Welcome to Joppa
Environment Friendly Transport News from Milton Keynes
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| Our man in South-east Asia |
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George Boston writes... I was heartened on a recent visit to Singapore and Bangkok by the determined drive to keep cars out of the centre of Singapore. Excellent and cheap public transport has made the city a pleasure to explore. Bangkok was the exact opposite. Streets choked with traffic; fumes that vigourously attacked the throat; and a new urban rail system on columns above the main roads that opened earlier this year. Still too little to have much effect on the traffic below. Also noticeable in Singapore was the number of cyclist - despite being almost exactly on the Equator and at sea level. So much so that there is a thriving bicycle rickshaw trade with side-cars for the passenger. The rickshaws are well organised and tend to travel in convoys of twenty or more. It brought a lump to the throat to see how they terrorised the cars! |