Big Protests in Zagreb / other

Jason Meggs <[email protected]> Thu, 20 May 2010 11:02:02 -0700
Newsgroups gmane.politics.activism.carfree-network
Message-ID <AANLkTikcF7v9k6cM27G2tzulDppWo7Ahh4RAI5p3-VI8__24143.921925179$1274378546$gmane$org@mail.gmail.com>
Zagreb, Croatia: In protest of a proposed underground garage with a ramp on
the main pedestrian mall, and claims of corruption, large groups of people
have occupied the area and torn down fences.  This news thanks to a
bicyclist friend from Croatia who walked the street as a child.

Some of the many news items:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6lTvORBc8W0&translated=1

http://www.jutarnji.hr/varsavska---tisuce-gradana-u-policijskom-obrucu/777389/?secId=79&foto=1

===
As long as I'm writing:

In local news here in the San Francisco Bay Area, a new phenomenon known as
"Bike Party" has begun, as an alternative to Critical Mass. Claiming to be
*not* a Critical Mass; stopping at stop lights and regrouping periodically
in parking lots; the ride on the Peninsula is very successful with thousands
of people every month. The first copycat Bike Party begins this Friday in
Oakland (concurrent with a Bike-In Movie in Berkeley). Critical Mass
continues as well. For official CiclovĂ­a style happenings: San Francisco now
has "Sunday Streets" and Oakland is organizing its first "Oaklavia" for June
27 (also a good time to be at the Carfree Cities Conference in York).  The
Bike Party phenomenon is valuable in bringing a taste of a better world
without being at all expressly political. It is interesting in the highly
racially segregated United States that there is a large Latino contingent;
bicycle activists have long grappled with how to bridge the racial divides
here.

http://www.sjbikeparty.org/
http://eastbaybikeparty.wordpress.com/

There's lots more news to be shared. If you aren't yet aware, a great source
for alternative transportation news in the USA is the (also fairly new)
StreetsBlog:

http://sf.streetsblog.org/

(That's San Francisco, click for other  cities such as New York.)

Petroleum provocation: what if there were a network of trucks powered by
electricity (via overhead wires) rather than diesel trucks? Cheaper, quicker
and more versatile than rail; able to serve decentralized land use found
today; taking advantage of existing road/bridge/distribution center
infrastructure, as well as existing electricity infrasstructure; and able to
re-use existing truck fleets.  Powered by electricity, which can come from
renewable sources, there is no other mass transport solution with a better
sustainability profile. Cost effective, energy efficient, and a huge
improvement for public health (reducing noise and air pollution). Why is
this not more discussed more and actively pursued?

~Jason
Berkeley
+1 510-725-9991
skype jasonmeggs

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