'taxi', but a
taxi brings you door-to-door, not parking station to parking station!
There are no mandatory helmet laws in Montreal (although I think that one of
the borroughs might have one), so this is just marketing imagery. The
residential street shown is a typical Montreal street with walk-up
plex-style housing.
Most of these streets do not have huge amounts of traffic, and there is a
growing movement to reduce the speed limits on all residential streets to 30
kph....
The idea of having a modular system is that it can easily be adapted to the
demand. In theory, the system could even be adjusted throughout the day, so
that the stations could expand or contract as needed. Presumably the system
will be taken down in the winter here, when only the most motivated people
are out and about on bicycles. It is quite an experience riding on a bike at
-30: the seat is frozen solid, among other things. There are still remnants
of ice on the ground, and the temperatures are often below freezing,
but I started
biking this week , and my
daughter is happy ....
Cheers,
Zvi
2009/3/25 Todd Edelman, Green Idea Factory
> BIXI certainly has a detailed and enthusiastic website but I have two
> serious questions about imagery:
>
> shows helmets on some people. I didn't really see helmets anywhere else on
> the website -- also not in the photos from the launch. I am not sure what
> message BIXI is trying to create with that image. The obstacles regarding
> public bikes where there are mandatory helmet laws are well known to us all.
>
> shows what looks like a fast residential street with no separate or even
> marked infrastructure for cyclists. In fact, it seems that in the process of
> parking a bike one could have issues with cars or other vehicles in the
> right lane. With this comment I am not arguing for any solution in
> particular but it would be great if cities or people get the suggestion that
> making substantial infrastructure changes on the street is a wonderful idea.
>
> Also, BIXI considers it a positive that its racks and system are
> easy-to-install but I would argue that more permanent-seeming infrastructure
> is better. Whether it is tram tracks and catenary, a built-up BRT corridor
> or planted trees etc. in former car space it indicates a commitment from the
> city and its citizens. Doing something which can be removed just for a pilot
> can be a good idea, of course.
>
> Regards,
> T
>
> Zvi Leve wrote:
>
> Montreal's public bike scheme - Bixi- also has the active involvement of local designers, manufacturers and even
> software developers.
>
>
> [...]
>
> --
> --------------------------------------------
>
> 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.euwww.greenidea.euwww.flickr.com/photos/edelman
>
> CAR is over. If you want it.
>
> "Fort mit der Autostadt und was Neues hingebaut!"
> - B. Brecht (with slight modification)
>
>
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From editor at worldstreets.org Thu Mar 26 18:52:20 2009
From: editor at worldstreets.org (Eric Britton (France))
Date: Thu, 26 Mar 2009 02:52:20 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [sustran] [World Streets Daily] Toolbox: SeeClickFix
Message-ID: <1238061140418.b3d8cc54-d09a-495c-9a9c-d70096d2f833@google.com>
[http://seeclickfix.com/i]
Here is a new mobility tool that we would like not only to introduce
you to here, but also invite your comments and suggestions. Then, if
any of you wish to take this further, perhaps we can explore with our
friends at SeeClickFix, a public interest group in wild, exotic and
different New Haven Connecticut how this might be put to work in your
city. We were in the process of preparing our own piece based on
interviews with SeeClickFix founder Ben Berkowitz, when this fine
treatment came in from Streetsblog Daily reporter Brad Aaron. So what
better than to pass it on to you as it appeared yesterday in New York.
A possible World Streets goal: To find one or two cities in any part of
the world that might be interested in putting this tool to work in
their community. To test its applicability and usefulness in a range of
non-US situations. Candidates?And now from Streetsblog:SeeClickFix: Is
?Little Brother? the Next Big Thing? The next generation of
community-driven reporting of quality-of-life issues -- like potholes,
graffiti, garbage buildup, or broken street lights -- is SeeClickFix,
software that enables users to populate a map with cases that are then
forwarded to the responsible city agency. Much like a 311 system,
SeeClickFix is predicated on the assumption that an aware and engaged
public that uses technology can get its city government to efficiently
resolve problems.Unlike most 311 systems, the visual mapping function
enables users to see all existing complaints about a particular problem
or to add their voice to an existing case, thus promoting it to a more
urgent position in the queue. Users can create "watch areas" and
receive notices when other users identify a problem within it. Each
case generates an e-mail that is sent to the appropriate agency
responsible for fixing it.According to founder Ben Berkowitz, who is
based in New Haven, Connecticut, SeeClickFix got its first trial run
last year when New Haven's mayor, John DeStefano, Jr., was looking for
a way to better respond to public quality-of-life complaints and to
reduce duplication of efforts within agencies. DeStefano required the
city to respond to cases that had been generated by the public on
SeeClickFix and report the status of the cases online. The system was
so successful that the city now uses SeeClickFix as a proxy 311, with
agencies such as the DOT, DPW, and police department using it for
non-emergency issues. DeStefano was so happy with the service that he
sent a letter to more that 100 other mayors encouraging them to try
it.Berkowitz says the system has now expanded beyond the local
government to utility companies and non-profits. He said they have seen
numerous cases of good Samaritans responding to complaints without
prompting, such as one carpenter who fixed several park benches he
located on the site. "That's the beauty of open source," says
Berkowitz. "At first, we thought of calling it Little Brother,
like 'Little Brother is Watching,' but then we realized we needed to be
a bit more kind to government."Berkowitz explains that SeeClickFix
often coordinates with newspapers, such as those in Boston,
Philadelphia, and Pittsburgh, to promote the software to the public,
then advocates for the city to try responding to cases and noting the
progress online. When the Philadelphia Inquirer added the SeeClickFix
widget to its site, Philadelphia 311 soon started responding online to
newly-generated cases.In San Francisco, Phil Bronstein, editor-at-large
of Hearst Newspapers Division, is a big fan of SeeClickFix and is
planning to use the mapping widget on SFGate.com. Kevin Skaggs,
executive producer of SFGate, said a collaboration with SeeClickFix has
been in the works since Bronstein blogged about them last year, and
that SFGate will use the widget in a few months on its new hyper-local
Chronicle sites. The new Chron sites will resemble the New York Times'
recently launched local blogs, where SeeClickFix is already a presence.
As of now, the Times has incorporated the map widget into the New
Jersey edition of "The Local," which covers Maplewood, Millburn and
South Orange. Berkowitz hopes the Times' Brooklyn blog, targeted at
readers in Fort Greene and Clinton Hill, will follow suit. If that
happens, he sees city residents using SeeClickFix as a tool for broad
scale community improvement."We know that it can be much bigger than
311 in New York," says Berkowitz. "It's a really great method for
getting a dialogue started."Posted: 25 Mar 2009 12:01 PM PDTWith
reporting by Brad Aaron.
--
Posted By Eric Britton (France) to World Streets Daily at 3/26/2009
10:51:00 AM
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From eric.britton at ecoplan.org Thu Mar 26 22:23:57 2009
From: eric.britton at ecoplan.org (Eric Britton)
Date: Thu, 26 Mar 2009 14:23:57 +0100
Subject: [sustran] Book Review Offer - Public Transport and its Users: The
Passenger's Perspective in Planning and Customer Care
Message-ID: <023c01c9ae16$2fae37b0$8f0aa710$@britton@ecoplan.org>
From: dfattore@ashgatepublishing.com [mailto:dfattore@ashgatepublishing.com]
Sent: Thursday, March 26, 2009 12:47 PM
To: TRAeditor@ucdavis.edu; postmaster@ecoplan.org; hans.rat@uitp.org;
anna.singer@uitp.org
Subject: Book Review Offer - Public Transport and its Users: The Passenger
's Perspective in Planning and Customer Care
Dear Editor,
Ashgate has recently published a book which may be of interest to the
readers of your journal:
Public Transport and its Users: The Passenger's Perspective in Planning and
Customer Care
Edited by Martin Schiefelbusch, The nexus Institute for Cooperation
Management and Interdisciplinary Research, Germany and Hans-Liudger Dienel,
The nexus Institute for Cooperation Management and Interdisciplinary
Research, Germany
This book is one of the first to examine strategies for the representation
of user interests in public transport from a variety of perspectives. The
authors review approaches to integrating the passengers' views in the
planning process and to protecting their interests in operations and
customer care across a range of European countries. From this they draw
important conclusions and highlight examples of good practice.
Full details: http://www.ashgate.com/isbn/9780754674474
To request a review copy, please contact me, specifying the name of your
journal.
Kind regards
Debbie Fattore
Marketing Assistant, Social Sciences
Visit our website for information about titles published, how to submit a
proposal, or to sign up to our FREE email updates: http://www.ashgate.com/
Ashgate Publishing Group
New address from December 2008
Wey Court East, Union Road, Farnham, Surrey GU9 7PT, UK
Telephone: +44 (0)1252 331551 Fax: +44(0)1252 736736
This email has been scanned for all viruses by the MessageLabs Email
Security System.
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From hearth at ties.ottawa.on.ca Fri Mar 27 02:20:26 2009
From: hearth at ties.ottawa.on.ca (Chris Bradshaw)
Date: Thu, 26 Mar 2009 10:20:26 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [sustran] [World Streets Daily] Collisions Between Assymetrical
Parties
Message-ID: <1238088026590.08718ac6-533f-4bdb-91f0-e8e8e6372999@google.com>
Eric,Your suggestion that, in the case of a collision in a public
street, regardless of fault, the larger, faster party bear the
responsibility for redress. This is close to my proposal that the party
in the larger vehicle (who usually doesn't get injured) lose their
privilege to drive for as long as the smaller (usually also slower)
party takes to recover and to resume the mode of travel they were using
at the time of the collision.Your proposal could be a little
even-handed if the fault principle (based on the Highway Traffic Act)
would apply to that portion of the outcome that _would_ have entailed
had the two parties been the same size and moving at the same speed as
the more benign party, while the rest of the outcome fall at the feet
(as it were) of the larger, faster party, regardless of fault.BTW, the
other posting on the new SeeFlickFix.com site is very important. I used
it for a missing set of stairs in a small park near my home a few
minutes ago, and it took my material, including a photo, quite well.
However, I had to reply to my own post, to correct the software that
would not let me reposition the icon to a more accurate location. I
also posted a second photo, getting it properly turned upwards (mea
culpa).I see this as the way to create stewardship over public places,
and to remove from cities the right of controling the records of
complaints ("Oh, you're the first person to complain.")Chris
BradshawOttawa
--
Posted By Chris Bradshaw to World Streets Daily at 3/26/2009 06:09:00 PM
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From rlaymandc at gmail.com Thu Mar 26 11:10:39 2009
From: rlaymandc at gmail.com (Richard Layman)
Date: Wed, 25 Mar 2009 19:10:39 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [sustran] [World Streets Daily] 3 new reports on transportation
planning from the Proje...
Message-ID: <1238033439561.6064be84-b3b0-45c6-962b-3371009771de@google.com>
(Done in conjunction with the American Association of Retired Persons,
which next year I will be able to join...)-- A Citizen?s Guide to
Better Streets: How to Engage Your Transportation Agency-- Streets as
Places: Using Streets to Rebuild Communities-- The Quiet Revolution in
Transportation Planning: How Great Corridors Make Great CommunitiesI
haven't read any of them yet, but I am sure they will be useful. PPS
has initiated a transportation practice, and has a workshop on "streets
as places." The next workshop is next week in fact.
--
Posted By Richard Layman to World Streets Daily at 3/26/2009 03:09:00 AM
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From carlosfpardo at gmail.com Fri Mar 27 17:06:51 2009
From: carlosfpardo at gmail.com (Carlosfelipe Pardo)
Date: Fri, 27 Mar 2009 08:06:51 +0000
Subject: [sustran] Take a deep breath...
Message-ID: <49CC891B.3070404@gmail.com>
Full text in:
http://www.economist.com/business/displayStory.cfm?story_id=13381522&source=hptextfeature
The new people's car
Mar 26th 2009
From /The Economist/ print edition
Why the Nano alone cannot solve the mounting problems of its maker
IS THE Tata Nano the car the world has been waiting for, its launch this
week a moment not only of automotive history but of real social
significance? Or will it prove to be no more than a dazzling digression
for its troubled maker? Fifteen months after its unveiling at the Delhi
motor show, the cheapest and most talked-about car of modern times has
gone on sale. The plainest version costs 1 lakh (100,000) rupees
($2,000), as promised by Ratan Tata (pictured above), the head of the
Tata group and the driving force behind the project. At half the price
of the next cheapest car on the market (the aged Maruti 800), the Nano
will bring car ownership to people who would never previously have
considered it. But it has not been an easy gestation.
(text continues in link above)
From editor at worldstreets.org Fri Mar 27 20:45:14 2009
From: editor at worldstreets.org (Eric Britton (Paris, France))
Date: Fri, 27 Mar 2009 04:45:14 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [sustran] [World Streets Daily] Media on Streets: European Council
for an Energy Effici...
Message-ID: <1238154313746.c731f347-745f-4d48-98e1-3e789be05517@google.com>
[http://www.eceee.org/news/news_2009/2009-03-02/]
World Streets: new on-line journal on sustainable transportation (02
Mar 09) A new on-line newspaper devoted to concise and independent
reporting on developments in the field of sustainable transportation
worldwide was launched today, 2 March 2009. The newspaper is entitled
World Streets.
World Streets is a collaborative initiative of the "New Mobility
Agenda", and aims at covering the following topics:
- information on leading edge thinking and practice in the field of
sustainable transportation, world-wide.
- focusing on transport in cities
- tackling the challenges of how to achieve big, fast greenhouse gas
reductions
- on the lookout for measures, projects and policies that are going to
pay off within two to four years.
Read more: World Streets and New Mobility Agenda
For more on the European Council for an Energy Efficient Economy
--
Posted By Eric Britton (Paris, France) to World Streets Daily at
2/09/2009 12:34:00 PM
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From editor at worldstreets.org Sat Mar 28 02:53:31 2009
From: editor at worldstreets.org (Eric Britton (Paris, France))
Date: Fri, 27 Mar 2009 10:53:31 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [sustran] [World Streets Daily] Walk to School strikes again (From
the New York Times)
Message-ID: <1238176410956.6039d863-3e33-44c4-a959-52f6c458db88@google.com>
[http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/27/world/europe/27bus.html?ref=europe]
Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE
MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt
0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} This good article from today?s New
York Times treats a topic which is not only well known to the New
Mobility Agenda program and its many collaborators around the world,
but also touches on some of the fundamental considerations which
constitute the vital underpinnings of the strategy which will allow us
in many ways to cut CO2 radically and provide far better transportation
(better in the larger sense of the word as we understand it here). When
in 2002 our editor in chief was chair of the international jury of the
prestigious Stockholm Partnerships for Sustainable Cities, he and the
jury selected the International Walk to School program as one of the
select group of prize winners. The award, a striking sculpted glob made
of recycled glass, was presented to Robert Smith as project manager of
the UK Walk to School program at that time, on the understanding that
each year it would circulate to another country program. In time it
spanned several continents. The simple fact is that this is a great and
worthy sustainability strategy and should be [art of every new mobility
program in every town and city in the world.
March 27, 2009
Students Give Up Wheels for Their Own Two Feet By ELISABETH ROSENTHAL,
New York Times (Thuis article reproduced under our Fair Use policy.)
LECCO, Italy ? Each morning, about 450 students travel along 17 school
bus routes to 10 elementary schools in this lakeside city at the
southern tip of Lake Como. There are zero school buses.
In 2003, to confront the triple threats of childhood obesity, local
traffic jams and ? most important ? a rise in global greenhouse gases
abetted by car emissions, an environmental group here proposed a
retro-radical concept: children should walk to school.
They set up a piedibus (literally foot-bus in Italian) ? a bus route
with a driver but no vehicle. Each morning a mix of paid staff members
and parental volunteers in fluorescent yellow vests lead lines of
walking students along Lecco?s twisting streets to the schools? gates,
Pied Piper-style, stopping here and there as their flock expands.
At the Carducci School, 100 children, or more than half of the
students, now take walking buses. Many of them were previously driven
in cars. Giulio Greppi, a 9-year-old with shaggy blond hair, said he
had been driven about a third of a mile each way until he started
taking the piedibus. ?I get to see my friends and we feel special
because we know it?s good for the environment,? he said.
Although the routes are each generally less than a mile, the town?s
piedibuses have so far eliminated more than 100,000 miles of car travel
and, in principle, prevented thousands of tons of greenhouse gases from
entering the air, Dario Pesenti, the town?s environment auditor,
estimates.
The number of children who are driven to school over all is rising in
the United States and Europe, experts on both continents say, making up
a sizable chunk of transportation?s contribution to greenhouse-gas
emissions. The ?school run? made up 18 percent of car trips by urban
residents of Britain last year, a national survey showed.
In 1969, 40 percent of students in the United States walked to school;
in 2001, the most recent year data was collected, 13 percent did,
according to the federal government?s National Household Travel Survey.
Lecco?s walking bus was the first in Italy, but hundreds have cropped
up elsewhere in Europe and, more recently, in North America to combat
the trend.
Towns in France, Britain and elsewhere in Italy have created such
routes, although few are as extensive and long-lasting as Lecco?s. In
the United States, Columbia, Mo.; Marin County, Calif.; and Boulder,
Colo., introduced modest walking-bus programs last year as part of a
national effort, Safe Routes To School, which gives states money to
encourage students to walk or ride their bicycles.
Although carbon dioxide emissions from industry are declining on both
continents, those from transportation account for almost one-third of
all greenhouse-gas emissions in the United States and 22 percent in
European Union countries. Across the globe, but especially in Europe,
where European Union countries have pledged to reduce greenhouse gas
production by 2012 under the United Nations? Kyoto protocol, there is
great pressure to reduce car emissions.
Last year the European Environmental Agency warned that car trips to
school ? along with food importing and low-cost air travel ? were
growing phenomena with serious implications for greenhouse gases.
In the United States and in Europe, ?multiple threads are warping
traditional school travel and making it harder for kids to walk,? said
Elizabeth Wilson, a transportation researcher at the Humphrey Institute
of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota. Among those factors
are a rise in car ownership; one-child families, often leery of sending
students off to school on their own; cuts in school-bus service or
charges for it as a result of school-budget cutbacks and fuel-price
gyrations; and the decline of neighborhood schools and the rise of
school choice, meaning that students often live farther from where they
learn.
Worse still, said Roger L. Mackett, professor at the Center for
Transport Studies at University College in London, there is growing
evidence that children whose parents drive a lot will become
car-dependent adults. ?You?re getting children into a lifelong habit,?
he said.
In Lecco, car use has proved a tenacious habit even though the piedibus
has caught on. ?Cars rule,? said Augosto Piazza, the founder of the
city?s program, an elfin man with shining blue eyes, a bouncing gait
and a yellow vest. As he ?drove? along a bus route on a recent morning,
store owners waved fondly to the familiar packs of jabbering children.
Yet as they pulled up to Carducci School, dozens of private cars were
parked helter-skelter for dropoffs in the small plaza outside as
gaggles of mothers chatted on the sidewalk nearby. ?I have two kids who
go to different schools, plus their backpacks are so heavy,? said
Manuela Corbetta, a mother in a black jacket and sunglasses, twirling
her car keys as she explained why her children do not make the
15-minute trek. ?Sometimes they have 10 notebooks, so walking really
isn?t practical.?
Some children are dropped off by parents on their way to work, and some
others live outside the perimeter of the piedibus?s reach, although
there are collection points at the edge of town for such children. But
many live right along a piedibus route, Mr. Piazza noted.
Yet other parents praised the bus, saying it had helped their children
master street safety and had a ripple effect within the family. ?When
we go for shopping you think about walking ? you don?t automatically
use the car,? said Luciano Prandoni, a computer programmer who was
volunteering on his daughter?s route.
The city of Lecco contributes roughly $20,000 annually toward
organizing and providing staff members for the piedibus. The students
perform a public service of sorts: they are encouraged to hand out
warnings to cars that park illegally and chastise dog owners who do not
clean up.
Naturally some children whine on rainy mornings. Participation drops 20
percent on such days, although it increases during snowfalls. On rainy
days, ?She says, ?Mom, please take me,? and sometimes I give in,? said
Giovanna Luciano, who lives in the countryside and normally drops her
daughter Giulia, 9, at a piedibus pickup point in a parking lot by a
cemetery.
To encourage use, children receive fare cards that are punched each
day. The bus routes have distinctive names (the one through the
graveyard is the mortobus), and compete for prizes like pizza parties
for the students. Teachers have students write poems about the piedibus.
In Britain, about half the local school systems now have some sort of
incentives to encourage walking, although generally less formal ones
than the piedibus, said Roger L. Mackett, a professor at the Center for
Transport Studies at University College in London.
?It?s quite a lot of effort to keep it going,? he said. ?It?s always
easier to put children in the back of the car. Once you?ve got your two
or three cars, it takes effort not to use them.?
Copyright 2009 The New York Times Company
Source and fair use: This article originally appeared in the New York
Times of 27 March 2009, by their reporter Elisabeth Rosenthal. You can
view their original article here. And click here to view World Street's
policy on Fair Use. Comments welcome.
--
Posted By Eric Britton (Paris, France) to World Streets Daily at
3/27/2009 06:43:00 PM
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From editor at worldstreets.org Sat Mar 28 03:22:40 2009
From: editor at worldstreets.org (Eric Britton (Paris, France))
Date: Fri, 27 Mar 2009 11:22:40 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [sustran] [World Streets Daily] Honk! Contraflow Bus Lanes in London
Message-ID: <1238178160002.4354f540-5d4b-4e1f-962c-9d9349e0c990@google.com>
[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jY0VeiJ1fz8]
Here are a copule of new additions - To watch contra-flow bus lanes in
opearation in London - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jY0VeiJ1fz8 The
above covers following locations - Russell Square, Piccadilly Circus,
New oxford Street leading to Oxford Circus, Charing Cross Road near
Tottenham Court (Tube station), London Road near Elephant & Castle tube
station and finally Tooley street near London Bridge. To watch a short
video giving insight in to workings of the pre-signal technology -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wV3pAjzVhfw Use the HQ button on the
bottom right of the Youtube display screen to watch in better quality.
Thanks Adhiraj JoglekarLondon UK
--
Posted By Eric Britton (Paris, France) to World Streets Daily at
3/27/2009 07:21:00 PM
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From editor at worldstreets.org Sat Mar 28 22:27:39 2009
From: editor at worldstreets.org (Eric Britton (Paris, France))
Date: Sat, 28 Mar 2009 06:27:39 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [sustran] [World Streets Daily] World Streets Correspondents
Message-ID: <1238246859807.d5578d53-87ee-4b61-b20a-e753008a46bd@google.com>
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We live in a world and in a sector in which not quite reliable
information and rather too easy thinking often abound. Thus while the
main objective of World Streets is to provide reliable access to what
is going on at the leading edge of thinking, policy, and practice in
the field of sustainable transportation worldwide, we also at the same
time have an obligation not to lure our readers into thinking too
simply about these issues and falling for what they may at first glance
think to be "solutions" to their problems and aspirations.
The challenge to sustainable transportation reform is already tough
enough, without being encumbered by half baked ideas and wishful
thinking. We can do better than that.
This is where our network of international correspondents and
contributors comes into play. And since they are not only knowledgeable
about the sector, but are also close to the cities and streets in
question, they help us to develop more balanced approach to reporting
on the sector. We count on them for this, and indeed they have been
invited to participate because in every case we know them to be
independent critical thinkers.
We invite you to review the latest listing that appears under the
Correspondents rubric on the masthead to your left, where you will see
their names, cities and countries in each case. It is a very impressive
group. If you wish to know more about them, all you have to do is click
their entry which will in each case take you to further information on
their background, work and accomplishments.
--
Posted By Eric Britton (Paris, France) to World Streets Daily at
3/28/2009 02:17:00 PM
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From morten7an at yahoo.com Sun Mar 29 14:59:08 2009
From: morten7an at yahoo.com (Morten Lange)
Date: Sat, 28 Mar 2009 22:59:08 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [sustran] Geneva turned bicycle friendly in 5 years ?
Message-ID: <705790.55249.qm@web51008.mail.re2.yahoo.com>
Hi,
I recently heard that Geneva, Switzerland had gone "bicycle friendly" in just 5 years.
Can anyone confirm this ?
Any pointers or details ?
Kind regards,
Morten Lange
P.S.
( Now, with that question off my chest, I can go back to sleep... )
From editor at worldstreets.org Sun Mar 29 23:02:37 2009
From: editor at worldstreets.org (Eric Britton (Paris, France))
Date: Sun, 29 Mar 2009 07:02:37 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [sustran] =?utf-8?Q?=5BWorld_Streets_Daily=5D_World_Streets_PBS_P?=
=?utf-8?Q?rofiles_Series_=E2=80=93_Spring_2009?=
Message-ID: <1238335357333.5f37051f-548f-474c-8335-ebdb08918e12@google.com>
[http://www.citybike.newmobility.org]
Introduction to PBS Interview Series
The city bike -- shared bike, or public bicycle system (PBS) as it is
variously called -- is a quite new as well as a very effective way of
getting around in the city, at least as it is practiced at the leading
edge . Most certainly the fastest growing form of urban transport in
the world today (admittedly from a minuscule base), it is at once the
darling of the media and a favorite photo op of mayors and public
officials all over the world..
However there is a small problem. That being that while they look
simple enough at first glance ? bunch of bikes, bunch of stands for
parking them, and Bob's your uncle -- the reality turns out to be far
more complex. (See "Not just one more pretty bike project" here.".
This has lead to a situation over the last couple of years where many
cities are showing great enthusiasm for the concept, without
necessarily fully appreciating what is required on their part to make
them into successes. As a result we are seeing far too many weak
projects and weak plans in city after city around the world. But it
does not have to be this way.
Where to turn for solid counsel on how to plan and implement your city
bike project? Certainly if you are able to dig deep into the
interstices of the most successful projects ? not always easy to do for
a variety of reasons ? there are valuable clues to be had. Beyond this
however certainly one of the most solid sources of information and
perspective is the leading supplier groups who have partnered with the
best projects thus far to get them up and running. But how to make this
contact in a positive and creative way?
This turns out to be something of a challenge because in project after
project we are seeing the suppliers being treated less as partners and
more often as almost adversaries. It is the rare city indeed that
manages to get this relationship right. Of course the suppliers are
profit-making firms whose business it is to get and execute a good
contract under favorable terms. But if you are a member of a city team
considering a project of your own, do not lose sight of the fact that
they are also your best information partners. How to bridge this gap?
Here is where this new series of World Streets is hoping to step in. We
have planned to carry out a cycle of interviews with a number of the
leading groups working in the field, in an attempt to ask some of the
questions that you may have in your pocket. The first of these
interviews will be published here in early April with the team behind
the about-to-launch Montreal Bixi project, followed a week later with a
second exchange with one of the leaders of the Clear Channel SmartBike
program. In this way we get the ball rolling by going to both the
newest and the oldest of the state-of-the-art city projects, with the
other leaders to follow in short order.
Your comments and questions will be welcome on each profile, using the
Comment link under the respective interview. Likewise if you have more
general points to share with us, we invite you to Comment in the link
at the end of this entry. If you have questions you would like us to
add to our list of ten for each interview, pass them on and we will see
what we can do with them.
The Editor
* For the record, one of the most valuable sources of information on
this topic is the World City Bike Consortium started by the New
Mobility Partnerships in 2006 as a place to share information and ask
questions from people directly involved at the working level. You can
consult this site freely at www.citybike.newmobility.org.
--
Posted By Eric Britton (Paris, France) to World Streets Daily at
3/29/2009 04:00:00 PM
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From peebeebarter at gmail.com Mon Mar 30 22:04:19 2009
From: peebeebarter at gmail.com (Paul Barter)
Date: Mon, 30 Mar 2009 21:04:19 +0800
Subject: [sustran] Fwd: [NewMobilityCafe] Shaping Mumbai in to a people's
transport friendly city...
In-Reply-To:
References:
Message-ID: <6fc1c1110903300604t22706e46vdb72d79455fb131d@mail.gmail.com>
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Faizan Jawed
Date: 2009/3/30
Subject: [NewMobilityCafe] Shaping Mumbai in to a people's transport
friendly city...
To: NewMobilityCafe@yahoogroups.com
Hello Friends,
Finally I have something to report from Mumbai!
After traveling around the world studying and experiencing the
benefits and joys that sustainable mobility brings to cities, I have
been eager to get something started at home. Mumbai is India's
commercial capital; I believe this is one of the most image-driven
cities in India (read popular advertisement driven). Below you will
read about a small initiative that I took along with a friend from
Columbia University who is currently in Mumbai. We are really looking
forward (and trying our best) to building this movement up.
Cyclists in city ask for more pedal power
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/4328736.cms
Ashley D?Mello I TNN
Mumbai: Why are bicycles, which don?t pollute, take up little space,
are cheap and have virtually no maintenance cost, not a popular mode
of travel in Mumbai? According to activists and cycling enthusiasts,
the reasons are a mindset that favours motorised vehicles and a lack
of infrastructure to promote cycling in the city.
These were the two chief issues discussed during a public meeting at
the Carter Road amphitheatre, Bandra (W), to popularise cycling in the
city to check pollution and reduce traffic congestion. The meeting,
which generated a buzz in the vicinity, had several passersby joining
in. Also among the participants were young professionals working in
the IT industry and call centres.
Biking enthusiasts and activists discussed the need for dedicated
infrastructure comprising separate facilities for cyclists. This
includes segregated lanes, bicycle parking stands at railway stations,
shopping malls and public places, special signage and traffic signals
for bicycles.
Activists said dedicated infrastructure for bicycle riders would allow
faster shortdistance journeys (between one and six km), which might
even be more effective than going by car. Added to this are the health
benefits of cycling, they added.
Activists Fawzan Javed and Colin Christopher, who initiated the move
for the meeting, felt that starting a bicycle movement in Bandra would
set a precedent for other suburbs to follow. Javed is an architect
from Mumbai, while Christopher, a student at Columbia University, New
York, is currently doing a stint with Pukar, an NGO. ?Once the
initiative takes off, it will grow and we will have less congestion
and pollution on the roads,?? said Javed.
Javed, who has undertaken a project on the bicycle movement across the
globe, said it was becoming popular in Asian cities and was already an
established mode of transport in European cities. His idea is to have
a bicycle lane network in Bandra to enable citizens to ride along
freely.
Ashok Datar of the Environment Social Network said over the last four
decades, roads have been overtaken by cars, edging out the humble
cyclist. ?We have the usual delivery boys and milkmen using bicycles,
but there has been a steep decline in the number of people riding
bicycles in general. This is because of a lack of dedicated space for
bikers, unlike in other cities of the world,?? he said.
?Six percent of the city?s population owns bicycles, which is the same
as the percentage of motorised vehicle owners. This only shows that
there is a need to give environment-friendly modes of transport, such
as bicycles, as much importance as is given to others,?? added Datar.
Several bikers from Dadar, who are part of the Mumbai Critical Mass
cycling event, cycled down for the meeting and expressed concern at
the problems bikers face on the road daily. Critical Mass is held
every Friday in over 300 cities around the world to promote an
alternative means of transport, they explained.
Seema Parakh of the World Resources Institute, said they were
networking with local ALMs and citizens? groups to set up the bicycle
path network in Bandra. Javed said the central government was
gradually changing its stand and encouraging non-motorised modes of
transport in cities under the plans funded by the JNNURM. Development
of bicycle infrastructure projects was under way at Delhi, Pune,
Nanded and Bangalore, he said.
-----------------------------------------
What the article does not mention is the presence in the meeting of a
large number of working class people (read economically weaker
section) who comprise over 80% of the bicyclists in Indian cities.
These people listened to the deliberations (that were in Hindi)
intently but did not speak up even after several attempts at
convincing them. The class boundaries here are very strong. The
challenge ahead to shape this in to a real people's movement is
actually making them speak up and demand.
My name has been misspelt in the article as Fawzan Javed instead of
the correct Faizan Jawed.
With best regards,
Faizan.
2008 RIBA Norman Foster Traveling Scholar
Berkeley Prize 2008 Finalist
+91-9820981298
phaizan@gmail.com
From editor at worldstreets.org Tue Mar 31 15:25:47 2009
From: editor at worldstreets.org (Eric Britton (Paris, France))
Date: Mon, 30 Mar 2009 23:25:47 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [sustran] [World Streets] Bad News Department is really great idea!
Message-ID: <1238480747266.0300ae1e-9972-4b85-93f7-a28488b165e1@google.com>
Bad News Department is really great idea! I can say it as a contributor
to various magazines (mainly cycling and popular-scientific ones) with
25 years of experience. "Bad news is a good news" approach is popular
rather between the evening papers, but who don't likes gossiping?
>From the other hand, early alert may help to take countermeasures -- be
forewarned is to be forearmed.
Recently I have had in my Department a meeting about the Public Bike
project with people from Public Transport Authority. What have been
their first words? "The mass loss of Velib bikes forces us to rethink
the idea of..."
And -- thanks to the Bad News Department -- I could tell them: "Don't
get used too much to this idea. The news is highly exaggerated. We will
make our plan real". They were not very happy -- I've got a feeling
thet they'll start the project just for to write a report: "Running the
PBS is non possible".
We'll see...
Marek Utkin
Warsaw, Poland
--
Posted By Eric Britton (Paris, France) to World Streets at 3/30/2009
06:22:00 AM
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From editor at worldstreets.org Tue Mar 31 16:57:39 2009
From: editor at worldstreets.org (Eric Britton (Paris, France))
Date: Tue, 31 Mar 2009 00:57:39 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [sustran] [World Streets] A thing so slight:
Message-ID: <1238486259438.fc868a02-927d-4e7e-9cde-e62a3f0360d8@google.com>
[http://blip.tv/play/AcvUegA]
The medium is the message with the Paris bike project Eric Britton,
Editor, World Streets, Paris, France
Automobiles are often conveniently tagged as the villains responsible
for the ills of cities and the disappointments and futilities of city
planning. But the destructive effects of automobiles are much less a
cause than a symptom of our incompetence at city building. The simple
needs of automobiles are more easily understood and satisfied than the
complex needs of cities, and a growing number of planners and designers
have come to believe that if they can only solve the problems of
traffic, they will thereby have solved the major problems of cities.
Cities have much more intricate economic and social concerns than
automobile traffic. How can you know what to try with traffic until you
know how the city itself works, and what else it needs to do with its
streets? You can't."
- Jane Jacobs, Death and Life of Great American Cities , 1961
A bicycle? Two spindly wheels held together by a frail metal frame and
launched into wobbly motion with some kind of bizarre arrangement for
your willing feet to move you from A to B. First introduced in yes!
Paris almost two hundred years ago (1817 model just to your right), the
bike been around for something like a century and a half and has had
its moments of glory and its moments of ... neglect.
So why should it be that as we move toward the end of his first decade
of this new century I should be taking your time to talk about
something that is so small, so trivial, so out of date, so surely
meaningless in an age in which the problems of our daily lives of our
planet are enormous and in many ways crushing us to the mat? To get a
feel for that, let?s start with a quick look out the rearview mirror.
A glance back:
In order to make any sense of what an eventual renaissance of the
bicycle might make in our daily lives and in our cities, it will be
useful for us to have a quick glance back to recall what happened the
last time a rolling beast of metal and rubber appeared on the scene of
our daily lives.
Remember? There we were living and working, going to school in playing
in cities and towns across America, and getting around in our daily
lives on our feet, occasionally by bicycle, and as often as not by some
combination of buses, trams and trainings. Of course there were also
cars, but these were not really available to most of us, at least not
when the beginning of the car era started to shape up. What happened?
As prosperity reared its supposedly beautiful head in the wake of the
Second World War, more and more people started to have a new
transportation option in the form of their own car. It was, just about
everyone said, a great and wonderful thing.
And then, slowly and without our really being quite aware, they started
to change a lot of things in our daily lives and in our cities. The
story has been told many times and perhaps never better than by our
dear Mrs. Jane Jacobs, but the essence of it is that the main
contribution of this new bit of technology is the manner in which it
has transformed and in a huge number of cases virtually gutted our
cities. Pulling them apart with seven league boots that simply don?t
fit into the perimeter of our cold cities. So in case after case the
city fell apart and moved ?out of town?.
Marshall McLuhan told us decades ago that the medium was the message,
and indeed that turned out to be the case with cars. We got the message
so that if you look around it's not very hard to figure out what that
message was.
True auto-mobility
Then one day, with little fanfare a transportation revolution started
to get underway, and if you have not heard a great deal about it till
now, stay tuned because this is a message that one way or another is
going to get in some form to just about every city of any size in North
America, and indeed in many other parts of the world.
The new message is the ?City Bike?, or Public Bicycle System, which is
probably today the fastest growing transportation innovation in the
world. They could not be more simple.
The basic principle is that a city creates a new kind of public
transport system, this one based on free (or almost free) bicycles
which you can pick up at many points around the city, ride to get you
where you want to go, and then leave it off in another handily located
station.
Today there are more than one hundred such new systems underway, with
the most famous being the huge new system brought to Paris in the
summer of 2007 under the name V?lib? (roughly free bike), of which
there are more than 16,000 currently in service and with 20,000
targeted this Spring (2009). Other large systems are in operation or
underway in Barcelona, Lyon, Rome, Berlin, and in North America there
are several dozen cities looking carefully at this idea, with a major
project about to come on line in Montreal in the weeks ahead..
What is interesting about these revolutionary transportation systems is
that . . . they work! Think of them as small, perfectly clean
one-person buses that you can pick up where you want, when you want,
leave when you want, and go where you want. Personal Rapid Transit.
True ubiquitous auto-mobility at last.
Come to Paris (or Barcelona, or Lyons, or or ) and have a look for
yourself.
Or, if you don?t have a ticket, you can always check it out at World
City Bikes at http://www.citybike.newmobility.org/. The Public
Broadcasting System of the United States broadcast a film on V?lib? and
The Greening or Paris in December 2008. You can pick it up on line at
http://www.e2-series.com/, click Webcast, then Paris. A trailer for the
program is available at http://blip.tv/play/AcvUegA
--
Posted By Eric Britton (Paris, France) to World Streets at 3/30/2009
09:52:00 AM
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