[sustran] Car-Free Cities Honor Roll

[ecoplan (paris)]

Hall of Shame

I would like to pursue briefly this concept, taking an example which thus
far has gotten more than its share of static. I refer in particular to my
proposal that we consider London as a candidate for the CarFree hall of
Shame award this year.  This suggestion drew a certain number of howls of
protest (but none, to my knowledge, from anyone who is faced daily with
negotiating some of the least satisfactory aspects of present arrangements
there.  Most of the protestors point out things like "world class metro",
"plentiful buses". "Clack Taxis", "Cycle provision" and the like.

But are some of the sort of things that the broadcasting of a well thought
out Shame Award from a city such as London might contribute to:

1. Shock value ("If a city we all thought was so great like London is that
bad, what about xxxx".)

2. A sophisticated appreciation of the fact that such a city may be able to
have some of the components that are needed for a global and fare solution,
and still miss out... and then name the specific areas in which it is doing
badly. (And this level of detail will be important.)

3. The negative orientation and detail of the Shame Awards will be important
as a contributor in the world fight toward more sustainable transport --
since often the positive examples, take Zurich as just one such example,
immediately lead most people to mumble, "well Zurich is different", etc.,
etc.

4. Everybody knows that if you don't have a car in the Phoenix's of this
world you die, and for those who live there and who even give a moment's
thought to possibly doing things a bit differently, the smothering inertia
of the present arrangements is such that everybody... everybody gives up on
trying to do better after a while.

5. Red Ken will love it.

6. And so will the media.

Of course one has to do this sort of thing, touchy business that it is,
well -- otherwise one gets boiled in oil.  But we do have plenty of
knowledgeable colleagues there who are, I would imagine, well placed and
ready to help make this case.

Or do we?

Eric Britton

ecopl at n ___  technology, economy, society  ___
Le Frene, 8/10 rue Joseph Bara, 75006 Paris, France
Eric.Britton at ecoplan.org     URL www.ecoplan.org