Improving Motor Cycle Safety

Throughout the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) and across the world, riders and passengers of motorcycles and scooters are among the most vulnerable road users. Such vulnerability is especially pertinent for nations that more often use motorcycles and scooters as a method of transportation. This compendium aims to facilitate implementation of best practice countermeasures to improve motorcycle safety in APEC member economies.For information all kinds of information visit the Economies page. To read about important issues and contributing factors to serious crashes, injuries and deaths of motorcycle and scooter users, visit the Issues page. To learn about countermeasures to improve motorcycle safety and how to evaluate programs, visit the Safety Interventions page. To see examples of treatments and programs implemented by APEC member economies, visit the Case Studies page. Useful links and selected references are located on the Links page. More information about this Compendium, a glossary of terms and acronyms used, and links to download the Report to APEC and Literature Review on which this Compendium is based, can be found on the About page.

Less cars, more mopeds .....

The number of snorfietsen – light mopeds allowed on bicycle paths, often scooters – has grown almost 3 times as fast in Amsterdam as elsewhere in the Netherlands. Almost 6,000 people have signed a petition against nuisance from scooters, but Alderman Wiebes wants to continue allowing scooters on bicycle paths. Next Thursday, the city council will discuss a proposal from GroenLinks to deal with scooter nuisance. Along with Landsmeer, Laren and Bloemendaal, Amsterdam is among the cities with the highest growth in snorfietsen. The number of serious traffic accidents involving scooters has also risen sharply. According to the municipality, one of the main causes is speeding by scooter riders. A study by cyclists’ organisation Fietsersbond found that 94% of scooters on bicycle paths in Amsterdam exceed the speed limit. Many cyclists think this is a reason why scooters do not belong on bicycle paths. By contrast, Alderman Wiebes thinks the reckless driving by scooter riders is a reason to keep them on bicycle paths, for otherwise ‘a nuisance to cyclists is traded for an even higher risk for snorfietsers (…) while the accident rate for mopeds and snorfietsen is very high as it is'.  Are we heading towards Taipei? Source: Nieuws uit Amsterdam

Does Car Travel equal business?

As gross domestic product (GDP) tends to increase with car travel, some critics argue that a reduction of car travel will harm the economy. However, the correlation between GDP and car travel does not prove that economic growth is caused by car travel. Most developed countries are increasing their GDP per unit of energy and mobility, showing that these economies are becoming more efficient. The paper 'Are VMT Reduction Targets Justified?' (VTPI, 2011) contains many interesting graphs (mostly about the USA) indicating that economic productivity in urban regions tends to increase with declining car travel, declining roadway supply, increasing public transport use and even increasing fuel prices. Conventional transport economic evaluation tends to focus on a limited set of impacts (travel time, congestion delay, vehicle operation costs, accident costs). Other economic impacts are often overlooked, like parking costs, vehicle ownership costs, car infrastructure construction and maintenance costs. This leads to a distortion of project appraisal in favour of car transport improvements. There is an optimal level of automobile travel, beyond which marginal costs of car traffic exceed marginal benefits. Extensive guidance on transport cost-benefit analysis can be found on VTPI's website.

Better streets in India

'Better Streets,Better Cities', is a guide to designing streets in urban India. Current street design practice in India is often based on a vision of high-speed motorized mobility that does not take into account the variety and types of activities that actually take place in Indian streets. While streets are often designed from the centerline outward, Better Streets, Better Cities urges planners to explore an alternate approach that prioritizes the needs of pedestrians and cyclists. The guide begins with a discussion of sixteen street elements, such as footpaths, cycle tracks, medians, and spaces for street vending, covering the importance of each element as well as implementation challenges and design criteria. While existing NMT infrastructure in Indian cities is implemented with good intent, design shortcomings resulting from a failure to account for the practical needs of pedestrians and cyclists often mean that these facilities remain unused. The guide indicates how these pitfalls can be avoided. Next is a library of design templates for various rights-of-way, followed by sample intersections. The final section describes the process of street design—from data collection, surveys, and analysis to the preparation of
final plans—using a real-world example of an urban intersection to explain methodological issues.

IT solutions for Safe Cycling

Approximately 7 per cent of European traffic casualties are cyclists. There are many traditional measures conceivable to help prevent accidents involving cyclists. The SAFECYCLE project studies how IT applications may be used to improve traffic safety for cyclists. Mobycon Consultants surveyed a number of possible IT applications. A Swedish design bureau, for instance, has proposed the idea of an airbag for cyclists. The airbag is folded into a collar. When an abrupt movement occurs, it inflates into a protective ‘helmet’ around the head in 0.1 seconds. The Italian designer Giovanni Doci has developed a helmet that doubles as a direction indicator. This so-called ‘Blink’ is provided with four LED lights, two at the front and back and two at the sides. The lights at the sides may be switched on and off by a simple gesture, allowing the cyclist to indicate an intended change of direction.  The ‘speed vest’ has been developed by Brady Clark. It is worn by the cyclists and indicates current speed in easy-to-read lighted digits on the back. This ensures increased visibility of the cyclist and awareness of his speed by motorists. ‘Night View’, a system being developed by Toyota, is e an addition to the regular car lights. Read more here.

It only takes 17 minutes

On average Dutch people spend one and a half hours en route each day. That is 15 minutes longer than the average time on the road for citizens of 16 EU countries, and it is also the longest. Even so, the Dutch spend only 2 minutes longer per day commuting between home and work, than commuters in other countries do.  These are some of the results presented in the report “The Netherlands in one day; time allocation in the Netherlands compared with fifteen other European countries” issued by the The Netherlands Institute for Social Research. Many Europeans are on the road daily for the home-to-work commute, shopping, transporting children to and fro, and leisure time activities. The Dutch travel frequently and long: The Netherlands has, at 92%, the highest percentage of the total population traveling daily and France has, at 72%, the lowest percentage. Even on weekdays, people spend more travel time for leisure activity purposes than they do commuting. This is not only the case in The Netherlands, but is also true for other west European countries and Northern Europe. Of the 91 minutes that the Dutch travel on average per day, 17 of those minutes are spent on the bicycle (19%). Commuters in Holland spend on average 2 minutes longer per day commuting than commuters do in other countries.

ITS lead to free-flowing traffic in Bologna

Medieval city, strategic transport hub, major economic centre. Balancing the characteristics of such a city with the mobility demands of its citizens is a challenging prospect that the Italian city is currently trying to address within the CIVITAS MIMOSA Initiative. Using a combination of access restrictions and technological developments, the local authority is seeking to improve air quality, traffic flow and traveller behaviour, while retaining its charm. “Intelligent transport system (ITS) technologies allow us to make a quality leap in urban mobility management, providing information on the state of the road network and public transport systematically and in real time,” said Dr. Andrea Colombo, councillor for mobility and transport at the Municipality. A feature of Bologna’s approach for some time, ITS technologies were initially implemented in the city for two distinct purposes: electronic enforcement and traffic management. At the heart of the city’s approach is a limited traffic zone (LTZ) in the historical city centre. Restricted access has been in place since 2000, enforced through a network of cameras. Since its introduction 25 percent less traffic in the city centre and 70 percent less traffic in bus lanes has been recorded. Download the CIVITAS Ndewsletter for more on ITS and other mobility isues. 

Mobility on Hydrogen

The Clean Hydrogen In European Cities Project was officially launch in November 2010, and more than a year later the project has seen extensive progress in each of the cities and regions involved. Public transport operations of Fuel Cell Hydrogen (FCH) Buses commenced in Cologne, Hamburg, and London. While Oslo and Aargau have begun testing their first buses, Milan is expecting their first buses delivered before the end of 2011. The CHIC project has established an important milestone for hydrogen infrastructure developments within the past year. Although a few cities are able to utilize existing refuelling facilities, new hydrogen stations have been completed and in service in Cologne and London; progress is being seen on the building of new hydrogen stations and production facilities in Hamburg, Oslo, Aargau, Milan, and Bolzano/Bozen. Let us not forget our transatlantic friends in Whistler, Canada who have continued and improved their fleet of 20 FCH buses in regular operation. New cities and regions that have interests in hydrogen bus deployment are also able to contact the CHIC project to learn more on the steps and integration of Clean Hydrogen In their European City through the Phase 2 help-line. Read more here.

Car Free Day in Kampala Uganda

During the first Car Free Day in Uganda, over 350 people cycled through Kampala’s city centre to raise awareness about sustainable modes of urban transport. The event drew attention to growing concerns over the capital’s traffic congestion and air pollution. Rush hour chaos has become a troubled reality of life in Kampala. Zigzagging matatu’s, crisscrossing boda-boda’s, cars, bikes, pedestrians and livestock fight to be mobile on the cramped and potholed roads of the capital. Foggy residues from old motorised vehicles create an eerie, purplish sky. But this morning is different. About 350 people drive their decorated bicycles freely through the centre of Kampala on the first Car Free Day in East-Africa. Motorised traffic is blocked on the designated cycling route that meanders straight through the capital with help from local authorities and the police. Organiser and Urban Planning tutor at the Makarere University Amanda Ngabirano heads the cycling group. With a determined face he comments: “This is historical. We have claimed the roads!” The atmosphere among the cyclists – mostly young people dressed in professional cycling gear- is exuberant. Bystanders look on in disbelief. Read more here.

World City Modal Split Database

This open project from EPOMM – the European Platform on Mobility Management does not require much explanation to get started; you can be off and going if you simply to click here and dig into their Google map. That said, a few words of introduction may not be altogether without their use to help you take full advantage of their good work. Just below is what you see when you click to the site. A slight caveat though: one thing that I completely missed the first time around was the menu offering several alternatives, which you will find just to the left of the welcoming line and toward the top of the screen. You will see that the menu offers a handful of options including a capacity to select cities, compare cities and also a form here which will allow you to enter data on your city to further enhance the usefulness of this collaborative tool. We find that this tool gives considerable food for thought, as well as valuable information for planners and policy makers, and we hope you will have a close look and communicate your reactions either to our readers and directly to the EPOMM team. Please contact Glen Turner at LEPT or you can  also contact the country administrators on the EPOMM country pages.