The Last Kilometer
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Bike sharing initiative in PH
What was once a niche form of transport that was seen only in liberal communities and on college campuses is rapidly becoming a mainstream addition to public transport in many countries. Paris offered the tipping point in creating public bicycle-sharing systems that could be implemented in large cities. Its system, called “Velib,” started operating in 2005. Currently, there are over 500 public bicycle-sharing systems globally with the largest being here in Asia, in Hangzhou, China. Hangzhou’s bicycle-sharing system has more than 50,000 bicycles. Public bicycle-sharing systems provide people with bicycles through a network of fully automated stations. A user can pick up a bicycle from one station and return it to any station in the network. Subscription, smart card Typically, a user pays an annual subscription fee and accesses the bicycle with a smart card. They are allowed a free period of 30 minutes to one hour after which there is an increasing charge—the goal of charging is to encourage people to return the bicycle for others to use. In systems around the world, most trips are within the free period and people usually do not end up paying more than the annual subscription fee. Sustainable transport The Asian Development Bank (ADB) recognizes the benefit that bicycle sharing can play in a community. Through its Sustainable Transport Initiative, ADB is actively promoting bicycle sharing in many cities throughout the Asia Pacific. It also realizes that there is no better place to start than at home. Dragonfly “Tutubi,” Filipino for dragonfly, is a bicycle demonstration project of ADB. Tutubi’s goal is to show the benefits of bicycle sharing to citizens, civic society, government officials and land developers in the Philippines. Once you see and experience Tutubi, you realize that this is very different from the bicycle you rode as a child or the bicycle you may use for recreation on weekends. The Tutubi demonstration project currently consists of two stations, each with 10 bicycles. Each bicycle is locked to a dock and each station has a terminal, which looks and works like an ATM (without the money). Securely locked Tutubi is fully automated which means that there is no attendant required to man or guard the station. The bicycles are securely locked to the docks and can be accessed only by a smart card. With that smart card you can take and use a Tutubi bicycle anywhere, anytime. When you’re finished you return the bicycle to the automatically locking dock and swipe your card. Tutubi will say “thank you” and record that you have returned the bicycle. Tutubi was showcased for the first time at the ADB Transport Forum on Nov. 6-8, where it received a warm, yet curious welcome from participants. Fun Most of those at the forum had never seen or touched a fully automated bicycle-sharing system before. They didn’t realize how easy, safe and fun it was to borrow a bike. Tutubi will stay at ADB for a month or so, further allowing the bank’s staff to learn how the system works and know the benefits it provides. The bicycles will be located within ADB’s facility and allow certain employees to take them home in the evening and to run errands around the bank during the day. Tutubi will soon hit the road, traveling to different locations around Manila and other parts of the Philippines to demonstrate the benefits of a bicycle-sharing system. Makati, Pasig, Ateneo Some of the targeted areas are dense city centers and universities. The schedule of demonstration projects is open to areas where government or developers see the benefit of such a system and want to try it out. Requests have been received by areas such as Makati, Pasig and Ateneo de Manila University in Metro Manila as well as Davao City. Since Tutubi is only two stations at this point, the exercise is not a fully functional network, as would be implemented in a community. A complete system in the Philippines would look like Tutubi, but instead of 20 dragonflies there would be a swarm with a network of stations across a city. Stations 500 meters apart The stations are normally located about 500 meters away from each other in a dense urban environment. So, whenever or wherever you are, there is a Tutubi station nearby. The system would be open to the public, allowing people to register for an annual pass online or at special customer service centers. The registration process would record your details to make sure you don’t pedal away for good with your Tutubi. Last kilometer problem Citizens would typically use Tutubi for trips that are just too long to walk or too short to drive or take public transport. One of the greatest benefits of a public bicycle-sharing system is its ability to solve the “last kilometer” problem. That is the kilometer that takes you to or from the metro, bus or jeepney station. Tutubi is quick. You just walk up to any station, swipe your card and a bicycle is unlocked for you. When you arrive at your destination, you find the closest station, insert your bicycle into the dock, swipe your card again and it locks automatically. Lanes Public bicycle-sharing systems operate best in dense communities where traffic speeds are lower. Many people ask why install Tutubi in a community without bicycle lanes first? The simple answer is what comes first, the chicken or the egg? Governments will build bicycle lanes only if people cycle and people will cycle only if there are bicycles available for them. Public bicycle-sharing systems usually go hand-in-hand with safety awareness campaigns and investment in bicycle lanes and infrastructure. Cost The cost of a public bicycle-sharing system can be best described as the cost of a Tutubi compared with a private jet. Building an MRT system costs over $50 million per kilometer. A public bicycle-sharing system would cost a tenth of that. To cover a few square kilometers, $470,000 would be more than enough for the system and the accompanying safety campaign. A public bicycle-sharing system would be run by an operator who would cover the costs through the annual membership fees and by advertising on the bicycles and stations. Green Since bicycle-sharing systems are a green form of transport, many private companies are willing to invest in the systems to have their name attached to the bicycles. Barclays Cycle Hire in London is a good example of this. The experience from other countries shows that the majority of people who use a bicycle-sharing system use it for short trips, around half an hour. The overwhelming majority of users surveyed say that it is more efficient than their previous modes of transport. Convenient, obesity In many Asian cities, Manila included, buses are often overcrowded and sometimes people need to go to only one or two stops. Tutubi would be a more convenient solution than waiting in long lines to get on a crowded bus or MRT. Obesity is also a rising problem in many Asian societies. As income levels rise, so does the move toward more sedentary lifestyles. Obesity leads to health problems like diabetes, which is also on the rise in Asian countries. Tutubi offers a healthy option for active transport. It further offers the user a low carbon option for transport and provides each of us the opportunity to contribute to a better planet through choosing to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions.
District works toward building low-carbon future
By Li Xinran CHANGNING District Director Gu Honghui was present at the 2016 US-China Climate-Smart/Low Carbon Cities Summit in Beijing on June 7. Gu was there to share with conventioneers, including US Secretary of State John Kerry, information about Changning’s experience promoting low-carbon urban development. Changning is currently implementing a World Bank project to support low-carbon city development by promoting green energy schemes. It is also an important measure as Chang-ning works toward the construction of an “ecological civilization.” The project has two components: first, technical assistance and incremental support for near zero-emission buildings funded by a Global Environment Facility grant; and second, a low carbon investment component funded by a loan from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development. By 2018, Changning plans to lower carbon intensity per unit of GDP by 23 percent compared with 2010 levels. By the end of last year, carbon intensity per unit of GDP had already dropped by around 20 percent. Changning fully promotes energy conservation and emission reduction in existing buildings. By the end of last year, the district had completed 23 retrofit projects to improve energy efficiency in existing buildings which together cover 1.35 million square meters of space. These efforts are believed to have cut carbon emissions by an estimated 60,000 tons. Such retrofits are also a major step toward promoting the district’s urban transformation. Changning has raised energy efficiency standards for new buildings. District authorities strictly enforce mandatory green building energy-saving standards at each stage of construction, including planning, approval and designing. The district has reviewed preliminary designs for new 51 projects, which together cover 2.26 million square meters. Each project was designed in line with local energy-saving standards. Meanwhile, officials in Changning are also trying their best to improve building energy-saving standards. Indeed, three newly-completed, low-energy-consumption buildings in Changning exceed energy-saving standards imposed at the city-level by five percentage points. By the end of last year, Changning had four two-star green buildings. Five others were rated as city-level building energy efficiency demonstration projects. Another highlight are Changning’s near-zero-energy buildings. These buildings are part of a low-carbon practice area created as part of the district’s commitment to the World Bank. The Changning government teamed up with enterprises to retrofit an office building at Hongqiao State Guest Hotel. The building now features low carbon technologies, including a high efficiency retaining structure, a high efficiency illumination system, renewable energy and smart controls. The project also piloted a whole process management mode. Without considering energy consumption at the socket CO2 emissions were controlled at 16.74 kilograms per square meter, which achieved near-zero emission standards. At the same time, Changning actively promotes the application of new technologies and practices. During the construction of low carbon demonstration zone, Changning paid high attention to the application of new technology, new energy and new equipment and adopted new management mode. Fifteen retrofit projects in Chang-ning have adopted the Contract Energy Sources Management Mode. Moreover, the district is exploring news ways to integrate whole-process management, as well as fine-tuning measures, into construction. It has also adopted new energy-saving methods like intelligent power distribution networks and Internet-based intelligent energy saving management systems. hangning authorities also strongly promote the application of new equipment and technology. For example, the application of magnetic suspension heat pump air conditioning systems make energy utilization 30 percent more efficient. The Grand Millennium Shanghai Hongqiao took the industry lead by installing concentrated solar power thermal storage systems which improve efficiency by at least 27 percent. The project won first prize at the 2014 China Energy Conservation Association awards. Public buildings in Changning are encouraged to install ground source heat pumps or photovoltaic generation systems. By the end of last year, Changning had built seven photovoltaic generation projects which produced 1,185.5 kilowatts of electricity in total. The district is upgrading its energy structure. All coal-fired boilers are set to be demolished. Oil-fired boilers will also gradually phase out and replaced by natural-gas fueled ones. Distributed energy-supply projects have also been tipped as a trend of the future. Last but not the least, authorities in Changning advocate low-carbon living and green transport. A slow traffic system is being built in Hongqiao area. As part of this effort, 450 public bicycles equipped with GPS devices and smart card-readers are expected to help local commuters conquer the “last kilometer” of their journey within the city. About the summit The US-China Climate-Smart/Low-Carbon Cities Summit is jointly organized by the United States and China and aims to promote the implementation of the US-China Joint Announcement on Climate Change made by President Obama and President Xi in 2014. The summit will expand and deepen the leadership of city and local leaders on climate change and address key low carbon development topics such as carbon trading, air quality improvement, non-motorized transportation, green finance and technology innovation. This year, mayors of Chinese and American cities, including Boston, Wuhan and Shenzhen came together to share ideas and best practices on tackling climate change.
Kunming to put 45,000 public use bikes on roads
The Kunming municipal government has experimented with green initiatives in the past. Such efforts have included huge re-greening campaigns and no-car days, the latter of which have sadly been discontinued. The newest endeavor, announced recently in all major metropolitan newspapers, involves putting some 45,000 public use bicycles on Spring City roads. At project's end, a planned 2,500 bike depots will dot Kunming. Most of the planned "service spots" (服�000� will be clustered along existing and under-construction subway lines, outside of the city's largest neighborhoods and near universities and tourist hotspots where rush hour traffic jams are most common. Dubbed "The Last Kilometer" (最�000� by city managers, the program targets commuters who nearly get home via existing public transportation options, but may still need to walk a good distance. Details such as overall cost, what company will provide the bikes and the exact locations of the depots have yet to be released. However, details regarding a few project benchmarks do exist. Between now and the end of 2017, the city will build 500 bike pick-up and drop-off points housing 10,000 bikes. Of those stops, 100 will be located in Kunming's sprawling southern Chenggong District (呈贡新区). Between March 2017 and December 2019, an additional 4,000 bike depots are planned for areas along Metro Lines 3 and 6, as well as in the previously mentioned traffic bottlenecks. Once in place, bikes will be available to use for those with a charged bus or Metro card that has previously been officially linked to a Chinese ID card. Current plans state bikes are free to use for the first hour, with each additional 30-minute period costing 0.5 yuan. A rental period ends when a rider returns their borrowed bike to any of the other depots. Fees for a single day will not run more than 15 yuan, according to media reports. The bike initiative is part of a broader five-year plan to create a new "transportation network" in Kunming to alleviate traffic congestion. Under the strategy, priority will be given to subways, buses, taxis and bikes in that order, with cars receiving the lowest importance in future city planning.
Knowledge Graph
Examples
1 You might take the Skytrain for three stops, switch to the ferry, and then when you get into the neighborhood, you'd probably take a tuk-tuk or a scooter taxi for the last kilometer or two of your trip.
2 Although Shanghai's metro network is quite comprehensive and more metro lines will be built in the next decade, many white-collar workers encounter a problem known as "the last kilometer."
3 The problem of "the last kilometer" is when there is a lack of connecting transport between a metro station and one's workplace or home.