Are you safer without a helmet? Photo by Steven Vance

Welcome back to TheCityFix Picks, our series highlighting the newsy and noteworthy of the past week. Each Friday, we’ll run down the headlines falling under TheCityFix’s five themes: integrated transport, urban development and accessibility, air quality and climate change, health and road safety, and communications and marketing.

Integrated Transport

London Cycling Campaign is pushing mayoral candidates to adopt more radical improvements to cycling infrastructure with the launch of their campaign, “Love London, Go Dutch.”

A team of U.S. researchers traveled to Ahmedabad to study the impact traffic has on society. They found that people with heavy traffic outside their home lead a lonelier life with few friends in close vicinity and those with low traffic have three or more friends with happier surroundings.

San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency released its 2011 Bicycle Count Report, happily reporting a 71 percent increase citywide bicycling since 2006.

Urban Development + Accessibility

India and Israel are expecting to sign an agreement to collaborate on water treatment technologies in urban areas. The collaboration will cover urban renewal, solid waste management, drainage, desalination technology, recycle and re-use of waste water, sanitation, sewage, water use technology and financial sustainability of urban water supplies.

Mexican officials have high hopes on a “superhighway” to bring wholesome economic development. The government is investing $1.5 billion on the project to bridge the centuries of isolation, curtail violence and reduce travel time.

The Brazilian economy pulled tens of millions out of poverty in the last few years and created a new middle class, yet, the GDP per capita is still about a fourth of that in the United States and the minimum wage is less than $400 a month. Many blighted areas in Sao Paulo are being torn down for urban redevelopment, but the poor still complain that housing is not affordable.

Air Quality + Climate Change

This is an interesting post from the Scientific Alliance on the role of biofuels in attaining environmental goals for transportation and the reality of adopting more environmentally-friendly fuel.

The Gazette published an article that looks at the results of a Quebec survey on climate change. The survey results suggest that most agree that something must be done about climate change and believe that industrial activity is the biggest contributor to climate change inducing pollution. It’s actually the proliferation of motor vehicles.

Here is a great post by Media Matters for America on the myths and facts about electric cars. For the record, electric vehicles cause substantially fewer carbon emissions than gasoline-powered cars and are just as safe as conventional cars.

Yale Environment 360 published an interview with Mary Nichols, chairwoman of the California Air Resources Board, on how California is leading strict legislation on auto emissions and air pollution standards.

Health + Road Safety

New Zealand Medical Journal published a controversial report on the country’s Helmet Law and how it has contributed to 53 premature deaths each year and halved the number of cyclists on the roads. Experts argue that withdrawing helmet legislations would not necessarily boost the number of cyclists or that it is the only reason for increased road fatalities.

The Portuguese Road Safety Organization (PRP) is calling for a younger driving age and a lower legal blood-alcohol content. The organization is rooting for 16 and 17 year-olds to be able to drive and a 0.2g per liter blood-alcohol limit for drivers in their first three years of driving.

What sort of deterrence works best to ensure road safety, jail sentence or monetary penalty?

Distracted-driving is the new drunk-driving, even if you’re using a hands-free device.

Communications + Marketing

Nokia released a new application to help mobile users to better navigate their public transportation systems. Nokia Public Transport contains public transit directions for almost 80 cities or urban areas across the world. The app is currently available for Nokia Belle.

The Ahmedabad Bus Rapid Transit System introduced a smart card last month that customers can recharge. Commuters can purchase the smart card for 25 rupees (50 U.S. cents).

Los Angeles is offering free rides to regular commuters (and Santas) on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve. Photo by Greg Thomas.

Welcome back to TheCityFix Picks, our series highlighting the newsy and noteworthy of the past week. Each Friday, we’ll run down the headlines falling under TheCityFix’s five themes: integrated transport, urban development and accessibility, air quality and climate change, health and road safety, and communications and marketing.

Integrated Transport

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa announced free rides on the city’s transit system for Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve, two of the year’s worst nights for drinking and driving.

The bickering over payroll tax cuts and unemployment benefits has obscured pre-tax benefits for public transit commuters. Unlike the payroll tax cut, the fate of commuter tax cuts looks bleaker.

A bipartisan transportation bill sponsored by Sen. Barbara Boxer could dramatically expand a federal program that finances innovative transportation projects. In order to secure the expansion, Boxer has to introduce new rules, which transportation advocates deem as having stripped away current criteria favoring environmentally sustainable projects.

Urban Development + Accessibility

The state of Bihar in India finalized a proposal to develop slums spread over 28 towns in Bihar under the state slum policy 2011. The state government is also developing infrastructure in urban areas like provision of potable water, drainage to prevent water logging and solid waste management.

The Chinese government will begin construction on 7 million units of more affordable housing in 2012, while completing 4 million units.

The national government in India is pursuing strategic densification along industrial and transportation hubs to make room for future growth. The government plans to develop “ring towns” and connect them to major growing cities with fast transport options.

Air Quality + Climate Change

The Mayor of London is expanding trials of an innovative dust suppressant technology that “glues” pollution to the roads in a bid to ensure that the capital meets legal air quality limits.

Iran’s Health Ministry issued a warning for people with respiratory and heart ailments, children and the elderly to stay at home due to the extreme levels of air pollution that hit Tehran. The health advisory also recommended surgical masks for taxi drivers and others who must be outside.

A United States airlines failed to block an European Union law charging airlines flying to Europe for their carbon pollution. Earlier, the U.S. and other non-European airlines had sued the EU, arguing that they were exempt from the law.

Health + Road Safety

Massachusetts commuters spend more time in their cars than most others in the United States.

A new study of four ciclovia events in North and South America found that ciclovia events are worth the investment because they reduce health costs and allow people to live longer—and more economically productive—lives.

The Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly in Ghana set up a 12-member joint task force to regulate traffic activities and help bring an end to the rising cases of rule-breaking, especially among commercial drivers.

Communications + Marketing

The Metro Transit system in Madison, Wis., is no longer exploring the possibility of including audio advertisements on its public buses. In June, the City Transit and Parking Commission heard a presentation from a Dayton, Ohio company that projected it could deliver $456,000 in ad revenue over five years by piping commercial messages through speakers inside buses.

A private bus company in Jerusalem is dealing with violence from haredi communities against its buses due to women featured in ads on the buses. Yerushalmim, a political group promoting pluralism and equal rights for women, purchased advertising space on the buses to bring awareness to the topic.

Google announced its first ever annual Australian YouTube Viral Ad Zeitgesit, a list of the 10 ads that were biggest on YouTube in 2011. Among the winners was New Zealand Transit Agency anti-drunk driving spot, “Legend.” Watch the ad below.

The U.S. DOT's recent round of TIGER transport grants awarded Chicago $20 million to establish a bike share program and make improvements to the Blue Line train. Photo by Russell Sekeet.

Welcome back to TheCityFix Picks, our series highlighting the newsy and noteworthy of the past week. Each Friday, we’ll run down the headlines falling under TheCityFix’s five themes: integrated transport, urban development and accessibility, air quality and climate change, health and road safety, and communications and marketing.

Integrated Transport

Trade tensions between China and the U.S. rose this week as China announced it is leveraging new duties on U.S.-made cars.

Mark your New Year calendars: The 2012 Sustainable Transport Awards, created by the Institute for Transportation Development and Policy, will be held on January 24 in Washington, D.C.

The U.S. Department of Transportation awarded a total of $511 million to 46 American transportation projects in the third round of TIGER (Transportation Investments Generating Economic Recovering) grants.

Mayor of Nashville Karl Dean indicated the city’s forthcoming public transit system will likely be a bus rapid transit (BRT) instead of a streetcar system, saying, “Bus rapid transit is by far the most compelling case we’ve heard.”

Urban Development + Accessibility

The fourth annual Urban Mobility India conference was recently held in Delhi.

The Lujiang-Qianpu BRT line in Xiamen, China was beautified this week with the planting of a 12-kilometer, street-side Bougainvillea flower bed.

After four years of planning and amassing financial commitments for an intra-city light rail system, Detroit has instead opted for a BRT system.

Citizens of Chennai, India expressed mixed sentiments about pedestrian overpasses, also known as “skywalks,” despite the local Highways Department’s plan to commission five of the elevated walkways next year.

Air Quality + Climate Change

Exxon Mobile released The Outlook for Energy: A View to 2040, which predicts global energy demand in 2040 to reach roughly 30 percent higher than that of 2010.

New analysis found that the U.S. states of Maryland and Virginia would have accrued hundreds of millions of dollars per year if they each had increased their most recent gas taxes to account for inflation.

Hundreds of recent flights were canceled in Beijing because of concerns over unsafe smog levels.

Brazil is experiencing the externalities of its burgeoning oil market in the wake of a recent spill 200 miles off the coast of Rio de Janeiro.

Health + Road Safety

Hybrid vehicles are, on average, 25 percent better at protecting their drivers than conventional private vehicles, according to a new study from the insurance industry.

In a statement that’s already receiving rebuttals from the cell phone industry, the U.S. Safety Board urged a ban on all cellphone use by drivers to improve road safety.

New data released by the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reveals that, despite state bans, the rates of individuals texting while driving is increasing.

Communications + Marketing

The U.S. Department of Transportation rolled out its anti-drunk driving holiday advertisement campaign today. “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over“ is set to run through January 2.

Two New York City graduate design students gifted custom-designed seat cushions to their local M15 bus drivers, who operate the second busiest bus line in the country.

Anti-drunk driving technology for use in private vehicles is now undergoing on-road testing through the U.S. Driver Alcohol Detection System for Safety (DADSS) program. Photo by Alex Proimos.

Welcome to “Research Recap,” our series highlighting recent reports, studies and other findings in sustainable transportation policy and practice, in case you missed it.

Diminishing Drunk Driving

The U.S. national program to develop anti-drunk driving technology, Driver Alcohol Detection System for Safety (DADSS), began on-road testing of two technologies for potential application in private vehicles. The two developing technologies are a breathing-based blood alcohol content (BAC) detection system and a touchpad-based BAC detection system. The breathing-based system, developed by Autoliv Development AB, is a contact-free, multiple-sensor system that calculates the carbon dioxide concentrations of drivers’ exhaled breath. The touchpad-based system, developed by Takata-Tru Touch, shines an infrared light on the user’s skin to uncover its unique chemical properties. A drivable test vehicle equipped with the new technology is expected to be ready in two years. DADSS began in 2008 and is a five-year, $10 million research effort of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Automotive Coalition for Traffic Safety (ACTS).

Metrorail Safety

Metrorail employees in the Washington, D.C. metro area are overworked and subject to fatigue, according to a new study by the Washington Metro Area Transit Authority (WMATA) and the Tri-State Oversight Committee. The study is the culmination of a five-month partnership between WMATA and the Oversight Committee, and it raises concern over unsafe working and passenger conditions. There are currently no state or federal laws in the U.S. limiting the number of hours metro staff are permitted to work. As a result, it’s not uncommon to find employees working long hours to earn overtime pay and increase retirement benefits, the study says. The study will be presented at WMATA’s board of director meeting next week.

Future Energy Forecasts

The International Energy Agency (IEA) released this year’s edition of its annual flagship publication, the 2011 World Energy Outlook (WEO). The WEO report outlines the world’s energy system, at present and forecasted through 2035. The 2011 WEO calculates the global oil demand to rise from the 2010 rate of 87 million barrels per day to 99 million barrels per day in 2035. All anticipated net oil demand growth is expected to stem from growth in the transport sectors of emerging economies. The 2011 WEO also forecasts the global passenger vehicle fleet size to increase, doubling to reach almost 1.7 billion in 2035. At the launch of the WEO 2011 publication, IEA offered a warning that without strong changes in policy direction, the world’s future energy system will be insecure, inefficient and carbon intensive.

For comparison, last week’s Research Recap highlighted research from Ricardo Strategic Consulting, which calculated that global oil demand will peak before 2020 and fall back to 2010 levels by 2035, and that the global vehicle fleet size will grow by 80 percent between 2010 and 2035.

The lack of proper pedestrian infrastructure contributes to road safety problems in Mexico. Photo by EMBARQ.

Early last month, The Economist published an article on the relationship between road safety in Mexico and lack of discipline in driver training and testing programs. The article makes the argument that without a universal testing scheme, Mexico will not be able to achieve road safety.

To understand the true state of road safety in Mexico and the challenges to attaining safer roads, we spoke with Marco Priego, a roadway engineer by trade and a transport systems expert working with CTS-México, a member of EMBARQ‘s global network (the producer of this blog.)

Do you agree that a lax driver testing system is a symptom of the country’s overall disregard for road safety?

The driver test is the initial phase to control who is driving on our roads, but it is just one control that does not necessarily have the highest effect on the index of crashes per inhabitant. Driver training and driver tests are necessary in the process of reducing road crashes, but in my opinion, they are not the key point. They are the initial phase of a long process where general control and enforcement, regulation of alcohol consumption, proper infrastructure and road education are necessary, as well.

What do you think is the relationship between driver’s tests and road safety in Mexico? 

Mexico is a country where road safety is a “new” topic of discussion. It was introduced merely five years ago, and it is becoming more relevant every day. The role of national institutions, such as the Public Health Secretariat, Pan American Health Organization, National Center of Accidents Prevention (CENAPRA), and other NGOs, is to push the topic forward among decision makers, but the country is still in the process of reaching the general public. The issue that has been covered the most in the national arena is alcohol consumption and driving. However, road safety is being accepted as a national plan. This was especially evident when President Felipe Calderón signed the United Nations agreement on the Decade of Action on Road Safety in May this year.

Specifically, talking about driver’s tests in Mexico, the experience is quite varied, and the results are, as well. For example, Chihuahua is one of the states that asks for a formal training (similar to ones in the United States) from every driver’s license applicant. Before obtaining a license, applicants must pass a general test of driving behavior and road signal knowledge (whether the training and tests are high quality is another topic in and of itself.) However, at the same time, Chihuahua is the fifth state in the index of mortality in road crashes in Mexico. Hence, we can conclude that there are more elements that should be taken into consideration when improving road safety.

What are the elements that contribute to road safety problems in Mexico?

There are several elements that should be taken into consideration in order to analyze road safety problems in Mexico. Road safety analysis in urban areas is quite different than suburban places. First, we should start by saying that there is a lack of basic data of road crashes in most cities. Thus, it is quite a challenge to localize the reasons for (and consequences of) traffic crashes.

In most cities, road infrastructure tends to serve vehicles instead of pedestrians. There is a need for proper pedestrian traffics lights, pedestrian crossings, islands, accessibility, wide sidewalks, and so on, that attend to the real origin-destination needs of all road users.

Public policies are an issue, too. There isn’t a national law that enforces states to ask for proper driver training or tests, nor a set of standards to limit blood alcohol content while driving. Besides, the fee for breaking the traffic law is unbalanced between metropolitan areas and states. For example, a lot of people that live in Mexico City prefer to register their cars with the state of Mexico because there are weaker traffic rules in that state.

Finally, in addition to crash data collection, proper infrastructure, public policies, and regulations of alcohol consumption, there is still a lack of traffic law enforcement that must be combined with road user education.

What are the necessary elements in trying to solve road safety issues?

The elements have been analyzed and are very clear in the United Nations agreement of the Decade of Action on Road Safety:

1. Road Safety Management: data and public policies
2. Safe Roads and Mobility: infrastructure
3. Safer Vehicles
4. Safe Road users: preventing drunk driving, road user education, law enforcement
5. Post Crash Response

First, we should start by creating national policies that address road safety. Without a national plan it is difficult to invest in proper infrastructure, education campaigns, and systems for data collection or law enforcement strategies. It is equally important to establish mandatory road safety programs in all states, companies, transport sectors, and to have partnerships with schools, NGOs, hospitals, and so on, in order to cover all road users and have a broader scope.

Finally, with a national strategy, all stakeholders can work together to address road safety. For example, police can start to record data using a standardized format in order to implement the proper action to prevent the causes of crashes.

What do you think is the role of sustainable transportation (i.e. cycling, walking and public transport) in achieving road safety? And how are these forms of transport being incorporated in Mexico’s cities?

The role of sustainable transportation is quite broad. In cities, most people use public transport every day to reach work, school, hobbies, and so on. For example, in Mexico City almost 80 percent of daily trips are made using public transportation, according to the most recent origin-destination survey of the Mexico City government. Subways, light trains, BRTs, conventional bus systems, segregated cycling paths, and all the examples of public transportation with proper facilities definitely make a difference in road safety, especially when people prefer to use sustainable transportation and travel less in private cars.

Public sustainable transit is an excellent opportunity to improve road safety. The new infrastructure that comes with a BRT system, for example, helps with decreasing road crashes since it provides safe pedestrian spaces and crossings. It’s important to apply the elements of pedestrian accessibility and safety of BRT stations along the entire origin to destination path.

Attempting to evade the city's congested car traffic, more than 50,000 residents in Jakarta, Indonesia bike to work. Photo by nSeika.

Welcome back to TheCityFix Picks, our series highlighting the newsy and noteworthy of the past week. Each Friday, we’ll run down the headlines falling under TheCityFix’s five themes: integrated transport, urban development and accessibility, air quality and climate change, health and road safety, and communications and marketing.

Integrated Transport

The U.S. Dept. of Energy released two online tools to help communities implement electric vehicle infrastructure.

China will invest 1.27 trillion yuan (US$199 billion) in subway and light rail lines through 2015, reported the official China Securities Journal last Friday.

The Turkish high-speed rail line linking Ankara with Konya opened this week.

The world vehicle population surpassed 1 billion in 2010, according to Ward Research.

Calls for a ban on bicycling in Israel ensued after a deadly cyclist crash in the country last weekend.

China’s high-speed trains remain a popular transport option as ridership remains high, despite the train crash that claimed 40 lives last month.

Urban Development + Accessibility

In the face of extreme traffic congestion, bicyclists of Jakarta, Indonesia amassed a Bike to Work community of more than 50,000 members.

The Consulate General of the Netherlands, with support from the City of Los Angeles, will host a two-day workshop in Los Angeles in late September to support L.A.’s bicycling infrastructure.

The world’s largest bicycle maker, Hero Cycle, partnered with Allahabad-based Sonata Finance to provide loans to Indians in rural areas to help finance bicycle purchases.

Air Quality + Climate Change

UPS is purchasing 100 fully-electric commercial delivery vehicles for use throughout California. The move marks one of the largest commercial electric-vehicle deployments in the world.

General Motors and LG Group signed a joint agreement on Wednesday to partner on future electric vehicle production. LG Group had previously provided the battery cells for the Chevrolet Volt.

A research team at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Princeton University pioneered a new traffic signal schedule advisory system that uses a network of smartphones mounted on car dashboards to collect traffic information. Tests found that drivers who use the system cut fuel consumption by 20 percent on average.

The California Air Resources Board (ARB) voted to reinstate the state’s greenhouse gas emissions cap-and-trade program and approved an updated environmental analysis of the state climate plan.

Transport for London announced a collection of initiatives aimed at reducing pollution levels by 10 percent to 20 percent on London’s busiest roads.

Canada is following in the United States’ footsteps in developing similar greenhouse gas emission regulations of heavy duty vehicles.

Health + Road Safety

In anticipation of Hurricane Irene, MTA Long Island Rail Road, like other transit providers, is reducing service this weekend.

Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), a U.S.-based not-for-profit that seeks to end drunk driving, appointed a new president, Jan Withers. August is the most deadly month in the U.S. for drunk driving.

The percentage of bicyclist crashes per rider in Washington, D.C. has decreased as bike lane mileage has increased.

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg expressed support for additional red light traffic intersection cameras in the city, saying, “I think we should have them on every corner if we could. Using technology instead of having cops makes a lot of sense.”

Communications + Marketing

Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) responded to Tuesday’s East Coast United States earthquake with Metro-related updates on Facebook and Twitter, submitting press releases, posting additional signage, dispatching extra workers, and even projecting news updates on the teleprompter at the Nationals’ baseball game.

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel took his city’s Brown Line train to work on Tuesday. “Got on the train and got to work in 30 minutes, short order,” the mayor said of the experience. “That is a competitive advantage for the city.”

The tenth edition of the “Building Carfree Cities for the People, by the People” will be held in Guadalajara, Mexico this year on September 5 – 9. The conference aims to empower people to encourage policy reform.