On this topic, one member of the BRT group recently wrote to ask us why in fact with so much good materials out there and already available, were we bothering to add more pages to the pile. Our answer is summarized below:

• Our BRT Brief will be exactly 20 pages long.
• It is aimed specifically at local government and decision makers in the public sector.
• It is intended purely to provide the necessary exception background information for the city government to decide if they want to start to look into this more closely.
• It will not try to cover much of the technical or cost details, etc. But it will zero in on the important big numbers that define this approach relatively to others.
• It is aimed at cities both North and South (important too since there has been a great deal of both early and recent work in what we call the Global South).
• It will of course refer and link directly to the best of the materials available on the topic.
• It will be balanced in its view of BRT and really look quite hard at problem aspects.
• And it won't probably be nearly as pretty as the best laid out of the above. It is a working and decision document.

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Economic instruments, congestion charging, et al

It was originally intended that Congestion Charging would be the topic of the second Brief in Vol. 1, however over the last months there have been many requests for early treatment of BRT, as one of the fastest developing new mobility initiatives in an increasing number of cities around the world. This decision is still in process as we concentrate our efforts at this point on getting out Vol. 1, No. 1.

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Free public transport

While we and others have been looking at this for years, but mainly out of the corners of our eyes, as part of the run-up to the Briefs we have launched an international discussion in a certain number of expert fora and are finding considerable interest. Including on showing why FPT will never work. Be that as it may, it is a superior topic for a Brief and for some first background on this we invite you to check out the following reference and working links. The Opening Letter that follows just below may be a good way to get into this.

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City Cycling: "The wheel of reincarnation"

This turns out to be a lot more complex and challenging a task than most cities and companies often think. This Brief will explore the complexities and the good examples -- which will be fewer in number and certainly richer in their lessons (many of which negative by the way) than one might have at first thought. Once again, the goal is to give to the city decision makers the exception information and persepctive they need to make a decision about next steps and the details of planning and implementation.

Key issues:

Here you have an idea of the range of the issues which need to be looked at and reported in the final Brief. IF you consider the spread of this list, you may wonder how we ever intend to provide

• Cycle paths (segregated, shared) and protection
• Cycle parking and security
• Integration with other modes (including bad weather back-up, etc.)
• Public cycle programs (free and rental)
• New, better, safer cycles
• Tricycles and devices to open up cycling to people with some mobility handicaps
• Employer/employee incentive and support programs
• Strategic support from the city and other concerned agencies
• Cyclist education and qualification
• Incidents, injuries, insurance,
• Safety and enforcement
• Driver education (cars, buses, trucks)
• Children's/school cycling programs and support
• Special events, manifestations, regular city tours
• Public health aspects, obesity
• Links with cycling groups
• Cycling maps and public information
• Cycling for visitors, tourists
• Should cycling/cyclists be subsidized?
• Eco-environmental impacts (costs/benefits)
• Links between leisure, sports and transport cycling
• Goods and message delivery services by cycle
• Walking, skating and cycling - Communalities and conflicts, and how to deal with them
• Cycling and equity: what is it and what does in mean
• (And what important have we left out here?)

Cycling groups, apecialised consultants, and leads thereto:

Some first references:

Content to follow here. In the meantime, some first quick references, inccluding from the Wikipedia, just to get us going, along with a Google listing that has some interest as we thrash around to see what is out there and going on:

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