[sustran] Re: [carfree_network] RE: Pollution in Paris... from Bicycles

[Todd Edelman, Green Idea Factory]

Hi Pascal,

I suppose I agree with you about the energy issue. I agree with you that 
the cycling part of this programme is amazing.

But if a programme like this is so important to a city why do deals have 
to made that create other types of pollution, which cannot be balanced 
against the energy reduction in transport? What about the content of the 
billboards themselves?

I hope that every true colour in our rainbow of sustainability remembers 
what solidarity means.

I hope that you also understand how closely tied together is mass 
advertising and mass automobilisation.... cars are a big part of this 
image war. BMW sponsoring VeloCity in Munich... four car companies 
sponsoring the biggest consortium of Central, Eastern and Southeastern 
European environmental foundations (one intermediary away from World 
Carfree Network)... Shell, pushing oil for personal cars all over the 
world while it supports BRT projects in a only couple of cities... and 
JCDecaux's support of cycling in a few European cities, but working 
against this in others 
<http://www.flickr.com/photos/edelman/sets/72157602171242536> ... these 
are all pacifiers that all-too-easily find willing mouths in which it 
seems the teeth are hiding.

No deals, says this criticaster.

- T

Pascal van den Noort wrote:
>
> Friends,
>
>  
>
> This mass outing in Paris attacking the billboards on Friday night is 
> naïve.
>
> The way Parisians massively take up cycling, thanks to the Billboard 
> Company and the Paris City Authorities, saving dramatic kilowatts of 
> electricity and cleaning the air in Paris, outways the use of 
> electricity in the billboard big time.
>
>  
>
> It is amazing that overnight a whole city can take up cycling, more 
> than any criticaster has achieved; in two months over 5,5 million 
> times these bicycles were used.
>
>  
>
> I think this populist campaign is unwarranted. It would be naïve if we 
> would condone this not very bright action.
>
>  
>
> The car free movement as well as the pro environment movement should 
> say NO to these silly initiatives of these Parisian protesters.
>
>  
>
> Pascal J.W. van den Noort
>
> Velo Mondial
>
> http://velomondial.blogspot.com <http://velomondial.blogspot.com/>
>
>  
>
>  
>


-- 
--------------------------------------------

Todd Edelman
Director
Green Idea Factory

Korunní 72
CZ-10100 Praha 10
Czech Republic

Skype: toddedelman
++420 605 915 970
++420 222 517 832

edelman at greenidea.eu
http://greenideafactory.blogspot.com/
www.flickr.com/photos/edelman

Green Idea Factory is a member of World Carfree Network
www.worldcarfree.net