Untitled - Civic Exchange

SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORT IN HONG KONG: DIRECTIONS AND OPPORTUNITIES
Plan for people, not vehicles
The Rio Declaration on Environment and Development reminds us that:
"Human beings are the centre of concerns for sustainable development. They are entitled to a
healthy and productive life in harmony with nature." 24
Sustainable transport cannot be realized if policy-makers focus on facilitating vehicles rather than people.
Lowe called for "...putting [the] automobile back into its useful place as a servant. With a shift in priorities,
cars can be part of a broad, balanced system in which public transport, cycling and walking are all viable
options." 25 Vuchic proposed that transport systems should facilitate urban livability. A livable city is
human-centered, environmentally friendly, economically viable, socially sound and "connotes a desirable
quality of life for its citizens - including social activities, attractive public places, provision of a certain
level of privacy, as well as a sense of community." 26
1.3 A paradigm for assessing sustainable transport options
Figure 1.1 shows the paradigm developed as part of this study to assess the different options available for
making Hong Kong's transport system more sustainable. We have chosen to show mobility as the
primary objective of sustainable transport, rather than environmental or social goals. Environmental
and social considerations are undoubtedly important, but are most appropriately considered as part of the
larger context that shapes efforts to meet the primary objective of mobility. The primary aim of transport
planning, especially from the perspective of most transport planners, is mobility and we feel that any vision
of a more sustainable transport system for Hong Kong must acknowledge this explicitly. From the
consumer's standpoint, prioritizing mobility means that travel times are reasonably predictable and that the
preferred mode is reliable, convenient, comfortable, and safe, while still being priced within the means of
most people.
A second important aspect of Figure 1.1 is the relationship between planning- and technology-based
solutions. All too often, the focus in transport has been on technological fixes - either some new
technology 27 or better utilization of existing technologies (e.g., additional roads) - that will allow us to
continue doing things very much as we do them today, but with somewhat less damage to the environment,
or temporarily circumvent other problems, such as road congestion.
10
24 UNCED (1992), Report of The United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, Annex 1, Rio
Declaration on Environment and Development.
25 Lowe, M. (1990), Alternatives to the Automobile: Transport for Livable Cities, Worldwatch Paper No. 98,
Worldwatch Institute.
26 Vuchic advocates that a transport system for a livable city must (i) provide service to all areas where there is a
need for transportation; (ii) be available to all groups of people; (iii) provide local access to long-distance terminals;
(iv) satisfy travel volume requirements; (v) have satisfactory performance (for example, speed, safety, reliability,
comfort); (vi) involve reasonable costs and be properly priced; (vii) provide for efficient movement of goods and
deliveries throughout urban areas; (viii) provide facilities and services that are efficiently incorporated with a
human-oriented urban environment; (ix) stimulate creation of desirable urban development and forms; and (x) have
low negative side effects. Vuchic, V. R. (1999), Transportation for Livable Cities, New Brunswick, NJ: Center for
Urban Policy Research, The State University of New Jersey, Rutgers, pp.233, 234.
27
High expectations regarding electric battery vehicles since at least the 1970s are one example of the optimistic
view that technological breakthroughs will provide a technical fix for transport problems. Hopefully, the optimism
of the 1990s and early 21 st century regarding fuel cells will be validated or expectations will at least be brought into
line with actual (rather than hoped-for) breakthroughs.