Jul 16
Jun 17
Shanghai - Cycles from Lrock on Vimeo.
Jun 17
It’s Time to Learn from The Brits
United States, Congestion Pricing, London, Congestion, Suburbs No Comments »
A street in London built on a human scale. Photo by dnlb2.
The BBC has run a piece by Dermot Finch, the director of Centre for Cities, which argues that UK cities have a lot to teach their Trans-Atlantic neighbors on subjects such as suburban sprawl and traffic. Finch’s argument is broken into four categories:
- Tackling Gridlock
- Keeping Town and City Centers Alive
- How to Beat Suburban Sprawl
- Lavishing Attention on Cities
Jun 13
Video - Mexico City Residents Losing Sense of Smell
Sustainable Transport, Mexico City, Video, Social Impact, Pollution, Mexico, People, Particulate Matter, Public Health, Ozone, urbanization 1 Comment »
People In Mexico City Losing Their Sense of Smell. Produced by theEMBARQ Network on Vimeo.
Rhys Thom and I recently visited Mexico City where we met with two researchers at UNAM - Mexico’s National University - who are doing some fascinating research. Robyn Hudson, a charismatic professor, originally from Australia who has been living in Mexico City for quite some time, and her colleague Marco Guarneros, a fellow biomedical researcher, conducted a study comparing the ability of Mexico City’s residents to detect certain smells, with the ability of people living in a Tlaxcala, a neighboring town. Mexico City and Tlaxcala are similar in many respects - they share a similar culture and climate, situated high in the mountains of Mexico. But there is one crucial difference: Mexico City has much higher levels of air pollution.
When compared to their neighbors, people living in Mexico City need higher concentrations of a smell in order to identify it, a clear indication that their sense of smell is deteriorating.
Read the rest of this entry »
Jun 04
Photo by POPOEVER.
The New York Times reports today that the Hummer, that vehicle which has drawn the wrath of environmentalists and spawned websites like FUH2, might become a thing of the past. That’s because gas prices are now hovering around $4 a gallon in the United States - still a far cry from Europe, where they can be as high as $10 - making gas guzzling vehicles like the Hummer less attractive to consumers feeling the pinch of high fuel prices. As the Times reports, GM is “…considering selling its Hummer brand, an emblem of the megavehicle. Rick Wagoner, G.M.’s chairman, explained the moves by saying that he thought the shift toward more efficient cars was “by and large, permanent.””
May 22
Highway Accidents in India Reach Staggering Levels
Sustainable Transport, India, Safety, Mumbai 3 Comments »
The Pune Miror has an interesting article on a study conducted by the Maharashtra Police on highway accidents in India. Simply put, the results are startling.
May 19
May 16
I haven’t had a chance to see this elegantly shot film, but I still thought it would be appropriate for me to share it with you.
Click here to view the film makers site.
And click here for AO Scott’s review in The New York Times.
May 15
A Fresh Perspective on BRT in India
Sustainable Transport, Bus Rapid Transit, India, Delhi, BRT, News 6 Comments »
Tathagata Chatterji, an architect and urban planner from Delhi, had a few interesting things to say today about Bus Rapid Transit in India. A few exerts follow:
The context:
The experimental Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system in Delhi, which reserves a portion of the road space to facilitate fast movement of high capacity buses and prioritises public transport over private, has been facing a barrage of vitriolic media criticism ever since its inception.
Stepping back for a little perspective:
But before we apply permanent brakes — under political and media pressure — on a system which has succeeded in several big cities across the world, we need to pause, reflect and learn the appropriate lessons.
It doesn’t make sense to prioritize street space for cars:
Cars occupy 75 per cent of road space but are used by less than 15 per cent of the populace even in the most affluent Indian cities. In contrast, buses occupy a mere 8 per cent of the road area but are used by almost 20 to 60 per cent of the people. Pedestrians and cyclists constitute an overwhelming 40 to 75 per cent of commuters but are completely marginalised in our planning system as a major part of budget allocations is consumed for road widening or flyover building, which primarily benefit cars and two wheelers.
May 07
Photo by padawan.
England - Cyclists with folding bikes flood trains, causing resentment. Is it time for more infrastructure on trains to alleviate this problem? [BBC]
Taiwan - President calls on public to ride bikes to protect the environment. [The China Post]
Scotland - Glasgow and other Scottish cities to be slapped with air quality fines if they don’t end their “love with the car.” [Guardian]
Indonesia - Jakarta celebrates no car day - Prime Minister takes heat for driving. [Reuters]
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