anspar a 1 and the Urban Environment op \ rt'port on the Seminar on l rhan Transport and the n man.r older European Emironment. held July I 0-1.!. ouw; and cith!s. u·here 19~9. hy the Organi7.ation for ·/reels are narrou· and Economk Cooperation and l'inding. priori~l' lanes and Dnt'lopment and the Eunipean ·pecial~l' designed t•ehic/es Conferem·e of \tinisters of ake the use of transit an Transport. ttractfre and enJo.rable lternatfre to the auto. Published by the 'iational Leagu \'f>ecial accommodatums for of Cities. 16.?0 Eye St. 'i\\. \\ashington. D.C. l0006. Juh assengers and coordinated 1980 raffle SJ'Slem.'i allou· the ransil rehicle to skirt Project rnordinated hy Diane ongested auto lanes. and Enos. \tanager. Spedal Projt·cts. educe trip time for transit Otlke of Public Affairs. lrban .'iers. .\tass Transportation Administration. of the l.S. ffiddle Department of Transportation. and Rette Treadwell. Special 4/though a ci~l' of narrou· Assistant to the Ewcutiw l'inding streets and canals. Din.-ctor of the 'iational League 4msterdam has closed manJ' of Cities. ·/reels to all but pedestrian raffle. allou·ing delfrerh!s Cmer and inlt'rior photography uring non-shopping hours. by Diane Enos except as follows: nd making a pleasant p. 14. hottom. hy Howard ,-etting for the famous Simkowitz. p. 40 top and lower ou·ers of Holland. right courtesy of French Government fourist Office. p.-½0 middle courtesy of Belgian ottom Institute of Information. and p. he OEC'D delegatum l'isiled lower left courtesy of Canadian elfl. a small tou·n in the Gm·ernment Tr.nel Bureau. ·ether/ands u·hich has taken Prepared under project number dl'antage of the 1rnonerf DC-96-000~ from the lnited J'slem and has succeeded in States Department of ringing human srnl<• hack to Transportation. l'rhan \tass cil)' that u·as being engulfed Transportation Administration 1 1 · lhl automohill • and a grant from the German \tarshall Fund of the lnited States. Tht· contents of this publication reflect the ,iews of the authors. who are responsibl for the facts and accuracy of the data presented herein. The rnntents do not necessarily reflect the ,iews of the 'iation· League of Cities. the German \tarshall Fund or the official ,iews or policy of the l.S. Department of Transportatio This puhlication does not constitute a standard. ilili National League al Cities Transparlalian andlhe Urban Environment S. C.R. T. 0. LIBRARY rJ United Stales Department al Transparlalian The German Marshall Fund al the United Stales 00684 HE Contents Transportation Here and Abroad Innovative Management of Urban Transport by Jessie Rattley for a Better Environment by Ariel Alexandre and Christian Averous Page/V Noise, fumes, the dangers of walking, the irregularity of bus services and other pinch A Starting Point for the 1980s points of city life are increasingly the subject of by Ronald). Fisher complaints on the part of city dwellers. This rising tide of concern, added to increased PageV pressures to hold down the consumption of energy and the rising cost ofpublic services, has led Ariel Alexandre and Christian Averous of ARTICLES OECD's Environment Committee to focus on low-cost urban transport policies. Urban Transport Today: A Global View by Neal Peirce Page29 The automobile for years has been the unofficial symbol of independence and mobility for A Personal View of the Seminar on Urban Americans of all ages. Is its place in our society Transport and the Environment changing? Officials in cities in other countries by David Bayliss are focusing on restraining auto traffic and Policy, economic, political, civic and business encouraging almost any other mode of considerations come into play in any study of transport. Urban affairs columnist Neal Peirce either transportation or the environment. David examines the subject of "automobility" and Bayliss, Chairman of the Seminar, sums up suggests alternatives to the American these factors as they were presented during the (automotive) way of life. course of the Seminar. Page2 Page34 Reflections on a European Study Tour Overview of 16 City Case Studies by Ted Lutz Participants at the Seminar examined Finding technical solutions to transportation innovative urban transport schemes of 16 and environmental problems is only half the cities in depth. The objectives, key policy task; ways must also be found to finance and elements of the plans, general results, and manage the solutions on the 1-0cal level. Ted environmental aspects are set forth here, in Lutz, former General Manager of the public chart form, for easy reference. transit system of Washington, D.C. , looks at how local officials in other countries are handling Page40 these issues. PageJ5 Appendix List of Participants at the Seminar on Urban The Changing Role of Automobile and Public Transport and the Environment Transportation by C. Kenneth Orski Page45 Kenneth Orski, Vice President, German Marshall Fund, was general rapporteur for the Seminar on Urban Transport and the Environment. In The Organization for Economic Cooperation this article he summarizes the general and Development by Howard Simkowitz conclusions of the special sessions, with attention to the cl-Ose relationship between energy and transportation. Page22 PagejJ TRANSPORTATION AND 11IE URBAN ENVIRONMENT Iii Transparlalian Here and Ahraad BY JESSIE M. RATILEY, PRESIDENT, NATIONAL LEAGUE OF cmES Transportation has become one of cesses. We are still discovering alter­ from a number of different perspec­ the chief factors affecting the quality natives to conventional transit, in­ tives and summary data on the 16 of the urban environment. As the creasing our reliance on public cities examined as case studies for economy of America's cities comes to transport and, in many cities, making the seminar. Also included is a list of depend less on industry and more on a significant investment in bicycle participants in the seminar, along services, transportation-automo­ and pedestrian thoroughfares. with addresses, so that the vital ex­ biles, trucks, utility and maintenance City officials in the United States change of information between city vehicles, pedestrians and even bicy­ can take pride in many native innova­ officials of the U.S. and other coun­ cles-assumes a greater importance tions, but we should also look with tries on this important subject can in environmental considerations. The respect and interest at the successes continue on an individual basis. pollution one notices on a city street of other cities in other countries. Dif­ today is more likely to be automobile ferent historical, economic, and cul­ exhaust than factory smoke; car tural forces have shaped solutions horns, trucks and motorcycles make very different than-and perhaps continuous noise; and clogged inter­ superior to-our own. sections create visual and physical The Seminar on Urban Transport barriers in downtowns across the and the Environment, jointly spon­ country. sored by the Organization for Eco­ At the same time that unrestrained nomic Cooperation and Development urban congestion and resulting and the European Conference of Min­ transportation problems threaten to isters of Transport, July HH2, 1979, strangle our cities, we have learned gave a group of U.S. officials an op­ how to control transportation and portunity to take just such a look at use it creatively to defeat its own transport solutions in other countries worst tendencies. We have learned and to share American solutions with new ways to handle traffic: traffic col­ their counterparts. lars and zones to keep the worst This volume, published by the Na­ congestion out of the downtown, tional League of Cities with funds restraints on parking, pedestrian from the Urban Mass Transportation malls and transit malls, and preferen­ Administration , U.S. Department of tial networks for certain kinds of traf­ Transportation, is intended to make fic. We have learned how to combine that information available to city offi­ environmefltal concerns with traffic cials across the nation. It includes control to protect neighborhoods, several overviews of the seminar open up safe areas for non­ automotive use, reduce noise and air pollution, and create alternatives to destructive freeway construction. City officials can now choose from an ar­ senal of economic means to achieve these goals, using special fares as an incentive for transit riders, special taxes on certain kinds of downtown traffic and on downtown merchants to make sure that those who benefit from traffic improvement pay for it, and land-use policies to increase tax bases while controlling transit ex- iv TRANSPORTATION AND THE URBAN ENVIRONMENT A Starling Paint lar the 1980s BY RONALD J. FISHER, CHAIRMAN, GROUP ON TRAFFIC POLICY Whatever their differences, cities decisionmaking process. Because of Ideally, the interchange of around the world share a common scarce resources, most innovations information that took place during problem: how best to transport their involve low-cost transportation the Paris seminar will continue into citizens in and around urban areas management improvements. At the the 1980s. It is certain that without destroying vital residential same time, putting management­ continuing energy constraints and and commercial areas. Attendance at oriented policies into effect has environmental pressures will the July 1979 Seminar on Urban become increasingly difficult because heighten the need for public policies Transport and the Environment of the unstructured and sometimes that influence transportation supply testified to the growing worldwide elusive nature of citizen support and demand as well as for better search for solutions to urban groups. management of existing resources. problems. More than 300 Delegates stressed repeatedly that representatives of 24 member increased citizen interest and countries of the Organization for involvement make it essential that Economic Cooperation and objectives for an intended traffic Development (OECD) met in Paris to policy be well defined and that the share their experiences and study policy be understood and supported successful innovations in urban by the public and political leaders.