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| QUOTATION OF THE MONTH |
"In today’s
climate it should be understood that the urban parkways built during
the post-World War II era were misguided. Property values plummet,
pollution increases, vandalism and crime multiply, and traffic
congestion grows. Many cities across the world acknowledge these
pitfalls and have torn down major highway systems from South Korea to
France, Canada, and even the United States."
Mathew Andreini, in Revitalizing Niagara Falls: Recovering from the
Legacy of Robert Moses
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| WORLD CARFREE NETWORK
ANNOUNCEMENTS |
HELP US GET MORE READERS!
In the recent past we have implemented two positive changes in the
World Carfree Monthly News service. First we made the sign-up process a
step easier. Go to the our webpage and directly
enter an email address. Then we brought about graphic improvements - this is the third
issue you have with the new look. Now we'd like to increase our
readership.
Currently we have roughly 2600 readers of the English newsletter. The
other languages have between 100-300. I bet we can double that! If the
carfree lifestyle, safe streets and upbeat communities is something you
care about, please help us reach more people by spreading the word.
There are various ways you can do that. One is simply sending the link
- www.worldcarfree.net/bulletin to people in your address book and
adding a few inspiring words. You can also suggest the sign-up step to
other
listserves you are on. Or share and like our facebook page.
If you dig media and writing, go ahead and spread the word in any media
you have access to. And let us know your creative ideas! Go to the
sign-up page or write to us at bulletin@worldcarfree.net. If you do any
outreach, we'd love to hear about it!
Here's to 5000 readers by Christmas!
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. It
promises to be an exciting exchange.
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| GENERAL ANNOUNCEMENTS |
ECOTOPIA BIKE TOUR 2011 - SUSTAINABLE
AGRICULTURE AND FOOD SOVEREIGNTY
This year the Ecotopia bike tour will
travel through Italy, from the 26th of July through the 31st of August.
The main theme is sustainable agriculture and the tour will visit
ecofarms and natural reservations. The tour begins in Florence, will
pass through Naples and end at the Cliento National Park. For more
information and to get involved, write to info@ecotopiabiketour.net or
visit the website
and facebook page.
NEW EFFORTS TO SAVE KHIMKI FOREST
In Russia, the defenders of Khimki
forest (see April ACTION and May NEWS items) are planning new
strategies to help save the forest from the bulldozer. There is an
international camp functioning there nonstop, with visitors and
residents from around the world. There will be a gathering there June 17-20. There
will also be meetings with activists in Paris June 20-21 and in Berlin
June 22-23. Actions are also planned for both locations. To get in
touch, please write to ecmoru@gmail.com or call +7-916-743-3759.
Read more
CARFREE BIKE
DAYS "HAPPY MOSEL" IN GERMANY
In the Mosel valley in Germany, a bike
tour will take place along the "Mosel wine road" on June 19th. For this
occasion motorised traffic will be barred for the day.
Read
more
EU MULTI-MODAL
JOURNEY SOFTWARE TO BE DEVELOPED
The EU is inviting people to submit ideas as well as developed software
for pan-European, multi-modal journey planners. The closing date is 9
September.
Read
more
CITIES FOR
MOBILITY CONFERENCE, STUTTGART, GERMANY
This year the city of Stuttgart is
hosting the Cities for Mobility conference on July 3-5.
Read
more
WTPP CALL FOR
ARTICLES
The journal World Transport Policy & Practice (WTPP) is planning a
special issue to be published in early 2012, with the theme: "A future
beyond the car?" Articles between 2000 and 5000 words are sought,
covering the topics of removal of traffic from urban areas and research
into carfree lifestyles. Submissions due by July 31.
Read
more
CARFREE TIMES
#62
Issue #62 of Joel Crawford's Carfree Times is now available for
delectation.
Read
more
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| ACTION |
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REMOVE THIS FREEWAY!
The Niagara Heritage Partnership is calling
for the removal of the Robert Moses Parkway that runs near Niagara
Falls. The asphalt covered area desperately needs to be returned to the
natural environment that it once was, giving space to grassland and
wildflowers as well as hiking and biking paths.
The Niagara Heritage Partnership has already garnered wide support
among a wide range of groups and is now pressing the New York State
Parks, Recreation & Historic Preservation for its removal with this
petition.
Read
more
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IN THE NEWS
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In Bologna, Italy, a mobility ecoticket has
been introduced. This allows companies to offer their employees
discounted public transport tickets, and is one of several introduced
measures to make the city's transport greener.
Read
more
The Urban Repair Squad in Toronto, Canada has taken traffic calming in
its own hands, as the city has been slow to remedy hazardous roads.
Pottery Road now has SLOW painted on both sides of an intersection.
Read
more
Buenos Aires, Argentina has just opened the first Bus Rapid Transit
(BRT) system for this South American nation. This system will allow
100,000 people to access jobs every day and reduce emissions. This
first phase is set to be expanded in the future, and was implemented
with the guidance of ITDP.
Read
more
At the 2011 International Transport Forum in Leipzig, Germany,
representatives from Asian countries claimed that their citizens want
more cars, while their European counterparts were talking about a
renaissance in bicycle transport.
Read more
Two European capitals find bike sharing systems a boost to city life.
In Dublin, Ireland, expectations were exceeded, as the two million
journey mark was reached ahead of schedule. Tirana, Albania has been
having inspiring successes with a limited bike share system, involving
attendants to each docking station.
Read more Dublin
Tirana
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| MEDIA & NETWORKING |
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DOGS ON BIKES: CUTE!
The Doggy Pedal Parade took place in New York City, and featured dogs
of all sizes on bikes, and was called the "cutest event during New York
City bike month". Numerous videos
and photos
available.
Read
more
NAKED HUMANS ON BIKES: SHOOT!
Not to be outdone by their canine
counterparts, humans in New York City stripped for the occasion of the
World Naked Bike Ride and pedaled through the city.
Read
more
THE SLOW
EXTINCTION OF BASIC BIKE PARTS
Sue Knaup of One Street, a bicycle
advocacy organisation, has
alerted us to a pattern within the bike industry to discontinue basic
parts distribution. This makes it more difficult for those outside of
large bike manufactures to access needed parts and excludes small scale
bike production and hampers bike repair. If you have ideas on how to
overcome this obstacle, please get in touch with Sue at
sue@onestreet.org or call +1-928-541-9841.
Read
more
FIVE WOMEN ON
A GREAT LAKES SUSTAINABILITY TOUR
Five women from St. Paul, Minnesota, USA
will be travelling around the five Great Lakes, meeting with community
organisations and fundraising as well for their non-profit Grand
Aspirations, which aims to establish youth-led sustainability projects
in local communities. Follow these women on their trip.
Read more
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