CAR BUSTERS MONTHLY E-BULLETIN #46
Data: Thu, 08 May 2003 18:02:30 +0200
Da: "Car Busters - Editors" <info@???>
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CAR BUSTERS BULLETIN >>>=20
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Edition no. 46 - May 2003 - English version
.............................................................
Contents:
BOXERS AND BRIEFS
WORLD NEWS
- SEOUL TO RAZE ELEVATED HIGHWAY, REVITALISE CITY CENTRE
- NORWEGIAN WORKERS OFFERED CASH TO GET ON THEIR BIKES
- STRIP-SEARCHED BICYCLISTS RIDE OFF WITH $2.75 MILLION
- CRITICAL MASS IN SAO PAULO, BRAZIL
ANNOUNCEMENTS
- CAR-FREE ECOVILLAGES LISTSERVE LAUNCHED
- AUGUST ECOTOPIA GATHERING TO BE HELD IN UKRAINE
CAR BUSTERS ANNOUNCEMENTS
- WORLD CAR-FREE DAYS 2003 INPUT SOUGHT
- NEW NETWORK DISCUSSION LISTSERVE LAUNCHED
- CAR BUSTERS PONDERS SECOND NAME
- TOWARDS CAR-FREE CITIES IV IN BERLIN IN 2004?
DISCLAIMER
BOXERS & BRIEFS
- The way cities and suburbs are designed could be bad for your=20
health, according to this April 23 article in The USA Today:=20
<
http://www.usatoday.com/educate/college/firstyear/articles/20030427.h
tm>. Titled "Walk Can't Walk," the article basically affirms what we=20
argued in Car Busters magazine #16.
- On April 5, The New York Times ran an article titled "In Their=20
Hummers, Right Beside Uncle Sam." The report documents post-war=20
enthusiasm for the gas-guzzling, militaristic vehicle. For example:=20
"When I turn on the TV, I see wall-to-wall Humvees, and I'm proud...=20
I'm proud of my country, and I'm proud to be driving a product that=20
is making a significant contribution." It reads like satire, but it's=20
actually true! See=20
<
http://www.climateark.org/articles/reader.asp?linkid=3D21511>.
- Meanwhile, the US environmental group Natural Resources Defense=20
Council (<
http://www.nrdc.org>) recently released TV ads calling for=20
SUVs (sport-utility vehicles, or 4x4s) with 40-mpg (5.9 litres/100=20
km) fuel economy "that will take America to work in the morning,=20
without taking it to war in the afternoon." The problem is that=20
Detroit apparently doesn't want to build those... At the recent New=20
York International Auto Show, it was announced that sport-utility=20
vehicles, pickups and minivans now make up 50% of US vehicle sales.=20
The vehicles on sale in the US this year are the heaviest vehicles on=20
record since World War II.
- And finally... "Bush Comes Clean: It Was About Oil": An editorial=20
by Tedd Rall at=20
<
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=3Dstory2&u=3D/ucru/bush_comes_clean
__it_was_about_oil>.
_______________=20
WORLD NEWS >>=20
__________________=20
SEOUL TO RAZE ELEVATED HIGHWAY, REVITALISE CITY CENTRE
[from ITDP's Sustainable Transport E-Update, <itdp.org/STe/ste6>]
Fulfilling a central campaign promise, Seoul Mayor Lee Mung-Bak is=20
moving forward with the restoration of a downtown riverfront=82 tearing=20
down an elevated highway and building a Bus Rapid Transit corridor.=20
In office for only two months, Mayor Lee has wasted little time in=20
announcing a new vision for Seoul and taking steps to see it to=20
fruition.
The cornerstone of this dramatic new vision is the restoration of=20
the Cheonggyecheon, an 84-metre wide river running through central=20
Seoul's Dongdaemun district. Once the center of a diverse urban=20
landscape, the river was gradually polluted with a toxic mix of=20
chemicals. Then, between 1958 and 1978, it was covered with concrete=20
and the city built the Cheonggyechen elevated highway over it. The=20
highway cuts through the centre of Seoul and has long diminished the=20
quality of life for residents of South Korea's capital.
Mayor Lee will take down the six-lane highway, decontaminate the=20
Cheonggyecheon and create a park and wide pedestrian corridor on the=20
shores of the river in its place. The destruction of the=20
Cheongguecheon highway is part of Mr. Lee's redevelopment strategy=20
for the entire area north of the Han River, which he hopes will=20
become Seoul's economic, cultural and environmental center.=20
To replace the 120,000 cars that use the corridor daily, the city=20
broke ground on its first formal Bus Rapid Transit line on March 13,=20
which will serve the route. Mayor Lee is aiming to complete the 14.5=20
km corridor by June to coincide with the freeway's closing.
See the above web page for before/after photos and further=20
details.
NORWEGIAN WORKERS OFFERED CASH TO GET ON THEIR BIKES
[from Reuters, May 6]
Norwegian workers are being offered cash incentives to get on their=20
bikes as part of a government drive to encourage pedal power and cut=20
car use. The scheme, which also aims to boost fitness, started on May=20
5 in parts of the country and will pay municipal employees about=20
US$0.40 for every kilometre they cycle while on business.
"We want healthier employees and less sickness absence," Hans Ivar=20
Soemme, leader of a "Healthy City" project at Sandnes municipality in=20
southwest Norway, told Reuters. He said he did not know of any=20
similar schemes elsewhere in the world.
Workers will get US$0.43 for each kilometre they ride up to a=20
maximum journey of 5 kilometres. The ride to and from work will not=20
count.
Meanwhile, an estimated 75,000 Norwegians rode their bikes to work=20
on May 5 to mark the annual "Bicycle to Work" campaign, many stopping=20
for a free breakfast organized along cycle paths. As part of a drive=20
to make Norway's 4.5 million people healthier, the country will be=20
the first in the world to outlaw smoking in bars and restaurants=20
nationwide in 2004.
STRIP-SEARCHED BICYCLISTS RIDE OFF WITH $2.75 MILLION
[from the Washington Post, March 30]
In the summer of 2000, during the Democratic National Convention in=20
Los Angeles, the police were out in force, making parts of downtown=20
seem like a city preparing for a siege. Some people applauded the no-
nonsense tactics for preserving law and order. But critics charged
that the cops went way overboard. In one of the most controversial=20
incidents, Los Angeles police arrested 71 cyclists who were staging a=20
rolling rally to call attention to alternative modes of=20
transportation and the creation of a more bike-friendly nation.
Police said the cyclists were busted because they pedaled the=20
wrong way down one-way streets, whizzing through traffic lights and=20
frightening pedestrians. (But the cyclists say they were riding as=20
mellow as could be, along with a police escort.)
But then things got weird. While in jail, Los Angeles County
Sheriff's deputies ordered 23 of the female cyclists to strip and=20
subjected them to visual body cavity searches. In California, it is a=20
no-no to strip-search people charged with simple misdemeanors. So=20
last week, the L.A. Board of Supervisors agreed to settle a lawsuit=20
brought by the cyclists for $2.75 million - that's $70,000 each for=20
the 23 women and $5,000 each for the 48 men.
CRITICAL MASS IN SAO PAULO, BRAZIL
[submitted by Joao Campos, <joao@???>]
With seven million vehicles, daily trafic jams of 100 km and average=20
drive speed of 25 kmh, moving around in S=E3o Paulo increasingly=20
requires the use of bikes.
Here a monthly event named Bicicletada, (
www.bicicletada.org), a=20
brazilian version of Critical Mass, has been held since June 2002.=20
The cyclists of S=E3o Paulo take to the streets every last Saturday of=20
the month to vindicate the right to use the streets and the obeying=20
of traffic laws that guarantee safety and respect to the cyclist.
Due to the negligence of the public powers when dealing with the=20
use of bikes, the cyclists of S=E3o Paulo chose a direct action close=20
to drivers, pedestrians and cyclists.
During the protests the manifestants use anti-pollution masks and=20
give away leaflets that explain the benefits of using the bike and=20
orient the drivers to share the streets with bikers.
_____________________
ANNOUNCEMENTS >>=20
_____________________________
CAR-FREE ECOVILLAGES LISTSERVE LAUNCHED
[submitted by Francois Schneider <soif@???>]
Hello dear friends:
Following the Towards Car-Free Cities III conference in Prague we are=20
starting a new discussion listserve on the idea of car-free=20
ecovillages. We wish to explore visions of ecovillages car-free and=20
free of car dependency and share experiences and solutions. The list=20
would also serve as support for the practical set-up of one or more=20
ecovillages in Europe or elsewhere. Would you be interested to=20
explore this idea? Please pass on the message people potentially=20
interested. Subscribe by sending an e-mail to <carfreeecovillages-
subscribe@???>.
AUGUST ECOTOPIA GATHERING TO BE HELD IN UKRAINE
Ecotopia is the biggest international environmental gathering in=20
Europe. It has been held for over 13 years, each year in a different=20
country and hosted by a local grassroots environmental organisation=20
within the EYFA (European Youth for Action) network.
This year it will be held from Aug. 20-Sept. 3 in Sheshory,=20
Ukraine, hosted by Green Dossier. For those that have the time, a=20
bike tour to Ecotopia across Poland and Western Ukraine is organised=20
for a few weeks preceding the gathering. See=20
<
http://www.eyfa.org/ecotopia2003.htm> for more information.
_________________________________=20
CAR BUSTERS ANNOUNCEMENTS >>=20
__________________________________=20
WORLD CAR-FREE DAYS 2003 INPUT SOUGHT
We are currently seeking comment - through listserve, bulletin, and e-
mail discussions - on the shape of the World Car-Free Days 2003=20
programme. We will be able to provide dates and other details on our=20
website by Monday, May 19. The question is whether to have a=20
September 13-26 two-week programme, or to focus on a September 22=20
World Car-Free Day. In particular we are seeking response from the=20
European Union, United Nations and others on a proposal drafted at=20
the Towards Car-Free Cities III conference=20
(<
http://www.carbusters.org/wcfd/proposal.php>). Comments?:=20
info@??? or on the following listserve:
NEW NETWORK DISCUSSION LISTSERVE LAUNCHED
Replacing the Towards Car-Free Cities III listserve is=20
carfree_network@??? - a list dedicated to=20
discussing/organising current and future projects of the Car Busters=20
network and the global car-free movement. The list, launched April=20
27, is open to anyone working for alternatives to the automobile and=20
car culture. Those interested in getting more involved in the Car=20
Busters network are especially encouraged to join. To subscribe, just=20
send an e-mail to carfree_network-subscribe@???.
CAR BUSTERS PONDERS SECOND NAME
We at Car Busters Central have realised that some occasions call for=20
a name that sounds more serious, respectable and official than Car=20
Busters. It was decided at the Towards Car-Free Cities III conference=20
that we would therefore adopt a second name (in addition to, not=20
replacing, Car Busters). Suggested titles so far include Carfree=20
Futures Network, The Carfree Network, Carfree International and=20
Alliance for Carfree Environments (ACE). We would like to solicit=20
your name suggestions as well. We'll even offer a prize (as well as=20
fame and glory) to the person who submits the winning name. Please=20
send them on in by June 1.
TOWARDS CAR-FREE CITIES IV IN BERLIN IN 2004?
At the very successful and productive Towards Car-Free Cities III=20
conference in Prague (March 17-22), it was decided that, in order to=20
develop and maintain the Car Busters network, it is necessary to have=20
an annual meeting. The next conference, Towards Car-Free Cities IV,=20
will be held in July 2004. So far the only proposal to host it comes=20
from Berlin, where two people are already researching funding sources=20
and facilities. Serious proposals for holding the conference=20
elsewhere than Berlin are accepted up until June 1 on the=20
carfree_network@??? listserve (see above). Guidelines,=20
so that you can make a proper pitch, will be e-mailed to those who=20
express interest in hosting the event. As for Towards Car-Free Cities=20
V in 2005, there is already a proposal from the good people of=20
Budapest.
___________________=20
DISCLAIMER >>=20
__________________=20
And while you're out SUV-proofing your car-free ecovillage or=20
chipping away at a Korean elevated motorway, don't forget to heed the=20
wise words of International Hummer Owners Group (I.H.O.G.) founder=20
Rick Schmidt: "Those who deface a Hummer in words or deed deface the=20
American flag and what it stands for."
[end]
____________________________________________
CAR BUSTERS
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tel: +(420) 274-810-849 - fax: +(420) 274-816-727
<info@???> - <
http://www.carbusters.org>
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"La bicicletta =E8 il veicolo pi=F9 rapido nella via della delinquenza;=
perch=E8
la passione del pedale trascina al furto, alla truffa, alla grassazione!"
-Cesare Lombroso-
