1. Malaysian motorcycle emissions dispute.
2. Traffic, the bane of historic cities.
3. Jakarta triple-deck road-rail plan.
4. Interactive training courses in the Netherlands.
5. Kuala Lumpur bicycle ways.
6. Profile: Thailand Cycling Club.
7. Resources.
8. Conferences and meetings.
9. Quote.
10. Lighter side.

1. MALAYSIAN MOTORCYCLE INDUSTRY RESISTS EMISSIONS RULES

The Director-General of the Malaysian Department of the Environment (DOE), Mr Tan Meng Leng, has said that the local motorcycle manufacturing industry should stop resisting tighter standards on motorcycle emissions. Negotiations have been going on for 10 years on the issue. The DOE wants to impose the "Taiwanese Stage II" standards but the industry would prefer the less stringent European EC standards. However, the DOE argues that the Taiwanese standards are needed because, like Taiwan, motorcycles account for more than half of Malaysia's vehicle fleet. The European standards were framed for countries with very few motorcycles. Dr Tan refuted manufacturers claims that the technology required to comply with the new standards did not exist, "They now have several options such as producing four-stroke instead of two-stroke motorcycles and installing catalytic converters," he said. He also dismissed industry complaints about the added costs of meeting the standards, citing the "invisible cost to the people in terms of health, which will later be borne by the Government and eventually the public." He urged the industry to follow the example of the recently launched "national" motorcycle manufacturer, Modenas, which produces only four-stroke models. [Source: New Straits Times, Sat. July 19, 1997, p. 7].

2. TRAFFIC, THE BANE OF HISTORIC CITIES

The Asia and West Pacific Network for Urban Conservation (AWPNUC) gave green transport and SUSTRAN an excellent plug in their latest AWPNUC newsletter with the following article:
"The explosive growth of motorised transport in the Asia-Pacific region has led to intolerable levels of traffic congestion, wasted time, lowered productivity, noise and air pollution and a declining quality of life for many urban residents. The rapid increase in the number of private motor vehicles wreaks havoc and destruction on the fragile fabric of historic urban areas. Heritage buildings, old trees and public spaces are "sacrificed" for new roads, road-widening and car parking space.
Modern commercial buildings and housing, with proper car-access and car-parking are publicly perceived as "good" developments, whereas traditional vernacular street-fronting buildings are perceived as obsolete. The viability of traditional buildings as shops and residences is impaired due to incessant traffic congestion, pollution and lack of pedestrian amenities.
Most policy-makers and planners in this part of the world just don't know how to deal with such problems other than zoning entire historic areas for redevelopment. One of the key strategies which most European cities have used to preserve entire historic urban areas is through a combination of traffic calming, pedestrianisation and enhancement of public transport and bicycle access. Fremantle, in Western Australia is one of the few urban areas in the Asia Pacific which has succeeded in regenerating its old city centre using pedestrianisation, traffic calming and improved public transport.
In the meantime, countries like China and Vietnam, equating the car with progress and prosperity, are regrettably forsaking the bicycle and walking as the primary means of moving peoples. The impact on their historic urban areas is all too predictable. To save historic urban areas, the trend of automobilisation has to be reversed, which means policies need to provide for good public transport as well as bicycle and pedestrian -friendly environments.
SUSTRAN, a regional network with its secretariat in Kuala Lumpur, was started in 1995 to demystify the whole complex issue of urban transport and to rally communities, organisations and individuals to take up local action on the sustainable and people-centred transport issues."
[AWPNUC Secretariat, 19 Kelawei Road, 10250 Penang, Malaysia. Tel/Fax: +604 226 1358, E-mail: lubisksn@tm.net.my]

3. JAKARTA TRIPLE-DECK ROAD-RAIL PLAN

Construction is now due to start on a US$2.4 billion, 23.5 km road and railway project linking Bintaro in southern Jakarta to Kota (the historic old centre) in the north. A light rail system will run above a surface road but below a tollway. The project was awarded by presidential decree without tender to PT Citra Lamtoro Gung Persada, a company controlled by President Suharto's eldest daughter, Siti Hardiyanti Rukmana.
[Source: New Straits Times].

4. INTERACTIVE TRAINING COURSES IN THE NETHERLANDS

I-ce, Interface for Cycling Expertise is offering two courses in The Netherlands in early September; PROVIDING FOR CYCLING, a practical training course and OLD TOWN NEW TOWN, a study-tour of cycling provision in Amsterdam and Almere. The courses are scheduled so that interested people can participate in these courses and then travel to Barcelona in time for the start of the Velocity conference in 1997. Both the training courses are intended for those working in the transport field.
* For information on the practicalities: Teatske de Jong, phone: +31.30.2720468, fax: +31.30.2710958, e-mail: teatske@knoware.nl
* For information on the course contents: Oliver Hatch, phone: +44.181.6 745 916, fax: +44.181.6 713 386, e-mail: oh@velo-city.org
* Information about I-ce: I-ce, P.O. Box 2476, 3500 GL Utrecht, Email: I-ce@cycling.nl

5. KUALA LUMPUR BICYCLE WAYS

The Kuala Lumpur City Hall has built the country's first dedicated bicycle ways in the suburban housing area of Wangsa Maju. This pilot project cost RM800,000 (US$320,000) and includes sheltered bicycle parking at certain bus stops in the area, which will next year also be served by Light Rail. Shade trees are being planted along the bikeways. Mayor Tan Sri Kamaruzzaman Shariff said that RM4 million (US$1.6 million) has been allocated to build bicycle ways throughout Kuala Lumpur, which has about 1.4 million out of the 3.5 million or so in the Klang Valley metropolitan area. Developers will be required to provide bicycle ways in new housing estates. Kamaruzzaman also said that another RM 4 million has been allocated this year to building and improving facilities for pedestrians.
[Source: The Star newspaper, April 29 and May 3, 1997.]

6. PROFILE: THAILAND CYCLING CLUB (TCC).

The TCC is a non-profit organisation established in March 1991 by bicycle enthusiasts to promote the use of bicycles in the country. By the end of 1996 it had over 1000 members all over the country. TCC derives its income from the sale of cycling gear, by organising activities, and from a small annual membership fee. It circulates a monthly newsletter to members and organises at least one bicycle trip per month (either whole day or overnight). For each of the last 5 years the Club has organised a major bicycle rally in Bangkok to draw attention to the need for bicycle facilities. As a result of these efforts the city's first bicycle way (4 km along Prachachuen Road) was launched by the Bangkok Metropolitan Authority in Nov. 1995. Last year the TCC was awarded a Thailand Tourism Award by the Tourism Authority of Thailand in the category of "best conservation/preservation project" for its promotion of tourism by bicycles.
[Contact: Prof. Thongchai Panswad, President, Thailand Cycling Club (TCC), c/o Environmental Engineering Dept., Chulalongkorn University, Phyathai, Bangkok 10330, Thailand. Tel: +66 2 218 6669, +66 2 252 7511, Fax: +66 2 252 7510].

7. RESOURCES

1. "Accessible Transportation Around the World". This is the newsletter of Access Exchange International (AEI), which is a US-based, non-profit organisation devoted to promoting accessible public transport and paratransit services around the world. AEI works toward this goal "by promoting appropriate technology, creating demonstration projects, sponsoring training and exchanges, and increasing awareness of public transport access issues." AEI was founded in 1991. The latest edition highlights initiatives to provide wheelchair-accessible buses in Mexico City, accessible paratransit in South Africa, and new accessible "London style" taxis in Singapore.
   [Contact: Tom Rickert, Access Exchange International, 112 San Pablo Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94127-1536, USA. Tel. +1 415 661 6355, Fax: +1 415 661 1543, E-mail: globalride-sf@worldnet.at.net].

2. "Big Cities, Small Means. European Funding for Environment and Urban Development, an orientation guide for Southern NGOs." This useful new publication from Both ENDS in the Netherlands is aimed at Southern NGOs which are concerned with sustainable urban development projects. It intends to assist NGOs directly in their search for finances and guides the reader through the labyrinth of policies, eligibility criteria and application procedures of funding agencies throughout Europe. Price: DFL 40 or US$25 (including postage).
   [Contact: Both ENDS, Damrak 28-30, 1012 LJ Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Tel: +31 20 623 0823, Fax: +31 20 620 8049, E-mail: bothends@antenna.nl].

3. "Forum News", the newsletter of the International Forum for Rural Transport and Development (IFRTD) is now posted on IFRTD's web page http://www.gn.apc.org/ifrtd. The latest edition (Vol. 5, Issue 1, July 1997) is on bicycles. It features three particularly inspiring stories. One is on the success of bicycle-trailers in rural Sri Lanka. Another is on the rise of a bicycle-taxi industry in the Siaya district in Kenya, near the Ugandan border. The other is on the inclusion of bicycles in a literacy campaign targeting women in Puddokottai District in Tamil Nadu in Southern India. Approximately 50,000 women learnt to ride in one year. Greater mobility dramatically expanded income generating opportunities but perhaps more importantly helped many of the women achieve greater independence and self-respect.
   [Contact: IFRTD, New Premier House, 150 Southampton Row, 2nd Floor, London WC1B 5AL, United Kingdom. Tel: +44 171 278 3670, Fax: +44 171 2786880, E-mail: ifrtd@gn.apc.org].

4. Documentation from Karachi's Urban Resource Centre The Urban Resource Centre (URC) of Karachi is actively involved in a number of transport issues in the city. A number of documents are available on these from URC.
   • URC Publications
     Karachi Mass Transit Plan: Citizen's Concerns and Possible Alternatives: October 1994 (46 pages). Lyari Expressway: Environmental Cost and Alternatives (70 pages)
   • Dossiers of Press Clippings:
     Karachi Mass Transit Plan, Vol. I (70 pages) and Vol II (75 pages) Karachi Transport and Traffic Management (120 pages) Lyari Expressway (70 pages) [Contact: Karachi Urban Resource Centre, 14 Sixth Floor Clinic Tower Rimpa Plaza M.A. Jinnah Road, Karachi, Pakistan. Tel. +92 21 7722861].