[AUS] Radio forum on public transport

[David Bromage <dbromage@omni.com.au>]

ABC Radio National's Earthbeat presents a radio forum -
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T H E   C I T Y :
motorised nightmare or green dream?
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Alexandra de Blas and a panel of Australia's leading transport
thinkers debate the issues

Saturday, June 26, at 7.30am on ABC Radio National
 repeated at 2.30pm on Monday, June 28.

Australians have abandoned public transport in droves since the 1950s
and traffic congestion is worse than ever, despite massive
road-building programs.

"The problem is lack of public transport planning - due initially to
competition between multiple, rival operators competing with each
other rather than the car and exacerbated by the technology-fetishism
of engineers and 'economic rationalist' attempts to promote
competition." Paul Mees, Melbourne University

"To manage a city with traffic problems is a big challenge . . . . the
process must begin with a dream that is fostered by a city's people
until the insistent solutions of traffic engineers are quietened and
the commonsense of the common good is heard." Peter Newman,  New
Internationalist, June 1999


The panellists:

>From Perth: Peter Newman, transport consultant and Professor of City
Policy at Murdoch University.  He's also been a council member for the
City of Fremantle. His latest book "Sustainability and Cities :
overcoming Automobile Dependence." was launched in the White House in
early 1999, by the US President's Council on Sustainable Development.

>From Brisbane: Maureen Hayes is Chair of Transport and Major Projects
on the Brisbane City Council - a council that sees itself as
Australia's leading city in the delivery of public transport.

>From Melbourne: Paul Mees,  teacher of Transport and Land Use Planning
at Melbourne University. Since 1992 he's been President of the Public
Transport Users' Association in Victoria. Among his achievements he
lists that he is currently being sued by the proprietors of
Melbourne's City Link tollway.

>From Sydney:  David Hensher: Professor of Management and Director of
the Institute of Transport Studies at Sydney University. He has
advised both the government and the private sector on transport issues
and  has  written books on cars, buses and coaches.  He's particularly
interested in transport economics and productivity measurement,
privatisation and deregulation.

Christine Laurence: from the Reclaim the Streets movement and Critical
Mass - a monthly cycling celebration. Christine has worked in local
government as a landscape architect.

"The car is the technology which involves the biggest number of
employees, the highest advertising budget, the largest annual
accidental death rate and the biggest contribution to global warming.
How do you begin to approach managing something so popular and yet so
destructive? "    Peter Newman, The New Internationalist, June 1999