[world-carfree-news_eng] World Carfree News #84 - March 2011

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WORLD CARFREE NEWS >>>
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Edition 84 - March 2011 - English version
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Contents:

QUOTATION OF THE MONTH

WORLD CARFREE NETWORK ANNOUNCEMENTS

- Vote on new bulletin design
- Hosting call for TCC XI
- WCN Mobility Justice team
- Last call for papers TCC X

GENERAL ANNOUNCEMENTS

- Cities in Motion, Prague April 7
- Cycling for a cleaner city, Capetown, SA, May 14
- Visualizar'11 contest and workshop, Madrid
- Conference on cycling in London
- World EcoMobility congress in Changwon, Korea

ACTION

- "Car Diet"

IN THE NEWS

- Driver attacks Critical Mass cyclists
- Streets closed to traffic in historic Istanbul
- Paris to test ban on high-consumption vehicles in centre
- New bullet trains begin service in China
- Chengdu, China: free public transport?
- Detroit open for new ideas
- Friedman: higher gas prices go hand in hand with Mideast peace

REPORTS

- Slow Motion: Stories about walking

MEDIA & NETWORKING

- Bicycle flash mob in Brussels train station

CURIOS

- Home-made mobile pot of gold

SUPPORT WORLD CARFREE NETWORK
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QUOTATION OF THE MONTH >>
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"America, you have built your house at the foot of a volcano. That volcano
is now spewing lava from different cracks and is rumbling like it's going to
blow. Move your house!" In this case, "move your house" means "end your
addiction to oil."

- Thomas L. Friedman, commenting on recent Middle East events and the USA's
connection to them.
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WORLD CARFREE NETWORK ANNOUNCEMENTS >>
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-Last text-only issue of World Carfree Monthly News! Vote for the new
design!

Dear reader, you are currently reading the last text-only issue of this
Newsletter. Beginning with the April edition, this news bulletin will have a
spruced-up design. As announced in the last issue, readers may view the
three top proposals and vote on which design should be implemented from now
on. Please take a look and vote! Voting closes on March 24th.
www.worldcarfree.net/bulletin/designvote

- Would you like to host the Towards Carfree Cities conference in your town
in 2012?

If you are interested in hosting the 2012 conference, please consult our
Conference Organising Manual (www.worldcarfree.net/members/manual.php) and
hosting agreement template. Queries may be sent to directly to the World
Carfree Network list. The procedure for applying to host the conference is
simple and can be found on the conference website. If you have any further
questions or can not access the specified documents, please contact:
simon-eIl3k1piWmly0T758RiaJuG/[email protected] Deadline is April 3!
www.worldcarfree.net/conference

- WCN Mobility Justice team

Would you like to help out in mobility justice issues? Would you be happy to
respond to issues, where a press release needs to be formulated or where a
campaign needs to be launched? Frequently, events and situations occur where
the rights of pedestrians or cyclists (for example) are infringed upon, and
a quick-response team, consisting of members from around the world, will
offer one way to intervene. We are looking for people who are interested to
join such a team with no fixed agenda, but willing and able to leap into
action as is necessary. Please get in touch at [email protected]

- 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. There is a new deadline for paper proposals: April 15.
www.worldcarfree.net/conference/ProgrammeProposalsTCCX2011.pdf

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GENERAL ANNOUNCEMENTS >>
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- Cities in Motion, Prague April 7. International seminar on Mobility Plans,
Greenways and Spaces, Thursday, April 7, 9:00-16:00. Location: Česká
spořitelna a.s. Mramorový sál, Rytířská 29, Praha 1. For more information,
contact Daniel Mourek: daniel.mourek-rS/[email protected]

- Cycling for a Cleaner City, Capetown, SA, May 14. On the southern tip of
the African continent, Bicycle Empowerment Network (BEN) will be launching a
campaign to encourage locals to use non-motorised transportation. The event
is in celebration of the new cycling path and IRT system (Integrated Rapid
Transport). For more information, contact: [email protected]

- Visualizar'11: Contest and two-week workshop in Madrid Spain.
Medialab-Prado calls for projects that look into infrastructures and global
systems. Visualisation projects (including Transport infrastructures) are at
the heart of the call. Interested parties may submit a proposal by March 21.
The workshop will be held from June 14 to July 1.
http://tinyurl.com/wcnbulletin84-visualizar

- Conference "Policies and practise for promoting pedalling" will be held in
London on 13th of April. The topics will range from funding for cycling to
Barclay's super cycle highway and bike rental scheme.
www.lsbu.ac.uk/thelondoncyclingconference

-The world's first EcoMobility World Congress will explore environmentally
sustainable mobility in a conference scheduled for October 22-24 in
Changwon, Republic of Korea.
www.iclei.org/ecomobility2011
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ACTION >>
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Car Diet!

A collection of environmental agencies, churches and NGOs in Germany and
Luxembourg have banded together and called for a "Car diet" from March 20th
to April 19th. The idea is that citizens far and wide are invited to take
part and arrange their transport needs by means other than the private car
during this period. A mobility shift is the underlying motivator, and it is
hoped that those who went on the diet will continue on afterwards. Two
Wanderer bicycles may be won by registered dieters. Participating regions
are Saarland, Rheinland-Pfalz and Darmstadt in Germany as well as
Luxembourg. Registration is open until March 14.

If you are from these regions, please take part and also further support the
campaigns and their dissemination. If you are from another region, then take
this excellent idea and run with it!

For the German page: www.autofasten.de
For the French page: http://blog.bistum-trier.de/autofasten/?page_id=15

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IN THE NEWS >>
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- In Porto Alegre, Brazil, during the monthly Critical Mass ride a car
driver purposefully drove into the crowd of cyclists. Several people were
injured yet no casualties took place. There have been cyclist led
demonstrations across Brazil and the driver is currently being charged for
attempted murder.
http://tinyurl.com/wcnbulletin84-portoalegre

- Istanbul Municipality in one swift action closed 90 streets to vehicle
traffic in the historic heart of the city. This action was undertaken to
help protect the city's historic peninsula in the Sultanahmet area. This
move was encouraged and supported by UNESCO and EMBARQ TUrkey.
http://tinyurl.com/wcnbulletin84-istanbul

- Paris is planning to ban high-consumption vehicles from the central areas
as a trial. The ban will be based on carbon emissions per km and exempt
electric cars.
http://tinyurl.com/wcnbulletin84-paris

- New bullet trains inaugurated in China. The Chengdu-Shanghai and
Chengdu-Beijing bullet trains just started their passenger service, with the
Shanghai bound train arriving at its destination in 15 hours. Passengers
familiar with this stretch recounted trips many years ago that were
complicated in nature and lasted nearly 90 hours.
http://tinyurl.com/wcnbulletin84-bullet-train

-In other Chengdu news, authorities are advocating for free public buses (in
a city of 11 million) and an expansion of the city bike system.
http://tinyurl.com/wcnbulletin84-chengdu

-The "home of the automobile" Detroit is looking for a new lease on life.
With the city in huge debt and forced to find new ways to move forward,
Mayor Dave Bing has invited anyone with a plan or idea to make it known to
him, with the hopes of saving his "crumbling city".
http://tinyurl.com/wcnbulletin84-detroit

-Thomas Friedman, veteran journalist covering the Middle East, is calling
for an increase in gasoline prices coupled with high hopes for a surge in
democracy in that region of the world.
http://tinyurl.com/wcnbulletin84-friedman
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REPORTS >>
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- "Slow Motion: Stories about Walking" is a collection of essays and
interviews about walking that covers South African street life. Set against
the background of an autocentric society, this is a documentary product,
written by Andie Miller.
http://tinyurl.com/wcnbulletin84-slowmotion
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MEDIA & NETWORKING  >>
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- Incredible bicycle theme song flash mob in Brussels main train station
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ARwZ3scXQ7U
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CURIOS >>
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-  What does this machine do? All is revealed at the end...
http://vimeo.com/19374769
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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 #84 by Justin Hyatt

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