17 June 1998 Sustainable Transport Action Network for Asia and the Pacific (SUSTRAN) Dr A. Rahman Paul BARTER P.O. Box 11501, Kuala Lumpur 50748, Malaysia. TEL/FAX: +60 3 2274 2590 E-mail: sustran@po.jaring.my Web: http://www.geocities.com/RainForest/Canopy/2853/ Sorry again for the long gap between SUSTRAN News Flashes. No, we have not gone under in the Asian economic meltdown as you may have begun to think. Happy reading. CONTENTS
1. EDITORIAL: FUEL PRICE RISES BRING DOWN SUHARTO? As we all know, there have been tumultuous events in Indonesia since the last SUSTRAN News Flash. Escalating demonstrations in April and May finally led Suharto's key allies to desert him and he had little choice but to resign. The IMF-instigated reductions in fuel subsidies were widely reported as the catalyst for the rioting and demonstrations before the downfall. Probably just as important, but less widely reported, were the steep rises in public transport fares that occurred at the same time. Although Suharto's regime was clearly deeply unpopular and tainted by corruption, and many other goods had also seen price rises, leaders elsewhere may be making a mental note to themselves, "Never raise fuel prices, never raise fuel prices" That would be a shame. The sudden removal of fuel subsidies certainly can hurt desperately poor people. But on the other hand, fuel subsidies, especially on gasoline, always benefit the rich much more than the poor. A sustainable and people-centred approach to this issue probably demands that fuel subsidies be removed. But this should be done as part of a package of policies that directly benefits lower-income groups. Societies like Japan, South Korea and most European countries have had rather high fuel prices for most of the decades since World War Two. These high prices probably benefited the poor by slowing down motorisation (even if only a little) and by helping the alternatives to private vehicles to remain viable. There is an urgent need for serious attention to fuel pricing policy by governments and international bodies. This attention must go beyond the purely economic and financial focus of the IMF and include a sharp focus on equity, on ecological sustainability, and on what is politically possible in each country. 2. SUSTRAN MEETING IN MANILA Recently a "General Assembly" of the Sustainable Transport Action Network for Asia and Pacific (SUSTRAN) was held in Manila on 2 - 5 June at the Environmental Education Center, Miriam College, Quezon City, Metro Manila. It brought together 33 of the core participants in the SUSTRAN network so far. There were participants from India, Korea, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia and the Philippines, as well as representatives from SUSTRAN partners based in the UK, Kenya and the USA. We hope the next time an even larger group can be brought together. The meeting saw a high level of enthusiasm for a vision of more people-centred and ecologically sustainable transport and for more civil society initiatives on transport issues. Opportunities for advocacy efforts at the regional and international levels were discussed, such as campaigns targeting the ADB, JICA, and the Asian lending of the World Bank. Even greater interest was shown in how region-wide networking can best help local groups with their own local advocacy work. Many new ideas for SUSTRAN activities and priorities were generated. Details of these ideas, decisions and events at the meeting will be shared more widely in the near future. Thanks must go to the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP) for their organisational and funding support for the meeting. Thanks also to Green Forum Philippines, the local coordinators of the meeting, and to the UNDP's Asia Pacific 2000 programme, the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements for their collaboration, and to everyone who was involved. There will be more reports on the outcomes of the meeting in the next SUSTRAN News flash. 3. GREENING SHELL OIL COMPANY? During the first half of this year, the Shell oil company has been holding a series of Expert Dialogues on the proposed Shell Sustainable Energy Initiative (SEI). Shell describes the purpose of SEI as to "advance the development and implementation of practical measures that enable society to achieve sustainable and ever more efficient production and consumption of energy." A Southeast Asian dialogue was held on 10 March 1998 in Bangkok and was organised with the assistance of the International Institute for Energy Conservation (IIEC). About 15 experts and representatives of NGOs attended, including the coordinator of the SUSTRAN network. An interesting collection of people had been gathered but it quickly became apparent that the proposed SEI itself was simply charitable in character. There was little or no sign that the principles of sustainable development would be applied in any deep way to the operations of the company itself in the near future. However, one interesting insight was the diverse nature of the Shell Group. For example, USA and European parts of Shell took different lobbying positions on the Kyoto climate change negotiations. [For more information on the Southeast Asian SEI Expert Dialogue, contact: Kristina Egan or John Ernst, International Institute for Energy Conservation, Asia Office, 8 Sukhumvit Soi 49/9, Bangkok, Thailand 10110, Tel: +66 2 381 0814 Fax : +66 2 381 0815, Email: kegan@loxinfo.co.th or jernst@loxinfo.co.th, Web: http://www.iiec.org]. 4. INDONESIAN FOREST FUND USED ON NATIONAL CAR: IMF It was reported that Indonesia was unable to use a special reforestation fund to help cope with massive forest fires last year because the money had been transferred to a project to develop a national car, IMF managing director Michelle Comdessus said. The Timor Putra Company, responsible for the national car project, is controlled by Indonesian ex-President Suharto's youngest son. [Source the Sun newspaper (Malaysia), Friday Jan. 23, 1998, p. 22]. 5. AIR QUALITY INSIDE CARS WORSE THAN BACKGROUND LEVELS The Environmental Transport Association Trust (ETA) of United Kingdom has completed a study for the Department of Environment, Transport and the Regions (DETR) which concludes that air pollution inside cars can be up to five times greater than background concentrations. Pedestrians and cyclists are usually exposed to lower concentrations of pollutants because they tend to be at the side of the road rather than in the middle. Car users are, in effect, travelling in a tunnel of pollutants. Factors that increase levels of pollutants in cars include low wind speeds, slow moving traffic, vehicle age and faulty exhaust systems. Rush hour conditions in urban areas were revealed as contributing to the highest concentrations in vehicles, particularly levels of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and carbon monoxide. The amount of ventilation inside the car seems to have little impact on air pollution level. A similar study in Australia found benzene levels in cars up to 11 times greater than ambient levels. For older cars without catalytic converters, exposure was up to 27 times greater during urban commuting trips. This suggests that the pollution levels in cars relate to a combination of emissions from the cars own exhaust emissions and those from other vehicles on the road. [Source: Air Quality Issues, Vol. 3, Issue 3, January 1998. Atmospheric Research and Information Center (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]. 6. THAI RECYCLED BIKE PROJECT The Thailand Cycling Club (TCC) is launching a "Recycled Bicycle Project" to donate old bicycles to underprivileged children in rural areas in Si Sa Ket, Buri Ram, Roi Et, Nong Khai, and Phitsanulok provinces. Professor Dr Thongchai Panswad, chairman of the TCC said "For needy children, these bikes, after repair, mean no more long, barefoot walks to school. Some small children quit school altogether for this reason and many skip classes on rainy days. So we would like to help make their journey to school a bit easier." In addition, mechanics from the TCC will train the children how to carry out simple repairs. [Contact: Thailand Cycling Club, Dr. Thongchai Panswad, c/o Environmental Engineering Department, Chulalongkorn University, Phyathai Rd, Bangkok 10330, Thailand. Tel: 66 2-2186669, Fax: 66 2-252 7510, Email: tpanswad@anoxic.env.chula.edu ]. 7. REMINDER: PLEASE SEND DETAILS FOR CONTACTS DIRECTORY A mentioned last year, the SUSTRAN Secretariat is preparing a Contacts Directory. Yes it is still coming!! It will be included in a Sourcebook to be published this year. A few of you have already sent in your details for inclusion. This is another reminder to anyone who would like to be included to send brief answers to the following questions to the SUSTRAN Resource Centre sustran@po.jaring.my. Please also let us know if your contact details have changed recently.
8. PENANG THIRD LINK VERSUS FERRY SERVICES Several Penang-based organisations have questioned the proposed "third link" bridge-cum-tunnel project between Penang Island and the Malaysian mainland. The groups are Aliran, Legal Advisory Centre, Women's Crisis Centre, Penang Port Commission (PPSB) Employees Union, and Penang branches of the Democratic Action Party, Malaysian Trades Union Congress, Malaysian Youth Council and Pesticide Action Network. The third link project is expected to cost RM2 billion (about US$0.5 billion). The groups questioned the proposal on a number of grounds, including: that improving the ferry services to their full potential could meet the need at much lower cost; that the emphasis should be on improving public transport and not on making it easier for people to drive into the island and choke its already congested streets; another "mega project" is unwise at a time of great economic uncertainty. [Contact: ALIRAN, PO Box 1049, 10830 Pulau Pinang, Malaysia. Tel/Fax: +60 4 641 5785, Web: http://www.malaysia.net/aliran/]. 9. PHILIPPINE FOREST ROAD CONTROVERSY Controversy has emerged over the proposed Ternate-Nasugbu national highway south of Manila that will cut across two forest reserves namely: the Calumpang Point Naval Forest reservation and the Mt. Palaypalay National Park. The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has reportedly been trying to convince the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to re-route the 43-kilometer proposed highway since the highway would encourage encroachment into the forest. But DENR was willing to allow the highway to enter the park provided it was fenced off. The 1,300-hectare Harbour Town project of Fil-Estate Properties, Inc. in Nasugbu Batangas is seen as a direct beneficiary of the new highway. The resort will include two marinas, four golf courses, resort hotel, beach resort, and residential subdivisions. Michael Toledo of Fil-Estate denied reports the firm has put up P 5 million for the environmental guarantee fund required for the project. Mr. Toledo said Fil-Estate was not exerting pressure on DPWH to hasten the road project. Environmental group Haribon Foundation has threatened legal action against the DPWH if it is proven that they were building the new road to benefit the real estate developers in the Cavite - Laguna - Batangas - Rizal - Quezon (Calabarzon) growth area. [Source: Business World, Thursday, March 12, 1998; Contact: Green Forum, 14 Mabait St, Teachers Village, Diliman, Quezon City, Philippines. Fax: 632-925-3739, Email: greenfm@phil.gn.apc.org ]. 10. KUALA LUMPUR ROADS PROTESTS In Kuala Lumpur in February, about 2000 university students and members of the public protested near the entrance to the University of Malaya against the construction of the Kerinci Link Expressway. They were upset at the impact of the proposed road on the campus. Nearby residents have also taken their concerns to the press. Similar sentiments have emerged from residents of Kampung Sungai Pencala, a gazetted Malay village on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur, who are also faced with the prospect of a link road, the Pencala Link, encroaching into 38 hectares of their reserve land. The Kerinci Link Expressway and the Pencala Link are part of the RM1.3 billion Sprint Expressway network which is to be ready by the year 2000. [Source: The Sun, Berita Harian and Utusan Malaysia (Malaysian Newspapers)]. 11. RESOURCES a. "The Bicycle In Africa: Luxury Or Necessity?" by John Howe and Ron Dennis. IHE Working Paper IP-3 (first presented at the VELOCITY conference "The Civilized City: Responses To New Transport Priorities" 6-10 September 1993, Nottingham, U.K.). [IHE Delft, Westvest 7, PO Box 3015, 2601 DA Delft, The Netherlands. Tel. +31 15 215 1715, Fax. +31 15 212 2921, Email: ihe@ihe.nl. b. The Hindu "Survey Of The Environment 98." This survey is published annually by the Hindu newspaper of India. This year it has four articles on transport. The articles are: "Heterogenous Cities: Limits Of Paradigms" - by Geetam Tiwari; "Smokeless Vehicles : For A Cleaner Future" - by Prof. Dinesh Mohan; "Third World Traffic: Alternative Approaches" - by Rajeev Saraf; and "Curitiba: Where buses hold sway" - by Jonas Rabinovitch. c. "Forced Evictions And Housing Rights In Asia (A Second Report)", edited by Kenneth Fernandes. Documents the process of forced evictions that occurred during 1996 and 1997 in 13 Asian cities. [Available from the Asian Coalition for Housing Rights (ACHR) Secretariat, 73 Soi Sonthiwattana 4, Ladprao 110, Ladprao Rd, Bangkok 1030, Thailand. Tel [662] 538 0919, Fax: [662] 539 9950, achrsec@email.ksc.net]. d. "Car Busters" magazine. A new magazine attacking "car culture" and exploring positive alternatives. Small donation appreciated for a 'free' sample copy. [Contact : Car Busters Magazine & Resource Centre, 44 rue Burdeau, 69001 Lyon, France. Tel.: +(33) 4 72 00 23 57; fax: +(33) 4 78 28 57 78, E-mail: carbusters@wanadoo.fr] e. "Transport and Communications for Urban Development: Report of The Habitat II Global Workshop", 3-5 July 1995, Singapore. [Contact: Brian Williams, Human Settlements Officer, United Nations Centre for Human Settlements, PO Box 30030, Nairobi, Kenya. Tel: 254-2-623916, Fax: 254-2-624265, Email: brian.williams@unchs.org]. f. A FEW WEB SITES Here are a few sites that would be a good start to a sustainable transport "web surf". Most of these sites provide links to other transport-related sites.
12. EVENTS "The International Conference on Transport and Regional Development (CONTRA-98)", which was to have been held in Yogyakarta in June 1998, has been postponed due to the recent upheavals in Indonesia. The Organising Committee will announce the new date of the conference later. [Contact: Organising Committee CONTRA-98 Yogyakarta, Dr. Danang Parikesit, Civil Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering, Gadjah Mada University ,Yogyakarta 55281, Indonesia. Tel. +62 274 902246, 512796, Fax. +62 274 512796, Email: mstt_ugm@yogya.wasantara.net.id, dan-dan@indo.net.id]. "International Symposium On Travel Demand Management", 8-10 July, Newcastle University. [Contact: Mrs Lynda Morgan, Symposium Secretary, Transport Operations Research Group, University of Newcastle Upon Tyne, Newcastle Upon Tyne, NE1 7RU, UK , Tel: +44 191 222 7683, Fax: +44 191 222 8352, E-mail: Lynda.Morgan@ncl.ac.uk, Web: http://www.ncl.ac.uk/~nws1/ ]
"Moving the Economy: Economic Opportunities in Sustainable Transportation -
An International Conference", July 9 - 12, 1998, Toronto, Canada. [Contact:
Moving the Economy, c/o, Toronto City Hall, 12th Floor, East Tower,
Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5H 2N2. Tel. +1 416 392-1560 x 85854, Fax: +1
416-392-0071, Email:
"Workshop on Managing Information in Resource Centres - Experiences And
Challenges", 28-30 July 1998, Mumbai, India. For sharing experiences of
managing information related to Habitat and Urbanisation issues. [Contact:
YUVA, 8 Gr. Fl.33/L Mhatre Bldg., Mugbhat Cross Lane, Mumbai 400 004,
India. Tel: +91 3889811/ 91 4143498/ 91 4070623, Fax: +91 2044223/ 91
2088348, Email:
"Conference on Sustainable Transport", 31 July - 1 August 1998, Stamford
Hall, Leicester University, Leicester, LE2, UK. Theme: Sustainable
Transport: What are the barriers and how can we overcome them? [Contact:
Sarah Lane, Chartered Institute of Transport (CIT), Tel: +44 171 467 9418
Fax: +44 171 467 9440, Email: gen@citrans.org.uk]
INTERTRAFFIC '98, Sao Paolo, Brazil, 8-12 September 1998. [Contact:
Organization Intertraffic '98 South America, RAI Group , PO Box 77777, 1070
MS Amsterdam, Netherlands, Tel: +31 20 549 1212, Fax: +31 20 646 4469,
Email:
"CODATU VIII (8th World Conference on the Development and Planning of Urban
and Peri-urban Transport)", Cape Town, South Africa, 21 - 25 September
1998. [Contact: Claude Berenguier, Exec. Manager, CODATU Association,
Espace Ville, Rue Maurice Audin, 69518 Vaulx en Velin,, France. Tel. +33 47
204 7701, Fax: +33 47 204 7702, Email:
"Training Course on Managing and Financing of Rural Transport" organised by
the Transport Research Laboratory (TRL) and promoted by the World Bank,
will be held at TRL near London, October 12 - 23, 1998. Topics include:
Rural Transport Infrastructure , Rural Transport Services, Rural Transport
Planning. [Contact person at TRL: Linda Parsley; Fax: +44-1344 770 719,
Email:
"UITP Asia/Pacific Congress and Exhibition", Hong Kong Oct 20 - 23, 1998.
[Contact: Mrs Phoebe Lau, Asia/Pacific Liaison Officer for the
International Union of Public Transport (UITP), Tel: +852 2993 8721; Fax:
+852 2993 7782; Email: phoebel@mtrcorp.com).]
"VELO HAVANA, International Bicycle Conference and Exhibition", 8-11
Dec. 1998, Havana, Cuba. [Contact: Organising Committee, International
Conference and Exhibition "Velo Havana", Apartado Postal 17029, Habana
17, C.P. 11700, Cuba. Fax:+(53-7) 33-8250, E-mail: iitransp@transnet.cu]
"Third International Workshop on Transportation Planning & Implementation
Methodologies for Developing Countries: Emerging Trends (TPMDC - 98)",
Bombay, 15-17 Dec., 1998 [Contact: Dr S. L Dhingra / Prof. P.K. Sikdar,
Co-ordinators, TPMDC - 98 Civil Engineering Department , Indian Institute
of Technology PowaI, Bombay-400 076, India. Fax :091-022-5767302/5783480,
Email: dhingra@gemini.civil.iitb.ernet.in].
"VELOZITY: Australasian Cycling Conference", Feb. 17-19, 1999, Adelaide,
Australia. [Contact: Peter Solly and Lindsay Holmes, Conference 99, PO Box
2617, Kent Town, South Australia 5071, Australia. Tel: +61 8 8362 5959,
Fax: +61 8 8362 1776, Web: www.velozity.adelaide.net.au].
The Sustainable Transport Action Network for Asia & the Pacific (SUSTRAN)
is dedicated to promoting transport policies and investments that foster
accessibility for all; social equity; ecological sustainability; health and
safety; public participation; and high quality of life.
We rely on you, the participants in the network, for our news. Thank you to
everyone who has sent material. Please keep it coming. We welcome brief
news and announcements from all over the world.
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