From yanivbin at gmail.com Wed Sep 3 02:54:02 2014 From: yanivbin at gmail.com (Vinay Baindur) Date: Tue, 2 Sep 2014 23:24:02 +0530 Subject: [sustran] Citizens' group demands BRTS report from Pune Municipal Corporation Message-ID: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/City/Pune/Citizens-group-demands-BRTS-report-from-Pune-Municipal-Corporation/articleshow/41384515.cms Citizens' group demands BRTS report from Pune Municipal Corporation TNN | Sep 1, 2014, 02.09AM IST PUNE: City-based Nagrik Chetna Manch has urged the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) to prepare detailed reports on all Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) projects in accordance with the JNNURM guidelines issued by the ministry of urban development. has demanded that for all Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) projects, the Pune Municipal Corporation should prepare detailed project reports in accordance with the JNNURM guidelines issued by the ministry of urban development. While the manch has sought the closure of the pilot BRTS, it has also demanded corrective measures for the 16km corridor between Alandi Road and Ahmednagar Road to ensure that it adheres to BRTS standards. Civic officials in charge of the BRTS corridor on the Alandi Road-Ahmednagar Road stretch had earlier this month alleged that there is no clear definition of BRTS and that the civic body looked at it as ?a dedicated bus corridor'. While the PMC has said bus operations can start as all the work has been completed, PMPML officials have raised concerns over the route's safety. They said in the absence of bus terminals on the two ends, the transport undertaking will not be able to run buses at a frequency of four minutes. "This, in turn, will lead to private vehicles entering the BRTS corridor," the officials added. The manch said that the civic body has failed in its communication campaign for the pilot BRTS. "NGOs have consistently urged the municipal commissioners to prepare a plan encompassing branding, marketing and education. The only campaign that became public was PMC's ?innovation' of the concept of ?mixed' BRTS, which became the laughing stock in the transportation fraternity the world over," said the group's president Maj Gen (retd) S C N Jatar and convener of its BRTS cell Qaneez Sukhrani. The pilot BRTS on the 17km stretch from Katraj to Hadapsar via Swargate, which was launched in December 2006, should be closed as there are no features of BRTS left on the stretch, the manch said. A total of Rs 130 crore has been spent on the route so far. The manch also cited the observations of the estimates committee report of the state government, which said that although BRTS was taken up as a pilot project, according to the information brought before the committee, work was done without prior planning for the number of commuters, precise locations for vehicle parking, bus stops at convenient places and the difficulty of availability of land space in the cantonment area. As a result, the inconvenience for the people increased, the committee report said. Why the concept failed * BRTS is a metro rail with buses instead of rail coaches, and roads for rail tracks. Additionally, it has cycle tracks and footpaths on both sides. In Pune, there are no continuous footpaths and cycle tracks along BRTS corridors * Exclusive continuous bus-ways, where buses travel in dedicated bus lanes. In Pune, exclusive bus-ways are not continuous * Pune is the only city in the world where the concept of ?mixed' BRTS was entertained. ?Mixed' in PMC's parlance means that all types of vehicles are allowed to ply on the stretches. * Pre-boarding fare collection and verification is essential if the service is to be ?rapid'. In Pune, there is no pre-boarding fare collection * Bus stations with nearby parking arrangements as well as digital display of bus timings, feeder and trunk connections are needed. Pune has only bus stops and no bus stations * Frequent service and fare-free integration between feeder services is another requirement. In Pune, the number of buses is not adequate, because of which buses are infrequent * Clean, comfortable and efficient low-floor buses that minimize boarding times, provide easier access for commuters with disabilities and proper traffic enforcement are also necessary * BRTS also needs a real-time passenger information system using an intelligent traffic management system From yanivbin at gmail.com Wed Sep 3 13:18:01 2014 From: yanivbin at gmail.com (Vinay Baindur) Date: Wed, 3 Sep 2014 09:48:01 +0530 Subject: [sustran] Maharashtra to seek citizens' say on Nagpur metro rail project Message-ID: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/City/Nagpur/Maharashtra-to-seek-citizens-say-on-metro-rail-project/articleshow/41549493.cms Maharashtra to seek citizens' say on metro rail projectAnjaya Anparthi ,TNN | Sep 3, 2014, 01.14 AM IST NAGPUR: The city's ambitious metro rail project will soon come up before the general public to elicit their views and objections. The state urban development department has prepared two notifications and will invite suggestions and objections on the two proposed corridors and increase in floor space index (FSI) to 4 for plots within 500 meter radius on each side of the two corridors. Meanwhile, the project's nodal agency Nagpur Improvement Trust (NIT) has sent a proposal to the state government to raise loan of 50% of total project cost from Japan-based Japan International Co-operation Agency (JICA). Nagpur Improvement Trust (NIT) chairman Pravin Darade, who has been instrumental in planning the project, told TOI two notifications will be issued in a day or two by the state urban development department. One is alignment notification and other transit oriented development (TOD) notification. Metro rail is proposed along two corridors, 19.65km from Automotive Square to MIHAN along Indora, KP, Sitabuldi, Khamla and Airport, and 18.55km from Prajapati Nagar to Lokmanya Nagar along Central Avenue, Sitabuldi, North Ambazari Road and Hingna Road. Citizens can submit suggestions and objections to these two corridors within 60 days from the notification. Similarly, there is a proposal to give 4 FSI on the two corridors and suggestions and objections will be invited from citizens for the changes in FSI. "Citizens can submit suggestions and objections at NIT office or with the government. Hearings of those submitting suggestions and objections will be conducted. Then the government will give final approval to the two proposals," he said. NIT superintending engineer SS Gujjalwar said process to raise loan of 50% of total project cost will begin with JICA after government approval. "Centre and state's share is 20% each and NMC and NIT's share is 5% each in the project. Remaining 50% will be raised through loan from JICA," he said. JICA provides technical and financial aid to developing countries to implement projects and it is one of the top financiers for Delhi metro rail project. Interestingly, NIT has considered the old project cost of Rs 8,680 crore approved by the central government, and not the revised cost of Rs 10,526 crore for the loan proposal. Darade said metro region project can be expedited once it gets the state government's approval. Meanwhile, the government has transferred Darade, who will be replaced by Aurangabad municipal commissioner Dr Harshdeep Kamble. *New plan to clean up Pili river* Pravin Darade revealed a project to reduce pollution level in Pili River. "NIT and Neeri have started the process to set up a project for treatment of sewage flowing in Pili river without any mechanized unit. Treated sewage water will be utilized in gardens and such purposes. It is a pilot project and would be implemented in different stretches of the river once it is successful," he said. Darade added that NIT also plans to treat sewage water in some stretches of Pili and Pora rivers by using mechanized units. "It will be small sewage treatment plants with latest technology consuming less land and requiring low investment," he said. From yanivbin at gmail.com Fri Sep 5 00:11:30 2014 From: yanivbin at gmail.com (Vinay Baindur) Date: Thu, 4 Sep 2014 20:41:30 +0530 Subject: [sustran] World Bank rider for pedestrian project Message-ID: http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/chennai/chen-infra/world-bank-rider-for-pedestrian-project/article6374240.ece World Bank rider for pedestrian project ALOYSIUS XAVIER LOPEZ The World Bank has told the Chennai Corporation that its funding of the pedestrian plaza at T. Nagar is conditional. It has advised the civic body to complete a study on environment and the social impact of the proposed pedestrianisation project in that area. The study by the Chennai Corporation is also expected to assess the impact of the project on ?reducing extreme poverty? and ?promoting shared prosperity?. The Rs.83-crore pedestrian plaza, part of the T. Nagar redevelopment proposal, had already been approved by the Corporation Council a few months ago. ?Funding for the project will not be approved without a proper study of the social and environmental aspects of such an innovative urban infrastructure project,? said officials. Work on commissioning the plaza with a commercial theme was expected to begin this month. But the requirement of a new study is likely to delay the project, they said. The plaza is likely to become operational by May next. The levels of pollution caused by traffic diversions, the increased number of visitors to T. Nagar, the rise in garbage collection and heightened commercial activity will also be assessed. *Displacement of hawkers and impact on their livelihood will be part of the study.* From yanivbin at gmail.com Mon Sep 8 18:42:12 2014 From: yanivbin at gmail.com (Vinay Baindur) Date: Mon, 8 Sep 2014 15:12:12 +0530 Subject: [sustran] To unclog Delhi, hop into a streetcar named strategy Message-ID: http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/newdelhi/to-unclog-delhi-hop-into-a-streetcar-named-strategy/article1-1261386.aspx To unclog Delhi, hop into a streetcar named strategyAtul Mathur and Sidhartha Roy , Hindustan Times New Delhi, September 08, 2014 First Published: 01:12 IST(8/9/2014) | Last Updated: 14:40 IST(8/9/2014) 'Fighting congestion by widening a road is like loosening your belt to fight obesity' - US-based traffic engineer Walter Kulash's observation about Orlando couldn't have been more appropriate for Delhi. To unclog the streets of Delhi, what we first need is an exhaustive and specific study to understand what clogs our roads. The city's top experts believe that instead of incremental and reactive measures such as building one flyover after another, what Delhi needs is a comprehensive transport policy. Hindustan Times has been running a month-long series 'Unclog Delhi' and as part of the campaign, we invited the top transport and planning experts of Delhi for a brainstorming session. One issue on which all experts agreed was the immediate need for a vision document for Delhi's transport planning and an umbrella body that could coordinate with the multitude of authorities to come up with an integrated transport plan. "Delhi doesn?t have a stated, comprehensive transport policy. It only has an operational plan prepared in 2003," said Nalin Sinha, Director, Initiative for Transportation and Development Programmes. Sinha said all transport-related initiatives in the city are taken in an ad hoc manner in the absence of a stated policy. AK Jain, former commissioner (planning), Delhi Development Authority, said that instead of a study of Delhi?s traffic demand management, short-term measures such as creating more flyovers and roundabouts are taken to deal with immediate problems. Sinha emphasised on the need for an umbrella body for transport planning. "In most cities with successful transport and traffic scenario such as New York and London, it is the municipality?s responsibility," he said. "In Delhi, the transport department reports to the government and is responsible for giving licenses, municipalities do not have time to handle anything beyond water and sewage, the DTC is autonomous, DDA does only land planning and PWD only builds roads and flyovers. Everyone passes the buck," he said. The experts also believe that instead of planning just the smooth movement of cars, transport planning should focus on the mobility of more people in a faster way. "There is no road designing in Delhi. Most roads have been designed just for motor vehicles," said AK Bhattacharjee, former director, Unified Traffic and Transportation Infrastructure (Planning & Engineering) Centre (UTTIPEC). He said that Delhi?s streets have been designed as highways, which lack all components to ensure equitable distribution of road space for all, including pedestrians and cyclists. ?Of the Rs. 3,500 crore budget for transport in Delhi, Rs. 2000 crore goes into building flyovers. What about other transport and road infrastructure?? he said. Strengthening Delhi?s public transport system and making it more seamless could help wean away people from private transport but what is required is proper last-mile connectivity, something the Delhi Metro sorely needs in spite of emerging as Delhi?s lifeline. [image: http://www.hindustantimes.com/Images/popup/2014/9/080914_metr-4b-gfx.gif] ?When you have a world-class Metro in Delhi, why can?t you invest in last-mile connectivity?? said Professor PK Sarkar, head of transport planning department, School of Planning and Architecture. ?Is flyover an essential requirement or do you have to see greater mobility?? he said. Dr Sewa Ram, Associate Professor, School of Planning and Architecture, said that the issue of feeder services for Metro has been completely neglected when that and auto rickshaws should be a part of a lay-out plan. ?There should be operational integration between different modes of public transport and fare integration on the principle of defined time, defined value. There is a need for a common mobility card,? he said. ?Ideally, one should spend two-third of the funds on the main route and one-third on the feeder service. What is happening is the opposite. People end up paying more on feeder services and less in Metro,? he said. ?Along Metro lines, traffic has gone up by 2-3% but away from Metro lines, traffic has seen a 9% growth rate. Mass transport has reduced traffic growth rate,? said Dr K Ravinder, senior scientist, Central Road Research Institute. Jain said that alternative modes of transport can be used to lessen the pressure on Delhi?s roads. One such way is energising the existing Ring Railway of the city. He also said that radical innovations, such as using Delhi?s canals, which measure about 350 km, as waterways can also be looked into. [image: http://www.hindustantimes.com/Images/popup/2014/9/080914_metr-4a.gif] From yanivbin at gmail.com Wed Sep 10 03:46:44 2014 From: yanivbin at gmail.com (Vinay Baindur) Date: Wed, 10 Sep 2014 00:16:44 +0530 Subject: [sustran] Let city bus ride on will & subsidy Message-ID: http://www.telegraphindia.com/1140903/jsp/jharkand/story_18794399.jsp *Let city bus ride on will & subsidy* - Development expert offers feasible routes to public transport revival in three urban centres A.S.R.P. MUKESH A smart city is made of smart people and a smarter administration. Ranchi?s new-found aspiration to hop on to Prime Minister Narendra Modi?s 100-smart-cities bandwagon may seem nothing more than a daydream after its four-year-old city bus service was grounded on Monday. That the beleaguered fleet went off road owing to fuel crunch is a classic example of how unmindful urban planning can mock a citizen?s fundamental right to an efficient public transport system. According to the regional director of the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP), Shreya Gadepalli, the biggest deterrent for public transport efficiency in Jharkhand, particularly its capital city, is lack of political support. *?You hear ministers announcing flyovers and monorails in Ranchi. Have you ever heard anything about a proper bus service or a holistic public transport? Never,? she said. ?Flyovers and monorails ? ambitious projects that feed on subsidies ? benefit only a certain section of people, not the masses who seek affordable transport. The government can rather consider giving subsidies for the city bus service,? she added.* ITDP, which works on efficient and environment-friendly transport system worldwide, did a pre-feasibility report for Ranchi two years ago on the behalf of the government. The report, submitted to the state urban development department, is gathering dust. ?We have had so many consultations with various stakeholders here. Everyone acknowledged problems flagged in our report and also our suggestions, but till date things haven?t moved. It is nothing but lack of genuine intent at the highest level,? Gadepalli said. *On Monday, city buses were grounded in both Ranchi and its ?mission cousin? Dhanbad. The 60-odd fleet joined another 50 city buses in Jamshedpur, where a petty dispute is holding public transport to ransom for weeks now.* A senior Ranchi Municipal Corporation (RMC) official, requesting anonymity, spilled home truths on why the civic guardian was shying away from city bus take-over from the Jharkhand Tourism Development Corporation (JTDC). ?The fleet of buses is in pathetic condition. Till the vehicles are repaired, we aren?t going to run them as our own. The three-month extension to JTDC is the time offered for the job. As far as an SPV (special purpose vehicle) is concerned, the government has to take a call,? he said. The JTDC, on the other hand, is happy playing ?victim? of a forced responsibility, which the state handed over to it through a cabinet decision in 2010 until permanent arrangements. The blunder was made four years ago, setting the stage for an unfortunate city bus show. Can Ranchi?s public transport be improved? Citing ITDP?s feasibility study, the regional director highlighted that private cars comprise only 3 per cent of total travel pattern in Ranchi every day. Auto-rickshaws stand at 40 per cent, two-wheelers at 20 per cent, cycles at 11 per cent, rickshaws at 3 per cent and buses at one per cent. The rest 22 per cent travel on foot. ?If you see the pattern, we have never really encouraged buses here while autos remain the transport lifeline. That is where the administration has failed. If you dig up records on government spending, you?ll see that not even one per cent has been spent on buses. In contrast, the government wants to invest several crores on flyovers and monorail,? she said, adding, ?We suggest a little over 1,000 mini-buses for Ranchi, which automatically will easy rush.? But where is the space? Won?t roads choke? ?Ranchi has over 10,000 autos, the major cause of traffic snarls. We recommend 10 per cent buses, which will offer multiple benefits, by cutting down on the three-wheeler. As far as livelihood of those associated with autos is concerned, make them stakeholders in the bus service in the form of managers, drivers and conductors. For this, a sort of joint venture or an SPV will be needed. It is very doable when every major city across the globe is focussing on public transport,? Gadepalli said. In a final takeaway, the senior ITDP official opposed privatisation of buses. ?Outsourcing in toto will backfire on public transport. Reason: the government would then end up becoming only a licensing authority while the private player will focus solely on profit. It will decide timing and routes of buses based on profit. In this race for more money, buses may become a serial killer like in Delhi. So, in a nutshell, it is very necessary for the government to acknowledge public transport as public service,? she signed off. From paulbarter at reinventingtransport.org Wed Sep 10 08:28:30 2014 From: paulbarter at reinventingtransport.org (Paul Barter) Date: Wed, 10 Sep 2014 07:28:30 +0800 Subject: [sustran] Re: Let city bus ride on will & subsidy In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: This snippet below from ITDP's Shreya Gadepalli (as cited in the article) highlights the amazing mode split in smallish Indian cities (Ranchi has almost 1 million people). As she says, good bus (or minibus) service obviously has huge potential. "Citing ITDP?s feasibility study, the regional director highlighted that private cars comprise only 3 per cent of total travel pattern in Ranchi every day. Auto-rickshaws stand at 40 per cent, two-wheelers at 20 per cent, cycles at 11 per cent, rickshaws at 3 per cent and buses at one per cent. The rest 22 per cent travel on foot." Wow! Cars only 3% and even motorcycles only 20%! Autorickshaws an astounding 40%! Yet the authorities want flyovers and monorail. How can we make well-organized bus/minibus service a more compelling and implementable idea? -- Paul Barter www.reinventingparking.org www.reinventingtransport.org http://lkyspp.nus.edu.sg/faculty/barter-paul/ On 10 September 2014 02:46, Vinay Baindur wrote: > http://www.telegraphindia.com/1140903/jsp/jharkand/story_18794399.jsp > > > > > > *Let city bus ride on will & subsidy* > > - Development expert offers feasible routes to public transport revival in > three urban centres > A.S.R.P. MUKESH > > > > A smart city is made of smart people and a smarter administration. > > > > Ranchi?s new-found aspiration to hop on to Prime Minister Narendra Modi?s > 100-smart-cities bandwagon may seem nothing more than a daydream after its > four-year-old city bus service was grounded on Monday. That the beleaguered > fleet went off road owing to fuel crunch is a classic example of how > unmindful urban planning can mock a citizen?s fundamental right to an > efficient public transport system. > > According to the regional director of the Institute for Transportation and > Development Policy (ITDP), Shreya Gadepalli, the biggest deterrent for > public transport efficiency in Jharkhand, particularly its capital city, is > lack of political support. > > *?You hear ministers announcing flyovers and monorails in Ranchi. Have you > ever heard anything about a proper bus service or a holistic public > transport? Never,? she said. ?Flyovers and monorails ? ambitious projects > that feed on subsidies ? benefit only a certain section of people, not the > masses who seek affordable transport. The government can rather consider > giving subsidies for the city bus service,? she added.* > > ITDP, which works on efficient and environment-friendly transport system > worldwide, did a pre-feasibility report for Ranchi two years ago on the > behalf of the government. The report, submitted to the state urban > development department, is gathering dust. > > ?We have had so many consultations with various stakeholders here. Everyone > acknowledged problems flagged in our report and also our suggestions, but > till date things haven?t moved. It is nothing but lack of genuine intent at > the highest level,? Gadepalli said. > > *On Monday, city buses were grounded in both Ranchi and its ?mission > cousin? Dhanbad. The 60-odd fleet joined another 50 city buses in > Jamshedpur, where a petty dispute is holding public transport to ransom for > weeks now.* > > A senior Ranchi Municipal Corporation (RMC) official, requesting anonymity, > spilled home truths on why the civic guardian was shying away from city bus > take-over from the Jharkhand Tourism Development Corporation (JTDC). > > ?The fleet of buses is in pathetic condition. Till the vehicles are > repaired, we aren?t going to run them as our own. The three-month extension > to JTDC is the time offered for the job. As far as an SPV (special purpose > vehicle) is concerned, the government has to take a call,? he said. > > The JTDC, on the other hand, is happy playing ?victim? of a forced > responsibility, which the state handed over to it through a cabinet > decision in 2010 until permanent arrangements. The blunder was made four > years ago, setting the stage for an unfortunate city bus show. > > Can Ranchi?s public transport be improved? > > Citing ITDP?s feasibility study, the regional director highlighted that > private cars comprise only 3 per cent of total travel pattern in Ranchi > every day. Auto-rickshaws stand at 40 per cent, two-wheelers at 20 per > cent, cycles at 11 per cent, rickshaws at 3 per cent and buses at one per > cent. The rest 22 per cent travel on foot. > > ?If you see the pattern, we have never really encouraged buses here while > autos remain the transport lifeline. That is where the administration has > failed. If you dig up records on government spending, you?ll see that not > even one per cent has been spent on buses. In contrast, the government > wants to invest several crores on flyovers and monorail,? she said, adding, > ?We suggest a little over 1,000 mini-buses for Ranchi, which automatically > will easy rush.? > > But where is the space? Won?t roads choke? > > ?Ranchi has over 10,000 autos, the major cause of traffic snarls. We > recommend 10 per cent buses, which will offer multiple benefits, by cutting > down on the three-wheeler. As far as livelihood of those associated with > autos is concerned, make them stakeholders in the bus service in the form > of managers, drivers and conductors. For this, a sort of joint venture or > an SPV will be needed. It is very doable when every major city across the > globe is focussing on public transport,? Gadepalli said. > > In a final takeaway, the senior ITDP official opposed privatisation of > buses. > > ?Outsourcing in toto will backfire on public transport. Reason: the > government would then end up becoming only a licensing authority while the > private player will focus solely on profit. It will decide timing and > routes of buses based on profit. In this race for more money, buses may > become a serial killer like in Delhi. So, in a nutshell, it is very > necessary for the government to acknowledge public transport as public > service,? she signed off. > -------------------------------------------------------- > To search the archives of sustran-discuss visit > http://www.google.com/coop/cse?cx=014715651517519735401:ijjtzwbu_ss > > ================================================================ > 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 madhav.g.badami at mcgill.ca Wed Sep 10 09:56:38 2014 From: madhav.g.badami at mcgill.ca (Madhav Badami, Prof.) Date: Wed, 10 Sep 2014 00:56:38 +0000 Subject: [sustran] Re: Let city bus ride on will & subsidy In-Reply-To: References: , Message-ID: <49232857A143A54AAD6D08E173ED3AB71BD837DC@EXMBX2010-6.campus.MCGILL.CA> Dear Paul (and Vinay), Greetings! The mode shares for buses and public transit generally become progressively lower as city size reduces, and indeed, personal motor vehicle shares are considerably higher than the national average in all but the largest Indian cities, as shown in the attached table I have extracted from a report prepared by Wilbur Smith for the Ministry of Urban Development back in 2008 (of course, I do not vouch for the data!) ... Your question is bang on ... how indeed can affordable bus/mini-bus services be made a viable option in the small and medium size cities. Amazingly, as Shreya points out, rather than trying to answer that question, the authorities would much rather look at needlessly hyper-expensive technological solutions. As for the desire for flyovers, monorail and metro systems: while there are situations in India in which such systems may be justified, that desire, regardless of context (city size, population, ability to pay, etc.), has little or no rational basis, as far as I am able to tell, and can, it seems to me, be explained only in psycho-analytic terms. Cheers, Madhav ************************************************************************ "To see what is in front of one's nose needs a constant struggle." -- George Orwell ?It is difficult to get a man to understand something, when his salary depends on his not understanding it.? -- Upton Sinclair Madhav G. Badami School of Urban Planning and McGill School of Environment McGill University Macdonald-Harrington Building 815 Sherbrooke Street West Montreal, QC, H3A 2K6, Canada Phone: 514-398-3183 (Work) Fax: 514-398-8376; 514-398-1643 URLs: www.mcgill.ca/urbanplanning www.mcgill.ca/mse e-mail: madhav.badami@mcgill.ca ________________________________________ From: sustran-discuss-bounces+madhav.g.badami=mcgill.ca@list.jca.apc.org [sustran-discuss-bounces+madhav.g.badami=mcgill.ca@list.jca.apc.org] on behalf of Paul Barter [paulbarter@reinventingtransport.org] Sent: 09 September 2014 19:28 To: sustran-discuss Subject: [sustran] Re: Let city bus ride on will & subsidy This snippet below from ITDP's Shreya Gadepalli (as cited in the article) highlights the amazing mode split in smallish Indian cities (Ranchi has almost 1 million people). As she says, good bus (or minibus) service obviously has huge potential. "Citing ITDP?s feasibility study, the regional director highlighted that private cars comprise only 3 per cent of total travel pattern in Ranchi every day. Auto-rickshaws stand at 40 per cent, two-wheelers at 20 per cent, cycles at 11 per cent, rickshaws at 3 per cent and buses at one per cent. The rest 22 per cent travel on foot." Wow! Cars only 3% and even motorcycles only 20%! Autorickshaws an astounding 40%! Yet the authorities want flyovers and monorail. How can we make well-organized bus/minibus service a more compelling and implementable idea? -- Paul Barter www.reinventingparking.org www.reinventingtransport.org http://lkyspp.nus.edu.sg/faculty/barter-paul/ On 10 September 2014 02:46, Vinay Baindur wrote: > http://www.telegraphindia.com/1140903/jsp/jharkand/story_18794399.jsp > > > > > > *Let city bus ride on will & subsidy* > > - Development expert offers feasible routes to public transport revival in > three urban centres > A.S.R.P. MUKESH > > > > A smart city is made of smart people and a smarter administration. > > > > Ranchi?s new-found aspiration to hop on to Prime Minister Narendra Modi?s > 100-smart-cities bandwagon may seem nothing more than a daydream after its > four-year-old city bus service was grounded on Monday. That the beleaguered > fleet went off road owing to fuel crunch is a classic example of how > unmindful urban planning can mock a citizen?s fundamental right to an > efficient public transport system. > > According to the regional director of the Institute for Transportation and > Development Policy (ITDP), Shreya Gadepalli, the biggest deterrent for > public transport efficiency in Jharkhand, particularly its capital city, is > lack of political support. > > *?You hear ministers announcing flyovers and monorails in Ranchi. Have you > ever heard anything about a proper bus service or a holistic public > transport? Never,? she said. ?Flyovers and monorails ? ambitious projects > that feed on subsidies ? benefit only a certain section of people, not the > masses who seek affordable transport. The government can rather consider > giving subsidies for the city bus service,? she added.* > > ITDP, which works on efficient and environment-friendly transport system > worldwide, did a pre-feasibility report for Ranchi two years ago on the > behalf of the government. The report, submitted to the state urban > development department, is gathering dust. > > ?We have had so many consultations with various stakeholders here. Everyone > acknowledged problems flagged in our report and also our suggestions, but > till date things haven?t moved. It is nothing but lack of genuine intent at > the highest level,? Gadepalli said. > > *On Monday, city buses were grounded in both Ranchi and its ?mission > cousin? Dhanbad. The 60-odd fleet joined another 50 city buses in > Jamshedpur, where a petty dispute is holding public transport to ransom for > weeks now.* > > A senior Ranchi Municipal Corporation (RMC) official, requesting anonymity, > spilled home truths on why the civic guardian was shying away from city bus > take-over from the Jharkhand Tourism Development Corporation (JTDC). > > ?The fleet of buses is in pathetic condition. Till the vehicles are > repaired, we aren?t going to run them as our own. The three-month extension > to JTDC is the time offered for the job. As far as an SPV (special purpose > vehicle) is concerned, the government has to take a call,? he said. > > The JTDC, on the other hand, is happy playing ?victim? of a forced > responsibility, which the state handed over to it through a cabinet > decision in 2010 until permanent arrangements. The blunder was made four > years ago, setting the stage for an unfortunate city bus show. > > Can Ranchi?s public transport be improved? > > Citing ITDP?s feasibility study, the regional director highlighted that > private cars comprise only 3 per cent of total travel pattern in Ranchi > every day. Auto-rickshaws stand at 40 per cent, two-wheelers at 20 per > cent, cycles at 11 per cent, rickshaws at 3 per cent and buses at one per > cent. The rest 22 per cent travel on foot. > > ?If you see the pattern, we have never really encouraged buses here while > autos remain the transport lifeline. That is where the administration has > failed. If you dig up records on government spending, you?ll see that not > even one per cent has been spent on buses. In contrast, the government > wants to invest several crores on flyovers and monorail,? she said, adding, > ?We suggest a little over 1,000 mini-buses for Ranchi, which automatically > will easy rush.? > > But where is the space? Won?t roads choke? > > ?Ranchi has over 10,000 autos, the major cause of traffic snarls. We > recommend 10 per cent buses, which will offer multiple benefits, by cutting > down on the three-wheeler. As far as livelihood of those associated with > autos is concerned, make them stakeholders in the bus service in the form > of managers, drivers and conductors. For this, a sort of joint venture or > an SPV will be needed. It is very doable when every major city across the > globe is focussing on public transport,? Gadepalli said. > > In a final takeaway, the senior ITDP official opposed privatisation of > buses. > > ?Outsourcing in toto will backfire on public transport. Reason: the > government would then end up becoming only a licensing authority while the > private player will focus solely on profit. It will decide timing and > routes of buses based on profit. In this race for more money, buses may > become a serial killer like in Delhi. So, in a nutshell, it is very > necessary for the government to acknowledge public transport as public > service,? she signed off. > -------------------------------------------------------- > To search the archives of sustran-discuss visit > http://www.google.com/coop/cse?cx=014715651517519735401:ijjtzwbu_ss > > ================================================================ > 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 ================================================================ SUSTRAN-DISCUSS is a forum devoted to discussion of people-centred, equitable and sustainable transport with a focus on developing countries (the 'Global South'). -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: Mode shares in Indian cities -- graphic.docx Type: application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document Size: 195947 bytes Desc: Mode shares in Indian cities -- graphic.docx Url : http://list.jca.apc.org/public/sustran-discuss/attachments/20140910/3aff5611/ModesharesinIndiancities--graphic-0001.bin From yanivbin at gmail.com Thu Sep 11 03:39:00 2014 From: yanivbin at gmail.com (Vinay Baindur) Date: Thu, 11 Sep 2014 00:09:00 +0530 Subject: [sustran] =?utf-8?Q?U=2EK=2E=E2=80=99s_Serious_Fraud_Office_bring?= =?utf-8?Q?s_formal_charges_in_Delhi_Metro_corruption_case?= Message-ID: http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/alstom-disguised-bribe-as-consultancy-fee/article6398241.ece *?Alstom disguised bribe as consultancy fee?* Ajai Sreevatsan U.K.?s Serious Fraud Office brings formal charges in Delhi Metro corruption case Britain?s leading fraud prosecutor on Tuesday brought corruption charges against Alstom UK for allegedly paying a bribe of over ?3 million to Delhi Metro Rail officials in 2001. In its submission to the Westminster Magistrates? Court, Britain?s Serious Fraud Office alleged that certain directors of Alstom ?did corruptly give or agree to give payments to an official or officials or other agents? of the DMRC to secure a contract for a Train Control, Signalling and Telecommunications System for the Delhi Metro Phase 1 (?SYS 1?). SYS1 was a major contract awarded at the infancy of the Delhi metro project and has subsequently helped Alstom bag similar contracts as the metro expanded. The company is also currently involved in the Chennai and Bangalore metro projects. According to the SFO, the bribes were disguised as payments in exchange for consultancy services. ?The sum of Rs. 19,895,000 disguised as payments in respect of a Consultancy Agreement with Indo European Ventures Pte Ltd dated 12th September 2001 and the sum of ?3,131,600 disguised as a payment in respect of a Consultancy Agreement with Global King Technology Ltd dated 3rd May 2002,? the charge reads. These payments, according to SFO, were intended to be ?inducements or rewards for showing favour to the Alstom Group in relation to the award? of the DMRC contract. The charges filed on Tuesday are part of a larger anti-corruption probe against Alstom for projects in Poland and Tunisia as well. Keywords: Alstom UK, corruption charges, consultancy fee, Alstom Group, DMRC contract, Delhi Metrol Rail From eric.bruun at aalto.fi Wed Sep 10 20:14:21 2014 From: eric.bruun at aalto.fi (Bruun Eric) Date: Wed, 10 Sep 2014 11:14:21 +0000 Subject: [sustran] Re: Let city bus ride on will & subsidy In-Reply-To: <30712_1410305391_540F8D6F_30712_19_1_CAN0+qzQXa+JXrOP4qiWeR25-A1Ec1o9vHFPDViS0pZm7M3SBwA@mail.gmail.com> References: , <30712_1410305391_540F8D6F_30712_19_1_CAN0+qzQXa+JXrOP4qiWeR25-A1Ec1o9vHFPDViS0pZm7M3SBwA@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: Paul To be blunt, the real problem is that the 3 percent who own cars are, in all likelihood, the same ones that have the political power and who set policy. Thus they have a conflict of interest between their own lifestyles and the public good. Eric ________________________________________ From: sustran-discuss-bounces+bruun=seas.upenn.edu@list.jca.apc.org [sustran-discuss-bounces+bruun=seas.upenn.edu@list.jca.apc.org] on behalf of Paul Barter [paulbarter@reinventingtransport.org] Sent: Wednesday, September 10, 2014 2:28 AM To: sustran-discuss Subject: [sustran] Re: Let city bus ride on will & subsidy This snippet below from ITDP's Shreya Gadepalli (as cited in the article) highlights the amazing mode split in smallish Indian cities (Ranchi has almost 1 million people). As she says, good bus (or minibus) service obviously has huge potential. "Citing ITDP?s feasibility study, the regional director highlighted that private cars comprise only 3 per cent of total travel pattern in Ranchi every day. Auto-rickshaws stand at 40 per cent, two-wheelers at 20 per cent, cycles at 11 per cent, rickshaws at 3 per cent and buses at one per cent. The rest 22 per cent travel on foot." Wow! Cars only 3% and even motorcycles only 20%! Autorickshaws an astounding 40%! Yet the authorities want flyovers and monorail. How can we make well-organized bus/minibus service a more compelling and implementable idea? -- Paul Barter www.reinventingparking.org www.reinventingtransport.org http://lkyspp.nus.edu.sg/faculty/barter-paul/ On 10 September 2014 02:46, Vinay Baindur wrote: > http://www.telegraphindia.com/1140903/jsp/jharkand/story_18794399.jsp > > > > > > *Let city bus ride on will & subsidy* > > - Development expert offers feasible routes to public transport revival in > three urban centres > A.S.R.P. MUKESH > > > > A smart city is made of smart people and a smarter administration. > > > > Ranchi?s new-found aspiration to hop on to Prime Minister Narendra Modi?s > 100-smart-cities bandwagon may seem nothing more than a daydream after its > four-year-old city bus service was grounded on Monday. That the beleaguered > fleet went off road owing to fuel crunch is a classic example of how > unmindful urban planning can mock a citizen?s fundamental right to an > efficient public transport system. > > According to the regional director of the Institute for Transportation and > Development Policy (ITDP), Shreya Gadepalli, the biggest deterrent for > public transport efficiency in Jharkhand, particularly its capital city, is > lack of political support. > > *?You hear ministers announcing flyovers and monorails in Ranchi. Have you > ever heard anything about a proper bus service or a holistic public > transport? Never,? she said. ?Flyovers and monorails ? ambitious projects > that feed on subsidies ? benefit only a certain section of people, not the > masses who seek affordable transport. The government can rather consider > giving subsidies for the city bus service,? she added.* > > ITDP, which works on efficient and environment-friendly transport system > worldwide, did a pre-feasibility report for Ranchi two years ago on the > behalf of the government. The report, submitted to the state urban > development department, is gathering dust. > > ?We have had so many consultations with various stakeholders here. Everyone > acknowledged problems flagged in our report and also our suggestions, but > till date things haven?t moved. It is nothing but lack of genuine intent at > the highest level,? Gadepalli said. > > *On Monday, city buses were grounded in both Ranchi and its ?mission > cousin? Dhanbad. The 60-odd fleet joined another 50 city buses in > Jamshedpur, where a petty dispute is holding public transport to ransom for > weeks now.* > > A senior Ranchi Municipal Corporation (RMC) official, requesting anonymity, > spilled home truths on why the civic guardian was shying away from city bus > take-over from the Jharkhand Tourism Development Corporation (JTDC). > > ?The fleet of buses is in pathetic condition. Till the vehicles are > repaired, we aren?t going to run them as our own. The three-month extension > to JTDC is the time offered for the job. As far as an SPV (special purpose > vehicle) is concerned, the government has to take a call,? he said. > > The JTDC, on the other hand, is happy playing ?victim? of a forced > responsibility, which the state handed over to it through a cabinet > decision in 2010 until permanent arrangements. The blunder was made four > years ago, setting the stage for an unfortunate city bus show. > > Can Ranchi?s public transport be improved? > > Citing ITDP?s feasibility study, the regional director highlighted that > private cars comprise only 3 per cent of total travel pattern in Ranchi > every day. Auto-rickshaws stand at 40 per cent, two-wheelers at 20 per > cent, cycles at 11 per cent, rickshaws at 3 per cent and buses at one per > cent. The rest 22 per cent travel on foot. > > ?If you see the pattern, we have never really encouraged buses here while > autos remain the transport lifeline. That is where the administration has > failed. If you dig up records on government spending, you?ll see that not > even one per cent has been spent on buses. In contrast, the government > wants to invest several crores on flyovers and monorail,? she said, adding, > ?We suggest a little over 1,000 mini-buses for Ranchi, which automatically > will easy rush.? > > But where is the space? Won?t roads choke? > > ?Ranchi has over 10,000 autos, the major cause of traffic snarls. We > recommend 10 per cent buses, which will offer multiple benefits, by cutting > down on the three-wheeler. As far as livelihood of those associated with > autos is concerned, make them stakeholders in the bus service in the form > of managers, drivers and conductors. For this, a sort of joint venture or > an SPV will be needed. It is very doable when every major city across the > globe is focussing on public transport,? Gadepalli said. > > In a final takeaway, the senior ITDP official opposed privatisation of > buses. > > ?Outsourcing in toto will backfire on public transport. Reason: the > government would then end up becoming only a licensing authority while the > private player will focus solely on profit. It will decide timing and > routes of buses based on profit. In this race for more money, buses may > become a serial killer like in Delhi. So, in a nutshell, it is very > necessary for the government to acknowledge public transport as public > service,? she signed off. > -------------------------------------------------------- > To search the archives of sustran-discuss visit > http://www.google.com/coop/cse?cx=014715651517519735401:ijjtzwbu_ss > > ================================================================ > 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 ================================================================ 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 litman at vtpi.org Thu Sep 11 14:20:56 2014 From: litman at vtpi.org (Todd Litman) Date: Wed, 10 Sep 2014 22:20:56 -0700 Subject: [sustran] VTPI Newsletter - Summer 2014 Message-ID: <084601cfcd80$35520770$9ff61650$@vtpi.org> ----------- VTPI NEWS ----------- Victoria Transport Policy Institute "Efficiency - Equity - Clarity" ------------------------------------- Late Summer 2014 Vol. 14, No. 3 ----------------------------------- The Victoria Transport Policy Institute is an independent research organization dedicated to developing innovative solutions to transportation problems. The VTPI website (http://www.vtpi.org ) has many resources addressing a wide range of transport planning and policy issues. VTPI also provides consulting services. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ NEW VTPI DOCUMENTS ==================== "Evaluating Household Chauffeuring Burdens: Understanding Direct and Indirect Costs of Transporting Non-Drivers" (http://www.vtpi.org/chauffeuring.pdf ) Household chauffeuring refers to personal motor vehicle travel specifically made to transport independent non-drivers (people who could travel on their own if they had suitable travel options). This additional vehicle travel imposes various direct and indirect costs. This paper identifies factors that affect the amount of chauffeuring that occurs in a community. It develops a Chauffeuring Burden Index which can be used to quantify chauffeuring costs and therefore the savings and benefits of transport improvements that reduce chauffeuring burdens. This analysis indicates that in automobile dependent communities, chauffeuring costs often exceed congestion costs. Motorists often benefit from improved transport options which reduce their chauffeuring burdens, even if they do not use those options themselves. PUBLISHED ELSEWHERE =================== "Evaluating Public Transportation Local Funding Options" (http://tinyurl.com/okj4fn9 ). This article, published in the Journal of Public Transportation, evaluates 18 potential local public transportation funding options according to eight criteria. This is a somewhat larger set of options and more detailed and systematic evaluation than most previous studies. This study dis?covered no new options that are particularly cost-effective and easy to implement; each has disadvantages and constraints. As a result, its overall conclusion is that a variety of funding options should be used to help finance the local share of public transit improvements to ensure stability and distribute costs broadly. "How Transport Pricing Reforms Can Increase Road Safety" (http://www.vtpi.org/TIT-pricesafety.pdf ), TrafficInfraTech (www.trafficinfratech.com ), April-May 2014, pp. 68-71. This article investigates the traffic safety impacts of transportation pricing reforms, including higher fuel taxes, efficient road tolls and parking fees, distance-based pricing, and reduced transit fares. Research described in this report indicates that these reforms tend to reduce accident rates, but this benefit is often overlooked: pricing reform advocates seldom highlight traffic safety benefits and traffic safety experts seldom advocate pricing reforms. More comprehensive analysis of safety benefits can increase support for transport pricing reforms. "Multi-Modal School Transportation Planning: Part 1 and Part 2" (http://www.acefacilities.org/interactivelessons ), American Clearinghouse on Educational Facilities, by Todd Litman. These interactive lesson plans explore why and how to improve school walking and cycling access, and how to evaluate these benefits and communicate them to school decision-makers. "Testing The Housing And Transportation Affordability Index In A Developing World Context: A Sustainability Comparison Of Central And Suburban Districts In Qom, Iran" (http://tinyurl.com/lf84oy9 ), by Ali A. Isalou, Todd Litman and Behzad Shahmoradi. Housing affordability is an important policy goal. However, housing is not truly affordable if located in an inaccessible area with high transportation costs. In recent years researchers have developed analysis methods for measuring total housing and transportation costs for different locations within cities, called a Housing and Transportation (H+T) Affordability Index. This article, published in 'Transport Policy,' applies this analysis in Qom City, Iran. The results indicate that suburban-area households spend more than 57% of their income on housing and transport, significantly more than the 45% spent by central district households. This illustrates the feasibility of applying housing and transportation affordability analysis in developing country cities to help identify truly affordable and sustainable development. ?Evaluation of the Affordability Level of State-Sector Housing Built in Iran: Case Study of the Maskan-e-Mehr Project in Zanjan City,? Journal of Urban Planning and Development, Vol. 140 (http://dx.doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)UP.1943-5444.0000235 ), by Ali A Isalou, Todd Litman, Kayoumars Irandoost and Behzad Shahmoradi. This research uses a Housing and Transportation Affordability Index to evaluate overall affordability for lower-income households in Zanjan City, Iran. The study found that in automobile-dependent urban fringe locations, 71% of the families? income is spent on housing and transportation combined, much higher than the 45% considered affordable. "Congestion May Signify Better Productivity, Not Worse. Paradox: Planners Concentrate On Mobility, But Access To Places You Need To Be Is The Real Test" (http://tinyurl.com/qevvs8x ) This newspaper article by reporter Don Cayo summarizes research in "The Mobility-Productivity Paradox: Exploring The Negative Relationships Between Mobility and Economic Productivity" on surprising relationships between mobility and economic development ((http://t.co/yBHc7ClUte ). "Paradox: Congestion May Signify Better Accessibility and Economic Productivity" (http://www.planetizen.com/node/69933 ). Although transport planners consider traffic congestion economically harmful, economic productivity tends to increase with congestion and decline with increased road supply. This paradox can be explained by more nuanced analysis of accessibility. ?Can a city ever be traffic jam-free?? (http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20140611-can-we-ever-end-traffic-jams ). This BBC article investigates various ways to reduce traffic congestion. Although it focuses primarily on technical solutions, it quotes Todd Litman concerning planning reforms that improve space-efficient modes and encourage their use. Recent Planetizen Blogs (http://www.planetizen.com/blog/2394 ): "Introducing the Litman 'Chauffeuring Burden Index'" (http://www.planetizen.com/node/71030 ) "What is a 'House'? Critiquing the Demographia International Housing Affordability Survey" (http://www.planetizen.com/node/70829 ) "More Great Research Quantifying Smart Growth Benefits" (http://www.planetizen.com/node/70261 ) "Is Traffic Speed Compliance A Congestion Cost?" (http://www.planetizen.com/node/69378 ) "Responding to Transit Funding Criticism" (http://www.planetizen.com/node/69020 ) Let?s be friends. Todd Litman regularly posts on his Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/todd.litman ). Befriend him now! * * * * * BEEN THERE, DONE THAT ======================= "How and Why To Encourage More Efficient Transportation In Brazilian Cities" presented 3 September, S?o Paulo, Brazil, by the Instituto de Energia e Meio Ambiente (http://www.energiaeambiente.org.br ). Here is a local newspaper article: "Comfort Driver to Take Public Transportation: For Canadian expert, the user must have ?sense of dignity? on a bus." (http://tinyurl.com/l7t7tnm ). For more information on their innovative policies see, "New S?o Paulo Master Plan Promotes Sustainable Growth, Eliminates Parking Minimums Citywide" (http://tinyurl.com/pzunaq6 ) "Implementing Transit Oriented Development in Indian Cities - Learnings and Challenges" (http://tinyurl.com/mqc74y2 ), 7 August, Embarq India (www.embarqindia.org ). Transit Oriented Development (TOD) results in the creation of compact, walkable and liveable communities with access to amenities built around high quality mass transit stations. This webinar discussed how to implement TOD in Indian cities. "Moving to the Future: Envisioning Better Public Transit for Central Oregon" (http://tinyurl.com/mykz2ay ). This presentation for the Central Oregon Intergovernmental Council (http://coic2.org ) is part of a program to create a strategic vision for public transit development in that region. The following two papers were presented at the North American Travel Monitoring Exposition and Conference (http://tinyurl.com/n93xnz6 ), held July 2014 in Chicago, Illinois: "Toward More Comprehensive and Multimodal Transportation Performance Evaluation" (http://www.vtpi.org/comp_evaluation.pdf ). This presentation described ways to make transportation planning evaluation more comprehensive and multi-modal. Conventional transport planning is mobility-based, it assumes that the planning objective is to maximize travel speed, and evaluates transport system performance based primarily on motor vehicle travel conditions. A new paradigm recognizes that the ultimate goal of most transport activity is accessibility, which refers to people?s overall ability to reach desired services and activities. This new paradigm applies more comprehensive and multi-modal evaluation which expands the range of modes, objectives, impacts and options considered in the planning process. "Valuing and Improving Transportation-Related Data Programs: Report from 2013 TRB Sessions" (http://www.vtpi.org/TRB_data.pdf ). This presentation summarized the findings of 2013 Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting sessions on valuing and improving transportation-related data programs (programs that collect basic data used for transport policy, planning and research). It discusses the business case for expanding and improving data programs, puts data program costs into perspective with transport expenditures and economic impacts, describes examples of the data needed to address various transport planning issues, gives examples of existing transport data programs, describes problems and threats, discusses who should lead in data program strategic development, summarizes best practices, and provides conclusions and recommendations. * * * * * UPCOMING EVENTS ================== 2014 Integrated Conference of Better Air Quality and Environmentally Sustainable Transport in Asia, 19-21 November, Colombo, Sri Lanka (http://baq2014est.org ). Todd Litman will present an overview presentation and report at this Conference which bring together a thousand policymakers, technical experts, practitioners and industry leaders from around the region to identify policies and strategies to improve transport, economic development and environmental quality. Mr. Litman will be available for additional events in the region before or after this Conference ? contact him below if you have suggestions. Transportation for Sustainability ?International Conference (http://www.trb.org/Main/Blurbs/169154.aspx ), 7-8 May 2015, Washington, D.C. This conference will explore transportation and sustainability issues. The program will include technical discussions on sustainable practices and interactive sustainability problem-solving, and feature a plenary session that will likely include senior level policy makers, corporate executives, and leading subject matter experts. Submit presentation and poster abstracts by October 15, 2014. * * * * * USEFUL RESOURCES ================= "Family-Friendly Cities" (http://daily.sightline.org/blog_series/family-friendly-cities ). This Sightline series explores ways to create more child-friendly cities, including affordable housing sized for families, supportive zoning laws, central city public schools, streets that are safe for unsteady toddlers, buses that accommodate strollers, and communal spaces for parents and their kids. "Istanbul: An Accessable City ? A City For People" (http://tinyurl.com/kycj5n2 ). Istanbul?s Historic district is a UNESCO World Heritage Site with unique cultural features and extraordinary beauty, a major tourist destination and home to tens of thousands of residents. However, it currently suffers from poor walking, cycling and public transit infrastructure, excessive automobile traffic and parked cars filling its ancient streets. This study by Gehl Architects for EMBARQ Turkey provides detailed analysis of current conditions and specific recommendations for creating a more livable, sustainable, and economically successful city. It is a beautiful document which could serve as a model for community planning in other cities. "Multimodal System Design Guidelines" (http://tinyurl.com/np85v86 ). This new resource by the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation provides guidance on Multimodal System Planning and identifies various design practices that help create corridors, neighborhoods and regions with diverse transport options. "Suburban Sprawl And Bad Transit Can Crush Opportunity For The Poor" (http://tinyurl.com/nzn48ty ). This article by Danielle Kurtzleben summarizes research indicating that improving public transit and more accessible community design tends to improve economic opportunities for disadvantaged residents. "URBNAFUL" (http://urbanful.org ). Part magazine, part marketplace, this website highlights great things happening in cities, and various design, technology and culture innovations that are changing how we live. "Next Stop Health: Transit Access and Health Inequities in Toronto" (http://tinyurl.com/kyzq3xc ). This report examines the health impacts of inadequate mobility options for physically and economically disadvantaged populations, disparities in public transit availability and affordability, and strategies to improve public transit access for lower-income residents in Toronto. "The Happy Commuter: A Comparison Of Commuter Satisfaction Across Modes" (http://tinyurl.com/otzkrvl ). This study investigates factors that affect commuter satisfaction. It finds that pedestrians, train commuters and cyclists are significantly more satisfied than drivers, metro and bus users. "Mayor of London?s Roads Task Force" (http://tinyurl.com/kkwnh8z ). This Task Force produced technical resources for designing and managing London?s streets to balance various economic, social and environmental goals, and an evaluation process to measure progress. "Cost-Benefit Analysis of Rural and Small Urban Transit" (http://tinyurl.com/mkgxpvo ). This study by the Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute provides a framework for evaluating the benefits of small urban and rural public transit systems. It uses sensitivity analysis to identify how these benefits vary if key variables are changed. The results indicate that, considering all impacts, rural and small town transit services often provide benefits that significantly exceed their costs. "Effect of Light-Rail Transit on Traffic in a Travel Corridor" (http://otrec.us/project/611 ). This study investigated the impacts Salt Lake City's University TRAX light-rail system. It found that after the LRT service began, traffic volumes on parallel roads declined significantly, providing reductions in traffic congestion, fuel consumption and pollution, and saved the University of Utah $23.6 million in avoided parking facility costs. "Trends in Transit-Oriented Development 2000?2010" (http://tinyurl.com/kwycc4p ) This study quantifies the growth in TODs in the U.S., analyzes the types of households residing there, and the impacts that TOD location has on household's travel activity. "Why Creating And Preserving Affordable Homes Near Transit Is A Highly Effective Climate Protection Strategy (http://tinyurl.com/pnf7u86 ). This study used detailed travel survey data to measure how demographic, geographic and economic factors affect household travel activity. It indicates that all households, particularly those with lower-incomes, tend to reduce vehicle ownership, travel and fuel consumption if located in transit-oriented neighborhoods. The Australian Bicycle Council (http://bicyclecouncil.com.au/research ) many excellent technical publications on bicycle planning and evaluation methods. "Nonmotorized Transportation Pilot Program: Continued Progress in Developing Walking and Bicycling Networks ? May 2014 Report" (http://tinyurl.com/qyxcpb7 ). This report summarizes the impacts of the Nonmotorized Transportation Pilot Program (NTPP). The four pilot communities experienced a 23% increase in walking trips and a 48% increase in bicycling trips, which reduced 85 million vehicle-miles traveled. "Practical Guidebook: Parking and Travel Demand Management Policies in Latin America" (http://tinyurl.com/jwuxelm ). This guidebook, produced by the Inter-American Development Bank evaluates numerous examples of parking and transportation demand management policies throughout the world, and their feasibility for implementation in Latin American cities. "SFpark Program Evaluation" (http://sfpark.org/about-the-project/pilot-evaluation ). San Francisco is testing more efficient on-street parking pricing, with higher rates at times and locations with congested parking. This evaluation indicates that these reforms reduced average parking rates, improved parking availability and motorists convenience, and reduced vehicle miles travelled and pollution emissions. "Performance Data for Comparing the World's Cities" (http://tinyurl.com/mhu9sn9 ). International standard ?ISO 37120? defines 46 indicators for evaluating urban performance, including several related to urban transport and land use planning. "The Global Commission on the Economy and Climate" (http://newclimateeconomy.net ) is a major new international initiative to provide independent and authoritative evidence on actions which can strengthen economic performance and reduce climate change risks. It will report in September 2014. "Fuel Price Policies Readling List, 2001-2014" (http://tinyurl.com/nd5h7sd ). This publication provides annotated references to various publications concerning fuel price policy analysis and reforms. "Climate-Smart Development: Adding Up The Benefits Of Actions That Help Build Prosperity, End Poverty And Combat Climate Change" ( http://tinyurl.com/lgr75hl ). This World Bank study evaluates the economic and social benefits of various climate change emission reduction strategies, and estimates their potential benefits if they were scaled up and applied worldwide. It concludes that these policies could reduce approximately 10% of the energy-related emission reductions necessary to achieve global emission reduction targets with a net savings of $169 per tonne. Metromile (https://www.metromile.com ) now offers pay-as-you-drive vehicle insurance, which bases insurance premiums directly on the amount a vehicle is driven each year, and so provides a substantial new incentive to reduce mileage. "The Future of Driving in Developing Countries" (http://tinyurl.com/pwulza2 ) and "Grow, Peak Or Plateau - The Outlook For Car Travel" (http://eprints.uwe.ac.uk/23277 ). These studies investigate various demographic and economic factors that affect future motor vehicle ownership and use. The analysis indicates that vehicle travel demand is reaching natural saturation levels in many countries. "Walk the Walk Literally" (http://youtu.be/24NvQKnfNfI ). This TEDxCairo Talk by Tarek Rakha, PhD Candidate, Department of Architecture, Massachusetts Institute of Technology discusses the importance of efficient and multi-modal transportation planning, particularly designing complete streets in developing country cities. He also emphasizes the need for geographically- and culturally-responsive planning. (Turn on the "Caption" button if you don?t speak Arabic). Well done, Tarek! * * * * * Please let us know if you have comments or questions about any information in this newsletter, or if you would like to be removed from our email list. And please pass this newsletter on to others who may find it useful. Sincerely, Todd Litman (litman@vtpi.org) Victoria Transport Policy Institute (www.vtpi.org) Office: 250-360-1560 | Mobile: 250-508-5150 1250 Rudlin Street, Victoria, BC, V8V 3R7, CANADA Efficiency - Equity - Clarity From pardo at despacio.org Thu Sep 11 20:03:05 2014 From: pardo at despacio.org (Carlosfelipe Pardo) Date: Thu, 11 Sep 2014 08:03:05 -0300 Subject: [sustran] Traffic pyramid - a discussion for Colombian urban transport policy Message-ID: Hi, We (various Colombian "transport people") are in the process of supporting the Colombian Ministry of Transport in formulating a new national urban transport policy. To date, the policy had only been formulated for public transport (this is why we have 8 BRTs etc etc funded up to 70% by National government) but the aim is to include Non motorized transport and travel demand management measures as part of a broader policy. This is a pretty good opportunity to improve things, especially since many Colombian cities cannot get national funding for NMT improvements because there is no law to support such funding (this is a big problem for small cities that have short trips and no infrastructure for cycling nor money to build it, for example). However, we have come to a discussion where some of us propose that non motorized transport should have priority over other modes, and others strongly reject that idea because they say (and I quote) that "*public transport is the ONLY mode that youth, old, men and women, abled and disabled, rich and poor can use, and is therefore the mode that is accessible to all*" (caps in original!). I for one find this a bit troubling and do not think that it should be an assumption of a national policy of urban transport that tries to include more modes... am I wrong, did I understand the traffic pyramid differently from what I should? I feel that I am pretty alone in this battle (Colombia is a very pro-public transport country, but not-so when it comes to cycling as a national policy). I would very much appreciate if anyone can *send along arguments and hard data that can support that cycling is also very accessible and should be a prioritary mode*, not just in traffic crossings but in policy. Otherwise, we'll just have a transport policy that is the same as before. Thanks for any support on this!! -- Carlosfelipe Pardo | Director Ejecutivo | despacio pardo@despacio.org Tel: (+571) 2484420 / Cel (+573) 21 343 3727 despacio.org From sutp at sutp.org Thu Sep 11 20:14:37 2014 From: sutp at sutp.org (sutp at sutp.org) Date: Thu, 11 Sep 2014 11:14:37 +0000 Subject: [sustran] =?utf-8?Q?SUTP_Newsletter=3A_Issue_04/14_=E2=80=93_JULY?= =?utf-8?Q?_-_AUGUST=2C____2014?= Message-ID: Dear All, Please find the attached document containing GIZ-SUTP Newsletter for the month of July-August, 2014. Best Wishes, SUTP-Team -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: NL-SUTP-July-August'14.pdf Type: application/octet-stream Size: 365562 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://list.jca.apc.org/public/sustran-discuss/attachments/20140911/21341ed2/NL-SUTP-July-August14-0001.bin From litman at vtpi.org Thu Sep 11 20:21:14 2014 From: litman at vtpi.org (Todd Litman) Date: Thu, 11 Sep 2014 04:21:14 -0700 Subject: [sustran] Re: Traffic pyramid - a discussion for Colombian urban transport policy In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <104201cfcdb2$7f8b1d90$7ea158b0$@vtpi.org> That is an interesting question. Of course, active and public transit travel are complements: they help each other. Almost all transit trips include active transport links, so improving walking and cycling conditions is often one of the best ways to improve and encourage public transit travel, and both are needed to create an urban transport system which provides a high level of accessibility and allows residents to reduce their vehicle ownership. I think it is best to promote "complete streets" policies which ensure that urban streets serve all users. See the following publications: ADUPC (2009), Abu Dhabi Urban Street Design Manual, Abu Dhabi Urban Planning Council (www.upc.gov.ae/en/Home.aspx); at www.upc.gov.ae/guidelines/urban-street-design-manual.aspx?lang=en-US. ADUPC (2013), Abu Dhabi Public Realm Design Manual, Abu Dhabi Urban Planning Council (www.upc.gov.ae/en/Home.aspx); at www.upc.gov.ae/prdm/index.asp. ABW (2014), Bicycling and Walking in the U.S.: Benchmarking Reports, Alliance for Biking & Walking, (www.peoplepoweredmovement.org); at www.peoplepoweredmovement.org/benchmarking. Alta Planning + Design (2005), Caltrans Pedestrian and Bicycle Facilities Technical Reference Guide: A Technical Reference and Technology Transfer Synthesis for Caltrans Planners and Engineers, California Department of Transportation (www.dot.ca.gov/hq/traffops/survey/pedestrian/TR_MAY0405.pdf). Todd Litman (2003), "Economic Value of Walkability," Transportation Research Record 1828, Transportation Research Board (www.trb.org), pp. 3-11; at www.vtpi.org/walkability.pdf. Todd Litman (2012), Evaluating Complete Streets: The Value of Designing Roads For Diverse Modes, Users and Activities, Victoria Transport Policy Institute (www.vtpi.org); at www.vtpi.org/compstr.pdf. Todd Litman (2011), Evaluating Active Transport Benefits and Costs: Guide to Valuing Walking and Cycling Improvements and Encouragement Programs, Victoria Transport Policy Institute (www.vtpi.org); at www.vtpi.org/nmt-tdm.pdf; originally published as "Bicycling and Transportation Demand Management," Transportation Research Record 1441, 1994, pp. 134-140. NACTO (2011), Urban Bikeway Design Guide, National Association of City Transportation Officials (www.nacto.org); at http://nacto.org/cities-for-cycling/design-guide. John Pucher, Jennifer Dill and Susan Handy (2010), "Infrastructure, Programs and Policies To Increase Bicycling: An International Review," Preventive Medicine, Vol. 48, No. 2, February; prepared for the Active Living By Design Program (www.activelivingbydesign.org); at http://policy.rutgers.edu/faculty/pucher/Pucher_Dill_Handy10.pdf. Sincerely, Todd Litman (litman@vtpi.org) Victoria Transport Policy Institute (www.vtpi.org) Office: 250-360-1560 | Mobile: 250-508-5150 1250 Rudlin Street, Victoria, BC, V8V 3R7, CANADA Efficiency - Equity - Clarity -----Original Message----- From: sustran-discuss-bounces+litman=vtpi.org@list.jca.apc.org [mailto:sustran-discuss-bounces+litman=vtpi.org@list.jca.apc.org] On Behalf Of Carlosfelipe Pardo Sent: September 11, 2014 4:03 AM To: Sustran-discuss@list.jca.apc.org Subject: [sustran] Traffic pyramid - a discussion for Colombian urban transport policy Hi, We (various Colombian "transport people") are in the process of supporting the Colombian Ministry of Transport in formulating a new national urban transport policy. To date, the policy had only been formulated for public transport (this is why we have 8 BRTs etc etc funded up to 70% by National government) but the aim is to include Non motorized transport and travel demand management measures as part of a broader policy. This is a pretty good opportunity to improve things, especially since many Colombian cities cannot get national funding for NMT improvements because there is no law to support such funding (this is a big problem for small cities that have short trips and no infrastructure for cycling nor money to build it, for example). However, we have come to a discussion where some of us propose that non motorized transport should have priority over other modes, and others strongly reject that idea because they say (and I quote) that "*public transport is the ONLY mode that youth, old, men and women, abled and disabled, rich and poor can use, and is therefore the mode that is accessible to all*" (caps in original!). I for one find this a bit troubling and do not think that it should be an assumption of a national policy of urban transport that tries to include more modes... am I wrong, did I understand the traffic pyramid differently from what I should? I feel that I am pretty alone in this battle (Colombia is a very pro-public transport country, but not-so when it comes to cycling as a national policy). I would very much appreciate if anyone can *send along arguments and hard data that can support that cycling is also very accessible and should be a prioritary mode*, not just in traffic crossings but in policy. Otherwise, we'll just have a transport policy that is the same as before. Thanks for any support on this!! -- Carlosfelipe Pardo | Director Ejecutivo | despacio pardo@despacio.org Tel: (+571) 2484420 / Cel (+573) 21 343 3727 despacio.org -------------------------------------------------------- To search the archives of sustran-discuss visit http://www.google.com/coop/cse?cx=014715651517519735401:ijjtzwbu_ss ================================================================ 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 murali772 at gmail.com Thu Sep 11 20:40:03 2014 From: murali772 at gmail.com (Muralidhar Rao) Date: Thu, 11 Sep 2014 17:10:03 +0530 Subject: [sustran] towards smart public bus transport solutions Message-ID: Perhaps the drive by the centre to make cities smarter will finally get people thinking along such solutions for public bus transport services - http://praja.in/en/~bangalore/blog/murali772/2009/04/24/petition-cm-end-bmtcksrtc-monopoly#comment-36417 Muralidhar Rao On Thu, Sep 11, 2014 at 4:47 PM, wrote: > Send Sustran-discuss mailing list submissions to > sustran-discuss@list.jca.apc.org > > To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit > http://list.jca.apc.org/manage/listinfo/sustran-discuss > or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to > sustran-discuss-request@list.jca.apc.org > > You can reach the person managing the list at > sustran-discuss-owner@list.jca.apc.org > > When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than > "Re: Contents of Sustran-discuss digest..." > > ######################################################################## > Sustran-discuss Mailing List Digest > > IMPORTANT NOTE: When replying please do not include the whole digest in > your reply - just include the relevant part of the specific message that > you are responding to. Many thanks. > > About this mailing list see: > http://list.jca.apc.org/manage/listinfo/sustran-discuss > ######################################################################## > > > Today's Topics: > > 1. VTPI Newsletter - Summer 2014 (Todd Litman) > 2. Traffic pyramid - a discussion for Colombian urban transport > policy (Carlosfelipe Pardo) > 3. SUTP Newsletter: Issue 04/14 ? JULY - AUGUST, 2014 > (sutp@sutp.org) > > > ---------- Forwarded message ---------- > From: Todd Litman > To: Todd Alexander Litman > Cc: > Date: Wed, 10 Sep 2014 22:20:56 -0700 > Subject: [sustran] VTPI Newsletter - Summer 2014 > ----------- > > VTPI NEWS > > ----------- > > Victoria Transport Policy Institute > > "Efficiency - Equity - Clarity" > > ------------------------------------- > > Late Summer 2014 Vol. 14, No. 3 > > ----------------------------------- > > The Victoria Transport Policy Institute is an independent research > organization dedicated to developing innovative solutions to transportation > problems. The VTPI website (http://www.vtpi.org ) has many resources > addressing a wide range of transport planning and policy issues. VTPI also > provides consulting services. > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > > > > NEW VTPI DOCUMENTS > > ==================== > > "Evaluating Household Chauffeuring Burdens: Understanding Direct and > Indirect Costs of Transporting Non-Drivers" > (http://www.vtpi.org/chauffeuring.pdf ) > > Household chauffeuring refers to personal motor vehicle travel specifically > made to transport independent non-drivers (people who could travel on their > own if they had suitable travel options). This additional vehicle travel > imposes various direct and indirect costs. This paper identifies factors > that affect the amount of chauffeuring that occurs in a community. It > develops a Chauffeuring Burden Index which can be used to quantify > chauffeuring costs and therefore the savings and benefits of transport > improvements that reduce chauffeuring burdens. This analysis indicates that > in automobile dependent communities, chauffeuring costs often exceed > congestion costs. Motorists often benefit from improved transport options > which reduce their chauffeuring burdens, even if they do not use those > options themselves. > > > > PUBLISHED ELSEWHERE > > =================== > > "Evaluating Public Transportation Local Funding Options" > (http://tinyurl.com/okj4fn9 ). > > This article, published in the Journal of Public Transportation, evaluates > 18 potential local public transportation funding options according to eight > criteria. This is a somewhat larger set of options and more detailed and > systematic evaluation than most previous studies. This study dis?covered no > new options that are particularly cost-effective and easy to implement; > each > has disadvantages and constraints. As a result, its overall conclusion is > that a variety of funding options should be used to help finance the local > share of public transit improvements to ensure stability and distribute > costs broadly. > > > > "How Transport Pricing Reforms Can Increase Road Safety" > (http://www.vtpi.org/TIT-pricesafety.pdf ), TrafficInfraTech > (www.trafficinfratech.com ), April-May 2014, pp. 68-71. > > This article investigates the traffic safety impacts of transportation > pricing reforms, including higher fuel taxes, efficient road tolls and > parking fees, distance-based pricing, and reduced transit fares. Research > described in this report indicates that these reforms tend to reduce > accident rates, but this benefit is often overlooked: pricing reform > advocates seldom highlight traffic safety benefits and traffic safety > experts seldom advocate pricing reforms. More comprehensive analysis of > safety benefits can increase support for transport pricing reforms. > > > > "Multi-Modal School Transportation Planning: Part 1 and Part 2" > (http://www.acefacilities.org/interactivelessons ), American Clearinghouse > on Educational Facilities, by Todd Litman. These interactive lesson plans > explore why and how to improve school walking and cycling access, and how > to > evaluate these benefits and communicate them to school decision-makers. > > > > "Testing The Housing And Transportation Affordability Index In A Developing > World Context: A Sustainability Comparison Of Central And Suburban > Districts > In Qom, Iran" (http://tinyurl.com/lf84oy9 ), by Ali A. Isalou, Todd Litman > and Behzad Shahmoradi. > > Housing affordability is an important policy goal. However, housing is not > truly affordable if located in an inaccessible area with high > transportation > costs. In recent years researchers have developed analysis methods for > measuring total housing and transportation costs for different locations > within cities, called a Housing and Transportation (H+T) Affordability > Index. This article, published in 'Transport Policy,' applies this analysis > in Qom City, Iran. The results indicate that suburban-area households spend > more than 57% of their income on housing and transport, significantly more > than the 45% spent by central district households. This illustrates the > feasibility of applying housing and transportation affordability analysis > in > developing country cities to help identify truly affordable and sustainable > development. > > > > ?Evaluation of the Affordability Level of State-Sector Housing Built in > Iran: Case Study of the Maskan-e-Mehr Project in Zanjan City,? Journal of > Urban Planning and Development, Vol. 140 > (http://dx.doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)UP.1943-5444.0000235 ), by Ali A Isalou, > Todd Litman, Kayoumars Irandoost and Behzad Shahmoradi. > > This research uses a Housing and Transportation Affordability Index to > evaluate overall affordability for lower-income households in Zanjan City, > Iran. The study found that in automobile-dependent urban fringe locations, > 71% of the families? income is spent on housing and transportation > combined, > much higher than the 45% considered affordable. > > "Congestion May Signify Better Productivity, Not Worse. Paradox: Planners > Concentrate On Mobility, But Access To Places You Need To Be Is The Real > Test" (http://tinyurl.com/qevvs8x ) > > This newspaper article by reporter Don Cayo summarizes research in "The > Mobility-Productivity Paradox: Exploring The Negative Relationships Between > Mobility and Economic Productivity" on surprising relationships between > mobility and economic development ((http://t.co/yBHc7ClUte ). > > > > "Paradox: Congestion May Signify Better Accessibility and Economic > Productivity" (http://www.planetizen.com/node/69933 ). Although transport > planners consider traffic congestion economically harmful, economic > productivity tends to increase with congestion and decline with increased > road supply. This paradox can be explained by more nuanced analysis of > accessibility. > > > > ?Can a city ever be traffic jam-free?? > (http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20140611-can-we-ever-end-traffic-jams ). > > This BBC article investigates various ways to reduce traffic congestion. > Although it focuses primarily on technical solutions, it quotes Todd Litman > concerning planning reforms that improve space-efficient modes and > encourage > their use. > > > > Recent Planetizen Blogs (http://www.planetizen.com/blog/2394 ): > > "Introducing the Litman 'Chauffeuring Burden Index'" > (http://www.planetizen.com/node/71030 ) > > "What is a 'House'? Critiquing the Demographia International Housing > Affordability Survey" (http://www.planetizen.com/node/70829 ) > > "More Great Research Quantifying Smart Growth Benefits" > (http://www.planetizen.com/node/70261 ) > > "Is Traffic Speed Compliance A Congestion Cost?" > (http://www.planetizen.com/node/69378 ) > > "Responding to Transit Funding Criticism" > (http://www.planetizen.com/node/69020 ) > > > > Let?s be friends. Todd Litman regularly posts on his Facebook page > (http://www.facebook.com/todd.litman ). Befriend him now! > > * * * * * > > > > BEEN THERE, DONE THAT > > ======================= > > "How and Why To Encourage More Efficient Transportation In Brazilian > Cities" > presented 3 September, S?o Paulo, Brazil, by the Instituto de Energia e > Meio > Ambiente (http://www.energiaeambiente.org.br ). > > Here is a local newspaper article: "Comfort Driver to Take Public > Transportation: For Canadian expert, the user must have ?sense of dignity? > on a bus." (http://tinyurl.com/l7t7tnm ). For more information on their > innovative policies see, "New S?o Paulo Master Plan Promotes Sustainable > Growth, Eliminates Parking Minimums Citywide" (http://tinyurl.com/pzunaq6 > ) > > > > "Implementing Transit Oriented Development in Indian Cities - Learnings and > Challenges" (http://tinyurl.com/mqc74y2 ), 7 August, Embarq India > (www.embarqindia.org ). > > Transit Oriented Development (TOD) results in the creation of compact, > walkable and liveable communities with access to amenities built around > high > quality mass transit stations. This webinar discussed how to implement TOD > in Indian cities. > > > > "Moving to the Future: Envisioning Better Public Transit for Central > Oregon" > (http://tinyurl.com/mykz2ay ). This presentation for the Central Oregon > Intergovernmental Council (http://coic2.org ) is part of a program to > create > a strategic vision for public transit development in that region. > > > > The following two papers were presented at the North American Travel > Monitoring Exposition and Conference (http://tinyurl.com/n93xnz6 ), held > July 2014 in Chicago, Illinois: > > > > "Toward More Comprehensive and Multimodal Transportation Performance > Evaluation" (http://www.vtpi.org/comp_evaluation.pdf ). This presentation > described ways to make transportation planning evaluation more > comprehensive > and multi-modal. Conventional transport planning is mobility-based, it > assumes that the planning objective is to maximize travel speed, and > evaluates transport system performance based primarily on motor vehicle > travel conditions. A new paradigm recognizes that the ultimate goal of most > transport activity is accessibility, which refers to people?s overall > ability to reach desired services and activities. This new paradigm applies > more comprehensive and multi-modal evaluation which expands the range of > modes, objectives, impacts and options considered in the planning process. > > > > "Valuing and Improving Transportation-Related Data Programs: Report from > 2013 TRB Sessions" (http://www.vtpi.org/TRB_data.pdf ). This presentation > summarized the findings of 2013 Transportation Research Board Annual > Meeting > sessions on valuing and improving transportation-related data programs > (programs that collect basic data used for transport policy, planning and > research). It discusses the business case for expanding and improving data > programs, puts data program costs into perspective with transport > expenditures and economic impacts, describes examples of the data needed to > address various transport planning issues, gives examples of existing > transport data programs, describes problems and threats, discusses who > should lead in data program strategic development, summarizes best > practices, and provides conclusions and recommendations. > > * * * * * > > > > UPCOMING EVENTS > > ================== > > 2014 Integrated Conference of Better Air Quality and Environmentally > Sustainable Transport in Asia, 19-21 November, Colombo, Sri Lanka > (http://baq2014est.org ). > > Todd Litman will present an overview presentation and report at this > Conference which bring together a thousand policymakers, technical experts, > practitioners and industry leaders from around the region to identify > policies and strategies to improve transport, economic development and > environmental quality. Mr. Litman will be available for additional events > in > the region before or after this Conference ? contact him below if you have > suggestions. > > > > Transportation for Sustainability ?International Conference > (http://www.trb.org/Main/Blurbs/169154.aspx ), 7-8 May 2015, Washington, > D.C. > > This conference will explore transportation and sustainability issues. The > program will include technical discussions on sustainable practices and > interactive sustainability problem-solving, and feature a plenary session > that will likely include senior level policy makers, corporate executives, > and leading subject matter experts. Submit presentation and poster > abstracts > by October 15, 2014. > > * * * * * > > > > USEFUL RESOURCES > > ================= > > "Family-Friendly Cities" > (http://daily.sightline.org/blog_series/family-friendly-cities ). This > Sightline series explores ways to create more child-friendly cities, > including affordable housing sized for families, supportive zoning laws, > central city public schools, streets that are safe for unsteady toddlers, > buses that accommodate strollers, and communal spaces for parents and their > kids. > > > > "Istanbul: An Accessable City ? A City For People" > (http://tinyurl.com/kycj5n2 ). Istanbul?s Historic district is a UNESCO > World Heritage Site with unique cultural features and extraordinary beauty, > a major tourist destination and home to tens of thousands of residents. > However, it currently suffers from poor walking, cycling and public transit > infrastructure, excessive automobile traffic and parked cars filling its > ancient streets. This study by Gehl Architects for EMBARQ Turkey provides > detailed analysis of current conditions and specific recommendations for > creating a more livable, sustainable, and economically successful city. It > is a beautiful document which could serve as a model for community planning > in other cities. > > > > "Multimodal System Design Guidelines" (http://tinyurl.com/np85v86 ). This > new resource by the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation > provides guidance on Multimodal System Planning and identifies various > design practices that help create corridors, neighborhoods and regions with > diverse transport options. > > > > "Suburban Sprawl And Bad Transit Can Crush Opportunity For The Poor" > (http://tinyurl.com/nzn48ty ). This article by Danielle Kurtzleben > summarizes research indicating that improving public transit and more > accessible community design tends to improve economic opportunities for > disadvantaged residents. > > > > "URBNAFUL" (http://urbanful.org ). Part magazine, part marketplace, this > website highlights great things happening in cities, and various design, > technology and culture innovations that are changing how we live. > > "Next Stop Health: Transit Access and Health Inequities in Toronto" > (http://tinyurl.com/kyzq3xc ). This report examines the health impacts of > inadequate mobility options for physically and economically disadvantaged > populations, disparities in public transit availability and affordability, > and strategies to improve public transit access for lower-income residents > in Toronto. > > > > "The Happy Commuter: A Comparison Of Commuter Satisfaction Across Modes" > (http://tinyurl.com/otzkrvl ). This study investigates factors that affect > commuter satisfaction. It finds that pedestrians, train commuters and > cyclists are significantly more satisfied than drivers, metro and bus > users. > > > > > "Mayor of London?s Roads Task Force" (http://tinyurl.com/kkwnh8z ). This > Task Force produced technical resources for designing and managing London?s > streets to balance various economic, social and environmental goals, and an > evaluation process to measure progress. > > > > "Cost-Benefit Analysis of Rural and Small Urban Transit" > (http://tinyurl.com/mkgxpvo ). This study by the Upper Great Plains > Transportation Institute provides a framework for evaluating the benefits > of > small urban and rural public transit systems. It uses sensitivity analysis > to identify how these benefits vary if key variables are changed. The > results indicate that, considering all impacts, rural and small town > transit > services often provide benefits that significantly exceed their costs. > > > > "Effect of Light-Rail Transit on Traffic in a Travel Corridor" > (http://otrec.us/project/611 ). This study investigated the impacts Salt > Lake City's University TRAX light-rail system. It found that after the LRT > service began, traffic volumes on parallel roads declined significantly, > providing reductions in traffic congestion, fuel consumption and pollution, > and saved the University of Utah $23.6 million in avoided parking facility > costs. > > > > "Trends in Transit-Oriented Development 2000?2010" > (http://tinyurl.com/kwycc4p ) This study quantifies the growth in TODs in > the U.S., analyzes the types of households residing there, and the impacts > that TOD location has on household's travel activity. > > > > "Why Creating And Preserving Affordable Homes Near Transit Is A Highly > Effective Climate Protection Strategy (http://tinyurl.com/pnf7u86 ). This > study used detailed travel survey data to measure how demographic, > geographic and economic factors affect household travel activity. It > indicates that all households, particularly those with lower-incomes, tend > to reduce vehicle ownership, travel and fuel consumption if located in > transit-oriented neighborhoods. > > > > The Australian Bicycle Council (http://bicyclecouncil.com.au/research ) > many > excellent technical publications on bicycle planning and evaluation > methods. > > > > "Nonmotorized Transportation Pilot Program: Continued Progress in > Developing > Walking and Bicycling Networks ? May 2014 Report" > (http://tinyurl.com/qyxcpb7 ). This report summarizes the impacts of the > Nonmotorized Transportation Pilot Program (NTPP). The four pilot > communities > experienced a 23% increase in walking trips and a 48% increase in bicycling > trips, which reduced 85 million vehicle-miles traveled. > > > > "Practical Guidebook: Parking and Travel Demand Management Policies in > Latin > America" (http://tinyurl.com/jwuxelm ). This guidebook, produced by the > Inter-American Development Bank evaluates numerous examples of parking and > transportation demand management policies throughout the world, and their > feasibility for implementation in Latin American cities. > > > > "SFpark Program Evaluation" > (http://sfpark.org/about-the-project/pilot-evaluation ). San Francisco is > testing more efficient on-street parking pricing, with higher rates at > times > and locations with congested parking. This evaluation indicates that these > reforms reduced average parking rates, improved parking availability and > motorists convenience, and reduced vehicle miles travelled and pollution > emissions. > > > > "Performance Data for Comparing the World's Cities" > (http://tinyurl.com/mhu9sn9 ). International standard ?ISO 37120? defines > 46 > indicators for evaluating urban performance, including several related to > urban transport and land use planning. > > > > "The Global Commission on the Economy and Climate" > (http://newclimateeconomy.net ) is a major new international initiative to > provide independent and authoritative evidence on actions which can > strengthen economic performance and reduce climate change risks. It will > report in September 2014. > > > > "Fuel Price Policies Readling List, 2001-2014" (http://tinyurl.com/nd5h7sd > ). This publication provides annotated references to various publications > concerning fuel price policy analysis and reforms. > > > > "Climate-Smart Development: Adding Up The Benefits Of Actions That Help > Build Prosperity, End Poverty And Combat Climate Change" ( > http://tinyurl.com/lgr75hl ). This World Bank > study evaluates the economic and social benefits of various climate change > emission reduction strategies, and estimates their potential benefits if > they were scaled up and applied worldwide. It concludes that these policies > could reduce approximately 10% of the energy-related emission reductions > necessary to achieve global emission reduction targets with a net savings > of > $169 per tonne. > > > > Metromile (https://www.metromile.com ) now offers pay-as-you-drive vehicle > insurance, which bases insurance premiums directly on the amount a vehicle > is driven each year, and so provides a substantial new incentive to reduce > mileage. > > "The Future of Driving in Developing Countries" ( > http://tinyurl.com/pwulza2 > ) and "Grow, Peak Or Plateau - The Outlook For Car Travel" > (http://eprints.uwe.ac.uk/23277 ). These studies investigate various > demographic and economic factors that affect future motor vehicle ownership > and use. The analysis indicates that vehicle travel demand is reaching > natural saturation levels in many countries. > > > > "Walk the Walk Literally" (http://youtu.be/24NvQKnfNfI ). This TEDxCairo > Talk by Tarek Rakha, PhD Candidate, Department of Architecture, > Massachusetts Institute of Technology discusses the importance of efficient > and multi-modal transportation planning, particularly designing complete > streets in developing country cities. He also emphasizes the need for > geographically- and culturally-responsive planning. (Turn on the "Caption" > button if you don?t speak Arabic). Well done, Tarek! > > * * * * * > > > > Please let us know if you have comments or questions about any information > in this newsletter, or if you would like to be removed from our email list. > And please pass this newsletter on to others who may find it useful. > > > > > > Sincerely, > > Todd Litman (litman@vtpi.org) > > Victoria Transport Policy Institute (www.vtpi.org) > > Office: 250-360-1560 | Mobile: 250-508-5150 > > 1250 Rudlin Street, Victoria, BC, V8V 3R7, CANADA > > Efficiency - Equity - Clarity > > > > > > > ---------- Forwarded message ---------- > From: Carlosfelipe Pardo > To: Sustran-discuss@list.jca.apc.org > Cc: > Date: Thu, 11 Sep 2014 08:03:05 -0300 > Subject: [sustran] Traffic pyramid - a discussion for Colombian urban > transport policy > Hi, > > We (various Colombian "transport people") are in the process of supporting > the Colombian Ministry of Transport in formulating a new national urban > transport policy. To date, the policy had only been formulated for public > transport (this is why we have 8 BRTs etc etc funded up to 70% by National > government) but the aim is to include Non motorized transport and travel > demand management measures as part of a broader policy. This is a pretty > good opportunity to improve things, especially since many Colombian cities > cannot get national funding for NMT improvements because there is no law to > support such funding (this is a big problem for small cities that have > short trips and no infrastructure for cycling nor money to build it, for > example). > > However, we have come to a discussion where some of us propose that non > motorized transport should have priority over other modes, and others > strongly reject that idea because they say (and I quote) that "*public > transport is the ONLY mode that youth, old, men and women, abled and > disabled, rich and poor can use, and is therefore the mode that is > accessible to all*" (caps in original!). I for one find this a bit > troubling and do not think that it should be an assumption of a national > policy of urban transport that tries to include more modes... am I wrong, > did I understand the traffic pyramid differently from what I should? > > I feel that I am pretty alone in this battle (Colombia is a very pro-public > transport country, but not-so when it comes to cycling as a national > policy). I would very much appreciate if anyone can *send along arguments > and hard data that can support that cycling is also very accessible and > should be a prioritary mode*, not just in traffic crossings but in policy. > Otherwise, we'll just have a transport policy that is the same as before. > > Thanks for any support on this!! > > -- > Carlosfelipe Pardo | Director Ejecutivo | despacio > pardo@despacio.org > Tel: (+571) 2484420 / Cel (+573) 21 343 3727 > despacio.org > > > > ---------- Forwarded message ---------- > From: sutp@sutp.org > To: sustran-discuss@list.jca.apc.org, cai-asia@lists.worldbank.org, > sutpasia@googlegroups.com > Cc: > Date: Thu, 11 Sep 2014 11:14:37 +0000 > Subject: [sustran] SUTP Newsletter: Issue 04/14 ? JULY - AUGUST, 2014 > Dear All, > Please find the attached document containing GIZ-SUTP Newsletter for the > month of July-August, 2014. > Best Wishes, > SUTP-Team > > > > ================================================================ > 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, please go to > http://www.google.com/coop/cse?cx=014715651517519735401:ijjtzwbu_ss > From hearth at ties.ottawa.on.ca Fri Sep 12 01:53:45 2014 From: hearth at ties.ottawa.on.ca (Chris Bradshaw) Date: Thu, 11 Sep 2014 12:53:45 -0400 Subject: [sustran] Re: Traffic pyramid - a discussion for Colombian urban transport policy In-Reply-To: <104201cfcdb2$7f8b1d90$7ea158b0$@vtpi.org> References: <104201cfcdb2$7f8b1d90$7ea158b0$@vtpi.org> Message-ID: In addition to the many fine sources Todd has suggested, I would like to tackle some arguments. As a national government, Columbia probably starts off suffering from a large-scale bias: walking and cycling are not useful -- except to first and last kms -- for "national" trips. Even metro transportation authorities have a large-scale bias, wanting to *accommodate* city-wide trips, rather than observe the cardinal rule of what I call "the Green Transportation Hierarchy": short trips over long, slow trips over fast; and small footprint-mode (per-person, to make well-utilized transit better than most cars) over large. I work with fellow seniors, whose typical trips are short and less frequent than commuters. The transit agencies also have a similar long-distance bias, to the extent that their fares are not distance-sensitive, so that people taking short trips pay as much as those who take long trips (the former *subsidize* the latter, really -- see the Pamela Blais' book *Perverse Cities*). This is done because transit systems are attached to -- and subservient to -- city transportation departments (with usually federal and/or state funding) trying to attract commuters-who own cars and travel at peak ours vs. the casual user, who travels, probably, 1/5 as far and less frequently (important for calculating whether an unlimited-use monthly pass is a good deal or not). Commuters take much longer trips and get much more frequent service than non-commuters who pay the same fare (As I put it to local politicians: seniors, who avoid rush-hour 'bustle', walk twice as far[a], wait twice as long, travel 1/5 as far, all for the same fare). [note a: Our system has a 400-metre 'walkshed' policy for peak-hour service, but an 800-metre one for regular routes]. This produces high transit fares that make it expensive for the poor, seniors, and students to use. As a result walking and cycling become their modes of choice. And with no or shorter commutes, their trip distances are well within the range of what these modes are best for. Finally, these two modes make a major contribution to street conviviality, making the city inviting to visitors. Chris Bradshaw, Ottawa On Thu, Sep 11, 2014 at 7:21 AM, Todd Litman wrote: > That is an interesting question. > > Of course, active and public transit travel are complements: they help each > other. Almost all transit trips include active transport links, so > improving > walking and cycling conditions is often one of the best ways to improve and > encourage public transit travel, and both are needed to create an urban > transport system which provides a high level of accessibility and allows > residents to reduce their vehicle ownership. > > I think it is best to promote "complete streets" policies which ensure that > urban streets serve all users. > > See the following publications: > > ADUPC (2009), Abu Dhabi Urban Street Design Manual, Abu Dhabi Urban > Planning > Council (www.upc.gov.ae/en/Home.aspx); at > www.upc.gov.ae/guidelines/urban-street-design-manual.aspx?lang=en-US. > > ADUPC (2013), Abu Dhabi Public Realm Design Manual, Abu Dhabi Urban > Planning > Council (www.upc.gov.ae/en/Home.aspx); at www.upc.gov.ae/prdm/index.asp. > > ABW (2014), Bicycling and Walking in the U.S.: Benchmarking Reports, > Alliance for Biking & Walking, (www.peoplepoweredmovement.org); at > www.peoplepoweredmovement.org/benchmarking. > > Alta Planning + Design (2005), Caltrans Pedestrian and Bicycle Facilities > Technical Reference Guide: A Technical Reference and Technology Transfer > Synthesis for Caltrans Planners and Engineers, California Department of > Transportation > (www.dot.ca.gov/hq/traffops/survey/pedestrian/TR_MAY0405.pdf). > > Todd Litman (2003), "Economic Value of Walkability," Transportation > Research > Record 1828, Transportation Research Board (www.trb.org), pp. 3-11; at > www.vtpi.org/walkability.pdf. > > Todd Litman (2012), Evaluating Complete Streets: The Value of Designing > Roads For Diverse Modes, Users and Activities, Victoria Transport Policy > Institute (www.vtpi.org); at www.vtpi.org/compstr.pdf. > > Todd Litman (2011), Evaluating Active Transport Benefits and Costs: Guide > to > Valuing Walking and Cycling Improvements and Encouragement Programs, > Victoria Transport Policy Institute (www.vtpi.org); at > www.vtpi.org/nmt-tdm.pdf; originally published as "Bicycling and > Transportation Demand Management," Transportation Research Record 1441, > 1994, pp. 134-140. > > NACTO (2011), Urban Bikeway Design Guide, National Association of City > Transportation Officials (www.nacto.org); at > http://nacto.org/cities-for-cycling/design-guide. > > John Pucher, Jennifer Dill and Susan Handy (2010), "Infrastructure, > Programs > and Policies To Increase Bicycling: An International Review," Preventive > Medicine, Vol. 48, No. 2, February; prepared for the Active Living By > Design > Program (www.activelivingbydesign.org); at > http://policy.rutgers.edu/faculty/pucher/Pucher_Dill_Handy10.pdf. > > > Sincerely, > Todd Litman (litman@vtpi.org) > Victoria Transport Policy Institute (www.vtpi.org) > Office: 250-360-1560 | Mobile: 250-508-5150 > 1250 Rudlin Street, Victoria, BC, V8V 3R7, CANADA > Efficiency - Equity - Clarity > > > -----Original Message----- > From: sustran-discuss-bounces+litman=vtpi.org@list.jca.apc.org > [mailto:sustran-discuss-bounces+litman=vtpi.org@list.jca.apc.org] On > Behalf > Of Carlosfelipe Pardo > Sent: September 11, 2014 4:03 AM > To: Sustran-discuss@list.jca.apc.org > Subject: [sustran] Traffic pyramid - a discussion for Colombian urban > transport policy > > Hi, > > We (various Colombian "transport people") are in the process of supporting > the Colombian Ministry of Transport in formulating a new national urban > transport policy. To date, the policy had only been formulated for public > transport (this is why we have 8 BRTs etc etc funded up to 70% by National > government) but the aim is to include Non motorized transport and travel > demand management measures as part of a broader policy. This is a pretty > good opportunity to improve things, especially since many Colombian cities > cannot get national funding for NMT improvements because there is no law to > support such funding (this is a big problem for small cities that have > short trips and no infrastructure for cycling nor money to build it, for > example). > > However, we have come to a discussion where some of us propose that non > motorized transport should have priority over other modes, and others > strongly reject that idea because they say (and I quote) that "*public > transport is the ONLY mode that youth, old, men and women, abled and > disabled, rich and poor can use, and is therefore the mode that is > accessible to all*" (caps in original!). I for one find this a bit > troubling and do not think that it should be an assumption of a national > policy of urban transport that tries to include more modes... am I wrong, > did I understand the traffic pyramid differently from what I should? > > I feel that I am pretty alone in this battle (Colombia is a very pro-public > transport country, but not-so when it comes to cycling as a national > policy). I would very much appreciate if anyone can *send along arguments > and hard data that can support that cycling is also very accessible and > should be a prioritary mode*, not just in traffic crossings but in policy. > Otherwise, we'll just have a transport policy that is the same as before. > > Thanks for any support on this!! > > -- > Carlosfelipe Pardo | Director Ejecutivo | despacio > pardo@despacio.org > Tel: (+571) 2484420 / Cel (+573) 21 343 3727 > despacio.org > -------------------------------------------------------- > To search the archives of sustran-discuss visit > http://www.google.com/coop/cse?cx=014715651517519735401:ijjtzwbu_ss > > ================================================================ > 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 > > ================================================================ > 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 murali772 at gmail.com Fri Sep 12 13:25:23 2014 From: murali772 at gmail.com (Muralidhar Rao) Date: Fri, 12 Sep 2014 09:55:23 +0530 Subject: [sustran] Fwd: FDI-funded PPP model for Namma Railu? In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: http://praja.in/en/blog/murali772/2014/08/28/fdi-funded-ppp-model-namma-railu Muralidhar Rao From yanivbin at gmail.com Sun Sep 14 04:14:38 2014 From: yanivbin at gmail.com (Vinay Baindur) Date: Sun, 14 Sep 2014 00:44:38 +0530 Subject: [sustran] Start off on the right foot: Walk and reach out Message-ID: http://www.hindustantimes.com/comment/namitabhandare/to-walk-is-to-reach-out/article1-1263457.aspx *Start off on the right foot: Walk and reach out* *Namita Bhandare * September 12, 2014 In the middle of a mall-obsessed, real estate-hungry Singapore, I am rambling through a rainforest. Located within the Botanic Gardens, this unexpected jungle is, for the four million people who visit it every year, a temporary refuge, a place to listen to birdsong and the thoughts humming through your head; a place so tranquil that you can finally hear life minus its constant whirr of clicks and pings. For as long as I can remember, I have walked. Before FitBit?s 10,000 humdrum steps, before the marketing cleverness of ?walking guided tours?, before smartphone mapping apps and GPS chip shoes, I walked for hours, sometimes on new routes, often in familiar loops; sometimes with a friend, often alone. My walk was my time to converse with myself, sometimes on a serious note, often to just make mental lists. The great cities of the world are built for walking. Its citizens congregating in parks and ambling through streets, its tourists sauntering by shop displays, its residents striding to work. There?s a discovery ? the second-hand bookstore, the family-run bakery, the tree-shaded shrine, the moss-covered gargoyle ? that is bestowed only to those who walk. In India, walking tends to be more a necessity than a leisure activity. In the absence of cheap, reliable public transport or basic facilities like water on tap, people walk for miles to get to work or school or fetch water or fuel. Walking for exercise is the gift of privilege; only those who can afford to eat have calories to burn. For women, many confined to the narrow routine of daily chores at home, finding freedom and a measure of privacy in public spaces is especially challenging. A 2010 survey conducted by United Nations Women and the International Centre for Research on Women found that 95% women and girls in Delhi felt vulnerable in public spaces, including parks and public transport. On a recent trip to Mumbai, loafing on the streets outside Jehangir Art Gallery, I found I had an unexpected bounce to my gait. Then it hit me. There were no staring, prying eyes. For someone accustomed to avoiding eye contact in Delhi, it was exhilarating. As a heaving, aspirational India expands its cities and towns, space for walking seems to shrink proportionately. It?s a lesson that is being learned the hard way as nature brutally reasserts its supremacy in over-built Uttarakhand and, now, Jammu and Kashmir. It?s hard to find pavements, let alone public parks where citizens of a modern nation can pound away their excesses. Yet, a stroll in Lodhi Gardens ? easily one of the world?s great public parks ? brings walkers into happy companionship; a nod here, a namaste there, our thread to a common bond of humanity, as we withdraw ever inwards into our virtual worlds of Facebook friends and LinkedIn contacts. Nobody understood the power of being on foot more than Gandhiji, whose Dandi March remains the defining symbol of defiance; men and women, barefoot or in chappals bringing the Empire to its knees. Bhutan?s beloved Queen Mother Ashi Dorji Wangmo Wangchuck is said to have walked every inch of her mountainous kingdom, trekking for miles as she reaches out to her people. It?s a connection that most modern helicopter-touring politicians would envy but one that?s not that hard to make ? if they took to the road. To walk is to reach out ? to nature, to ourselves and to each other. Cities are not an aggregate of hospitals, roads and skyscrapers. When city planners incorporate parks, cycle tracks and jogging trails in their blueprints they tell people: We respect you, we want to give you space. They create a protective green canopy where people can meet or just be alone. What is the point of talking of children?s rights, if we deny them playgrounds? Where is respect for parents, if we don?t have enough parks for them to walk in? What does women?s rights mean if we deny them that brief respite of private circumambulation? Smart cities are smart not just because they are technologically wired. They?re smart because they let their residents amble through, making connections with themselves and each other. *namita.bhandare@gmail.com* * Twitter:@namitabhandare The views expressed by the author are personal* From yanivbin at gmail.com Sun Sep 14 13:30:02 2014 From: yanivbin at gmail.com (Vinay Baindur) Date: Sun, 14 Sep 2014 10:00:02 +0530 Subject: [sustran] Metro has no green permit to run in Delhi: Reply to RTI plea Message-ID: http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/newdelhi/metro-has-no-green-permit-to-run-in-delhi-reply-to-rti-plea/article1-1263818.aspx Metro has no green permit to run in Delhi: Reply to RTI pleaDarpan Singh , Hindustan Times New Delhi, September 14, 2014 First Published: 02:18 IST(14/9/2014) | Last Updated: 02:23 IST(14/9/2014) Even though Delhi Metro has helped bring down vehicular pollution in the Capital, the transport system has itself not taken any nod from pollution control bodies for building stations, tracks and depots. The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has, in reply to an RTI plea, admitted this and said it is exempt from taking 'consent to establish' from pollution-control authorities. Pollution permits are renewed after periodic inspections and ensure that anti-pollution norms are adhered to in the long-term. The DMRC has cited a 2007 letter of the ministry of urban development (MoUD) to justify not having taken permits from pollution watchdogs. It exempts the DMRC from 'having to obtain prior building approval from local bodies'. But environmentalists claim the exemption is being misinterpreted. Vikrant Tongad, who filed the RTI plea, said, "Pollution permits are no 'prior building approval from local bodies'. You cannot set up a restaurant without 'consent to operate' from Delhi Pollution Control Committee. Also, DMRC has admitted it has never taken completion certificates for its projects. All this is resulting in fewer stations being built with rain water harvesting systems and illegal use of bore wells." HT recently reported that DMRC was using illegal bore wells for building its stations. The National Green Tribunal has also pulled up the DMRC for having failed to build rain water harvesting infrastructure at many of its stations. So who monitors and controls the pollution caused during construction and operation? "Our own environment department closely monitors pollution-related issues during construction. Metro operation is nonpolluting," the DMRC informed HT in a subsequent e-mail. Delhi Metro has an operational network of 192.5 kilometres and 256 kilometres are likely to be added in the next seven years. Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director at Centre for Science and Environment, points to a larger issue. "Currently there is no system of carrying out environment impact assessment of road and transit infrastructure projects inside cities. We need to have clear guidelines. Often construction activities are blamed for pollution. But there are no clear legal requirements to minimise impact. This has remained a grey area and needs policy clarity." Delhi government's environment secretary Sanjiv Kumar said, "Since Delhi Metro helps in controlling pollution by reducing usage of private vehicles, they're exempt from the process of obtaining certain approvals for building and operating stations, tracks and depots. DMRC should also extend full cooperation in ensuring there is minimum pollution during construction." said Kumar, who also heads Delhi Pollution Control Committee. "But we're monitoring their all other non-passenger, commercial activities, as they are not exempt," he added From pardo at despacio.org Sun Sep 14 23:39:54 2014 From: pardo at despacio.org (Carlosfelipe Pardo) Date: Sun, 14 Sep 2014 11:39:54 -0300 Subject: [sustran] Summary of responses: Traffic pyramid - a discussion for Colombian urban transport policy Message-ID: Dear all, As a response to my email below requesting feedback on the issue of the priority of public transport and (or vs?) non-motorized transport (see original message below), I have received various responses that have been most useful to give more grounding to the debate (most of them individually and not sent to the sustran listgroup). The main issues that I've found were the following (the text below is a translation of my summary as sent to government): - Both public and non-motorized transport are relevant modes to be promoted and should be prioritary. - The interaction of public transport and non-motorized transport is fundamental, in particular because all trips have a non-motorized component and, as such, make public transport trips possible (and in the case of bicycles, expand its coverage and make it more flexible). - There is not much support between the different experts to the idea that public transport is more accessible (or affordable) than non motorized transport - Bicycles as a transport mode are relevant (and sometimes more efficient) for trips up to 7 kilometers (some indicated 5 kilometers as the threshold for bicycle use). Any further inputs are most welcome, and it would be nice if this discussion can continue!! Thanks again for everyone's interest. Best regards, Carlos. On Thursday, 11 September 2014, Carlosfelipe Pardo wrote: > > Hi, > > We (various Colombian "transport people") are in the process of supporting > the Colombian Ministry of Transport in formulating a new national urban > transport policy. To date, the policy had only been formulated for public > transport (this is why we have 8 BRTs etc etc funded up to 70% by National > government) but the aim is to include Non motorized transport and travel > demand management measures as part of a broader policy. This is a pretty > good opportunity to improve things, especially since many Colombian cities > cannot get national funding for NMT improvements because there is no law to > support such funding (this is a big problem for small cities that have > short trips and no infrastructure for cycling nor money to build it, for > example). > > However, we have come to a discussion where some of us propose that non > motorized transport should have priority over other modes, and others > strongly reject that idea because they say (and I quote) that "*public > transport is the ONLY mode that youth, old, men and women, abled and > disabled, rich and poor can use, and is therefore the mode that is > accessible to all*" (caps in original!). I for one find this a bit > troubling and do not think that it should be an assumption of a national > policy of urban transport that tries to include more modes... am I wrong, > did I understand the traffic pyramid differently from the way I should? > > I feel that I am pretty alone in this discussion (Colombia is a very > pro-public transport country, but not-so when it comes to cycling as a > national policy). I would very much appreciate if anyone can *send along > arguments and hard data that can support that cycling is also very > accessible and should be a prioritary mode*, not just in traffic > crossings but in policy. Otherwise, we'll just have a transport policy that > is the same as before. > > > -- > Carlosfelipe Pardo | Director Ejecutivo | despacio > pardo@despacio.org > Tel: (+571) 2484420 / Cel (+573) 21 343 3727 > despacio.org > -- Carlosfelipe Pardo | Director Ejecutivo | despacio pardo@despacio.org Tel: (+571) 2484420 / Cel (+573) 21 343 3727 despacio.org From yanivbin at gmail.com Mon Sep 15 03:00:17 2014 From: yanivbin at gmail.com (Vinay Baindur) Date: Sun, 14 Sep 2014 23:30:17 +0530 Subject: [sustran] Flyovers fail to decongest, expose lack of planning Message-ID: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kochi/Flyovers-fail-to-decongest-expose-lack-of-planning/articleshow/42438576.cms ? Flyovers fail to decongest, expose lack of planningTNN | Sep 14, 2014, 12.37 PM IST KOCHI: If you happen to travel to Aluva through the flyover connecting Pulinchode and Marthanda Varma Bridge, you will certainly get trapped in a traffic jam at Aluva bypass junction. In the absence of grade separators and effective signals, the bypass junction has become a traffic bottleneck as vehicles have to queue up for long hours to cross the signal. The flyover at Aluva bypass does not cross the busy junction, but lands right at the signal. There is chaos when vehicles arriving from Kochi use the flyover to proceed to Aluva. There are service roads and motorists are directed through these roads also. Vehicles from all directions congregate at the junction. The bad state of roads and construction works of Kochi Metro add to traffic congestion. "The flyover is an example of inefficient urban planning. The very purpose of constructing the structure is defeated. It was after completing the construction that the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and public works department (PWD) understood the complications. The flyover was designed without considering traffic movement or the requirements of the busy junction," said architect S Gopakumar, president of city-based NGO, Better Kochi Response Group (BKRG). Experts following infrastructure development in the city point out that most flyovers are being constructed without considering the possibility that they may become traffic bottlenecks in future. A senior official with the Kochi corporation said that opening of A L Jacob railway overbridge (ROB) in the city has made Kumaranasan Junction at Kaloor-Kadavanthra Road another point of traffic congestion. "Similar situation can arise when the Palarivattom flyover, which is under construction, is open to traffic. Though projects are mooted for easing traffic at busy junctions in city, so far none of these have been implemented," said the official. Experts insist that the state government's town planning department should be developed as a think tank that focuses on urban planning. V K Adarsh, an engineer and social media critic said: "While planning structures like flyovers, the department should consider aspects like future development of city, possibilities in increase or decrease in the number of vehicles, potential for bottlenecks, whether design meets the needs of the specific area, economic aspects, how it affects local people, heritage and culture." Kochi : If you happen to travel from Kochi to Aluva through the flyover connecting Pulinchode to Marthanda Varma bridge you will certainly get trapped in a traffic jam at the Aluva bypass junction. In the absence of grade separators and effective traffic signals the bypass junction has become a bottleneck and vehicles have to queue up for long hours for crossing the signal. The flyover at Aluva bypass does not cross the busy junction. Instead it lands right at the signal. There is chaos at the junction when vehicles coming through the flyover from Kochi tries to proceed to Aluva. There are service roads and motorists are directed through these roads also. Vehicles from all directions congregate at the junction. The bad state of roads and construction works of Kochi Metro add to the traffic congestion. "The flyover is an example of inefficient urban planning . The very purpose of constructing the structure stands defeated. It was after completing the construction that the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) and Public Works Department (PWD) understood the complications. The flyover was designed without considering traffic movement or the requirements of the busy junction," said architect S Gopakumar, president of city- based NGO, Better Kochi Response Group (BKRG). Experts following infrastructure development in the city point out that most flyovers in the city are being constructed in the city without considering the possibilities of these turning out to be a traffic bottleneck in the future. A senior official with the Kochi corporation said that opening of A L Jacob railway overbridge (ROB) in the city has made Kumaranasan junction at Kaloor-Kadavanthra road another point of traffic congestion. "Similar situation can arise when the Palarivattom flyover, which is under construction, is thrown open for traffic. Though projects are mooted for developing busy junctions in the city, so far none of these have been implemented," said the official. The experts insist that the state government's town planning department should be developed as a think tank, which gives focus to urban planning. V K Adarsh, an engineer and social media critic said, "While planning structures like flyovers the department should consider aspects like future development of city, possibilities in increase or decrease in the number of vehicles, potential for bottlenecks, whether design meets the needs of the specific area, economic aspects, how it affects local people, heritage and culture." From yanivbin at gmail.com Tue Sep 16 05:05:12 2014 From: yanivbin at gmail.com (Vinay Baindur) Date: Tue, 16 Sep 2014 01:35:12 +0530 Subject: [sustran] Delhi govt to impose cess on liquor, cigarettes to fight pollution Message-ID: http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/cess-on-liquor-and-cigarettes-to-boost-urban-transport-fund/1/382593.html *Delhi govt to impose cess on liquor, cigarettes to fight pollution* Mail Today Bureau New Delhi, September 13, 2014 | UPDATED 10:29 IST One rupee cess would be imposed on cigarettes and liquor.The Delhi government has decided to impose cess on cigarettes and liquor in an attempt to create urban transport fund which will be used to tackle rising pollution levels in the National Capital. "One rupee cess shall be imposed on every packet of cigarettes and every bottle of liquor for the purpose," said a senior Delhi government official. The government will introduce eight coaches in 129 Metro trains by March 2017. So far, only 58 Metro trains run with eight coaches. The decisions were taken at the meeting of a high-powered committee, which is constituted to examine measures to check air and water pollution in Delhi, under the chairmanship of the Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung on Friday. The decision to impose cess was taken at a high-powered committee meeting."Further, the pollution under control (PUC) norms for all vehicles plying in Delhi will be tightened. The Delhi traffic police will make it mandatory for all vehicles to display a valid PUC sticker. The proposal of making valid PUC certificate mandatory for procuring petrol or diesel is being examined," the official said. >From January 1 to September 5, as many as 24,025 violators have been fined for not carrying a valid PUC certificate. The Delhi government has also decided to regulate the entry of non-destined vehicles in the city. "The Public Works Department (PWD) and Unified Traffic and Transportation Infrastructure (Planning and Engineering) Centre (UTTIPEC) will make provision of U-turns or underpasses at specific border locations so that the entry of non-destined vehicles in Delhi may be prohibited. These provisions shall be put in place within the next two months," said the official. To check the menace of overloading, the transport department has been asked to prepare a plan to install weigh-in-motion systems at all entry points in Delhi, the plan for which is likely to be submitted to the lieutenant governor within the next couple of months. The Delhi traffic police has been asked to take strict action against unauthorised and obstructive parking and to carry out an exercise to enforce "noparking/no-stopping/no-tolerance zones" in the city. The high powered committee is also working on the parking policy, which includes imposing differential parking rates, discouraging people from parking on congested roads and incentivising multi-level parking. The concept of 'premium parking' for congested areas in Delhi is also being discussed. L-G Najeeb Jung has also directed the transport department to introduce non-polluting battery-operated vehicles. The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has selected three Metro stations to provide the charging infrastructure support for the pilot fleet of electric and hybrid vehicles. In addition, the DMRC has operationalised 34 CNG Mini buses. The high powered committee was constituted on May 13 this year by the lieutenant governor. The committee had suggested short-term and long-term measures to help check pollution levels in Delhi. Read more at: http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/cess-on-liquor-and-cigarettes-to-boost-urban-transport-fund/1/382593.html From yanivbin at gmail.com Wed Sep 17 14:14:14 2014 From: yanivbin at gmail.com (Vinay Baindur) Date: Wed, 17 Sep 2014 10:44:14 +0530 Subject: [sustran] Monorail blocks Ranchi city bus - Talks to revive fleet cancelled in favour of elite project Message-ID: http://www.telegraphindia.com/1140917/jsp/frontpage/story_18843865.jsp#.VBkNwfmSyAU Monorail blocks city bus*- Talks to revive fleet cancelled in favour of elite project*A.S.R.P. MUKESHPravat Tripathy at the CBI office on Tuesday. Picture by Sanjib Mukherjee *Ranchi, Sept. 16: *Call it a classic case of building castles in the air. While the city bus service ? the once-touted backbone of public transport system in Ranchi, Jamshedpur and Dhanbad ? remains grounded for weeks owing to unending administrative and operational hurdles, the state government is busy poring over an ambitious monorail project. A promising meeting to thrash out a way to revive the comatose transport lifeline, which was to be chaired by chief secretary Sudhir Prasad this afternoon, was conveniently cancelled in favour of a discussion of elevated rail path feasibility in capital Ranchi. Sources said Prasad was expected to convene the city bus meeting with officials of Jharkhand Tourism Development Corporation (JTDC), urban development department and Ranchi Municipal Corporation sharp at 3pm. Minutes before the scheduled time, the talks were cancelled. ?It reflects the government?s skewed agenda. Monorail is the new buzz in power corridors these days because it will involve big money. We simply love to invest in futile projects,? a senior government official said, requesting anonymity. JTDC managing director Sunil Kumar conceded they had been informed about the cancellation of the meeting that would be ?rescheduled soon?. Sponsored under the Centre?s flagship Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM), the city bus service in Ranchi, Jamshedpur and Dhanbad has had a bumpy ride since its inception in 2010, courtesy ambiguous plans on how to run and sustain the fleet. ?It has been a historic blunder. Everybody was excited when the buses were procured for crores of rupees, but no one came forward when the question of operating them arose. Ideally, special purpose vehicles incorporated by respective urban local bodies should run city buses. But, the government decided on JTDC as a temporary guardian. Zero maintenance and stopgap arrangements for years have now literally pushed the public transport hope into an abyss of hopelessness,? said another official. The JTDC management admitted having abandoned the rickety fleet. ?In Dhanbad, the agency that offered manpower has given to us in writing that it cannot run the buses. In Jamshedpur and Ranchi, the buses are lying idle for want of money for PF benefits and fuel. Even if we adopt the city bus again, in violation of the JTDC board?s ruling, fresh tender processes will be involved in all the three mission cities. The respective civic bodies can do that too instead of us,? said Sunil Kumar. Chief executive officer of Ranchi Municipal Corporation Manoj Kumar abstained from any commitment. ?The state government has to take a decision (on whether RMC should take over a rickety fleet),? he replied curtly. Chief secretary Prasad didn?t entertain calls from The Telegraph all through Tuesday. He, however, sent a text message to this correspondent that read, ?busy? get back later?. At the high-level monorail meeting, private consultant IDFC ? a leading infrastructure finance company in India ? was asked to draw up a comprehensive mobility plan before the signing of a memorandum of understanding. From yanivbin at gmail.com Wed Sep 17 20:51:46 2014 From: yanivbin at gmail.com (Vinay Baindur) Date: Wed, 17 Sep 2014 17:21:46 +0530 Subject: [sustran] BDA and BBMP effort to decongest Bangalore's roads by widening them turned out to be fatal for pedestrians Message-ID: http://www.bangaloremirror.com/bangalore/civic/Wide-open-invitation-to-danger/articleshow/42551354.cms Wide open invitation to danger By Niranjan Kaggere, Bangalore Mirror Bureau | Sep 16, 2014, 04.00 AM IST [image: Wide open invitation to danger] *Experts say that the roads have not only considerably failed to deliver on the objective of decongestion, but also jeopardised the lives of pedestrians* *The effort of BDA and BBMP to decongest Bangalore's busiest roads by widening them turned out to be fatal for pedestrians. Between 2008 and 2014 (March), 1,085 have died, most of them while trying to cross the roads* Around five years ago, in an effort to decongest a few of the city's emerging busy stretches, both the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) and the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) widened the roads and upgraded them to 'international standard.' However, the result in many cases shows a scary picture of steep rise in accidents and subsequent loss of life. According to the latest data made available by the Bangalore Traffic Police under Right to Information Act, after the expansion, 175 pedestrians were killed in road accidents on the Madivala Outer Ring Road junction on Hosur Road, 128 people on Hosur Road, 88 pedestrians lost their lives on the widened Varthur Main Road along the Outer Ring Road while 69 people were crushed to death on the Bannerghatta-Outer Ring Road Junction. Between 2008 and 2014 (March), a whopping 1,085 pedestrians have died while 3,123 people have been severely injured on city roads. Ironically, the data revealed that it is only the widened roads that are turning out to be the nemesis of pedestrians. According to urban planning experts, the roads have not only considerably failed to deliver on the objective of decongestion, but also jeopardised the lives of pedestrians. The wide roads, while facilitating motorists and swanky automobiles, have totally cut off mobility of several hundred people across the city, experts claimed. *No Amenities for pedestrians* Prompted by the general notion that people are afraid of crossing wide roads, Vinay K Sreenivasa of Alternative Law Forum along with some other members filed the RTI to fetch the data. "We did not know what was preventing people from using such wide roads as civic agencies claim that they are wide and spacious enough for pedestrians and motorists. However, these statistics prove that the people are indeed losing their lives by venturing to cross these wide roads." Sreenivasa attributes the spike in accidents to the lack of amenities for pedestrians. "While some of the roads lack basic footpaths, majority of them do not have facilities like zebra-crossing, pelican lights, skywalks or pedestrian underpasses. At some roads, underpasses have been built where people hardly cross over or are found locked all the time. In the absence of these when pedestrians venture out either to cross or walk they will only be mowed down by speeding vehicles," Sreenivasa added. Jenny Pinto, who has been fighting for pedestrian rights in Bangalore said, "What scares people is the fast moving traffic. They just race with each other on these stretches. Senior citizens, women and kids are forced to cut off their mobility and do not venture out fearing for life. Such is the situation on Bangalore roads." *'Narrow roads don't kill people'* Vinay also clarified that the statistics about pedestrian deaths and severe injuries confuted the common myth about narrow roads killing people. "All civic agencies contend that narrow roads lead to accidents and death of people. But in the details provided by the traffic police there is hardly any evidence to prove the claim as no deaths have been reported from narrow stretches of Bangalore. On the other hand, with the widening there is no place for people to cross or stand. Medians have also been shrunk to their smallest possible size. We believe that widening has been done only to help movement of cars and other vehicles," he added. From yanivbin at gmail.com Fri Sep 19 00:15:50 2014 From: yanivbin at gmail.com (Vinay Baindur) Date: Thu, 18 Sep 2014 20:45:50 +0530 Subject: [sustran] Clean cheat: South Delhi Municipal Corporation Photoshops Delhi road image, judges spot fraud Message-ID: http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/newdelhi/hc-judges-spot-a-fake-in-digital-cleaning-of-dwarka-roads/article1-1265387.aspx *Clean cheat: Civic body photoshops Delhi road image*,* judges spot fraud*Soibam Rocky Singh , Hindustan Times New Delhi, September 18, 2014 A picture is worth a thousand words, it is said. Well, not if it?s photoshopped and tries to substitute work instead of just words. A Delhi high court bench spotted doctored photographs of roads and pavements in Dwarka wiped digitally cleaned by the agencies to claim they had acted on complaints by residents about poor civic facilities in the sub-city. The photographs were submitted before a bench of Justice BD Ahmed and Justice Siddharth Mridul by the South Delhi Municipal Corporation and the DDA. ?This is photoshopped. When it comes to technology, I am a novice, but even I can say it is photoshop. Somebody has tried to brush this up,? the bench remarked. [image: http://www.hindustantimes.com/Images/popup/2014/9/1809pg3a.jpg] Caught red-handed, the counsel representing the SDMC and DDA quickly scrambled a defence, saying there was no reason for them to smudge the details as they were working to clean up the areas on their own. Law student and Dwarka resident Ebbani Aggarwal, who had filed the PIL seeking a direction to the civic agencies to clean up the area, told the bench that some work has been done but it was not as clean as the photos show. Aggarwal had approached the court, saying the markets, roads, footpaths and open vacant land and other places in Dwarka ware full of filth, solid waste and construction material. In her petition, Aggarwal had said that the sorry state of affairs was a result of tussle between the south body and the DDA. Apart from finishing the work before September 30, the next date of hearing, the court directed the agencies to submit fresh photographs. From yanivbin at gmail.com Fri Sep 19 00:29:10 2014 From: yanivbin at gmail.com (Vinay Baindur) Date: Thu, 18 Sep 2014 20:59:10 +0530 Subject: [sustran] Bengalureans gasp as city turns into gas chamber Message-ID: http://www.deccanchronicle.com/140918/nation-current-affairs/article/bengalureans-gasp-city-turns-gas-chamber Bengalureans gasp as city turns into gas chamber DC | Sangeetha Bora | September 18, 2014, 04.09 am IST [image: The Respirable Suspended Particulate Matter (RSPM) is four times higher than the national permissible limit in some parts of the city.] The Respirable Suspended Particulate Matter (RSPM) is four times higher than the national permissible limit in some parts of the city. *Bengaluru: *Dark smoke belching out of vehicles and motorists honking incessantly are all a part and parcel of the madness on roads in the city. But in the process it is paying a heavy price. In the last few months it has seen a significant rise in air pollution placing the health of Bengalureans at risk. Disturbingly, the Respirable Suspended Particulate Matter (RSPM) is four times higher than the national permissible limit in some parts of the city. While the area around Victoria Hospital has a 164 microgram per cubic meters RSPM level, the immediate surroundings of NIMHANS have recorded a 79 microgram per cubic meters RSPM level. The reading for the Graphite India neighbourhood is 159 and the KHB Industrial Area, Yelahanka, 104. Silkboard Junction that sees huge vehicular movement has a 256 microgram per cubic meter RSPM level and AMCO Batteries, Mysore Road, a staggering 264. Pulled by the High Court for doing very little to curb air and noise pollution, the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board came out with a series of directions on August 25 to deal with the problem. Exercising its powers under the Karnataka Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Rules, 1983, it directed the state transport department to restrict registration of new vehicles in the city till the noise pollution subsided and air quality standards were met. It also asked that autorickshaws be banned from the Central Business District in a phased manner. But the transport department stuck to its guns saying it was impossible to stop registration of new vehicles on the grounds of air pollution. Clearly, angered by the response, KSPCB chairman, Vaman Acharya says he has come out with 32 directions and they will have to be implemented or alternatives found. ?My directives are final and the transport department has to execute them. We asked the government to plant one crore saplings in two months, but it could not even do that. If my directives are not carried out, we will have to approach the court again,? he warns. Among the many suggestions of the KSPCB are a ban on heavy motor vehicles entering Outer Ring Road and beyond, a ban on two-stroke vehicles, use of CNG in BMTC and KSRTC buses, a ban on HTC that are more than 15 years old in BBMP limits, auditing of all emission checking centers, a Rs 1000 fine for violation of emission norms and suspension of registration certificates for repeated emission violations. In line with the comprehensive development plan which had years ago called for a clear demarcation of commercial and residential areas, the board too has asked the government not to mix zones in the city. Environmentalist, Suresh Heblikar who was a member of the panel that drew up the comprehensive development plan around five years ago recalls it had suggested that commercial, essential and residential areas should remain separate. ?For instance, we have a shopping complex in Jayanagar, so let all the shops, hotels and bars come up in and around it. Let people go to one place for shopping and all vehicles go to one area rather than pollute the entire city. But today we have all kinds of commercial establishments cropping up in residential areas. We are in talks with the transport department and will shortly launch a campaign against air and noise pollution. We are looking for car-free days twice a week, sensitising auto drivers and more planting of trees.? *?20 to 30 lakh saplings must to check rising pollution?* The loss of green cover ? which fell from 72 per cent to 21 per cent over the last decade - is also making a huge contribution to rising pollution levels in the city. With Bengaluru now left with just 14, 78,418 trees, the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board ( KSPCB) has directed the BBMP to come up with an extensive afforestation plan. While the civic agency has planted six lakhs saplings over the last four years, KSPCB chief, Vaman Acharya says it should plant at least 20 to 30 lakh saplings a year. He believes there should be at least one tree per person in the city, and regrets it has only 0.1 tree per person today. The problem continues to grow as roughly 5,000 trees in the city are removed every year from private properties and for infrastructure projects. This year alone over 2000 trees have already been felled. Chief conservator of forests, Brijesh, however, says the BBMP is committed to planting more seedlings and this year 1.2 lakh have already been planted. *CNG buses yet to become a reality* The pollution control board is keen on BMTC buses running on CNG, a cleaner fuel, in the interest of curbing air polluiton. A few months ago the BMTC wrote to the Union ministry of urban development (MOUD) to sanction 400 CNG buses under JNNURM and claims to have received a positive response. Says Mr Kumar Pushkar, Director (IT), BMTC, ?We have received positive feedback from the ministry. The MD of BMTC had a long meeting with it and it went fine. However, the number of buses may not be 400, but less.? As things stand today, 50 percent of the cost of procurement will be borne by the BMTC, 35 per cent by the Union government and 15 per cent by the state. The transport corporation,which has done a survey and identified the Peenya and Yelahanka depots for the project, will go ahead with buying the CNG buses once the proposal is approved by the MOUD. C From yanivbin at gmail.com Fri Sep 19 03:05:37 2014 From: yanivbin at gmail.com (Vinay Baindur) Date: Thu, 18 Sep 2014 23:35:37 +0530 Subject: [sustran] Bangalore Metro turning into a toy train? Message-ID: http://www.bangaloremirror.com/bangalore/others/Namma-Metro-turning-into-a-toy-train/articleshow/42471851.cms Namma Metro turning into a toy train? By Suchith Kidiyoor, Bangalore Mirror Bureau | Sep 15, 2014, 04.00 AM IST [image: Namma Metro turning into a toy train?] *Only 90 people ride one-way on the MG Road-Byapannahalli Line; the Peenya-Mantri Square line sees an average of 51 people per trip* Envisaged as the city's transport lifeline, Namma Metro is still almost a toy train, despite nearly completing its third year of operation. With just two small stretches - MG Road to Byappanahalli (Purple Line) and Peenya to Mantri Square Swastik on Sampige Road (Green Line) ? operational,* the Metro is just about breaking even with small profits through the non-fare, real estate revenue.* According to Metro official figures, on an average, a mere 90 people travel one-way in the Purple Line train, which has capacity to carry 1000 passengers. This year's ridership has been 22,800 passengers across both lines. In contrast, the Kolkata Metro's ridership has touched 8.43 crore, Delhi Metro, 27 lakh, while the oldest Metro in the world, the 150-year-old London Tube, saw an annual ridership of 1.23 billion people in the year 2012-2013. The BMRCL operates 98 round trips per day on the 6.7 km Purple Line and from March this year, the same number on the 10.5 km Green Line. They have found that when the Purple Line was launched in October 2011, it had an average of 28,153 people travelling daily, which dropped to 18,181 the next year and is currently 17,800 passengers a day. On the Green Line also, the response has been dismal. BMRCL had expected a ridership of 50,000 commuters but only 5,000 people use it on daily basis. Since commencement of commercial operations, 7.62 lakh people have travelled on it in the last five months. Officials cite various reasons for the increasingly poor response. "Under the Phase 1 project, only small segments are operational. Both do not get connected with important transport hubs like railway stations or bus stations. We feel the response would remain the same till the Metro get connected to Majestic," an official contended. The BMRCL has to go a long way to commence the operation of the north-south and west-east corridor, with the intersection at Majestic. Though tunneling work of the west- east corridor connecting Mysore road with Chinnaswamy stadium is done, tracking, signalling and many others things have to be completed, to commence trial operations. BMRCL had earlier promised a trial run by December, but it does not appear as if they can meet it. Tunneling work under the north-south corridor connecting Sampige Road to Victoria Hospital station is facing several hurdles in the city's rock bed. It is likely to take many more months to complete. One of the major complaints is lack of last-mile connectivity. When the project was launched, BMTC had operated several feeder service buses connecting the six metro stations on the Purple Line reach 1. But within a few months, all services were withdrawn citing empty buses. As there is no last mile connectivity, commuters have to depend on autos to reach the stations. BMTC and BMRCL had introduced combo-tickets to help commuters, but there were hardly any takers. The other problem is lack of parking. BMRCL has made provision for parking of private vehicles only at stations like Byappanahalli and Swamy Vivekananda. At all the rest of the stations on the Purple Line, there is no space to park even city buses, for a while. Parking at both stations is an expensive affair and available space is less. From yanivbin at gmail.com Fri Sep 19 03:29:55 2014 From: yanivbin at gmail.com (Vinay Baindur) Date: Thu, 18 Sep 2014 23:59:55 +0530 Subject: [sustran] L&T threatens to pull out of Hyderabad Metro rail project Message-ID: http://www.livemint.com/Politics/v8V3o2i7eyeJRlYlfikZEJ/Ready-to-quit-Hyderabad-metro-rail-project-if-issues-not-res.html#nav=most_read *L&T threatens to pull out of Hyderabad Metro rail project * Firm insists it was keen to complete ambitious project, saying exchange of such letters is a ?common practice? E-mailPrint Viswanath Pilla L&T expressed apprehensions about the attractiveness of Hyderabad in drawing investments from the central government and the private sector. Photo: PTI Hyderabad: Larsen and Toubro Ltd (L&T), the company building the Rs.16,375 crore Hyderabad Metro rail project, has threatened to pull out because of issues relating to project viability and non-availability of right of way. L&T proposed that the government of Telangana (GoT) ?take over the project and the underlying contract from the concessionaire? in a 10 September letter to N.V.S. Reddy, managing director of Hyderabad Metro Rail Ltd?the agency that monitors the project on behalf of the state government. ?GoT should do so by restituting the concessionaire in a manner whereby the concessionaire?s property and entitlements are returned to it,? V.B. Gadgil, chief executive and managing director of L&T Hyderabad Metro Rail Pvt. Ltd, the unit that?s executing the project, wrote in the letter. Mint has reviewed a copy of the letter. L&T also expressed concerns over the economic viability of the project, which was conceived in undivided Andhra Pradesh. Telangana was carved out of Andhra Pradesh to become India?s 29th state on 2 June. According to the terms of the bifurcation, Hyderabad will be the joint capital of Telangana and residuary Andhra Pradesh for a period of 10 years while the latter builds its own capital. Thereafter, it will solely be the capital of Telangana. ?The change in the status of Hyderabad has resulted in a significant change in the economic and political outlook of Hyderabad, thereby causing material impact on the financial viability of the project,? Gadgil said. L&T expressed apprehensions about the attractiveness of Hyderabad in drawing investments from the central government and the private sector, as real estate constitutes a significant component of the project revenue stream. The Metro rail project allows L&T to develop 18.5 million square feet of real estate all across the 269 acres allotted for three depots and 66 stations. The company expects around 30-35% of revenue from real estate and the rest from passenger fares. L&T has so far spent Rs.4,800 crore on the project, of which its equity contribution was Rs.1,500 crore. The company is investing around Rs.4,330 crore as equity?the single biggest investment so far on any project it has executed. The debt component is Rs.10,478 crore. The Union government has provided Rs.1,458 crore as viability-gap funding. L&T has so far completed around 28% of the project. Gadgil also complained about delay in providing right of way to the project. Later in the day, L&T in a statement clarified that it is still committed for the completion of the project and termed the letter routine correspondence between two partners. ?Our commitment is to complete this prestigious project expeditiously as per schedule with all the support and cooperation of the state government and the people of Telangana,? the company said. The letter caused a furore in Hyderabad. Telangana chief minister K. Chandrashekar Rao summoned his top officials including chief secretary, principal secretary of the municipal administration and urban development, and the managing director of Hyderabad Metro Rail to discuss the fallout of the letter. The government said the issues raised by the developer will be amicably resolved. ?The project will be completed on schedule,? said Reddy of Hyderabad Metro Rail. ?The Metro rail is very important project for Hyderabad and Telangana,? said Sandip Patnaik, managing director (Hyderabad) at Jones Lang LaSalle India. After spending Rs.5,000-6,000 crore, no company will go back on a project, and the letter could well be a pressure tactic by the developer to get the state government on board, Patnaik said. Problems of land acquisition have pushed the project timeline behind schedule by at least 15 months. L&T recently said the project cost escalated by Rs.3,000 crore on account of high interest costs and delays in execution. Hyderabad Metro rail is the biggest urban infrastructure project undertaken as a public-private partnership in the country. The elevated Metro rail will cover 71.2km with three corridors comprising 66 stations. The Metro network is to be constructed in five years, with L&T holding the concession for 35 years, extendable by an additional 25 years. The company can earn lease rentals from property development and advertising rights before the real estate is returned to the state government. L&T won the bid to build the Metro rail network in July 2010 after the government in July 2009 cancelled the mandate given to Maytas Infra Ltd, which failed to tie up finances for the project. Maytas Infra was promoted by B. Ramalinga Raju, the founder of Satyam Computer Services Ltd, who in January 2009 confessed to having misstated accounts to the tune of Rs.7,136 crore, triggering India?s biggest corporate fraud investigation. From murali772 at gmail.com Mon Sep 22 15:46:19 2014 From: murali772 at gmail.com (Muralidhar Rao) Date: Mon, 22 Sep 2014 12:16:19 +0530 Subject: [sustran] Fwd: unsustainability of present mobility model staring us in the face In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: http://praja.in/en/bangalore/blog/murali772/2007/12/12/better-bussing-for-a-green-bangalore#comment-36473 Muralidhar Rao From cornie.huizenga at slocatpartnership.org Wed Sep 24 02:32:49 2014 From: cornie.huizenga at slocatpartnership.org (Cornie Huizenga) Date: Wed, 24 Sep 2014 01:32:49 +0800 Subject: [sustran] New Report Announcement: Climate Summit Puts Transport on Road to 2 Degree Scenario Message-ID: Dear Colleagues, The Bridging the Gap Initiative and the Partnership on Sustainable Low Carbon Transport released a joint report titled ?Land transport?s contribution to a 2?C target? on the eve of the Climate Summit organized by Secretary Ban Ki-moon to accelerate action on climate change. One of the key messages of the joint report is ?Without transport contributing in a significant manner to the mitigation of climate change it will not be possible to shift to a global stabilization pathway that can keep warming below 2 Degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.? The paper concludes that ?a combination of technological and behavioural measures could decrease final-energy demand in 2050 for urban passenger transport by at least 55% below an IEA defined baseline of a 4o Celsius temperature increase scenario?. Members of the SLoCaT Partnership led four out of the five commitments on transport made at the Secretary General?s Climate Summit. Under the Transport Action Area of the Climate Summit a commitment on urban electric mobility is led by UN Habitat, the International Railway Association (UIC) leads the railways commitment, and the International Association of Public Transport (UITP) leads the public transport commitment. The Global Fuel Economy Initiative leads a commitment to improve fuel economy under the Energy Action Area, and the Climate and Clean Air Coalition leads a Green Freight Commitment under the Industry Action Area of the Summit. ?The transport related commitments made at the Summit, could be a turning point for the inclusion of the transport sector in climate change policy discussions in the UNFCCC?, says Cornie Huizenga, Secretary General of the SLoCaT Partnership. ?These initiatives are taken by key segments of the transport sector itself. This in combination with their transformational impact justifies a much larger role for transport in discussions on a new global climate agreement?. The potential significance of the transport commitments as a game changer is well illustrated by the announcement by Pierre Mongin, CEO of RATP Group, the public transport company for the greater Paris region, to transform by 2025 its complete bus fleet to Zero CO2 emissions, Zero particulate emissions and Zero noise. It is a part of the UITP commitment for the fight against climate change. Analysis presented in the report concludes that while absolute reductions are required in GHG emissions from land transport in the developed OECD economies that relative reductions in the non-OECD countries would allow for a limited growth in absolute emissions in non-OECD countries. This will allow these countries to expand their transport sector in support of poverty alleviation, economic growth and social development. A study by the University of California, Davis and the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy, both members of Bridging the Gap and SLoCaT concluded that a shift towards low-carbon mobility could potentially result in a 40% reduction of urban passenger transport related emissions by 2050, compared to current trends and lead to savings of over$100 trillion in public and private spending on transportation related expenses. This does not yet factor in the economic impacts of co-benefits related to safety, air quality, reduced congestion and energy security. The Bridging the Gap and SLoCaT paper calls for comprehensive strategies to mitigate climate change in the land transport sector that combine measures to avoid the need for individualized motorized trips with measures to shift passenger and freight transport to the most effective mode, while improving the energy efficiency of fuels and vehicles. ?We are encouraged to see a growing interest in the UNFCCC in sector wide policies and approaches in new instruments and mechanisms such as the Intended Nationally Determined Contributions and the Nationally Appropriate Mitigations Actions? says Heather Allen, Programme Director Sustainable Transport in Transport Research Laboratory, UK and coordinator of the Bridging the Gap Initiative. ?It is a promising sign as well that low-emission transport has been selected as one of four key programs in the new Green Climate Fund? says Oliver Lah, Project Coordinator at the Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment and Energy. The paper calls for greater attention to the financing of low-carbon transport and suggests that the ambitious GHG reductions required in transport can only be achieved through using Climate Finance to leverage investments from the public and private sector. The Bridging the Gap Initiative and the SLoCaT Partnership also announced ?Transport Tackles Climate Change? as the theme for Transport Day 2014 , which will be held on December 7th in Lima, Peru in conjunction with the 20th Conference of Parties of the United Framework Convention on Climate Change. For more information, please see: - Full-text of the report: Land Transport's contribution to a 2 Degree target - Executive Summary of "Land transport?s contribution to a 2?C target " -- Cornie Huizenga Secretary General Partnership on Sustainable, Low Carbon Transport (SLoCaT) Far East International Plaza, B 1811 317 Xianxia Road 200051 Shanghai, China www.slocat.net @SLOCATcornie (twitter) cornie777 (skype) +862152919855 (office) +8613901949332 (mobile) -- Cornie Huizenga Secretary General Partnership on Sustainable, Low Carbon Transport (SLoCaT) Far East International Plaza, B 1811 317 Xianxia Road 200051 Shanghai, China www.slocat.net @SLOCATcornie (twitter) cornie777 (skype) +862152919855 (office) +8613901949332 (mobile) From ecomobility at iclei.org Tue Sep 23 22:56:16 2014 From: ecomobility at iclei.org (=?utf-8?Q?EcoMobility?=) Date: Tue, 23 Sep 2014 13:56:16 +0000 Subject: [sustran] =?utf-8?Q?Webinar_on_=E2=80=9CThe_Sustainable_Urban_Tra?= =?utf-8?Q?nsport_Master_Plan_of_Windhoek=2C_Namibia=E2=80=9D_on_25?= =?utf-8?Q?=2EOctober=2E2014?= Message-ID: View this email in your browser (http://us5.campaign-archive2.com/?u=a3a47048051ae2f2024de7834&id=7441b5b04e&e=909a432f89) Dear colleagues, on Thursday, September 25, the next GIZ-SUTP webinar on the Sustainable Urban Transport Master Plan for Windhoek will take place. You?ll find further information below and on CAPSUT (http://capsut.org/events/the-sustainable-urban-transport-master-plan-of-windhoek-namibia/). Urban Mobility Planning is an strategic approach to achieve a broad set of targets, e.g. reducing air pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, road accidents and increasing the access to safe, clean and affordable mobility for all population groups. The Sustainable Urban Transport Master Plan (SUTMP) Windhoek, Namibia, presents the most forward-looking vision for urban mobility on the African continent and will contribute to solving transport-related challenges in the agglomeration. Learn more about the development of the SUTMP Windhoek in GIZ-SUTP?s webinar on this Thursday, September, 25. Please feel free to share this invitation with interested colleagues and project partners. ******** Invitation to Webinar The Sustainable Urban Transport Master Plan (SUTMP) of Windhoek, Namibia Thursday, 25 September 2014, ******** 05:00-06:00 Bogot?, Lima, Quito (UTC-5), 11:00-12:00 Windhoek, London (UTC+1), 18:00-19:00 Singapore, Beijing (UTC+8). ******** Programme Worldwide, capitals, cities and urban areas are facing increasing environmental, social and economic challenges caused by inefficient urban transport systems. This results in reduced accessibility for the urban poor, traffic congestion, road and parking facility costs, traffic accidents, high consumer costs, energy dependence and pollution emissions, plus inadequate mobility for non-drivers. Urban mobility plans like Windhoek?s SUTMP expanded the scope of traditional planning processes by strategically focusing on overarching policy goals as well as on the factual mobility needs of all population groups. The Webinar will give insights into strategy and objectives as well as into the development process of the SUTMP Windhoek. The webinar will be conducted by Gregor Schmorl, Michael Engelskirchen (GIZ Namibia) and a representative of the city of Windhoek (enquired). Target audience The webinar addresses local decision-makers and planners, representatives from all levels of government, and agencies interested in learning about how to strategically advance sustainable mobility in urban areas. Registration and technical requirements To register for the webinar, please send a short e-mail to christian.hein@giz.de. Please ensure that you have operating speakers and that your computer complies with the GoTo Meeting system requirements (http://support.citrixonline.com/en_US/Meeting/help_files/G2M010003?title=System+Requirements) . If this is your first time on a GoTo meeting webinar, you?ll be launched directly into the session through the Web Viewer. From within the Web Viewer session, you will have the option to download the full feature desktop version of GoToMeeting. Please note that installing the desktop application will require some time, so we suggest to log in some 15 minutes before the beginning of the webinar. Please also note, that only the desktop application offers microphone and webcam support. The detailed information to log in to the meeting will be sent to you a few days before the webinar. Relevant websites and further information: * For more information on the Sustainable Urban Transport Project, please check our knowledge platform www.sutp.org and the capacity-building platform www.capsut.org. We are working on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). * To stay informed on our world-wide activities in the field of transport & mobility, including information on new publications and webinars, register for our newsletter (http://www.giz.de/en/mediacenter/117.html) by choosing the ?Transport and Mobility? Newsletter in the category ?Thematic Newsletters?. You?ll find all these information and further course offers on the new Capacity-Building platform CAPSUT: http://capsut.org/events/the-sustainable-urban-transport-master-plan-of-windhoek-namibia/. We are looking forward to welcoming you soon! Yours sincerely, Mathias Merforth, Deutsche Gesellschaft f?r Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH Gregor Schmorl, Deutsche Gesellschaft f?r Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH Michael Engelskirchen, Deutsche Gesellschaft f?r Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH Disclaimer: This email was sent on behalf of GIZ - SUTP project as they are project partners of the EcoMobility Alliance. Any queries and concerns can be raise with GIZ - SUTP. ============================================================ Copyright ? 2014 EcoMobility, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you have subscribed for updates from the ICLEI EcoMobility Program. Our mailing address is: EcoMobility Kaiser-Friedrich-Str. 7 Bonn 53113 Germany ** unsubscribe from this list (http://ecomobility.us5.list-manage2.com/unsubscribe?u=a3a47048051ae2f2024de7834&id=53dac3f3db&e=909a432f89&c=7441b5b04e) ** update subscription preferences (http://ecomobility.us5.list-manage.com/profile?u=a3a47048051ae2f2024de7834&id=53dac3f3db&e=909a432f89) Email Marketing Powered by MailChimp http://www.mailchimp.com/monkey-rewards/?utm_source=freemium_newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=monkey_rewards&aid=a3a47048051ae2f2024de7834&afl=1 From carloscadenagaitan at gmail.com Thu Sep 25 22:14:39 2014 From: carloscadenagaitan at gmail.com (=?UTF-8?Q?Carlos_Cadena_Gait=C3=A1n?=) Date: Thu, 25 Sep 2014 08:14:39 -0500 Subject: [sustran] Call for applications open - World Bike Forum Message-ID: Dear friends, The call for applications to the World Bike Forum (Medell?n, February 2015) is open. Various types of contributions are welcome. Please help us spread the word: http://fmb4.org/site/?page_id=15075 Thanks, Carlos Cadena -- Carlos Cadena Gait?n PhD Research Fellow United Nations University - Maastricht www.merit.unu.edu Twitter: *@cadenagaitan* Skype: *cacadena* www.LaCiudadVerde.org - cr?ticas; +acci?n From carloscadenagaitan at gmail.com Thu Sep 25 22:14:39 2014 From: carloscadenagaitan at gmail.com (=?UTF-8?Q?Carlos_Cadena_Gait=C3=A1n?=) Date: Thu, 25 Sep 2014 08:14:39 -0500 Subject: [sustran] Call for applications open - World Bike Forum Message-ID: Dear friends, The call for applications to the World Bike Forum (Medell?n, February 2015) is open. Various types of contributions are welcome. Please help us spread the word: http://fmb4.org/site/?page_id=15075 Thanks, Carlos Cadena -- Carlos Cadena Gait?n PhD Research Fellow United Nations University - Maastricht www.merit.unu.edu Twitter: *@cadenagaitan* Skype: *cacadena* www.LaCiudadVerde.org - cr?ticas; +acci?n From yanivbin at gmail.com Sun Sep 28 12:26:20 2014 From: yanivbin at gmail.com (Vinay Baindur) Date: Sun, 28 Sep 2014 08:56:20 +0530 Subject: [sustran] BangaloRe: an access-controlled city Message-ID: http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/bangalore/bangalore-an-accesscontrolled-city/article6453280.ece Bangalore: an access-controlled cityK. V. Aditya Bharadwaj TOPICS crime, law and justice economy, business and finance Paying a heavy toll to exit, enter or commute within the IT city seems to be the norm. Toll plazas virtually control access roads into the city and in an ever-expanding capital, even a ride from your home to office could burn a hole in your pocket. Mysore Road ? one of the few last surviving un-tolled roads leading out of the city ? will also be tolled soon as it is being converted into a six-lane national highway. The project, estimated to cost Rs. 3,000 crore, is being taken up under the build-operate-transfer (BOT) model. Proposals to take up the development of Kanakapura Road and Doddaballapur Road, two other entry-exit routes of the city, under the BOT model, is pending and the day it materialises, Magadi Road will be the only road without toll booths. All major entry-exit routes of the city, that include National Highway 7 (Bellary Road, which leads to the International Airport), National Highway 4 (Tumkur Road), Hosur Road, and Old Madras Road, are tolled. Add to this is the peripheral ring road built by Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprises (NICE), where commuters are tolled at seven locations. The highest toll is being collected on the elevated expressway on Hosur Road, where a single one-way journey for a car costs Rs. 45 for a tollable road of 9.2 km, with a toll rate of Rs. 4.86 per kilometre, followed by Sadahalli gate on National Highway 7 with a toll rate of Rs. 3.4 per kilometre. The toll rates were recently revised amidst virulent protests. NICE Road is the only road that tolls two-wheelers as well. This has meant that for those moving into the city?s outskirts a separate kitty needs to be reserved for paying tolls, which could even be thousands of rupees in a month, depending on the distance. Urban experts argue that all entry and exit points of the city being access controlled will have a negative effect?The city with its large migrant population across the socio-economic spectrum of the society, would do better to not send out an elitist message,? said V. Ravichander, an urban expert. Trade and commerce are adversely affected by the phenomenon, said S. Sampath Raman, president, Federation of Karnataka Chamber of Commerce and Industry. He said the cost of labour and of transporting materials has shot up considerably in the last few years. Farmer leader Kodihalli Chandrashekar said that though they had been demanding that vehicles ferrying farm produce be excused from tolls, it had not materialised. Even farmers who gave up land for these roads were suffering. He said that this may lead to inflation in vegetable and fruit prices in the city. From yanivbin at gmail.com Tue Sep 30 18:19:25 2014 From: yanivbin at gmail.com (Vinay Baindur) Date: Tue, 30 Sep 2014 14:49:25 +0530 Subject: [sustran] Non-motorised vehicles will be focus of new Smart Cities Message-ID: hopefully the "smart" in the smart cities will also want the same in all other cities http://www.asianage.com/india/non-motorised-vehicles-will-be-focus-new-smart-cities-208 Non-motorised vehicles will be focus of new Smart Cities Sep 30, 2014 - E.T.B. Sivapriyan | - New Delhi India?s to-be-built ?Smart Cities? will lay considerable emphasis on a world-class public transport that discourages people from taking their personal vehicles out, while earmarking separate lanes for pedestrians and cyclists on its roads. The new 100 Smart Cities, the ambitious project of the Narendra Modi government, would also emphasise on demand management, by creating incentives for savings and disincentives for excessive consumption. The revised concept note prepared by the Centre on the Smart Cities says walking and cycling have been rendered unsafe due to poor infrastructure and public transport has been inadequate currently on Indian roads. ?Our cities are faced with rapid motorisation. This has led to severe congestion, deteriorating air quality, increasing incidence of road accidents and a rapidly increasing energy bill. Walking and cycling have been rendered unsafe due to poor infrastructure and public transport has been inadequate. So far, urban transport planning has emphasised providing for the personal motor vehicle,? the concept note says. It says public transport systems have been planned in isolation with the result that a well-integrated multi-modal system has not come up which has resulted in high cost facilities not giving the outcomes that were sought. The concept note says for transport systems the demand management efforts will be such that they promote the use of non-motorised modes of travel or public transport and discourage personal motor vehicles. It also underlines the fact that Seoul, Singapore, Yokohama and Barcelona have a sound transport system as the core of their ?smartness? that lays stress on walking, cycling and public transport as the primary means for mobility with personal motor vehicles being actively discouraged. ?In fact, smart cities lay considerable emphasis on the walkability and cycling in the city. The pedestrian is given a place of prominence as every trip has a leg that involves walking.? The note also wants proper infrastructure facilities for cyclists and pedestrians on the to-be-built roads. It says many cities across the world have given emphasis to it and developed the required infrastructure for promoting cycling and says there should be promotion of use of non-motorised modes of travel or public transport and discourages personal motor vehicles.