The loan is an important first step after years of misdirected municipal government investments. Prior to this project, Mumbai’s major development was an elevated highway bisecting the city on which public transit vehicles and pedestrians and cyclists were banned. While NGOs in Mumbai have mixed feelings about the loan package, there is agreement on several…
Author: Nneka Njoku
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Paul Steely White or Lisa Peterson, 212-629-8001 Within three years, former Bogotá Mayor Enrique Peñalosa transformed his city from a congested and dangerous mess, where many citizens did not have access to transportation, into the world’s leading model for sustainable urban design. Now, on the Building a New City tour, Mr….
In 1996, a law was passed requiring all French municipalities of more than 100,000 inhabitants to develop plans to improve air quality. In Paris this resulted in the creation, in 1998 and 1999, of an Urban Mobility Master Plan (Plan des Displacements Urbains de l’Ile-de-France, or PDUIF) to reduce car traffic, emissions and energy use….
Today, 86% of the bicycles sold in the U.S. are imports from China, even higher end models. This should make China an important ally for the promotion of bike use worldwide. But their voice is silent. Ironically, China’s dominance of global bicycle production has occurred while government policy is driving bicycles off Chinese streets. In…
The initial line, expected to be complete in six months, is only the first part of a long-term vision for a city-wide BRT system called Trans Metro. The expected cost of the system is a rather economical $600,000 per km constructed. To make the Bus Rapid Transit corridors viable, the municipality has made the difficult…
Mayor Delanoë was publicly derided for his sustainable transport bent until his Paris-Plage – a pedestrian area on the Seine river reclaimed from the Georges-Pompidou Expressway – proved a resounding success. He is still taking a lot of heat, however, for widespread traffic delays caused by extensive busway and cycleway construction. Meanwhile, across the Channel,…
As the story of Bogotá‘s makeover captivates more and more decision-makers around the world, another story is emerging: Bogotá’s social triumph. The transformation in urban structure is mirrored by a transformation of the collective psyche of city. For every new busway, bike path, and Car Free Sunday, there are thousands helping commuters make the most…
In the May/June 2002 Sustainable Transport e-Update, ITDP reported that U.S. congressional representatives—particularly those who receive campaign dollars from Big Oil and the automobile and highway lobbies—voted against raising vehicle fuel efficiency standards. The standards would have helped wean the U.S. off its increasingly expensive oil habit. Now that the Middle East is more flammable…
The Strategic Rail Authority, which oversees Britain’s private passenger rail franchises, has asked contractors to submit budgets assuming a 20 percent cut in government contributions. The funding reduction would stop plans for service improvements and could lead to large service reductions and a fare increase. Service cuts could come as early as next spring, just…