Investment in safe clean transport needed to reduce road crash deaths, says World Bank
A new report from the World Bank states there is a “a strong financial case for increasing investments in safe and clean road transport”. Transport for Health, published jointly with the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington, shows that deaths caused by motorised road transport globally now exceed those from HIV, TB or malaria, with crashes accounting for more than 90 per cent of them. In addition, injuries and illness are undermining economic...
Read MoreNew global agreement to promote good jobs in public transport
The International Association of Public Transport (UITP) and the International Transport Workers Federation (ITF) have agreed to work together to promote the development and expansion of public transport. The organisations represent global employers and workers in public transport respectively, and share the view that public transport is “a motor for sustainable growth and the creation of green jobs, as well as environmental protection in reducing congestion and pollution”. They...
Read MoreThe Indonesian capital Jakarta has given the go-ahead for construction of a long-awaited underground and elevated mass rapid transit system. The first phase will link Lebak Bulus in South Jakarta to Central Jakarta and is due to be operational by 2018. A second phase will connect the centre to Kampung Bandan in North Jakarta and is scheduled to be in action in 2020. The whole system will consist of 13 stations, with seven elevated and six underground, and is intended to reduce traffic in the...
Read MoreRoad deaths are a global epidemic. Quality Public Transport is one of the cures.
Quality public transport systems and services are vital not only to make cities of the future more liveable and sustainable, and to enable the poorest as well as the richest citizens to access the jobs, markets and services they need. There is growing awareness that quality public transport is also literally a matter of life and death. As an article published today in The Guardian reminds us, 1.2 million people die and up to 50 million are injured in traffic accidents annually, nearly half...
Read MoreQuality public transport starts with pedestrians!
Quality transport services need to be part of quality public transport systems if they are to provide for the needs of all. And a quality transport system starts from the fact that every journey begins on foot (or the equivalent, in the case of people with walking disabilities). So it’s great news that a city as closely identified with motorised transport as Mumbai is including Road Safety Audits in its transport planning. The Sustainable Cities Collective website reports: “As part...
Read MoreNew quality standards scheme for bus rapid transit
The Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP) has released what it calls the first comprehensive standard for Bus Rapid Transit services. Describing it as a “defining and scoring designation for bus rapid transit (BRT) systems around the world”, the ITDP says it is “similar to the LEED designation for green buildings”. “Funded by The Rockefeller Foundation, The BRT Standard is the centerpiece of a global effort by leaders in BRT design to establish...
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