Reinventing Transport

This post is to share a presentation on Singapore's Public Transport policies which I gave in Seoul in September. This is my own take on the story, not any kind of official narrative. I took a rather long-term perspective, going back to the 1930s and emphasizing important changes in the 1970s. It is also a 'big picture' view. But some of the current debates are also there. If you have any interest in Singapore's public transport story, then take a peek and let me know what you think. Public Transport Policy in Singapore (a long view) from Paul Barter If you can't see the embedded slideshow above, then try clicking  Public Transport Policy in Singapore (a long view) .    By the way, Singapore has had a busy year of transport and urban planning announcements. Early in the year, there was the controversial Population White Paper . That was followed closely by the Land Use Plan  (basically the latest Concept Plan, Singapore's strategic plan that c

This diagram is from a new presentation (see below) in which I make the following claims: "New Transit Cities" are especially relevant for newly motorizing cities (such as India’s cities) Cities that are now New Transit Cities were, in the past, faced with challenging circumstances similar to those facing India’s cities today (namely a flood of vehicles causing traffic saturation at a time when they lacked significant mass transit that was immune from traffic) After flirting with accommodating cars, the New Transit Cities all resisted the idea that cars are a necessity and acted to make sure cars remained optional.  Please take a look and tell me what you think in the comments. Let me know about any corrections or omissions. Do you agree? If you can't see the embedded SlideShare version below, then download the presentation from the CSE India website  (7MB pdf). Look to the new transit metropolises from Paul Barter By the way, I presented this

Don't be too starry eyed about Singapore's urban transport policies.  Yes, they do offer plenty for others to emulate. But there are also problems and cautionary tales.  In a recent book chapter I look at some of the problems with the current approach and speculate about a different overall strategy for Singapore urban transport policy. High-speed one-way traffic in Singapore's new CBD.  I have been here more than 12 years now and during that time I have been watching Singapore urban transport policy and practice pretty closely, as part of my research and as a user. I think I am well placed to offer a balanced perspective. The chapter is called ‘Singapore’s Mobility Model: Time for an Update?’ and is published in the Institute for Mobility Research's 2013 book, Megacity Mobility Culture: How Cities Move on in a Diverse World , (Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer). To give you a sense of my argument, here is the conclusion of the chapter: Singapore is a us

For the last year or two, most of my work (and blogging) has focused on parking (see the  Reinventing Parking blog  or on facebook ). But now I also want to revive this neglected blog and to use it to stay mindful of what really motivates my work (including the parking work). So what exactly is it that motivates my transport policy work? The statement below is an attempt to capture what I am trying to achieve as clearly as I can. A  mission statement  for my professional life, if you like. Yikes. You will see signs of these motivations throughout this blog, its predecessor , in my tweeting  and in much of my professional writing .  I aim to help cities, towns and streets unleash greater success, equity and conviviality  by focusing more on transport's 'ends' (such as  placemaking , accessibility and mobility ) than its ' means ' (such as  vehicles and traffic ) and  by enhancing choice  and choice-making in transport (especially by escaping or avoid