[sustran] FW: BOUNCE global taboo header - CAR BUSTERS bulletin #46

Paul Barter geobpa at nus.edu.sg
Fri May 9 15:58:27 JST 2003


From: "Car Busters - Editors" <info at carbusters.org>
To: carbusters_bulletin_eng at lists.riseup.net
Date: Thu, 08 May 2003 18:02:30 +0200
Subject: [carbusters_bulletin_eng] CAR BUSTERS MONTHLY E-BULLETIN #46

<Various headers snipped>
_________________________ 

     CAR BUSTERS BULLETIN >>> 
____________________________________ 


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 
health, according to this April 23 article in The USA Today: 
<http://www.usatoday.com/educate/college/firstyear/articles/20030427.h
tm>. Titled "Walk Can't Walk," the article basically affirms what we
argued in Car Busters magazine #16.

- On April 5, The New York Times ran an article titled "In Their 
Hummers, Right Beside Uncle Sam." The report documents post-war 
enthusiasm for the gas-guzzling, militaristic vehicle. For example: 
"When I turn on the TV, I see wall-to-wall Humvees, and I'm proud... 
I'm proud of my country, and I'm proud to be driving a product that 
is making a significant contribution." It reads like satire, but it's 
actually true! See 
<http://www.climateark.org/articles/reader.asp?linkid=21511>.

- Meanwhile, the US environmental group Natural Resources Defense 
Council (<http://www.nrdc.org>) recently released TV ads calling for 
SUVs (sport-utility vehicles, or 4x4s) with 40-mpg (5.9 litres/100 
km) fuel economy "that will take America to work in the morning, 
without taking it to war in the afternoon." The problem is that 
Detroit apparently doesn't want to build those... At the recent New 
York International Auto Show, it was announced that sport-utility 
vehicles, pickups and minivans now make up 50% of US vehicle sales. 
The vehicles on sale in the US this year are the heaviest vehicles on 
record since World War II.

- And finally... "Bush Comes Clean: It Was About Oil": An editorial 
by Tedd Rall at 
<http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&u=/ucru/bush_comes_clean
__it_was_about_oil>.


_______________ 

     WORLD NEWS >> 
     __________________ 


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 
moving forward with the restoration of a downtown riverfront' tearing 
down an elevated highway and building a Bus Rapid Transit corridor. 
In office for only two months, Mayor Lee has wasted little time in 
announcing a new vision for Seoul and taking steps to see it to 
fruition.
   The cornerstone of this dramatic new vision is the restoration of 
the Cheonggyecheon, an 84-metre wide river running through central 
Seoul's Dongdaemun district. Once the center of a diverse urban 
landscape, the river was gradually polluted with a toxic mix of 
chemicals. Then, between 1958 and 1978, it was covered with concrete 
and the city built the Cheonggyechen elevated highway over it. The 
highway cuts through the centre of Seoul and has long diminished the 
quality of life for residents of South Korea's capital.
   Mayor Lee will take down the six-lane highway, decontaminate the 
Cheonggyecheon and create a park and wide pedestrian corridor on the 
shores of the river in its place. The destruction of the 
Cheongguecheon highway is part of Mr. Lee's redevelopment strategy 
for the entire area north of the Han River, which he hopes will 
become Seoul's economic, cultural and environmental center. 
   To replace the 120,000 cars that use the corridor daily, the city 
broke ground on its first formal Bus Rapid Transit line on March 13, 
which will serve the route. Mayor Lee is aiming to complete the 14.5 
km corridor by June to coincide with the freeway's closing.
   See the above web page for before/after photos and further 
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 
bikes as part of a government drive to encourage pedal power and cut 
car use. The scheme, which also aims to boost fitness, started on May 
5 in parts of the country and will pay municipal employees about 
US$0.40 for every kilometre they cycle while on business.
   "We want healthier employees and less sickness absence," Hans Ivar 
Soemme, leader of a "Healthy City" project at Sandnes municipality in 
southwest Norway, told Reuters. He said he did not know of any 
similar schemes elsewhere in the world.
   Workers will get US$0.43 for each kilometre they ride up to a 
maximum journey of 5 kilometres. The ride to and from work will not 
count.
   Meanwhile, an estimated 75,000 Norwegians rode their bikes to work 
on May 5 to mark the annual "Bicycle to Work" campaign, many stopping 
for a free breakfast organized along cycle paths. As part of a drive 
to make Norway's 4.5 million people healthier, the country will be 
the first in the world to outlaw smoking in bars and restaurants 
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 
Los Angeles, the police were out in force, making parts of downtown 
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 
incidents, Los Angeles police arrested 71 cyclists who were staging a 
rolling rally to call attention to alternative modes of 
transportation and the creation of a more bike-friendly nation.
   Police said the cyclists were busted because they pedaled the 
wrong way down one-way streets, whizzing through traffic lights and 
frightening pedestrians. (But the cyclists say they were riding as 
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 
subjected them to visual body cavity searches. In California, it is a 
no-no to strip-search people charged with simple misdemeanors. So 
last week, the L.A. Board of Supervisors agreed to settle a lawsuit 
brought by the cyclists for $2.75 million - that's $70,000 each for 
the 23 women and $5,000 each for the 48 men.


CRITICAL MASS IN SAO PAULO, BRAZIL
[submitted by Joao Campos, <joao at bicicletada.org>]

With seven million vehicles, daily trafic jams of 100 km and average 
drive speed of 25 kmh, moving around in São Paulo increasingly 
requires the use of bikes.
Here a monthly event named Bicicletada, (www.bicicletada.org), a 
brazilian version of Critical Mass, has been held since June 2002. 
The cyclists of São Paulo take to the streets every last Saturday of 
the month to vindicate the right to use the streets and the obeying 
of traffic laws that guarantee safety and respect to the cyclist.
   Due to the negligence of the public powers when dealing with the 
use of bikes, the cyclists of São Paulo chose a direct action close 
to drivers, pedestrians and cyclists.
   During the protests the manifestants use anti-pollution masks and 
give away leaflets that explain the benefits of using the bike and 
orient the drivers to share the streets with bikers.


_____________________

     ANNOUNCEMENTS >> 
     _____________________________


CAR-FREE ECOVILLAGES LISTSERVE LAUNCHED
[submitted by Francois Schneider <soif at gmx.at>]

Hello dear friends:
Following the Towards Car-Free Cities III conference in Prague we are 
starting a new discussion listserve on the idea of car-free 
ecovillages. We wish to explore visions of ecovillages car-free and 
free of car dependency and share experiences and solutions. The list 
would also serve as support for the practical set-up of one or more 
ecovillages in Europe or elsewhere. Would you be interested to 
explore this idea? Please pass on the message people potentially 
interested. Subscribe by sending an e-mail to <carfreeecovillages-
subscribe at lists.riseup.net>.


AUGUST ECOTOPIA GATHERING TO BE HELD IN UKRAINE

Ecotopia is the biggest international environmental gathering in 
Europe. It has been held for over 13 years, each year in a different 
country and hosted by a local grassroots environmental organisation 
within the EYFA (European Youth for Action) network.
   This year it will be held from Aug. 20-Sept. 3 in Sheshory, 
Ukraine, hosted by Green Dossier. For those that have the time, a 
bike tour to Ecotopia across Poland and Western Ukraine is organised 
for a few weeks preceding the gathering. See 
<http://www.eyfa.org/ecotopia2003.htm> for more information.


_________________________________ 

     CAR BUSTERS ANNOUNCEMENTS >> 
     __________________________________ 


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 
programme. We will be able to provide dates and other details on our 
website by Monday, May 19. The question is whether to have a 
September 13-26 two-week programme, or to focus on a September 22 
World Car-Free Day. In particular we are seeking response from the 
European Union, United Nations and others on a proposal drafted at 
the Towards Car-Free Cities III conference 
(<http://www.carbusters.org/wcfd/proposal.php>). Comments?: 
info at carbusters.org or on the following listserve:


NEW NETWORK DISCUSSION LISTSERVE LAUNCHED

Replacing the Towards Car-Free Cities III listserve is 
carfree_network at lists.riseup.net - a list dedicated to 
discussing/organising current and future projects of the Car Busters 
network and the global car-free movement. The list, launched April 
27, is open to anyone working for alternatives to the automobile and 
car culture. Those interested in getting more involved in the Car 
Busters network are especially encouraged to join. To subscribe, just 
send an e-mail to carfree_network-subscribe at lists.riseup.net.


CAR BUSTERS PONDERS SECOND NAME

We at Car Busters Central have realised that some occasions call for 
a name that sounds more serious, respectable and official than Car 
Busters. It was decided at the Towards Car-Free Cities III conference 
that we would therefore adopt a second name (in addition to, not 
replacing, Car Busters). Suggested titles so far include Carfree 
Futures Network, The Carfree Network, Carfree International and 
Alliance for Carfree Environments (ACE). We would like to solicit 
your name suggestions as well. We'll even offer a prize (as well as 
fame and glory) to the person who submits the winning name. Please 
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 
conference in Prague (March 17-22), it was decided that, in order to 
develop and maintain the Car Busters network, it is necessary to have 
an annual meeting. The next conference, Towards Car-Free Cities IV, 
will be held in July 2004. So far the only proposal to host it comes 
from Berlin, where two people are already researching funding sources 
and facilities. Serious proposals for holding the conference 
elsewhere than Berlin are accepted up until June 1 on the 
carfree_network at lists.riseup.net listserve (see above). Guidelines, 
so that you can make a proper pitch, will be e-mailed to those who 
express interest in hosting the event. As for Towards Car-Free Cities 
V in 2005, there is already a proposal from the good people of 
Budapest.


___________________ 

     DISCLAIMER >> 
     __________________ 


And while you're out SUV-proofing your car-free ecovillage or 
chipping away at a Korean elevated motorway, don't forget to heed the 
wise words of International Hummer Owners Group (I.H.O.G.) founder 
Rick Schmidt: "Those who deface a Hummer in words or deed deface the 
American flag and what it stands for."


[end]
____________________________________________

CAR BUSTERS
Kratka 26, 100 00 Praha 10, Czech Republic
tel: +(420) 274-810-849 - fax: +(420) 274-816-727
<info at carbusters.org> - <http://www.carbusters.org>
____________________________________________


Car Busters Worldwide Contact Directory
Register your group on-line now:
<http://www.carbusters.org/directory>




More information about the Sustran-discuss mailing list