As well as contributions of news and announcements, we at the SUSTRAN secretariat welcome any suggestions, comments and criticisms you may have of this service. Which transport issues do you think should be getting highest priority from SUSTRAN? What are your main information needs? Which issues are most relevant to your goals or those of your organisation?

2. SINGAPORE BUSES TO MONITOR THEIR OWN LANES

It was reported recently that Singapore plans to fit cameras to its buses in order to catch motorists who violate the city-state's extensive network of peak-period bus lanes. This follows concern that the average bus speed in the morning peak fell from 20 km/hr in 1991 to 18 km/hr last year. The cameras will photograph the license plates of errant motorists who will automatically be issued with a fine of S$130 and 4 demerit points. They will work in much the same way as existing "red-light" cameras which detect traffic light violations in many cities around the world. [Source: AFP].

3. FEER COVER STORY- "GRIDLOCK: CAN ASIA COPE WITH THE CAR?"

The May 8 edition of the Far Eastern Economic Review has a 5 page feature on "Asia's Car Crush". Traffic and pollution horror stories from Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Taipei and Delhi are contrasted with the relative efficiency of Singapore and Tokyo. Interestingly Shanghai is also held up as a recent success - it is building infrastructure very quickly while restraining traffic and rationing car licenses (only 500 new ones per year). The feature warns against thinking that road building will ever solve the problem, quoting Dr Timothy Hau of Hong Kong University. Instead, "a combination of carrots and sticks" will be needed - with the main "carrot" being dramatically improved public transport. However, the article highlights the political difficulty of implementing the "sticks" which will make private driving more expensive and inconvenient. One article is devoted to Delhi's air pollution problems. The city of about 10 million people is reported to have 880,000 asthma sufferers. The Australian cricket team was so horrified last year by the filthy air that they have said they will not accept future invitations to play there. Anil Agarwal, of the Centre for Science and Environment in Delhi, is quoted criticising India's imports of cheap but very low quality (high sulfur) fuel which results in high particulate emissions.

4. MEXICO STUDY: RISK GREATEST FROM SMALLEST PARTICLES

A study published last year of young asthma sufferers in Mexico City supports the argument that PM2.5 is a better indicator than PM10 of the health impacts of particulate matter. The terms, PM2.5 and PM10, refer to the concentrations of particles measuring 2.5 or 10 microns or less in diameter, respectively. The study was carried out in an area of the city which frequently exceeds WHO guidelines on ozone and particulates. It was observed that a 20 microgram per cubic metre increase in PM10 was associated with an 8% increase in lower respiratory illness in 5 to 13 year olds. Meanwhile a 10 microgram per cubic metre increase in PM2.5 was associated with a 21% rise. Full details are in the Am J Respir Crit Care Med (August 1996).
[Source: "Air Quality Issues" (Vol. 2, Issue 2, November 1996) which is the newsletter of the Atmospheric Research and Information Centre (ARIC), c/o Dept. of Environmental & Geographical Sciences, Manchester Metropolitan Uni., Chester St, Manchester, M1 5GD, UK. E-mail: aric@mmu.ac.uk, Web: http://www.doc.mmu.ac.uk/aric/arichome.html ].

5. JOURNAL SEEKS SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORT CONTRIBUTIONS

World Transport Policy and Practice is a new journal specialising in sustainable transport and practical solutions to transport dilemmas. It is particularly interested in covering areas of the world normally missed out of mainstream US and European publications (eg Africa, Southeast Asia). They would be delighted to receive ideas or manuscripts for publication. Articles should be no more than 3000 words and have a very practical, policy emphasis.
Articles can be sent by e-mail to the editor, Professor John Whitelegg j.whitelegg@lancaster.ac.uk or by mail to 53 Derwent Rd, Lancaster, UK, LA1 3ES. Discussions by phone/fax or e-mail are very welcome as are ideas on special issues; phone: +44 1524 63175, fax: +44 1524 848340.

6. TRANSPORT INCLUDED IN FORUM ON URBAN POVERTY

"Access to Transport for the Urban Poor" has been chosen as one of four major sub-themes of a major conference which will launch the International Forum on Urban Poverty. The conference in Florence, Italy, from 14 to 19 September 1997 will be a follow-up to last year's Istanbul Habitat II conference. With meetings every two years, the Forum is to become an ongoing partnership among municipalities, bilateral and multilateral support agencies, private foundations, NGOs and community-based organisations that are active in the struggle against urban poverty at the local level. The overall theme of this year's conference is "Governance and Participation: Practical Approaches to Urban Poverty Reduction".
Anyone with an interest in attending the forum should contact: Mr Brian Williams, Human Settlements Officer, United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (HABITAT), Research and Development Division, P.O. Box 30030, Nairobi, Kenya. Tel: +254 2 623-916, Fax: +254 2 624-265, e-mail: brian.williams@unchs.org.

7. PHILIPPINES SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORT FORUM CONFERENCE

The Sustainable Transport Forum, an informal network of environmental groups, green transport advocates, academics, transport planners, consumer advocates, and others, is organising a national conference tentatively scheduled for November 6 and 7, 1997 that will focus on the problems associated with urban transport. The conference will bring together a broad spectrum of participants not often invited to these kinds of discussions including urban poor representatives, community organisers, bicycle advocates, consumer advocates, and people with disabilities. The usual group of transportation planners and academics, transport officials, workers from the public transport sector, and industry representatives are expected as well. Among the outputs will be a set of resolutions and an action plan committing the various stakeholders to concrete steps they will undertake to recreate our cities on a more livable and humane basis.
[Source and contact for more information: Ramon Fernan, Cycling Advocates (CYCAD), cycad@epic.net].

8. CODATU VIII IN CAPETOWN: CALL FOR PAPER PROPOSALS

The deadline is now close for proposals of papers for the 8th Conference of the CODATU Association (cooperation for the development of urban and suburban transportation) which is to be held in Cape Town, South Africa, from 21 to 25 September 1998. Previous CODATU conferences have been in New Delhi 1996, Tunis 1992, Sao Paulo 1990, Jakarta 1988, Cairo 1986, Caracas 1982, and Dakar 1980. Urban transport in developing countries is the primary focus of these conferences. Proposals should include a brief biodata of the author, including contact details and an abstract in French or English of no more than 400 words. Proposals must be submitted by June 15, 1997 to: CODATU VIII - Scientific Committee, Christian JAMET - President, 9/11 Ave. de Villars, 75007 Paris, FRANCE. Fax: +33 1 4418 7804

9. RESOURCE: "NON-MOTORISED TRANSPORT"

In August last year, the World Bank and the Interamerican Development Bank jointly published a book entitled "Non-Motorised Transport". The volume is edited by V. Setty Pendakur of the University of British Columbia. It consists of seven papers presented at a seminar on NMT sponsored by the two banks and held in Washington, D.C. in 1992. Paper authors are V. Setty Pendakur, Andre Pettinga, Ricardo Navarro, Ricardo Neves, Roberto Chavez and Karen Overton.
[Available from World Bank publications, at the headquarters in Washington DC: Fax: +1 202 477 6391, E-mail books@worldbank.org or the Tokyo Office: Kokusai Building, 1-1, Marunouchi 3-chome, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100, Japan. Fax: +81 3 3214 3657].

10. "RULES OF THE ROAD"

The SUSTRAN Secretariat has received from an Indian participant, a copy of an interesting version of the Indian Highway Code which is observed by many drivers there (and apparently also throughout much of Asia). Here are articles I to III:
ARTICLE I: The assumption of immortality is required of all road users.
ARTICLE II: Indian traffic is structured on a strict caste system. The following precedence must be accorded at all times. In descending order, give way to: cows, elephants, heavy trucks, buses, official cars, camels, light trucks, buffalo, jeeps, ox-carts, private cars, motorcycles, scooters, auto-rickshaws, pigs, pedal rickshaws, goats, bicycles (goods-carrying), handcarts, bicycles (passenger-carrying), dogs, pedestrians.
ARTICLE III: All wheeled vehicles shall be driven in accordance with the maxim: to slow is to falter, to brake is to fail, to stop is defeat.

11. QUICK FACTS

Twelve bicycles can be stored in one car parking space. [C.R.O.W., 1993. "Sign up for the bike: design manual for a cycle-friendly infrastructure"].

Probability of death for pedestrians struck by a vehicle at different speeds:
At 65 km/hr, 85% are killed,
at 50 km/hr, 50% are killed, but
at a "traffic calmed" speed of 30 km/hr only 30% are killed.
[Rajesh Patel, Geetam Tiwari and Dinesh Mohan (1994). "Introduction to Traffic Calming", WHO Collab. Centre for Research and Training in Safety Technology, IIT, New Delhi].