[world-carfree-news_eng] World Carfree News #82 - January 2011

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WORLD CARFREE NEWS >>>
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Edition 82 – January 2011 – English version
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Contents:

QUOTATION OF THE MONTH

WORLD CARFREE NETWORK ANNOUNCEMENTS

- Monthly News getting ready for graphics
- Carfree Times Issue 60 is out

GENERAL ANNOUNCEMENTS

- Call for papers to the Fourth Nordic Geographers Meeting
- Book: An Introduction to Sustainable Transport
- 10th Annual Smart Growth conference

ACTION

- Reform the budget for transport and fuel!

IN THE NEWS

- UK ends "war on motorists"?
- Toronto ends "war on the car"?
- Brooklyn, NY head declines gift bike
- Iran ends fuel subsidies, petrol costs rise
- Poland approves distance-based charges

REPORTS

- Sustainable EU budget proposal
- How to store bikes in a small flat
- Do roads pay for themselves?

MEDIA & NETWORKING

- New Andy Singer cartoons
- 20's plenty for us
- Bike Winter in the US Midwest

CURIOS

- Transporting large things by bike

SUPPORT WORLD CARFREE NETWORK
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QUOTATION OF THE MONTH >>
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"Ladies and gentlemen, the war on the car stops today . . . Transit
City is over. We will not build any more rail tracks down the middle
of our streets."

-Rob Ford, mayor of Toronto

"The war on the car is over? If only it had actually BEGUN!"

-Christopher Hume

http://tinyurl.com/wcnbulletin82-toronto-cartoon
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WORLD CARFREE NETWORK ANNOUNCEMENTS >>
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- Monthly News getting ready for graphics

World Carfree Monthly News eyes graphic enhancements. Look for an
array of designs to choose from starting next month. Meanwhile,
bulletin sign-up has just been made easier and the new Italian version
is still hoping to expand its list of subscribers.
www.worldcarfree.net/bulletin

- Carfree Times Issue 60 is out

Just released by Joel Crawford in mid December: You can read an
assortment of engaging news as well as a feature article on Hoboken,
New Jersey.
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GENERAL ANNOUNCEMENTS >>
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- Call for papers to the Fourth Nordic Geographers Meeting in
Roskilde, Denmark, May 24-27

"Battles of mobilities? Utopias for a different future"

Planning cities with the goal of economic growth, following the creed
"more mobility = more growth" has led to a whole array of planning
mistakes in the last century. But mobility research has evolved during
the last decade to understand and grasp new ways of understanding the
city. Now new cultures of mobility are emerging, as people demand
different solutions and new thinking.

A special session at this meeting will include:
Mobility conflicts and power struggles
The right to the city
Ambivalence of mobile everyday life
Sustainable mobility

Interested parties should send an abstract on maximum 300 words before
the 20th of January to [email protected]

- "An Introduction to Sustainable Transportation" by Preston L.
Schiller is a recently released book that attempts to provide a good
and thorough insight into the subject of sustainable transportation
and a shift in transportation policies and planning. The book features
368 pages and a sample chapter is also available.
http://tinyurl.com/wcnbulletin82-sustran-book

- 10th Annual Smart Growth Conference will be held in Charlotte, North
Carolina, USA in February 3-5. Registration closes January 10.
http://www.newpartners.org/registration.html
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ACTION >>
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Time for a green budget reform of transport and fuel!

Do you or your group campaign for an increase in fuel taxes or the
introduction of distance-based fees for trucks? Are you trying to
reduce the measure of air quality and health damage that come with a
yet unreformed budget setting and mediocre regulations? Then join in
the campaign!

Often it is difficult to explain the advantages of a distance-based
fee for trucks and even more that of increasing taxes on cars and
fuels. The idea of raising taxes and cutting subsidies inherently
evokes opposition in most people. How to overcome this psychological
barrier? The Clean Air Action Group (CAAG), a Hungarian environmental
NGO, has been communicating green budget reform for 20 years. Now it
has published a popular booklet which explains this complicated topic
in simple terms: "Shall we subsidize or charge trucks?"
http://levego.hu/kamionstop/eng/kamion_en.pdf

CAAG is a World Carfree Network member and is happy to continue this
campaign with others in Europe and around the World. Please get in
touch!

Contact Andras at [email protected]

Note also the related EU budget proposal (in Reports) and Polish news item.
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IN THE NEWS >>
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- Conservative ministers in the UK introduced a series of pro-car
measures and declared the end of Labour's alleged "war on motorists".
Rules have been scrapped, forcing councils to impose higher parking
charges, limit car spaces in new housing developments and more. Yet
Labour and Green party considers these false promises to motorists,
claiming that in the end neither will parking charges actually drop,
nor will congestion or emissions improve.
http://tinyurl.com/wcnbulletin82-uk-pro-car

- Meanwhile, in Toronto, Canada, the new mayor Rob Ford is doing his
best to end the "war on the car". The mayor is also aiming to scrap
the light-rail programme and replace it with a far less extensive and
more costly subway. This is the new mayor's second mention in World
Carfree Monthly news in rapid succession, with future appearances to
be expected.
http://tinyurl.com/wcnbulletin82-toronto-ford

-In Brooklyn, New York City, the president of that borough, Marky
Markowitz was presented with a gold painted bicycle. Markowitz had
taken an anti-bike lane stance, and so Time's Up! organized a "Love
Your Lane" serenade and golden bike gift. The borough head politely
declined, but the event made a lot of waves.
http://tinyurl.com/wcnbulletin82-brooklyn-bike

- Iran brings to life its subsidy reduction plan, having promoted this
plan for a long time. As of late December, fuel prices at the pump
have jumped from about 38 cents a gallon to $1.44.
http://tinyurl.com/wcnbulletin82-iran-fuel

- While countries like Belgium and Hungary are just considering or
discussing lorry (truck) distance-based charges, Poland has approved
such a scheme, which will come into effect on July 1.
http://tinyurl.com/wcnbulletin82-poland-lorry-tax
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REPORTS >>
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- Rethinking the EU Budget on environmental lines. Several well-known
NGOs operating in Europe have conducted a study and put together a
joint proposal on how the EU budget could become more sustainable,
touching on issues such as transport and housing.
http://tinyurl.com/wcnbulletin82-rethink-budget

- SPOKES - The Lothian Cycle Campaign (UK) has produced a how-to-guide
for storing bicycles in small flats. This considers how to make wall
mounts for bike racks and demonstrates various solutions. Note both
their assembled information in a pdf and the product database (UK
links)
http://tinyurl.com/wcnbulletin82-bike-storage

- A recent American report shows in detail how drivers DO NOT pay for
the roads/highways that they use. The author also provides some
insight on WHY the 'useful fiction' of drivers paying is so
persistent, despite all the evidence to the contrary. While based on
the USA situation, most of the elements of the author's analysis look
to apply equally to the Canadian situation.
http://tinyurl.com/wcnbulletin82-usa-road-funding
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MEDIA & NETWORKING  >>
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- What does "bike power", derriere-enhanced cars and planes, and a
bio-fuelled Santa all have in common? Time to check out the new
cartoons by Andy Singer!
http://andysinger.com

- 20's plenty for us. A new film by Streetfilms of New York, it
features the work of 20’s Plenty for Us in the UK who are a single
issue campaign group for residential 20 miles per hour (30 kmp) limits
without road humps. The authorities of over 5 million people in the UK
have committed to this policy that reduces casualties by 22%, and has
many quality of life benefits like better air quality.

Joining 20's Plenty for Us campaigner yahoo discussion group is free.
Please email groupregister-hmKSV7CjkzhzC/Dmp/A8/[email protected]

- Bike Winter: Get in touch with all those die-hards who enjoy cycling
together in the cold winter months. For Chicago-based camaraderie,
Email [email protected] If you're wanting to don winter biking
gear in Madison, WI, write to aaron.crandall-/E1597aS9LRfmgfxC/sS/[email protected] Madison has a
facebook page, Chicago has http://bikewinter.org.
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CURIOS >>
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- Find out what a specially crafted bicycle can do for carrying heavy
loads! In Christchurch, New Zealand, over 400 kg were transported
within a few days. The owner is happy to make the equipment or
know-how available to others.

www.cycletrailers.co.nz/bigloads.pdf
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SUPPORT WORLD CARFREE NETWORK >>
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Our joint carfree vision is only as strong as the people who support us. By
donating to WCN you'll strengthen the voice of the movement that's
committed to defending our right to a sound, sustainable future. For
donating and joining as a member, please visit:
http://www.worldcarfree.net/support/ Your support
will make a huge difference.
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Bulletin #82 by Justin Hyatt

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