www.its.berkeley.edu/volvocenter

Findings from China Trip:Institutions, Activities, and Collaborative

Opportunities

Yuwei Li

7/24/2006

www.its.berkeley.edu/volvocenter

Overview

• Trip purpose: learn, connect, and communicate• Institutional Arrangement for Urban Transport• Trip Report: (on Volvo and USI missions)

– Beijing Workshops

– Chengdu and Xi’an

• Collaborative Opportunities

www.its.berkeley.edu/volvocenter

Institutional Arrangement for Urban Transport

Provincial Planning Commission Provincial Communications Commission

Municipal Communications Commission

Ministry of Communications

National Planning (Development and Reform) Commission

Revision of Wu Et Al, World Bank Discussion Papers No 352 by Yuwei Li

www.its.berkeley.edu/volvocenter

Beijing Workshop, May 26-28

• Volvo China COE Inauguration– China Academy of Transportation Sciences, Ministry of Communications– Attendance by key local officials– Coordination with Forum on Transport Reform and Development for Central

Cities: financial and research support from local governments

• China COE Work Plan:– Year 1: planning & survey– Year 2-4: Research & Demo– Year 5: Consolidation & dissemination

• Advisory board comments– focus on basic data– distinguish stage of development that cities are in– Policy analysis: congestion pricing

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Points by Mans Lonnroth

• On COE Operations– How to start: clear focus, not too much, too soon– Start with large share of uncommitted resources (i.e. don’t commit all Volvo funds)– Establish contacts with other centers

• may fund collaborations between centers– Use Volvo funds as leverage for other funding sources

• New COEs: to have 6-8 centers operating simultaneously; – Latin America: public transport– Africa: large challenge– Europe: reallocate urban spaces– Asia

• Goteborg conference conclusions– Urban transport: knowledge base (e.g. Cities on the Move by World bank)– Sustainable transport: serve all citizens– Nature of solution: a place for concrete, a place for brains (need more!)– “In theory there is no difference between theory and practice, but in practice there is”

• Huge gap between recommended and implemented policies– The difference: political leadership

• Issues of concern– Public transport on equity: inclusiveness– Congestion charge & road pricing

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EU-China Workshop on Sustainable Urban Transport

• EC Energy & Transport– Transport has key role in energy efficiency

• Rethink vehicle taxation—charging• Urban access regulation• Increase energy efficiency of vehicles and tires• Develop markets for energy efficient vehicles

– European transport Policy for 2010• Key challenge; break link between economic growth and impact of transport, w/o

restricting mobility of people and goods• Key elements

– Work program with over 60 measures» CIVITAS Initiative: integrated strategies for clean urban transport in

European cities– Two targets:

» freeze modal split at 1998 by 2010» 50% reduction in road fatalities

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EU-China Workshop

• Conclusions of Working Groups – Institutional Issues: who is in charge– Financing: subsidies vs. PPP– Impact assessment: more than ridership– Research needs: choice behavior for public transport– Integration: modes—measures—policies

• Presentation on Volvo Research– Track 1: Electric bikes– Track 2: Gridlock– Track 3: Life-cycle analysis

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China Planning Forum 6/14-16, Beijing

• Hosted by Ministry of Construction, MIT, USDOT, APA

• 6/15 Session on urban transport– Building institutions for sustainable urban transport, by Zhi

Liu of World Bank• Impact of decentralization; redefine role of central government

• Need to establish link between urban transport planning & financing

• Strategic partnership demonstration program

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Chengdu & Xi’an

• Both have ring roads; BRT & Urban Rail planned • Prof. Dianye Zhang of Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu

– Human and Vehicle behavior in mixed transportation (microscopic)– Travel behavior chain & information chain– Transport planning for City of Chengdu

• A Wealth of data:– Resident travel survey (170,000 samples)– Vehicle travel survey (90,000 samples)– Traffic volume survey for road segments– Parking survey– Transit volume on line segments– Transit On and off survey– Transit route OD survey (350 over 3 weeks)

• Strong hardware and software development capabilities• Seek collaboration on methodology and analysis

• Prof. Yuanqing Wang at Chang’an University, Xi’an– Transportation Planning for City of Xi’an– Mobility management solution (non-data intensive) needed for World Bank – Bus-only lanes, turn-restrictions put in place

www.its.berkeley.edu/volvocenter

Collaborative opportunities for UCB Researchers

• w/ International Organizations– Global Environmental Facility, World Bank, Asian Development Bank, European Commission, Private Foundations,

Universities

– How we help them:• develop best practices, serve as expert advisors, disseminate knowledge

– How they help us: • funding, identification of city partners,

• w/ National Institutions– Ministry of Communications, Ministry of Construction, National Development & Reform Council and their in-house

research institutions

– How we help them: advise on national policy, exchange knowledge, provide mutual support in fund-application

– How they help us: provide local leads, facilitate work from central government

• w/ Local Partners– City officials, university researchers

– How we help them: ideas, analysis and methodological support

– How they help us: data, ground work, implementation