New Mobility/World Transport Quarterly Newsletter

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

This won't happen very often I promise you -- but there has been enough going on in and around New Mobility/World Transport of late that a quick newsletter seemed like the most efficient way of putting before you the handful of things that you might wish to keep your eye on, and eventually make a decision or two about as far as your accessing and use of the New Mobility Agenda in all of its many useful parts.

You have a clickable 'contents' just above, it's a fast read, and off you go. We hope you find it useful. Feedback? We live for it, and all you have to do is click below and we'll get your message. And yes, we answer our mail.

Eric Britton

WTN 2004 Prize Nominations: Environment & Technology

"The World Technology Awards have been created to honour those individual leaders or, at times, co-equal teams from across the globe who most contribute to the advance of emerging technologies of all sorts for the benefit of business and society. We especially seek to honour those innovators who have done work recently which has the greatest likely future significance and impact over the long-term. The WTN awards are about those individuals whose work today will, in our opinion, create the greatest "ripple effects" in the future... in both expected and unexpected ways." "

As you may recall, we have nominated for the 2004 World Technology Network Prize for Environment and Technology the Mayor of London, Ken Livingston, for his initiative in introducing in February 2003 the Congestion Charging Scheme in his transport-challenged city. The reaction to this nomination have been overwhelmingly positive, with distinguished colleagues around the world stepping forward to express their support for this nomination, with votes coming in thus far from Australia, Canada, Colombia, Denmark, Germany, India, Japan, Malta, New Zealand, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, UK, USA. . . and counting. But not all of our respected expert colleagues agree, and several voices have been vigorous raised in protest (three in all thus far) stating their objections both to the concept and the way that Livingston has decided to handle it. Hmm.

So, and as proponents of spirited exchange and debate, we have decided to go public with these discussions and of this date have opened up a special "voting station, that you can reach both to express your views and to help us to understand if indeed this is a step in the right direction. The polls close on 15 June, at which time we will submit the whole business to the other judges of the WTN as final support for our nomination in this complicated world of ours. It will take you but one moment, and all you have to do is. . .

* Click to support (or otherwise) nomination

* Click to review responses thus far

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New Mobility website overhaul nearing completion

Early this year we decided to carry out a

major extension and upgrade of our New Mobility/World Transport website so that it could become a worthy "first-stop shop" on the web for anyone wishing to make head or tails of the issues of sustainable mobility, including to find out where the best sources of expertise and counsel for their specific issues might be found. This process is now well advanced and we invite you to check out the results, including the growing number of interactive components and tools that it now presents. Have a look and tell us what you think. And what you want. - - > more

Most active programs in 2004 (Click to visit)

Discussion Groups/Email Options

Please note that there are four main "speeds" for getting email from this program. Though until now most of us have opted for the first, this may not be the best choice for you. Thus, when you sign into our interactive , you can elect to receive email feedback from the program in any of four forms, to whit:

Individual emails: To receive all individual email messages.
Daily digest: To receive all emails for the day in one message.
Special notices only: Receive only important announcements from group moderator.
No email: Read the messages at the Web site at leisure.

To adjust your subscription, click the link of the . It takes only a minute and can be done from here. (To leave the list at any time, all you have to do is send a blank email to WorldTransport-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com).

New Mobility World News Alerts

The internet gives us unprecedented opportunities to stay abreast of latest sustainable mobility developments world wide. This new tool set provides one click overviews of latest developments in five languages (and counting). Read it with your morning coffee. - - > more

World Inventory of Sustainability Resources

One-click access to continuously updated selection of hundreds of outstanding sustainability research and action programs in some fifty countries. Indexed, fully searchable. (Did we miss you or one of your best references? Let us know so it will be there for all to use.) - - > more

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Joint Projects/Collaboration

Shouldn't we be doing something together to advance the sustainable mobility agenda in your city, country or region? Our long standing international credentials and, more than that, our well oiled international expert network and partners might turn out to be useful to complement and support your own skill base and capacities. Considerable language skills and good ability to work creatively and efficiently in cross-cultural situations can also be put to good advantage.

In the event of outstanding innovative projects we also - as you can see from the above - are prepared to step in from time to time and see if we can help in organizing international peer reviews and support groups. Get in touch and we can talk about it.

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Conferences/Event Organization - Program Review

Need a helping hand in organizing your program, conference or event: bringing in some of the outstanding innovators, activists, thinkers, groups and resources that we have gotten to know and worked with over the years, working to advance the sustainability agenda in many parts of the world? They and we are not only worrying, rethinking the theory and writing about sustainability, but are out there in the field fighting to make it happen.

It's 2004 and we clearly need to start doing better. Sustainability is one war that we are not winning. And the only way to achieve this is to work together. Bring in more new ideas, from different kinds of people and places, challenge your thinking, learn from others, and let them work with you to make a difference. Get in touch and let's talk about it.

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Resources/Foundations/Support

Since 1988 we have joyfully shouldered the burden of these programs and public interest internet sites on our own, and one way or another intend to continue to make sure that we maintain and expand them in the future. They are terrific things to do since we are in the process continually are exposed to a very wide range of information and points of view, learn a lot, and get to know and appreciate many outstanding people and groups. But it sure would be agreeable if we could find some additional support, technical and financial, not only for the maintenance of the various programs you can see here, but also in order to increase their interactivity and usefulness, a major goal of our long favored cross-border cross-discipline co-learning process. We have some rather interesting plans for this, but we are going to need support to move ahead.

Independence of mind: The trick with anything involving The Commons is that to do their job all these programs must be carried out with complete independence, continue to be entirely open and free-wheeling, and by their very nature cannot be subjected to oversight or external control. What you see here is what you get. ;-)

Any ideas or leads for us? I have to admit we're not very good at this end of things. But as you know, it's a great cause and the sustainability agenda needs every willing hand it can mobilize. Come to Paris to talk it over, pick up the phone or put pen to paper and let us hear from you.

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Recycling the New Mobility Newsletter. (Don't just throw it away; that's not sustainable!)