Carbusters 24

R
CAR
Busters
Editorial Collective:
Tanja Eskola, Randy Ghent,
Steven Logan, Stephan von
Pohl, Gandalf Tätting
Other WCN Staff:
Arie Farnam (Fundraiser),
Roeland Kuijper (EVS intern),
Lucie Lébrová (Office Manager)
Contributing Writers:
Bridget Brown, Roselle Leah K.
Rivera, Mokai, Anna Semlyen,
Rob Zverina
Contributing Artists:
Adriana de Barros, Markus
Biehal, Ken Avidor
Please send subscriptions, letters,
articles, artwork, photos, feedback
and your life’s savings to:
Car Busters, Krátká 26
100 00 Prague 10, Czech Rep.
tel: +(420) 274-810-849
fax: +(420) 274-772-017
[email protected]
www.carbusters.org
Submission deadline for issue 25:
September 15, 2005.
Reprints welcome with a credit to
Car Busters and a reference to
Carbusters.org.
Subscription/membership info and
coupon: page 29 and 30.
ISSN: 1213-7154 / MK ÈR: E 100018
Printed in the Czech Republic on 100% recycled
paper by Pematisk, Prague.
Distributed by Doormouse (Canada); AK Press,
Desert Moon, Small Changes, Tower/MTS, and
Ubiquity (US); Central Books (UK); and many
others. See <www.carbusters.org/distribution>
for a partial list of distribution outlets.
This publication was funded in part by the European Commission via the European Voluntary Service and other programmes. The contents do not
necessarily reflect the position of the European
Commission or its national agency.
4 Letters
10 Action!
6 Car Cult Review
26 Studies & Reports
8 World News
27 Reviews
Contents
1 2 Gender Blind
in the Philippines
When transport
culture discriminates
1 5 How to Please Your Car
Ten ways to keep cars happy
1 6 When the Children
Come out to Play
National Street Playing
Day in the Netherlands
1 8 Down in the Valley
French farmers take
on the highway builders
2 1 Cutting Your Car Use:
The Column
Anna Semlyen
answers your questions
2 2 We Are Part of it
Getting to the
source in Azerbaijan
2 4 By the Sea at Velo-city
Car Busters goes to Dublin
a project of
Adriana de Barros is an artist, writer, and
poet. She works as an advertising and web
designer in Caldas da Rainha, Portugal.
www.worldcarfree.net
2
Car Busters#24 July - Sept. 2005
Introduction:
On the Junk Heap
T
heautomobile–thestalwartofAmericancultureinthe
20thcentury–isheadingforthejunkyard.Wellnot
exactly,butStandardandPoor’s,anindependentprovider
ofcreditratings,hasreducedthecreditratingsofGMandFordto
junkstatus,whichisbasicallyapublicproclamationthatthe
companiesarenotworththetroubleofinvestingin.
GMtookaUS$1.1billionlossinthefirstquarterof2005
andhasbeenunprofitableinEuropesince1999.AlthoughGM
continuestochurnoutnewSUVs,theirsalesareplummeting–
thedelusionalgaspsofacrumblingempire.
Ford’sperformanceis“extremelyvolatileandunpredictable”
saysStandardandPoor’s.(Ofcourse,thesituationcouldbe
rightedifitwould“rollbackitshealthcarebenefits,”butthat
peskyunionisunlikelytobudge.)
AlthoughmuchofGMandFord’spoorperformancesaredue
toincreasedcompetitivenessfromothercarcompanies,welike
themetaphorofjunkstatus.Itisbecomingclearerthatthecaris
nolongerthestatussymbolitoncewas.Itjustisn’tcooltodrive
anSUVanymoreandoneshouldwagerthatinafewyears’time,
itwillcometobeseenasaridiculousfauxstatussymbolandgo
thewayofthemachomuscleCameroofthe1970s.
Thecarcultureislosingitsgrip.InEuropeancountries,peoplearebeginningtosee ecarmoreassomethingthatmightbe
usedforafewnecessaryjourneys,butotherwisethebicycle,
tramandmetrosystemssuitpeoplefine,whereinfrastructureis
builttosupportthem.
However,aspastCarBustersarticlesonChinaandBangladesh,andnowinthisissue,thePhilippines,haveshown,car
companiesareincreasinglysettingtheireyesonunsaturated
markets,wheretwowheels,andsometimesthree,arestillmore
popularthanfour.
AndwheneveryoneinAsiahasacar?Willthecarcompanies
slowlywitheraway?
Beforethishappens,thecarfreemovementshouldforge
diverseallianceswithpeoplewhomayneverhaveheardofthe
word“carfree,”butwhosetwofeetarestilltheprimarymeans
oftransport.Theproblemliesinconvincingpeoplewhonever
hadacartobeginwiththatitisnotworthgettingoneandthat
thesocialandecologicalpriceistoohigh.
IncountrieslikeBangladeshandthePhilippinesitisclear
thatthecultureoftheautomobileisdetrimentaltothosegroups
ofpeoplewhocannot,andwillnever,ownanautomobile.Poor
womenareoneoftheworstaffectedbytransportpoliciesthat
donottakeintoconsiderationmotherstravellingwithsmall
children,writesRoselleRiverainthisissue.Thesewomendonot
havetheluxurytopiletheirchildrenintoastationwagon.
Automobile-basedplanningnotonlydiscriminatesagainstthe
peoplewhochoosenottoownordriveacar,butalsoagainst
poorsegmentsofsocietywhohavenochoice,buttogetaround
withoutacar.
Farmers,whomightneverhaveheardofacarfreemovement,seethedamagethatsuperhighwayscancausetotheir
crops.InFrance,agroupoffarmersarebattlingaproposed
super-highway.Theirstoryisalsotoldinthisissue.
Everycountryhasdifferentreasonsfortryingtofendoffa
dominantcarculture.Andthesereasonsshouldbecarefully
consideredwhendecidingatwhatrateandtowhatdegreethe
carcanbephasedoutofeachsociety.
Acrosstheworld,therearesignsthattheimpactofdrivingis
out-weighinganybenefits.Therearefewanswersfortrafficcloggedstreets,andthequestionofhowtofueltheworld’s
hungryvehiclesisoftenmoreimportantthanhowtofeedthe
world’shungrypeople.Billionsofdollarsarewageredon
unprovenmethodstofuelvehicleswithnon-petroleumsources,
whentherearethingsthatcanbedoneinthehereandnow.
Thecarisjustnotcoolanymore.Thestatisticsshowthatit
doesnotdeservetheheftystatussymbolsthrustuponitby
nationseagertomoveinfaster,morecostlyways.
Intheiradvertisements,carcompaniesreachblindlyformore
ridiculousassociationswiththeirproduct.Theircarsarelike
leopardsandtigersorabreathoffreshair.
Theopenroadisaparadoxinatraffic-cloggedworld.
Thejunkstatusoftheoriginalautomobilepowerhouses,GM
andFord,shouldbetakenasawarningagainstgovernments
thatwelcomethecarindustryintotheircountries.Duringthe
prosperoustimes,thecarindustryproudlyproclaimsitemploys
oneoutofeverysevenemployeesintheeconomy.Butthenwe
lookatthemassivelayoffsatGMandFord,whichcando
nothingtohelptheeconomy.
Thisissuepresentsatrulyglobaleffortattakingapart,piece
bypiece,thecarculture.Asidefromourusualofferingsofnews,
action,studiesandreviews,wevisitFrance,thePhilippines,The
Netherlands,Azerbaijan,andIrelandindifferentarticlesthatlook
athighwaybuilding,transportfromtheperspectiveofgender,
streetplaying,pipelinesanddocumentaryfilmmaking,andone
bigbikeconference.
Carculturewillberelegatedtothejunkheapofhistory.
- Steven Logan
World Carfree Day 2005 poster (designed by Tanja Eskola) can be downloaded
from http://www.worldcarfree.net/wcfd/ and customised to promote your local
carfree September 22nd celebration.
Car Busters#24 July - Sept. 2005
3
Letters
Carfree, Not Pollution-Free
What About the Boards?
Iamconcernedthatwhatyourmagazineis
missingisskateboard-relatedarticlesandnews.
Skateboardingingeneralandlongboardingin
particularareoftenoverlookedwhenitcomesto
alternativepersonaltransport.It’salwaysabout
bikes.Bikethisandbikethat.Whenyou,likeI
do,liveinaveryflatcitylongboardingisatleast
aseffectiveasbiking.Ifnotmore.
Anyway,theleastyoucoulddoistoprovide
usboarderswithsomecoolstickers.Howabout
onesaying:Fourwheelsneverlookedthisgood
before.
Yougetthepicture.Tofinishoffonamore
positivenote,keepupthegreatworkwith
makingourcitieslivableforeveryone.
Boardridersagainstcars.
SteveNovak
Melbourne,Australia
[Ed.:Althoughwehavenotcoveredskateboarding
in-depth,werantheabovepieceofsubvertising
onthebackcoverofCarBusters#10.Skateboardersarepartofthelifeofanycitystreet,
occupyingandtransformingbland,concrete
corporatespacesintoplaygrounds.Wewelcome
anyandallarticlesonthetopic.]
4
Car Busters#24 July - Sept. 2005
TheMiddleEast’sfirstcarfreedestination,called“TheWorld,”is
underconstructionona
seriesofislandsoff
thecoastofDubai.
Itistheworld’s
“firstfullymasterplannedelite
islandretreat.”
Travelonand
betweenthe
islandswillbe
byferryor
througha
networkof
walkways.
Andsure,
thisparticular
developmentis
carfreeand
thereareno
roads,butthis
isbecause
everythingis
builtoninfill
islands.Ifyou
lookcloserat
An-Nakheel’s
publicityforthe
development,
you’llrealisethatnormaltransportinthe
archipelagoistobebyprivateboat(i.e.,
petroleum-guzzlingwaterborneequivalentsof
SUVsorworse).
Andsincethisisintendedasaneliteplaygrounddestination,peoplewillbeflyingin(and
backout)byplanefromtheirmaindigsin
Europe,EastAsiaortheAmericasorwherever
else.Andprobablybyprivatejetasoftenasnot.
ChristopherMiller
Washington,DC,USA
The Art of Rosy Complexions
AsacyclistinDublinIfeelmymortalityunder
threatwitheverytripascars,trucksandbusesrip
bylikegiantfishabovemeinthefoodchain.The
greatautomotivemasseshurtlealongwhiletheir
ownerswinceastheirmusclesatrophyintheir
sedentarystate.Ifeelsopowerless,yetImust
fightthemintheonlywaypossible–throughthe
gentleartofpersuasion.
SoItellallmyfriends(someofwhomeven
drivetotheirgyms)togiveupthecarandtaketo
thebike,butattempttodosoinawaythat
accentuatesthepositiveaspectsofcycling,like
bulginglegmusclesandrosycomplexions,rather
thantellingthemhowbadtheyarefordriving,as
thisonlyservestoalienate.
ItwaswithgreatpleasurethatIsawthatthe
Velo-cityconferenceserieswascomingtoDublin.
Herewasachanceforthevoiceofthehumble
cyclisttobeheard,butalasno,withastronomical
attendancefeesitwasanoccasiononlyforthe
greatandthegood.Couldtheseapparatchiks
hearthecryofthecyclistsasthemotorcaronce
againencroachesonthecolouredroadthat
passesforcyclelanesinthisdelusionalcity?
Ibumpedintosomepeoplehandingoutyour
magazinewhilecrooningalookattheproceedings
oftheconference.ImustsayIwasalittleputoff
bythetitle.ThetitleCarBustersdoesn'tdo
justicetotheinsightfulcommentarycontained
withinitspages.Anymotoristwouldbeaffronted
bythisthreattotheirproperty,whichafterall
theyhavepaidlotsofmoneyfor.Surelyamore
conciliatory,incrementalapproachiscalledfor.
Persuasionisagentleart.Vitriolwillonlyleave
theactivistonthesidelinespreachingsmuglyto
theconverted.Amagazineisinvariablyjudgedby
itscoverandthetitleCarBustersonlyspeaksof
angerratherthanpersuasion.
FrankArmstrong
Dublin,Ireland
Turn on the Air Conditioner!
Iwantedtotellyouaboutanoutraegeousnews
reportIheardtheotherdayonCBCradio.The
latestresultsfromEnvironmentCanadaandthe
Canadiangovernmentregardingdeathsfrom
exposureindifferentextremeclimateswerejust
releasedtothepress.Thebigmediasplashwas
theveryhighnumberofdeathsinthesummer
duetothecombinationofheatandsmog.
Thecityisveryconcernedandrightontopof
matters.Whentheconditionsarebad,thecity
willtellpeopletostayinsideandissuehot
weatherwarnings,itwillputouta“drinkwater”
advisory,anditwillprovideemergencyareas
throughoutthecitywherepeoplecangointoairconditionedbuildingstocooldownanddrink
water.Andthatwastheendofthereport.There
wasnotonesinglereferencetoreducingsmog,
throughreducingdriving.
Noonehasthegutsorballsoreventhe
intelligencetotellpeopletostopdriving!
LeahLipszyc
Toronto,Canada
Pastor Needs a Bike
I’mapastor.Iwouldliketovisitourchurch,
butitisfaraway,andIcannotgothere.So
pleasedonateaabicycletome.
Rev.SherazSiddique
Punjab,Pakistan
[Ed.:Ifthereisanyoneouttherewhowouldlike
todonateabicycletotheReverend,justcontact
usfortheaddress.]
Excited About
Zero Pollution Vehicles?
Asidefromtinypockets(excludingprogressive
countrieslikeIcelandandSweden),thereisvery
littleinterestin“greentransportation.”(Inmy
opinion,thereislipservicefromthepubliconly.)
Havingattendedelectricvehicleandcarfree
festivalsrecentlyIamwonderingifanybody
(you?)mighthaveanexplanation,betteryet,a
solution,togettingthepublicexcitedaboutZero
PollutionVehicleslikeelectricbikesandscooters?
AlthoughthecarfreeCommercialDrive
festivalwasanunexpectedlyhugesuccesswith
20,000peopleattending,despitemanyother
competingeventsinVancouver,therewasno
informationonhowtogetawayfromthefossilfuelautomobile.ManyattendeesIaskedabout
thisarrivedintheircars!Therewerenocarfree
brochuresorpamphlets.Itwasafirst-everevent,
andthemassivecrowdssurprisedeveryone.The
streetwasclosedtotraffic,forapproximately
sevenblocks.[Ed.:SeeActionpagesformore.]
Furthermore,thereislittleinterestintwo
recentbreakthroughdevelopmentsinthelasttwo
years:BatteryRevival(noneedtorecyclebatteries,justrevivethem)andthe15-minute
batterycharge.ThereasonIsaythisisthattheeBaylistingsforthesedidn’tgetanybidders,even
thoughthesellerhasbeensuccessfullyselling
thousandsofrevivedbatterieson-line.(Thisbatteryrevivaltechnologyshouldbeusedworldwide,
notjustVancouver,andalsoworksonwheelchair,
hospitalpatientequipmentaswellasautomobile
batteries.Ifwecanmakerecyclingobsoletewith
batteryrevival,whydon’tnon-governmental
organisationstakeupthistask,worldwide,since
itgeneratespositivecashflow,too?)Regarding
the15-minutechargetechnology,okay,soone
individualboughtthe15-minuteplans,butheleft
aneutralfeedback,suggestingthathedidn’t
evenbothertobuildthedevice.Anotherbig
yawnfromthatbuyerwhoobviouslydidn’tneed
thetechnology.
So,myquestionis,especiallyfortheauthors
ofDivorceYourCarandothercarfreebooksand
manuals:Howcanwegetthepublicexcited?
Well,toendonapositivenote:TheCommercialDrivecarfreefestivalbroughttonsof
smilesfrompeople,especiallythosewhotriedout
thefunkychoppersattheEastVanChopperFest
corral.Theeventcoordinatorsareaimingfora
carfreeSunday,everySunday,onCommercial
Drive.Themerchantsseemtobehappyaboutit,
whichwasasurprisetome.Inaddition,there
werehundreds,ifnotthousands,ofpeoplewho
signedpetitionstoaddarealbikelane(awide
one,closedtocars)onCommercialDrive.Most
“bikelanes”inVancouverarephony,inmy
opinion,whenyoucomparethemtoGermany’s,
orevenToronto’sbikelanes.
Iforgottomentionthatthenewtechprocess
one-Bay,torevivelead-acidbatteries,withoutthe
useofchemicals,wasofferedforonly$7,500
includingequipment.
DennisSmith
Vancouver,Canada
Seattle, Haifa and Tel Aviv
ThankyouforyourcommentsonbikinginPrague.
[Ed.:CarBustersco-editorStevenLoganwrotean
editorialfortheJune1editionofthePrague
Post.]Beforemovingtolivewithmydaughter,I
livedbymyself(apoorchoice)inSeattle,avery
bike-friendlycity.Allthebusescarrybikeracks,
mostofthearterialshavebikelanes,andthere
aremilesofbike-andpedestrian-onlypavedtrails,
mostlyalonggentlegrades.Theyuseabandoned
railroadright-of-wayandmoremilesareadded
annually.SeniorscanridealloverKingCounty,
withtheirbicycles,foronlyUS$0.25.Thisis
helpfultoolderpeople,sincegettingtoabiking
destinationbybusavoidsthehillsthatare
prevalentintheCascadeMountainfoothills.
IrecentlytouredHaifaandTelAviv,Israel,
whichwerelessbike-hospitable.Inbothcities,
shouldersareverynarrow,inhillyHaifaturnsare
sharp,andthebusdriversactlikeex-fighterpilots.
SeveraltimesIwascrowdedalmosttocollision.
Truckdriverswerealittlemoreconsiderate.
ThomasF.Snyder
Perris,California,US
Hälsningar från Sverige
(Greetings from Sweden)
Iwanttobragabitabouthowgoodconditions
areinmycity,Malmö,inthesouthernpartof
Sweden.Malmöhasbeenacknowledgedtwicein
twoyearsasthebestcityinthecountryforcycling
byfirstSweden’sleadingbikingorganisation,
Cykelfrämjandet,andthenbyNaturvårdsverket,
theSwedishenvironmentalprotectionagency.
Thecityhas390kmofbikepathsand890
kmofroadsusedforcars.About29%ofalltrips
and40%ofworktripsinMalmöareonbike.
Sothat’ssomethingforallyououtthereto
strivefor.
JensBroberg
Malmö,Sweden
Car Busters#24 July - Sept. 2005
5
“We are not in China; the symbol of Europe is not a bike – it’s a car.”
-MirekTopolánek,Chairman,CivicDemocraticParty,CzechRepublic
CAR CULT
REVIEW
“Divine” Car to Tour World
HavingboughttheformerVolkswagenGolfof
PopeBenedictXVIfornearlyEUR190,000inan
on-lineauctiononMay5,theInternetcasino
companyGoldenpalace.comhasstartedparading
itaroundonaworldwidetour,beginningin
Cologne,Germany.
“WewillofferanSMStextvotingcampaign
thatwillallowpeopletovoteforatourstopin
theirhometown,”saidCEORichardRowe.
“GoldenPalace.comwillbringthePopeBenedict
Mobiletothemajortownsandcitieswiththe
mostvotes.”
“Wehaveamassedacollectionofwhat
manyconsidertobeholyartifacts,”Roweadded.
“Itseemsonlynaturaltogetablessedvehicleto
carrytheseitems.Weareplanningtoshowcase
ouracquisitionsbybringingthemontourand
allowingpeopletoenjoytheexperienceofsitting
inthedivinecar...”
Itisconsideredunlikelythatthepope(then
CardinalJosephRatzinger)everdrovethecar,
becausehedoesnothaveadrivinglicence,
accordingtoChurchsources.
Meanwhile,thehumbleblue1975Ford
EscortonceownedbyformerPopeJohnPaulIIis
tiedupinalegaldisputebetweenJimRichand
hisfatherJerome.JimRichhadintendedthecar
tobesoldJune5ataLasVegasauction,selling
forbetweenUS$2millionandUS$5million.
Hey kids! How’d you like to take a school field trip to
the Ford production-line simulator in Southampton, UK,
and learn repetitive tasks for your automated future?
Asapersononthego,yousurelydreadthoseuncomfortablemomentswhenyouhavetoextract
yourselffromyourautomobilecocoontotakecareofyourmostpersonalofneeds.Butthanksto
theIndipod,releasedbyDayCarLtdintheUK,thosedaysareover.
Nowyoucancreateyourownsanitarysanctuarywithoutevenpullingover.Justplugthissuitcasesizedproductintoyourcar’scigarettelighter,andvoila!–itinflatesintoametre-squareexcretory
assistanceunitthatfillstheemptyspaceofyourbackseat,readytobedeployedin30seconds.
Travelingwithpassengers?Noproblem.AsDayCarnotes,“Whenyouareinthebubbleyou
havecompleteprivacy;theothersinthecarcannotseeintothebubbleandthenoiseoftheairfan
ensuresnoonecanhearwhatyouaredoing”(althoughofcoursetheymightsuspect).Orbetter
yet,theycanjoinyouintheIndipod,asthere’sroomenoughfortwopeopleinthere.
AndwhowouldobjecttotheirbodilywastesbeingtransformedintowhatDayCardescribesasa
“sweetsmelling,inoffensiveliquid”?Thatsoundspleasantenoughtocarryaroundwithyoufordays
onend,eightperson-daystobeprecise.
Nowyoumayhaveallthelatestgadgetsandgear,butwithouttheIndipod,howfreeareyou
really?AsDayCarpointsout,youcan’tdrivewithyourlegscrossed.
Car Busters#24 July - Sept. 2005
“Thereissomethinguncannyaboutthesenewfangledvehicles.Theyareallunutterablyuglyand
neveraoneofthemhasbeenprovidedwitha
good,orevenanendurable,name.
“TheFrench,whoareusuallyorthodoxintheir
etymologyifnothingelse,haveevolved‘automobile,’which,beinghalfGreekandhalfLatin,is
soneartoindecentthatweprintitwithhesitation,
whilethespeakersofEnglishhavebeenfatally
attractedbytheirrelevantword‘horseless.’
“Othernationsareequallyunfortunate,andit
reallylooksasifthedispossessed,orto-bedispossessed,animalsaretogetrevengeonungratefulhumanitybystumpingustofindarespectablenameforournoisyandodorousmachines.”
- New York Times, Jan. 3, 1899
Das Auto parkt neben
dem Wohnzimmer!
Your Own Private Sanitary Sanctuary
6
Anti-Car Cult
Historical Review
Theideasoundscrazy–driveyourcarintoan
elevatoranduptothefrontdoorofyour
apartment.ThecompanyCar-Loftisbehindthe
projectandwiththeseapartmentsithopesto
create“newlivingenvironments”intheBerlin
districtofKreuzberg.
“Wewanttobringtheconvenienceofsingle
familyhomestoeachstorey,”saysCar-Loft’s
JohannesKaukaabouttheproposed11loftsin
thenewsix-storyPaul-Lincke-Höfebuilding.
Twocarliftsbringthecarstotheirspots
besidetheloftandnexttothelivingroomand
thegarden.
AparticularadvantageaccordingtoKaukais
“thehighlevelofsecurityandconvenience.”
- Berliner Zeitung, April 12
Homeland Defense Vehicles
Hit America’s Streets
Forsomedrivers,evenastandardmusclewagon
maynotbeenough.Atacurbweightofmore
than3.5tons,theHumvee-inspiredHummerH1
isnoskinnyguywhogetssandkickedinhisface.
ButtheBadBoyHeavyMuscleTruck,a
dressed-upmilitaryvehiclemorethantwiceas
heavy,isbeingbilledasbigger,badderandmore
bodacious.ThisisnoHummer.Unlikethat“car,”
whichpackagesaworkingvehicleforconsumptionbyurbanites,theBadBoyisarealtruck.
“It’stheruggedBubba,”saidDanielAyres,
presidentandCEOofHomelandDefenseVehicles
LLCanditsdivisionBadBoyTrucks.TheEast
Texascompanyaimstomarketthemachineto
civilianswithdisposablecashandahankeringfor
moreprotectionfromtheoutsideworld.
AUS$379,000versionmadeitspublicdebut
inJanuaryattheDallasSafariClubconvention.
Forabasepriceof$225,000–nearlytwice
theHummerH1wagon’sbasepriceof$117,508
–consumerscangetabasicversionofthe10foot-tallBadBoythatcandrivethroughfivefeet
ofwater,climba60-degreegrade,towsixtons
andkeeprollingevenwithaquarter-sizedholein
thetire’ssidewall.
Thepricegoesupfromthere,dependingon
options.Driverscangetinfraredcamerasthat
peerthroughdarkness.Theflat-nosedcabcanbe
bulletproofandhouseamini-safebehindthree
leatherseats.Thedashcanincludeasatellite
phone,atwo-wayradioandaglobal-positioning
system–allalongsideDVD,MP3andCDplayers
andaflip-outLCDscreen.
For$750,000,buyerscangetthefully
loaded“NBC”versionthatcan,Ayressaid,detect
andblockoutfalloutfromnuclear,biologicaland
chemicalweaponsbyover-pressurisingthecab
withfiltered,cleanairmuchlikeanaircraft.
Ayressaidheisn’tplayingonpost-Sept.11
fearsbyofferingtheNBCoption.
“There’sacertaingroupofpeoplewhocolour
outsidethebox,”Ayressaid,andiftheywantto
escapeacitytargetedbyterroristswithdirtybombs
orbiologicalagents,“thisisthetruckforthem.”
PossibleBadBoycustomersincluderanchers,sports
enthusiastsandpossiblyCEOswhoneedtotravel
throughunfriendlyareas,Ayressaid.
Hesaysheisnegotiatingwithdealersin
variousregionstostockacoupleofBadBoysand
customisewhatbuyerswantoncethey’rehooked.
ArtSpinella,presidentofCNWMarketing
Researchandanautoindustryexpert,saidthere’s
definitelyamarketforBadBoyTrucks:
“It’sexactlywhattheHumveewasallabout
–anabsolutelyuselessvehicleforconsumers,”
Spinellasaid.“It’sastatementvehicle.Iknow
peoplewhowouldbuythisandthat’stheonly
reasontheywoulddoit–becauseitmakesa
statement.”
- Homelanddefensevehicles.com
Buy a Car, Lose a Finger
PoliceinMalaysiaarehuntingformembersofa
violentgangwhochoppedoffacarowner'sfinger
togetroundthevehicle'shi-techsecuritysystem.
Thecar,aMercedesS-class,wasprotectedby
afingerprintrecognitionsystem.
AccountantKKumaranwasrundownbyfour
meninasmallcarashewasabouttogetintohis
MercedesinaKualaLumpursuburb.
Thegang,armedwithlongmachetes,
demandedthekeystohiscar,wortharound
US$75,000second-handonthelocalmarket.
TheattackersforcedKumarantoputhis
fingeronthesecuritypaneltostartthevehicle,
bundledhimintothebackseatanddroveoff.
Buthavingstrippedthecar,thethieves
becamefrustratedwhentheywantedtorestartit.
Theyfoundtheyagaincouldnotbypassthe
immobiliser,whichneedstheowner'sfingerprint
todisarmit.
TheystrippedKumarannakedandlefthimby
thesideoftheroad–butnotbeforecuttingoff
theendofhisindexfingerwithamachete.
-BBC,March31
“Dear God, promise me you’ll strike me down the day
I start doing car commercials.”
A Natural Marriage:
Paul McCartney + Lexus
OnMay30,thecarmakerLexusandtheformer
BeatlesmusicianPaulMcCartneyannounceda
groundbreakingpartnershipthatnamesLexusas
presentingsponsorofthePaulMcCartney“US”
tourthisautumn.TheLexustoursponsorship,
whichwillincludemultiplemarketingextension
opportunitiesthroughMarch2006,representsthe
firsttimeMcCartneyhaseverpartneredwitha
commercialbrandinhiscareer.
“I'mverypleasedtopartnerwithLexus
becauseIthinkthereisanaturalfit.LexusandI
sharethesamephilosophyandapproachto
creatingthebestworkpossible–mewithmy
musicandartandLexuswiththevehiclesthey
create,”saidMcCartney.“I'mlookingforwardto
afunandrewardingexperienceforall.”
-Lexus
Urban Command Centre?
Wedidnotmakethisup,althoughwemightwish
wehad...100%verbatimfromtheFordwebsite:
“Asthepopulationshiftsbacktothebig
cities,you’llneedarollingurbancommand
center.EntertheSYNUSconceptvehicle,amobile
technosanctuarysculptedinurbanarmorand
inspiredbythepopularB-carsofcongested
internationalhotspots.Shortandslimforeasycity
maneuvering,itlooksbank-vaulttoughonthe
outside–withintimidatingandoutrageousstyling
thatevenfeaturesavault-stylespinnerhandlein
backwithdeadboltdoorlatching.Whenparked
andplacedinsecuremode,SYNUSdeploysprotectiveshuttersoverthewindshieldandsideglass.
“Smallwindowsontheflanksandroofare
non-openingandbullet-resistant.TheSYNUS
conceptalsosignalssecuritythroughitsuseofa
driver-sidedialoperatedcombinationlockonthe
B-pillar.Boldwheelarchesmakeadesign
statementaswellasaccommodatethevehicle’s
exceptionallywidetrack.
“Onitswelcominginside,theSYNUSmakes
anymissionpossible.Theinteriorcantransform
intoamini-hometheaterwithmulti-configuration
seatingandmulti-mediaworkstation,all
controlledbyaWi-Filaptop.Usethe45-inchflatscreenLCDfromSharpforInternetresearch,DVD
viewingoranyscreeningneeds.Plus,youcan
monitoryoursurroundingsinrealtimeasseenby
therear-mountedcameras.
“DrivingSYNUScanbejustaslivelyand
efficientwitha2.0-literdieselenginethatdelivers
134horsesand236foot-poundsoftorqueandis
alsodesignedtoofferoutstandingfueleconomy.”
-Fordvehicles.com
Prius Named Official Car of
UN World Environment Day
Dignitariesfromaroundtheglobecongregatedin
SanFranciscoJune1-5forUNWorldEnvironment
Day,wheretheToyotaPriuswasrecognisedas
theofficialcaroftheeventandToyotaasthe
exclusiveautomotivesponsor.
“It'sexcitingtobeinvolvedinthisimportant
eventbuildingenvironmentalawarenessandto
havethePriusrepresentwhat'salreadyavailable
inthewayofenvironmentallyfriendlyvehicles,”
saidMikeWells,Toyotavicepresidentand
generalmanageroftheSanFranciscoregion.
- Toyota
Car Busters#24 July - Sept. 2005
7
World News
Europe
The Reality of Road Charging
UK-LondonTransportSecretaryAlistairDarling
hassaidthatanationalroaduserchargesystem
willbeinplaceby2015.Vehiclesonallof
Britain’sroadswillbechargedanywherefrom
£0.02to£1.34amile,dependingontheroad
usedandtimeofday.
Infiveyears,thegovernmentplanstosetup
apilotschemeinoneofthecountry’sregions.
StephenJoseph,DirectorofTransport2000,
says,“Roadchargingisarealchancetochange
thewaywethinkaboutdriving.Thereisnopoint
ingoingdownthisrouteunlessthisopportunityis
takentoputaclear,unequivocal'government
healthwarning'oncaruse.”
Josephaskssomekey
questions:“Willamotoring
taxencouragepeopleonto
publictransport?Willtraffic
bedisplacedfromkey
arteriesontounsuitablelocal
roads?Howcanweusethe
systemtostoptraffic
growing?Willchargesbe
variedaccordingtothe
‘pollutability’ofvehicles?”
Thereisnodistinction
madebetweenSUVsand
morefuel-efficientcars.
FormerCarBusters
editorRichardLanesays,
“Thegovernmentisnot
doingittotrytomakecarspayfortheenvironmentaldamagetheydo,nortotrytostoppeople
usingcars–they'regivingthemselvescontrolto
spreadthetrafficaround,improvingtheefficiency
ofthenetworkbypricingcongestionbottlenecks.
Moreefficiencycouldmeanmorecarsforthesame
amountofroad.We'reconcernedthatpeopleare
goingtothinkthattheplanissoundonenvironmentalgrounds.”
Ifroaddutiesandfueltaxareloweredtocompensatefortheextrataxthantheenvironmental
andsocialcostsremainunpaid.
- World Carfree News, July
Stockholm Holds Its Breath
SWEDEN-After2.5yearsofdiscussions,the
governmentapprovedaseven-monthtestperiod
foracongestionchargingschemeinStockholm,
startingJanuary2006.Thechargesisexpectedto
reducecaruseinthecitycentreby10%to15%.
Theplancountsondriversinstallingmobile
transpondersintheircars,enablingpaymentof
thetolldirectlyfromdrivers’bankaccounts.
Muchofthefinancialsupportwillflowto
Stockholm’spublictransitcompanies.Startingin
August,200newbuseswillrolldownStockholm’s
streets.Newdriversarealreadyintrainingforthe
proposed14newroutes.
Expertshopethataround32,000peoplewill
switchtopublictransport.
TheEUR2tollwillbecollectedattheentries
totheinnercity,workdaysfrom6:30amto6:30
pm.ThetestperiodwillendJuly31,2006,after
whichthesystemwillbeevaluated.InSeptember
2006,Stockholmresidentswillvoteinareferendumondefinitiveimplementationofthetoll.
- Radio Sweden, April 29
The Americas
20% For You, 80% For Me!
US-TheUSSenatehasendorsedasix-year
spendinglevelthatis$11billionabovewhatthe
presidentrequested,howeveronly$2.3billionof
thisistogotowardtransit.Thisnumberreflectsan
80/20splitinhighwaytotransitfunding.
Thereare“modestbutimportantimprovements”topromotesafetyamongbicyclistsand
pedestrians,includingaSafeRoutestoSchool
programme.
TheBostonBicyclePlanningInitiativereports
thatthebillalsocontinuesfundingforTransportationEnhancements,aprimarysourceoffunding
forbicyclingandwalking,andtheCongestion
MitigationandAirQualityprogramme.
In Brief...
INDIA-TheTamilNadugovernmentisgivingfreebuspasses,bicyclesand
textbookstoschoolchildrentomakegettingtoschoolandstudyingeasier.
- The Hindu, June 7
CHINA-VolkswagenandtheShanghaiAutomotiveIndustryCorp.are
currentlybuilding“AutomobileCity”intheareaaroundthenewFormula
Oneracetrack.Theplan,reportstheEconomist,isto“turntheareainto
acentreofcarresearchanddevelopment,aplacewherecarsandtheir
componentsaremadeandwhereleisurerevolvesaroundthem.Aswellas
theracetrack,aUS$50millioncarmuseumisduetoopennextyear.”
- Economist, June 2
BANGLADESH-MosharrafHossain,StateMinisterofEnergy,hasresigned
becausehecouldnotexplainwhyNiko,aCanadiangasexploration
company,gavehimaUS$150,000Lexus.Nikowasblamedforagas
fieldexplosioninJanuarybyaninvestigativecommittee,buthasnot
beenpunished.Hossain,whoresignedattherequestoftheprime
minister,sayshewillnotreturnthecar.
- Thedailystar.net, June 19
8
Car Busters#24 July - Sept. 2005
AUSTRALIA-ThecityofAdelaidehasbegunapublicbikeprogrammefour
yearsaftertheDanisharchitectJanGehlsuggestedittothecitycouncil.
FortybikesweremadeavailableonMay22,thefirstdayofthe
programme,andarefreeforthefirsttwohours,thenchargedatan
hourlyordailyrate.CouncillorRichardHaywardsaysitisthefirstsuch
programmeinAustralia.
- ABC News Online, May 22
GERMANY-InV-DaycelebrationsinBerlin,anarchistsonbicycleshelped
keepagroupof5,000neo-Nazisfrominterruptingcommemorationsin
thecitycentre.Whenthepolicetoldtheprotesterstodispersetomake
wayforthelegallyregisteredneo-Nazidemonstration,theysatdownand
refusedtomove.Intheend,theneo-Nazisdidnotgettheirdemonstration,
sotheywentoutlookingforfights.
- Timesonline.co.uk, May 9
UK-Childrenagedunder16aretobegivenfreetravelonLondon’sbuses
ina£70millionscheme,thefirstofitskindintheworld.
- The Guardian, June 15
TheSurfaceTransportPolicyProjectnotes
that“existingcommunityandenvironmental
protectionsarediminished,includinglongstanding
‘cleanrules’thatholdstateandlocalagencies
moreaccountableinachievingcompliancewith
federalairqualitystandardsandNEPAprocedures
thatsupportthepublicandtheircommunitiesin
gettingafairreviewofprojectalternatives.”
SenatorTomHarkinsoughtanamendment
thatwouldseetransportdepartmentsadopta
CompleteStreetspolicytoaddressaccesstoand
thesafetyofnon-motorisedformsoftransport.
“Ourfocusinatransportationbillshouldnot
strictlybeonmovingvehicles,”saidHarkin.“We
shouldbemorebroadlyfocusedonmovingpeople
andmakingitpossibleformorepeopletomove
themselvesbyfootorbybicycle.Forevery
Americanwhooptstogettowork,school,orthe
grocerystorebyfootorbicycle,thatislesscost
forroadbuildingandmaintenance,zerocontributiontotrafficcongestion,andzerocostsin
termsofpollutionandenvironmentaldegradation.”
Now,SenateandHouseleaderswillhaveto
cometogethertosmoothoutthedifferencesin
thetwoversionsoflegislationnowonthetable.
Moving People in San Juan
PUERTORICO-Anew10-miletrainserviceisup
andrunninginSanJuaninthehopesofslowing
thegrowthincaruseinoneofthemostheavily
congestedcitiesintheworld.“ItisthefirstmetropolitanrailtransitsysteminSanJuansincethe
trolleysoftheearly20thcentury,”writesthe
OrlandoSentinel.Itisthefirstphaseinasystem
ofpublictransportthathopestolinkferry,train
andbusroutes.With2.5millionvehiclesfor3.9
millionpeople,PuertoRicoranksamongworld
leadersintheratiosofcarsperindividual,per
squaremileandperroadmile.
Asia/Pacific
When the Car Makes News
AUSTRALIA-AtapreviewofHyundai'snew
Sonatasedan,thecompany'slocalpresident,
BongGouLee,announcedaspecialofferfor
Australianjournalistsinattendance:“Halfpricefor
journalists,tonightonly.”SydneyMorningHerald
reporterTonyDavis,whowasnotpresent,said
that“severaljournalistsgavecreditcardnumbers
andspecifiedmodelsandcoloursonadealthat
wouldhavesavedthemmorethanAU$17,000
anddeliverdanewcaratbelowcost.AfterDavis
beganmakinginquiries,Leewithdrewtheoffer.
Hyundai'sspokesman,RichardPower,said
theofferwasajoke.Oneanonymousjournalist
toldDavis“there'snowaypeoplejokeabout
thingslikethatandtakenamesandcolours...I
boughtone.”Hyundainowinsiststhatjournalists
wouldonlybeeligibleforthe“conventionalsixmonthlong-termevaluation”loanofacar.
- Prwatch.org, June 22
Seoul’s Success on the Bus
KOREA-“OnJuly1,2004,seeminglyovernight,
thelongdecliningfleetofsome8,000buses
turnedupnewlypaintedinbrightcolours,”reports
theInstituteforTransportationandDevelopment
Policy(ITDP)intheirJunebulletin.“Fortykilometresofdedicatedmedianlanesopenedon
majortrunklines.Atrunk-and-feedersystemwith
color-codedbusesandanentirelynewnumbering
systemreplacedtheoldhaphazardroutemap.”
Ayearlater,thesystemhasprovedsuccesful.Riderscannowgetuptofivefreeintermodal
transfersthroughtheuseofsmartcards.
DatagatheredbytheSeoulDevelopment
Instituteoverthefirstfivemonthsofoperation
CZECHREPUBLIC-OneofthebiggestshoppingcentresinCentralEurope
isdoublinginsizeto125,000squaremetres.Theexpansionofthe
Letnanyshoppingcentre,whichliesonPrague’soutskirtsadjacenttoa
massofconcretecommunist-styleapartmentblocks,willalsoleadto
increasedcaruseinthisalreadycar-chokedcitybyaddinganother500
parkingspaces,bringingthetotalto3,000.
- Prague Post, April 21
FRANCE-OnMay19,thecityofLyon,withthehelpofJCDecaux,made
2,000bicyclesavailableforhiretothepublic.Thebicyclesarefreefor
thefirst30minutesandafterthatthepricevariesfromEUR0.50toEUR
2perhour.Thebicyclescanbefoundat200locationsaroundthecity.
- Le Monde, April 26
CANADA-ThefederalgovernmenthaspassedabillpledgingCA$800
millioninnewpublictransitfunding.Onecentperlitre(10%)ofthe
federalgastaxwillbetransferredtomunicipalitiesacrossCanadaoverthe
nexttwoyearsspecificallyforinvestmentinpublictransit.
- Canadian Urban Transit Association, July 4
showtraveltimecutbyhalfinmedian-lane
corridors.“Carryingcapacityincreasedsixtimes,
andtraveltimevariationdecreasedbyafactorof
five,”reportsITDP.
“System-wide,thetotalnumberofmeasured
tripsegments[ed.:?]roseby11%,anda21%
dropinbus-relatedaccidentsresultedfromimprovedworkingconditionsforbusdrivers.”
Giventhesuccessthusfar,another120km
ofdedicatedbusroutesareintheworks.
Africa
A Better Boda Boda
KENYA-TheXtracycleAccessFoundationrecently
beganaten-monthtrialofautilitybicyclecalled
theBiggaBoda(anameinspiredbyKenyan
bicycletaxioperators,whoarecalledBodaBoda)
inordertoexpandthebicycleeconomy.Inthe
cityofKisumu,wheretheprojectisbased,there
are800,000peopleand10,000BodaBoda.
TheBiggaBodacancarryamuchheavier
loadthanthecurrentbikes.Forexample,the
passengerversioncantaketwopeopleatonce
whereasthecurrentBodaBodacanonlytakeone.
“TheBodaBodaoperatorsinKisumuare
gettingbywithatechnologyplatformthatbarely
meetstheirneeds.TheChinese-andIndian-made
bicyclestheyusearenotequippedwithenough
cargocapacityoradequatesafetyfeatures.And,
withtheexceptionofoneortwotowns,the
governmentofKenyahasnotinvestedinbicycle
lanesorbicyclepaths,despitethefactthat
bicyclesplayacentralroleinthetransportof
nearlyallgoods.”
XtracycleAccesshopestoexpandto
Tanzania,Uganada,Rwanda,SudanandEthiopia.
- Xaccess.org, June 5
VENEZUELA-Iraniancompanieswillsoonbemanufacturingbicyclesin
VenezuelaforthatcountryandothersinLatinAmerica.Venezuelan
PresidentHugoChavezhasendorsedtheideaofIranianbicyclesin
Venezuela.
- Islamic Republic News Agency, June 10
USA-AtitsannualshareholdersmeetingGeneralMotorsannouncedit
wouldcloseplantsandcut25,000Americanjobsoverthenextthree
yearsduetopoortruckandSUVsales.ThejobcutsshouldsaveGM
US$2.5billion.
- USA Today, July 6
USA-Inoneofitsads,Lincolncarmanufactuerusedimagesandnames
ofNewYorkbikemessengerstopromotethevehiclebyattemptingto
createarelationshipbetweenmessengersandSUVs.“Justtheideaof
NYCbikemessengershavinganythingincommonwithaLincolnissofar
fromreality...Messengershatecars,”saysbikeracerandex-messenger,
BuckyTurco. It'slikeusingvegetarianstosellfurs,itdoesn'twork.”
- Adrants.com, May 25
Car Busters#24 July - Sept. 2005
9
photos: Septemberl egs.co.uk
Action!
World Naked Bike Ride
OnSaturday,June11inLondon,250people
streakedforthesecondWorldNakedBikeRide.
Theorganisersconsultedpoliceandcouncil
officialssothatridersandrollerskaterscould
enjoymuchmorefreedomthanlastyear.
TheauthoritiesweresatisfiedthatexperiencedCriticalMassbikeriderswouldleadthe
wayaroundthe10kmroutethatheadedthrough
atypicallybusyTrafalgarSquareandpassedthe
HousesofParliamentpriortoavocalwelcomeby
crowdsofsurprisedonlookersintheWestEnd.
Thesheernumbersinvariousstatesof
undress,combinedwithalackofpolicepresence,
leftpedestriansconfounded,yetmostlysupportive
ofthisunusualspectacle.
“Iwasamazedtolookaroundandsee
nobodyfeelingworriedandcoveringthemselves
up,”saidJesseSchust,contributortothe12personLondonPlanningCollective.“Itwas
obviouslyaverypositiveexperienceforalotof
people.Thosewepassedonrouteweretotally
bemusedandnotreallyabletocomprehendthe
thing,buttheyallseemedthrilled.”
People’svariousmotivesforwantingtodress
downfortheoccasionwereasdiverseasthemix
ofpeopleridingtogetherincelebrationofthe
powerandindividualityoftheirbodies.Formany,
cyclingnakedwasabrand-newexperience.
“I’mnakedathome,I’mnakedinthe
garden,butI’veneverriddendownPiccadilly
nakedonabikebefore,”saidSuzanneSessions,
29.“Ijustfeltlikemyselftoday.Itbringspeople
togetherandunityworksanditfeltreallyspecial.
I’mnevergoingtoforgetit.”
TheWorldNakedBikeRidetookplacein54
citiesworldwidethisyear.Ithasalreadybeen
scheduledforJune10,2006,withorganisers
hopingevenmorecitieswillgetinvolved.
- Alistair Murray
10
Car Busters#24 July - Sept. 2005
Celebration as Revolution:
Car-Free Fest Hits Vancouver
Ironically-namedCommercialDriveisVancouver,
BritishColumbia’smostfree-spiritedandeclectic
neighbourhood.
Groundedinasolid
Italiancommunitywith
plentyofAsianand
LatinAmericanpanache,
itispan-sexualand
politicallydiverse,
working-class,gritty,
arty,hippie,academic
andupscale.
Thecommonsofthe
“People’sRepublicofEastVancouver”(EastVan)
isamultifacetedgemofacommunitythat,asit
changesandevolves,becomeseverricherand
morecomplex.
TheDriveisanawesomeplacetolive,andto
walk,bike,skateandhangout.OntheDrive,
dogsandloverscasually
moseyacrossthelanesof
slow-movingtraffic,while
straysoccerballsandflying
hackeysacksvarytheflow.
OntheDrive,carscomelast.
Butthisurbanparadise
isnowunderthreatbya
blackmenacefromonhigh.
The“GatewayProject”is
afoot;aschemeofthe
provincialgovernmentto
twinabridge,pumpupa
highway,anddump
thousandsofmorecarsinto
theheartofEastVan.The
timeisripeforthepeopleof
theDrivetoriseupandparty
inthestreet.
AndsoonSunday,June19,Father’sDay,an
eight-blockstretchoftheDriveplusaone-block
bufferzoneoneithersidewereclosedtomotorised
trafficforsixhours.Thepeoplewentintothe
streetsandtheCar-FreeCommercialDriveFestival
explodedonejoyousmindbombonthecity.
TherewerebandsandDJs,Indonesianstickfightersandjudodojos,harekrishnasandhealing
circles,medievalminstrels,clowns,amarimba
bandandagospelchoir,storytellersandslam
poetsandsellersoffunkyhandmadestuff.
Therewasasoapboxforspeechifying,a
FreeStoreforgivingthingsaway,andstreet
hockeyalldaylong.Andtherewerebikes–more
crazybikesthanyoucouldshakeastickat.
TheEastVanChopperfestwaswrappedinto
themix,withtallbikesandbendybikesanda
400-poundpedal-poweredtank...allavailablefor
testrides.
Itwasonehellofaparty.Estimatesof
attendancerangefrom20,000to30,000.Many
storesandrestaurantsontheDrivebrokerecord
sales.Themayordeliveredaproclamation
declaringtheday“Car-FreeDayonCommercial
Drive.”Theentirestreetwasshoulder-to-shoulder
withgrinningfolks.
Andnow,everyoneknowsaboutthehighway
plan.Andeveryone
knowswhatwehave
goinghereinEastVan,
andwhatwestandto
lose.Wehaveabig
fightaheadofus,an
epicbattleagainstthe
dinosaurroad-building
paradigm.Andwearegoing
towin.Andsoonerorlater(and
wethink,thesoonerthebetter)therewillbeno
moregas,andtherewillbenomorecarsonour
commons,andtheDrivewillbereturnedtothe
peopleofEastVancouvertodowhatweliketodo
best–andthatis,toparty!
- Carmen Mills, festival co-organiser
Breakfast,Anyone?
Inthefirstandlasttrialresultingfromthe33
“paradingwithoutapermit”arreststheNewYork
CityPoliceDepartmentmadeduringlastyear’s
HalloweenCriticalMassbicycleride,theNew
YorkCountySupremeCourtonJune28found
TheWallStreetJournal’sseniorartdirector,Liz
Shura,notguiltyofdisorderlyconductand
paradingwithoutapermit.
TheHalloweenCriticalMassridecameonthe
eveoffederalJudgeWilliamH.PauleyIII’s
decisioninBrayv.CityofNewYorkdenyingthe
cityanemergencyinjunctionthatwouldhave
preventedtheridefromhappening.Inresponseto
JudgePauley’sdecisionthatCriticalMassrides
wereprotectedbytheFirstAmendment,andthat
itwasunclearwhetherthecity’sparadepermittingschemecouldapplytothematall,thepolice
departmentproposedaroutefortheHalloween
ridebyhandingoutflyersinUnionSquarePark
priortotheride,thendivertedcyclistsoffthe
routeandmademassarrests.
Allofthe32otherparadingwithoutapermit
casesarisingfromtheOctoberarrestshavebeen
dismissedwithoutgoingtotrial.
Shurapleadednotguiltyatherarraignment
andappearedincourtmorethanfivetimesover
thecourseofeightmonthsbecauseshebelieved
herarrestwasfalseandunconstitutional.
Scoresofcriminaltrialsarisingfromthe
January,FebruaryandMarchCriticalMassarrests
areexpectedtotakeplaceinJuly.
Over525peoplehavebeenarrestedfor
allegedlyparticipatingintheleaderlessgroup
bicycleridessincejustbeforetheRepublican
NationalConvention(August27,2004),when
thecitydecidedtocrackdownontherides.
Someothercities,likeMoscow,havefollowed
NewYork’sleadandstartedarrestingparticipants
intheirCriticalMassrides.
NewYorkCityisnowseekinganemergency
injunctionagainstTime’sUp!,theenvironmental
advocacygroupthecitybelievesis“behind”the
rides,andseveralofitsvolunteers.Theinjunction
wouldnotonlypreventtheridesbymaking
participationinthemamisdemeanorpunishable
byuptoayearinjail,butalsosubjectanyone
whogathersinagroupofmorethan20people
inacitypark,oradvertisessuchagathering,to
prosecutionforamisdemeanor,unlessthe
gatheringhasapermit.Thefirstcourtappearance
relatedtothelawsuittookplaceonJune30.(No
newsyetonhowthatwent.)
AnumberofNewYorkarresteeshaveformed
agroupcalledFreeWheelstohelpprovidesupport
forpeoplewhohavebeenarrestedwhileriding
theirbicycles.Formoreinformationabout
FreeWheels,see<www.bicycledefensefund.org>
contactMarkTaylorat+1(646)338-5643.
- FreeWheels
photo: Steven Logan
Court Victory! New York City
Halloween Massers Not Guilty
Inspired by Sara Stout’s “Skill Sharing” article in Car Busters #20, Car Busters editors and friends on two
recent occasions staged breakfast actions in public parking spaces in Prague. Local media covered both events:
April 12 in front of City Hall, and June 8 in front of the Czech National Bank on Republic Square.
Day of Action to Target
G8 “Climate Criminals”
July8,thelastdayoftheG8summit,wasa
globaldayofactionagainsttherootcausesof
climatechange.Thismeantdirectactionsfor
climatejusticeinScotlandandaroundtheworld.
Inadditiontosmalleractions,abigpublic
demonstrationcalled“CeildhOntheClyde”(aka
“BoogieontheBridge”)wasplannedinGlasgow.
Theideawasabig,joyousandangryeventthat
wouldconfront,notcollude,withtheleaderswho
aremarchingusmerrilytowardsthecliff-edge.
TherewerealsoprotestsagainsttheM74
extension,Scotland’snewestandleastpopular
motorway,whichwillcutthroughtheheartof
Glasgowandincreasecarbon-spewingtraffic.The
eventwasalsoanexpressionofsolidaritywith
peoplefightingtherootcausesofclimatechange
everywhere.
ActionsalsotookplaceinVenezuela,New
Zealand,Iceland,Australia,thePhilippinesand
Reading.Aglobalmovementforclimatejusticeis
comingtogether.Itissaying“no”totheG8,
WorldBank,IMF,UNandcorporatemarket-based
“solutions”totheclimatecrisis,and“yes”toa
post-oil,post-poverty,post-capitalistfuture.
Whythisdayofaction?BecauseG8spin
won’tdragusoutofthedownwardspiralwe’re
in.BecausetheG8mantraof“economicgrowth
anddamntheconsequences”meansbusinessas
usualandclimatic,socialandecologicalmeltdown.
OnJuly8,wewillfloodtheG8andthe
worldwithourdemandforchangeandourvision
ofajust,fossil-fuelfreefuture.
- G8 Climate Action
Wheels of Justice Don’t Spin
OnMay7inAdelaide,Australia,some3,000
cyclistsrodedownthemainstreettoParliament
house,toprotestgovernmentinactionover
cyclingsafetyandtheoutcomeoftheEugene
McGeehit-and-runcase.
Smalldemonstrationswereheldinother
majorcitiesacrossAustralia.
EugeneMcGeeisahigh-profilecriminal
lawyerwhoafterafewdrinkshitandkilledlocal
cyclistIanHumphreyonNovember30,2003,in
ahead-oncollisionwithhisMitsubishiPajero.
McGeefledthescene,immediatelycalledhis
lawyerfriend,andturnedhimselfovertopolice
onlysixhourslater.Accordingtotheofficerwho
interviewedhim,McGee’svehiclesmelled
stronglyofliquoreventhen,althoughMcGeewas
notbreathtested.HewasfinedAU$3,100
(roughlyonehour’spayforhim)anddisqualified
fromdrivingfor12months.
McGeehadalreadyreceivedsixspeeding
ticketsintheprevioussixyears,andatthetrial
showednoremorse,insteadtryingtoblamethe
roadconditionand“badluck.”
Inthecourtroom,Humphrey’swidowDi
Gilchrist-HumphreyconfrontedMcGeeandsaid:
“Youkilledmyhusband.Idonothateyou,Ipity
you.Iwakeupinthehopethatthishasallbeen
abaddream.Iwouldgiveupallmytomorrows
tohaveonemoredaywithIan.”
Concernedcitizenshaveformedagroup
calledWheelsofJustice,pushingforstricter
punishmentformotoristswhokillcyclists.More
informationat<www.wheelsofjustice.com.au>.
- Olly Powell and news reports
Car Busters#24 July - Sept. 2005
11
GenderBlind
Puttingwomen’sneedsontheagendainPhilippinetransportculture
byRoselleLeahK.Rivera
S
usanJongwakesupat4amandtakesherhouseholdpailstothe
waterqueueinMarikinaCity(9kmfromQuezonCity,thecapital).By
5:30am,herwatercontainersarefullandsheorherhusbandpicks
upthefilledcontainersandbringthembackhome.Then,shewakesher
children,cookstheirbreakfastandpreparestheirbath.Afterpickingupthe
water,herhusbandgoesbacktosleep.Susanthenbringstwoofherchildren
toschoolat6am,usuallyonfoot.
Susanandherhusbandhaveasmallbuy-and-sellbusiness.Theysell
theirgoodstoworkersindifferentfactoriesandcommunities.Threetimesa
week,theymakeathree-hourtrektoQuiapoandDivisoria,bothlocatedin
Manila.Theyleavetheirhouseat9am,shopfortheirwaresforthreehours
andthetripbackhometakesanotherthreehoursduetotherushhour
traffic.Mostoften,Susanpaysadditionalpatokfaretoloadgoodsboughtin
Manila.Sheandherhusbandusuallycommuteviapatok,orjeep.Onthese
days,theyarrivehomeatapproximately7pm.
LikeSusan,Adora“Doy”Gonzalesisawakeby4ameachdayand
prepareshertwochildrenforschool.“Ineedtwenty-fivehoursormore,”
saysDoy.
Itisamiracleifshecanfinishallthehousework.By6am,shebrings
herchildrentoschool,whichis5kmawayfromtheirhome.Doypeddlesdry
goodsinhercommunityorinthenearbyareasforaroundfivehours.Selling
thesegoodscommencesafterpickingupherchildrenfromschoolat1:30
pm.Hervendingisirregular,asitdependsonthecapitalsheisabletosave.
Herhusband’sincomeisnotenoughforthefamily’ssubsistence.
“WheneverIhavesomegoodstosell,Itransformnightintoday.Thethings
thathavetobedoneduringtheday,suchasclotheswashingandhouse
cleaning,Idoatnightwhenmyhusbandandmychildrenareasleep.Myday
activitiesbecomemynightactivities.”
OneofthemostcommonformsoftransportDoyusesisthepatok.Doy
saysthatsheusuallygetsintoheatedargumentswiththepatokdriver.They
usuallydrivewildlyandhersmallchildrenarealmostthrownoffthevehicle.
Howeverdangerous,Doyhasnochoicebuttoridethismodeoftransport
becauseherchildrenareoftenrunninglateforschool.
TheothermodeoftransportforDoyisthepadyak,ahuman-powered,
non-motorisedvehicle.ThedriverofthepadyakoftencomplainsthatDoyis
overweightandusuallydemandsmorethanthenormalfare.Accordingtothe
padyakdriver,passengerswithDoy’sweightforcethemtopedalharderand
getmoretiredthanusual.
12
Car Busters#24 July - Sept. 2005
Theday-to-dayworriesofthesewomen’slivesgiveapreliminarypicture
ofpoor,urbanwomen’stravelneedsatthecommunitylevelandbringtothe
forewomen’svoicesinthediscourseontransport.Thisisanarenararely
examinedbyexistingresearchoneithertransportorgender.Inthe21st
century,whileweendlesslypontificateuponnewerandmoreexpensive
technologiestoimproveacar’sfuelefficiency,therealworldstillscreams
withtheconcernsofSusanandDoy.
Putting Gender on
the Transport Agenda
As70%ofthoselivinginpovertyworldwidearewomen,accordingtoa
reportbytheSustainableTransportActionNetworkforAsiaandthePacific,
thetransportsystemsandservicesthathardlymeettheneedsofthepoorare
disproportionatelyaffectingwomenandtheirdependents:
“Thelowertheincomeofahousehold,themoreprobableitisthat
womenwillexperiencegreatertransportdeprivationascomparedtomen,”
writeRahmanPaulBarterandTamimRaadinthereport.“Transport
deprivationmaytaketheformofwomen’suseofinferiormodesoftransport
ascomparedtomen;itmaytaketheformofwomen’sjourneyshaving
multiplepurposesandthusgeneratinggreateranxietyinthetravelcontext;it
maytaketheformofcustomaryorlegalconstraintonwomen’srightto
travelortouseaparticulartransportmode.”
Transportisknowntobeoneofthemostsignificantinvestmentsectors
formanydevelopingcountries.Despiteitsrecognisedroleindevelopment,
scantattentionhasbeenaccordedtothesocialandgenderimpactsof
transportinvestments.Therecognitionofitskeyroleineconomicdevelopment
throughclassicplanningmethodsremainswantingbecauseofthefailureto
seethedifferentimpactsoftransportonthelivesofmenandwomen.
Conventionalplanningmethodsassumethattransportprogrammesare
“genderneutral.”Availableliteraturefromvariouscountriesinthedeveloping
worlddocumentthepervasivemyththatimpactsonmenandwomenof
transportarethesame(seePriyanthiFernandoandGinaPorter,Balancing
theLoad).Yettrailblazingcasestudieshavebeguntodocumenthowwomen
comprisealargeproportionofpeoplewhoareeconomicallyandsocially
disadvantagedandofpeoplewhoareharmedbytransportpoliciesthatfocus
oneconomicefficiency(narrowlydefined)andbyautomobile-focused
transportprioritiesthatdonothingtomeettheirtravelneeds.
Theground-breakingworkofGriecoandTurneronwomen’stransport
andmobilityproblemsinAfricaofferspioneeringideasandinsights.They
Transport Glossary
concludethat“women’sgreaterdomesticresponsibilitiescoupledwiththeir
weakeraccesstohouseholdresourceshavesignificantconsequencestotheir
transportandtravelstatus...(andthey)experiencegreatertransport
deprivationascomparedtomen.”DeikePetersforwardsparallelinsightsin
carefully-gatheredurbanandruralcasestudiesfromseveraldeveloping
countries.Women’sdisadvantagedpositionintransportsystemswas
apparentthroughoutthesecasestudies.
Onestudyof276femalefuelcarriersinAddisAbaba,Ethiopia,showed
thatwomencarryanaverageloadof36.2kg(i.e.,75%ofbodyweight)an
averageof11.7km,andasmanyas17%ofthewomencarryloadsheavier
thantheirbodyweight.Themaximumcarryingweightrecommendedbythe
InternationalLabourOrganizationis20kg.Amongthesewomen,eye,chest
andbackpainswerecommon,aswellashighratesofmiscarriage.Kenyan
medicalsourcesdocumentfrequentbackachesandkneedamageamong
head-loadingMasaiwomen.Peterscallsforlocallyadaptedgendersensitive
transportstrategies.Petersalsostressesthat,soasnottobeleftinlofty
theoreticalprinciples,thelocaldimensionneedstobebroughtbackin,to
bringwomen’svoicesintotransportplanningandpractice.
Developmentplanning,whilebecomingmoreopentoparticipationby
variousgroupsinsociety,hasstillremainedblindtotheimplicationsof
transportpoliciesandprogrammesonwomen’slives.Womentendtobe
under-representedamongtransportprofessionalsandparticipationofwomen
fromlocalcommunitiesisunheardofandnotseenasakeyelementin
programmedesignandtheimplementation,monitoringandevaluationof
transportplanning.Thisisaresultofdichotomousthinkingthatseparates
“hard”sectors(transportationandcommunication,infrastructure,etc.)from
“soft”sectors(education,health,socialservices,etc.)indevelopment
planning.Thedominantthinkingisthattransportbelongstothehardsectors
dominatedbyinternationalagenciesandtop-down,state-ledplanning.
Women’s Work:
In the Private and the Public Sphere
Theoutcomeisthattheformulationofpoliciesandtheconductofstudieson
transportandtravelisnotjustgender-blind,butevenmale-biased.Thelatter
ismanifestedintheoftenimpliedassumptionthatwomen’simmobilityisnot
only“natural”butevensociallypreferred.Womenarerelegatedtothe
privatesphereofthehousehold,usuallyromanticisedasmothersor,asa
favouriteexpressionamongFilipinosgoes,theilawngtahanan(“thelightof
thehome”).YettheneedsoftheirfamiliesrequirewomenlikeDoyand
Especial Specialfareschargedbytricycledriversontopof
theusualrateallowedbythelocalregulatoryagency.This
specialfareischargedwhenthetricycleleavesforalone
passenger’sdestinationwithoutwaitingforthepublic
transportvehicletobefilledupwithfiveormorepassengers. Moreoftenthannot,driversalsochargethisfare
arbitrarily,thusitisusuallyasourceofirritationand
complaintsbypublictransportcommuters.
Langgaman (Literally,“aqueueofants”)Areaswhereone
canseeorganisedqueuesofcommuterswaitingtoride
publictransportsuchasjeepneys.
Padyak (Literally,“tokick”)Abicyclewithasidecarused
aspublictransport.Usuallyfoundonthecornersofmain
roadsofpoorurbancommunities.
Patok(Literally,“ahit”)Colourfullypaintedspeeding
jeepneys,whichcanaccommodatemorethan20
passengers.Patokshavestereosblaringloudmusicduring
theirtrips.Patoksareusuallymannedbyyounger(20-30
yearsold)recklessdrivers.
Pila-pilameansseveralqueuesofcommuters.
Sabit (Literally,“tohang”)Passengersofjeepneys,
tricyclesorbuseswhoareunabletositinsidethejeepney
becauseallseatsaretaken,yetdriversallowcommuters,
fromone toasmuchasfivepeople,usuallymale,tostand
orhangontotheestribo(theentranceofthevehicle),
holdingontoanypieceofthejeepney/tricycle/bus.This
practiceisespeciallydangerousaschildren(sometimesas
manyasfiveyoungsters)arecommonlyseenhangingoffof
tricycles,whichferrythemtopublicschools.
Susantoshiftintothe“public”sphereoutsidethehouseholdwherecashcan
beearned,theobjectiveconditionsofthecurrenttransportsystemdonot
meetwomen’sspecificneeds.Muchofwomen’sworkintheinformal
economy(i.e.,sellingvegetables,ricecakes,cookedfood,ordrygoodson
credittofactoryworkers)demandtravellingoutsidetheprivateconfinesof
thehousehold.Women’sschedulesarenotasfixedasmalemembersmainly
becausethehostofdomesticresponsibilitiesarerelegatedtofemalemember
nanayslikeSusanandDoy.
Itisinthislightthatquestionsmustberaised:Howcanareasonably
participatoryprocessoftransportationplanningbedevelopedtoreviewand
comparemodesoftransport?Howcanusergroupsfromthemarginalised
sectors,especiallywomeninlocalcommunities,beincludedintheplanning
process?Howcanaspacebeopenedtoarticulatethepublicinterestandthe
mobilityneedsofthepoorandofwomeninpoliticalprocesses?
“Allthejeepneyswithrecklessdriversshouldbetakenoffthestreets
becausetheyareasourceofaccidents,”saysSusan.“Therewasanincident
whenIalmostfelloffmyseatbecausethejeepneykeptswerving.”Susan
alsocomplainsofthecostoftransportationandhopesthatpublictransport
fareswillbelowered.TransportfarecostsroughlyPHP5.50(US$0.10)per
kilometreandSusanandherhusbandspendatleastPHP80(US$1.40)on
theirtriptoandfromDivisoria,whicheatsupmorethan30%oftheir
averagedailyincome.
Susanshowsexcitementwhenaskedaboutpossiblerecommendations
tothepresenttransportationsystem.“Therearesomanypadyaks.Theyare
everywhereandundisciplined.Thenumberofpadyaksshouldberegulated,”
shesuggests.Padyaksaremotorcycleswithasidecar.Withaseatingcapacity
fortwopeople,driversusuallysqueezeinfourtofivepeopleintothepadyak.
Car Busters#24 July - Sept. 2005
13
“All the patoks
with reckless
drivers should
be taken off
the streets.”
- Susan Jong
Susan suggests hastening the construct ion of the
Mass Rapid Transit from Marikina to Divisoria to
lessen the inconvenience, saving on precious time as
well as addressing the traffi c problem.
Susan’s final suggestion is that “something serious
should be done about the hold-ups inside public
transportation.”
Unlike Susan, Doy has no specif ic ideas on how to
improve the transportation system. When it com es to
taking care of her children, this is not the focus of her
attention. She suggests and hopes that transportation
fares should be lower for poor families, even offered
free-of-charge to reduce the burden on poor parents.
The voices of Susan and Doy can on ly be muffled
voices in the dark if they are not orchestrated through
networks of organisations, recognised by national
governments and given expos ure by national and local
media. Sustainable transport advocates have been lo
bbying for support for develop-ing the institutional
capacity of community organisations and asking local
governments to address the above concerns and issues
regarding transport.
Imagining transport progra ms and projects which
can contribute to quality of life for men and women is a
form idable task. A reasonable starting point is to build
a political base for more sustainable, gender-sensitive
and equitable initiatives. This would mean involving
representatives of women’s organisations, public
transport commuters, an d the voices of ordinary people
like Susan and Doy in processes and debates about
transport policy.
A widely accepted axiom in th e international
development community is that if plans are developed
with the support of these key elements in society, then
the constituency of such plans will be broa dened and
the likelihood of their becoming reality is not only better,
but made more meaningful.
Dilemmas and Potentials:
Gender in Transport Activism
All the above tackles an advocacy w hich is essentially
waged on the national and local policy levels.
However, what about the landscape of activism
wherein local communities could put the interests of
ordinary commuter citizens on the agenda? How can
we vigorously influence the agenda of politicians and
public servants with a perspective on the public
interest? To take to task the need to express, register
and demand for the transport needs of marginalised,
vulnerable groups such as women?
It is safe to say that “transport activism” is still a
vague and unexplored arena, not pushed by the majority
of activists in the larger people’s move- ment in the
Global South. Ironically it is here in the Global South,
where “markets” of private vehicle corporations have
set their sights, that transport activism is needed. As
one car manufacturer put it so succinctly, “The market
prospects for Asia’s motor vehicles are very positive.
We aim to capture a big portion of Asia’s motor vehicle
market b y strengthening the supplier base of our
automotive industry.”
Transport activism is, more often than not,
conventionally tucked into the specific sectoral
struggles such as the worker’s movement (transport
workers, public utility vehicle drivers and the like) or in
one corner of the consumer movement (a few leaders
have emerged for the large mass of unorganised public
commuters), or the broad environmental movement
which has been swamped with discussion and action for
strategic issues (global warming, clean energy, etc.),
yet not tactically linked to practical transport concerns
of marginalised groups.
A promising start is that the women’s movement is
now visible in the transport arena, raising public safety
issues and violence against women in public
transportation. Precisely such thinking across the labour,
environmental, consumer and women’s movements in
all the colours of the political spectrum can bring to life
the potential of gender in transport activism. n
“Participation of women
References
from local communities
Barter, Rahman Paul and Tamim Raad. (eds) Taking Steps: A
Community
Centred, Equitable
is unheard of and
not Action Guide to Peopleand Sustainable Urban Transport. Malaysia: Sustainable Transport
seen as a key element
Action Network for Asia and the Pacific (SUSTRAN), 2000.
Fernando,PriyanthiandPorter,Gina.BalancingtheLoad.London&NewYork:ZedBooks.
in transport planning.”
14
Car Busters#24 July - Sept. 2005
2002.
Turner,J.andGrieco,M.1997“GenderandPovertyandTransport:ACallforPolicyAttention.”
au sg
al, ww w.w est
Ma rku s Bi eh
an g.d e
How to Please your
Car
It is fairly obvious that drivers lov e theirs cars. They spend large amounts of quality time with them, discuss them
with their closest friends,
Bri dget
family
Brown
and co-workers,
explores
and
ten
frequently
different
praise
ways
their good
to keep
looks and
a car
style
happy
– their power and
capability – in newspapers and magazines, on the radio and television. But how do we know the feeling is mutual?
How do we know they’ll continue to love their drivers back? What do cars want, and how can we be sure to give it to
them?
1. If you’re tempted to try to look like y our car by donning a
headlamp, don’t. Your car may mistake you for a bicyclist, which
can be a threat – and a turnoff.
6. If you’re considering treating your car to dinner, remember cars
prefer a nice drive-thru to a hard-to-reach bistro. Their taste in
restaurants tend toward the fast food. Chicken McNuggets, say,
over coq au vin.
2. Cars also don’t like pedestria ns. They aren’t interested in
children, and they really don’t care for old people, who move so
slowly.
3. Cars love sp eed.
4. They like wide open roads. As soon as two lanes start to feel a
little crowded, expand to four. W hen the four-lane feels a little
claustrophobic, six, or eight or ten or more are all good.
5. Cars, of course, like to travel. Their perfect vacation would be
an extended road trip with no destination at all. But if you’re looking
for a place to stop, cars definitely prefer Los Angeles to Manhattan
and Houston to Amsterdam. Don’t overlook Detroit, but don’t even
consider Venice.
7. If you’re thinking about taking your car shopping, just remember
“big box” over boutique.
8. In selecting a neighbourhood for your car, keep in mind that
short blocks and sharp corne rs can be a drag, sidewalks add clutter
and chaos, and trees are just unnecessary visual obstructions.
9. When communi cating with your car, remember most cars still
prefer the visual message and that it’s best to keep it short. Enter.
Exit. Gas. Food.
And they’re attracted to brigh t, primary colours. The bigger and
louder the message, the better it is. Cars also appreciate billboards,
especially if they are flattering.
10. But, most basic of all these tips is that to please your car is to
keep the gas tank loaded and the body in tip-top condition. And
remember that, above all, cars love money.
Car Busters#24 July - Sept. 2005
15
WhentheChildrenComeoutandPlay
nNationalStreetPlayingDayintheNetherlandsbringsout250,000kids
byRoelandKuijper
C
hildrenliketobeoutside.Theylikesitting
onthepavement,scoutingoutthe
neighbourhoodwithfriends,walkingor
bikingbythemselvestoschool.Unfortunately,
theirfreedomtomoveandplayisrestrictedby
roadsteemingwithcartraffic.Steppingoutand
playinginthestreetsisincreasinglydifficult
becausepavements[sidewalks]aretoosmall,
andthereareeithertoomanyparkedcarsortoo
manyspeedingcars.Therearealmostnomore
safeplaceslefttoplay.Sincemanyparentsare
scaredofthedangersoftraffic,theydecidenotto
lettheirkidsplayortravelontheirown.
Childrenshouldbeabletoplayfreelyintheir
neighbourhoodsandbeabletodososafely.
A Safe Place to Play
OnJune1,250,000kidsemergedontothe
streetsoftheNetherlandstotakepartinNational
StreetPlayingDay.Thousandsofchildrenplayed
insafeenvironmentsthroughoutthecountrywith
thehelpofmorethan1,000localgroupsand
25,000volunteers.Tospreadtheircryforhelp,
2,000streetswereclosedtomotorisedtraffic,a
significantincreasesincethefirstNationalStreet
PlayingDaywasdeclaredin1986.Itwasonebig
streetpartyforkids.
TheinitiativeforStreetPlayingDaycomes
fromtheDutchorganisation3VO–VoorVeilig
Verkeer(ForSafeTraffic).“Thisisadayforthe
16
Car Busters#24 July - Sept. 2005
childrentoplaysafelyoutsideandtoprotest
againsttheunsafestreetsandplaygrounds–and
thelackofplaygrounds,”saysAndredeWit,coordinatorofNationalStreetPlayingDay.
3VOistheculminationoftheworkofvarious
organisationsworkinginthe1970sand‘80sto
improvestreetsafetyintheNetherlands.In1973,
3,264peoplediedinatrafficaccidentsand450
ofthemwerechildrenundertheageof14.
Becauseofthis,theactiongroupStopdeKinder
Moord(StopMurderofChildren)wasfounded.In
the‘80s,StopdeKinderMoord,togetherwith
KinderenVoorrang(Children’sRightofWay),
calledforanationalstreetdayforchildren,which
firsttookplaceonMay28,1986.3VOwas
formedwhenthesetwogroupsfusedwithVeilig
VerkeerNederland(SafeTrafficNetherlands)and
VoetgangersVereniging(PedestrianClub)toform
oneorganisation.
“3VOisanorganisationofvolunteerswith
onemission:trafficsafety,”saysdeWit.“Everybodyishereforadifferentreason;noise,aclose
friendkilledinacaraccident,pollution.”
3VO’spriorityissafetyinthedirectliving
environmentofpeopleandchildren.Their“NeighbourhoodPlayingPolicy”saysthatchildrenaged
fourtosixshouldbeabletoplayinsightoftheir
housesandoftheirfriends.Fromtheagesof6to
12,thisareaincreasesuptoseveralhundred
metresfromthehome.
Unfortunately,theseidealsituationsare
rarelymet.Thethreatfromtrafficistoohighfor
manyparents,andchildrenareoftenscaredof
thetraffic.
“Complaintsaboutspeedingcarsaregrowing
rapidly,”saysdeWit.“Theintensityofmotorised
traffichasincreasedenormouslyinthepastyears.
Þ “Hey, kids! Colour me in and send me back to Car Busters magazine!”
puttinginnewcrossingplacesforpedestriansand
bikesandbyerectingfencesinfrontofschools
andaroundplaygrounds,etc.
Tohelpexposetheseunsafeplaces,onthe
streetplayingdayschildrencreate“ItCanBe
Different”pinsandthenputthemonunsafe
places.Mayorsaretheninvitedforapre-arranged
walkalongtheseunsafeplaces.
“Forawhilethegovernmenthadthegoalof
reducingthespeedlimitwithincitiesto30kmh,”
saysdeWit.“Unfortunatelytheydroppedthis
idea.Wehavenot.”
Thisyearthethemewas“StopSpeeding.”
Lastyear,hundredsofgroupsofkidshelped
checkthespeedofcarsthroughouttheNetherlands.Theresults,called“TheLimit,”were
shocking.Almostallcarswerespeedinginthe
30kmhzones.
Roeland Kuijper
Researchpointsoutthattheageofchildrentravelingindependentlyfromhometoschool(orto
anyoutdooractivity)hasgrownfrom6.5to8.5
years.Alotofeducationalsocialmomentsare
thuslostinthisway.
“Ourcauseissafety,orrather,unsafestreets.
Parentsandelderlypeoplegetscaredanddecide
togobycar,too.Thismeansalotofextracars
ontheroad,creatingespeciallydangerousareas
aroundschools.Itisavisciousdownwardspiral.”
Onseveralofthestreetsthisyear,therewas
reasontocelebratebecauseneighbourhoodsgot
30kmhzonesaftersuccessfulactionsonearlier
streetplayingdays.Othersuccesses,saysdeWit,
includea1990Dutchgovernmentinitiativecalled
SustainableSafety.
“EveryyearNationalStreetPlayingDaygets
moreattention,”saysdeWit.“Moregroupsclose
streetsforcarsandopenthemupforouryouth.
Morepeoplebecomeawareandgetactivefor
safetrafficonboththenationalandlocallevels.”
Theorganisationforthedayofactionis
mainlyinthehandsofaround3,000volunteers,
supportedby70paidworkers.3VOarranges
nationalpublicityandoffersawiderangeof
resourcestolocalorganiserssuchasstickers,
caps,posters,banners,flyersandseveral
informativebrochures.However,itisthemany
volunteerswhoorganisetheactualstreetplaying
eventsinthedifferentneighbourhoods.
3VO’sevaluationsoftheday’sactionsshow
thatin30%ofthetownswheretheactionis
celebrated,thecitycouncilhasactuallyimproved
situationsthatwereproventobedangerous,
Play and be Happy
Idecidedtovisitsomeofthestreetsthatwere
openedtochildtraffic.WhilebikingIcould
alreadyhearthelovelysoundoflaughing,yelling
andplayingkidslongbeforeIreachedthe
beautifullydecoratedfencethatwasblockingone
street.Here,andonotherstreets,therewasa
bannersaying“NationalStreetPlayingDay!”The
wholestreetwasdividedintoseveralplaying
areaswithallkindsoftoysandold-styleDutch
games.Therewasalunchplacewherepeople
couldgoandgetadrink,snackorsomefruit.
Everywherechildrenwererunning,biking,
playinganddrawing,orjumpingonthebigaircouchwhiletheirparents,friendsandgrand-
parentssattogetherandtalked.
Thestreethasbeenaplaceforsocialinteractionforcenturies,justaschildrenlearnabout
lifewhileplaying.Cardominatedstreetsdeserve
politicalattention.Humanitystartsinthestreet!
Thenormallivingstreethastobethereforthe
peoplewholivethere.
Astreetisacountry,aworld.
NationalStreetPlayingDaycanserveasa
glimpseintoaworldwherechildren,adultsand
theelderlyfromallcoloursandsizescanactively
liveandplaytogetheronastreetthattheychose
tomakecarfree.
Yourstreetcouldbenext…n
Slow Down!
•Speedcontributestoatleast30%ofroad
trafficcrashesanddeaths
•Acollisionwithavehiclemoving50kmhis
fatalfor75%ofpedestrians;at30kmh,this
figuregoesdownto10%(Source:3V0).
•Trafficaccidentskillmorechildrenandyoung
peopleaged5-29thananyothercauseof
death(Source:WHO).
•Inlow-andmiddle-incomecountrieschildren
havemuchhigherratesofroadtraficdeath
thaninhigh-incomecountries(Source:WHO).
•IntheNetherlandsin2003,42children
undertheageof10diedincaraccidents
(Source:3V0).
•InVietnamin2001,anaverageof11
childrendiedeachdayintrafficaccidents
(Source:WHO).
Roeland Kuijper explores the festive streets in his hometown of Roermond
Car Busters#24 July - Sept. 2005
17
DownintheValley
nAproposedhighwaythreatensstabilityinruralFrance
byMokai
B
etweentheLoireandtheRhoneriversin
thehillsofFrancearetheruinsofoneof
thelongestof theRomanaqueducts,built
almost2,000yearsago.CalledtheGierAqueduct,
thishistoricfeatofengineeringovercamea
ruggedlandscapetocarrywater75kmtothe
RomancityofLugdunum–modern-dayLyon.
Today,thesesamehillscouldsoonbethe
siteofaproposedultra-moderntoll-road.Traveling
roughlythesamepathastheoldaqueduct,the
A45super-highwaywouldcutabroadswath
acrosstheterrainandthroughfragilevillage
communi-ties,threateningtopermanentlyalter
thecultureandtheenvironmentofauniquerural
area.
Thishighwayprojectfitstogetherwitha
plannedbeltwayaroundthewestsideofLyon
andotherprojectsinFrancetoformthelinksofa
proposedsuper-highwaylinkingSpaintoWestern
EuropebyamoredirectHamburg-Gibraltaraxis.
Forsmallfarmersinthesoutheastcorner
oftheLoireDepartment,theimpactonday-todaylifewillbeimmeasurable,astheirvillages
becometheroadsidescenerytotensofthousands
ofvehiclesandtrucksperday.
Plansforthe“A45Autoroute”haveexisted
forover30years,buthavealwaysbeencontroversialbecausetheproposedroutedoublesan
existingfreewayfivekilometresaway.InJune
2005,thegovernmentcompletedstudiesforthe
road’sconstruction,andthepublicinquirywill
beginattheendoftheyear.Proponentsofthe
A45areconfidenttheroadwillgoforward.
Meanwhile,peopleinthepathofthe
proposedconstructionawaittheirfate,without
informationonhowthegovernmentwilldealwith
expropriatedlandorbuildings;uncertainhow
farmerswillbecompensatedforlostagricultural
tracts;orwhatimpactsonthevalueoftheir
propertyandqualityoflifehomeownerswillsee
oncetheyareadjacenttoanactivefreeway.
Increasingly,oppositiontotheA45–which
wouldlinkLyonandSt.Etienne–isgrowingin
themoreurbanareasintheRhoneValley,while
someinthemoreruralanddepressedStephanoise
regionclingtothevainhopethatthearea’s
economicandtransportationwoescouldbesolved
bytheproject.
TheoldA47freewayisindisrepair,overloadedwithlargetrucksandcloggedwithpeople
commutingfromSt.EtiennetoworkinLyon.
Thiscongestionisthereasonforthenewfreeway,butironically,whilethenewroadwould
providequicktransitthroughtheregionforforeign
trucks,improvementsontheexistingroadand
workonalternativemeansofintra-regiontransportation,liketramwaysandbettertrainservice
arebeingsacrificed.
TheGierValleyisexperiencinganetlossof
populationafterdecadesofunder-employmentin
thesteelindustry.Thecountrysideclingsbetween
thecitiesandtheindustrialareas,onthebrinkof
beingenvelopedbythespreadingsuburbs.The
convolutedtopographyhasallowedisolationto
endure,wheretinyvillagesdatingfromthe12th
centuryclingtorowsofhilltopsagainstthe
backdropofFrance’sMassifCentralandnarrow,
little-usedroadwayswindalongthecreasesinthe
land,linkingthevillages.
The Fruits of Labour
Thegemofthisgroupofruralcommunitiesisthe
CoteauxduJarez,wherefieldsandforestsgive
waytoverdantorchards.Inthespring,thehills
turnmulti-colouredasthedifferentvarietiesburst
intoflower,andbysummer,abundantcherries,
prunes,peachesandapricotsareharvested,with
applesandpearsfollowinginthefall.Itisthe
kindofplacewhereresidentsconsumethemilk,
butterandfreshcheesesoflocalsmall-scaledairy
farmers,andfruit-growersdescendtotheopen-air
marketsinthevalleytoselltheirproduce.
Perchedonasteephilltop,thevillageof
Cellieuishometoseveraldozensmallfamily
farms.Fruitfarmersworkthedozenorso
hectaresthattheyhavetendedforgenerations,
takingprideingrowingapremiumfruit.Hervé
Couzon,35,inheritedtheten-hectarefarmhis
grandfatherbegan;hisfatherconvertedthefarm
toorganicproduction20yearsago.Couzonworks
ten-hourdaystomaintainit,growinglessfruit
withpesticide-freemethods–abouttentonsper
hectareeachyear–butemployingmorepeople
“
From one day to the
next, this quiet valley
will receive 40 percent of
the traffic between St
Etienne and Lyon, which
could include thousands
of trucks a day.
”
thananon-organicfarmwould.Intheprocesshe
accomplisheswhathecallshis“desiretonourish
andpleasehumanitywithhealthyproducts.”
Couzonwasbornandraisedhere,andhas
traveledandlivedasfarawayasEasternEurope
andSenegal.Hiswifeisaneconomicsprofessor,
andwithtwoyoungchildrenandhismother–
retiredfromadministeringthefarm–tosupport,
theA45hitshome.“IstayedinfarmingbecauseI
wantedtomaintainourfamily’splacehere.”
Referringtothenoiseandthevisualblightonthe
landscape,hesays:“I’mmoreworriedaboutthe
overalldisasterthisroadwouldcausethanIam
aboutthenuisancetome.”
Butashepreparesforhisroleinthevillage’s
annual“FeastoftheCherries”andtransportshis
workerstotheorchardalongthequietcountry
roads,herealisesthatsheerphysicaldisruptionis
nottheworstthreatfromtheroad.Heworries
aboutthereputationoftheirregion’sproduce,
andtheeffectoftonsofpollutionrainingdown
ontheirorchardsfromthesuper-highway;
chemical-ladendustcarryinglead,zinc,and
hydrocarbonsthatwouldcoverthetrees,thefruit
andalsotheworkers.
The Automotive Orchard
“Ihavetoassumeamajorimpactonmyproductionandthehealthofmytrees.Theroadisless
than200mfromhalfmyorchards.Thesamepollutionwillbeintheirrigationponds,”saysCouzon.
BecauseofthesteephillsidesintheCoteaux
duJarez,theroadwouldinvolveaseriesof
tunnelsandbridgesacrosstherelativelypristine
hills.Onthewestsideofthevillage,thefreeway
wouldenteralongtunnel,belowoneofCouzon’s
orchards.Emergingonthenorthside,nearmore
ofhistrees,itwouldentertheupperreachesof
thedenselyfarmedVallédelaDurèze.Cutting
acrossthehillsidesthroughcroplands,itwould
crossthearea’sstreamsviaaseriesofviaducts,
beforeleavingthevalleybyalong6%grade–
themaximumpitchallowableforthiskindof
truckingroute.
Imposedontopofthepeachesandapples,
theroadwouldcompletelytransformthesmall
valleyandthelivesofitsinhabitants.Itwould
taketenyearsormoreofconstructionto
completetheproject.Thenwouldcomethenoise
andpollutionofwhatthegovernmentestimates
wouldbe31,000vehiclesaday,butwhatcritics
saywouldbemanymore.Fromonedaytothe
next,thisquietvalleywillreceive40%ofthe
trafficbetweenSt.EtienneandLyon,whichcould
includethousandsoftrucksaday.
Thenumbersarecontroversial.Forecasts
predictadoublingoftrucktrafficbefore2015–
theearliestdatetheroadcouldbecompleted.
Trafficintheregionhastripledinthelastthree
decades,butthegovernmenthasdownsizedits
ownpredictions.In1993,itwasprojectedthere
wouldbe114,300vehiclesadayusingtheA47
corridorby2010,butrecentdocumentspredicted
only83,000by2020.Inthesummerof2002,
attheheightoftheseason,closeto120,000
vehiclescrammedontothefreewayeachday.
Accordingto“SauvegardeduJarez,”alocal
groupopposingthehighway,studieshaveshown
thatoveralltrafficintheStephanoiseregioncould
grow3%annually–closerto135,000vehicles
ontheroadbetweenLyonandSt.Etiennein
2020.TheoldA47,lefttorotforovera
generation,wouldhavemoretrafficafterthe
completionoftheA45thanitdoestoday,andthe
peacefulvalleyoftheDurèzeRiverwouldecho
constantlyfromtrafficissuingfromthetunnel,
andtheconstantassaultofnoiseandpollution
fromlong-distancetrucksdown-shiftingonthe
long,steepgradeabovethevillageofChagnon. >>
Stay and Farm the Land
Chagnonhasastorybookcharm.Tuckedintothe
landscape,itfeelslikeit’sbeeninhabitedforever,
anditprobablyhas,longbeforethenearby
Romanruinswerebuilt.Recentlythelocals
inauguratedanewmonument,areplicaofthe
stoneplacedtherebytheEmperorHadrien
forbiddingpeasantstoplantneartheaqueduct,
onlythisnewversionforbidspavingandpolluting.
QuotedintheTribuneleProgrès,MarcelPetiot,
themayorofChagnonlamented,“Adramafor
ourfarms!Propertiescutintwo!”
Hesaystheprevailingwindswillblowthe
emissionsanddustfromthesuper-highwayonto
fieldswherefarmersgrowgrainandhayfortheir
cows,andontothevillageitself.“Trucksfullof
fruitwillbecomingdirectlyfromPortugaland
Spainincompetitionwithourlocalproduce.My
administrationwaselectedtoprotectourrural
status.Wewantouryoungpeopletostayand
farm.WhatgoodwilltheA45bringus?Nothing!”
FrançoisCatalano,64,isalocallyborn,
retiredteacherwhohaslivedinCellieufor30
years.HeisthespokespersonforSauvegardedu
Jarez.Catalanoenjoysthemorningsunonhis
smallvegetablegardenandlovestotakequiet
walksalongthepathwaysbyhishome,wherehe
canseethewildlifeandexperiencethepeaceof
thehillsandvalleys.“ThebusinessmenofSt.
EtiennetellusthattheyneedtheA45,”says
Catalano.“Ourelectedofficialssaythesame
becauseindustryismorepowerfulthanthe
handfulofthoseofusagainsttheroad.
“AslongasmostofthejobsareinLyon,we
shouldhavearegionalexpresstrain.But,really,
thepoliticiansshouldbecreatinglocaljobs,here
intheCoteauxduJarezandintheGierValley.
They’reignoringtheurgency.Weneedlightrail
totheindustrialparkswherethetrainsdon’tgo.
Andwhataboutcarryingtruckingcontainerson
trains?It’sgoodenoughforSwitzerland,buthere,
theydon’tdaresticktheirnecksoutandstart
developingit.Insteaditisthesuper-highway.”
PascalGarrido,61,hasbeenthemayorofLa
Talaudièrefor21years.Situatedontheedgeof
theurbansprawlaroundSt.Etienne,thissmall
townoflessthan7,000inhabitantshasawelldefinedtowncentreandanenviablesettingin
thesurroundingcountryside.
TheA45woulddestroythis,cuttingthe
municipalityintwo,placingabridgecarryingtens
ofthousandsofvehiclesatthespotwherethe
residentsenjoythebanksoftheOndanRiver,
divertingtheriveritselftomakewayforthe
massiveroad.
ForMr.Garrido,itmakesnosensetoputoff
fixingtheexistingfreewaywhilewaitingfifteen
yearsforthenewone.“Weneedthepoliticalwill
tofixtheA47,whichhasnotseenanyimprovementin40years!”hesays.“Almosteveryone
hereisagainsttheA45.ThetownofGivorsalso
opposesthenewfreeway.Theyunderstandthat
20
Car Busters#24 July - Sept. 2005
François Catalano stands before a roadside display opposing the A45 in the Coteaux du Jarez near Lyon.
whilethey’reworkingontheA45,theconditions
inthevalleywilljustgetworse.”
Feverishplanningisunderwayfortherapid
urbanisationofSt.Etienneanditssurroundings.
Tramwaysareseenwithinthecity,notbetween
towns.Theideaisthatpeoplewillleavetheircars
attheedgeofthecity,notathome.Thepoorer,
largelyimmigrantpopulationalongtheoldA47
areleftwithfewtransportationoptions,while
thosewhocanaffordthehighergaspricesand
expensivetollsarefavoured.
Evenwideningtheoldautoroutetothree
lanes,giventhatitmustcarryallthearea’straffic
foratleastthenext15years,isseenastoo
costly,whileestimatesofthecosttothepublicof
thenewA45–withitsexpensivetunnelsand
viaducts–areclimbingto70%,withthelocals
payingthelion’sshare.Yetallthatmanycansee
isthenewroad.
Businessmanandchamberofcommerce
memberBernardMoissonnierwasquotedinLe
Pointdescribinginglowingtermsthecreationofa
hugeurbanarea.“Infiftyyears,Lyonwilllook
likeLosAngeles,”hecrows.WiththeA45asa
directlinktoLyonhehopestoattracttravelersto
anewairportinSt.Etienne.“Itisourdestinyto
becomethewesternairportofthisgreatconglomerate.”Inthisvision,thecountrysidearound
townslikeLaTalaudière,St.MartinlaPlaineand
StMauricesurDargoireistobeswallowedupby
mushroomingbedroomcommunities.The
“destiny”oflongtime,ruralresidentsistobecome
irrelevantintheirowntowns,landpricesoutstrippingtheirfamily’smeans,expensivetoll
roadsandhigh-pricedpetrollimitingtheiroptions.
Althoughtheywilllivewiththenoiseand
pollutionoftheA45,manywillbeunabletoaccess
thenewfreeway–fewerentrypointsandtoll
areasmeansafastertransitforthosecrossingthe
region–solocalswillcontinuetogodowntothe
valleyastheyalwayshaveand,alongwiththose
languishingalongtheoldfree-waycorridor,use
thedilapidatedA47togettoLyonandSt.Etienne.
TheGieraqueductwasinservicefor400
yearsbeforethepeasantsbegantodisassembleit
tosabotagethewaningRomanEmpireorjustto
obtainstonefortheirownuse.TheA45maynot
comeon-lineuntil2020,andmayneverhaveas
longausage,arrivinglateinthepetroleumera.
InDecember2004,thehighestbridgeinthe
world–theMillauviaduct–openedatthe
southernendoftheMassifCentral.Twoanda
halfkilometreslong,rising290mabovetheTarn
gorge,itisliketheA45:akindofoverkill,a
paeantotheFrenchloveforthecar;amuchtrumpetedsymbolofmodernFrance.Ironically,at
thesametimeitisanotherlinktowardsgetting
trucksacrossthecountryfaster–atthepriceof
theuniquelyFrenchvaluesencompassedwithin
theirdisappearingcountryside.n
MokaiisamusicianandactivistbasedinSan
Francisco,California,USA.Hislastnamewas
destroyedbyasuper-highway.
t
u
c
o
t
t
n
a
wyourcar
use?
DearAnna,
Iamasingleparentwithtwokids.Iwanttobea
carfreerolemodelformykidsbecauseIdon’t
wantthemgrowingupintoheartlesscaraddicts,
butsometimesIreallyneedtouseacar.Canyou
givemeadviceonhowtouseacaraslittleas
possible,somylittletreasureswillbeproud?
Signed,
SingleParent
DearSingleParent,
Myfriendsinyourpositioncan’taffordacar,yet
areburdenedwithheavyloads.Localisingisyour
bestbet.Itisconvenientandcheap.Let’s
consideritfromthekid’sviewpoint.
Childrenhavetherighttocleanair,tobesafe
andtoactiveplay.Didyouknow:
•Carusersbreathethreetimesmorepoisonsfrom
fumesascyclistsorwalkers.
•Asthmaisontherise.
•Childrenarerecommendedatleastonehourof
physicalactivityaday.
•Inactivityleadstosleepproblemsandobesity.
•Childrenwhowalkorcycletoschoolarealert
andgetbetterresultsthanthosearrivingbycar.
Evenifadestinationthatcanonlybereached
bycarseemssuperior,bydrivingthereyouaren’t
improvinganyone’shealth.Choosethenearer
optioninstead.Walkingandcyclingarefeasible,
evenwhentravellingwithtwokids.
Outsideofacaryourandomlymeetpeople
alongtheway.Theseregularinteractionshelp
nourishyourdailyneedsforfriendships,childminding,school-runs,carorshopping-tripsharing.
Forshorttrips,carfreeorcarlitetravelreally
matters.Astheengineiscold,cartripsoflessthan
twomilespollutebyupto60%more.Catalytic
converterstakeatleastsixmilestobeginworking.
Childrenlovewalking,cyclingandpublic
transportandifyouarenotdriving,you’llhave
moreattentionforthem.Itcantakelongerbut
thisisqualitytimewithyourfamily.
You’llrequirewaterproofs,umbrellas,maps,
lightsandreflectivestokeepdry,seenandsafe.
Still,Irealisethatsometimesbycaristhe
onlysensibleway.Betterdrivinghabitscancut
fuelconsumptionandemissionsbyupto25%.
Takeheedofsometipsaspetrolpricesaresureto
riseasoilextractionpeaks.
Knowthewaytoavoid
gettinglost,stuckinjams
orroadworks.Planadirect
route,ideallyoff-peakand
daytime.Driversshoulduse
mainroads.Zig-zagging
throughresidentialstreetsmakes
thesestreetsunsafe,especiallyfor
kids,theelderlyandthedisabled.
Plusitisapollutionandnoisenuisance.
Tryliftsharing.Whoisgoingthesameway?
Askaboutsharingandsaferroutestowork,
nurseryorschool.Swapchild-care,drop-offsand
pick-ups.You’llenjoycostsavingsandhavemore
freetime.Somelocalauthoritiesrunsharing
websites.Registerasadriverorpassenger.
Sharingbenefitseveryone.You’llpocketthefuel
costsaswellasthoseforwearandtear.Sharea
shoppingrunandsaveontwo-for-oneoffers.
Mixyourtravel.Couldyougopartoftheway
onfoot,bybicycleorbus?Sturdycycletrailers
(e.g.,BurleyorChariot)cancopewithtwokids
andluggage.Electricbikesmixhumanpowerwith
assistedpropulsion.Lockbikesandswitchto
publictransport,carhire,taxiorliftshare.Or
walk,cycleorparkandthenuseaPark-and-Ride
bus,trainortram.Trytokeeptowncentres
cleanerwhereairqualitymattersmost.
Takeupfamilytraveloffersontrains.
Ifyourarelyuseacar,joinacarcluborshare
ownershipwithafriendorneighbour.Members
payastheydriveandbenefitfromachoiceof
vehicles.Theysavearound£1,400+peryearand
havelessmaintenanceandcar-carehassles.
Gothelightestway.Ifthereisachoice,pick
thevehiclewiththebestfuelefficiency–the
smallest.Thisiscrucialwhenchangingcars.A
trailerorcarhireisforexceptionalneeds.
Anticipateandthinkaheadforasmooth
drivingstylethatissafer,greenerandsaveson
spares.Gobelowthelimitintownwhere20mph
isplenty;40-60mphgivesbestfuelefficiencyon
fasterroads.Drivingat70mphcanuseupto
30%morefuelthanat50mph.
Fuelandenergyefficiencyisalsoimportant.
Reducedragbyremovingaroofrackorexcess
weight,andclosingwindows.Driveoffstraight
away.Turntheengineoffifyouexpecttowait
formorethan10seconds.Thisiscrucialintowns.
jcuasltl
AnnA
Alternativefuelsgivecheaperridesasdoes
turningoffairconditioning.
Dieselisworseforhealththanpetrol.
Regularmaintenancewillkeeptheengine
tuned.Inflatingtirestothecorrectpressure
improvessafetyandcutsemissionsby5%.
Whenreplacingyourcar,optforasmall
modelsuchasaSmartCar.Britishtaxation
favourslowemissionsandalternativefuels.Get
onewithagooduser,pedestrianandcyclist
safetyrecord(i.e.,nobullbarsorfour-wheel
drives).Responsiblydisposeofanyunwanted
vehicle.
Finally,enjoythebenefits.Spendlesstime
andmoneyontravelandyou’llhaveextrafor
yourfamily.Britishhouseholdsspend£1inevery
£6onmotoring,morethanonfoodorhousing.
You’llalsobehealthier.
Persevereatresponsiblecaruse.Treadlightly
ontheearth.Itisourchildren’sinheritance.
IfyouhaveaquestionyouwouldlikeAnnato
addressinafuturecolumn,writeherat
<[email protected]>.
AnnaSemlyenistheauthorofCuttingYour
CarUse(www.cuttingyourcaruse.co.uk).Sales
55,000+.Sheisactivelyseekingpublishersand
potentialauthorsinothercountriestoproduce
localeditions(exceptNorthAmericaorWales).
[email protected].
Car Busters#24 July - Sept. 2005
21
all photos by Martin Marecek
WeAre-PartofIt
nGettingtothesourcewithdocumentaryfilmmakerMartinMarecek
byStevenLogan
“Oiliseverywhere.ItisasifyouwereinLondon
orPragueandyouwentfourstopsonthemetro
andthengotoff.Theoilpumpsarethatcloseto
Baku’s[thecapitalcityofAzerbaijan]citycentre,
saysCzechdocumentaryfilmmakerMartin
Marecek.Thestink,the50°Coppressiveheat,it
wasterrible–anoilapocalypse.”
“Thecitytramlineshavemostlybeenshut
down,”headds.
“Wheredothethingswehavecomefrom?”
asksMarecek,whosefilm,Source*,premieredat
therecentOneWorldFilmFestivalinPrague.
Acknowledgingtheveryeverydaythingswetake
forgranted,heasks,“Wheredoesthisjuiceand
t-shirtcomefrom?”
Aspopulationsbecomeevermoreurbanised,
wemovefurtherawayfromthesourceofour
sustenance.Thefoodthatfuelstheworld’scarsis
noexception.Marecekdecidedtotracethe
connectionsoftheoiltoitssource.Ittookhim
andhisfilmcrewtotheoilfieldsofAzerbaijan,
theCzechRepublic’ssecondlargestsupplierofoil.
FactFindingMissionreportonAzerbaijan,writes
that“anumberofBTCaffectedcommunitiesare
stillwaitingforcompensationand[thereare]
widespreadcasesofcorruptionduringtheland
compensationprocess.”[Ed.:See“Studiesand
Reports,”page26,formoreonthereport.]
TransparencyInternationalranksAzerbaijan
140thoutof146countriesinitsglobalcorruption
index.Yetatthesametime,outof28poorcountrieslistedintheWorldBank’s2005“Global
DevelopmentFinance”report,Azerbaijanreceived
themostforeigndirectinvestmentbyfarwithover
$1billion.“Poorcountriesshouldcontinueefforts
toimprovetheirinvestmentclimate,”suggests
thereport.
InSource*,vice-presidentoftheStateOil
CompanyofAzerbaijan(SOCA)ChosbetJusifzadeh
sitscontentlyinhisoffice,ignoringtheringing
governmentphonewhileextollingthevirtuesof
oil.SOCAholds25%ofthesharesintheBTC
consortium.Theformervice-director,IlhamAliyev,
isnowthepresidentofthecountry.Hesucceeded
hisfatheraspresident,inelectionsgenerally
regardedasfalsified.
Marecek,whoalsoeditedthefilm,juxtaposesinterviewswithhigh-rankingofficialswho
havedirectlybenefitedfromAzerbaijan’swealth
ofoilwithotherswhohaveseenlittlebenefit
fromthehugeinvestmentinthecountry.
“SeventypercentofAzerbaijanislivein
poverty,”saysIndependentUniondissident
MirvariGahramanli,whomakesamemorablefirst
appearanceinthefilm.Gahramanliandfilmcrew
havegatheredatanoilworker’shousenextto
Baku’soilfields.Aluxuriousvillaisperchedon
thehill.“IwantallofEuropetoseethis.When
peopledrivetheircarsletthemseehowweget
oil.Howhe[theworkersittingnexttoher]puts
hissoulintoextractingit.”
Theforeigninvestorfuelingthisfinanceis
BritishPetroleum,leadingaconsortiumof11
companiesintheownershipofBTC.BPAzerbaijan
presidentMichaelTownsendsaysinthefilmthat
therearethreethingsthatdrivetheworldofoil:
Toproduceasmuchoilaspossiblefortheminimumofcoststoachievethemaximumprofit.
MarecekaskedforaccesstotheBTCfacilities,but
Townsendsaidthiswouldbe“virtuallyimpossible”
andanywayitis20kmfromtheGeorgianborder
andnothingmuchishappeningthere.Townsend
doespassonpromotionalvideosoftheBTCpipeline.TheyareincorporatedintoSource*andare
wonderfulexamplesofhowBPisputtingcorporate
spinonacomplexissue.
Move Along...
Nothing Here to See
InthevillageofZayam,westernAzerbaijan,not
farfromtheGeorgianborder,Source*findsthat
somethingishappening.Somelandownersare
What Lies Underneath?
OnMay25,theBaku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan(BTC)pipeline,aUS$3.3billonprojectthatwilltakeoil
throughTurkey,GeorgiaandAzerbaijanandinto
thegastanksofcardriversthroughoutEurope,
wasinaugurated.Seventypercentofthefunding
comesfrompublicinstitutions–taxpayermoney
–withpublicbodiessuchastheWorldBank
providingoverUS$600million.
Theprojecthasbeenplaguedwithproblems.
Czech-basedCEEBankwatchNetwork,initsThird
22
Car Busters#24 July - Sept. 2005
Women from the town of Zayam in western Azerbaijan speak about unjust treatment from local government officials.
over-compensatedandotherswhoreceivedno
moneyarestillseeingbulldozersdigginguptheir
landtobuildthepipeline.“Theyruinlandthatis
officiallyours,”saysonelandowner.
TheBankwatchreportfoundthatin2002,
villageofficialstookthedeedstovillagers’lands
onthepretextthattheyneededtobetranslated;
however,whenthedeedswerereturnedthe
documentshadbeenchangedandthelandwas
nolongerlocatedonthepipelineroute.
Marecekandhiscrewwerealsoundersurveillancebysecretpoliceandatonepoint,while
filmingresidentswholivednexttothepipelinein
Zeyam,theyweredetainedbysecurityforces.
“Theyheldus,butonlyforashortwhile
becausethegovernmentisafraidofinternational
EuropeanjournalistsfromtheWestandthe
possiblescandalthatmightresult,”saysMarecek.
Marecek’sfilmisaprojectofAuto*Mat,a
Czechorganisationthatexploresmobility,particularlyinPraguewherecarownershipisamongthe
highestinEurope.MarecekenvisionsAuto*Mat,
whichbeganasaresponsetoPraguefamilies
fleeingtheunlivablecity,asamachinethatwill
workitswayacrosslandscapes.Itsgoalisto
bringartistsandfilmmakerstogetherwithother
alternativetransportadvocatestohelpbringthe
ideastomorepeople.
“IhavethefeelingthatCarBustersreaders
andpeopleatfestivalswhoseethisfilmhave
alreadythoughtabouttheproblem.Idon’twant
myfriendstoseethisfilm,Iwantmyneighbour
toseeit,”saysMarecek.“Hecomplainedtome
thatIamgettinginhiswaybecauseIridemy
bike.Iamobviouslygoingslowerthanhim,he
thinks,andIcouldfallinfrontofhiscar.”
Thefilmisalsoforgrantingagenciessuchas
theInternationalMonetaryFundandtheEuropean
InvestmentBanksotheycangetinformation
abouttheproblemswiththeBTCpipelineproject,
saysMarecek.“Theyneedtofollowandknow
nottosupportcorruptprojects.”
“WeneedorganisationsliketheUnited
This is the black gold. For that we work our asses off, says one worker in an oil field outside of Baku.
NationsortheWorldBank,butwealsoneed
someonetodistributethemoneytolocalplaces.
Forexample,theUNortheWorldBankgives
moneytoAzerbaijan.Theycreatealocalbranch,
trytocooperatewiththelocalgovernmentand
thenattempttodolocalprojects,butthemoney
getslostincorruption,”saysMarecek.
“ThereisaplacehereforgoodNGOs,but
manyofthemarecorrupt.”
AsElderZeynatov,adissidentandmemberof
theHumanRightsCentre,saysinthefilm,10%
ofthemoneyfromoilgoestothepeopleof
Azerbajian,whiletherestendsupinthepockets
ofthegovernment.Theresourcesofthelandare
notbenefitingthepeopleoftheland.
“Whenyoubuyoilyouinvestinthecorrupt
regimeofAzerbaijan,”saysZeynatov.
Marecekhopesthatthefilmwillprovokea
responseamonggroupslookingforasolutionto
theproblems.“Supportforsuchhugeprojectslike
theoilpipelineisproblematic,butifyousupport
20smalllocalprojects,involvingsolarenergyor
biomass,thenthismighthelpmitigatecorruption.
Martin Marecek (right) and director of photography Jiri Malek
Count Me Out!
Auto*Matmakesastickerwiththephrasejeduv
tomwhichtranslatesliterallyas“Igoinit,”but
notgoingbyfoot;rather,inthesensethatIam
movingwiththehelpofamachineorananimal.
Butthephrasecanalsobeunderstoodas,Iplaya
roleinit,or,inotherwords,wearepartofit,a
civilisationdependentonvehiclemovement.
“Transportationisthenumberoneproblem,
asoureconomiesarebasedontransportation,”
saysMarecek.“IntheCzechRepublic,15to20%
ofGDPistiedtothecarindustry.”
“Transportationisnotonlyforpeople,butfor
foods,goods,andtourism,”hesays.The
technologiesthatMarshallMcLuhanarguedare
simplyextensionsofourselves,takeusfurther
aroundtheglobeandperpetuatetheproblems.
Andthetechnologicalpromisethatvirtual
mobilitymightsolvetheproblemsofvehicle
mobilityhasnotyetmaterialised,”saysMarecek,
“rather,thevirtualissupportingthephysical.”
TheluxuryofourpositionatWorldCarfree
Network–whereweoftentravel,virtuallyand
physically,justnotbycar–isthatwecanpublishmagazinesonAcercomputersorwecan
shootadocumentaryfilmonaSonycamera,but
inusingthethingswhichcomefromsocieties
basedontransportationthenwearestillpartof
it,explainsMarecek.
Andsoweshouldkeepthisinmindwhen
weapproachourformerneighboursfromthe
suburbs,whostilldrivetheirSUVstoandfrom
workeveryday.n
MartinMareceklivesandworksinPrague.Heis
currentlyeditingasecondfilmundertheAuto*Mat
bannerthatwilltakeonthecarfreetheme.Ifyou
areinterestedinscreening Source*,orsimply
showingittoyourneighbourwiththeSUV,
contactBionautFilms:[email protected]
visitwww.bionaut.czandwww.automatfilm.cz
formoreinformation.
Car Busters#24 July - Sept. 2005
23
Velo-citybytheSea
nCarBustersgoestoDublinforthe25thanniversaryofthisbikeconference
Steven Logan
byStevenLogan
T
wowheelsgood,fourwheelsbad!Thiswastheimpromptuchantofan
oldIrishmanwhohadjustcomeoutfromadipintheIrishSea,a
stone’sthrowfromthetowerinwhichJamesJoycesettheopening
sceneofUlysseus.“Ihavepicturesofcarsparkedinthebikelanesallover
Dublin,”hetoldme.“ShouldIbringthemtotheconference?”Iencouraged
himto.Heandhisfellowbathers,contentaftertheirrefreshingswim,were
generallypleasedthatabicycleconferencewashappeninginDublin.
Thiswasnotpartoftheconferenceprogramme,butthecycleouttothe
seafeltnecessaryafterthreedaysofsittinginsidelisteningtopeopletalk
aboutcycling.TheaforementionedIrishman’schantremindsusthatbike
conferenceslikeVelo-city–wherepeoplefromover40countriesgatheredto
talkabout“DeliveringtheVision,”thecatch-allconferencetheme–should
addressboththebenefitsofcycling,aswellasthenuisancethatdriving
representstodevelopingextensivecyclingnetworks.
“Itismoredifficulttotakespaceawayfromcarsthenitistoraisetaxes,”
proclaimedEnriquePeñalosainhiskeynoteaddress.Inoneoftheconference’s
moreimpassionedspeeches,Peñalosasaidthatbicyclelanesshouldnotjust
beplacedwherethereisspace;rather,theybelongoneverysingleroadand
thisisthe“obligationofanydemocraticgovernment.”
ParisVice-MayorDenisBaupinalsoemphasisedthatcityspaceneedsto
bere-allocatedawayfromthecarandtowardsthebicycle.“Givingtheworld
overtocarsisbarbarous,”saidBaupin.
Startingfrom2001,andcontinuinguntil2007,Parisplanstrafficcalming
inover30districts.Cyclistsareincreasinglyallowedtorideagainsttrafficon
one-waystreets.Thiscameupagainintheconferenceonasessiondevotedto
counter-flow.Cyclistsareoftenchidedforgoingthe“wrong”waydownonewaystreets,butonestudyofabusyMontrealstreetwherehalfthecyclists
rodeagainstthetrafficshowedthattherewerenomoreaccidentsthanona
regularstreet.Counter-flowalsoslowsdrivers,keepscyclistsoffbusy,main
roadsandopensupnewpossibilitiesforcyclelanes.
Theseachievements,saidBaupin,aretheresultofpoliticalwillandpressurefromcyclists,andcontributedtoa41%increaseinbiketrafficinthelast
threeyears.
AsidefromPeñalosaandBaupin,manyoftheconferencespeakerswere
theretofindwaystoincreasecycling.AndrewSalkeldofLeicester,UK,suggestedabicyclefilmfestivalincities,whileotherpresentersemphasisedthe
healthbenefitsofcycling,asawaytocombatgrowingobesity.Bernard
Dehaye,presidentofGRACQ,TheDailyCyclists’ResearchandActionGroupin
Belgium,wentasfartosaythatcardriversandcyclistsneedtogetalong
betterandunderstandeachothertoimprovecyclingconditions.
AngelavanderKloof,oftheCentreforImmigrantWomeninTilburg,The
Netherlands,hadasmallposterdisplayamongmanyothersonthesecond
floorofthemainhall.Thecentrehasbeenprovidingcycletrainingfor
immigrantwomenforover20years.
InTilburg,25%ofthepopulationismadeupofimmigrantsfromcountrieslikeMorocco,Turkey,Somalia,andtheCaribbeanislands.“Many
womenhearfromayoungagethatcyclingisnotgoodforthem,itisnot
properandtheyaretoostupidtolearnsuchthings,”saysvanderKloof.To
addressthis,thecentrestarted“CycleFriends.”
“WerecruitDutchwomenwhowouldliketogetincontactwithimmigrant
women,”shesays.“Theycycletogetherandarrangeeverythingattheir
ownconvenience.”
Inanotherpresentation,DamienO’Tuama,whoseorganisationhelped
preparetheDublinpublicforthesmokingbaninbarsandrestaurants,showed
24
Car Busters#24 July - Sept. 2005
Conference participant Dave Holiday wins our first annual best dressed cyclist award.
howthetacticsmightbetransferredtobanningcars.Atfirst,manypeople
wereagainstthesmokingban,butitisnowcommonplace.Yet,thistook
yearstodevelopandneededstrongalliancesbetweengovernmentdepartments,professionalbodiesandotherorganisations.
Althoughtheissueofcar-dominatedstreetsasanimpedimenttocycling
couldhavebeenaddressedattheconferenceinmoreconstructiveways,John
Grimshaw,founderanddirectorofSustrans,madeclearinhispresentation
that“youcan’tincreasecycleusewithoutcuttingcaruse.”
“Oneofthechallengesishowtopositivelyencouragepeoplenotto
havecars,becauseatthemomentyoudonotgetrewardedifyougiveupa
car,”hesaidinanexclusiveinterviewafterhispresentation.Ifpeoplegive
uptheircars,hesaid,thecitycouldextendthesidewalksinfrontoftheir
housesandplanttreesthere.
”Allofustip-toearoundthebusinessofrestrictingcaruse,that’swhy
webuildgreenwaysbecausewearebuildingthemindependentofthecar
infrastructure.Iseegreenwaysascreatingasecondlayeroftransportthatis
almostinvisible,butwhenthecrisiscomestheywillhavetheirplace.”
Bytheend,itwasclearthatthereisalwaysroomforimprovingthe
imageofcyclingandthatcityroadsneedtobeopeneduptocyclists,ina
safeandsignificantway.AsIbikedhomefromourfinaldayofthe
conference,tryingtofindaspaceformyselfbetweenthemessofDublin
traffic,thetinybikelane,andtheominouscurb,Ireturnedtothebather’s
chant,“Twowheelsgood!Fourwheelsbad!”n
Skill Sharing
editedbyGandalfTätting
Haveyoueverimaginedofstartingyourown
cyclingbusiness?Ifso,thenJimGregorymightbe
abletohelp.Gregoryisoneoftheco-ownersof
BikesatWork<www.bikesatwork.com>,afirm
thathasbeendeliveringallsortsofthingsby
bikesinAmes,Iowa,US,since1991.What
followsisanexcerptfromGregory’sCyclingfor
Profit,nowoutofprint.Ifyoufindthereading
inspiring,thereareboundtobeafewcopies
kickingaroundbothrealandvirtualbookshops.
Somepeoplerideabikeforrecreationorexercise.
Othersrideabicycleincompetition.Stillothers
usetheirbicycletogettoworkordopersonal
errands.Afourthgroupofpeopleusesabicycleto
earnaliving.Irefertothislastgroupofpeopleas
commercialcyclists.
Commercialcyclistsdoawiderangeofwork.
Theycarryeverythingfrompharmaceuticalsor
documentsinsideamessengerbagtolargeboxes
orfurnitureusingcargobikesortrailers.Some
commercialcyclistsevencarrypeople,using
bicycletaxiscalledpedicabs.
Worldwide,commercialcyclistsplayan
importantroleinurbantransportation.Theyare
mostcommonlyfoundincountrieswherethecost
oflabouriscomparativelylowandthecostof
automobilesortrucksishigh.Forexample,
SustainableTransportmagazinereportsthat
therewereanestimated37,000pedicabsoperatinginthecenterofHoChiMinhCityin1995.
Pune,India,acityof1.6million,has50,000
cyclistsworkingforhire.
Commercialcyclistsaremuchlessprevalent
intheUS,wherelabouriscomparativelymore
expensive.IntheUS,mostcommercialcyclists
workasbikecouriersinthedowntownbusiness
districtsofmanylargecities.Eventhenumberof
thesehasbeendeclining,however,withthe
growinguseoffaxmachinesande-mail.
Still,commercialcyclistscouldbeserving
muchmoreofthelocaltransportationneedsof
theUS.AccordingtoTransAct,anonprofittransportationadvocacyorganisation,nearlyhalfofall
tripsarefivemilesorlessinlength,andmore
than20%arelessthan12miles.Thesetripsare
wellwithinthecapacitiesofacyclist,andinsome
instancescanbedonemorequicklyandcheaply
withabicyclethanbycar.
The Business
Forthosewantingtostarttheirownsmallbusiness,workingasacyclisthasseveraladvantages.
Lisa Logan
Commercial Cycling
Ted Ingram, mountain bike racer, moving a washing machine in downtown Toronto, Canada.
Theamountofmoneyneededtogetstartedis
verylow.Insomeinstancesallthatisneededisa
bicycle.Eventhemostcapital-intensivebusinesses
requireonlyafewthousanddollarstogetstarted,
afractionofwhatitcoststostartmostother
businesses.Norisabuildingorofficeusually
needed;inmostinstances,youcansimplywork
fromyourhome.
Moreover,mostcyclingbusinessesaresubject
tofew,ifany,governmentregulations.Acommercialdriver’slicenseisnotrequired,norwillmost
businessesdescribedinthisbookneedapermitto
operate.(Checkwithyourstateandlocalgovernmenttomakecertain,though.)Usingabicycle
mayevenexemptabusinessfromtherulesthat
otherbusinesseswouldfollow.
Forexample,whenIinformedthecitythatI
wantedtostartacurbsiderecyclingservice,Iwas
toldthatIwouldneedalocalwastehaulingpermitandhavetogetmyvehicleinspectedannually.
WhenItoldthemthatmy“vehicle”wasactually
abicycle,boththepermitandinspectionrequirementsweredropped.
The Disadvantages
Commercialcyclinghassomedistinctdisadvantages.First,itcanbedangerous.Commercial
cyclistsusuallyhavetorideintrafficand,unlike
thevehiclesaroundthem,havelittleprotectionin
acollision.Forthesereasons,itisimportantto
alwaysbealerttotraffic,beawareofroadcon-
ditions,andalwayswearprotectiveheadgear
whennecessary.Perhapsmostimportantistonot
berecklessorfoolhardy.Thereisanoldadage
amongbikemessengersthatsays,“thereareold
bikecouriers,andboldbikecouriers,butthereare
noold,boldbikecouriers.”
Second,cyclingisusuallynotveryremunerative.WhileacyclistcanoftenearnUS$10per
hourormoreforeachhourridden,asignificant
amountoftimeisalsospentoffthebike,either
doingrepairs,preparinginvoices,ordoingother
typesofrecord-keeping.Consequently,earninga
sufficientincomecanbeachallenge.Mostcyclists
havetobefrugalwiththeirmoney.
Third,theworkcanbeverytiring,especially
whenitisnecessarytohurryallday,orcarry
severalheavyloads.Commercialcyclingrequires
agreatdealofstamina.
Fourth,theweatherisnotalwayscooperative.Unlikearecreationalorcommutingcyclist,
commercialcyclistscanrarelychosewhatdays
theywanttoride.Nomatterwhetheritissunny,
raining,orsnowing,commercialcyclistshaveto
work.Failuretorideoninclementdaysnotonly
resultsinalossofincome,butcanresultinaloss
ofcostumers,especiallythoseneedingmore
dependableservice.
Ifyouareundeterredbytheseaspectsofthe
job,thenthenextstepinbecomingacommercial
cyclististodeterminewhatkindofworkismost
appropriateforyourcircumstances.n
Car Busters#24 July - Sept. 2005
25
Studies & Reports
Traffic Jams Worsening
AreportbytheTexasTransportationInstitute
showsthatcongestionintheUnitedStates
delayedtravelers79millionmorehoursand
wasted69millionmoregallonsoffuelin2003
thanin2002.
The2005UrbanMobilityReportfoundthat
overallin2003,therewere3.7billionhoursof
traveldelayand2.3billiongallonsofwastedfuel
foratotalcostofmorethanUS$63billion.There
arenow51Americancitiesinwhichtheaverage
motoristisdelayedforleast20hoursayear.
Together,thetworeportsrevealacatalogue
ofunresolvedproblemswiththeBTCproject,such
asenvironmentalrisksandinadequatelyaddressed
compensationcases.
FormoreontheBTCpipeline,seealso“We
ArePartofIt,”ourinterviewwithfilmmaker
MartinMarecekonpage22.
London Traffic
Fatalities Down 21%
NewfiguresfromTransportforLondon,thecity's
transportagency,showthatthenumberofpeople
killedonLondon'sroadsfellby21%lastyear.
Therewerealso939fewerseriousinjuries
comparedto2003,downto3,953.
ThepositiveresultsledMayorKenLivingstone
toaskforanevenmorechallengingtargetofa
50%reductionby2010inthenumberofdeaths
andseriousinjuriesonthecity'sroads.
Otherkeyfigures:Cyclistdeathsandinjuries
weredown23%,thegovernmenttargetforreducingthenumberofcyclistskilledandseriously
injuredwasreachedsixyearsaheadofschedule,
thenumberofcaroccupantskilledorseriously
injuredwasdown24%,andthenumberofmotorisedtwo-wheelerriderskilledorseriouslyinjured
wasdown22%.
ATransportforLondonpressreleasethanks
measuressuchas20mph(30kmh)zones,
improvedroadlayoutandextrasafetycameras.
Fact-Finding Mission Reports
Problems with BP Pipeline
TheThirdInternationalFact-FindingMissionto
AzerbaijanandGeorgia,investigatingtheBakuTbilisi-Ceyhan(BTC)pipeline,wasreleasedinMay
byCEEBankwatchNetwork,FriendsoftheEarth
UK,LesAmisdelaTerre,GreenAlternative,
NationalEcologicalCenterforUkraineandCentre
forCivicInitiatives.
ThepurposebehindthemissionstoGeorgia
andAzerbaijanwastoinvestigateareasofenvironmentalandsocialconcerninrelationtothepipelineproject.
TheGeorgianreportcontainsleakeddocumentsdetailingdisputesbetweentheGeorgian
government,BritishPetroleumandinternational
financialinstitutionsregardingsafetyconcerns.
TheAzerbaijanpartpointsattheextentto
whichtheprojectisbeingimplementedinbreach
ofagreedstandards,particularlythoserelatingto
landacquisition.
26
Car Busters#24 July - Sept. 2005
Getting People to Walk:
Changing Behaviour
ArecentarticleinAccess,themagazineofthe
UniversityofCaliforniaTransporationCenter,
asks,“Whichcomesfirst:Theneighbourhoodor
thewalking?”
Inotherwords,whatencouragespeopleto
leavetheircarsbehindandwalkinsteadof
driving,asksSusanHandy,AssociateProfessor,
DepartmentofEnvironmentalScienceandPolicy
attheUniversityofCaliforniainDavis?Is
changingthebuiltenvironmentenoughtoget
peopleoutoftheircars?
Thearticlelooksatthedifficultiesofdeterminingwhatfactorsplayaroleinpeople’sdecisionsabouttheirmodeoftransport.
Themagazinebecomesavailableon-line
sometimeafterpublicationat<www.uctc.net/
access>.Theauthors’studycanbefoundat
<www.trb.org/downloads/sr282papers/
sr282Handy.pdf>.
What Makes
Cities Child-Friendly?
Driven to Spend:
Trapped by the Automobile
AnewstudybytheSurfaceTransportationPolicy
ProjectandtheCenterforNeighborhoodTechnologyshowsthatUSfamiliesarepayingahigh
pricetomeettheirtransportationneedsandfamiliesinareaswithfewertransportationchoices
carryevengreaterburdens.
DriventoSpend:PumpingDollarsoutofOur
HouseholdsandCommunitiesupdatesprior
transportationcoststudiespublishedbythetwo
organisations,butprovidesinformationforthe
firsttimeontheeffectofgaspricesonfamily
budgets.TheauthorsconcludethatUSfamilies
needtofindalternativestoexpensiveautomobiletransport.
“Thebigsqueezeison,withwagesdown
andhousingandtransportationcostsatrecord
levels.Transportationisoneareawherewecan
dosomethingtohelpfamiliesandregionsspend
less,butitdependsontransportationofficials
makingwiseruseofflexiblefederaldollarsto
providelesscostlyalternativestoautomobile
travel,”saysScottBernstein,presidentofthe
CenterforNeighborhoodTechnology.
Thefullreportisavailableonthewebsite
oftheSurfaceTransportationPolicyProjectat
<www.transact.org/library/reports_pdfs/
driven_to_spend>.
Weallthinkweknowwhatchildrenneedinorder
tobehappyandhealthy.Notsuprisingly,cars
separatekidsfromtheseneeds.Freshair,exercise,asafeenvironmentinwhichtoplay–these
areimportantnotonlyforhealthychildrenbut
alsoforhealthyneighborhoods.
Child-andYouth-FriendlyLand-Useand
TransportPlanningGuidelinesbyRichardGilbert
andCatherineO’Brien,looksattheimpactsof
currenttransportplanningonchildren.Agood
resourceforanyonelookingformorereasonsnot
todrive.Readthereportat<www.cstctd.org/
english/docs/Guidelines.pdf>.
advert
Reviews
Crude: The Story of Oil
SoniaShah,SevenStoriesPress,2004
ISBN:1-58322-625-7
SoniaShah’sCrude
tellsthestoryofthe
realisationofoil’s
poweratatimein
historywhenAmericancapitalistswere
particularlywellpositionedtoextract
andsellitforgreat
profit.Oiltranslated
intobigmoneyand
moneymakestheworldgo‘round.
At175pages,Crudeisathinbook,but
densewithcompellingfacts,statistics,
explanationsoftechnology,quotesandengaging
storiesthatgivesomehelpfulcontextforsuch
newsthatExxonMobil’sreturnsoninvestments
overthelast30yearswereoverthreetimes
thoseofothertopUScompanies.
Andjustastheplasticsindustryhasused
chainsofcarbonatomstoshapenewproducts,
ExxonMobilandothersintheoilindustryhave
usedstacksof“carbondollars”toshape
governmentpolicy,transportation,publicopinion,
andscience.
Recently,theinfluenceofExxonMobilonUS
globalwarmingpolicycametolight,thanksto
thetenacityofGreenpeace.(Alongwith
Music Review
Velo,byBulBul;PBE,PortlandBikeEnsemble
Anyonewhohas
riddenalonedown
aquietroadis
familiarwiththe
whirring,clicks,
humsandticksa
bicyclecanproduce
–musictoa
cyclist’sears.
Ridingisrhythm
andrhythmisthe
backboneofmusic.
Soit’snosurprisethatpeopleondifferentsides
oftheworldwouldturnbicyclesintoinstruments.
OregonUSA’sPortlandBikeEnsemble(PBE)and
Austria’sBulBul(akaManfredEngelmayr)both
succeedintransformingbicyclesoundsintomusic
–althoughtheirapproachesandresultsarevery
different.PBEplaysfreeimprovisedmusicon
actualbicyclesforliveaudiences.BulBulculls
andeditsbicyclesoundstoproducepolished
technobeats.
descriptionsofthetreacherouslivesofworkerson
floatingrigs,Crudeincludesgrippingaccountsof
Greenpeaceactiviststryingtoshutdowntherigs
andthetragicandheroicstoriesofthoseunlucky
enoughtobelivingonlandaboveoildeposits.)
Convincingoilindustry-sponsoredpoliticians
(Harken:Bush,Halliburton:Cheney,Chevron:
Rice)thatburningoilmaynotbethecauseof
globalwarmingwasprobablynotthatdifficult.
ToconvicetherestoftheUSpublic,
universityprofessorsweregivenfundingtocome
upwithalternativetheoriesforthecauseofthe
warming(thesunhasjustgotbrighter),which
werethentreatedbytheUSmediawiththesame
levelofseriousnessastheoverwhelmingly
acceptedone,leavingthepublicwiththesense
that“thescientistsreallydon’tknow.”
Inthetransportationindustry,longbefore
therewassciencetodismantle,therewere
competingmeansofgettingabout–meansthat
didn’tneedmuchoil–tosquash.
Atthebeginningofthe20thcentury,after
kerosenesales(onwhichJohnD.Rockefeller’s
StandardOilmadeitsinitialfortunes)had
droppedwiththeriseofelectricity,therecently
discoveredoilinTexasneededanewmarket.
Cars,whichneedthreetimesmoreenergy
thantrainsandthirtytimesmoreenergythan
bicyclestotransportpeopleagivendistance,
wereexpensiveandnotimmediatelypopularwith
thepublic.Theybecamethenaturalbelovedsof
theoilindustry,however.
Thedismantlingofthestreetcarsystembya
coalitionofStandardOil,GeneralMotors,
Firestoneandotherrubbercompanieswas
probablythemostobviousstrong-arming(but
punishedwithonlyasmallfine).Theyconvinced
investorstoabandonprojectsalreadystarted,like
bicyclepathslinkingPasadenatoLosAngeles.
Later,theNationalInterstateandDefense
HighwaySystemActputUS$26billionintothe
layingofasphaltforcarsandtrucks,pavingthe
wayforacar-dependentsociety.
TheUSinvasionofIraqnotonlyhighlights
thisdependency,butperpetuatesitaswell.
AccordingtoastoryintheMayAtlanticMonthly,
USsoldiersonthegroundareeachburningabout
ninegallonsofgasolineaday(threetimeswhat
eventheaverageUScitizenuses)and,along
withIraqicivilians,facethedailythreatofbombs
hiddenincars.Attheheightofbombingbythe
USmilitary,hundredsofairborneoiltankers
refueledthebombers,pumpinghundredsof
gallonsaminutewhilehoveringmid-air.
ItisaratherextremeversionofTheScheme
forFullEmployment,the2003novelbyMagnus
Millsinwhichdeliverydriversspendalltheirtime
deliveringpartstokeeptheirvansgoing.
Butthiscan’tgoonforever.
Shah’sconcludingchapterquotesamodern
SaudiArabianproverb:“Myfatherrodeacamel,I
driveacar,mysonridesinajetairplane.Hisson
willrideacamel.”
- Bridget Brown
PBE’smethodsarebothstraightforwardyet
ingenious.Bicyclesarestoodupsidedown,wired
foramplificationthroughvariousmicrophones,
andplayedwithabeguilingandsurprisingarray
ofinventivetechniques.Spokesarepluckedlike
thestringsofaharp,spinningwheelsaretouched
withmicrophonestoproduceetherealotherworldly
tones,andpedalsareturnedwithmetronomic
regularity.Theresultisanambientsoundscape
justthissideofcacaphony,amechanicaljungle
inhabitedbycuriousandexpressivemachines
callingtooneanotherinanorganiclanguage.The
musicevokesaplacewhilethegradualshiftsin
tempoandintensitycalltomindthechanging
rhythmsofajourneyoveruneventerrain.
BulBul’sapproachismoreinthestyleof
classicmusiqueconcrete,wheresoundsfrom
one’ssurroundingsarerecordedandlater
reprocessedinthestudio.PioneeredinParisin
1948byPierreSchaefferwhosplicedtogether
audiocassettecuttingsto“sculptsound,”musique
concretehasundergonearenaissanceinrecent
yearsasmeansofrecordingandreassembling
soundhavegonedigital.BulBulrecords,edits,
andloopssoundsrecordedfromvariousambient
sources.OnVelo,histhirdCD,allthesource
soundscomefrombicycles.Thebeatsareheavy
andwouldfitinnicelyatatechnorave.One
coulddancethroughtheCD’s20minutesof
musicwithoutidentifyingthemusic’sunusual
source,butwiththemini-CD’scleverwrapper,the
soundsareinstantlyrecognisable.
Bothrecordsarenoteworthyforthecareand
attentiongiventotheirpackaging.ThePortland
BikeEnsemble’sself-titled2003releaseisa12inchvinylLPofwhichonly500weremade.The
coverishand-paintedinabstractwashesofvivid
colorvisuallyechoingtherecording’shypnotic
layerings.BulBul’sVeloisacute3inchCD
(playableonstandarddiscplayers)inasmall
green,white,andorangecardboardsleevemade
toresembleabicyclepatchkit.Only555copies
ofVeloweremade.Eitherrecordwillbeofinterest
toloversofbicyclesandexperimentalmusic.
- Rob Zverina
ToorderBulBul’sCD(EUR9),visitTrostRecords
atwww.trost.at.PBE’svinyl(US$10)onOlde
EnglishSpellingBeeisatwww.cosmicjoke.com/
PortlandBikeEnsemble.html.
Car Busters#24 July - Sept. 2005
27
Carfree Cities
in paperback
Resources
Nonfiction
Asphalt Nation
How the Automobile Took Over America
and How We Can Take It Back
Jane Holtz Kay, 1998, 440 pages
EUR 23, £16, US$23, AU$40, or CZK 670
Asphalt Nation is a powerful examination of how the car has ravaged America’s cities and landscape over the past
100 years, together with a compelling
strategy for reversing our dependency.
Demonstrating that there are economic, political, architectural, and personal
solutions, Kay shows that radical
change is possible.
Carfree Cities
J.H. Crawford, 2000, 324 pages
hardcover: EUR 40, £28, US$40, AU$68, or CZK 1180
paperback: EUR 30, £21, US$30, AU$52, or CZK 885
An unapologetic argument for carfree
cities combined with a detailed and
well thought-out plan, Carfree Cities
outlines a city structure carefully
designed to minimise environmental
impact and maximise quality of life.
It gives practical suggestions for
implementing Crawford’s carfree design in new and
existing cities.
Car Busters Graphics Book
Car Busters, 1999, 44 pages
EUR 5, £3.50, US$5, AU$9, CZK 125
Our graphics book brings together all
the best graphics on file at Car Busters
from the artists you see in the magazine. Includes information on how to
produce attractive posters and leaflets.
The graphics can be reproduced freely
(for non-profit purposes) by activist
groups for their leaflets, posters, newsletters, etc.
Critical Mass
Bicycling’s Defiant Celebration
Chris Carlsson, editor, 2002, 256 pages
EUR 23, £16, US$23, AU$40, or CZK 670
A pushy and irreverent collection of
inkworthy social critique and optimistic celebration. Four dozen contributors document, define and drive
home the beauty of a quiet ride with
a thousand friends, the anarchy of
grassroots inspiration, the melodrama
of media coverage and the fight for
the survival of our cities.
Cutting Your Car Use
Save Money, Be Healthy, Be Green!
Anna Semlyen, 2000, 160 pages
EUR 10, £7, US$10, AU$18, or CZK 250
Britain’s first ever personal traffic reduction guide. Packed with easy-to-follow,
best practice advice. For anyone who
wants to cut their car use, or give up the
car completely.
New updated edition.
EUR 30 / US$30 / £21
shipping included
Ecocity Berkeley
Street Reclaiming
Rivchard Register, 1987, 140 pages
EUR 20, £14, US$20, AU$35, or CZK 500
Richard Register describes his vision of depaving cities.
Creating Livable Streets and Vibrant Communities
David Engwicht, 1999, 207 pages
EUR 23, £16, US$23, AU$40, or CZK 670
Street Reclaiming not only celebrates the potential of our streets
to become vibrant centres of culture and community, but shows
you how to make it happen. For
residents it includes a simple sixweek programme to reduce traffic
by 30 percent. For city officials,
it shows how reducing citywide
traffic is as simple as reducing rubbish.
The End of the Road
Wolfgang Zuckermann, 1991, 300
pages
EUR 10, £7, US$10, AU$18, or CZK
250
There are half a billion cars on the
planet, and this book takes a long,
hard look at the contrast between the
image and the reality of this fact.
Zuckermann offers 33 “ways out” of our car dependence,
including pedestrianisation, alternative transport modes,
restructuring public transport and re-arranging our lives.
Wise Fool Basics
K. Ruby, Wise Fool, 1999, 96 pages
EUR 13, £9, US$13, AU$22 or CZK 375
For Love of the Automobile
Looking Back Into the History of Our Desires
Wolfgang Sachs, 1992, 227 pages, hardcover
EUR 40, £28, US$40, AU$68, or CZK 1,180
The Geography of Nowhere
James Howard Kunstler, 1994, 304 pages
EUR 17, £12, US$17, AU$29, or CZK 500
Home from Nowhere
Remaking Our Everyday World for the 21st Century
James Howard Kunstler, 1998, 320 pages
EUR 17, £12, US$17, AU$29, or CZK 500
Kunstler offers a way back from the
“tragic sprawlscape of cartoon architecture, junked cities, and ravaged
countryside” that he described in his
book The Geography of Nowhere.
Kunstler calls for the restoration of
traditional architecture, sensible urban
design principles, and the development
of public spaces that meet people’s
need to interact with one another.
Life Between Buildings
Jan Gehl, 2001, 202 pages, fourth English edition
EUR 20, £14, US$20, AU$35, or CZK 500
A classic is republished and revised.
First published in 1971, this book is
still the best source for understanding
how people use urban public spaces.
A standard textbook in many architecture and planning schools around
the world, this book continues to be
the undisputed introduction to the
interplay between public space design
and social life.
New City Spaces
Jan Gehl and Lars Gemzøe, 2001, 263 pages
hardcover: EUR 55, £38, US$55, AU$95, or CZK 1,620
Through colour photos, descriptive text and diagrams, this
informative book highlights 39 public spaces around the
world that have been won back from traffic.
Fiction/Kids
The Age of the Bicycle
Miriam Webster, 1998, 270 pages
EUR 10, £7, US$10, AU$18, or CZK 250
Alice in Underland
Wolfgang Zuckermann, 1999
EUR 10, £7, US$10, AU$18, or CZK 250
Family Mouse Behind the Wheel
Wolfgang Zuckermann, 1992, 30 pages
hardcover: EUR 10, £7, US$10, AU$18, or CZK 250
This colourful illustrated book
teaches children the problems of car
culture through the eyes of a family
of anthropomorphised forest mice,
who decide to buy a car, build a road
into their previously intact forest and,
eventually, create an urban hell. An
eye-opener complete with the obligatory moral message.
The Little Driver
Martin Wagner, 2003, 56 pages
EUR 10, £7, US$10, AU$18, or CZK 250
“Freesources”
A growing selection of free texts available in several
languages and file formats from <www.worldcarfree.net/
resources/free.php>:
• Energy and Equity by Ivan Illich
• Hypermobility by John Adams
• The Automobile and Décroissance by Denis Cheynet
• Time Pollution by John Whitelegg
• Depaving the World by Richard Register
• Road Raging: Top Tips for Wrecking Roadbuilding
• Motorism by Daniel James
Divorce Your Car
Ending the Love Affair With the Automobile
Katie Alvord, 2000, 320 pages
EUR 20, £14, US$20, AU$35, or CZK 500
Earth First! Direct Action Manual
DAM Collective, 1998, 152 pages
EUR 6, £4, US$6, AU$10, or CZK 150
Comprehensive guide to direct action tactics.
28
Car Busters#24 July - Sept. 2005
Among our new line of Car Busters postcards, the above designs expand our range of
consumer products for the entire family! An assortment of ten postcards costs EUR 5 / US$5 / £3.50.
Not finding what you’re looking for?
Payment Instructions
Our members/subscribers get a 10% discount at <www.detourpublications.com>
on over 130 books and other resources on transportation and urban ecology.
Mail-Order Resources
Videos, Etc.
Autoschreck / Car-Fright
1994, English or German, PAL only
EUR 20, £12.50, US$20 or CZK 600
The car is taking over the city. Michael
Hartmann refuses to bow to them, walks
straight over the cars illegally parked on
the pavement (sidewalk). A documentary
about a man discharged from a mental
hospital for being perfectly normal. He was just giving
cars a taste of their own medicine.
Shipping (surface rate outside Europe) is included in all prices.
We accept US, British, French and Australian cheques. Credit
card payments can be made at <www.worldcarfree.net>.
We also accept international postal money orders (in CZK or
USD), and even cash in the currencies below (at your own risk,
but seems OK).
Stickers
“One Less Car” Bike Stickers
Ten stickers:
EUR 2, £1.40, US$2, AU$3.50, or CZK 50
Available in Chinese, Czech, Dutch, English, Estonian,
Finnish, French, German, Hungarian, Irish, Italian,
Lithuanian, Norwegian/Swedish/Danish, Polish,
Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Serbo-Croatian, Slovak,
Spanish and Welsh. Sized for bike frames, water-resistant.
We Are Traffic!
1999, 50 min., PAL or NTSC format
EUR 25, £17.50, US$25, or CZK 735
A chronicle of the Critical Mass bicycle
movement, now a monthly ritual in over
100 different cities in 14 different countries, starting in San Francisco in 1992.
We Are Traffic tracks this leaderless,
grassroots movement, which has brought
together complete strangers in an exuberant, commercial-free public event.
MATE Booklet and Map
(Map of Activities on Transport in Europe), A SEED
Europe, 2000
EUR 7, £4, US$7, AU$12, CZK 200
A comprehensive guide to European transport, including
an overview of TENs and TINA projects.
Car Busters Press
Bulk Discount: Ten or more CARtoons and/or Roadkill
Bill books, any combination, for half price.
15 stickers: EUR 3, £2, US$3, AU$5, or CZK 80
Roadkill Bill
Ken Avidor, 2001, 108 pages
EUR 10, £7, US$10, AU$18, or CZK 150
It’s the comic strip that looks at
cars, technology and philosophy
from the viewpoint of a frequently
squashed rodent. In Roadkill Bill,
the wonderful, provocative, amusing and sometimes gruesome cartoons are collected together for the
first time. Avidor gives voice to
the suffering soul of humanity that
feels bulldozed and paved over by
industrial technology run amok.
Magazine Subscriptions
Country
4Issues
8Issues
Australia
Czech Rep.
Eurozone
UK
US
20 Dollars
160 Korun
16 Euro
10 Pounds
16 Dollars
32.50 Dollars
260 Korun
26 Euro
16 Pounds
26 Dollars
Member: EUR 30, £20, US$30, AU$50, CZK 600
Supporter: EUR 50, £35, US$50, AU$80, CZK 1000
Saviour: EUR 100, £70, US$100, AU$160, CZK 2000
Membership benefits/premiums are described on the next page.
Big hard-to-remove stickers for cars.
Available in French, German, English, Spanish, SerboCroatian and Czech.
Stop-Sign Improvement
One: EUR 0.75, £0.50, US$0.75, AU$1.50 or CZK 25
Ten: EUR 6, £4, US$6, AU$11 or CZK 180
DRIVING
START:
WALKING!
BIKING!
USING
PUBLIC
TRANSPORT!
Forty-six centimetres long. Bright red. These big glossy
vinyl stickers are just the right size to go under the word
"STOP" on stop signs.
T-Shirts
EUR 10, £6.50, US$10, AU$20 or CZK 300
CARtoons
Andy Singer, 2001, 100 pages, optional CD-ROM
contains high-resolution TIF images of all graphics
Book: EUR 10, £7, US$10, AU$18, or CZK 150
CD-ROM: EUR 4, £2.50, US$4, AU$8, or CZK 80
A personal and provocative look at
our relationship with the car, from
Ford’s first assembly lines to today’s “drive-through” society.
Features seven pithy chapter texts
and a compilation of hard-hitting
quotations, plus 90 of Singer’s
infamous graphics (available for
free nonprofit reuse).
Should you prefer to pay by bank transfer, please contact us.
Memberships
“Cancer Warning” Stickers
Return of the Scorcher
1992, 30 min., PAL or NTSC format
EUR 25, £17.50, US$25, or CZK 735
Before automobiles ruled the roads,
cyclists were referred to as "Scorchers"
because of their blazing speed. A century
later, Return of the Scorcher discovers an
inspiring bicycle renaissance. Filled with
inspiring scenes of bike use around the
world. The video that gave us the term
"Critical Mass".
Payments: Car Busters, Krátká 26, 100 00 Prague 10, Czech Rep.
[front]
[back]
Front: World Carfree Network. Back: Towards Carfree
Cities. Specify colour (yellow, orange, red, forest green,
or beige) and size (XS, S, M, L or XL).
New styles! “Carfree” available in black, red and light blue;
“Parasites” (graphic by Andy Singer) in red and black;
Sizes: for boys: S, M, L, XL; for girls: S, M, L
The prices above are calculated for “Over-Developed World”
residents, in each of the currencies that we accept. Single copies
cost EUR/US$4 or equivalent. Eastern Europeans and “Global
South” residents wanting magazine subscriptions or single copies
can pay 1/3 the Western rate.
Distribution Orders (5 or more copies): EUR/US$2.60 each or
equivalent (you sell at EUR/US$4 and keep the difference).
In Eastern Europe and the “Global South,” you buy at EUR/US$1
and sell at EUR/US$1.50. This is beginning to sound like the stock
market...
In a Hurry?
Order from worldcarfree.net/resources.
Car Busters
Back Issues
Have an incomplete collection?
Looking for a perfect gift? Don't know
how to best invest your money for longterm growth? Well, look no further! Get
any back issue of Car Busters for a mere
EUR 2 / US$2 / £1.40. Or get a complete set
(20 issues so far) for EUR 20 / US$20 / £14
(Western Rate) or EUR 10 / US$10 (Eastern Rate).
Or order an assortment of 100 magazines for
EUR 100 / US$100 / £70.
Shipping included
inalllistedprices.
Prices for new shirts not available at press time.
Check our website for details.
Car Busters#24 July - Sept. 2005
29
WORLD CARFREE NETWORK WORKS TO BUILD AND MAINTAIN THE GLOBAL
CARFREE MOVEMENT. ITS PROJECTS AND PUBLICATIONS ASSIST PEOPLE
AROUND THE WORLD TAKING ON CAR CULTURE AND PROMOTING
ALTERNATIVE WAYS OF LIFE. WE AIM TO FACILITATE EXCHANGE AND
COOPERATION AMONG ACTIVISTS AND CAMPAIGNERS, REACH OUT TO THE
PUBLIC, INSPIRE NEW ACTIVISTS AND CHANGE THE WORLD.
• INTERNATIONAL QUARTERLY MAGAZINE
• WORLD CARFREE DAY COORDINATION
• ECOTOPIA BIKETOUR 2005
• PRINT AND ON-LINE RESOURCE CENTRE
• MONTHLY E-MAIL NEWS BULLETIN
• INDEPENDENT BOOK PUBLISHING
• ANNUAL CONFERENCES
• WORLDWIDE CONTACT DIRECTORY
• AUTOHOLICS ANONYMOUS
SUPPORTWORLDCARFREENETWORK!
And get a subscription to Car Busters magazine plus a free book!
o Member - US$30/ EUR30/£20*
includes a one-year magazine subscription, an assortment of bike
stickers and one of these books: Ken Avidor’s Roadkill Bill, Andy
Singer’s CARtoons, or Martin Wagner’s The Little Driver. (circle one)
o Supporter - US$50/EUR50/£35*
includes a one-year magazine subscription and two of these books:
CARtoons, Roadkill Bill, or The Little Driver. (circle two)
o Saviour - US$100/EUR 100/£70*
includes a two-year magazine subscription, a copy of Carfree Cities
by JH Crawford, and one of these books: CARtoons, Roadkill Bill, or
The Little Driver. (circle one)
o US$16/EUR16* - Subscription Only: 4 Issues
o US$26/EUR26* - Subscription Only: 8 Issues
o _________ - Donator (Economic Liberty Rate)
o I’m enclosing _______ for the following books or
resources: ________________________
________________________________________.
o I want to receive your monthly e-mail bulletin, so
here’s my e-mail address (written clearly):
_________________________________________.
Name:
Address:
Signature:
Date:
* or the equivalent in AUD or CND. Cheques: We accept US, French, British and Australian cheques made out to
Car Busters. Credit card payments: www.worldcarfree.net/resources. Other payment options are listed on p. 29.
ä World Carfree Network, Krátká 26, 100 00 Prague 10, Czech Republic - e-mail: [email protected] - website: www.worldcarfree.net
Announcements
Bike Zine Available
WorldCarfreeNetworkmemberGoByBicycleis
offeringreprintsoftheGoByBicyclezine,availableforUS$5forallthreeissuesor$3forjust
oneissue(internationalorderspleaseadd$1).
Moreinformationandtocheckoutthezines:
<www.gobybicycle.com/goodstuff.htm>.
Childstreet2005
August 24-26, Delft
Makingstreetsattractiveplacesforchildrenwillbe
thetopicofthe“Childstreet2005”conference,
takingplaceAugust24-26inDelft,Netherlands.
Theconferencewilllookatstreetdesign,
publicspace,andhowtomakestreetssafefor
playing,walkingandcycling.Interactiveworkshops
willproduceconceptsforchild-friendlysolu-tions
usinglocalcasestudies.
Amaximumnumberof80personscanparticipateinthisconference.Therearestillafew
placesleft:<www.urban.nl/childstreet2005>.
Walk21 Conference
Sept. 21-24, Zurich
Thisyear'stopicis“EverydayWalkingCulture.”
Theconferencewillfocusontheplannedimplementationofwalkingintodailylifebytechnical,
politicalandstructuralmeans.
Theconferenceaimstoincreaserecognition
–intheeyesofpublicrepresentatives,experts
andpolicy-makers–ofthepositivecontribution
thatwalkingmakestoeverydaycityactivities.
Moreinformationat<www.walk21.ch>.
Youth Environment Workshop, Hungary, Sept. 19-24
TheHungarianGreenBridgeFoundationisorganisinganinternationalprogrammeinthefieldof
environmentalprotectionandeducation,with22
participantsfromalloverEurope.Thisisagood
opportunityforyouthconcernedwithenviron-
Changes in our Website
Bythetimethismagazinegoestoprint,we
will(hopefully)becompletingsomechangesto
Worldcarfree.net.
Themainchangeisthere-christeningof
ouron-lineContactDirectoryofcarfreeorcaralternativegroupsasthe“CarfreeGreen
Pages,”andgivingthepagesanewdesign.
TheCarfreeGreenPagescanbefoundat
mentaleducationandprotectiontoexchange
ideasandexperiences.
Participants(about20)shouldbeyouth
workersconcernedwithenvironmentaleducation
andprotectionintheirlocalcommunities.The
meetinglanguageisEnglish.
Forfurtherinformationpleasecontactyour
nationalEuropeanCommissionYouthAgency.
On-line Blog Against
“Big Box” Development
Anewon-lineweblogtracksrecentdevelopments
intheshoppingphenomenonknownas“bigbox”
retail.BigCitiesBigBoxes.comwasfoundedin
responsetoplansbyIKEAtobuildalargestorein
NewYork.Muchofthewebsite’scontentisabout
thelocalstruggletostopthestore’sconstruction,
butitalsoincludesinformationandnewsfrom
aroundtheworld.
Thelargemega-warehouseshoppingcentres
knowas“BigBoxes”(IKEA,Walmart,etc.)are
oftencriticisedforbeingcar-orientedandfor
leadingtothedemiseofthekindofmainstreet
shoppingdistrictsthatmakecitiespleasantplaces
tolive(andwalk)in.
Weoftenoverlookdevelopmentissuesin
thesepages,solettingourreadersknowofthis
websiteisourwayofintroducingthistopic.
world’slargesttimedcyclingevent.Sostaya
littlelongerifyouwanttoexperiencethisunique
event:<www.velomondial2006.com>.
Car Busters Goes Hungarian
ThefolksatHungarianYoungGreenshavebegun
puttingoutanindependentHungarianversionof
CarBustersmagazine.AutóIrtóbringsreportson
greatanti-caractionslikebillboard“improvement”
andCriticalMasstoaHungarianaudience.
Therearealsotipsonbikingand(ofcourse)
AndySinger’sgreatcartoons.
Hungarycertainlycouldusesomecaralternatives,withcarusehavingincreaseddramaticallysince1989.
Ontheotherhand,Budapest’sCriticalMass
bikeridehasthousandsofparticipants(theApril
22ridehad10,000).
TheHungarianYoungGreenscanbefoundat
<www.zofi.hu>.
Velo Mondial:
March 2006, Cape Town
Transportissuesinbothruralandurbanareas,
incorporatingthebicycleintotransportplanning;
waysinwhichbicycle-relatedinitiativescanimprovelivesincommunitiesaroundtheworld–
thesewillbesomeofthetopicsofVeloMondial
2006,takingplaceinCapeTown,SouthAfrica,
March5-10.Thethemeoftheconferenceis
“TowardsProsperity.”
Immediatelyfollowingtheconference,Cape
Townwillbehostingmorethan35,000bicyclists
fortheCapeArgusPick‘nPayCycleTour,the
<www.worldcarfree.net/directory>.Thereare
nowmorethan500organisations,institutions,
businesses,andwebpagesinthedatabase.
Visitorstothismagazine’swebsitewillknow
thatCarbusters.orghaslongcontainedsummaries
inforeignlanguages.Wehavebegunasimilar
processforWorldcarfree.net,sothatforeignvisitorswhoseEnglishisnotsogoodcanatleastget
anideaofwhatweareallabout.Wealready
haveSpanish,German,RussianandFrench
versionsandarelookingforvolunteertranslators
forotherlanguages.Pleasecontactusat
<[email protected]>ifyouareinterested.
Car Busters Call
for Submissions
Inthenextissueofthemagazine,wewilllook
atcarfreeislands.LeonardCohenlivedonand
wroteaboutHydra,inGreece,andmanyother
islandsarebothparadises,aswellassimply
placeswherepeopleliveordinarylives,likeon
theTorontoislands.
Ifyouwouldliketowriteaboutaparticular
islandsomewhereintheworld,sendusa
[email protected].
Ofcourse,wealsowelcomesubmissions
onallissuesrelatedtoouron-goingmission.
Car Busters#24 July - Sept. 2005
31