From eric.britton at ecoplan.org Tue Jun 1 02:40:58 2010 From: eric.britton at ecoplan.org (Eric Britton) Date: Mon, 31 May 2010 19:40:58 +0200 Subject: [sustran] [World Streets] Density without tears: Singapore's Transportation Secrets Message-ID: <015301cb00e8$73b0a440$5b11ecc0$@britton@ecoplan.org> Density without tears: Singapore's Transportation Secrets Density. Sprawl. Car-dependence as a result of car use's gradual reshaping of our cities. The unintended consequences of a no-policy transport and land use policy can be catastrophic for many, in many ways. And once the damage has been done(see the map of last week's piece contrasting two cities of the same population size: Atlanta and Barcelona)it is not easy task to get the toothpaste back into the tube. But let's get to that another day. Today let's listen to Christopher Tan on Singapore's no tears transport policy. Freely available today in World Streets at www.WorldStreets.org. Also at www.facebook.worldstreets.org From edelman at greenidea.eu Tue Jun 1 10:24:38 2010 From: edelman at greenidea.eu (Todd Edelman) Date: Tue, 01 Jun 2010 03:24:38 +0200 Subject: [sustran] Dear EMBARQ, regarding Caterpillar... please file for divorce Message-ID: <4C046156.4050106@greenidea.eu> re: http://www.embarq.org/en/about/global-strategic-partners Dear EMBARQ, The immoral behavior of the Israeli government has made it clear (once again) that you need to break up with your partner Caterpillar, which is directly responsible for destruction of Palestinian homes and deaths and injuries to Palestinians and international citizens due to its supply of D-9 bulldozers to the IDF. I am not sending this to your current director even in cc because I know that your organisation is caught up in this dysfunctional relationship and that a break is not simply the choice of one person or your board. I also that you have some fine people on board -- even though a few seem to think that they are above responding to complaints such as this (earlier, and repeatedly) both in this forum and privately. Also in relation to your staff I know that interesting positions in sustainable transport are hard to come by... and so if you separate from EMBARQ and communicate a clear plan - even a slowly moving one - for filing for divorce myself and perhaps others may consider forgiving your current transgressions.... indeed, because you do some good work. Sure, this sounds a little self-important but I am not the one who is greenwashing what some consider to be genocide! This is a kind of sarcastic but neutral article about the Caterpillar D-9 bulldozer which hopefully makes clear why you need to divorce: http://diesel-power.blogspot.com/2006/05/d9-and-why-some-people-hate_22.html. There are of course lots of sources on the web but I am sure you know them all well enough. All transport is political, and to separate discussion in a list like this from issues which are very much interconnected, to say that the macro is unmentionable herein (e.g. the reality of countries deciding whether they should buy buses or bombers) is, frankly, cowardly. Accuse me of having a big mouth if you want, but I don't care because people are dying. Sigh. Then there is Shell. You could even propose a plan to split up first with them. I assume that.... a double-divorce would be too difficult, so the choice is yours on where to start. Really, it is. With full respect, T -- Todd Edelman Green Idea Factory Mobile: ++49(0)162 814 4081 Immobile: ++49(0)30 7554 0001 edelman@greenidea.eu www.greenidea.eu todd@openbike.se Skype: toddedelman Urbanstr. 45 10967 Berlin Germany From eric.britton at ecoplan.org Tue Jun 1 18:47:30 2010 From: eric.britton at ecoplan.org (Eric Britton) Date: Tue, 1 Jun 2010 11:47:30 +0200 Subject: [sustran] World Streets 100% Answer to Oil Spills, Geopolitical Dysfunctionality, and the Running out of Oil Syndrome Message-ID: <018301cb016f$76482bb0$62d88310$@britton@ecoplan.org> World Streets 100% Answer to Oil Spills, Geopolitical Dysfunctionality, and the Running out of Oil Syndrome Courage. Not all that terribly hard actually, and certainly not impossible. The leading international edge of policy and practice in our field have over the last two decades developed all the tools, experience and technical competence that is needed to cut fossil fuel dependence by 50% in one year. And if we can do that ? if we can come even within shouting distance of this great and obtainable goal ? that is going to change everything. But we are going to have to challenge our brainpower and collective ability to influence leadership, policy decisions and investments in our chosen field. Lazy folks and fatalists kindly abstain. Freely available today in World Streets at www.WorldStreets.org. Also at www.facebook.worldstreets.org From yanivbin at gmail.com Wed Jun 2 00:29:09 2010 From: yanivbin at gmail.com (Vinay Baindur) Date: Tue, 1 Jun 2010 20:59:09 +0530 Subject: [sustran] Bus rapid systems need proper planning Message-ID: *Date:31/05/2010* *URL: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2010/05/31/stories/2010053150210700.htm* ------------------------------ *Bus rapid systems need proper planning* ------------------------------ * The feasibility study should include not only the opinion of the public but also that of experts, scientists and city planners. * ------------------------------ Our Bureau A Parliamentary Committee has asked the Ministry for Urban Development to ensure that a scientific feasibility study with inputs from all stakeholders is undertaken before commencing bus-rapid-transit system (BRTS) projects in States. ?A scientific feasibility study is a must prior to the commencement of all the BRTS projects and the Government should ensure that the feasibility study, while being undertaken by States/project authorities, should include not only the opinion of the public as users but also of experts, scientists, city planners, etc,? the Standing Committee has stated in its report on urban transport. It has asked the Ministry to share the shortcomings identified in the implementation of the BRTS project in Delhi for the benefit of other cities. The Urban Development Ministry has stated, in its action taken report to the committee, that the BRTS projects sanctioned under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) of the Central Government are based on detailed project reports prepared by the State or city authorities. BRTS is being taken up in nine mission cities under the JNNURM scheme. Under the scheme, the Central Government provides financial assistance to State Governments, subject to certain conditions. The Central financial assistance to States/Union Territories/urban local bodies is tied to certain reforms, such as setting up of a dedicated urban transport fund, making changes in bye-laws and master-plans of cities to integrate land use and transport planning and setting up of regulatory mechanisms to periodically revise fares for all public and intermediate public transport systems. UNIFIED AUTHORITIES The Standing Committee has also asked the Urban Development Ministry to assess the success rates of the Unified Metropolitan Transport Authorities (UMTAs) set up in five cities in providing a unified integrated transport system in their respective cities, to convince others to follow suit. UMTAs have been set up for Jaipur, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai and Mumbai. In Andhra Pradesh, UMTA for Hyderabad region has been set up for planning, coordination, supervision, promotion and securing planned development for Hyderabad Metropolitan region, which is backed by a State legislation. UMTAs for Hyderabad, Mumbai and Bangalore have been set under the Chairmanship of Chief Secretaries the respective State Governments; the UMTA for Jaipur is headed by the Chief Minister. The Ministry further added that setting up of UMTAs for all cities with million plus population has been made conditional to funding buses for urban transport under JNNURM. On the use of the public private partnership (PPP) model in urban transportation to attract private funding, the Ministry stated that the PPP model is being followed in certain activities of urban transport in some cities. For instance, PPP mode has been adopted for city bus service in Bhopal, Jodhpur, Udaipur, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Jaipur and Indore. The activities for which PPP is adopted are construction and maintenance of metro projects such as Hyderabad and Mumbai; operation and maintenance of metro express link in New Delhi (from IGI Airport to New Delhi Railway Station). Also, there are cases of foot over-bridges being implemented in Hyderabad through PPP mode. Intelligent system The Committee has also called for the need to promote intelligent transportation system (ITS) framework to ensure safe, smooth and seamless public transport. The Ministry for Urban Development has approved a proposal of IIT, Madras to set up a centre for excellence for research in urban transportation. The proposed areas for focus of the centre would be to strengthen capacity in ITS and ITS application-based research. It will be asked to propose a national framework for ITS. From edelman at greenidea.eu Fri Jun 4 18:03:51 2010 From: edelman at greenidea.eu (Todd Edelman) Date: Fri, 04 Jun 2010 11:03:51 +0200 Subject: [sustran] Bike-powered mobile charger for rural communities Message-ID: <4C08C177.6070703@greenidea.eu> http://tinyurl.com/26m5rag A EU-based mobile phone company has launched a mobile charger kit intended to be attached to bicycles, compatible with any of their phones with a 2mm charger jack. The charger takes advantage of natural user activity, using a dynamo to generate electricity with the cycling of the vehicle's wheels. A spokesman explains: To begin charging, a cyclist needs to travel around six kilometres per hour (four miles per hour), and while charging times will vary depending on battery model, a 10 minute journey at 10 kmh produces around 28 minutes of talk time or 37 hours of standby time, the spokesman said. The faster you ride, the more battery life you generate. The charger comes alongside the launch of four inexpensive phone models marketed to Kenya and other developing markets where access to electricity is limited, priced around EUR15. (Trademarked names have been removed from this email, which has also been re-edited). ***** BUT much cheaper locally made one can be seen here with very happy looking bike: http://www.psfk.com/2009/07/kenya-gets-more-mobile-with-bicycle-powered-cellphone-charger.html - T -- Todd Edelman Green Idea Factory, a member of the OPENbike team Mobile: ++49(0)162 814 4081 Immobile: ++49(0)30 7554 0001 edelman@greenidea.eu www.greenidea.eu todd@openbike.se www.openbike.se Skype: toddedelman Urbanstr. 45 10967 Berlin Germany *** OPENbike - Share the Perfect Fit! From yanivbin at gmail.com Sat Jun 5 19:30:22 2010 From: yanivbin at gmail.com (Vinay Baindur) Date: Sat, 5 Jun 2010 16:00:22 +0530 Subject: [sustran] Cities need mobility, not cars Message-ID: *URBAN ENVIRONMENT* *Anumita Roychowdhury*, Centre for Science and Environment *Cities need mobility, not cars* Our cities are in a mess and the clutter will grow. Recent number crunching by global consulting firm McKinsey and Co. Llc predicts an urban population in India of 590 million by 2030?nearly twice the size of the current US population and 40% of the total projected Indian population. Cities, which account for 70% of India?s GDP (gross domestic product), will drive the economy. But these same cities are on a toxic spiral, urged on by growing wastefulness, energy use and car mania. The current obsession with car-based infrastructure and urban sprawl will only increase car dependency, travel distances, energy and the pollution intensity of travel. The choking haze of pollution and growing illnesses are the scary evidence of urban growth. The International Energy Agency warns that cars will also drive energy demand. Currently, one-third of our urban population in three mega-cities accounts for nearly half of the carbon emissions from transport. Parking needs are devouring urban commons?10% of urbanized Delhi is wasted as parking spaces. Can we make our cities livable? Make public health, urban design quality and community well-being the basis of this growth? Our future depends on the choices we make today. And the choices are clear in our densely built cities, where the bulk of all travel trips have short distances?5-10km. In fact, walking and bicycling make up more than a quarter of all trips in major cities and greater than half in small towns. Public transport and para-transit modes meet more than three quarters of the passenger demand for motorized transport. Protect and scale up this strength, and ensure equity in allocation of road space to all users. Make the change real. Leverage the emerging policy opportunities?reform-based agenda of the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission and the clean air action plans. Cities must deliver on public transport reforms, control pollution sources and pursue innovative measures to restrain the car bulge. There is no other way. Look at Delhi. With less than a quarter of households owning cars, and despite the largest road network, life?s ebbed out of its streets. Road widening and flyovers have not helped. The signpost is clear: Cities need mobility, not cars. Scale up alternative mobility choices, set the post-2010 road map to leapfrog vehicle technology, and redesign cities to promote safe mobility. Cities must interlink a full range of actions that form the big solution. *Anumita Roychowdhury is associate director at Centre for Science and Environment.** Comment at feedback@livemint.com* From peebeebarter at gmail.com Sun Jun 6 09:26:56 2010 From: peebeebarter at gmail.com (Paul Barter) Date: Sun, 6 Jun 2010 08:26:56 +0800 Subject: [sustran] Connections: recent urban transport links Message-ID: Connections Some web destinations that caught my eye recently. - CityFix Mumbaion transport and the gathering monsoon season in an Indian megacity - A wonderful Streetfilm on the Cycle Chic movementwhich has grown from the Copenhagen Cycle Chic blog - Nate Berg at Planetizen on Johannesburg 'Persecution of the Pedestrian Majority' - Transit (Klang Valley)analyses Malaysian objectives for public transport in the Kuala Lumpur region (under the National Key Result Area (*NKRA*) targets) - Econoblogger Felix Salmon hostsa fascinating debate on congestion pricing (with a New York focus) - The Infrastructuriston a hi-tech corporate effort to help Ho Chi Minh City with its traffic problems - The CityFixon South Africa's public transport improvements leading up to the football World Cup - The CityFix againon NyayaBhoomi, a Delhi-based NGO that works for a better auto-rickshaw system in Delhi - Coming event on 'sharing in transport' - World Share/Transport Forum: 2010 - 2012, 16-19 September 2010 in Kaohsiung City, Taiwan (via World Streets ) via http://reinventingtransport.blogspot.com/2010/06/connections.html Paul From eric.britton at ecoplan.org Mon Jun 7 22:38:22 2010 From: eric.britton at ecoplan.org (Eric Britton) Date: Mon, 7 Jun 2010 15:38:22 +0200 Subject: [sustran] A new platform for World Streets - yoiur views Message-ID: <017301cb0646$b91946f0$2b4bd4d0$@britton@ecoplan.org> I would like to invite you to have a look at a new platform that we are experimenting with eventually for World Streets/Open Edition at www.worldstreets.wordpress.com -- and if you have the time and taste for it to share with me your impressions. For example, does it strike you as . . . a. A significant improvements over the original www.WorldStreets.org ? b. Worse c. More or less the same Any other thoughts or tips you might have on not only this but any aspect of World Streets would be most welcome and warmly received. We are working hard to get it right and your help will be much appreciated. With kind thanks, Regards Eric Britton Eric Britton | WorldStreets.org | NewMobility.org | www.facebook.WorldStreets.org 8, rue Joseph Bara. 75006 Paris France | +331 7550 3788 | Skype: newmobility From eric.britton at ecoplan.org Wed Jun 9 19:09:16 2010 From: eric.britton at ecoplan.org (Eric Britton) Date: Wed, 9 Jun 2010 12:09:16 +0200 Subject: [sustran] The fine art of reading machine translations on World Streets. - for comment Message-ID: <011701cb07bb$d9c33980$8d49ac80$@britton@ecoplan.org> The fine art of reading machine translations on World Streets. To make the contents of World Streets more broadly accessible to friends and colleagues who work primarily in other language groups, we have linked the site to the increasingly well-performing Google machine translation engines that you will now find here. In each case all you have to do is click the language in which you wish to see the rough translation, and it will quickly appear on your monitor. But that, dear reader, is just the beginning of the story. Almost anybody who loves their language will be offended to what is generated by machine translations in general, including those of the sort that we have programmed here and strongly recommend for use here on World Streets. (Offended to the point where, incidentally, I have noticed that the more that my reacting friends and correspondents are devoted to their language, the louder they squeal when confronted with the text that pops out of the machine translate button. And they make their views known in no uncertain terms to me as the source of this massacre. Thus is the nature of culture and the human comedy.). So, should we give up on machine translations? Okay, what pops up here may not magically solve all of our international communications problems in one swoop -- but before we give up too quickly on what just may be a valuable tool in an imperfect world, let's take a few minutes to reflect together on how this works. - a user-side view of machine translations for World Streets and for you. (For starters and just in case you have not followed the approach which Google, as our favored translating device, has taken in all this -- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_Translate is a not bad point of departure.) So this is the point. What we can expect from these technologies at this point is not perfect text in our wonderful treasured language but a series of clues, gists and hints, in which almost every individual word appears to be boldly and without doubt in the destination language. Indeed, one of the problems is that as we run our eyes over the succession of words we have the impression that they are intended to convey, as they stand, the full and precious meaning of the original. (Which in fact they very often succeed in doing quite nicely, but that too is part of the problem. When it works well, it can lull us to expect that the machine is going to work just as well all of the time. But no no.) So what's the answer? In a phrase, we need to read differently if we are going to get best value out of these tools. The operative analogy is that of listening to a conversation under difficult sound conditions. In such noise-filled environments individual words and phrases can disappear and often the context is not all that clear. But if we are really interested in following what is being said, we put our brains to work in a scanning mode and start to use our imagination and contextual knowledge to fill in the dots. As a result, we end up understanding what we work to understand - with all the necessary prudence on interpretation that this requires - and that is the reward for our efforts. How does this voice scanning technique interpret to reading in this case? Let me give you my best thoughts on this based on long personal experience of working with (and trying to work with )these tools, and not of course as an expert in translation, nor in reading, and certainly not as a neurologist. My suggestion to you is that the first time you look at the translation you make sure that you have the full translated text before you, and then you run your eye on a diagonal over the page, scanning it to see if in a very brief space of time you can get a sense of what it seems to be all about. Now, while that is not a translation per se, it does provide the diligent flexible reader with a first set of clues as to what the original may be all about. That already in my book is useful information. Of course it may not be enough for your purposes, but if you were interested to know more about a project or group in Finland or Korea, now you at least have a first set of hints. (Thank you Google.) Then in a next step I would suggest that you read the translation side by side with the English-language original in front of you, you will in almost all cases be able to arrive at a pretty fair understanding of the thrust and main content of that particular article or announcement. It is of course not a substitute for a professional translation, but it can be extremely helpful for those who are ready to make an effort to use it with judgment. So there you have it. The World Streets self-assigned language doctor recommends that you take and use this remedy when you need it, but make sure you read the notice on the bottle. Eric Britton, Editor and cautious (if often hilarious) daily user of the best of these technologies since 1993 PS So what's wrong with English for World Streets? Actually working in English gives us a great start in reaching an international readership-- various statistics indicate that it is the first language of going on to four hundred million people, and if you include second language speakers the number moves up to something on the order of half a billion. That is five hundred million good souls who can, one would hope, pick up and read daily articles in World Streets with ease. That is a big number. But let's not exaggerate. On the other hand it leaves out on the order of six billion people organize their daily lives around other languages, and since it is our chosen mission to create and reinforce networks of people at various levels of government and participation in public life around the world in matters of sustainable transport, we would be remiss in our function if we neglected this important fact. With this in mind, we have from the beginning of publication continuously brainstormed with anyone who cared to join us on the matter of how to get the contents of World Streets, and with it the leading edge of worldwide developments and thinking in the field of sustainable transportation, into the hands of the people who are working in countries in cities around the world where working language is other than English. We asked some of our readers working from other language background to comment on these translations, and if you click here you will be able to see what they have to say - http://newmobilityagenda.blogspot.com/2009/02/translating-world-streets-into -other.html#comments Best/Eric Eric Britton | WorldStreets.org | NewMobility.org | www.facebook.WorldStreets.org 8, rue Joseph Bara. 75006 Paris France | +331 7550 3788 | Skype: newmobility From edelman at greenidea.eu Wed Jun 9 23:51:27 2010 From: edelman at greenidea.eu (Todd Edelman) Date: Wed, 09 Jun 2010 16:51:27 +0200 Subject: [sustran] Netherlands: "Volvo introduces helmet to protect against Volvos" Message-ID: <4C0FAA6F.40606@greenidea.eu> The latest from the Green Idea Factory Blog... Netherlands: Volvo introduces helmet to protect against Volvos I took the title for this entry from the *latest * at Bakfiets-n-Meer, from Henry Cutler of Workcycles in Amsterdam. Very sad, the Cult of Dangerization which has its object and lead symbol the styrosafetycap, is infecting one of the best practice national examples of both urban and rural cycling, ever, in the entire universe: the Netherlands. That the Ford Motor Company-owned Volvo Cars is behind it is not surprising, but also sickening. It is perhaps also ironic this campaign will very likely continue after the completion of the sale of Volvo Cars to *Geely Automobile *, based in China. See full Blog entry *here *. -- Todd Edelman Green Idea Factory, a member of the OPENbike team Mobile: ++49(0)162 814 4081 Immobile: ++49(0)30 7554 0001 edelman@greenidea.eu www.greenidea.eu todd@openbike.se www.openbike.se Skype: toddedelman Urbanstr. 45 10967 Berlin Germany *** OPENbike - Share the Perfect Fit! From eric.britton at ecoplan.org Thu Jun 10 15:50:11 2010 From: eric.britton at ecoplan.org (Eric Britton) Date: Thu, 10 Jun 2010 08:50:11 +0200 Subject: [sustran] Radio interview this morning: how to integrate bicycles into cities Message-ID: <00ef01cb0869$34631c90$9d2955b0$@britton@ecoplan.org> Dear Friends, If you happen to speak French, you may find some interest in a half hour program to take place on Radio France International this morning at 11:30 Paris time. The topic is the challenge of how to integrate bicycles into cities so that they become a major transport mode. I will be speaking together with Bruno Marzloff of Chronos and Harri Baral who works with the UNEP here in Paris. You can hear it via http://www.rfi.fr/general/20100610-2-salon-europeen-mobilite-direct-stand-ve lo-city I would be pleased to try to field your comments and critical remarks. I am rather sure we will not solve all these issues in half an hour this gray moring in Paris. Eric Britton Eric Britton | WorldStreets.org | NewMobility.org | www.facebook.WorldStreets.org 8, rue Joseph Bara. 75006 Paris France | +331 7550 3788 | Skype: newmobility From paulbarter at nus.edu.sg Thu Jun 10 18:46:02 2010 From: paulbarter at nus.edu.sg (Paul Barter) Date: Thu, 10 Jun 2010 17:46:02 +0800 Subject: [sustran] blog post says 'parking slots are like toilets (according to conventional parking planning)' Message-ID: <6F850E42E4589F45AE2799F34B645C36015C8A25CE@MBX06.stf.nus.edu.sg> My latest blog post says: Parking slots are like toilets (according to conventional parking planning) "Planning systems treat parking and toilets in very similar ways and for similar reasons (such as to deter people from 'doing it in the streets')." Read more at http://reinventingtransport.blogspot.com/ It is a bit cheeky I know but I have a serious point and I think the analogy is helpful. Paul Paul A. Barter | Assistant Professor | LKY School of Public Policy National University of Singapore | 469C Bukit Timah Road | Singapore 259772 | Tel: +65-6516 3324 | Fax: +65-6778 1020 | paulbarter@nus.edu.sg | http://www.spp.nus.edu.sg/Faculty_Paul_Barter.aspx http://reinventingtransport.blogspot.com/ From morten7an at yahoo.com Thu Jun 10 19:44:41 2010 From: morten7an at yahoo.com (Morten Lange) Date: Thu, 10 Jun 2010 03:44:41 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [sustran] Re: Cities need mobility, not cars In-Reply-To: Message-ID: <593610.83183.qm@web51008.mail.re2.yahoo.com> Dear Vinay, Good article ! One comment that pops to mind is that some people talk of access, rather than mobility. For instance that would include improved access to services / shops by decentralising them. This can be done e.g. by urban planning including financial incentives that will influence where services are located. This as an addition to improving access for more effective and equitable modes. So access is improved not only by improving how many people get move about per /hour / per square-kilometer / per million dollar or Lakh /per unit of health or pollution. The "Access-paradigm" also inherently takes into account the needs of different segments of the populations. That is, the access-paradigm as I have perceived it. I might be out on a limb here, but take my chances, in order to get the opportunity to learn and discuss. -- Regards / Kvedja Morten Lange, Reykjav?k --- On Sat, 5/6/10, Vinay Baindur wrote: > From: Vinay Baindur > Subject: [sustran] Cities need mobility, not cars > To: "CAF2" , "Hasire Usiru" , "Hu Gov" > Date: Saturday, 5 June, 2010, 11:30 > *URBAN ENVIRONMENT* > > *Anumita Roychowdhury*, Centre for Science and Environment > > *Cities need mobility, not cars* > > Our cities are in a mess and the clutter will grow. Recent > number crunching > by global consulting firm McKinsey and Co. Llc predicts an > urban population > in India of 590 million by 2030?nearly twice the size of > the current US > population and 40% of the total projected Indian > population. Cities, which > account for 70% of India?s GDP (gross domestic product), > will drive the > economy. But these same cities are on a toxic spiral, urged > on by growing > wastefulness, energy use and car mania. The current > obsession with car-based > infrastructure and urban sprawl will only increase car > dependency, travel > distances, energy and the pollution intensity of travel. > > The choking haze of pollution and growing illnesses are the > scary evidence > of urban growth. The International Energy Agency warns that > cars will also > drive energy demand. Currently, one-third of our urban > population in three > mega-cities accounts for nearly half of the carbon > emissions from transport. > Parking needs are devouring urban commons?10% of > urbanized Delhi is wasted > as parking spaces. > > Can we make our cities livable? Make public health, urban > design quality and > community well-being the basis of this growth? > > Our future depends on the choices we make today. And the > choices are clear > in our densely built cities, where the bulk of all travel > trips have short > distances?5-10km. In fact, walking and bicycling make up > more than a quarter > of all trips in major cities and greater than half in small > towns. Public > transport and para-transit modes meet more than three > quarters of the > passenger demand for motorized transport. Protect and scale > up this > strength, and ensure equity in allocation of road space to > all users. > > Make the change real. Leverage the emerging policy > opportunities?reform-based agenda of the Jawaharlal Nehru > National Urban > Renewal Mission and the clean air action plans. Cities must > deliver on > public transport reforms, control pollution sources and > pursue innovative > measures to restrain the car bulge. There is no other way. > > Look at Delhi. With less than a quarter of households > owning cars, and > despite the largest road network, life?s ebbed out of its > streets. Road > widening and flyovers have not helped. > > The signpost is clear: Cities need mobility, not cars. > Scale up alternative > mobility choices, set the post-2010 road map to leapfrog > vehicle technology, > and redesign cities to promote safe mobility. Cities must > interlink a full > range of actions that form the big solution. > > *Anumita Roychowdhury is associate director at Centre for > Science and > Environment.** Comment at feedback@livemint.com* > -------------------------------------------------------- > To search the archives of sustran-discuss visit > http://www.google.com/coop/cse?cx=014715651517519735401:ijjtzwbu_ss > > -------------------------------------------------------- > If you get sustran-discuss via YAHOOGROUPS, please go to http://list.jca.apc.org/manage/listinfo/sustran-discuss > to join the real sustran-discuss and get full membership > rights. > > ================================================================ > SUSTRAN-DISCUSS is a forum devoted to discussion of > people-centred, equitable and sustainable transport with a > focus on developing countries (the 'Global South'). > From yanivbin at gmail.com Thu Jun 10 22:29:56 2010 From: yanivbin at gmail.com (Vinay Baindur) Date: Thu, 10 Jun 2010 18:59:56 +0530 Subject: [sustran] Those streets are made for walking' Walkability' is key to modern cities In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Vinay Baindur Date: Thu, Jun 10, 2010 at 3:47 PM Subject: Those streets are made for walking' Walkability' is key to modern cities Those streets are made for walking 'Walkability' is key to modern cities http://www.business-standard.com//india/storypage.php?autono=397499 Sanjeev Sanyal / June 9, 2010, 0:27 IST More than half the world?s population lives in cities and, within a generation, this will be true even for India. How we design and run our cities is important for virtually every aspect of human activity in the 21st century. Not surprisingly, therefore, we expect our cities to do many things at the same time. We expect them to be energy-efficient and environment-friendly. We want them to be socially inclusive. We also need them to be vibrant engines of economic growth. Are these contradictory goals or is there a way to maximise them simultaneously? The good news is that there is a design paradigm that is simple, low-cost and combines all these goals. The bad news is that Indian urban planning almost entirely ignores it. The design paradigm is ?walkability? and, as we shall see, it is far more important than flyovers, metro-trains and other expensive solutions to urban problems. Walkability is about urban design that allows people to use walking (perhaps combined with cycling) as an important, if not dominant, means of getting around. Thus, people should be able to walk to work as well as walk to urban amenities like schools, parks, restaurants and shops. Obviously, walking cannot be the only means of urban mobility, especially in a large city. However, urban design can be oriented to walking as a way of life, including linkages to other forms of transport, such as buses, trains and so on. *Why walkability?* Some of the most successful cities in the world invest a large amount of effort in ensuring walkability ? New York, Boston, Singapore, Amsterdam, Paris and so on. Seoul has torn down a motorway in the middle of the city and turned it into a pedestrian-friendly path along a revived stream. New York has converted old, elevated rail tracks in Lower Manhattan into a walking path. Singapore has created a network of underground passages in its business and shopping districts connected to its Mass Rapid Transit system. Even hilly Hong Kong uses a combination of elevated walkways and escalators to connect its business district. All of these interventions have proved very popular. Why do these rich and advanced cities invest heavily in such a basic form of mobility? First, walking and cycling are the most environment-friendly means of getting around. Moreover, they are essential for the functioning of all other forms of public transport because the first and last mile of all public transport systems must usually be walked. This is commonly ignored by Indian urban planners. New metro stations and bus stops are created but without any way for the commuter to then walk to her final destination. Second, walking is the most socially inclusive means of transport. Both rich and poor can walk, and they must use the same public space. This creates social interaction and an egalitarian culture. When applied to a smaller scale ? say, to a small town or a neighbourhood ? walking creates a sense of community and greater engagement with civic issues. It is not as easy to walk past an overflowing drain or a reeking garbage dump as it is to drive past them. Third, walking has large economic benefits that are usually ignored. It is now widely recognised that much of the economic dynamism of urban agglomerations come from their ability to generate random and frequent interactions between people. This is what creates business networks, encourages the exchange of ideas and triggers creativity (what is often called ?urban buzz?). Research has shown that this is still best done face-to-face and cannot be efficiently done over the phone or the Internet. Walkability is critical to this process. The street-cafes of Paris, the walk along Charles River in Boston and the University Parks in Oxford have generated far more ideas than the best of laboratories. This is why the finance industry, the most networked of sectors, still thinks it worthwhile to be concentrated in a tiny area around Wall Street and the City of London. I have just discussed a few of the benefits of walkability. There are many more, including improvements in general health. I am not persuaded by the argument that India?s heat makes walking infeasible. Singapore is hot and humid throughout the year and it rains there almost every day. Yet, the city is a wonderful place to walk because of thoughtful design. *How to design for it?* Let me clarify that ?walkability? is not just about building more pedestrian footpaths. It requires a combination of over/underpasses, pavements, safe crossings, public spaces like parks and so on. It also needs supporting infrastructure like public toilets, signs, security systems and access for the physically challenged. However, walkability requires a number of fundamental changes in urban form in order to work. Let me list out a few: - Density: Walking cannot work in a spread-out suburbia even if there are lots of pedestrian paths. Thus, walkability presupposes a dense urban form. This has the additional benefit that it reduces the use of land and, consequently, further lowers the environmental footprint. - Mixed use: Walkability needs a mix-and-match urban form where there is an ecosystem of urban activity and amenities. We need to abandon industrial era zoning still loved by Indian master-planners. In fact, next generation urban design should even design for the phenomenon such as street vendors (properly regulated) in order to make the walking experience more interesting. - Public transport and taxis: Walking has one big disadvantage that it is limited by the human body. This is why it is very important that walking and cycling are consciously integrated into the public transport network. Note that a well-functioning taxi system is critical. People will take to walking only if they know that there is a reliable alternative whenever the situation demands it. Sadly, very little attention is paid to walkability as a design paradigm in India and other developing countries. Instead, new cities are being built on out-dated visions of American suburbia. Large sums are still being spent to ?widen roads? ? a euphemism for narrowing the pedestrian sidewalk. Massive flyovers and highways are being built without any thought to how pedestrians can cross them. The time has come to stand up for the hapless Mr Walker. *The author is president, Sustainable Planet Institute* From eschlaikjer at wri.org Thu Jun 10 22:31:56 2010 From: eschlaikjer at wri.org (Erica Schlaikjer) Date: Thu, 10 Jun 2010 09:31:56 -0400 Subject: [sustran] Re: Sutainable Urban Accessibility In-Reply-To: <593610.83183.qm@web51008.mail.re2.yahoo.com> Message-ID: More on the ?access paradigm? that Morten Lange brings up.... TheCityFix recently wrote two posts about "sustainable accessibility" that this group might find interesting: "Avoiding Environmental Disaster through Sustainable Accessibility" http://thecityfix.com/avoiding-environmental-disaster-through-sustainable-ac cessibility/ > This lecture by Dr. John Sterman , part > of?MIT?s series of seminars about transportation > , provides a great introduction to > the concept of accessibility as an alternative way to consider transportation > system design. > > To design a sustainable and successful accessibility system, Sterman says, we > need research across areas, including technical innovation; policy and > business practices (i.e. new business models, policies, economic issues, price > externalities that are currently not priced at all); and human behavior (i.e. > taking full account of?idiosyncrasies?and irrational aspects of human > behavior). All of this must be integrated. > ?Manifesto for Urban Accessibility in India? http://thecityfix.com/manifesto-for-urban-accessibility-in-india/ > Sudhir Chella Rajan > , a professor of Humanities and Social Sciences at the Indian Institute of > Technology-Madras and Coordinator of their Indo-German Centre for > Sustainability, recently published a fantastic overview > of sustainable > accessibility in the Indian context but with global implications. He talks > about how a focus on accessibility improves life not only for the poor but > also for all urbanites, and his article highlights issues in India that got me > interested in this side of sustainable mobility. On 6/10/10 6:44 AM, "Morten Lange" wrote: > Dear Vinay, Good article ! One comment that pops to mind is that some people > talk of access, rather than mobility. For instance that would include > improved access to services / shops by decentralising them. This can be done > e.g. by urban planning including financial incentives that will influence > where services are located. This as an addition to improving access for more > effective and equitable modes. So access is improved not only by improving how > many people get move about per /hour / per square-kilometer / per million > dollar or Lakh /per unit of health or pollution. The "Access-paradigm" also > inherently takes into account the needs of different segments of the > populations. That is, the access-paradigm as I have perceived it. I might be > out on a limb here, but take my chances, in order to get the opportunity to > learn and discuss. -- Regards / Kvedja Morten Lange, Reykjav?k --- On Sat, > 5/6/10, Vinay Baindur wrote: > From: Vinay Baindur > > Subject: [sustran] Cities need mobility, not cars > To: > "CAF2" , "Hasire Usiru" > , "Hu Gov" > > Date: Saturday, 5 June, 2010, 11:30 > *URBAN ENVIRONMENT* > > *Anumita > Roychowdhury*, Centre for Science and Environment > > *Cities need mobility, > not cars* > > Our cities are in a mess and the clutter will grow. Recent > > number crunching > by global consulting firm McKinsey and Co. Llc predicts > an > urban population > in India of 590 million by 2030?nearly twice the size > of > the current US > population and 40% of the total projected Indian > > population. Cities, which > account for 70% of India?s GDP (gross domestic > product), > will drive the > economy. But these same cities are on a toxic > spiral, urged > on by growing > wastefulness, energy use and car mania. The > current > obsession with car-based > infrastructure and urban sprawl will only > increase car > dependency, travel > distances, energy and the pollution > intensity of travel. > > The choking haze of pollution and growing illnesses > are the > scary evidence > of urban growth. The International Energy Agency > warns that > cars will also > drive energy demand. Currently, one-third of our > urban > population in three > mega-cities accounts for nearly half of the > carbon > emissions from transport. > Parking needs are devouring urban > commons?10% of > urbanized Delhi is wasted > as parking spaces. > > Can we > make our cities livable? Make public health, urban > design quality and > > community well-being the basis of this growth? > > Our future depends on the > choices we make today. And the > choices are clear > in our densely built > cities, where the bulk of all travel > trips have short > distances?5-10km. In > fact, walking and bicycling make up > more than a quarter > of all trips in > major cities and greater than half in small > towns. Public > transport and > para-transit modes meet more than three > quarters of the > passenger demand > for motorized transport. Protect and scale > up this > strength, and ensure > equity in allocation of road space to > all users. > > Make the change real. > Leverage the emerging policy > opportunities?reform-based agenda of the > Jawaharlal Nehru > National Urban > Renewal Mission and the clean air action > plans. Cities must > deliver on > public transport reforms, control pollution > sources and > pursue innovative > measures to restrain the car bulge. There is > no other way. > > Look at Delhi. With less than a quarter of households > > owning cars, and > despite the largest road network, life?s ebbed out of its > > streets. Road > widening and flyovers have not helped. > > The signpost is > clear: Cities need mobility, not cars. > Scale up alternative > mobility > choices, set the post-2010 road map to leapfrog > vehicle technology, > and > redesign cities to promote safe mobility. Cities must > interlink a full > > range of actions that form the big solution. > > *Anumita Roychowdhury is > associate director at Centre for > Science and > Environment.** Comment at > feedback@livemint.com* > > -------------------------------------------------------- > To search the > archives of sustran-discuss visit > > http://www.google.com/coop/cse?cx=014715651517519735401:ijjtzwbu_ss > > > -------------------------------------------------------- > If you get > sustran-discuss via YAHOOGROUPS, please go to > http://list.jca.apc.org/manage/listinfo/sustran-discuss > to join the real > sustran-discuss and get full membership > rights. > > > ================================================================ > > SUSTRAN-DISCUSS is a forum devoted to discussion of > people-centred, > equitable and sustainable transport with a > focus on developing countries > (the 'Global South'). > > -------------------------------------------------------- To search the > archives of sustran-discuss > visit http://www.google.com/coop/cse?cx=014715651517519735401:ijjtzwbu_ss --- > ----------------------------------------------------- If you get > sustran-discuss via YAHOOGROUPS, please go to > http://list.jca.apc.org/manage/listinfo/sustran-discuss to join the real > sustran-discuss and get full membership > rights. ================================================================ SUST > RAN-DISCUSS is a forum devoted to discussion of people-centred, equitable and > sustainable transport with a focus on developing countries (the 'Global > South'). -- Erica Schlaikjer Media Relations and Online Engagement Coordinator EMBARQ ? The WRI Center for Sustainable Transport World Resources Institute Mail: 10 G Street NE, Suite 800, Washington, DC, 20002 Phone: (202) 729-7722 Fax: (202) 729-7775 Email: eschlaikjer@wri.org Website: www.EMBARQ.org Blog: www.TheCityFix.com Follow me: www.twitter.com/EMBARQNetwork www.twitter.com/TheCityFix Be our fan on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/EMBARQNetwork From edelman at greenidea.eu Thu Jun 10 22:52:11 2010 From: edelman at greenidea.eu (Todd Edelman) Date: Thu, 10 Jun 2010 15:52:11 +0200 Subject: [sustran] Re: Cities need mobility, not cars In-Reply-To: <593610.83183.qm@web51008.mail.re2.yahoo.com> References: <593610.83183.qm@web51008.mail.re2.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <4C10EE0B.5060002@greenidea.eu> Hi Morten, Hi all, Ahhh... language and meaning and intention... This particular idea has come up numerous times amongst various people involved with Carbusters and World Carfree Network, and Eric Britton has made it clear that he thinks - paraphrasing here - that density, decentralisation and related is a necessary pre-condition for "New Mobility". Also - getting into one important part of it - I have tried to re-define a "car" as an inappropriately-utilized automobile and an "automobile" has a rubber-tyred, unguided road vehicle with capacity of 12 persons or less. (This does not generally mean that "carshare" vehicles are cars, of course -- especially if enabled by my attempt at a refined definition within the urban milieu, you consider "cars" as heroin and "carshare" as methadone). I have created this definition because it seems simpler than "appropriately-utilized car" or similar or much more wordy and the reverse of it. "Car" is in this case not a technical term, but "automobile" is. "Car" is marketing, emotion, it is informal. "Automobile" - and its supporting infrastructure - is a possible solution. You /grok/*? So... back to what Morten's suggestion: He is exactly right. And seated at the base of the tree to which he refers, rather than precariously situated elsewhere. (Perhaps a more Icelandic metaphor would substitute "ashcloud" and "earth's burning liquid core"). Mobility is a sub-category of Access. - T * http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grok On 06/10/2010 12:44 PM, Morten Lange wrote: > Dear Vinay, > > Good article ! > > One comment that pops to mind is that some people talk of access, rather than mobility. > > For instance that would include improved access to services / shops by decentralising them. This can be done e.g. by urban planning including financial incentives that will influence where services are located. This as an addition to improving access for more effective and equitable modes. So access is improved not only by improving how many people get move about per /hour / per square-kilometer / per million dollar or Lakh /per unit of health or pollution. > > The "Access-paradigm" also inherently takes into account the needs of different segments of the populations. That is, the access-paradigm as I have perceived it. > > I might be out on a limb here, but take my chances, in order to get the opportunity to learn and discuss. > > -- > Regards / Kvedja > Morten Lange, Reykjav?k > > > --- On Sat, 5/6/10, Vinay Baindur wrote: > > >> From: Vinay Baindur >> Subject: [sustran] Cities need mobility, not cars >> To: "CAF2", "Hasire Usiru", "Hu Gov" >> Date: Saturday, 5 June, 2010, 11:30 >> *URBAN ENVIRONMENT* >> >> *Anumita Roychowdhury*, Centre for Science and Environment >> >> *Cities need mobility, not cars* >> >> Our cities are in a mess and the clutter will grow. Recent >> number crunching >> by global consulting firm McKinsey and Co. Llc predicts an >> urban population >> in India of 590 million by 2030?nearly twice the size of >> the current US >> population and 40% of the total projected Indian >> population. Cities, which >> account for 70% of India?s GDP (gross domestic product), >> will drive the >> economy. But these same cities are on a toxic spiral, urged >> on by growing >> wastefulness, energy use and car mania. The current >> obsession with car-based >> infrastructure and urban sprawl will only increase car >> dependency, travel >> distances, energy and the pollution intensity of travel. >> >> The choking haze of pollution and growing illnesses are the >> scary evidence >> of urban growth. The International Energy Agency warns that >> cars will also >> drive energy demand. Currently, one-third of our urban >> population in three >> mega-cities accounts for nearly half of the carbon >> emissions from transport. >> Parking needs are devouring urban commons?10% of >> urbanized Delhi is wasted >> as parking spaces. >> >> Can we make our cities livable? Make public health, urban >> design quality and >> community well-being the basis of this growth? >> >> Our future depends on the choices we make today. And the >> choices are clear >> in our densely built cities, where the bulk of all travel >> trips have short >> distances?5-10km. In fact, walking and bicycling make up >> more than a quarter >> of all trips in major cities and greater than half in small >> towns. Public >> transport and para-transit modes meet more than three >> quarters of the >> passenger demand for motorized transport. Protect and scale >> up this >> strength, and ensure equity in allocation of road space to >> all users. >> >> Make the change real. Leverage the emerging policy >> opportunities?reform-based agenda of the Jawaharlal Nehru >> National Urban >> Renewal Mission and the clean air action plans. Cities must >> deliver on >> public transport reforms, control pollution sources and >> pursue innovative >> measures to restrain the car bulge. There is no other way. >> >> Look at Delhi. With less than a quarter of households >> owning cars, and >> despite the largest road network, life?s ebbed out of its >> streets. Road >> widening and flyovers have not helped. >> >> The signpost is clear: Cities need mobility, not cars. >> Scale up alternative >> mobility choices, set the post-2010 road map to leapfrog >> vehicle technology, >> and redesign cities to promote safe mobility. Cities must >> interlink a full >> range of actions that form the big solution. >> >> *Anumita Roychowdhury is associate director at Centre for >> Science and >> Environment.** Comment at feedback@livemint.com* >> -------------------------------------------------------- >> To search the archives of sustran-discuss visit >> http://www.google.com/coop/cse?cx=014715651517519735401:ijjtzwbu_ss >> >> -------------------------------------------------------- >> If you get sustran-discuss via YAHOOGROUPS, please go to http://list.jca.apc.org/manage/listinfo/sustran-discuss >> to join the real sustran-discuss and get full membership >> rights. >> >> ================================================================ >> SUSTRAN-DISCUSS is a forum devoted to discussion of >> people-centred, equitable and sustainable transport with a >> focus on developing countries (the 'Global South'). >> >> > > > -------------------------------------------------------- > To search the archives of sustran-discuss visit > http://www.google.com/coop/cse?cx=014715651517519735401:ijjtzwbu_ss > > -------------------------------------------------------- > If you get sustran-discuss via YAHOOGROUPS, please go to http://list.jca.apc.org/manage/listinfo/sustran-discuss to join the real sustran-discuss and get full membership rights. > > ================================================================ > SUSTRAN-DISCUSS is a forum devoted to discussion of people-centred, equitable and sustainable transport with a focus on developing countries (the 'Global South'). -- Todd Edelman Green Idea Factory, a member of the OPENbike team Mobile: ++49(0)162 814 4081 Immobile: ++49(0)30 7554 0001 edelman@greenidea.eu www.greenidea.eu todd@openbike.se www.openbike.se Skype: toddedelman Urbanstr. 45 10967 Berlin Germany *** OPENbike - Share the Perfect Fit! From czegras at exchange.mit.edu Thu Jun 10 22:47:33 2010 From: czegras at exchange.mit.edu (Christopher Zegras) Date: Thu, 10 Jun 2010 09:47:33 -0400 Subject: [sustran] Re: Sutainable Urban Accessibility In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <4C10ECF5.20802@exchange.mit.edu> For those interested in further exploration of the sustainable accessibility concept, at this link you can find an examination of empirical and theoretical issues: http://web.mit.edu/czegras/www/Zegras_DraftChapter13_Final.pdf (draft chapter for an upcoming edited volume on transport in developing countries) Kind regards, Chris Zegras On 6/10/2010 9:31 AM, Erica Schlaikjer wrote: > More on the ?access paradigm? that Morten Lange brings up.... > > TheCityFix recently wrote two posts about "sustainable accessibility" that > this group might find interesting: > > "Avoiding Environmental Disaster through Sustainable Accessibility" > http://thecityfix.com/avoiding-environmental-disaster-through-sustainable-ac > cessibility/ > > >> This lecture by Dr. John Sterman, part >> of MIT?s series of seminars about transportation >> , provides a great introduction to >> the concept of accessibility as an alternative way to consider transportation >> system design. >> >> To design a sustainable and successful accessibility system, Sterman says, we >> need research across areas, including technical innovation; policy and >> business practices (i.e. new business models, policies, economic issues, price >> externalities that are currently not priced at all); and human behavior (i.e. >> taking full account of idiosyncrasies and irrational aspects of human >> behavior). All of this must be integrated. >> >> > ?Manifesto for Urban Accessibility in India? > http://thecityfix.com/manifesto-for-urban-accessibility-in-india/ > > >> Sudhir Chella Rajan >> , a professor of Humanities and Social Sciences at the Indian Institute of >> Technology-Madras and Coordinator of their Indo-German Centre for >> Sustainability, recently published a fantastic overview >> of sustainable >> accessibility in the Indian context but with global implications. He talks >> about how a focus on accessibility improves life not only for the poor but >> also for all urbanites, and his article highlights issues in India that got me >> interested in this side of sustainable mobility. >> > > > > On 6/10/10 6:44 AM, "Morten Lange" wrote: > > >> Dear Vinay, Good article ! One comment that pops to mind is that some people >> talk of access, rather than mobility. For instance that would include >> improved access to services / shops by decentralising them. This can be done >> e.g. by urban planning including financial incentives that will influence >> where services are located. This as an addition to improving access for more >> effective and equitable modes. So access is improved not only by improving how >> many people get move about per /hour / per square-kilometer / per million >> dollar or Lakh /per unit of health or pollution. The "Access-paradigm" also >> inherently takes into account the needs of different segments of the >> populations. That is, the access-paradigm as I have perceived it. I might be >> out on a limb here, but take my chances, in order to get the opportunity to >> learn and discuss. -- Regards / Kvedja Morten Lange, Reykjav?k --- On Sat, >> 5/6/10, Vinay Baindur wrote:> From: Vinay Baindur >> > Subject: [sustran] Cities need mobility, not cars> To: >> "CAF2", "Hasire Usiru" >> , "Hu Gov" > >> Date: Saturday, 5 June, 2010, 11:30> *URBAN ENVIRONMENT*> > *Anumita >> Roychowdhury*, Centre for Science and Environment> > *Cities need mobility, >> not cars*> > Our cities are in a mess and the clutter will grow. Recent> >> number crunching> by global consulting firm McKinsey and Co. Llc predicts >> an> urban population> in India of 590 million by 2030?nearly twice the size >> of> the current US> population and 40% of the total projected Indian> >> population. Cities, which> account for 70% of India?s GDP (gross domestic >> product),> will drive the> economy. But these same cities are on a toxic >> spiral, urged> on by growing> wastefulness, energy use and car mania. The >> current> obsession with car-based> infrastructure and urban sprawl will only >> increase car> dependency, travel> distances, energy and the pollution >> intensity of travel.> > The choking haze of pollution and growing illnesses >> are the> scary evidence> of urban growth. The International Energy Agency >> warns that> cars will also> drive energy demand. Currently, one-third of our >> urban> population in three> mega-cities accounts for nearly half of the >> carbon> emissions from transport.> Parking needs are devouring urban >> commons?10% of> urbanized Delhi is wasted> as parking spaces.> > Can we >> make our cities livable? Make public health, urban> design quality and> >> community well-being the basis of this growth?> > Our future depends on the >> choices we make today. And the> choices are clear> in our densely built >> cities, where the bulk of all travel> trips have short> distances?5-10km. In >> fact, walking and bicycling make up> more than a quarter> of all trips in >> major cities and greater than half in small> towns. Public> transport and >> para-transit modes meet more than three> quarters of the> passenger demand >> for motorized transport. Protect and scale> up this> strength, and ensure >> equity in allocation of road space to> all users.> > Make the change real. >> Leverage the emerging policy> opportunities?reform-based agenda of the >> Jawaharlal Nehru> National Urban> Renewal Mission and the clean air action >> plans. Cities must> deliver on> public transport reforms, control pollution >> sources and> pursue innovative> measures to restrain the car bulge. There is >> no other way.> > Look at Delhi. With less than a quarter of households> >> owning cars, and> despite the largest road network, life?s ebbed out of its> >> streets. Road> widening and flyovers have not helped.> > The signpost is >> clear: Cities need mobility, not cars.> Scale up alternative> mobility >> choices, set the post-2010 road map to leapfrog> vehicle technology,> and >> redesign cities to promote safe mobility. Cities must> interlink a full> >> range of actions that form the big solution.> > *Anumita Roychowdhury is >> associate director at Centre for> Science and> Environment.** Comment at >> feedback@livemint.com*> >> --------------------------------------------------------> To search the >> archives of sustran-discuss visit> >> http://www.google.com/coop/cse?cx=014715651517519735401:ijjtzwbu_ss> > >> --------------------------------------------------------> If you get >> sustran-discuss via YAHOOGROUPS, please go to >> http://list.jca.apc.org/manage/listinfo/sustran-discuss> to join the real >> sustran-discuss and get full membership> rights.> > >> ================================================================> >> SUSTRAN-DISCUSS is a forum devoted to discussion of> people-centred, >> equitable and sustainable transport with a> focus on developing countries >> (the 'Global South').> >> -------------------------------------------------------- To search the >> archives of sustran-discuss >> visit http://www.google.com/coop/cse?cx=014715651517519735401:ijjtzwbu_ss --- >> ----------------------------------------------------- If you get >> sustran-discuss via YAHOOGROUPS, please go to >> http://list.jca.apc.org/manage/listinfo/sustran-discuss to join the real >> sustran-discuss and get full membership >> rights. ================================================================ SUST >> RAN-DISCUSS is a forum devoted to discussion of people-centred, equitable and >> sustainable transport with a focus on developing countries (the 'Global >> South'). >> > -- > Erica Schlaikjer > Media Relations and Online Engagement Coordinator > EMBARQ ? The WRI Center for Sustainable Transport > World Resources Institute > Mail: 10 G Street NE, Suite 800, Washington, DC, 20002 > Phone: (202) 729-7722 > Fax: (202) 729-7775 > Email: eschlaikjer@wri.org > Website: www.EMBARQ.org > Blog: www.TheCityFix.com > > Follow me: > www.twitter.com/EMBARQNetwork > www.twitter.com/TheCityFix > > Be our fan on Facebook: > http://www.facebook.com/EMBARQNetwork > > > > -------------------------------------------------------- > To search the archives of sustran-discuss visit > http://www.google.com/coop/cse?cx=014715651517519735401:ijjtzwbu_ss > > -------------------------------------------------------- > If you get sustran-discuss via YAHOOGROUPS, please go to http://list.jca.apc.org/manage/listinfo/sustran-discuss to join the real sustran-discuss and get full membership rights. > > ================================================================ > SUSTRAN-DISCUSS is a forum devoted to discussion of people-centred, equitable and sustainable transport with a focus on developing countries (the 'Global South'). > -- P. Christopher Zegras Ford Career Development Asst. Professor, Urban Planning& Transportation Dept. of Urban Studies& Planning | Massachusetts Institute of Tech. 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Room 10-403 | Cambridge, MA 02139 Tel: 617 452 2433 | Fax: 617 258 8081 | czegras@mit.edu http://web.mit.edu/czegras/www/Zegras.htm Office Hours (Spring 10): Tues.& Th., 2:30-4:00 PM Sign up at https://dusp.mit.edu/pg/resources/p.lasso?t=1:3:0 (must have MIT Certificates) From eric.britton at ecoplan.org Fri Jun 11 22:57:06 2010 From: eric.britton at ecoplan.org (Eric Britton) Date: Fri, 11 Jun 2010 15:57:06 +0200 Subject: [sustran] "The First Step in the New Mobility Agenda . . . is not to take that step at all" Message-ID: <012e01cb096e$038966a0$0a9c33e0$@britton@ecoplan.org> Getting your words out: This is to invite you to consider posting your incisive comments on matters which concern us here also to the new World Streets platform at www.WorldStreets.org, which offers some nice advantages. The routine is that your comments need to be associated with a given article, and of course once posted they then become part of the article. (We do need to admit that the comments are moderated and selected for relevance in the context of the issues under discussion.) Beyond this and in addition, if you scroll down a bit in the right hand column you will see that the latest batch of comments are also brought to the reader's attention there. And if you have signed in they will see your pic and whatever contact information or references you may care to provide there. This of course helps to the extent to which the various postings are part of a broader knowledge-building exercise (one of the most important objectives of this whole effort). So I very much hope you will check it out and give it a try. It seems important that these good exchanges not just get tossed up into the ethers of cyberspace and then effectively disappear into the void forever. And here is an example: - Cities need mobility, not cars This discussion was initiated this week under the Sustran Forum and we thought it would be a good idea if we could use the wide outreach of World Streets to draw more attention to the exchanges, which you will now see are unfolding under the heading of the introductory article, which you can see here - http://worldstreets.wordpress.com/2010/06/11/the-first-step-in-the-new-mobil ity-agenda-is-not-to-take-that-step-at-all/#more-2501 The first two comments have been plugged in by the editor, in the hope of showing the way for others. And if this is topic which you have been giving thought to, check it out and perhaps share your comments with our readers. I very much hope we will be hearing from you. And don't forget: "The First Step in the New Mobility Agenda . . . is not to take that step at all" From edelman at greenidea.eu Sat Jun 12 07:28:37 2010 From: edelman at greenidea.eu (Todd Edelman) Date: Sat, 12 Jun 2010 00:28:37 +0200 Subject: [sustran] El Salvador - Clowns who perform on public buses protest armed robber imposter clowns Message-ID: <4C12B895.1020700@greenidea.eu> http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10651129 El Salvador - Clowns who perform on public buses protest armed robber imposter clowns **11 June San Salvador, El Salvador - About 100 professional clowns who make money by performing on public buses marched through Salvadoran capital Thursday to protest the killing of a passenger by two imposter clowns. On Monday, a man was shot five times in the face and stomach when he declined to give money to two assailants dressed as clowns who boarded a public bus. No one has been arrested. The protesters - wearing oversized bow ties, tiny hats and big yellow pants - marched down San Salvador's main street in an effort to both entertain and educate passersby. Several held signs insisting that real clowns are not criminals. "We are protesting so that people know we are not killers," said professional clown Ana Noelia Ramirez. "The people who did this are not clowns. They unfortunately used our costume and our makeup to commit a monstrous act." Clown-union leader Carlos Vasquez says he plans to issue IDs to all real clowns and urge police to detain those who do not have them. About a dozen people are killed daily in El Salvador, slayings police attribute primarily to gang members, drug traffickers and other organized crime. More than 6 million people live in the Central American country. -AP Copyright ?2010, APN Holdings NZ Limited Angry clowns protest armed robber imposters -- Todd Edelman Green Idea Factory, a member of the OPENbike team Mobile: ++49(0)162 814 4081 Immobile: ++49(0)30 7554 0001 edelman@greenidea.eu www.greenidea.eu todd@openbike.se www.openbike.se Skype: toddedelman Urbanstr. 45 10967 Berlin Germany *** OPENbike - Share the Perfect Fit! From yanivbin at gmail.com Sun Jun 13 04:32:24 2010 From: yanivbin at gmail.com (Vinay Baindur) Date: Sun, 13 Jun 2010 01:02:24 +0530 Subject: [sustran] JAIPAL REDDY URGES STATES TO PROMOTE PUBLIC TRANSPORT Message-ID: *JAIPAL REDDY URGES STATES TO PROMOTE PUBLIC TRANSPORT * CONSULTATIVE COMMITTEE MEETING OF URBAN DEVELOPMENT MINISTRY HELD ________________________________ 17:2 IST http://www.pib.nic.in/release/rel_print_page1.asp?relid=62504 The Union Minister of Urban Development, Shri Jaipal Reddy has said that his Ministry has advised the States to make adequate provision for dedicated path for the pedestrians and cycle-users wherever roads are being built or widened. Addressing the Parliamentary Consultative Committee attached to his Ministry here today, Shri Reddy also informed that the Centre is giving funds to the States under Jawaharlal Nehru NationalUrban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) for the constrution of footpaths and dedicated cycle lanes. He said that two pilot research projects for the scientific management of cylce rickshaws have been sanctioned for Delhi and Chandigarh. He said that the States are also being advised to promote public transport by integrating all the modes of transport. The Centre has sanctioned Bus Rapid Transport System (BRTS) for nine cities namely, Ahemdabad, Rajkot, Surat, Indore, Bhopal, Pune- Pimpri Chinchwad, Vijaywada, Vishakhapatnam and Jaipur at a cost of Rs. 4770 crore besides providing finance for 15,620 low floor buses for the 61 cities across the country to improve the urban transport , the minister informed. Shri Reddy said that the States have also been advised to amend by-laws to make mandatory parking space for all commercial and residential properties and to set up dedicated transport authority to manage the traffic and also to introduce ?traffic Information Magament Control Centres (TIMCC) using ITS. He said that under the JNNURM, his Ministry provides funds for multi-level parking complexes and assistance for setting up ITS. Participating in the discussion, Members emphasised the need of inclusion of small cities also under JNNURM schemes as development of smaller towns would help decongest the big cities in the long run. Some Members also raised the issue of proper compensation to the families of workers who lost their lives while working at the Metro Projects. The Members of Parliament who atteneded the Meeting were : S/Shri C.M.Chang,Ramesh kumar, P. Kumar, Ratan Singh, Sanjay Dina Patil, Prahlad V. Joshi, Shivakumar C. Udasi, Hukumdeo Narayan Yadav, B.K. Hariprasad, Penumalli Madhu and Surendra Motilal Patel, Vilas Muttemwar and J.P. Agarwal. From yanivbin at gmail.com Sun Jun 13 13:39:35 2010 From: yanivbin at gmail.com (Vinay Baindur) Date: Sun, 13 Jun 2010 10:09:35 +0530 Subject: [sustran] Re: JAIPAL REDDY URGES STATES TO PROMOTE PUBLIC TRANSPORT In-Reply-To: <46E2E1971BCEC1459149FBB1A4B4342C08888935@wricsex029330.WRI.CRM.Local> References: <46E2E1971BCEC1459149FBB1A4B4342C08888935@wricsex029330.WRI.CRM.Local> Message-ID: ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Lee Schipper Date: Sun, Jun 13, 2010 at 1:33 AM I met the Minister when I gave a big speech at an important meeting on urban transport in March 2006 in Delhi. I KNOW he is sincere. But promoting public transit without restraining car ownership and use? How do we do that? From eric.britton at ecoplan.org Mon Jun 14 03:09:03 2010 From: eric.britton at ecoplan.org (Eric Britton) Date: Sun, 13 Jun 2010 20:09:03 +0200 Subject: [sustran] JAIPAL REDDY URGES STATES TO PROMOTE PUBLIC TRANSPORT In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <015a01cb0b23$83b020b0$8b106210$@britton@ecoplan.org> If I may, and without intending any disrespect at all, I have read this announcement several times and at the end of it do not feel particularly optimistic about the changes it seems to promise. But to be frank I simply do not know enough to take this statement to take it apart item by item. That said, I would be an interested reader for anyone with more direct knowledge and a balanced perspective to do just that for the group. It is my position that these statements need to be read very very carefully. Thank you. Eric Britton | WorldStreets.org | NewMobility.org | www.facebook.WorldStreets.org 8, rue Joseph Bara. 75006 Paris France | +331 7550 3788 | Skype: newmobility Ministry of Urban Development JAIPAL REDDY URGES STATES TO PROMOTE PUBLIC TRANSPORT CONSULTATIVE COMMITTEE MEETING OF URBAN DEVELOPMENT MINISTRY HELD _____ 17:2 IST The Union Minister of Urban Development, Shri Jaipal Reddy has said that his Ministry has advised the States to make adequate provision for dedicated path for the pedestrians and cycle-users wherever roads are being built or widened. Addressing the Parliamentary Consultative Committee attached to his Ministry here today, Shri Reddy also informed that the Centre is giving funds to the States under Jawaharlal Nehru NationalUrban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) for the constrution of footpaths and dedicated cycle lanes. He said that two pilot research projects for the scientific management of cycle rickshaws have been sanctioned for Delhi and Chandigarh. He said that the States are also being advised to promote public transport by integrating all the modes of transport. The Centre has sanctioned Bus Rapid Transport System (BRTS) for nine cities namely, Ahemdabad, Rajkot, Surat, Indore, Bhopal, Pune- Pimpri Chinchwad, Vijaywada, Vishakhapatnam and Jaipur at a cost of Rs. 4770 crore besides providing finance for 15,620 low floor buses for the 61 cities across the country to improve the urban transport , the minister informed. Shri Reddy said that the States have also been advised to amend by-laws to make mandatory parking space for all commercial and residential properties and to set up dedicated transport authority to manage the traffic and also to introduce "traffic Information Magament Control Centres (TIMCC) using ITS. He said that under the JNNURM, his Ministry provides funds for multi-level parking complexes and assistance for setting up ITS. Participating in the discussion, Members emphasised the need of inclusion of small cities also under JNNURM schemes as development of smaller towns would help decongest the big cities in the long run. Some Members also raised the issue of proper compensation to the families of workers who lost their lives while working at the Metro Projects. The Members of Parliament who attended the Meeting were : S/Shri C.M.Chang,Ramesh kumar, P. Kumar, Ratan Singh, Sanjay Dina Patil, Prahlad V. Joshi, Shivakumar C. Udasi, Hukumdeo Narayan Yadav, B.K. Hariprasad, Penumalli Madhu and Surendra Motilal Patel, Vilas Muttemwar and J.P. Agarwal. From yanivbin at gmail.com Mon Jun 14 04:30:25 2010 From: yanivbin at gmail.com (Vinay Baindur) Date: Mon, 14 Jun 2010 01:00:25 +0530 Subject: [sustran] training officials in public transport projects Message-ID: Rs.1400 crore for training officials in public transport projectsSpecial Correspondent [image: File picture of passengers occupying each and every inch of space in and above a bus carrying commuters in Amritsar, Punjab. Photo: Akhilesh Kumar] The Hindu File picture of passengers occupying each and every inch of space in and above a bus carrying commuters in Amritsar, Punjab. Photo: Akhilesh Kumar ?I recently visited a major city that has no public transport system,? says Union Minister for Urban Development Jaipal Reddy. ?They have received funding for buses under JNNURM [Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission], but those buses are just lying idle, because no one knows how to put them to use.? While Mr. Reddy did not name the city, sources in the Ministry say there are JNNURM public transport projects in both Bihar and Punjab which have faced such hurdles. These are exactly the kind of hurdles that the Ministry hopes to overcome through its Rs. 1,400 crore Sustainable Urban Transport Project, launched earlier this week with assistance from the Global Environment Facility, the World Bank and the United Nations Development Programme. While one component of the scheme includes demonstration projects ? bus rapid transit systems, intelligent traffic management, encouragement for pedestrians and cyclists -- in five mid-size cities, another key component focuses on training the people who will actually implement such projects. Over 1,000 urban transport professionals at the national, state and local levels will receive such training. UNDP will assist in the creation of ten manuals, standards and tool kits as well as the preparation of operational and business plans for Unified Metropolitan Transport Authorities and Urban Transport Funds. ?When we launched JNNURM, we did not give enough importance to capacity building,? said Mr. Reddy. ?Now we have realised that it must go hand in hand.? The demonstration projects to create infrastructure encouraging green urban transport will be implemented in Pune, Pimpri-Chinchwad, Indore, Naya Raipur and Mysore. Other cities can apply for a World Bank loan to join the scheme later. On a different note, Mr. Reddy gave an assurance that all Commonwealth Games projects in Delhi would be completed in the next three weeks. ?As the chairman of the Group of Ministers on the Commonwealth Games, and I have full confidence that all projects related to the Games will be finished by the end of June,? he told reporters on the sidelines of the launch event. Keywords: public transport projects , Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission , Bihar , punjab http://beta.thehindu.com/news/cities/Delhi/article453991.ece From kanthikannan at gmail.com Mon Jun 14 14:05:33 2010 From: kanthikannan at gmail.com (Kanthi Kannan) Date: Mon, 14 Jun 2010 10:35:33 +0530 Subject: [sustran] Re: JAIPAL REDDY URGES STATES TO PROMOTE PUBLIC TRANSPORT In-Reply-To: <015a01cb0b23$83b020b0$8b106210$@britton@ecoplan.org> Message-ID: <4c15b8a5.c32ce70a.7bbb.ffff93ac@mx.google.com> Mr. Jaipal Reddy needs to make such announcements and hence he makes them. That's all. We should not read much into these kinds of statements. In Hyderabad on an average weekly twice, we have people in authority discussing with activists like us and stating that what we are telling them makes a lot of sense but when asked about follow up / implementation the answer is "Have Patience" Regards Kanthi Kannan -----Original Message----- From: sustran-discuss-bounces+kanthikannan=gmail.com@list.jca.apc.org [mailto:sustran-discuss-bounces+kanthikannan=gmail.com@list.jca.apc.org] On Behalf Of Eric Britton Sent: 13 June 2010 23:39 To: Sustran-discuss@list.jca.apc.org Cc: 'CAF2'; 'Hasire Usiru' Subject: [sustran] JAIPAL REDDY URGES STATES TO PROMOTE PUBLIC TRANSPORT If I may, and without intending any disrespect at all, I have read this announcement several times and at the end of it do not feel particularly optimistic about the changes it seems to promise. But to be frank I simply do not know enough to take this statement to take it apart item by item. That said, I would be an interested reader for anyone with more direct knowledge and a balanced perspective to do just that for the group. It is my position that these statements need to be read very very carefully. Thank you. Eric Britton | WorldStreets.org | NewMobility.org | www.facebook.WorldStreets.org 8, rue Joseph Bara. 75006 Paris France | +331 7550 3788 | Skype: newmobility Ministry of Urban Development JAIPAL REDDY URGES STATES TO PROMOTE PUBLIC TRANSPORT CONSULTATIVE COMMITTEE MEETING OF URBAN DEVELOPMENT MINISTRY HELD _____ 17:2 IST The Union Minister of Urban Development, Shri Jaipal Reddy has said that his Ministry has advised the States to make adequate provision for dedicated path for the pedestrians and cycle-users wherever roads are being built or widened. Addressing the Parliamentary Consultative Committee attached to his Ministry here today, Shri Reddy also informed that the Centre is giving funds to the States under Jawaharlal Nehru NationalUrban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) for the constrution of footpaths and dedicated cycle lanes. He said that two pilot research projects for the scientific management of cycle rickshaws have been sanctioned for Delhi and Chandigarh. He said that the States are also being advised to promote public transport by integrating all the modes of transport. The Centre has sanctioned Bus Rapid Transport System (BRTS) for nine cities namely, Ahemdabad, Rajkot, Surat, Indore, Bhopal, Pune- Pimpri Chinchwad, Vijaywada, Vishakhapatnam and Jaipur at a cost of Rs. 4770 crore besides providing finance for 15,620 low floor buses for the 61 cities across the country to improve the urban transport , the minister informed. Shri Reddy said that the States have also been advised to amend by-laws to make mandatory parking space for all commercial and residential properties and to set up dedicated transport authority to manage the traffic and also to introduce "traffic Information Magament Control Centres (TIMCC) using ITS. He said that under the JNNURM, his Ministry provides funds for multi-level parking complexes and assistance for setting up ITS. Participating in the discussion, Members emphasised the need of inclusion of small cities also under JNNURM schemes as development of smaller towns would help decongest the big cities in the long run. Some Members also raised the issue of proper compensation to the families of workers who lost their lives while working at the Metro Projects. The Members of Parliament who attended the Meeting were : S/Shri C.M.Chang,Ramesh kumar, P. Kumar, Ratan Singh, Sanjay Dina Patil, Prahlad V. Joshi, Shivakumar C. Udasi, Hukumdeo Narayan Yadav, B.K. Hariprasad, Penumalli Madhu and Surendra Motilal Patel, Vilas Muttemwar and J.P. Agarwal. -------------------------------------------------------- To search the archives of sustran-discuss visit http://www.google.com/coop/cse?cx=014715651517519735401:ijjtzwbu_ss -------------------------------------------------------- If you get sustran-discuss via YAHOOGROUPS, please go to http://list.jca.apc.org/manage/listinfo/sustran-discuss to join the real sustran-discuss and get full membership rights. ================================================================ SUSTRAN-DISCUSS is a forum devoted to discussion of people-centred, equitable and sustainable transport with a focus on developing countries (the 'Global South'). From eric.britton at ecoplan.org Mon Jun 14 14:38:22 2010 From: eric.britton at ecoplan.org (Eric Britton) Date: Mon, 14 Jun 2010 07:38:22 +0200 Subject: [sustran] Photographs, images wanted for new World Streets platform Message-ID: <003101cb0b83$cf592ba0$6e0b82e0$@britton@ecoplan.org> If you go do our new home page at http://worldstreets.wordpress.com/ you will see at the top a very attractive photograph of a bucolic scene which, while perhaps pleasing to the eye, is not exactly consistent with the theme of the world's only sustainable transport daily. So this is to invite your candidates. The size is a bit special, a long rectangle 940x198 pixels (or thereabout since we can edit here), and as far as the theme is concerned, we see this as window on the world of sustainable transport, good and bad, What we are hoping for, as usual, is to excite the mind to think about our challenging topics with originality and deep interest. I am sure we shall not be able to use everything that comes in, but I can tell you that as always we appreciate your support and ideas. And in the meantime, keep reading World Streets - it's brainfood. Eric Britton Eric Britton | WorldStreets.org | NewMobility.org | www.facebook.WorldStreets.org 8, rue Joseph Bara. 75006 Paris France | +331 7550 3788 | Skype: newmobility From yanivbin at gmail.com Tue Jun 15 14:45:31 2010 From: yanivbin at gmail.com (Vinay Baindur) Date: Tue, 15 Jun 2010 11:15:31 +0530 Subject: [sustran] Pay four times more to park your car now in Mumbai Message-ID: *Pay four times more to park your car now* http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/report_pay-four-times-more-to-park-your-car-now_1225515 Additional 5% hike likely in parking charges every year for next 30 years Mumbai: The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) wants to apply the brakes on vehicles in the city so either you shell out more for parking with each passing year or watch your car sit tidily in the garage. In a bid to cope with traffic congestion and shortage of parking space, the civic body is all set to implement a four-fold hike in parking charges. The BMC hopes steeper rates will deter people from bringing their vehicles on the roads to some extent. While parking charges for four-wheelers are likely to be hiked from Rs5 per hour to Rs22 per hour, for two-wheelers it will be Rs5 per hour from the current Re1. The same rates will apply for the entire city. Once approved by the standing committee, the rates will be effective for the next 30 years with a 5% annual hike. You will have to fork out the same amount for multi-storey parking too. The traffic department has drawn up the proposal for the new parking charges, which after administrative approval, will be placed before the standing committee. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation is set to increase parking charges four times to discourage owners from bringing their vehicles on the roads and, instead, opt for public transport. Currently, there are more than 14 lakh private vehicles in the city. The number increases by 6% every year, but infrastructure has not been able to keep pace with this. An official from the road and traffic department of BMC said, "The hike in parking charges is the first step to discourage citizens from bringing out their vehicles on the roads. This will help decongest traffic on the roads." Seven spots have been reserved for parking lots across the city as per development control (DC) rules. The civic administration has also identified another 150 locations for multi-storey car parks. These car parks may be underground or overground. From kanthikannan at gmail.com Tue Jun 15 17:20:52 2010 From: kanthikannan at gmail.com (Kanthi Kannan) Date: Tue, 15 Jun 2010 13:50:52 +0530 Subject: [sustran] Re: Pay four times more to park your car now in Mumbai In-Reply-To: Message-ID: <4c1737ed.12d18e0a.2154.fffffd3b@mx.google.com> Dear Vinay and all Greetings!! Good to hear the news about the increase in parking fees. But I think that there is one very important step towards decongestion. Why don't all Government Employees use PT + Cycle + Walk once a week to commute? Regards Kanthi THOSE WHO WALK CANNOT DECIDE AND THOSE WHO DECIDE DO NOT WALK -----Original Message----- From: sustran-discuss-bounces+kanthikannan=gmail.com@list.jca.apc.org [mailto:sustran-discuss-bounces+kanthikannan=gmail.com@list.jca.apc.org] On Behalf Of Vinay Baindur Sent: 15 June 2010 11:16 To: CAF2; Hasire Usiru; Hu Gov Subject: [sustran] Pay four times more to park your car now in Mumbai *Pay four times more to park your car now* http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/report_pay-four-times-more-to-park-your-car-n ow_1225515 Additional 5% hike likely in parking charges every year for next 30 years Mumbai: The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) wants to apply the brakes on vehicles in the city so either you shell out more for parking with each passing year or watch your car sit tidily in the garage. In a bid to cope with traffic congestion and shortage of parking space, the civic body is all set to implement a four-fold hike in parking charges. The BMC hopes steeper rates will deter people from bringing their vehicles on the roads to some extent. While parking charges for four-wheelers are likely to be hiked from Rs5 per hour to Rs22 per hour, for two-wheelers it will be Rs5 per hour from the current Re1. The same rates will apply for the entire city. Once approved by the standing committee, the rates will be effective for the next 30 years with a 5% annual hike. You will have to fork out the same amount for multi-storey parking too. The traffic department has drawn up the proposal for the new parking charges, which after administrative approval, will be placed before the standing committee. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation is set to increase parking charges four times to discourage owners from bringing their vehicles on the roads and, instead, opt for public transport. Currently, there are more than 14 lakh private vehicles in the city. The number increases by 6% every year, but infrastructure has not been able to keep pace with this. An official from the road and traffic department of BMC said, "The hike in parking charges is the first step to discourage citizens from bringing out their vehicles on the roads. This will help decongest traffic on the roads." Seven spots have been reserved for parking lots across the city as per development control (DC) rules. The civic administration has also identified another 150 locations for multi-storey car parks. These car parks may be underground or overground. -------------------------------------------------------- To search the archives of sustran-discuss visit http://www.google.com/coop/cse?cx=014715651517519735401:ijjtzwbu_ss -------------------------------------------------------- If you get sustran-discuss via YAHOOGROUPS, please go to http://list.jca.apc.org/manage/listinfo/sustran-discuss to join the real sustran-discuss and get full membership rights. ================================================================ SUSTRAN-DISCUSS is a forum devoted to discussion of people-centred, equitable and sustainable transport with a focus on developing countries (the 'Global South'). From alok.priyanka at gmail.com Tue Jun 15 17:23:38 2010 From: alok.priyanka at gmail.com (Jains) Date: Tue, 15 Jun 2010 13:53:38 +0530 Subject: [sustran] Re: Pay four times more to park your car now in Mumbai In-Reply-To: <4c1737ed.12d18e0a.2154.fffffd3b@mx.google.com> References: <4c1737ed.12d18e0a.2154.fffffd3b@mx.google.com> Message-ID: Vinay, The news article appears to be a bit dated - Jan 09. Do you know whether or not anything came out of this proposal? Regards Alok On Tue, Jun 15, 2010 at 1:50 PM, Kanthi Kannan wrote: > Dear Vinay and all > > > Greetings!! > > Good to hear the news about the increase in parking fees. But I think that > there is one very important step towards decongestion. > > Why don't all Government Employees use PT + Cycle + Walk once a week to > commute? > > Regards > > Kanthi > > THOSE WHO WALK CANNOT DECIDE AND THOSE WHO DECIDE DO NOT WALK > > > > -----Original Message----- > From: sustran-discuss-bounces+kanthikannan=gmail.com@list.jca.apc.org > [mailto:sustran-discuss-bounces+kanthikannan > =gmail.com@list.jca.apc.org] On > Behalf Of Vinay Baindur > Sent: 15 June 2010 11:16 > To: CAF2; Hasire Usiru; Hu Gov > Subject: [sustran] Pay four times more to park your car now in Mumbai > > *Pay four times more to park your car now* > < > http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/report_pay-four-times-more-to-park-your-car- > now_1225515> > > http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/report_pay-four-times-more-to-park-your-car-n > ow_1225515 > Additional 5% hike likely in parking charges every year for next 30 years > > > Mumbai: The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) wants to apply the > brakes on vehicles in the city so either you shell out more for parking > with > each passing year or watch your car sit tidily in the garage. > > In a bid to cope with traffic congestion and shortage of parking space, the > civic body is all set to implement a four-fold hike in parking charges. The > BMC hopes steeper rates will deter people from bringing their vehicles on > the roads to some extent. > > While parking charges for four-wheelers are likely to be hiked from Rs5 per > hour to Rs22 per hour, for two-wheelers it will be Rs5 per hour from the > current Re1. The same rates will apply for the entire city. Once approved > by > the standing committee, the rates will be effective for the next 30 years > with a 5% annual hike. You will have to fork out the same amount for > multi-storey parking too. > > The traffic department has drawn up the proposal for the new parking > charges, which after administrative approval, will be placed before the > standing committee. > > The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation is set to increase parking charges > four times to discourage owners from bringing their vehicles on the roads > and, instead, opt for public transport. > > Currently, there are more than 14 lakh private vehicles in the city. The > number increases by 6% every year, but infrastructure has not been able to > keep pace with this. > > An official from the road and traffic department of BMC said, "The hike in > parking charges is the first step to discourage citizens from bringing out > their vehicles on the roads. This will help decongest traffic on the > roads." > > Seven spots have been reserved for parking lots across the city as per > development control (DC) rules. The civic administration has also > identified > another 150 locations for multi-storey car parks. These car parks may be > underground or overground. > -------------------------------------------------------- > To search the archives of sustran-discuss visit > http://www.google.com/coop/cse?cx=014715651517519735401:ijjtzwbu_ss > > -------------------------------------------------------- > If you get sustran-discuss via YAHOOGROUPS, please go to > http://list.jca.apc.org/manage/listinfo/sustran-discuss to join the real > sustran-discuss and get full membership rights. > > ================================================================ > SUSTRAN-DISCUSS is a forum devoted to discussion of people-centred, > equitable and sustainable transport with a focus on developing countries > (the 'Global South'). > > -------------------------------------------------------- > To search the archives of sustran-discuss visit > http://www.google.com/coop/cse?cx=014715651517519735401:ijjtzwbu_ss > > -------------------------------------------------------- > If you get sustran-discuss via YAHOOGROUPS, please go to > http://list.jca.apc.org/manage/listinfo/sustran-discuss to join the real > sustran-discuss and get full membership rights. > > ================================================================ > SUSTRAN-DISCUSS is a forum devoted to discussion of people-centred, > equitable and sustainable transport with a focus on developing countries > (the 'Global South'). > From joshirutul at yahoo.co.in Tue Jun 15 19:21:34 2010 From: joshirutul at yahoo.co.in (Rutul Joshi) Date: Tue, 15 Jun 2010 15:51:34 +0530 (IST) Subject: [sustran] Re: JAIPAL REDDY URGES STATES TO PROMOTE PUBLIC TRANSPORT In-Reply-To: <4c15b8a5.c32ce70a.7bbb.ffff93ac@mx.google.com> References: <4c15b8a5.c32ce70a.7bbb.ffff93ac@mx.google.com> Message-ID: <725977.15622.qm@web8405.mail.in.yahoo.com> Hi Kanthi and others, Patience is a good word to calm people down. Probably, that is why in Indian traditions, someone invented the concept of 're-incarnation'. One can 'have patience' till you are born again! In India, we build metros but we forget all about integrated ticketing or physical integration with the buses/cycles or?even walking. We build expensive paid parking lots?and right outside,?one can park on-street for free. We have cumbersome and expensive public transport (operations, ticketing, info)?when it is much cheaper, easier and socially 'superior' to go by cars and motorbikes. We build?big bus based projects?and forget all about pedestrians and cyclists or the other buses which are running the city. We have expensive public infrastructure projects with something as basic as 'walkable' footpaths being absent. We build expensive flyovers for cheap cars, while rest of city struggles with basic water supply network. If we have nice newly-pedestrianised areas in the city, people wants to start charging it and of course, you can park a car for free outside. We?create new?transport authorities/companies?to 'hide' the old ones?or the?bad ones. We have different agencies for planning the landuse,?planing the transport, regulating vehicles, regulating building/roads, running the buses and deciding 'what-to-do' and they?dont 'talk' to each other. We have sensible and sincere govt officials who unfortunatley are 'not allowed' to take decisions. We have lots of money and the right policy now but a little capacity?at the local level?to spend it in the right direction. Sorry if it sounds pessimistic but sometimes all optimism fade away... unless one believes in re-incarnation! Mr. Reddy heads the most difficult ministry. I sympathise with him! regards, Rutul Phd Researcher, Centre for Transport and Society, University of the West of England, Bristol. ? ________________________________ From: Kanthi Kannan To: Eric Britton ; Sustran-discuss@list.jca.apc.org Cc: CAF2 ; Hasire Usiru Sent: Mon, 14 June, 2010 6:05:33 AM Subject: [sustran] Re: JAIPAL REDDY URGES STATES TO PROMOTE PUBLIC TRANSPORT Mr. Jaipal Reddy needs to make such announcements and hence he makes them. That's all. We should not read much into these kinds of statements. In Hyderabad on an average weekly twice, we have people in authority discussing with activists like us and stating that what we are telling them makes a lot of sense but when asked about follow up / implementation the answer is "Have Patience" Regards Kanthi Kannan -----Original Message----- From: sustran-discuss-bounces+kanthikannan=gmail.com@list.jca.apc.org [mailto:sustran-discuss-bounces+kanthikannan=gmail.com@list.jca.apc.org] On Behalf Of Eric Britton Sent: 13 June 2010 23:39 To: Sustran-discuss@list.jca.apc.org Cc: 'CAF2'; 'Hasire Usiru' Subject: [sustran] JAIPAL REDDY URGES STATES TO PROMOTE PUBLIC TRANSPORT If I may, and without intending any disrespect at all, I have read this announcement several times and at the end of it do not feel particularly optimistic about the changes it seems to promise. But to be frank I simply do not know enough to take this statement to take it apart item by item. That said, I would be an interested reader for anyone with more direct knowledge and a balanced perspective to do just that for the group. It is my position that these statements need to be read very very carefully. Thank you. Eric Britton | WorldStreets.org | NewMobility.org? | www.facebook.WorldStreets.org 8, rue Joseph Bara.? 75006 Paris France? |? +331 7550 3788? |? Skype: newmobility? Ministry of Urban Development? ? JAIPAL REDDY URGES STATES TO PROMOTE PUBLIC TRANSPORT CONSULTATIVE COMMITTEE MEETING OF URBAN DEVELOPMENT MINISTRY HELD ? _____? ? ? 17:2 IST? ? ? The Union Minister of Urban Development, Shri Jaipal Reddy has said that his Ministry has advised the States to make adequate provision for dedicated path for the pedestrians and cycle-users wherever roads are being built or widened. Addressing the Parliamentary Consultative Committee attached to his Ministry here today, Shri Reddy also informed that the Centre is giving funds to the States under Jawaharlal Nehru NationalUrban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) for the constrution of footpaths and dedicated cycle lanes. He said that two pilot research projects for the scientific management of cycle rickshaws have been sanctioned for Delhi and Chandigarh. He said that the States are also being advised to promote public transport by integrating all the modes of transport. The Centre has sanctioned Bus Rapid Transport System (BRTS) for nine cities namely, Ahemdabad, Rajkot, Surat, Indore, Bhopal, Pune- Pimpri Chinchwad, Vijaywada, Vishakhapatnam and Jaipur at a cost of Rs. 4770 crore besides providing finance for 15,620 low floor buses for the 61 cities across the country to improve the urban transport , the minister informed. Shri Reddy said that the States have also been advised to amend by-laws to make mandatory parking space for all commercial and residential properties and to set up dedicated transport authority to manage the traffic and also to introduce "traffic Information Magament Control Centres (TIMCC) using ITS. He said that under the JNNURM, his Ministry provides funds for multi-level parking complexes and assistance for setting up ITS. Participating in the discussion, Members emphasised the need of inclusion of small cities also under JNNURM schemes as development of smaller towns would help decongest the big cities in the long run. Some Members also raised the issue of proper compensation to the families of workers who lost their lives while working at the Metro Projects. The Members of Parliament who attended the Meeting were : S/Shri C.M.Chang,Ramesh kumar, P. Kumar, Ratan Singh, Sanjay Dina Patil, Prahlad V. Joshi, Shivakumar C. Udasi, Hukumdeo Narayan Yadav, B.K. Hariprasad, Penumalli Madhu and Surendra Motilal Patel, Vilas Muttemwar and J.P. Agarwal. -------------------------------------------------------- To search the archives of sustran-discuss visit http://www.google.com/coop/cse?cx=014715651517519735401:ijjtzwbu_ss -------------------------------------------------------- If you get sustran-discuss via YAHOOGROUPS, please go to http://list.jca.apc.org/manage/listinfo/sustran-discuss to join the real sustran-discuss and get full membership rights. ================================================================ SUSTRAN-DISCUSS is a forum devoted to discussion of people-centred, equitable and sustainable transport with a focus on developing countries (the 'Global South'). -------------------------------------------------------- To search the archives of sustran-discuss visit http://www.google.com/coop/cse?cx=014715651517519735401:ijjtzwbu_ss -------------------------------------------------------- If you get sustran-discuss via YAHOOGROUPS, please go to http://list.jca.apc.org/manage/listinfo/sustran-discuss to join the real sustran-discuss and get full membership rights. ================================================================ SUSTRAN-DISCUSS is a forum devoted to discussion of people-centred, equitable and sustainable transport with a focus on developing countries (the 'Global South'). From joshuaodeleye at yahoo.com Tue Jun 15 20:45:32 2010 From: joshuaodeleye at yahoo.com (joshua odeleye) Date: Tue, 15 Jun 2010 04:45:32 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [sustran] Re: JAIPAL REDDY URGES STATES TO PROMOTE PUBLIC TRANSPORT In-Reply-To: <725977.15622.qm@web8405.mail.in.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <895574.52995.qm@web112903.mail.gq1.yahoo.com> Rutul has indeed presented the true state of urban transport planning in most countries in?the Southern Hemisphere.The?Indian picture painted by him/her, is a parallel practical situation of?urban transport planning, institutional and policy?issues?in most countries in?West Africa sub-region.This situation?could be reverse, if authorities??would be sincerely committed to bridging the existing knowledge gaps in transport sub-sectors in most countries of the South. Joshua Odeleye,Ph.D School of Transport Lagos State University P.M.B 0001 Festac,Ojo Lagos,Nigeria??? --- On Tue, 6/15/10, Rutul Joshi wrote: From: Rutul Joshi Subject: [sustran] Re: JAIPAL REDDY URGES STATES TO PROMOTE PUBLIC TRANSPORT To: Sustran-discuss@list.jca.apc.org Date: Tuesday, June 15, 2010, 6:21 AM Hi Kanthi and others, Patience is a good word to calm people down. Probably, that is why in Indian traditions, someone invented the concept of 're-incarnation'. One can 'have patience' till you are born again! In India, we build metros but we forget all about integrated ticketing or physical integration with the buses/cycles or?even walking. We build expensive paid parking lots?and right outside,?one can park on-street for free. We have cumbersome and expensive public transport (operations, ticketing, info)?when it is much cheaper, easier and socially 'superior' to go by cars and motorbikes. We build?big bus based projects?and forget all about pedestrians and cyclists or the other buses which are running the city. We have expensive public infrastructure projects with something as basic as 'walkable' footpaths being absent. We build expensive flyovers for cheap cars, while rest of city struggles with basic water supply network. If we have nice newly-pedestrianised areas in the city, people wants to start charging it and of course, you can park a car for free outside. We?create new?transport authorities/companies?to 'hide' the old ones?or the?bad ones. We have different agencies for planning the landuse,?planing the transport, regulating vehicles, regulating building/roads, running the buses and deciding 'what-to-do' and they?dont 'talk' to each other. We have sensible and sincere govt officials who unfortunatley are 'not allowed' to take decisions. We have lots of money and the right policy now but a little capacity?at the local level?to spend it in the right direction. Sorry if it sounds pessimistic but sometimes all optimism fade away... unless one believes in re-incarnation! Mr. Reddy heads the most difficult ministry. I sympathise with him! regards, Rutul Phd Researcher, Centre for Transport and Society, University of the West of England, Bristol. ? ________________________________ From: Kanthi Kannan To: Eric Britton ; Sustran-discuss@list.jca.apc.org Cc: CAF2 ; Hasire Usiru Sent: Mon, 14 June, 2010 6:05:33 AM Subject: [sustran] Re: JAIPAL REDDY URGES STATES TO PROMOTE PUBLIC TRANSPORT Mr. Jaipal Reddy needs to make such announcements and hence he makes them. That's all. We should not read much into these kinds of statements. In Hyderabad on an average weekly twice, we have people in authority discussing with activists like us and stating that what we are telling them makes a lot of sense but when asked about follow up / implementation the answer is "Have Patience" Regards Kanthi Kannan -----Original Message----- From: sustran-discuss-bounces+kanthikannan=gmail.com@list.jca.apc.org [mailto:sustran-discuss-bounces+kanthikannan=gmail.com@list.jca.apc.org] On Behalf Of Eric Britton Sent: 13 June 2010 23:39 To: Sustran-discuss@list.jca.apc.org Cc: 'CAF2'; 'Hasire Usiru' Subject: [sustran] JAIPAL REDDY URGES STATES TO PROMOTE PUBLIC TRANSPORT If I may, and without intending any disrespect at all, I have read this announcement several times and at the end of it do not feel particularly optimistic about the changes it seems to promise. But to be frank I simply do not know enough to take this statement to take it apart item by item. That said, I would be an interested reader for anyone with more direct knowledge and a balanced perspective to do just that for the group. It is my position that these statements need to be read very very carefully. Thank you. Eric Britton | WorldStreets.org | NewMobility.org? | www.facebook.WorldStreets.org 8, rue Joseph Bara.? 75006 Paris France? |? +331 7550 3788? |? Skype: newmobility? Ministry of Urban Development? ? JAIPAL REDDY URGES STATES TO PROMOTE PUBLIC TRANSPORT CONSULTATIVE COMMITTEE MEETING OF URBAN DEVELOPMENT MINISTRY HELD ? _____? ? ? 17:2 IST? ? ? The Union Minister of Urban Development, Shri Jaipal Reddy has said that his Ministry has advised the States to make adequate provision for dedicated path for the pedestrians and cycle-users wherever roads are being built or widened. Addressing the Parliamentary Consultative Committee attached to his Ministry here today, Shri Reddy also informed that the Centre is giving funds to the States under Jawaharlal Nehru NationalUrban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) for the constrution of footpaths and dedicated cycle lanes. He said that two pilot research projects for the scientific management of cycle rickshaws have been sanctioned for Delhi and Chandigarh. He said that the States are also being advised to promote public transport by integrating all the modes of transport. The Centre has sanctioned Bus Rapid Transport System (BRTS) for nine cities namely, Ahemdabad, Rajkot, Surat, Indore, Bhopal, Pune- Pimpri Chinchwad, Vijaywada, Vishakhapatnam and Jaipur at a cost of Rs. 4770 crore besides providing finance for 15,620 low floor buses for the 61 cities across the country to improve the urban transport , the minister informed. Shri Reddy said that the States have also been advised to amend by-laws to make mandatory parking space for all commercial and residential properties and to set up dedicated transport authority to manage the traffic and also to introduce "traffic Information Magament Control Centres (TIMCC) using ITS. He said that under the JNNURM, his Ministry provides funds for multi-level parking complexes and assistance for setting up ITS. Participating in the discussion, Members emphasised the need of inclusion of small cities also under JNNURM schemes as development of smaller towns would help decongest the big cities in the long run. Some Members also raised the issue of proper compensation to the families of workers who lost their lives while working at the Metro Projects. The Members of Parliament who attended the Meeting were : S/Shri C.M.Chang,Ramesh kumar, P. Kumar, Ratan Singh, Sanjay Dina Patil, Prahlad V. Joshi, Shivakumar C. Udasi, Hukumdeo Narayan Yadav, B.K. Hariprasad, Penumalli Madhu and Surendra Motilal Patel, Vilas Muttemwar and J.P. Agarwal. -------------------------------------------------------- To search the archives of sustran-discuss visit http://www.google.com/coop/cse?cx=014715651517519735401:ijjtzwbu_ss -------------------------------------------------------- If you get sustran-discuss via YAHOOGROUPS, please go to http://list.jca.apc.org/manage/listinfo/sustran-discuss to join the real sustran-discuss and get full membership rights. ================================================================ SUSTRAN-DISCUSS is a forum devoted to discussion of people-centred, equitable and sustainable transport with a focus on developing countries (the 'Global South'). -------------------------------------------------------- To search the archives of sustran-discuss visit http://www.google.com/coop/cse?cx=014715651517519735401:ijjtzwbu_ss -------------------------------------------------------- If you get sustran-discuss via YAHOOGROUPS, please go to http://list.jca.apc.org/manage/listinfo/sustran-discuss to join the real sustran-discuss and get full membership rights. ================================================================ SUSTRAN-DISCUSS is a forum devoted to discussion of people-centred, equitable and sustainable transport with a focus on developing countries (the 'Global South'). -------------------------------------------------------- To search the archives of sustran-discuss visit http://www.google.com/coop/cse?cx=014715651517519735401:ijjtzwbu_ss -------------------------------------------------------- If you get sustran-discuss via YAHOOGROUPS, please go to http://list.jca.apc.org/manage/listinfo/sustran-discuss to join the real sustran-discuss and get full membership rights. ================================================================ SUSTRAN-DISCUSS is a forum devoted to discussion of people-centred, equitable and sustainable transport with a focus on developing countries (the 'Global South'). From joshirutul at yahoo.co.in Tue Jun 15 23:23:16 2010 From: joshirutul at yahoo.co.in (Rutul Joshi) Date: Tue, 15 Jun 2010 19:53:16 +0530 (IST) Subject: [sustran] Re: JAIPAL REDDY URGES STATES TO PROMOTE PUBLIC TRANSPORT In-Reply-To: <895574.52995.qm@web112903.mail.gq1.yahoo.com> References: <895574.52995.qm@web112903.mail.gq1.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <477889.29274.qm@web8408.mail.in.yahoo.com> Dear Joshua, You are right. Whatever I said might be biased toward the Indian situation but the same concerns are seen everywhere in the Global South. Of course, we have great opportunities to learn from the Industrialised countries which have already walked on the paths of high motorisation. We can surely learn what not to do. But this would fulfil only a part of what we need to know. A little is known about number of transport issues in the Global south, especially the equity issues, how people survive in cities, how do the innovate - whether legal or not. Transport governance is also one such area which is not well-researched. For example, does anyone know how many authorities/agencies are responsible for some component of transport in Delhi alone? No wonder the city is in a mess! In short, a lot more is required to be known about our cities and we do not have enough time to explore. The climate clock is ticking. cheers, Rutul Phd Researcher, Centre for Transport and Society, University of the West of England, Bristol. ________________________________ From: joshua odeleye To: Sustran-discuss@list.jca.apc.org Sent: Tue, 15 June, 2010 12:45:32 PM Subject: [sustran] Re: JAIPALREDDY URGES STATES TO PROMOTE PUBLIC TRANSPORT Rutul has indeed presented the true state of urban transport planning in most countries in the Southern Hemisphere.The Indian picture painted by him/her, is a parallel practical situation of urban transport planning, institutional and policy issues in most countries in West Africa sub-region.This situation could be reverse, if authorities would be sincerely committed to bridging the existing knowledge gaps in transport sub-sectors in most countries of the South. Joshua Odeleye,Ph.D School of Transport Lagos State University P.M.B 0001 Festac,Ojo Lagos,Nigeria --- On Tue, 6/15/10, Rutul Joshi wrote: From: Rutul Joshi Subject: [sustran] Re: JAIPALREDDY URGES STATES TO PROMOTE PUBLIC TRANSPORT To: Sustran-discuss@list.jca.apc.org Date: Tuesday, June 15, 2010, 6:21 AM Hi Kanthi and others, Patience is a good word to calm people down. Probably, that is why in Indian traditions, someone invented the concept of 're-incarnation'. One can 'have patience' till you are born again! In India, we build metros but we forget all about integrated ticketing or physical integration with the buses/cycles or even walking. We build expensive paid parking lots and right outside, one can park on-street for free. We have cumbersome and expensive public transport (operations, ticketing, info) when it is much cheaper, easier and socially 'superior' to go by cars and motorbikes. We build big bus based projects and forget all about pedestrians and cyclists or the other buses which are running the city. We have expensive public infrastructure projects with something as basic as 'walkable' footpaths being absent. We build expensive flyovers for cheap cars, while rest of city struggles with basic water supply network. If we have nice newly-pedestrianised areas in the city, people wants to start charging it and of course, you can park a car for free outside. We create new transport authorities/companies to 'hide' the old ones or the bad ones. We have different agencies for planning the landuse, planing the transport, regulating vehicles, regulating building/roads, running the buses and deciding 'what-to-do' and they dont 'talk' to each other. We have sensible and sincere govt officials who unfortunatley are 'not allowed' to take decisions. We have lots of money and the right policy now but a little capacity at the local level to spend it in the right direction. Sorry if it sounds pessimistic but sometimes all optimism fade away... unless one believes in re-incarnation! Mr. Reddy heads the most difficult ministry. I sympathise with him! regards, Rutul Phd Researcher, Centre for Transport and Society, University of the West of England, Bristol. ________________________________ From: KanthiKannan To: Eric Britton ; Sustran-discuss@list.jca.apc.org Cc: CAF2 ; HasireUsiru Sent: Mon, 14 June, 2010 6:05:33 AM Subject: [sustran] Re: JAIPALREDDY URGES STATES TO PROMOTE PUBLIC TRANSPORT Mr. JaipalReddy needs to make such announcements and hence he makes them. That's all. We should not read much into these kinds of statements. In Hyderabad on an average weekly twice, we have people in authority discussing with activists like us and stating that what we are telling them makes a lot of sense but when asked about follow up / implementation the answer is "Have Patience" Regards KanthiKannan -----Original Message----- From: sustran-discuss-bounces+kanthikannan=gmail.com@list.jca.apc.org [mailto:sustran-discuss-bounces+kanthikannan=gmail.com@list.jca.apc.org] On Behalf Of Eric Britton Sent: 13 June 2010 23:39 To: Sustran-discuss@list.jca.apc.org Cc: 'CAF2'; 'HasireUsiru' Subject: [sustran] JAIPALREDDY URGES STATES TO PROMOTE PUBLIC TRANSPORT If I may, and without intending any disrespect at all, I have read this announcement several times and at the end of it do not feel particularly optimistic about the changes it seems to promise. But to be frank I simply do not know enough to take this statement to take it apart item by item. That said, I would be an interested reader for anyone with more direct knowledge and a balanced perspective to do just that for the group. It is my position that these statements need to be read very very carefully. Thank you. Eric Britton | WorldStreets.org | NewMobility.org | www.facebook.WorldStreets.org 8, rue Joseph Bara. 75006 Paris France | +331 7550 3788 | Skype: newmobility Ministry of Urban Development JAIPALREDDY URGES STATES TO PROMOTE PUBLIC TRANSPORT CONSULTATIVE COMMITTEE MEETING OF URBAN DEVELOPMENT MINISTRY HELD _____ 17:2 IST The Union Minister of Urban Development, ShriJaipal Reddy has said that his Ministry has advised the States to make adequate provision for dedicated path for the pedestrians and cycle-users wherever roads are being built or widened. Addressing the Parliamentary Consultative Committee attached to his Ministry here today, ShriReddy also informed that the Centre is giving funds to the States under Jawaharlal Nehru NationalUrban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) for the constrution of footpaths and dedicated cycle lanes. He said that two pilot research projects for the scientific management of cycle rickshaws have been sanctioned for Delhi and Chandigarh. He said that the States are also being advised to promote public transport by integrating all the modes of transport. The Centre has sanctioned Bus Rapid Transport System (BRTS) for nine cities namely, Ahemdabad, Rajkot, Surat, Indore, Bhopal, Pune- PimpriChinchwad, Vijaywada, Vishakhapatnam and Jaipur at a cost of Rs. 4770 crore besides providing finance for 15,620 low floor buses for the 61 cities across the country to improve the urban transport , the minister informed. ShriReddy said that the States have also been advised to amend by-laws to make mandatory parking space for all commercial and residential properties and to set up dedicated transport authority to manage the traffic and also to introduce "traffic Information Magament Control Centres (TIMCC) using ITS. He said that under the JNNURM, his Ministry provides funds for multi-level parking complexes and assistance for setting up ITS. Participating in the discussion, Members emphasised the need of inclusion of small cities also under JNNURM schemes as development of smaller towns would help decongest the big cities in the long run. Some Members also raised the issue of proper compensation to the families of workers who lost their lives while working at the Metro Projects. The Members of Parliament who attended the Meeting were : S/Shri C.M.Chang,Ramesh kumar, P. Kumar, RatanSingh, Sanjay Dina Patil, Prahlad V. Joshi, Shivakumar C. Udasi, HukumdeoNarayanYadav, B.K. Hariprasad, PenumalliMadhu and SurendraMotilal Patel, VilasMuttemwar and J.P. Agarwal. -------------------------------------------------------- To search the archives of sustran-discuss visit http://www.google.com/coop/cse?cx=014715651517519735401:ijjtzwbu_ss -------------------------------------------------------- If you get sustran-discuss via YAHOOGROUPS, please go to http://list.jca.apc.org/manage/listinfo/sustran-discuss to join the real sustran-discuss and get full membership rights. ================================================================ SUSTRAN-DISCUSS is a forum devoted to discussion of people-centred, equitable and sustainable transport with a focus on developing countries (the 'Global South'). -------------------------------------------------------- To search the archives of sustran-discuss visit http://www.google.com/coop/cse?cx=014715651517519735401:ijjtzwbu_ss -------------------------------------------------------- If you get sustran-discuss via YAHOOGROUPS, please go to http://list.jca.apc.org/manage/listinfo/sustran-discuss to join the real sustran-discuss and get full membership rights. ================================================================ SUSTRAN-DISCUSS is a forum devoted to discussion of people-centred, equitable and sustainable transport with a focus on developing countries (the 'Global South'). -------------------------------------------------------- To search the archives of sustran-discuss visit http://www.google.com/coop/cse?cx=014715651517519735401:ijjtzwbu_ss -------------------------------------------------------- If you get sustran-discuss via YAHOOGROUPS, please go to http://list.jca.apc.org/manage/listinfo/sustran-discuss to join the real sustran-discuss and get full membership rights. ================================================================ SUSTRAN-DISCUSS is a forum devoted to discussion of people-centred, equitable and sustainable transport with a focus on developing countries (the 'Global South'). -------------------------------------------------------- To search the archives of sustran-discuss visit http://www.google.com/coop/cse?cx=014715651517519735401:ijjtzwbu_ss -------------------------------------------------------- If you get sustran-discuss via YAHOOGROUPS, please go to http://list.jca.apc.org/manage/listinfo/sustran-discuss to join the real sustran-discuss and get full membership rights. ================================================================ SUSTRAN-DISCUSS is a forum devoted to discussion of people-centred, equitable and sustainable transport with a focus on developing countries (the 'Global South'). From eric.britton at ecoplan.org Wed Jun 16 00:06:59 2010 From: eric.britton at ecoplan.org (Eric Britton) Date: Tue, 15 Jun 2010 17:06:59 +0200 Subject: [sustran] Transport governance is also one such area which is not well-researched. In-Reply-To: <895574.52995.qm@web112903.mail.gq1.yahoo.com> References: <725977.15622.qm@web8405.mail.in.yahoo.com> <895574.52995.qm@web112903.mail.gq1.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <013301cb0c9c$699f7340$3cde59c0$@britton@ecoplan.org> Original subject here: JAIPAL REDDY URGES STATES TO PROMOTE PUBLIC TRANSPORT This discussion is all pretty depressing. But might we make something of it? What about this as a group thinking exercise? By the numbers: 1. Let's for the moment pretend that the only world there is is the Global South. (We can leave the stupidity, incompetence and meanness of mind of the ROW aside for the moment.) 2. And let's pretend that some huge proportion of the time that their transport policies and practices are truly misguided and as close as one might imagine to unsustainable, unfair - and we are speaking here of the reality of these policies, not their rhetoric. 3. And since we are at it, let's also suppose that there are policies and approaches which are known, proven, affordable (i.e., the 2010 sustainable transport reality) that they could be putting into service. But they are not doing it. 4. Now my question to the group. Are those responsible for taking the decisions not taking advantage of all that we have learned over these last two decades and could be doing in the interest of sustainability, justice and efficiency, because they are . . . 1. ___________: Ignorant (They simply do not know) 2. ___________: Stupid (But even if they did, they are not smart enough to figure it out) 3. ___________: Incompetent (Not up to the challenges) 4. ___________: Weak (They know what they should be doing but do not have the courage to take on the powerful interests that find the current arrangements pretty much to their taste) 5. ___________: On the take (I.e., are profiting from following the path present policies and investments, so why change?) 6. ___________: Hypocritical (Are culturally shaped so that they feel no discomfort by saying one thing while doing quite another) 7. ___________: Elitist (Find it perfectly natural that the lower classes should have lower lives) 8. ___________: Perverted (Possibly even take pleasure in the suffering of others.) 9. ___________: Other (please explain) 5. Check one or more and comment as you please. Now my personal guess is that there is a fair amount of 1, 2, and 3 flying around. That there are healthy doses of 5, 6, and 7. And I would hope that there is little of 8. Is this a fair picture? And if so, once we have it in our sights can it help us figure out what to do next? I look forward with interest to comments and clues. Eric Britton | WorldStreets.org | NewMobility.org | www.facebook.WorldStreets.org 8, rue Joseph Bara. 75006 Paris France | +331 7550 3788 | Skype: newmobility -----Original Message----- From: sustran-discuss-bounces+eric.britton=ecoplan.org@list.jca.apc.org [mailto:sustran-discuss-bounces+eric.britton=ecoplan.org@list.jca.apc.org] On Behalf Of Rutul Joshi Sent: Tuesday, 15 June, 2010 16:23 To: joshua odeleye; Sustran-discuss@list.jca.apc.org Subject: [sustran] Re: JAIPAL REDDY URGES STATES TO PROMOTE PUBLIC TRANSPORT Dear Joshua, You are right. Whatever I said might be biased toward the Indian situation but the same concerns are seen everywhere in the Global South. Of course, we have great opportunities to learn from the Industrialised countries which have already walked on the paths of high motorisation. We can surely learn what not to do. But this would fulfil only a part of what we need to know. A little is known about number of transport issues in the Global south, especially the equity issues, how people survive in cities, how do the innovate - whether legal or not. Transport governance is also one such area which is not well-researched. For example, does anyone know how many authorities/agencies are responsible for some component of transport in Delhi alone? No wonder the city is in a mess! In short, a lot more is required to be known about our cities and we do not have enough time to explore. The climate clock is ticking. cheers, Rutul Phd Researcher, Centre for Transport and Society, University of the West of England, Bristol. ________________________________ From: joshua odeleye To: Sustran-discuss@list.jca.apc.org Sent: Tue, 15 June, 2010 12:45:32 PM Subject: [sustran] Re: JAIPALREDDY URGES STATES TO PROMOTE PUBLIC TRANSPORT Rutul has indeed presented the true state of urban transport planning in most countries in the Southern Hemisphere.The Indian picture painted by him/her, is a parallel practical situation of urban transport planning, institutional and policy issues in most countries in West Africa sub-region.This situation could be reverse, if authorities would be sincerely committed to bridging the existing knowledge gaps in transport sub-sectors in most countries of the South. Joshua Odeleye,Ph.D School of Transport Lagos State University P.M.B 0001 Festac,Ojo Lagos,Nigeria --- On Tue, 6/15/10, Rutul Joshi wrote: From: Rutul Joshi Subject: [sustran] Re: JAIPALREDDY URGES STATES TO PROMOTE PUBLIC TRANSPORT To: Sustran-discuss@list.jca.apc.org Date: Tuesday, June 15, 2010, 6:21 AM Hi Kanthi and others, Patience is a good word to calm people down. Probably, that is why in Indian traditions, someone invented the concept of 're-incarnation'. One can 'have patience' till you are born again! In India, we build metros but we forget all about integrated ticketing or physical integration with the buses/cycles or even walking. We build expensive paid parking lots and right outside, one can park on-street for free. We have cumbersome and expensive public transport (operations, ticketing, info) when it is much cheaper, easier and socially 'superior' to go by cars and motorbikes. We build big bus based projects and forget all about pedestrians and cyclists or the other buses which are running the city. We have expensive public infrastructure projects with something as basic as 'walkable' footpaths being absent. We build expensive flyovers for cheap cars, while rest of city struggles with basic water supply network. If we have nice newly-pedestrianised areas in the city, people wants to start charging it and of course, you can park a car for free outside. We create new transport authorities/companies to 'hide' the old ones or the bad ones. We have different agencies for planning the landuse, planing the transport, regulating vehicles, regulating building/roads, running the buses and deciding 'what-to-do' and they dont 'talk' to each other. We have sensible and sincere govt officials who unfortunatley are 'not allowed' to take decisions. We have lots of money and the right policy now but a little capacity at the local level to spend it in the right direction. Sorry if it sounds pessimistic but sometimes all optimism fade away... unless one believes in re-incarnation! Mr. Reddy heads the most difficult ministry. I sympathise with him! regards, Rutul Phd Researcher, Centre for Transport and Society, University of the West of England, Bristol. ________________________________ From: KanthiKannan To: Eric Britton ; Sustran-discuss@list.jca.apc.org Cc: CAF2 ; HasireUsiru Sent: Mon, 14 June, 2010 6:05:33 AM Subject: [sustran] Re: JAIPALREDDY URGES STATES TO PROMOTE PUBLIC TRANSPORT Mr. JaipalReddy needs to make such announcements and hence he makes them. That's all. We should not read much into these kinds of statements. In Hyderabad on an average weekly twice, we have people in authority discussing with activists like us and stating that what we are telling them makes a lot of sense but when asked about follow up / implementation the answer is "Have Patience" Regards KanthiKannan -----Original Message----- From: sustran-discuss-bounces+kanthikannan=gmail.com@list.jca.apc.org [mailto:sustran-discuss-bounces+kanthikannan=gmail.com@list.jca.apc.org] On Behalf Of Eric Britton Sent: 13 June 2010 23:39 To: Sustran-discuss@list.jca.apc.org Cc: 'CAF2'; 'HasireUsiru' Subject: [sustran] JAIPALREDDY URGES STATES TO PROMOTE PUBLIC TRANSPORT If I may, and without intending any disrespect at all, I have read this announcement several times and at the end of it do not feel particularly optimistic about the changes it seems to promise. But to be frank I simply do not know enough to take this statement to take it apart item by item. That said, I would be an interested reader for anyone with more direct knowledge and a balanced perspective to do just that for the group. It is my position that these statements need to be read very very carefully. Thank you. Eric Britton Ministry of Urban Development JAIPALREDDY URGES STATES TO PROMOTE PUBLIC TRANSPORT CONSULTATIVE COMMITTEE MEETING OF URBAN DEVELOPMENT MINISTRY HELD _____ 17:2 IST The Union Minister of Urban Development, ShriJaipal Reddy has said that his Ministry has advised the States to make adequate provision for dedicated path for the pedestrians and cycle-users wherever roads are being built or widened. Addressing the Parliamentary Consultative Committee attached to his Ministry here today, ShriReddy also informed that the Centre is giving funds to the States under Jawaharlal Nehru NationalUrban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) for the constrution of footpaths and dedicated cycle lanes. He said that two pilot research projects for the scientific management of cycle rickshaws have been sanctioned for Delhi and Chandigarh. He said that the States are also being advised to promote public transport by integrating all the modes of transport. The Centre has sanctioned Bus Rapid Transport System (BRTS) for nine cities namely, Ahemdabad, Rajkot, Surat, Indore, Bhopal, Pune- PimpriChinchwad, Vijaywada, Vishakhapatnam and Jaipur at a cost of Rs. 4770 crore besides providing finance for 15,620 low floor buses for the 61 cities across the country to improve the urban transport , the minister informed. ShriReddy said that the States have also been advised to amend by-laws to make mandatory parking space for all commercial and residential properties and to set up dedicated transport authority to manage the traffic and also to introduce "traffic Information Magament Control Centres (TIMCC) using ITS. He said that under the JNNURM, his Ministry provides funds for multi-level parking complexes and assistance for setting up ITS. Participating in the discussion, Members emphasised the need of inclusion of small cities also under JNNURM schemes as development of smaller towns would help decongest the big cities in the long run. Some Members also raised the issue of proper compensation to the families of workers who lost their lives while working at the Metro Projects. The Members of Parliament who attended the Meeting were : S/Shri C.M.Chang,Ramesh kumar, P. Kumar, RatanSingh, Sanjay Dina Patil, Prahlad V. Joshi, Shivakumar C. Udasi, HukumdeoNarayanYadav, B.K. Hariprasad, PenumalliMadhu and SurendraMotilal Patel, VilasMuttemwar and J.P. Agarwal. From eric.britton at ecoplan.org Wed Jun 16 00:47:41 2010 From: eric.britton at ecoplan.org (Eric Britton) Date: Tue, 15 Jun 2010 17:47:41 +0200 Subject: [sustran] Africa Streets now open for first private inspection and ideas Message-ID: <014b01cb0ca2$1a6da660$4f48f320$@britton@ecoplan.org> Dear Friends, This is to share with you our decision to launch a test version of a collaborative sustainable transport daily Africa Streets, aimed to further our good cause all over Africa. And while it is still only work in progress, may I invite you to have a look at http://africastreets.wordpress.com/ and tell us what you think, suggest, etc. The rough template for this is the World Streets project which we started last year at www.WorldStreets.org. And there is a rough parallel too with our sister publication Nuova Mobilit? in Italy which you can inspect at http://nuovamobilita.org . While you can see if for yourself, let me point to a couple of tools that are already getting into place. ? Mission statement: This is today's post and is intended for your information and for your comments and suggestions: ? Languages; They are not perfect, but as you will see we have already plugged in direct machine translations for the continent's main language groups. Comments? ? Key Sources: You will see these listed in the right hand column: Blogs, program information, etc. Please share your candidates with us. ? Searching all key sources: This is a powerful tool in the form of a combined search engine which scans the content of all the "key sources" for your selected key words. As new sources are added, the CSE will be expanded to take them into account. ? Media: We are very interested to have videos, films, radio, etc. to share with our readers. All suggestions will be well received. ? Africa Streets Forum: You will see this under the New Mobility Agenda heading. We invite you to have a look. You may find it useful. ? Email subscription: This is an invitation. If you sign in there, you will see that you can chose to receive all individual postings, a daily summary, or a weekly summary. Your call. That does it for now. There is still a great deal of work to be done, and if you jump in and lend a hand the results will be available for all. Best/Eric Britton Eric Britton | WorldStreets.org | NewMobility.org | www.facebook.WorldStreets.org 8, rue Joseph Bara. 75006 Paris France | +331 7550 3788 | Skype: newmobility From yanivbin at gmail.com Wed Jun 16 03:52:24 2010 From: yanivbin at gmail.com (Vinay Baindur) Date: Wed, 16 Jun 2010 00:22:24 +0530 Subject: [sustran] Public Transport VS JNNURM in India Message-ID: In my view Eric and friends the statement is more about Urban oneupmanship politics and the world bank loans for India. The role of the ministry (MoUD) he is in charge of has been drastically diminished by the lack of funds for states Over Rs. 55,000 crores of central funds have been committed and there is a conspicuous lack of progress. So the Planning commission and Finance Minsitry said they are not in favour of a large US $ 5 billion loan from the World Bank ( in Nov09) and they wont fund another 28 smaller towns for what is called as JNNURM + or JNNURM -II So with this being the background the SUTP a small loan from the World Bank is trying to leverage the funds of various Indian states for its objectives. So while the additional new buses from JNNURM were fiscal stimulus against the global depression (through sales of LCVs) there seems to be no financial stimulus in sight for the Ministry to keep its head above water for another year when it may get more funds to disburse to states. So the SUTP is the only way to keep themselves in the news something they crave for . what do you all feel about this? Vinay On Tue, Jun 15, 2010 at 8:36 PM, Eric Britton wrote: > Original subject here: JAIPAL REDDY URGES STATES TO PROMOTE PUBLIC > TRANSPORT > > > > This discussion is all pretty depressing. But might we make something of > it? > What about this as a group thinking exercise? By the numbers: > > > > 1. Let's for the moment pretend that the only world there is is the > Global South. (We can leave the stupidity, incompetence and meanness of > mind > of the ROW aside for the moment.) > > > > 2. And let's pretend that some huge proportion of the time that their > transport policies and practices are truly misguided and as close as one > might imagine to unsustainable, unfair - and we are speaking here of the > reality of these policies, not their rhetoric. > > > > 3. And since we are at it, let's also suppose that there are policies > and approaches which are known, proven, affordable (i.e., the 2010 > sustainable transport reality) that they could be putting into service. But > they are not doing it. > > > > 4. Now my question to the group. Are those responsible for taking the > decisions not taking advantage of all that we have learned over these last > two decades and could be doing in the interest of sustainability, justice > and efficiency, because they are . . . > > > > 1. ___________: Ignorant (They simply do not know) > > 2. ___________: Stupid (But even if they did, they are not smart > enough > to figure it out) > > 3. ___________: Incompetent (Not up to the challenges) > > 4. ___________: Weak (They know what they should be doing but do not > have the courage to take on the powerful interests that find the current > arrangements pretty much to their taste) > > 5. ___________: On the take (I.e., are profiting from following the > path present policies and investments, so why change?) > > 6. ___________: Hypocritical (Are culturally shaped so that they feel > no discomfort by saying one thing while doing quite another) > > 7. ___________: Elitist (Find it perfectly natural that the lower > classes should have lower lives) > > 8. ___________: Perverted (Possibly even take pleasure in the > suffering > of others.) > > 9. ___________: Other (please explain) > > > > 5. Check one or more and comment as you please. > > > > Now my personal guess is that there is a fair amount of 1, 2, and 3 flying > around. That there are healthy doses of 5, 6, and 7. And I would hope that > there is little of 8. > > > > Is this a fair picture? And if so, once we have it in our sights can it > help > us figure out what to do next? > > > > I look forward with interest to comments and clues. > > > > > > Eric Britton | WorldStreets.org | NewMobility.org | > www.facebook.WorldStreets.org > > 8, rue Joseph Bara. 75006 Paris France | +331 7550 3788 | Skype: > newmobility > > > > > > -----Original Message----- > From: sustran-discuss-bounces+eric.britton=ecoplan.org@list.jca.apc.org > [mailto:sustran-discuss-bounces+eric.britton > =ecoplan.org@list.jca.apc.org] > On Behalf Of Rutul Joshi > Sent: Tuesday, 15 June, 2010 16:23 > To: joshua odeleye; Sustran-discuss@list.jca.apc.org > Subject: [sustran] Re: JAIPAL REDDY URGES STATES TO PROMOTE PUBLIC > TRANSPORT > > > > Dear Joshua, > > > > You are right. Whatever I said might be biased toward the Indian situation > but the same concerns are seen everywhere in the Global South. Of course, > we > have great opportunities to learn from the Industrialised countries which > have already walked on the paths of high motorisation. We can surely learn > what not to do. But this would fulfil only a part of what we need to know. > > > > A little is known about number of transport issues in the Global south, > especially the equity issues, how people survive in cities, how do the > innovate - whether legal or not. Transport governance is also one such area > which is not well-researched. For example, does anyone know how many > authorities/agencies are responsible for some component of transport in > Delhi alone? No wonder the city is in a mess! In short, a lot more is > required to be known about our cities and we do not have enough time to > explore. The climate clock is ticking. > > > > > > cheers, > > Rutul > > > > > > Phd Researcher, > > Centre for Transport and Society, > > University of the West of England, > > Bristol. > > > > > > > > > > > > ________________________________ > > From: joshua odeleye > > To: Sustran-discuss@list.jca.apc.org > > Sent: Tue, 15 June, 2010 12:45:32 PM > > Subject: [sustran] Re: JAIPALREDDY URGES STATES TO PROMOTE PUBLIC TRANSPORT > > > > Rutul has indeed presented the true state of urban transport planning in > most countries in the Southern Hemisphere.The Indian picture painted by > him/her, is a parallel practical situation of urban transport planning, > institutional and policy issues in most countries in West Africa > sub-region.This situation could be reverse, if authorities would be > sincerely committed to bridging the existing knowledge gaps in transport > sub-sectors in most countries of the South. > > Joshua Odeleye,Ph.D > > School of Transport > > Lagos State University > > P.M.B 0001 Festac,Ojo > > Lagos,Nigeria > > > > > > --- On Tue, 6/15/10, Rutul Joshi wrote: > > > > > > From: Rutul Joshi > > Subject: [sustran] Re: JAIPALREDDY URGES STATES TO PROMOTE PUBLIC TRANSPORT > > To: Sustran-discuss@list.jca.apc.org > > Date: Tuesday, June 15, 2010, 6:21 AM > > > > > > Hi Kanthi and others, > > > > Patience is a good word to calm people down. Probably, that is why in > Indian > traditions, someone invented the concept of 're-incarnation'. One can 'have > patience' till you are born again! > > > > In India, we build metros but we forget all about integrated ticketing or > physical integration with the buses/cycles or even walking. We build > expensive paid parking lots and right outside, one can park on-street for > free. We have cumbersome and expensive public transport (operations, > ticketing, info) when it is much cheaper, easier and socially 'superior' to > go by cars and motorbikes. We build big bus based projects and forget all > about pedestrians and cyclists or the other buses which are running the > city. We have expensive public infrastructure projects with something as > basic as 'walkable' footpaths being absent. We build expensive flyovers for > cheap cars, while rest of city struggles with basic water supply network. > If > we have nice newly-pedestrianised areas in the city, people wants to start > charging it and of course, you can park a car for free outside. > > > > We create new transport authorities/companies to 'hide' the old ones or the > bad ones. We have different agencies for planning the landuse, planing the > transport, regulating vehicles, regulating building/roads, running the > buses > and deciding 'what-to-do' and they dont 'talk' to each other. We have > sensible and sincere govt officials who unfortunatley are 'not allowed' to > take decisions. We have lots of money and the right policy now but a little > capacity at the local level to spend it in the right direction. > > > > Sorry if it sounds pessimistic but sometimes all optimism fade away... > unless one believes in re-incarnation! > > > > Mr. Reddy heads the most difficult ministry. I sympathise with him! > > > > regards, > > Rutul > > > > Phd Researcher, > > Centre for Transport and Society, > > University of the West of England, > > Bristol. > > > > ________________________________ > > From: KanthiKannan > > To: Eric Britton ; > Sustran-discuss@list.jca.apc.org > > Cc: CAF2 ; HasireUsiru > > > Sent: Mon, 14 June, 2010 6:05:33 AM > > Subject: [sustran] Re: JAIPALREDDY URGES STATES TO PROMOTE PUBLIC TRANSPORT > > > > > > Mr. JaipalReddy needs to make such announcements and hence he makes them. > > That's all. We should not read much into these kinds of statements. In > > Hyderabad on an average weekly twice, we have people in authority > discussing > > with activists like us and stating that what we are telling them makes a > lot > > of sense but when asked about follow up / implementation the answer is > "Have > > Patience" > > > > Regards > > > > KanthiKannan > > > > > > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: sustran-discuss-bounces+kanthikannan=gmail.com@list.jca.apc.org > > [mailto:sustran-discuss-bounces+kanthikannan > =gmail.com@list.jca.apc.org] On > > Behalf Of Eric Britton > > Sent: 13 June 2010 23:39 > > To: Sustran-discuss@list.jca.apc.org > > Cc: 'CAF2'; 'HasireUsiru' > > Subject: [sustran] JAIPALREDDY URGES STATES TO PROMOTE PUBLIC TRANSPORT > > > > If I may, and without intending any disrespect at all, I have read this > > announcement several times and at the end of it do not feel particularly > > optimistic about the changes it seems to promise. > > > > But to be frank I simply do not know enough to take this statement to take > > it apart item by item. That said, I would be an interested reader for > anyone > > with more direct knowledge and a balanced perspective to do just that for > > the group. > > > > It is my position that these statements need to be read very very > carefully. > > > > Thank you. > > > > Eric Britton > > > > > > > > Ministry of Urban Development > > JAIPALREDDY URGES STATES TO PROMOTE PUBLIC TRANSPORT > > CONSULTATIVE COMMITTEE MEETING OF URBAN DEVELOPMENT MINISTRY HELD > > > > _____ > > > > 17:2 IST The Union Minister of Urban Development, ShriJaipal > > Reddy has said that his Ministry has advised the States to make adequate > > provision for dedicated path for the pedestrians and cycle-users wherever > > roads are being built or widened. > > > > Addressing the Parliamentary Consultative Committee attached to his > Ministry > > here today, ShriReddy also informed that the Centre is giving funds to the > > States under Jawaharlal Nehru NationalUrban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) for > the > > constrution of footpaths and dedicated cycle lanes. He said that two pilot > > research projects for the scientific management of cycle rickshaws have > been > > sanctioned for Delhi and Chandigarh. > > > > He said that the States are also being advised to promote public transport > > by integrating all the modes of transport. The Centre has sanctioned Bus > > Rapid Transport System (BRTS) for nine cities namely, Ahemdabad, Rajkot, > > Surat, Indore, Bhopal, Pune- PimpriChinchwad, Vijaywada, Vishakhapatnam and > > Jaipur at a cost of Rs. 4770 crore besides providing finance for 15,620 low > > floor buses for the 61 cities across the country to improve the urban > > transport , the minister informed. > > > > ShriReddy said that the States have also been advised to amend by-laws to > > make mandatory parking space for all commercial and residential properties > > and to set up dedicated transport authority to manage the traffic and also > > to introduce "traffic Information Magament Control Centres (TIMCC) using > > ITS. He said that under the JNNURM, his Ministry provides funds for > > multi-level parking complexes and assistance for setting up ITS. > > > > Participating in the discussion, Members emphasised the need of inclusion > of > > small cities also under JNNURM schemes as development of smaller towns > would > > help decongest the big cities in the long run. Some Members also raised the > > issue of proper compensation to the families of workers who lost their > lives > > while working at the Metro Projects. > > > > The Members of Parliament who attended the Meeting were : S/Shri > > C.M.Chang,Ramesh kumar, P. Kumar, RatanSingh, Sanjay Dina Patil, Prahlad V. > > Joshi, Shivakumar C. Udasi, HukumdeoNarayanYadav, B.K. Hariprasad, > > PenumalliMadhu and SurendraMotilal Patel, VilasMuttemwar and J.P. > > Agarwal. > > > > > > -------------------------------------------------------- > To search the archives of sustran-discuss visit > http://www.google.com/coop/cse?cx=014715651517519735401:ijjtzwbu_ss > > -------------------------------------------------------- > If you get sustran-discuss via YAHOOGROUPS, please go to > http://list.jca.apc.org/manage/listinfo/sustran-discuss to join the real > sustran-discuss and get full membership rights. > > ================================================================ > SUSTRAN-DISCUSS is a forum devoted to discussion of people-centred, > equitable and sustainable transport with a focus on developing countries > (the 'Global South'). > From lschipper at wri.org Wed Jun 16 04:39:25 2010 From: lschipper at wri.org (Lee Schipper) Date: Tue, 15 Jun 2010 15:39:25 -0400 Subject: [sustran] Re: Transport governance is also one such area which is notwell-researched. Message-ID: <46E2E1971BCEC1459149FBB1A4B4342C088F0E40@wricsex029330.WRI.CRM.Local> Let me take a different tack, Eric. When I spoke at the meeting in Delhi in March 2006 with Minister Reddy, many others (Dinesh Mohan, for example) were there on the podium, and most large Indian cities were represented by a Commissioner, a transport head, and the local experts (like Prof Swamy of Ahmedebad). Missing was most of the vehicle industry, the road mafia, the real estate development mafia, the people controlling land use locally (many Indian cities have setback rules that push big companies into their own enclaves or campuses far from the city center, causing unbelievable traffic snarls). Look at the progress in fuel economy standards for light duty in India as several siloed government groups fought over them. And isn't this the way it functions in almnost every developed AND developing country? In the end there is probably a bit of each of these in EVERY country, not just India. And for those concerned about climate, those national authorities who attend the COP are not well connected at all to either the advocates (or stoppers) of sustainable transport. So we're in a bit of a crunch, aren't we, with individual motorization on two or four wheels racing ahead of everthing else. Lee Schipper, Ph.D. -----Original Message----- From: sustran-discuss-bounces+schipper=wri.org@list.jca.apc.org [mailto:sustran-discuss-bounces+schipper=wri.org@list.jca.apc.org] On Behalf Of Eric Britton Sent: Tuesday, June 15, 2010 8:07 AM To: Sustran-discuss@list.jca.apc.org; NewMobilityCafe@yahoogroups.com; WorldTransport@yahoogroups.com; Cities-for-Mobility@yahoogroups.com Subject: [sustran] Transport governance is also one such area which is notwell-researched. Original subject here: JAIPAL REDDY URGES STATES TO PROMOTE PUBLIC TRANSPORT This discussion is all pretty depressing. But might we make something of it? What about this as a group thinking exercise? By the numbers: 1. Let's for the moment pretend that the only world there is is the Global South. (We can leave the stupidity, incompetence and meanness of mind of the ROW aside for the moment.) 2. And let's pretend that some huge proportion of the time that their transport policies and practices are truly misguided and as close as one might imagine to unsustainable, unfair - and we are speaking here of the reality of these policies, not their rhetoric. 3. And since we are at it, let's also suppose that there are policies and approaches which are known, proven, affordable (i.e., the 2010 sustainable transport reality) that they could be putting into service. But they are not doing it. 4. Now my question to the group. Are those responsible for taking the decisions not taking advantage of all that we have learned over these last two decades and could be doing in the interest of sustainability, justice and efficiency, because they are . . . 1. ___________: Ignorant (They simply do not know) 2. ___________: Stupid (But even if they did, they are not smart enough to figure it out) 3. ___________: Incompetent (Not up to the challenges) 4. ___________: Weak (They know what they should be doing but do not have the courage to take on the powerful interests that find the current arrangements pretty much to their taste) 5. ___________: On the take (I.e., are profiting from following the path present policies and investments, so why change?) 6. ___________: Hypocritical (Are culturally shaped so that they feel no discomfort by saying one thing while doing quite another) 7. ___________: Elitist (Find it perfectly natural that the lower classes should have lower lives) 8. ___________: Perverted (Possibly even take pleasure in the suffering of others.) 9. ___________: Other (please explain) 5. Check one or more and comment as you please. Now my personal guess is that there is a fair amount of 1, 2, and 3 flying around. That there are healthy doses of 5, 6, and 7. And I would hope that there is little of 8. Is this a fair picture? And if so, once we have it in our sights can it help us figure out what to do next? I look forward with interest to comments and clues. Eric Britton | WorldStreets.org | NewMobility.org | www.facebook.WorldStreets.org 8, rue Joseph Bara. 75006 Paris France | +331 7550 3788 | Skype: newmobility -----Original Message----- From: sustran-discuss-bounces+eric.britton=ecoplan.org@list.jca.apc.org [mailto:sustran-discuss-bounces+eric.britton=ecoplan.org@list.jca.apc.or g] On Behalf Of Rutul Joshi Sent: Tuesday, 15 June, 2010 16:23 To: joshua odeleye; Sustran-discuss@list.jca.apc.org Subject: [sustran] Re: JAIPAL REDDY URGES STATES TO PROMOTE PUBLIC TRANSPORT Dear Joshua, You are right. Whatever I said might be biased toward the Indian situation but the same concerns are seen everywhere in the Global South. Of course, we have great opportunities to learn from the Industrialised countries which have already walked on the paths of high motorisation. We can surely learn what not to do. But this would fulfil only a part of what we need to know. A little is known about number of transport issues in the Global south, especially the equity issues, how people survive in cities, how do the innovate - whether legal or not. Transport governance is also one such area which is not well-researched. For example, does anyone know how many authorities/agencies are responsible for some component of transport in Delhi alone? No wonder the city is in a mess! In short, a lot more is required to be known about our cities and we do not have enough time to explore. The climate clock is ticking. cheers, Rutul Phd Researcher, Centre for Transport and Society, University of the West of England, Bristol. ________________________________ From: joshua odeleye To: Sustran-discuss@list.jca.apc.org Sent: Tue, 15 June, 2010 12:45:32 PM Subject: [sustran] Re: JAIPALREDDY URGES STATES TO PROMOTE PUBLIC TRANSPORT Rutul has indeed presented the true state of urban transport planning in most countries in the Southern Hemisphere.The Indian picture painted by him/her, is a parallel practical situation of urban transport planning, institutional and policy issues in most countries in West Africa sub-region.This situation could be reverse, if authorities would be sincerely committed to bridging the existing knowledge gaps in transport sub-sectors in most countries of the South. Joshua Odeleye,Ph.D School of Transport Lagos State University P.M.B 0001 Festac,Ojo Lagos,Nigeria --- On Tue, 6/15/10, Rutul Joshi wrote: From: Rutul Joshi Subject: [sustran] Re: JAIPALREDDY URGES STATES TO PROMOTE PUBLIC TRANSPORT To: Sustran-discuss@list.jca.apc.org Date: Tuesday, June 15, 2010, 6:21 AM Hi Kanthi and others, Patience is a good word to calm people down. Probably, that is why in Indian traditions, someone invented the concept of 're-incarnation'. One can 'have patience' till you are born again! In India, we build metros but we forget all about integrated ticketing or physical integration with the buses/cycles or even walking. We build expensive paid parking lots and right outside, one can park on-street for free. We have cumbersome and expensive public transport (operations, ticketing, info) when it is much cheaper, easier and socially 'superior' to go by cars and motorbikes. We build big bus based projects and forget all about pedestrians and cyclists or the other buses which are running the city. We have expensive public infrastructure projects with something as basic as 'walkable' footpaths being absent. We build expensive flyovers for cheap cars, while rest of city struggles with basic water supply network. If we have nice newly-pedestrianised areas in the city, people wants to start charging it and of course, you can park a car for free outside. We create new transport authorities/companies to 'hide' the old ones or the bad ones. We have different agencies for planning the landuse, planing the transport, regulating vehicles, regulating building/roads, running the buses and deciding 'what-to-do' and they dont 'talk' to each other. We have sensible and sincere govt officials who unfortunatley are 'not allowed' to take decisions. We have lots of money and the right policy now but a little capacity at the local level to spend it in the right direction. Sorry if it sounds pessimistic but sometimes all optimism fade away... unless one believes in re-incarnation! Mr. Reddy heads the most difficult ministry. I sympathise with him! regards, Rutul Phd Researcher, Centre for Transport and Society, University of the West of England, Bristol. ________________________________ From: KanthiKannan To: Eric Britton ; Sustran-discuss@list.jca.apc.org Cc: CAF2 ; HasireUsiru Sent: Mon, 14 June, 2010 6:05:33 AM Subject: [sustran] Re: JAIPALREDDY URGES STATES TO PROMOTE PUBLIC TRANSPORT Mr. JaipalReddy needs to make such announcements and hence he makes them. That's all. We should not read much into these kinds of statements. In Hyderabad on an average weekly twice, we have people in authority discussing with activists like us and stating that what we are telling them makes a lot of sense but when asked about follow up / implementation the answer is "Have Patience" Regards KanthiKannan -----Original Message----- From: sustran-discuss-bounces+kanthikannan=gmail.com@list.jca.apc.org [mailto:sustran-discuss-bounces+kanthikannan=gmail.com@list.jca.apc.org] On Behalf Of Eric Britton Sent: 13 June 2010 23:39 To: Sustran-discuss@list.jca.apc.org Cc: 'CAF2'; 'HasireUsiru' Subject: [sustran] JAIPALREDDY URGES STATES TO PROMOTE PUBLIC TRANSPORT If I may, and without intending any disrespect at all, I have read this announcement several times and at the end of it do not feel particularly optimistic about the changes it seems to promise. But to be frank I simply do not know enough to take this statement to take it apart item by item. That said, I would be an interested reader for anyone with more direct knowledge and a balanced perspective to do just that for the group. It is my position that these statements need to be read very very carefully. Thank you. Eric Britton Ministry of Urban Development JAIPALREDDY URGES STATES TO PROMOTE PUBLIC TRANSPORT CONSULTATIVE COMMITTEE MEETING OF URBAN DEVELOPMENT MINISTRY HELD _____ 17:2 IST The Union Minister of Urban Development, ShriJaipal Reddy has said that his Ministry has advised the States to make adequate provision for dedicated path for the pedestrians and cycle-users wherever roads are being built or widened. Addressing the Parliamentary Consultative Committee attached to his Ministry here today, ShriReddy also informed that the Centre is giving funds to the States under Jawaharlal Nehru NationalUrban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) for the constrution of footpaths and dedicated cycle lanes. He said that two pilot research projects for the scientific management of cycle rickshaws have been sanctioned for Delhi and Chandigarh. He said that the States are also being advised to promote public transport by integrating all the modes of transport. The Centre has sanctioned Bus Rapid Transport System (BRTS) for nine cities namely, Ahemdabad, Rajkot, Surat, Indore, Bhopal, Pune- PimpriChinchwad, Vijaywada, Vishakhapatnam and Jaipur at a cost of Rs. 4770 crore besides providing finance for 15,620 low floor buses for the 61 cities across the country to improve the urban transport , the minister informed. ShriReddy said that the States have also been advised to amend by-laws to make mandatory parking space for all commercial and residential properties and to set up dedicated transport authority to manage the traffic and also to introduce "traffic Information Magament Control Centres (TIMCC) using ITS. He said that under the JNNURM, his Ministry provides funds for multi-level parking complexes and assistance for setting up ITS. Participating in the discussion, Members emphasised the need of inclusion of small cities also under JNNURM schemes as development of smaller towns would help decongest the big cities in the long run. Some Members also raised the issue of proper compensation to the families of workers who lost their lives while working at the Metro Projects. The Members of Parliament who attended the Meeting were : S/Shri C.M.Chang,Ramesh kumar, P. Kumar, RatanSingh, Sanjay Dina Patil, Prahlad V. Joshi, Shivakumar C. Udasi, HukumdeoNarayanYadav, B.K. Hariprasad, PenumalliMadhu and SurendraMotilal Patel, VilasMuttemwar and J.P. Agarwal. -------------------------------------------------------- To search the archives of sustran-discuss visit http://www.google.com/coop/cse?cx=014715651517519735401:ijjtzwbu_ss -------------------------------------------------------- If you get sustran-discuss via YAHOOGROUPS, please go to http://list.jca.apc.org/manage/listinfo/sustran-discuss to join the real sustran-discuss and get full membership rights. ================================================================ SUSTRAN-DISCUSS is a forum devoted to discussion of people-centred, equitable and sustainable transport with a focus on developing countries (the 'Global South'). From etts at indigo.ie Fri Jun 18 00:11:33 2010 From: etts at indigo.ie (Brendan Finn) Date: Thu, 17 Jun 2010 16:11:33 +0100 Subject: [sustran] Re: Transport governance is also one such area which is notwell-researched. In-Reply-To: <013301cb0c9c$699f7340$3cde59c0$@britton@ecoplan.org> References: <725977.15622.qm@web8405.mail.in.yahoo.com><895574.52995.qm@web112903.mail.gq1.yahoo.com> <013301cb0c9c$699f7340$3cde59c0$@britton@ecoplan.org> Message-ID: Dear Eric (and everyone else participating in this issue), I presume you are inviting us to expand the list and not just write off all decision-takers in Global South as corrupt or hapless wasters. I would suggest the following as additional possible reasons why some reasonably sincere and competent decision-takers and leaders are not visibly promoting and implementing sustainable transport options: a) The decision-taker for transport and urban development/management is relatively low down the political food chain. Primary decisions get taken higher up - e.g. by the President - and the room for maneouvre is seriously constrained. b) The primary fiscal and allocative decisions are imposed by Ministry of Finance, without proper (or any) consultation with the urban and transportation decision-takers. This can include awarding major road and metro concessions or PPPs based purely on market ideology (or backhanders), again leaving those tasked with urban and transportation decisions out of the loop and stuck with major projects they didn't support. c) Lack of (coherent) transport policy, or consensus among the political actors to establish such a policy (for all sorts of reasons), again leaving the urban and transportation decision-takers in a vacuum where every initiative gets played out according to factional interests. Without a permanent policy, concepts and programs cannot get "embedded" so that they can resist vested interests and survive change of government. d) Urban and transportation issues being made a 'political football', where initiatives get spiked purely for political advantage (e.g. national government party kills off initiatives of region/city, which is controlled by different political party). e) Lack of a regulatory framework within which pro-transit or pro-soft mode strategies can be implemented, managed or protected. f) Lack of institutions or institutional capacity to implement sustainable urban and transportation policities and programs. As with (e), on one hand this may lead to apathy and inertia after various efforts fall flat; on the other, the sincere decision-taker may put his/her energy into what has some chance of getting implemented, even if it is not a good sustainable approach. g) Sustained, and even malignant, opposition from sectors of the media which greatly constrains the room for maneouvre. At the extreme, this can even bring down the political and executive/authority supporters of sustainable urban and transport policies and projects. h) Lack of interest or support from the citizens. If the people want something else, there's a fine enough line between taking a bold initiative and foisting an unwanted thing on them. i) Program for change is longer than an electoral cycle. Urban/transport decision-takers might only be able to garner sufficient support among the many factions for just 1 or 2 significant actions throughout a government's lifetime, and not at all for any initiative that will have visible negative impacts but insufficient positives prior to the next election. Items (a) through (i) are not intended as excuses for the items (1) through (8) on your list. I guess in simple terms in your list the problem is the people themselves, in my list the problem is mostly the system within which decision-takers must work. I would be interested in hearing the views of others on this subject. With best wishes, Brendan. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Brendan Finn e-mail : etts@indigo.ie tel : +353.87.2530286 ----- Original Message ----- From: "Eric Britton" To: ; ; ; Sent: Tuesday, June 15, 2010 4:06 PM Subject: [sustran] Transport governance is also one such area which is notwell-researched. > Original subject here: JAIPAL REDDY URGES STATES TO PROMOTE PUBLIC TRANSPORT > > This discussion is all pretty depressing. But might we make something of it? > What about this as a group thinking exercise? By the numbers: > > 1. Let's for the moment pretend that the only world there is is the Global South. (We can leave the stupidity, incompetence and meanness of mind of the ROW aside for the moment.) > > 2. And let's pretend that some huge proportion of the time that their transport policies and practices are truly misguided and as close as one might imagine to unsustainable, unfair - and we are speaking here of the reality of these policies, not their rhetoric. > > 3. And since we are at it, let's also suppose that there are policies and approaches which are known, proven, affordable (i.e., the 2010 sustainable transport reality) that they could be putting into service. But > they are not doing it. > > 4. Now my question to the group. Are those responsible for taking the decisions not taking advantage of all that we have learned over these last two decades and could be doing in the interest of sustainability, justice and efficiency, because they are . . . > > > > 1. ___________: Ignorant (They simply do not know) > > 2. ___________: Stupid (But even if they did, they are not smart enough to figure it out) > > 3. ___________: Incompetent (Not up to the challenges) > > 4. ___________: Weak (They know what they should be doing but do not have the courage to take on the powerful interests that find the current arrangements pretty much to their taste) > > 5. ___________: On the take (I.e., are profiting from following the path present policies and investments, so why change?) > > 6. ___________: Hypocritical (Are culturally shaped so that they feel no discomfort by saying one thing while doing quite another) > > 7. ___________: Elitist (Find it perfectly natural that the lower classes should have lower lives) > > 8. ___________: Perverted (Possibly even take pleasure in the suffering of others.) > > 9. ___________: Other (please explain) > > > > 5. Check one or more and comment as you please. > > Now my personal guess is that there is a fair amount of 1, 2, and 3 flying around. That there are healthy doses of 5, 6, and 7. And I would hope that there is little of 8. > > Is this a fair picture? And if so, once we have it in our sights can it help us figure out what to do next? > > I look forward with interest to comments and clues. > > Eric Britton | WorldStreets.org | NewMobility.org | > www.facebook.WorldStreets.org > > 8, rue Joseph Bara. 75006 Paris France | +331 7550 3788 | Skype: newmobility > > > -----Original Message----- > From: sustran-discuss-bounces+eric.britton=ecoplan.org@list.jca.apc.org > [mailto:sustran-discuss-bounces+eric.britton=ecoplan.org@list.jca.apc.org] > On Behalf Of Rutul Joshi > Sent: Tuesday, 15 June, 2010 16:23 > To: joshua odeleye; Sustran-discuss@list.jca.apc.org > Subject: [sustran] Re: JAIPAL REDDY URGES STATES TO PROMOTE PUBLIC TRANSPORT > > Dear Joshua, > > You are right. Whatever I said might be biased toward the Indian situation but the same concerns are seen everywhere in the Global South. Of course, we have great opportunities to learn from the Industrialised countries which have already walked on the paths of high motorisation. We can surely learn what not to do. But this would fulfil only a part of what we need to know. > > A little is known about number of transport issues in the Global south, especially the equity issues, how people survive in cities, how do the innovate - whether legal or not. Transport governance is also one such area which is not well-researched. For example, does anyone know how many authorities/agencies are responsible for some component of transport in Delhi alone? No wonder the city is in a mess! In short, a lot more is required to be known about our cities and we do not have enough time to explore. The climate clock is ticking. > > cheers, > > Rutul > > Phd Researcher, > Centre for Transport and Society, > University of the West of England, > Bristol. > ________________________________ > > From: joshua odeleye > > To: Sustran-discuss@list.jca.apc.org > > Sent: Tue, 15 June, 2010 12:45:32 PM > > Subject: [sustran] Re: JAIPALREDDY URGES STATES TO PROMOTE PUBLIC TRANSPORT > > Rutul has indeed presented the true state of urban transport planning in most countries in the Southern Hemisphere.The Indian picture painted by him/her, is a parallel practical situation of urban transport planning, institutional and policy issues in most countries in West Africa sub-region.This situation could be reverse, if authorities would be sincerely committed to bridging the existing knowledge gaps in transport > sub-sectors in most countries of the South. > > Joshua Odeleye,Ph.D > School of Transport > Lagos State University > P.M.B 0001 Festac,Ojo > Lagos,Nigeria > > --- On Tue, 6/15/10, Rutul Joshi wrote: > > From: Rutul Joshi > Subject: [sustran] Re: JAIPALREDDY URGES STATES TO PROMOTE PUBLIC TRANSPORT > To: Sustran-discuss@list.jca.apc.org > Date: Tuesday, June 15, 2010, 6:21 AM > > Hi Kanthi and others, > > Patience is a good word to calm people down. Probably, that is why in Indian traditions, someone invented the concept of 're-incarnation'. One can 'have patience' till you are born again! > > In India, we build metros but we forget all about integrated ticketing or physical integration with the buses/cycles or even walking. We build expensive paid parking lots and right outside, one can park on-street for free. We have cumbersome and expensive public transport (operations, ticketing, info) when it is much cheaper, easier and socially 'superior' to go by cars and motorbikes. We build big bus based projects and forget all about pedestrians and cyclists or the other buses which are running the city. We have expensive public infrastructure projects with something as basic as 'walkable' footpaths being absent. We build expensive flyovers for cheap cars, while rest of city struggles with basic water supply network. If we have nice newly-pedestrianised areas in the city, people wants to start charging it and of course, you can park a car for free outside. > > We create new transport authorities/companies to 'hide' the old ones or the bad ones. We have different agencies for planning the landuse, planing the transport, regulating vehicles, regulating building/roads, running the buses and deciding 'what-to-do' and they dont 'talk' to each other. We have sensible and sincere govt officials who unfortunatley are 'not allowed' to take decisions. We have lots of money and the right policy now but a little capacity at the local level to spend it in the right direction. > > Sorry if it sounds pessimistic but sometimes all optimism fade away... unless one believes in re-incarnation! > > Mr. Reddy heads the most difficult ministry. I sympathise with him! > > regards, > > Rutul > > Phd Researcher, > Centre for Transport and Society, > University of the West of England, > Bristol. > > ________________________________ > From c_bradshaw at rogers.com Thu Jun 17 00:36:04 2010 From: c_bradshaw at rogers.com (Chris Bradshaw) Date: Wed, 16 Jun 2010 11:36:04 -0400 Subject: [sustran] Re: Transport governance is also one such area which isnotwell-researched. References: <46E2E1971BCEC1459149FBB1A4B4342C088F0E40@wricsex029330.WRI.CRM.Local> Message-ID: <000401cb0e30$589af340$0202a8c0@acer56fb35423d> I have been reading the works of Elinor Ostrom, this year's winner of the Nobel Prize for Economics. Ironically, she is a political scientist. But her ideas may help here. She studies CPRs, or Common Pool Resources, all in the natural domain: oceans, fish stocks, forests, rivers/streams. Her point is that localized goverance institutions do a better job than formal state/national/international ones removed from the interplay of the parties sharing the resources. Her writing, and that of a growing community of academics, touches on game theory, social-capital writings, economics (informal economies), and anthropology. But she doesn't look at 'modern' sharing, except for the 'knowledge commons' (publishing and the internet). But transportation -- and the continuous public right-of-way system that front on all properties -- is a shared space for human activity (along with a fair amount of activity of other species, e.g., road kill). The growth in demand for automobiles and the two-wheeled motorized units represent a break-down in the sharing of this most important spacial system. That these units are privately owned, vs. a pool of vehicles that are accessed only when needed (carsharing, bike-sharing, and even the new Peugeot "mu" system, just announced) makes it even worse, making parking of them as much or more of a problem for cities, as driving them. They become very inefficienty used, and their high ownership forces owners to use them more than necessary. And the accountability needed for safety has totally broken down, with drivers claiming a 'right to privacy' whenever technology is suggested as a measure/remedy. We need to think of our project as the rebuilding the commons of these rights-of-way. We need to focus on access not mobility, as the former focuses on the trip to _minimize_ of footprint of each; while mobility tries to _maximize_ the total units of distance traveled by each users, making speed a personal value that ruins the sharing that is natural to a commons. Before we point a finger at officials who we claim don't get it, we need to be better ourselves at getting to the basis of our task. It is not just that transportation has to be viewed as a single system, but at the way transportation coexists in these ROWs and the other functions that occur there, and are equally important for human ecology. I see a much stronger need for local governance units having a role in the utilization of the ROWs, and their natural bias toward satisfying short, slow trips, and transit for slightly longer ones. The history of transportation (a word that arrived with the nation-state and formal economics) is one of what Ostrom et al. call "coarser" scales of governance imposing their bias towards faster, more formal travel over the 'riff-raff' (their term) of local commerce/movement/access. Unfortunately, by discussing this at an international scale, we probably impose the 'coarse' scale onto our thinking. Chris Bradshaw Ottawa, Canada From paulbarter at nus.edu.sg Fri Jun 18 17:11:23 2010 From: paulbarter at nus.edu.sg (Paul Barter) Date: Fri, 18 Jun 2010 16:11:23 +0800 Subject: [sustran] Where are we to walk? Video from Pune, India Message-ID: <6F850E42E4589F45AE2799F34B645C36015E153A70@MBX06.stf.nus.edu.sg> Just how bad can walking environments get? Answer: Very bad, as demonstrated in the excellent 9 minute video, "Where are we to walk?", from Pune in Maharashtra, India. Watch it via: http://reinventingtransport.blogspot.com/2010/06/indias-years-of-walking-dangerously.html or http://www.parisar.org/activities/projects/63-film-on-state-of-pedestrian-facilities-in-pune.html Paul Paul A. Barter | Assistant Professor LKY School of Public Policy | National University of Singapore 469C Bukit Timah Road | Singapore 259772 Tel: +65-6516 3324 | Fax: +65-6778 1020 | paulbarter@nus.edu.sg http://www.spp.nus.edu.sg/Faculty_Paul_Barter.aspx | http://reinventingtransport.blogspot.com/ From eric.britton at ecoplan.org Fri Jun 18 17:12:37 2010 From: eric.britton at ecoplan.org (eric britton) Date: Fri, 18 Jun 2010 10:12:37 +0200 Subject: [sustran] Transport governance is also one such area which isnotwell-researched. In-Reply-To: <000401cb0e30$589af340$0202a8c0@acer56fb35423d> References: <46E2E1971BCEC1459149FBB1A4B4342C088F0E40@wricsex029330.WRI.CRM.Local> <000401cb0e30$589af340$0202a8c0@acer56fb35423d> Message-ID: <000801cb0ebe$05ba4660$112ed320$@britton@ecoplan.org> Thank you very much Dave and Chris for those fine comments. My role was simply to light a fire, and I would very much hope that others of you will pitch in. This is such an important subject, not so much for throwing rocks at hapless politicians and administrators, but far more important seeing perhaps a bit better what we can do to influence or create a better process of decision making and governance. And if some recent events in India were the immediate inspiration that got the ball rolling, we can easily find plenty of outrageous examples in other places, including of course in our own backyards. We get the quality of government that we create. So I hope there will be more commentary on this. I for one await it with real interest. Eric Britton Eric Britton | WorldStreets.org | NewMobility.org | www.facebook.WorldStreets.org 8, rue Joseph Bara. 75006 Paris France | +331 7550 3788 | Skype: newmobility From yanivbin at gmail.com Fri Jun 18 23:43:25 2010 From: yanivbin at gmail.com (Vinay Baindur) Date: Fri, 18 Jun 2010 20:13:25 +0530 Subject: [sustran] Parliamentary Committee on Transport, on the National Road Safety and Traffic Management Board Bill, 2010 In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Vinay Baindur Date: Fri, Jun 18, 2010 at 8:11 PM Subject: Parliamentary Committee on Transport, on the National Road Safety and Traffic Management Board Bill, 2010 *Standing Committee on Transport, Tourism and Culture invites suggestions on the* National Road Safety and Traffic Management Board Bill, 2010 The Committee has invited memoranda containing views/suggestions from individuals/organizations interested in the subject-matter of the Bill. Those desirous of submitting memoranda to the Committee may send their written memoranda, either in English or Hindi, to Shri Swaraji B., Joint Director, Rajya Sabha Secretariat, 141, First Floor, Parliament House Annexe, New Delhi- 110001. (Tel: 23035228 and Fax: 23013917) E-mail: swarabji.b@sansad.nic.in and rsc-tt@sansad.nic.in within fifteen days from the date of publication of this advertisement (June 10, 2010). Those who are willing to appear before the Committee for oral evidence besides submitting the memoranda may indicate so. However, the Committee's decision in this regard shall be final. The National Road Safety and Traffic Management Board Bill, 2010 SUMMARY - The National Road Safety and Traffic Management Board Bill, 2010 was introduced in the Lok Sabha on May 4, 2010 by the Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Shri Kamal Nath. The Bill was referred to the Standing Committee on Transport, Tourism and Culture, which is scheduled to submit its report within two months. - The Bill seeks to establish a National Road Safety and Traffic Management Board for the development and regulation of road safety, traffic management system and safety standards in highway design and construction. - The Board shall consist of a Chairperson and five members appointed by the central government on the recommendation of a Selection Committee. The term shall be five years. The Chairperson shall have professional knowledge of administration and road transport. Members shall have experience in road design, automobile engineering, accident investigation, traffic management and trauma care. - The functions of the Board include (a) recommending minimum standards for design, construction and maintenance of national highways, (b) recommending minimum standards for trauma and para-medical facilities for traffic related injuries on the national highway, and (c) conduct safety audits to monitor compliance with the standards notified by the central government. It shall also recommend minimum safety standards for manufacture of mechanically propelled vehicles and other types of vehicles, recommend minimum conditions of safety such as specifying the maximum load bearing and capacity limits, recommend standards for vehicular traffic on the national highways (speed lanes, right of way), conduct research on road safety and management, establish procedure for data collection, involve non-government organizations in promotion of road safety, and provide for special requirement of women, children and senior citizens. - The Board may constitute an Advisory Committee of a maximum of 31 members in order to represent the interests of road users, construction industry, transport industry, and automobile manufacturers. The Committee shall advise the Board on questions of policy, road safety, and protection of road users interest. - The National Road Safety and Traffic Management Fund shall be created by crediting one per cent of the cess on diesel and gasoline under the Central Road Fund Act, 2000; any grants and loans made by the central government; and any sum received by the Board from other sources to be prescribed by the central government. - Any person who fails to comply with the standards of design or construction of highway or mechanically propelled vehicles as notified by the central government shall be liable to a fine of upto Rs 10 lakh, with an additional penalty if the person continues to commit the offence. Any person who willfully fails to furnish information or furnishes false information shall be liable to be fined upto Rs 1,000 and an additional penalty on subsequent offence. - A court can take cognizance of an offence only on complaint made by the Board. Only a Chief Metropolitan Magistrate or a Chief Judicial Magistrate can try an offence under this Act. - The central government has the power to supersede the Board under prescribed conditions for a maximum period of six months. Kaushiki Sanyal May 24, 2010 From eric.britton at ecoplan.org Sat Jun 19 03:14:52 2010 From: eric.britton at ecoplan.org (eric britton) Date: Fri, 18 Jun 2010 20:14:52 +0200 Subject: [sustran] World Streets Monthly Poll: Is it art, or science Message-ID: <023001cb0f12$2d079250$8716b6f0$@britton@ecoplan.org> Transport Modelling: Is it art, or science Editor, World Streets | 18 June 2010 at 19:27 | Categories: New Mobility | URL: http://wp.me/psKUY-G4 Transportation modeling provides us with a means for examining different futures. But is it . . . science or art? Robert Bain asked this question to a British transport list (UTSG) last week and got some interesting responses which he has written up with a very nice analysis and commentary. He added to his invitation: [...] Read more of this post Add a comment to this post WordPress WordPress.com | Thanks for flying with WordPress! Manage Subscriptions | One-click Unsubscribe | Express yourself. Start a blog. Trouble clicking? Copy and paste this URL into your browser: http://subscribe.wordpress.com From alan at ourpeagreenboat.co.uk Sat Jun 19 00:37:36 2010 From: alan at ourpeagreenboat.co.uk (Alan P Howes) Date: Fri, 18 Jun 2010 19:37:36 +0400 Subject: [sustran] Re: Where are we to walk? Video from Pune, India In-Reply-To: <6F850E42E4589F45AE2799F34B645C36015E153A70@MBX06.stf.nus.edu.sg> References: <6F850E42E4589F45AE2799F34B645C36015E153A70@MBX06.stf.nus.edu.sg> Message-ID: <002101cb0efc$351e8090$9f5b81b0$@co.uk> A very good video of a very bad situation - thanks Paul. In my very limited experience of India (just Pune and Mumbai), Pune is unlikely to be uniquely bad - the problems in the video were very like those that infuriated me in Mumbai. Abu Dhabi, where I am at present, is different but probably no better. The sidewalks may, in many places, be wider - that just gives more parking space. And as to anyone trying to get about with a wheelchair - not a chance! Regards, Alan -- Alan P Howes Dunblane, Perthshire, Scotland UK email:?????????? alan@ourpeagreenboat.co.uk tel:?????????????? +44 (0)1786 822974 mobile UK:?? +44 (0)7952 464335 mobile UAE: +971 (0)50 153 5088 -----Original Message----- From: sustran-discuss-bounces+alan=ourpeagreenboat.co.uk@list.jca.apc.org [mailto:sustran-discuss-bounces+alan=ourpeagreenboat.co.uk@list.jca.apc.org] On Behalf Of Paul Barter Sent: 18 June 2010 12:11 To: sustran-discuss@list.jca.apc.org Subject: [sustran] Where are we to walk? Video from Pune, India Just how bad can walking environments get? Answer: Very bad, as demonstrated in the excellent 9 minute video, "Where are we to walk?", from Pune in Maharashtra, India. Watch it via: http://reinventingtransport.blogspot.com/2010/06/indias-years-of-walking-dan gerously.html or http://www.parisar.org/activities/projects/63-film-on-state-of-pedestrian-fa cilities-in-pune.html Paul Paul A. Barter | Assistant Professor LKY School of Public Policy | National University of Singapore 469C Bukit Timah Road | Singapore 259772 Tel: +65-6516 3324 | Fax: +65-6778 1020 | paulbarter@nus.edu.sg http://www.spp.nus.edu.sg/Faculty_Paul_Barter.aspx | http://reinventingtransport.blogspot.com/ -------------------------------------------------------- To search the archives of sustran-discuss visit http://www.google.com/coop/cse?cx=014715651517519735401:ijjtzwbu_ss -------------------------------------------------------- If you get sustran-discuss via YAHOOGROUPS, please go to http://list.jca.apc.org/manage/listinfo/sustran-discuss to join the real sustran-discuss and get full membership rights. ================================================================ SUSTRAN-DISCUSS is a forum devoted to discussion of people-centred, equitable and sustainable transport with a focus on developing countries (the 'Global South'). From yanivbin at gmail.com Fri Jun 18 23:41:09 2010 From: yanivbin at gmail.com (Vinay Baindur) Date: Fri, 18 Jun 2010 20:11:09 +0530 Subject: [sustran] Parliamentary Committee on Transport, on the National Road Safety and Traffic Management Board Bill, 2010 Message-ID: *Standing Committee on Transport, Tourism and Culture invites suggestions on the* National Road Safety and Traffic Management Board Bill, 2010 The Committee has invited memoranda containing views/suggestions from individuals/organizations interested in the subject-matter of the Bill. Those desirous of submitting memoranda to the Committee may send their written memoranda, either in English or Hindi, to Shri Swaraji B., Joint Director, Rajya Sabha Secretariat, 141, First Floor, Parliament House Annexe, New Delhi- 110001. (Tel: 23035228 and Fax: 23013917) E-mail: swarabji.b@sansad.nic.in and rsc-tt@sansad.nic.in within fifteen days from the date of publication of this advertisement (June 10, 2010). Those who are willing to appear before the Committee for oral evidence besides submitting the memoranda may indicate so. However, the Committee's decision in this regard shall be final. The National Road Safety and Traffic Management Board Bill, 2010 SUMMARY - The National Road Safety and Traffic Management Board Bill, 2010 was introduced in the Lok Sabha on May 4, 2010 by the Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Shri Kamal Nath. The Bill was referred to the Standing Committee on Transport, Tourism and Culture, which is scheduled to submit its report within two months. - The Bill seeks to establish a National Road Safety and Traffic Management Board for the development and regulation of road safety, traffic management system and safety standards in highway design and construction. - The Board shall consist of a Chairperson and five members appointed by the central government on the recommendation of a Selection Committee. The term shall be five years. The Chairperson shall have professional knowledge of administration and road transport. Members shall have experience in road design, automobile engineering, accident investigation, traffic management and trauma care. - The functions of the Board include (a) recommending minimum standards for design, construction and maintenance of national highways, (b) recommending minimum standards for trauma and para-medical facilities for traffic related injuries on the national highway, and (c) conduct safety audits to monitor compliance with the standards notified by the central government. It shall also recommend minimum safety standards for manufacture of mechanically propelled vehicles and other types of vehicles, recommend minimum conditions of safety such as specifying the maximum load bearing and capacity limits, recommend standards for vehicular traffic on the national highways (speed lanes, right of way), conduct research on road safety and management, establish procedure for data collection, involve non-government organizations in promotion of road safety, and provide for special requirement of women, children and senior citizens. - The Board may constitute an Advisory Committee of a maximum of 31 members in order to represent the interests of road users, construction industry, transport industry, and automobile manufacturers. The Committee shall advise the Board on questions of policy, road safety, and protection of road users interest. - The National Road Safety and Traffic Management Fund shall be created by crediting one per cent of the cess on diesel and gasoline under the Central Road Fund Act, 2000; any grants and loans made by the central government; and any sum received by the Board from other sources to be prescribed by the central government. - Any person who fails to comply with the standards of design or construction of highway or mechanically propelled vehicles as notified by the central government shall be liable to a fine of upto Rs 10 lakh, with an additional penalty if the person continues to commit the offence. Any person who willfully fails to furnish information or furnishes false information shall be liable to be fined upto Rs 1,000 and an additional penalty on subsequent offence. - A court can take cognizance of an offence only on complaint made by the Board. Only a Chief Metropolitan Magistrate or a Chief Judicial Magistrate can try an offence under this Act. - The central government has the power to supersede the Board under prescribed conditions for a maximum period of six months. Kaushiki Sanyal May 24, 2010 -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: THE NATIONAL ROAD SAFETY AND TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT BOARD 2010.pdf Type: application/pdf Size: 223312 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://list.jca.apc.org/public/sustran-discuss/attachments/20100618/631557af/THENATIONALROADSAFETYANDTRAFFICMANAGEMENTBOARD2010-0001.pdf From czegras at exchange.mit.edu Sun Jun 20 06:37:19 2010 From: czegras at exchange.mit.edu (Christopher Zegras) Date: Sat, 19 Jun 2010 17:37:19 -0400 Subject: [sustran] Low Carbon City, Low Carbon China: CPN 2010 Urbanization Summit Message-ID: <4C1D388F.4090103@exchange.mit.edu> Low Carbon City, Low Carbon China CPN 2010 Urbanization Summit June 21-24, 2010 Nanjing and Suzhou, China Dear All, The CPN 2010 is ready to welcome you to China for an exciting week! Thanks to the support from MIT and Chinese partners, we are able to open the CPN 2010 for free to all CPN members and MIT community! The CPN 2010 brings together scholars and professionals from two fields of inquiry: one on energy and low carbon technology and policy; the other on cities and urban development; and aims to examine China's low carbon development challenge in the context of her fast urbanization. The CPN 2010 has a rich set of programs, including Opening Ceremony and Plenary Conference, Low Carbon City Conference, Urban Housing Conference, CPN-ACSP Planning Education Seminar, Entrepreneurship and Innovation Ecosystem Seminar, Roundtables with local scholars, officials, and industrial leaders, Field trips in Nanjing, Changzhou and Suzhou, ...plus a number of socials and receptions All information on the programs and logistics is at http://chinaplanningnetwork.org/cpn2010/. The whole CPN organizing team welcome you to this year's CPN conference and look forward to meeting you in China. Best, Ming Guo, Zhan Guo, Larry Vale and Jinhua Zhao China Planning Network http://www.ChinaPlanningNetwork.org/ -- P. Christopher Zegras Ford Career Development Asst. Professor, Transportation& Urban Planning Dept. of Urban Studies& Planning | Massachusetts Institute of Tech. 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Room 10-403 | Cambridge, MA 02139 Tel: 617 452 2433 | Fax: 617 258 8081 | czegras@mit.edu http://web.mit.edu/czegras/www/ http://dusp.mit.edu/transportation From yanivbin at gmail.com Mon Jun 21 03:08:35 2010 From: yanivbin at gmail.com (Vinay Baindur) Date: Sun, 20 Jun 2010 23:38:35 +0530 Subject: [sustran] Implementation of Phase I of Delhi Metro Rail Performance audit Message-ID: FYI http://www.cag.gov.in/html/reports/commercial/2008_PA17com/contents.htm Union Audit Reports [ PSUs - Implementation of Phase I of Delhi Mass Rapid Transit System by Delhi Metro Rail Corporation Limited] (*Performance Audit - *Report-17 of 2008) 2006-2007 *Contents* *Preface * *Overview * *Highlights * *Recommendations **CHAPTER - I* Introduction *CHAPTER - II* *Coordination and Planning * *CHAPTER - III* *Selection of Technologies * *CHAPTER - IV**Contract Management **CHAPTER - V**Project Monitoring **CHAPTER - VI**Land ** Management **CHAPTER - VII**Conclusions * *Annexures * Glossary of Abbreviations From morten7an at yahoo.com Mon Jun 21 07:46:57 2010 From: morten7an at yahoo.com (Morten Lange) Date: Sun, 20 Jun 2010 15:46:57 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [sustran] Velo-City Global 2010 opening on Tuesday in Copenhagen Message-ID: <365820.73442.qm@web51007.mail.re2.yahoo.com> Hi, On Tuesday the Velo-City Global Conference opens in Copenhagen, and will last for 4 days. I can warmly recommend taking a look at the program and abstracts available at the web-site, www.velo-city2010.com I trust that also for people not attending the conference, the programme and abstracts can supply useful pointers to people working in interesting fields, regarding cycling and the South. There are several workshops focusing on the Global South's experience in cycle-promotion, as this is supposed to be the first Global Velo-City conference. ( But there have been some "predecessors", arranged by "another tribe" : VeloMondial.net ) Vandana Shiva, from India will deliver a plenary talk. Shiva holds a Phd in Physics, is an activist and receiver of the Right Livelihood Award ( the "Alternative Nobel price" ) for work for Indian farmers and biodiversity, amongst other things. In the programme presentation we are told : "Dr Shiva sees the bicycle as an instrument of democracy and as an essential element of green mobility." Other plenary speakers include former mayor of Bogota, Enrique Pe?alosa, that helped transform transportation in that city. In a workshop titled "Developing countries collaborating for the future", there will be presentations from ITDP Mexico and UNDP Kenya. The conference has 940 registered participants, in spite of the fact that only one year has passed since the Velo-City 2009 conference in Brussels. The participant come from from about 50 countries, the largest numbers coming from northern Europe and then the rest of the OECD, but also including from Souh-East Asia, India, China, Africa and Latin America. The strongest presence of the international press at the conference is French. Journalists from Le Monde and Radio France International are on the list of participants. -- Regards / Kvedja Morten Lange, Reykjav?k P.S. One serious threat to effective and really successful bicycle promotion and uptake in the South is scaremongering, victim blaming, and false helmet promotion ( the dangerisation of cycling ). And of course when you get helmet compulsion the situation gets even more difficult. All this on the background that no helmet compulsion or promotion regime to date can show any benefit for cyclists, even where helmet usage rose sharply and detailed data are available. ( See e.g. articles by Dorothy L. Robinson and links from the helmet policy area of the ECF web, linked below ) The ECF helmet group will distribute flyers and buttons at Velo-City Global 2010 titled "Ask me why I cycle without a helmet". See : http://ecf.com/3675_1 -- Regards / Kvedja Morten Lange, Reykjav?k From edelman at greenidea.eu Mon Jun 21 08:10:22 2010 From: edelman at greenidea.eu (Todd Edelman) Date: Mon, 21 Jun 2010 01:10:22 +0200 Subject: [sustran] Re: Velo-City Global 2010 opening on Tuesday in Copenhagen In-Reply-To: <365820.73442.qm@web51007.mail.re2.yahoo.com> References: <365820.73442.qm@web51007.mail.re2.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <4C1E9FDE.60200@greenidea.eu> Hi all, I will be blogging as much as possible from the event.... see www.greenidea.eu starting Tuesday the 22nd if all goes according to plan. I definitely plan to reflect on the "Global"ness of this event. - T On 06/21/2010 12:46 AM, Morten Lange wrote: > Hi, > > On Tuesday the Velo-City Global Conference opens in Copenhagen, and will last for 4 days. > > I can warmly recommend taking a look at the program and abstracts available at the web-site, www.velo-city2010.com > > I trust that also for people not attending the conference, the programme and abstracts can supply useful pointers to people working in interesting fields, regarding cycling and the South. > > There are several workshops focusing on the Global South's experience in cycle-promotion, as this is supposed to be the first Global Velo-City conference. ( But there have been some "predecessors", arranged by "another tribe" : VeloMondial.net ) > > Vandana Shiva, from India will deliver a plenary talk. Shiva holds a Phd in Physics, is an activist and receiver of the Right Livelihood Award ( the "Alternative Nobel price" ) for work for Indian farmers and biodiversity, amongst other things. In the programme presentation we are told : "Dr Shiva sees the bicycle as an instrument of democracy and as an essential element of green mobility." > > Other plenary speakers include former mayor of Bogota, Enrique Pe?alosa, that helped transform transportation in that city. > > In a workshop titled "Developing countries collaborating > for the future", there will be presentations from ITDP Mexico and UNDP Kenya. > > The conference has 940 registered participants, in spite of the fact that only one year has passed since the Velo-City 2009 conference in Brussels. The participant come from from about 50 countries, the largest numbers coming from northern Europe and then the rest of the OECD, but also including from Souh-East Asia, India, China, Africa and Latin America. > > The strongest presence of the international press at the conference is French. Journalists from Le Monde and Radio France International are on the list of participants. > > > -- > Regards / Kvedja > Morten Lange, Reykjav?k > > P.S. > > One serious threat to effective and really successful bicycle promotion and uptake in the South is scaremongering, victim blaming, and false helmet promotion ( the dangerisation of cycling ). > And of course when you get helmet compulsion the situation gets even more difficult. All this on the background that no helmet compulsion or promotion regime to date can show any benefit for cyclists, even where helmet usage rose sharply and detailed data are available. ( See e.g. articles by Dorothy L. Robinson and links from the helmet policy area of the ECF web, linked below ) > > The ECF helmet group will distribute flyers and buttons at Velo-City Global 2010 titled "Ask me why I cycle without a helmet". > See : http://ecf.com/3675_1 > > > -- > Regards / Kvedja > Morten Lange, Reykjav?k > > > > -------------------------------------------------------- > To search the archives of sustran-discuss visit > http://www.google.com/coop/cse?cx=014715651517519735401:ijjtzwbu_ss > > -------------------------------------------------------- > If you get sustran-discuss via YAHOOGROUPS, please go to http://list.jca.apc.org/manage/listinfo/sustran-discuss to join the real sustran-discuss and get full membership rights. > > ================================================================ > SUSTRAN-DISCUSS is a forum devoted to discussion of people-centred, equitable and sustainable transport with a focus on developing countries (the 'Global South'). > > -- Todd Edelman Green Idea Factory, a member of the OPENbike team Mobile: ++49(0)162 814 4081 Immobile: ++49(0)30 7554 0001 edelman@greenidea.eu www.greenidea.eu todd@openbike.se www.openbike.se Skype: toddedelman Urbanstr. 45 10967 Berlin Germany *** OPENbike - Share the Perfect Fit! From eric.britton at ecoplan.org Mon Jun 21 15:50:50 2010 From: eric.britton at ecoplan.org (eric britton) Date: Mon, 21 Jun 2010 08:50:50 +0200 Subject: [sustran] Velo-City Global 2010 Conference opens in Copenhagen Message-ID: <006e01cb110e$1a05e780$4e11b680$@britton@ecoplan.org> Velo-City Global 2010 Conference opens in Copenhagen Editor, World Streets | 21 June 2010 at 08:42 | Categories: New Mobility | URL: http://wp.me/psKUY-GL >From Morten Lange, Reykjav?k on his way to VeloCity 2010. On Tuesday the opens in Copenhagen, and will last for 4 days. I can warmly recommend taking a look at the program and abstracts available at the web-site, www.velo-city2010.com I trust that also for people not attending the conference, the programme and abstracts can supply [...] Read more of this post Add a comment to this post WordPress WordPress.com | Thanks for flying with WordPress! Manage Subscriptions | One-click Unsubscribe | Reach out to your own subscribers with WordPress.com. Trouble clicking? Copy and paste this URL into your browser: http://subscribe.wordpress.com From eric.britton at ecoplan.org Mon Jun 21 19:14:29 2010 From: eric.britton at ecoplan.org (eric britton) Date: Mon, 21 Jun 2010 12:14:29 +0200 Subject: [sustran] Why Africa Streets is necessary (via Africa Streets) Message-ID: <00e501cb112a$8f115ed0$ad341c70$@britton@ecoplan.org> Why Africa Streets is necessary (via Africa Streets) Editor, World Streets | 21 June 2010 at 11:43 | Categories: New Mobility | URL: http://wp.me/psKUY-H6 Here is a map showing the locations of the last eighty readers who checked into World Streets this morning. It is typical of what we see day after day in this collaborative international forum. Hmm. Where is Africa on this map? It would not be a big deal if either (a) the matters covered by [...] Read more of this post Add a comment to this post WordPress WordPress.com | Thanks for flying with WordPress! Manage Subscriptions | One-click Unsubscribe | Express yourself. Start a blog. Trouble clicking? Copy and paste this URL into your browser: http://subscribe.wordpress.com From carlosfpardo at gmail.com Tue Jun 22 04:14:53 2010 From: carlosfpardo at gmail.com (Carlosfelipe Pardo) Date: Mon, 21 Jun 2010 21:14:53 +0200 Subject: [sustran] Re: Transport governance is also one such area which is notwell-researched. In-Reply-To: References: <725977.15622.qm@web8405.mail.in.yahoo.com><895574.52995.qm@web112903.mail.gq1.yahoo.com> <013301cb0c9c$699f7340$3cde59c0$@britton@ecoplan.org> Message-ID: <4C1FBA2D.1030204@gmail.com> On the individual side, laziness can also be a factor... just wanting to keep the status quo because they know that changing it implies a significant increase in their workload makes Transport Secretaries do their best at arguing why they won't do the right thing. Once Pe?alosa told me that he had started TransMilenio in Bogot? on the Caracas avenue because that was the most difficult trunk line to convert and nobody else would have the guts to do it... I guess the exact opposite is what most policymakers and municipal transport staff feel... There are two other factors: - Citizens are generally very basic in their evaluations of a policymaker's mandate. - Citizens are generally too selfish to prefer the general to their individual wellbeing. Thus, they only want to see new roads and big tunnels or bridges but never higher charges for car use... so ordinary politicians will do their best to buy toys for the city and then show everyone what they "achieved"... i.e. they will always prefer the sexy train or the wide road rather than the parking pricing policy, public transport restructuring or responsible maintenance of the existing infrastructure. Best regards, Carlosfelipe Pardo On 17/06/2010 05:11 p.m., Brendan Finn wrote: > Dear Eric (and everyone else participating in this issue), > > I presume you are inviting us to expand the list and not just write off all decision-takers in Global South as corrupt or hapless wasters. I would suggest the following as additional possible reasons why some reasonably sincere and competent decision-takers and leaders are not visibly promoting and implementing sustainable transport options: > > a) The decision-taker for transport and urban development/management is relatively low down the political food chain. Primary decisions get taken higher up - e.g. by the President - and the room for maneouvre is seriously constrained. > > b) The primary fiscal and allocative decisions are imposed by Ministry of Finance, without proper (or any) consultation with the urban and transportation decision-takers. This can include awarding major road and metro concessions or PPPs based purely on market ideology (or backhanders), again leaving those tasked with urban and transportation decisions out of the loop and stuck with major projects they didn't support. > > c) Lack of (coherent) transport policy, or consensus among the political actors to establish such a policy (for all sorts of reasons), again leaving the urban and transportation decision-takers in a vacuum where every initiative gets played out according to factional interests. Without a permanent policy, concepts and programs cannot get "embedded" so that they can resist vested interests and survive change of government. > > d) Urban and transportation issues being made a 'political football', where initiatives get spiked purely for political advantage (e.g. national government party kills off initiatives of region/city, which is controlled by different political party). > > e) Lack of a regulatory framework within which pro-transit or pro-soft mode strategies can be implemented, managed or protected. > > f) Lack of institutions or institutional capacity to implement sustainable urban and transportation policities and programs. As with (e), on one hand this may lead to apathy and inertia after various efforts fall flat; on the other, the sincere decision-taker may put his/her energy into what has some chance of getting implemented, even if it is not a good sustainable approach. > > g) Sustained, and even malignant, opposition from sectors of the media which greatly constrains the room for maneouvre. At the extreme, this can even bring down the political and executive/authority supporters of sustainable urban and transport policies and projects. > > h) Lack of interest or support from the citizens. If the people want something else, there's a fine enough line between taking a bold initiative and foisting an unwanted thing on them. > > i) Program for change is longer than an electoral cycle. Urban/transport decision-takers might only be able to garner sufficient support among the many factions for just 1 or 2 significant actions throughout a government's lifetime, and not at all for any initiative that will have visible negative impacts but insufficient positives prior to the next election. > > Items (a) through (i) are not intended as excuses for the items (1) through (8) on your list. > > I guess in simple terms in your list the problem is the people themselves, in my list the problem is mostly the system within which decision-takers must work. > > I would be interested in hearing the views of others on this subject. > > With best wishes, > > > Brendan. > _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ > Brendan Finn e-mail : etts@indigo.ie tel : +353.87.2530286 > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Eric Britton" > To:;;; > Sent: Tuesday, June 15, 2010 4:06 PM > Subject: [sustran] Transport governance is also one such area which is notwell-researched. > > > >> Original subject here: JAIPAL REDDY URGES STATES TO PROMOTE PUBLIC TRANSPORT >> >> This discussion is all pretty depressing. But might we make something of it? >> What about this as a group thinking exercise? By the numbers: >> >> 1. Let's for the moment pretend that the only world there is is the Global South. (We can leave the stupidity, incompetence and meanness of mind of the ROW aside for the moment.) >> >> 2. And let's pretend that some huge proportion of the time that their transport policies and practices are truly misguided and as close as one might imagine to unsustainable, unfair - and we are speaking here of the reality of these policies, not their rhetoric. >> >> 3. And since we are at it, let's also suppose that there are policies and approaches which are known, proven, affordable (i.e., the 2010 sustainable transport reality) that they could be putting into service. But >> they are not doing it. >> >> 4. Now my question to the group. Are those responsible for taking the decisions not taking advantage of all that we have learned over these last two decades and could be doing in the interest of sustainability, justice and efficiency, because they are . . . >> >> >> >> 1. ___________: Ignorant (They simply do not know) >> >> 2. ___________: Stupid (But even if they did, they are not smart enough to figure it out) >> >> 3. ___________: Incompetent (Not up to the challenges) >> >> 4. ___________: Weak (They know what they should be doing but do not have the courage to take on the powerful interests that find the current arrangements pretty much to their taste) >> >> 5. ___________: On the take (I.e., are profiting from following the path present policies and investments, so why change?) >> >> 6. ___________: Hypocritical (Are culturally shaped so that they feel no discomfort by saying one thing while doing quite another) >> >> 7. ___________: Elitist (Find it perfectly natural that the lower classes should have lower lives) >> >> 8. ___________: Perverted (Possibly even take pleasure in the suffering of others.) >> >> 9. ___________: Other (please explain) >> >> >> >> 5. Check one or more and comment as you please. >> >> Now my personal guess is that there is a fair amount of 1, 2, and 3 flying around. That there are healthy doses of 5, 6, and 7. And I would hope that there is little of 8. >> >> Is this a fair picture? And if so, once we have it in our sights can it help us figure out what to do next? >> >> I look forward with interest to comments and clues. >> >> Eric Britton | WorldStreets.org | NewMobility.org | >> www.facebook.WorldStreets.org >> >> 8, rue Joseph Bara. 75006 Paris France | +331 7550 3788 | Skype: newmobility >> >> >> -----Original Message----- >> From: sustran-discuss-bounces+eric.britton=ecoplan.org@list.jca.apc.org >> [mailto:sustran-discuss-bounces+eric.britton=ecoplan.org@list.jca.apc.org] >> On Behalf Of Rutul Joshi >> Sent: Tuesday, 15 June, 2010 16:23 >> To: joshua odeleye; Sustran-discuss@list.jca.apc.org >> Subject: [sustran] Re: JAIPAL REDDY URGES STATES TO PROMOTE PUBLIC TRANSPORT >> >> Dear Joshua, >> >> You are right. Whatever I said might be biased toward the Indian situation but the same concerns are seen everywhere in the Global South. Of course, we have great opportunities to learn from the Industrialised countries which have already walked on the paths of high motorisation. We can surely learn what not to do. But this would fulfil only a part of what we need to know. >> >> A little is known about number of transport issues in the Global south, especially the equity issues, how people survive in cities, how do the innovate - whether legal or not. Transport governance is also one such area which is not well-researched. For example, does anyone know how many authorities/agencies are responsible for some component of transport in Delhi alone? No wonder the city is in a mess! In short, a lot more is required to be known about our cities and we do not have enough time to explore. The climate clock is ticking. >> >> cheers, >> >> Rutul >> >> Phd Researcher, >> Centre for Transport and Society, >> University of the West of England, >> Bristol. >> ________________________________ >> >> From: joshua odeleye >> >> To: Sustran-discuss@list.jca.apc.org >> >> Sent: Tue, 15 June, 2010 12:45:32 PM >> >> Subject: [sustran] Re: JAIPALREDDY URGES STATES TO PROMOTE PUBLIC TRANSPORT >> >> Rutul has indeed presented the true state of urban transport planning in most countries in the Southern Hemisphere.The Indian picture painted by him/her, is a parallel practical situation of urban transport planning, institutional and policy issues in most countries in West Africa sub-region.This situation could be reverse, if authorities would be sincerely committed to bridging the existing knowledge gaps in transport >> sub-sectors in most countries of the South. >> >> Joshua Odeleye,Ph.D >> School of Transport >> Lagos State University >> P.M.B 0001 Festac,Ojo >> Lagos,Nigeria >> >> --- On Tue, 6/15/10, Rutul Joshi wrote: >> >> From: Rutul Joshi >> Subject: [sustran] Re: JAIPALREDDY URGES STATES TO PROMOTE PUBLIC TRANSPORT >> To: Sustran-discuss@list.jca.apc.org >> Date: Tuesday, June 15, 2010, 6:21 AM >> >> Hi Kanthi and others, >> >> Patience is a good word to calm people down. Probably, that is why in Indian traditions, someone invented the concept of 're-incarnation'. One can 'have patience' till you are born again! >> >> In India, we build metros but we forget all about integrated ticketing or physical integration with the buses/cycles or even walking. We build expensive paid parking lots and right outside, one can park on-street for free. We have cumbersome and expensive public transport (operations, ticketing, info) when it is much cheaper, easier and socially 'superior' to go by cars and motorbikes. We build big bus based projects and forget all about pedestrians and cyclists or the other buses which are running the city. We have expensive public infrastructure projects with something as basic as 'walkable' footpaths being absent. We build expensive flyovers for cheap cars, while rest of city struggles with basic water supply network. If we have nice newly-pedestrianised areas in the city, people wants to start charging it and of course, you can park a car for free outside. >> >> We create new transport authorities/companies to 'hide' the old ones or the bad ones. We have different agencies for planning the landuse, planing the transport, regulating vehicles, regulating building/roads, running the buses and deciding 'what-to-do' and they dont 'talk' to each other. We have sensible and sincere govt officials who unfortunatley are 'not allowed' to take decisions. We have lots of money and the right policy now but a little capacity at the local level to spend it in the right direction. >> >> Sorry if it sounds pessimistic but sometimes all optimism fade away... unless one believes in re-incarnation! >> >> Mr. Reddy heads the most difficult ministry. I sympathise with him! >> >> regards, >> >> Rutul >> >> Phd Researcher, >> Centre for Transport and Society, >> University of the West of England, >> Bristol. >> >> ________________________________ >> >> > -------------------------------------------------------- > To search the archives of sustran-discuss visit > http://www.google.com/coop/cse?cx=014715651517519735401:ijjtzwbu_ss > > -------------------------------------------------------- > If you get sustran-discuss via YAHOOGROUPS, please go to http://list.jca.apc.org/manage/listinfo/sustran-discuss to join the real sustran-discuss and get full membership rights. > > ================================================================ > SUSTRAN-DISCUSS is a forum devoted to discussion of people-centred, equitable and sustainable transport with a focus on developing countries (the 'Global South'). > > From eric.britton at ecoplan.org Tue Jun 22 19:42:37 2010 From: eric.britton at ecoplan.org (eric britton) Date: Tue, 22 Jun 2010 12:42:37 +0200 Subject: [sustran] Should public transport be free? Invitation to share your views on World Streets Message-ID: <00fe01cb11f7$aad19f90$0074deb0$@britton@ecoplan.org> Should public transport be free? Join in/Stay tuned. (via World Streets / Open Edition) Editor, World Streets | 22 June 2010 at 08:47 | Categories: Uncategorized | URL: http://wp.me/pXy5y-2D World Streets is pleased to announce publication in the weeks ahead of a series of articles and other media to investigate this idea in-depth in these pages. We would ask our readers to bear in mind that there is a great deal more to this idea, approach than may at first meet the eye. So [...] Read more of this post Add a comment to this post From eric.britton at ecoplan.org Wed Jun 23 15:36:21 2010 From: eric.britton at ecoplan.org (eric britton) Date: Wed, 23 Jun 2010 08:36:21 +0200 Subject: [sustran] The greenest thing about the budget was knotted around the Chancellor's neck Message-ID: <00ca01cb129e$676c88d0$36459a70$@britton@ecoplan.org> Strong environment reporting from the UK.(From the editor) While there have for years been examples of outstanding environmental reporting, including at times on matters related to sustainable transport as we define it here, this continues to be an area in which a great deal of progress is yet to be made. To move to sustainable transport and sustainable cities, we need to create a strong citizen consensus, a new mindset, which is a tough call since the issues and necessary remedial approaches tend to be quite complex and unfamiliar to many of us who are so accustomed to what we see out on the street every day and which effectively tends to freeze our minds. This good piece from yesterday's Daily Telegraph strikes this reader as a clear and useful contribution. But to appreciate what at uphill battle this is, in Britain at least, have a look at the reader comments at http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/geoffreylean/100044535/the-greenest-thing- about-the-budget-was-tied-around-the-chancellors-neck/#disqus_thread, And not only in Britain. It is clear that there is a great deal to be done to get out our message that it is entirely possible to have a better environment and conditions of life without spending more taxpayer money. We can perfectly well do the job working within the envelope of the available funding. But it does take brains and ability to organize and convince. Dear Readers . . . - - - The greenest thing about the budget was knotted around the Chancellor's neck - By Geoffrey Lean , The Telegraph, UK. June 22nd, 2010. (Geoffrey Lean is Britain's longest-serving environmental correspondent, having pioneered reporting on the subject almost 40 years ago.) - Source: http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/geoffreylean/100044535/the-greenest-thing- about-the-budget-was-tied-around-the-chancellors-neck/ Well, at least his tie was green. But George Osborne?s neckwear was much the most verdant part of the first budget from Britain?s ?greenest ever Government?, as the Prime Minister calls it, delivered by a man who, only a few months ago, was promising to make the Treasury ?a green ally, not a foe?. There was no sign of the ?major shift? towards green taxation both men were promising as they made their party electable again by embracing the environment. Indeed greenery took up all of 52 words in the Chancellor?s 57 page budget speech. Sure, there were a few, largely unnoticed, crumbs. The standard rate of the landfill tax ? one of Britain?s few green ones ? is to increase by ?8 a tonne annually for at least three years, while the aggregate levy is to go up by a full 10p a tonne this year. But as far as immediate measures go, that?s about it. And some of the cuts could do great harm. Research for the Campaign for Sustainable Transport, for example, found that the 25 per cent cuts expected from transport could cause the decimation of bus services, the withdrawal of many local train services outside London and 33 per cent fare rises for those that remain. And yet the Budget Red Book itself, in a short green section says that ?climate change is one of the most serious threats the world faces? and asserts ?the Government is committed to playing its part in moving to a low carbon economy.? There?s a few weasel words in that commitment, to be sure, but even ignoring them begs the question: ?Where?s the beef?? Mr Osborne effectively replies: ?Wait and see?. His promised green measures are postponed or to be ?assessed? or put out to ?consultation? ? among them the pledged Green Investment Bank, ?green financial products?, reform of the Climate Change Levy to produce a floor price for carbon, and unspecified energy market reforms. This is enough for the green investment manager, Climate Change Capital, which calls them ?an ambitious set of proposals for stimulating investment in the low carbon economy?. But others are much less enthusiastic. Green MP Caroline Lucas, says, predictably enough: ?I just think this Budget nails the lie to any idea that if you vote blue you get green. There was hardly a green shred anywhere.? The Environment Industries Commission, which had been ?optimistic that the Government would today lay the foundation for low carbon and sustainable economic growth? was left ?ruing a missed opportunity.? Will Osborne?s future Budgets be more environmentally friendly? Let?s hope so. But first the Chancellor will have to move the greenery from around his neck into that red Budget Box.