The Earthscan Reader on World Transport Policy and Practice

Hardback  304 pages  ISBN 9781853838507      £85.00

Softback  304 pages  ISBN 9781853838514      £25.00

Transport is now a critical problem throughout the world, and it is set to get worse. Whether it is traffic congestion, crashes (10 million killed and injured each year), noise, air pollution, landscape destruction, or greenhouse gas emissions (of which transport is the fastest-growing source), the damage and the costs from our current forms of transport are dangerously high and getting worse. Policies and practical measures that can reduce and eliminate these problems are urgently needed.

This Reader contains 16 important contributions on how to improve transport globally. They are based on sound science, sound people-centred analysis, and a strong awareness of equity and human rights. And they have been selected for their originality, the importance of the issues they focus on, the quality of their insight and their practical relevance. A further 7 commissioned chapters provide informative overviews of the transport problems specific to each region of the world, while the editors€ Introduction and Conclusion frames the discussion and lays out the scale of the challenges we face.

As a whole, the Reader demonstrates what steps can be taken to improve both transport provision and use, in both the developed and the developing world, while reducing environmental and health impacts. It will serve as an invaluable sourcebook for anyone researching or attempting to address the issues associated with world transport policy and practice, whether students, planners, business people or policy-makers.

CONTENTS

List of Tables, Figures and Boxes

About the Authors

Acknowledgements

List of Acronyms and Abbreviations

Foreword by Enrique Peñalosa

Part 1 Introduction

1 The Global Transport Problem: Same Issues but a Different Place
John Whitelegg and Gary Haq

Introduction
Growth in Demand for Road Transport
Resource Use
Greenhouse Gases
Urban Air Pollution and Noise
Health Impacts of Transport
Road Traffic Accidents
Structure of the Book

Part 2 Transport in Africa

2 Four Decades of Road Transport in Africa
Eddie Akinyemi

3 Liveable Streets for Pedestrians in Nairobi: The Challenge of Road Traffic Accidents
Meleckidzedeck Khayesi

Introduction
The Reality of Pedestrian Deaths and Injuries in Road Traffic Accidents in Nairobi
The Pedestrian in Nairobi: Transport Policy and Practice
Reclaiming the Streets of Nairobi for Pedestrians: A Strategy
Policy Framework
Transport Practice
Conclusion

4 Sustaining Africa's Rural Road Networks: The Asset Management Approach
John Howe

Introduction
Road Conditions
Geography and Population Dynamics
Financial Realities
Too Many Roads?
What Needs to be Done?
Managing Rural Road Networks Using the Asset Value Approach
Kibaale District Road Network
Conclusion

Part 3 Transport in Asia

5 Southeast Asian Urban Transport: A Kaleidoscope of Challenges and Choices
Paul Barter

Jakarta
Bangkok: Traffic Saturated and in Need of Good Governance
Ho Chi Minh: Motorcycle City
Manila
Surabaya: Traffic-free Kampung but Hostile Main Roads
Klang Valley: Kuala Lumpur€s Metropolitan Region
Singapore: Deliberately Slowed Motorization Pays Off
Conclusion

6 Automobile Dependence in Bangkok: An International Comparison with Implications for Planning Policies
Jeff Kenworthy

Introduction
Land Use Patterns
Provision for the Automobile
Transport Patterns
Implications of the International Comparisons
Policy Conclusions
A Final Word

7 Kolkata City: An Urban Air Pollution Perspective
Dipankar Chakraborti

Introduction
Kolkata City
Kolkata City Dwellers
Urban Air Pollution in Kolkata
Air Pollution from Transport
Industrial Pollution
Conclusion

8 Road Infrastructure Investment in Bangladesh: Environment under Threat?
John Howe

Introduction
Roads in Bangladesh
Roads and the Environment
Disbenefits from Investment in Roads
Conclusions

Part 4 Transport in Australia

9 Back on Track? Will Australia Return to Rail?
Philip Laird and Peter Newman

10 A Wish Called Wander: Reclaiming Automobility from the Motor Car
Ian Ker and Paul Tranter

Introduction
Is €Automobility€ Bad Language?
Automobility for Whom?
Automobility for Those too Young to Drive
Women and Automobility
Automobility for Motorists? Mobility, Freedom and Unfreedom
Dangers of a High-tech Vision for Automobility
Conclusion

11 Urban Transport Policy Paradoxes in Australia
Paul Mees

Introduction
Summer of Discontent
The Dispersed City
Canadian Contrasts
Developments in the West
Conclusion

Part 5 Transport in Europe

12 European Regional Transport Issues
Frazer Goodwin

13 The Future of Public Transport: The Dangers of Viewing Policy through Rose-tinted Spectacles
Mayer Hillman

Introduction
The Conventional View
Current Patterns of Travel
Lessons from The Netherlands
Investment Decisions in Transport
Discussion
Conclusions

14 New Roads Generate New Traffic
Rudolf Pfleiderer and Martin Dietrich

Introduction
New Roads Generate New Traffic
The Basis of Cost€Benefit Calculations is Nonsense
Road Construction Contributes Significantly to Traffic Increase
Conclusion

15 Car-free Households: Who Lives without an Automobile Today?
Ulrike Reutter and Oscar Reutter

Introduction
How Many Car-free Households are There?
Where are the Car-free Households Located?
Who Currently Lives without a Car?
Conclusion

Part 6 Transport in Latin America

16 Urban Transport in Latin America
Eduardo Vasconcellos

Introduction
Economic Development and Transport
Urban Transport
Urban Development, Space and Environment
Perspectives

17 Car-sharing in Latin America: Examining Prospects in Santiago
Chris Zegras and Ralph Gakenheimer

Introduction
How Might Car-sharing Fit In?
Potential for Application in a Latin American City
Car-sharing: A Potential Market in Santiago?
Can Car-sharing be Competitive?
Barriers to and Potential Drawbacks of a Car-sharing Organization in Santiago
Potential Benefits
Possible Steps Forward
Conclusion

18 The Urban Transportation Crisis in Developing Countries: Alternative Policies for an Equitable Space
Eduardo Vasconcellos

Introduction
The Urban Transportation Crisis in Developing Countries
Alternative Assumptions
Conclusions

Part 7 Transport in North America

19 Regional Transport Issues in North America
Todd Litman

Introduction
Public Policies that Encourage Mobility
Saturation?
Transportation Problems
Policy Responses
Innovation
Conclusion

20 The North American Growth Fixation and the Inner City: Roads of Excess
Christopher Leo

Introduction
Growth Fixation
Civil Engineering Norms and Development Conventions
Easy Decisions
Alternatives
Unsustainable Development
Conclusion

21 Prospects for Sustainable Transportation in the Pacific Northwest: A Comparison of Vancouver, Seattle and Portland
Preston Schiller and Jeff Kenworthy

Introduction
Comparison of Data for the Three Cities and Regions
Discussion: Policy Climate
Conclusions

Part 8 Transport in the Middle East

22 Transport in the Middle East
Elaine Fletcher

23 How Many Shall Live? How Many Shall Die? Deaths Resulting from the Trans-Israel Highway and Alternatives: A Risk Assessment Revisited
Gary Ginsberg, Eli Ben-Michael, Stephen Reingold, Elaine Fletcher and Elihu Richter

Introduction
Method
Results
Discussion

24 The Status of Transportation in the West Bank
Hanna Maoh and Jad Isaac

Introduction
Basic Features of the Vehicle System
The West Bank Road System: The Dual Israeli€Palestinian System
Roads and Access € Wadi Al-Nar as a Case Study
Transport and Land Use in Palestine € Dilemmas and Choices
Conclusion

Part 9 Visioning Change

25 New Directions in World Transport Policy and Practice
John Whitelegg and Gary Haq

Introduction
Dimensions of the Global Tranport Problem
Re-setting the Default Option in Auto-dependent Societies
Re-setting the Default Option: The Details
Land Use Planning to Move Local and Regional Spatial Structures in the Direction of Reducing the Demand for Transport: Full Internalization of External Cost
Re-engineering of Taxation
Re-engineering Cities to Improve Conditions for Pedestrians, Cyclists and Public Transport Users
An End to Direct State Funding of any Aspect of Car/Truck/Aircraft R&D and the Subsidy of Manufacturing Activity
An Ethical Audit of Transport Spending
A Carbon Reduction Strategy for the Transport Sector
New Ways of Conceptualizing the Transport Product
Localization and Truck Kilometre Reduction Strategies
Concluding Remarks