The paper describes the advantages of bicycle transport, the success of its use in several Chinese mega cities and argues that there is no need forcar traffic in cities of up to 10 million inhabitants. Given good public transport services a sustainable urban structure is therefore possible forall human settlements without any car. Cars are seen as a source of pollution and occupying too much space. Cycle rickshaws are presented as a moresocial and environmentally friendly alternative, with occupancy rates even higher than cars. The sustainability of urban infrastructure and transport mode is discussed. Motorised two- and three-wheelers, as basic elementsof urban transport, are a speciality of Vietnam. The advantages of these over cars are low costs and less space taken up. However, the advantages of motorized two-wheelers are: low costs and less space. The disadvantages of motorized two-wheelers are: speed, accidents, air pollution, noise and parking problems. Issues relating to motorised two-wheelers (MTW) in Indiaand South East Asia is presented. In India the proportion of these registered, relative to cars, is far higher than in highly motorised countries. Pedestrians, cyclists and MTW riders constitute 60 - 80% of all traffic fatalities in India. Structurally, MTWs offer less protection to their occupants than cars in a crash. Increasing traffic fatalities are associated with an increase in the numbers of MTWs in China and several South East Asian countries. Data for alcohol and other drug involvement in road traffic crashes are not available for all Indian cities. However, studies done in Delhi and Bangalore indicate alcohol involvement in a significant number ofMTW drivers admitted to hospital following collisions. MTWs have such a low operating cost that only buses can compete with them. They have effectively priced out grade-separated systems, such as metros, in Asian cities. Use of two wheelers in Hanoi is commonly associated with traffic violations such as: encroaching on lanes reserved for other vehicles; riding against the flow of traffic; obstructing pedestrians and right-turning vehicles;"Culture Shopping" - stopping at any point along the road to buy from street vendors; and carrying excessively large loads of goods. These are discussed in relation the traffic volumes in Hanoi - the largest in the world - and compared to Lyon, a city of similar size, but lower traffic volumes.For the covering abstract see ITRD E139491.
Samenvatting