Dear Ms. Kanthimathi Kannan:
In response to your email below to MaryM'Mukindia, I am writing to update you on a UNEP and FIA Foundation project that is developing guidance on how to improve road design and finance for integrating NMT into road infrastructure investments in developing countries. It is provisionally called the '10% campaign', and we are launching a website next week that will be linked to UNEP's urban environment page: http://www.unep.org/dpdl/urban_environment/. This campaign and work is based on a World Bank and Commission for Global Road Safety recommendation that all donor supported road projects in developing countries should include a minimum 10% road safety component, and that this principle should be rigorously and consistently applied by all bilateral and multilateral donors. In terms of the design elements required to design and build streets that are safe and optimal for all users, we are now developing a global guidance document that will 1) summarize what the '10% campaign' is trying to achieve and why, 2) will seek to define mobility and roads according to new thinking and understandings of the function of road space (e.g. iRAP's Vaccine for Roads report), 3) will outline the barriers to improved NMT and safety financing at the international and national (local) levels in countries, 4) will summarize what an urban 'sustainable' road would look like from a design perspective (incorporating elements which improve safety, accessibility and environmental performance), 5) will outline a set of indicators that would help agencies and policy makers assess the performance of these roads based on these three indicators and/or decide how what percentage to allocate to road safety (including NMT infrastructure), and 6) will make recommendations on how to change practice (including financing allocations - hence the 10%) based on established best practice (e.g. complete streets, CSS, etc.) and using case studies from African cities as examples of where improvements are being made and where more can be done. We would like to present the document and recommendations at the November 2009 road safety ministerial in Moscow, where donors and international institutions and road funding consortiums will be present. While our initial focus is on Africa, this is a global campaign and the work is relevant to Asia in particular. We are currently working with iRAP, ITDP, and iCE (this is a FIA Foundation funded project) to produce this material and would like to link R2W as a case study/resource on the UNEP website. I am also attaching a short brochure on this work.
With best regards
Elisa
Elisa Dumitrescu
Urban Environment UnitClearing-House of the Partnership for Clean Fuels and VehiclesDivision of Technology, Industry and Economics (DTIE)United Nations Environment ProgrammeP.O Box 30552 Nairobi, KENYATel: (+254 20) 762 4735Fax: (+254 20) 762 5264
http://www.unep.org/dpdl/urban_environment/http://www.unep.org/pcfv
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Bangkok Post and R2W
http://www.bangkokpost.com/leisure/leisurescoop/12977/bangkok-footpaths
BANGKOK FOOTPATHS
Time to take a step in the right direction By Anchalee Kongrut
By:
Published: 8/03/2009 at 12:00 AM
Newspaper section: Outlook
There is something strange about the footpaths on Bangkok streets, something that defies the commonsensical notion that a wealthy, highly urbanised and extremely popular tourist city should have footpaths that are at least walkable, if not convenient, clean, user-friendly and, dare we hope, beautiful. Try walking down most of the crowded streets in Thailand's capital. You will be taken aback by the construction on our public footpaths, with their piles of bricks, sand, pipes and even steel rods. Even without the trappings of ongoing construction work, there will be blockages in the forms of phone booths, electric poles and sign posts, not to mention rubbish, the smells and creatures including rats and cockroaches.
Some people may point an accusing finger at the vendors who have turned public footpaths into mini bazaars. While it is true that these merchants are part of the problem _ and it will require massive, long-term poverty eradication measures to dislodge them _ removing them does mean the problem will go away.
More than eight years ago, then Bangkok governor Bhichit Rattakul came up with construction-free roads _ he banned footpath and road excavation on some of the major roads in Bangkok. Mr Bhichit at that time seemed to understand that the root causes of the headache plaguing Bangkok's footpaths were management and structural, rather than the problems created by rubbish, food vendors and vagabonds on the pavements.
His project bore scant fruit as he had only four years to play cat and mouse with contractors and utility project developers, and no Bangkok governor since then seems to have paid adequate attention to this issue.
The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration spends around 40 million baht annually on the maintenance of footpaths. Last year, the city spent 42.8 million baht to fix the footpaths on 30 roads. Bangkok has 704 roads and 4,305 sois with a total footpath area of 5.5 million square metres. There are only 22 bicycle routes with a total length of 182km. Motorcycle taxis ply some of these routes.
''But the problem is more about footpaths not being carefully designed and their need for constant repairs,'' noted Mr Bhichit.
Footpaths in Bangkok are not designed to handle infrastructure. Underneath the footpaths is just compressed sand that soon collapses and subsides. Paving the entire lengths of the footpaths with concrete is not possible as the public utility authorities or other organisations responsible for telephones, cables, water and electricity need to excavate the footpaths from time to time to repair or upgrade their infrastructure. Cities with better public utility management lay utility lines in separate slots.
Judging from these facts, under the circumstances, any hope of seeing better and walkable footpaths seems to be only wishful thinking.
However, present environmental problems _ air pollution and global warming _ should prompt people to make greater use of mass public transport, or to walk more. A walkable city with a good transport system would mean that people can realistically choose to leave their cars at home, or make minimal use of them.
According to the World Bank's 2007 report on strategic urban transport policy directions, commuters made 2.7 million walking trips in a single day on Bangkok's footpaths. The report indicates that the frequency should have been much higher if the footpaths had been improved, had fewer obstructions and had been wider. The average width of a footpath in Bangkok is 1.8m, which is the minimum generally accepted standard, but this does not account for the considerable amount of space occupied by encroaching vendors and motorcycle taxis.
In the meeting on walkability in Bangkok early this year, World Bank transport economic adviser Zhi Liu said better footpaths means a better economy, less fossil fuel consumption and less respiratory problems caused by air pollution.
''Instead of being able to walk two or three kilometres to work, we have to drive, and the combustion of fossil fuels by our cars aggravates climate change,'' said Mr Liu.
He advised the authorities to use ''incentive measures'' to award or punish contractors for the way that they do their work on footpaths. Mr Liu even suggested that hiring the private sector to take care of footpaths could be the solution to ensure that Bangkok has acceptable, walkable footpaths.
But all these measures are just management manoeuvres. In the end, nothing will happen without political will, which will only come to life if there is widespread and concerted public demand for improvements.
Some aid agencies, like the World Bank, are looking at the issue of the walkability rate in the city with interest.
The bank launched a project called ''Walk the Talk: Global Walkability Index''. Last June, 80 young volunteers collected data and conducted interviews at 14 footpath areas, covering 416 square metres, across the city. The results identify the areas with the best and the worst walkability. Similar studies have been carried out in other cities, among which are Metro-Manila and Jakarta. In the end, poor quality footpaths are likely to be addressed properly, not by construction, but as a result of public pressure.
''The bottom line is the philosophy ... The philosophy is what we need to privatise ... [we have to choose between] vehicles and the feet of human beings,''said Mr Bhichit.
A global network movement _ the so-called Right to Walk Foundation _ has gained momentum since the idea was mooted in 2005 by Kanthimathi Kannan, a resident of Hyderabad in Andra Pradesh in India. She pressured the city administration into improving the footpaths in her neighbourhood. Her campaign has inspired activists in many other cities around the world.
In the eyes of most Bangkok residents, it would seem that the poor quality footpaths are still tolerable. Those who walk, walk with great caution to prevent injury to their legs, ankles and other parts of their body. Those who dig, uproot and construct, continue their mayhem. A hero, heroine or social-conscience agitator is anxiously awaited.
BANGKOK FOOTPATHS
Time to take a step in the right direction By Anchalee Kongrut
By:
Published: 8/03/2009 at 12:00 AM
Newspaper section: Outlook
There is something strange about the footpaths on Bangkok streets, something that defies the commonsensical notion that a wealthy, highly urbanised and extremely popular tourist city should have footpaths that are at least walkable, if not convenient, clean, user-friendly and, dare we hope, beautiful. Try walking down most of the crowded streets in Thailand's capital. You will be taken aback by the construction on our public footpaths, with their piles of bricks, sand, pipes and even steel rods. Even without the trappings of ongoing construction work, there will be blockages in the forms of phone booths, electric poles and sign posts, not to mention rubbish, the smells and creatures including rats and cockroaches.
Some people may point an accusing finger at the vendors who have turned public footpaths into mini bazaars. While it is true that these merchants are part of the problem _ and it will require massive, long-term poverty eradication measures to dislodge them _ removing them does mean the problem will go away.
More than eight years ago, then Bangkok governor Bhichit Rattakul came up with construction-free roads _ he banned footpath and road excavation on some of the major roads in Bangkok. Mr Bhichit at that time seemed to understand that the root causes of the headache plaguing Bangkok's footpaths were management and structural, rather than the problems created by rubbish, food vendors and vagabonds on the pavements.
His project bore scant fruit as he had only four years to play cat and mouse with contractors and utility project developers, and no Bangkok governor since then seems to have paid adequate attention to this issue.
The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration spends around 40 million baht annually on the maintenance of footpaths. Last year, the city spent 42.8 million baht to fix the footpaths on 30 roads. Bangkok has 704 roads and 4,305 sois with a total footpath area of 5.5 million square metres. There are only 22 bicycle routes with a total length of 182km. Motorcycle taxis ply some of these routes.
''But the problem is more about footpaths not being carefully designed and their need for constant repairs,'' noted Mr Bhichit.
Footpaths in Bangkok are not designed to handle infrastructure. Underneath the footpaths is just compressed sand that soon collapses and subsides. Paving the entire lengths of the footpaths with concrete is not possible as the public utility authorities or other organisations responsible for telephones, cables, water and electricity need to excavate the footpaths from time to time to repair or upgrade their infrastructure. Cities with better public utility management lay utility lines in separate slots.
Judging from these facts, under the circumstances, any hope of seeing better and walkable footpaths seems to be only wishful thinking.
However, present environmental problems _ air pollution and global warming _ should prompt people to make greater use of mass public transport, or to walk more. A walkable city with a good transport system would mean that people can realistically choose to leave their cars at home, or make minimal use of them.
According to the World Bank's 2007 report on strategic urban transport policy directions, commuters made 2.7 million walking trips in a single day on Bangkok's footpaths. The report indicates that the frequency should have been much higher if the footpaths had been improved, had fewer obstructions and had been wider. The average width of a footpath in Bangkok is 1.8m, which is the minimum generally accepted standard, but this does not account for the considerable amount of space occupied by encroaching vendors and motorcycle taxis.
In the meeting on walkability in Bangkok early this year, World Bank transport economic adviser Zhi Liu said better footpaths means a better economy, less fossil fuel consumption and less respiratory problems caused by air pollution.
''Instead of being able to walk two or three kilometres to work, we have to drive, and the combustion of fossil fuels by our cars aggravates climate change,'' said Mr Liu.
He advised the authorities to use ''incentive measures'' to award or punish contractors for the way that they do their work on footpaths. Mr Liu even suggested that hiring the private sector to take care of footpaths could be the solution to ensure that Bangkok has acceptable, walkable footpaths.
But all these measures are just management manoeuvres. In the end, nothing will happen without political will, which will only come to life if there is widespread and concerted public demand for improvements.
Some aid agencies, like the World Bank, are looking at the issue of the walkability rate in the city with interest.
The bank launched a project called ''Walk the Talk: Global Walkability Index''. Last June, 80 young volunteers collected data and conducted interviews at 14 footpath areas, covering 416 square metres, across the city. The results identify the areas with the best and the worst walkability. Similar studies have been carried out in other cities, among which are Metro-Manila and Jakarta. In the end, poor quality footpaths are likely to be addressed properly, not by construction, but as a result of public pressure.
''The bottom line is the philosophy ... The philosophy is what we need to privatise ... [we have to choose between] vehicles and the feet of human beings,''said Mr Bhichit.
A global network movement _ the so-called Right to Walk Foundation _ has gained momentum since the idea was mooted in 2005 by Kanthimathi Kannan, a resident of Hyderabad in Andra Pradesh in India. She pressured the city administration into improving the footpaths in her neighbourhood. Her campaign has inspired activists in many other cities around the world.
In the eyes of most Bangkok residents, it would seem that the poor quality footpaths are still tolerable. Those who walk, walk with great caution to prevent injury to their legs, ankles and other parts of their body. Those who dig, uproot and construct, continue their mayhem. A hero, heroine or social-conscience agitator is anxiously awaited.
Monday, March 2, 2009
R2W and the Health Minister
What are the issues that the Ministry of Health can take up?
1. Initiate medical surveys for the State Road Transport employees and the Police Staff. Both these are under high pressure jobs and have a greater risk for cardiovascular diseases.
2. As you are aware pollution from transport related activities constitutes about 55% of air pollution. If your department can get people to become aware of the issue of pollution, it would go a long way in our campaign.
1. Initiate medical surveys for the State Road Transport employees and the Police Staff. Both these are under high pressure jobs and have a greater risk for cardiovascular diseases.
2. As you are aware pollution from transport related activities constitutes about 55% of air pollution. If your department can get people to become aware of the issue of pollution, it would go a long way in our campaign.
The R2W and Petroleum Conservation
We feel that if the people are able to walk short distances instead of using their personal motorised vehicles, and also cross the road with using an auto ( Yes, you are reading it correctly), then definitely petroleum conservation is possible. We have sent the following mail to the PCRA authorities:
What can the PCRA do for the Rights of the Walker?
Slogans
SAY YES TO PUBLIC TRANSPORT; REDUCE POLLUTION;
SAY YES TO WALKING AND CYCLING; IMPROVE YOUR HEALTH;
SAY NO PERSONAL MOTORISED VEHICLE; REDUCE TRAFFIC CONGESTION
Surveys
Many Cities across the World have a Car Free Day. In most cities, the menace of the motorbike is absent. Conduct Surveys at Petrol Pumps as to how we can have a NO PERSONAL MOTORISED VEHICLE. What are all the ingredients that are required to make this happen?
If you can conduct a survey we can have a questionnaire prepared for you.
Could you also get others in the PCRA involved in the cause of the walker?
What can the PCRA do for the Rights of the Walker?
Slogans
SAY YES TO PUBLIC TRANSPORT; REDUCE POLLUTION;
SAY YES TO WALKING AND CYCLING; IMPROVE YOUR HEALTH;
SAY NO PERSONAL MOTORISED VEHICLE; REDUCE TRAFFIC CONGESTION
Surveys
Many Cities across the World have a Car Free Day. In most cities, the menace of the motorbike is absent. Conduct Surveys at Petrol Pumps as to how we can have a NO PERSONAL MOTORISED VEHICLE. What are all the ingredients that are required to make this happen?
If you can conduct a survey we can have a questionnaire prepared for you.
Could you also get others in the PCRA involved in the cause of the walker?
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