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World Carfree News #85 - April 2011 - English Version
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QUOTATION OF THE MONTH
""We will not be banning cars from city centres any more than we will be having rectangular bananas."
UK transport minister Norman Baker, on the EU 2050 strategy for transport, which aims to eliminate conventional cars from European cities.
WORLD CARFREE NETWORK ANNOUNCEMENTS
TCC anncouncement
TOWARDS CARFREE CITIES 2011 IN MEXICO

The tenth Towards Carfree Cities Conference will be held in Guadalajara, Mexico, from 5 to 9
September 2011. The theme this year is "Building Carfree Cities for the People, by the People", with a focus on citizen participation and the sharing of experiences between campaigners from around the world. We are still accepting your ideas for a presentation, workshop or other conference activity, but this is the last call: The extended deadline is April 15.
WORLD CARFREE MONTHLY NEWS RELOADED!

Welcome to the new design of the World Carfree Monthly News! The bulletin you are now reading is the winning design from last month's competition. Congratulations go to Çiğdem Çevrim and Daria Samokhvalova, who work in Prague with Cedilla Design. Thanks to all others who submitted a design or participated in the voting!

We hope you will enjoy this new design. Your feedback at this point is extremely dear to us. Please let us know if you like it! Also tell us if you have any problems viewing it, either in your email (you will have to allow enriched graphics) or by clicking on the link at the top, and viewing it in a browser.

At this point it would require a lot of extra work to also offer the text-only version. But please do let us know if this is essential for you - we don't want to lose any readers!

Please sent all feedback to bulletin@worldcarfree.net. Thanks!
READ AND COMMENT ON THE EU WHITE PAPER ON TRANSPORT

As featured in the news section, there is a newly released White Paper on Transport put out by the European Commission, which sets goals for 2050. As the given issues lie at the heart of World Carfree Network's mission, it would be worthwhile to examine the details carefully, and provide a response as necessary. Please take a look at the released document and send in your comments to the Carfree network listserv. The complete strategy is laid out here.

Following a discussion on the mailing list, a WCN position paper and response may be formulated. For those not on the listserv, but otherwise interested in the topic, please write to simon@worldcarfree.net.
GENERAL ANNOUNCEMENTS
EARTH DAY CARFREE FESTIVAL IN SANTA BARBARA, CA, USA

In Santa Barbara, California, the 41st Earth Day celebration will be held on April 16 and 17 with special gifts planned for the promotional event. The location is Alameda Park. The event will also provide the kick-off for CycleMAYnia.
Read more.
WORLD NAKED BIKE RIDE "CABARET NIGHT" BRIGHTON, UK

In anticipation of the World Naked Bike Ride (June 12) the Brighton group is planning a special event to raise funds and have a good time. It will take place on Saturday 9th April, from 7.30 to 11.30pm at the Hanover Community Centre on 33 Southover Street. The cost is £7 on door, or £5.50 in advance purchase.
WNBR Brighton

IMPROVING CYCLING CONDITIONS IN ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA, USA

The Saint Paul Bicycle Coalition works to improve cycling conditions in Saint Paul, Minnesota. They celebrate their 1st anniversary this April. If you live in Twin Cities and want to become involved, please contact them or come to one of their monthly meetings.
Read more.

VELOCYPEDIA OPEN CALL

We are announcing open call for art works for an exhibition: Contemporary art exhibition about bicycle passion and sustainable transport. The exhibition will be held in the Gallery of National Technical Library in Prague in May 2011.

Exhibition dates: 3rd May –24th May 2011
Curators: Lenka Kukurová, Milan Mikuláštík
Application deadline: 15th April 2011
Please contact velocypedia@gmail.com.

STOP SIGN - NORTH AMERICAN TOUR

Bianca Mugyenyi and Yves Engler, authors of Stop Sign — Cars and capitalism on the road to economic, social and environmental decay takes a good hard look at the irrationality of driving in America. They will be touring North America beginning in May 2011. If you are interested in plugging into the tour, contact the authors at yvesengler@hotmail.com.
Read more.

GREEN SHORTS FILM FESTIVAL

Green Shorts Film Festival announces its deadline of April 25 for new submissions.  Bici Centro community-run bike repair was featured last year.
Read more.
ACTION
Moscow Highway protests
STOP THE RUSSIAN MOTORWAY FROM BULLDOZING KHIMKI FOREST!
 ... Week of Action and Petition....

Last summer President Medvedev temporarily halted preparatory works for a 43-km section of the Moscow – St. Petersburg motorway near Moscow after determined protests from local people in the Movement to Defend Khimki Forest.

The forest is a protected natural area including relic oak groves and is a natural habitat for elks, boars and other wild animals. In this polluted and densely populated region its value for local people is enormous – so much so that local people have continued their campaign in spite of brutal attacks, illegitimate arrests and nasty threats. 

The Russian government now plans to start again in late April with the French construction company Vinci. Please help stop destruction of the forest and call on Vinci to get out of this project. 

1) Ask Vinci not to sign any new agreement with the Russian government and to withdraw from the project by signing this petition, which automatically sends a letter to Vinci when you sign.

2) Organise an action during the Week of Action against Vinci 24 – 30 April 2011. If there is no Vinci office in your country, try the Russian or French embassy instead. Please let us know if you plan to take part.

Read more background material in Russian as well as translations in Deutsch, Française, and Български. (English description is alongside the petition)

For more information, please contact ecmoru@gmail.com

IN THE NEWS
Andy Singer cartoons
The European Commission has laid out its transport plan for 2050, which includes banning conventionally fuelled cars in cities across Europe. A 60% transport emission cut by then is the target. Most of the emission cuts proposed would however first come into effect after 2030.
Transport & Environment, based in Brussels, have criticised the plans for putting off more serious action for later, and rejecting the idea of curbing mobility.
Read more.
The Velocity conference just took place in Seville, Spain. It has come to light how far this city has come in advancing cycle-friendly atmosphere, jumping from a modal share of under 1% to a current 7% in five years. For some glimpses into how this happened, read more.
The city of Stuttgart, Germany was anticipating the demolition of its main train station and rebuilding it underground - much to the dismay of its citizens, and in the face of huge street protests. But in the recent state elections of Baden-Württemberg, the Green party came to a historic win, in coalition with SPD. The plans for Stuttgart 21 will now be reassessed.
Read more.

Hamburg has created the "Train of Ideas" to promote its vision of a green future and to "transform people into environmental protection enthusiasts". This fits into the programme attached to their Green European Capital 2011 title.
Read More.
REPORTS
CYCLE COMMUTING WITH KIDS

Spokes, the Lothian Cycle Campaign (Scotland), has delivered the following publication: "Cycle commuting with Kids" which is a factsheet all about making the inclusion of children in bicycle trips and everyday cycling smoother. Direct download here.

RESEARCH BACKS UP 20 MPH SPEED LIMITS

New research by Royal Holloway College, London University, studied the perceptual limitations of children and concluded that they had difficulty detecting cars approaching at speeds over 20mph. Ensues is a discussion of introducing 20 mph zones in London and other parts of England.
Read more.

WHY SPRAWL IS EVEN BAD FOR BUSINESS

Here is a look to the damaging effects of sprawl, from the vantage point of a CEO's desk. Straight from Michigan, USA.
Read more.
MEDIA & NETWORKING
Little Green Bike film still
LITTLE GREEN BIKE VIDEO

Follow the little green bike in a hilly city! This video was produced by Massimiliano Amirfeiz (WCN member) in collaboration with Monleone Films for the “Toward Carfree Cities Conference” held in York (UK) last year. It shows how it is possible to get around by bike even in a city considered to be "challenging" such as Genoa (Italy). Thanks to folding bike and a seamless integration with different means of mass transit, uphill bike climbs or long stretches are no longer necessary.

Watch the video. For more information, write to bicintermodale@gmail.com.

VENICE IN 3D

Take a virtual tour of carfree Venice, Italy, brought to you by.... Google Earth.
World Carfree News is published once a month by World Carfree Network.
Bulletin #85 by Justin Hyatt
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