Hi Joel,
I don`t know, if those rich TignePoint people "hate cars". They are still
addicted: did you see that they hide all the cars in underground garages ?
That will cost much money, doesn`t solve any problem with air pollution, and
stabilises the existing car-oriented structure around.
To me, those optical carfree quarters are only one small (& slow) step
towards carfree cities. Good point is the carfree surface and how
tignepoint.com celebrates its advantages - this intensity from a developer`s
side seems still new and encouraging -, but still remains the conventional
personal mobility behaviour, except that those people don`t need to "see"
their car all the time.
cheers,
Markus
----- Original Message -----
From: J.H. Crawford
To: carfree_cities@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Wednesday, October 31, 2007 3:00 PM
Subject: [carfree_cities] carfree development, in progress
Hi All,
Carfree cities are coming, even if it's slow:
http://www.tignepoint.com/stop-press/news-7-Tign-Point-Car-Free-Day-Every-Day.ht\
mlhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tigne_Pointhttp://maltaproperty.blogspot.com/2006/05/people-centred-design-at-tign-point.ht\
ml
This is a high-end project. Rich people hate cars just as much as everyone
else.
They just have the money to do something about it.
Regards,
----- ### -----
J.H. Crawford Carfree Cities
mailbox@... http://www.carfree.com
Hi,
Obvious cynical remark: It's a huge outdoor shopping mall with housing.
Second one: Concrete industry loves carfree
More technical comment: That's a lot of underground parking... I wonder
how much private car traffic it is inducing...
Second technical comment: How will people get there who don't have cars?
What I would say if I was a tour guide there? "Okay, folks. Imagine if
there were no cars at all underneath this place...nice, huh?"
- T
Markus Heller wrote:
> Hi Joel,
>
> I don`t know, if those rich TignePoint people "hate cars". They are still
> addicted: did you see that they hide all the cars in underground garages ?
> That will cost much money, doesn`t solve any problem with air
> pollution, and
> stabilises the existing car-oriented structure around.
>
> To me, those optical carfree quarters are only one small (& slow) step
> towards carfree cities. Good point is the carfree surface and how
> tignepoint.com celebrates its advantages - this intensity from a
> developer`s
> side seems still new and encouraging -, but still remains the
> conventional
> personal mobility behaviour, except that those people don`t need to "see"
> their car all the time.
>
> cheers,
> Markus
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: J.H. Crawford
> To: carfree_cities@yahoogroups.com
> <mailto:carfree_cities%40yahoogroups.com>
> Sent: Wednesday, October 31, 2007 3:00 PM
> Subject: [carfree_cities] carfree development, in progress
>
> Hi All,
>
> Carfree cities are coming, even if it's slow:
>
>
http://www.tignepoint.com/stop-press/news-7-Tign-Point-Car-Free-Day-Every-Day.ht\
ml
>
<http://www.tignepoint.com/stop-press/news-7-Tign-Point-Car-Free-Day-Every-Day.h\
tml>
>
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tigne_Point
> <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tigne_Point>
>
>
http://maltaproperty.blogspot.com/2006/05/people-centred-design-at-tign-point.ht\
ml
>
<http://maltaproperty.blogspot.com/2006/05/people-centred-design-at-tign-point.h\
tml>
>
> This is a high-end project. Rich people hate cars just as much as everyone
> else.
> They just have the money to do something about it.
>
> Regards,
>
> ----- ### -----
> J.H. Crawford Carfree Cities
> mailbox@... <mailto:mailbox%40carfree.com>
> http://www.carfree.com <http://www.carfree.com>
>
>
--
--------------------------------------------
Todd Edelman
Director
Green Idea Factory
Korunní 72
CZ-10100 Praha 10
Czech Republic
Skype: toddedelman
++420 605 915 970
++420 222 517 832
edelman@...
http://greenideafactory.blogspot.com/
www.flickr.com/photos/edelman
Green Idea Factory is a member of World Carfree Network
www.worldcarfree.net
"Cars and bullet trains may speed up our transit time, but they do
nothing to enrich the quality or depth of our interactions. On the
contrary, because we arrive so fast, we have no reason to make
occasions of anything. By nudging others into this consciousness,
Self acts as "an insurgent against the contemporary world."
After an afternoon of overload at a local mall, he escapes to the
suburbs with his kids, where he reflects on how interzones -- those
places where "country and city do battle for the soul of a place" --
excite him. This suburban expedition is Self's way of dragging his
children into their own consciousness of place. He wants to yank them
"out of all this intense urbanity" and expose them to the suffocating
pressure of "the sheer orderliness of all the neat verges and linseed-
oiled garage doors" -- just like the teenage Self once felt. Once
again, the insurgency: Self watches as his son tenses on his way into
the suburbs and relaxes on his way home to the city, his psyche
penetrated.
http://www.latimes.com/features/printedition/books/la-bk-
higgins4nov04,1,2984019.story
Todd Binkley, DC
Live long. Live well.
Binkley Healing Center
961 East Main Street
Ventura, CA 93001
805.641.9000
todd_binkley@...
www.binkleyhealingcenter.com
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
The entry period for the Bicycle Fixation Great Bike Rack Hunt
contest is closed, and we have posted the photos. We will be
forwarding them to our panel of experts in a week or so, but
meanwhile, our readers have the chance to judge for themselves which
of the racks pictured is the best or the worst of class!
The winner of the People's Choice vote will receive a pair of Hemp
City Knickers for having found the bike parking rack most respected
by practical cyclists.
The "lantern rouge" who submitted what you decide to be the most
clueless bike rack around will receive a James Black Hat. Because
it's important to know what mistakes we should avoid in providing
bicycle parking facilities.
(The winner of the experts' judgment will receive a pair of our
Classic Wool Knickers.)
To vote, go to the Popular Vote page:
http://bicyclefixation.com/rackhunt07popularvote.html
If you didn't hear about the contest earlier, but still want to vote,
please see the Contest Page so you know what we're looking for:
http://bicyclefixation.com/bikerackcontest07.html
And we urge everybody to view the APBP's Bicycle Parking Guidelines
to help you with your judging, and to support your arguments for
better bicycle parking when you speak to government officials,
building managers, employers, and others to ask for bike rack
installations:
http://www.bicyclinginfo.org/pdf/bikepark.pdf
Because you can park a lot of bikes in the space that just one car
takes up.
To see the products mentioned as prizes, go to:
http://bicyclefixation.com/shop.html
Thank you,
Rick
--
Richard Risemberg
Bicycle Fixation
http://www.bicyclefixation.com
Hi, all:
To add to what Todd and Markus said, underground parking garages
dramatically the raise the cost of housing above it, sometimes even
doubling it in price if a multi-level facility is built. Thus, it is a
good way to guarantee there will be no affordable housing. BTW, it can
dramatically raise the cost of office space too, encouraging companies
to move to where there are surface parking lots.
Eric Bruun
Quoting "Todd Edelman, Green Idea Factory" <edelman@...>:
> Hi,
>
> Obvious cynical remark: It's a huge outdoor shopping mall with housing.
>
> Second one: Concrete industry loves carfree
>
> More technical comment: That's a lot of underground parking... I wonder
> how much private car traffic it is inducing...
>
> Second technical comment: How will people get there who don't have cars?
>
> What I would say if I was a tour guide there? "Okay, folks. Imagine if
> there were no cars at all underneath this place...nice, huh?"
>
> - T
>
> Markus Heller wrote:
>
>> Hi Joel,
>>
>> I don`t know, if those rich TignePoint people "hate cars". They are still
>> addicted: did you see that they hide all the cars in underground garages ?
>> That will cost much money, doesn`t solve any problem with air
>> pollution, and
>> stabilises the existing car-oriented structure around.
>>
>> To me, those optical carfree quarters are only one small (& slow) step
>> towards carfree cities. Good point is the carfree surface and how
>> tignepoint.com celebrates its advantages - this intensity from a
>> developer`s
>> side seems still new and encouraging -, but still remains the
>> conventional
>> personal mobility behaviour, except that those people don`t need to "see"
>> their car all the time.
>>
>> cheers,
>> Markus
>>
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: J.H. Crawford
>> To: carfree_cities@yahoogroups.com
>> <mailto:carfree_cities%40yahoogroups.com>
>> Sent: Wednesday, October 31, 2007 3:00 PM
>> Subject: [carfree_cities] carfree development, in progress
>>
>> Hi All,
>>
>> Carfree cities are coming, even if it's slow:
>>
>>
http://www.tignepoint.com/stop-press/news-7-Tign-Point-Car-Free-Day-Every-Day.ht\
ml
>>
<http://www.tignepoint.com/stop-press/news-7-Tign-Point-Car-Free-Day-Every-Day.h\
tml>
>>
>> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tigne_Point
>> <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tigne_Point>
>>
>>
http://maltaproperty.blogspot.com/2006/05/people-centred-design-at-tign-point.ht\
ml
>>
<http://maltaproperty.blogspot.com/2006/05/people-centred-design-at-tign-point.h\
tml>
>>
>> This is a high-end project. Rich people hate cars just as much as everyone
>> else.
>> They just have the money to do something about it.
>>
>> Regards,
>>
>> ----- ### -----
>> J.H. Crawford Carfree Cities
>> mailbox@... <mailto:mailbox%40carfree.com>
>> http://www.carfree.com <http://www.carfree.com>
>>
>>
>
>
> --
> --------------------------------------------
>
> Todd Edelman
> Director
> Green Idea Factory
>
> Korunní 72
> CZ-10100 Praha 10
> Czech Republic
>
> Skype: toddedelman
> ++420 605 915 970
> ++420 222 517 832
>
> edelman@...
> http://greenideafactory.blogspot.com/
> www.flickr.com/photos/edelman
>
> Green Idea Factory is a member of World Carfree Network
> www.worldcarfree.net
>
>
This is a good book alright, but nothing new of course.
I see it as a variation on the same theme that has been discussed for years;
compact and sustainable communities to combat urban sprawl.
The difficult issue is how to convert existing wasteful planning in cities
to compact communities; unless of course the compact community plan is
to be considered for new developments, in which case this is another
form of sprawl.
Most large cities are entrenched in unsustainable urban planning; only
individual neighbourhoods can change that, by forming small enclaves
within
the city in which case it is still not a village because of the circumstances
in relation to the rest of the city.
Lela
Hi All,
Carfree Times #48 is now on line at:
http://www.carfree.com/cft/i048.html
I will wait until Monday morning (Eastern Time, USA) to send
out the notices to subscribers, so if you notice any errors
before then, please send mail OFF LIST.
Thanks,
----- ### -----
J.H. Crawford Carfree Cities
mailbox@... http://www.carfree.com
Hi Markus,
>I don`t know, if those rich TignePoint people "hate cars". They are still
>addicted: did you see that they hide all the cars in underground garages ?
I didn't figure out how many cars are accommodated, but I imagine it's
quite a few, and it will be expensive.
>That will cost much money, doesn`t solve any problem with air pollution, and
>stabilises the existing car-oriented structure around.
Yes, but the local quality of life WILL be better. In the beginning,
I think it's going to be difficult to get pure carfree projects,
because the infrastructure for carfree life just isn't there yet,
at least not in most cities.
>To me, those optical carfree quarters are only one small (& slow) step
>towards carfree cities. Good point is the carfree surface and how
>tignepoint.com celebrates its advantages - this intensity from a developer`s
>side seems still new and encouraging -, but still remains the conventional
>personal mobility behaviour, except that those people don`t need to "see"
>their car all the time.
Yes, I think it's instructive that rich people hate cars (except their
own limousine) and don't want to look at them. The rest of us can
just suffer, I guess.
Best,
Joel
----- ### -----
J.H. Crawford Carfree Cities
mailbox@... http://www.carfree.com
--- In carfree_cities@yahoogroups.com, lela@... wrote:
> The difficult issue is how to convert existing wasteful planning in
cities
> to compact communities . . . . only
> individual neighbourhoods can change that, by forming small enclaves
> within
> the city in which case it is still not a village because of the
circumstances
> in relation to the rest of the city.
Ah, but converting existing wasteful planning to compact communities
is the existing challenge, unless we abandon those cities for new
(sprawl) carfree developments. And I look forward to reading this
book for clues as to how best to achieve the goal of a carfree
neighborhood within a city.
I disagree that converting a city to individual neighborhoods cannot
create a village, in the sense of a largely-independent community
(emphasis on community). In my experience in the US, almost all
existing villages (fewer than 5,000 residents) also are poorly planned
and lack many necessities, so that the residents must rely on certain
stores and amenities in neighboring villages and larger cities.
It is encouraging that more of us are thinking about the problem and
can more easily share ideas.
On 10-Nov-07, at 3:09 PM, J.H. Crawford wrote:
> Hi All,
>
> Carfree Times #48 is now on line at:
>
> http://www.carfree.com/cft/i048.html
>
> I will wait until Monday morning (Eastern Time, USA) to send
> out the notices to subscribers, so if you notice any errors
> before then, please send mail OFF LIST.
>
==================================================
Hi Joel,
I haven't been able to swing things to be able to contribute much
over the past few months, but I took a look at the latest issue of
CFT and give my comments below.
I have a couple of interesting links to articles around and about and
will probably be posting them over the next few days.
Best regards,
Chris Miller
==================================================
1-
Towards Carfree Cities VII (Istanbul)
Last sentence should end in a period after 'conference'.
2 -
World Carfree Day
Saõ Paulo
--> São Paulo
3 -
In the Article "Not on My Roads You Don't. . . Yet":
'Montpelier' ought to be 'Montpellier' (with two letters 'l') in the
French version of the name; Montpelier (1 'l') is the name of the
town in Vermont. I see, after clicking on the link, that this is an
error in the original...
4 -
PARKing v. (PARK)ing v. PARK(ing) day
Seems there are three versions here competing for your affection!
(Photo caption v. title v. main body text.) The first page you link
to gives 'PARK(ing)'.
5 -
Paved Paradise
Tippecanoe County, Indiana, (population 150,000), there are
--> In Tippecanoe...
6 -
Campo dei Carmini, a comment: I'm struck by the effect the photo of
this square has on me compared to the others you put up in this
month's number of CFT. Based on this photo at least, the square seems
pretty desolate and uninviting. This is mostly due to the vast blank
expanse of the big building on the left side, which is only
punctuated by the large opening (a sottoportego, perhaps, judging by
the parallel lines extending out from it that seem to indicate a
travel route); otherwise, the vast expanse of wall only seems to
invite use as a handball surface. I don't know if a picture taken
from another angle would have redeemed my initial impression, but for
what it's worth, I was surprised by the contrast with the other
photos you have up... On second glance, I'm guessing the side to the
left of the portal reflects the right-hand side and has a similar
window this side of the faux column, which might have the effect of
breaking the expanse of wall to some extent, but even then, I get the
impression that the building is an unusual early example of blank
wall architecture.
(Written later):
Having looked this up in Google Earth, I see that the view seems to
be a bit distorted from the way it would be perceived when actually
standing there. I see it's just a short walk from Campo Santa
Margherita -- which by the way looks quite attractive in an aerial
view both by its irregular shape and by the way it seems to be broken
up into several smaller, more intimate spaces by the buildings and
trees in the square. But back to C. dei Carmini, I see the building
on the left is actually a church (the portal being the entrance) and
off to the right is a canal, the parallel white lines leading to a
stepped landing. It seems the angle of your photo gives the
impression of a much more vast and empty square than would a photo
taken from a more diagonal point of view, closer to the canal, which
would give a truer idea of the mass and detail of the church facade
and its relation to the square as a whole. You can just make out thr
bridge that crosses the canal on the right hand side of the photo
(just beyond the man in a yellow jacket) but without any further
information, such as having been there or having seen an alternative
view such as the aerial view in Google Earth, there is no way to even
recognise it as a bridge or that the buildings on the far right are
actually on the other side of a canal.
7 -
Health, Energy, and Transport
(First bullet point):
Although emissions from US cars scarcely increased between 1990 and
2003, emissions from light tricks rose 51% and heavier truck by 57%
light tricks, heavier truck
--> light trucks, heavier trucks
8 -
There Are No Green Cars
(First sentence):
("No car is "green," "clean," or "environmentally friendly,")
according strict advertising guidelines
--> ...according to ...
Bente Oeverli is the form the name is given in the Reuters article
linked to, but the proper Norwegian form (verified with a quick
Google search) is Bente Øverli. I know that German umlauted letters
are commonly written with a following e instead of the umlaut as a
typographical workaround, but I didn't know this was done for
Scandinavian languages; the alternative is usually (as can be seen by
googling the name) to simply leave the base vowel without any added
diacritics, in this case 'O' for 'Ø'. I guess the Reuters article's
choice would just have to be left as is, like the 'Montpelier' in the
Australian article in my point 3...
... nothing else found after the above...
Christopher Miller
Montreal QC Canada
Apologies to Joel and all for mistakenly posting my Carfree Times
comments to the list rather than directly to Joel!
Chris Miller
On 11-Nov-07, at 10:46 PM, Christopher Miller wrote:
>
> On 10-Nov-07, at 3:09 PM, J.H. Crawford wrote: (...)
> ==================================================
>
> Hi Joel,
>
> I haven't been able to swing things to be able to contribute much
> over the past few months, but I took a look at the latest issue of
> CFT and give my comments below. (...)
>
>
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Hi Chris,
It's a good thing you did send it to the list; I managed somehow
to delete your mail but retrieved it from the list!
Anyway, things fixed. Thanks!
Look forward to hearing more from you. I hope everything is OK.
Best,
Joel
At 2007-11-11 22:46, you wrote:
>
>On 10-Nov-07, at 3:09 PM, J.H. Crawford wrote:
>> Hi All,
>>
>> Carfree Times #48 is now on line at:
>>
>> http://www.carfree.com/cft/i048.html
>>
>> I will wait until Monday morning (Eastern Time, USA) to send
>> out the notices to subscribers, so if you notice any errors
>> before then, please send mail OFF LIST.
>
>
>Hi Joel,
>
>I haven't been able to swing things to be able to contribute much
>over the past few months, but I took a look at the latest issue of
>CFT and give my comments below.
>
>I have a couple of interesting links to articles around and about and
>will probably be posting them over the next few days.
>
>Best regards,
>
>Chris Miller
>
>==================================================
>
>1-
>Towards Carfree Cities VII (Istanbul)
>
>Last sentence should end in a period after 'conference'.
>
>2 -
>World Carfree Day
>
>Saõ Paulo
>--> São Paulo
>
>3 -
>In the Article "Not on My Roads You Don't. . . Yet":
>
>'Montpelier' ought to be 'Montpellier' (with two letters 'l') in the
>French version of the name; Montpelier (1 'l') is the name of the
>town in Vermont. I see, after clicking on the link, that this is an
>error in the original...
>
>4 -
>
>PARKing v. (PARK)ing v. PARK(ing) day
>
>Seems there are three versions here competing for your affection!
>(Photo caption v. title v. main body text.) The first page you link
>to gives 'PARK(ing)'.
>
>5 -
>
>Paved Paradise
>
>Tippecanoe County, Indiana, (population 150,000), there are
>--> In Tippecanoe...
>
>6 -
>Campo dei Carmini, a comment: I'm struck by the effect the photo of
>this square has on me compared to the others you put up in this
>month's number of CFT. Based on this photo at least, the square seems
>pretty desolate and uninviting. This is mostly due to the vast blank
>expanse of the big building on the left side, which is only
>punctuated by the large opening (a sottoportego, perhaps, judging by
>the parallel lines extending out from it that seem to indicate a
>travel route); otherwise, the vast expanse of wall only seems to
>invite use as a handball surface. I don't know if a picture taken
>from another angle would have redeemed my initial impression, but for
>what it's worth, I was surprised by the contrast with the other
>photos you have up... On second glance, I'm guessing the side to the
>left of the portal reflects the right-hand side and has a similar
>window this side of the faux column, which might have the effect of
>breaking the expanse of wall to some extent, but even then, I get the
>impression that the building is an unusual early example of blank
>wall architecture.
>
>(Written later):
>Having looked this up in Google Earth, I see that the view seems to
>be a bit distorted from the way it would be perceived when actually
>standing there. I see it's just a short walk from Campo Santa
>Margherita -- which by the way looks quite attractive in an aerial
>view both by its irregular shape and by the way it seems to be broken
>up into several smaller, more intimate spaces by the buildings and
>trees in the square. But back to C. dei Carmini, I see the building
>on the left is actually a church (the portal being the entrance) and
>off to the right is a canal, the parallel white lines leading to a
>stepped landing. It seems the angle of your photo gives the
>impression of a much more vast and empty square than would a photo
>taken from a more diagonal point of view, closer to the canal, which
>would give a truer idea of the mass and detail of the church facade
>and its relation to the square as a whole. You can just make out thr
>bridge that crosses the canal on the right hand side of the photo
>(just beyond the man in a yellow jacket) but without any further
>information, such as having been there or having seen an alternative
>view such as the aerial view in Google Earth, there is no way to even
>recognise it as a bridge or that the buildings on the far right are
>actually on the other side of a canal.
>
>7 -
>Health, Energy, and Transport
>
>(First bullet point):
>
>Although emissions from US cars scarcely increased between 1990 and
>2003, emissions from light tricks rose 51% and heavier truck by 57%
>
>light tricks, heavier truck
>
>--> light trucks, heavier trucks
>
>8 -
>
>There Are No Green Cars
>
>(First sentence):
>("No car is "green," "clean," or "environmentally friendly,")
>according strict advertising guidelines
>
>--> ...according to ...
>
>Bente Oeverli is the form the name is given in the Reuters article
>linked to, but the proper Norwegian form (verified with a quick
>Google search) is Bente Øverli. I know that German umlauted letters
>are commonly written with a following e instead of the umlaut as a
>typographical workaround, but I didn't know this was done for
>Scandinavian languages; the alternative is usually (as can be seen by
>googling the name) to simply leave the base vowel without any added
>diacritics, in this case 'O' for 'Ø'. I guess the Reuters article's
>choice would just have to be left as is, like the 'Montpelier' in the
>Australian article in my point 3...
>
>
>
>... nothing else found after the above...
----- ### -----
J.H. Crawford Carfree Cities
mailbox@... http://www.carfree.com
I guess Sydney's not going carfree any time soon -
http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/parked-cars-turning-buses-into-snails/2007/1\
1/11/1194766506287.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap1
Parked cars turning buses into snails
Linton Besser Transport Reporter
November 12, 2007
TENS of thousands of commuters are enduring slow bus trips through the
city centre despite a decade-long campaign to remove kerbside parking
and allow mass transit-style bus lanes.
The State Government, transport planners and the bus drivers' union all
say faster bus trips would be possible along major arteries such as
Clarence, York and Elizabeth streets if not for street parking.
They blame the City of Sydney council's reluctance to remove parking as
one of the stumbling blocks to reconfiguring city streets for swifter
bus services.
In the past four years, the council has collected more than $99 million
from parking meters and enforcement fines.
On Elizabeth Street, State Transit says parking causes obstacles to 167
buses every day, delaying the journeys of 4600 people.
And on Clarence Street, parking for a handful of cars creates havoc for
325 buses in the afternoon peak. State Transit says delays cost
passengers on this route 194 hours in wasted time each day.
The acting head of State Transit, Peter Rowley, said the council was
preventing the free flow of buses. "Thousands of bus passengers are held
up daily by CBD parking spaces, which on some streets cater to a handful
of people per hour," he said.
In 2005, the Government revealed its CBD Bus Strategy, but it was only
on October 12 this year that the Transport Minister, John Watkins,
formally announced the first plank in its bus priority program. Bus
priority lanes would be extended by three hours around the morning and
afternoon peaks.
The council has estimated the new hours will cost about $100,000 a year
in lost revenue from meters.
"We have, over the decade, made repeated representations to the council
about giving us a free flow through those streets," said the former head
of State Transit, John Stott. "But it has been reluctant to reduce
parking spaces."
The Government has highlighted congestion on York, Castlereagh, George
and Elizabeth streets as highly problematic for bus services. In
2006-07, the council earned an estimated $1.8 million in parking meters
on these streets.
A council report in July said "the city is concerned about long-term
proposals to remove or significantly reduce on-street parking from the CBD".
"It provides an essential facility to effectively service the
functioning of the retail and commercial activity at the core of the
CBD. In the short-term, pedestrian amenity is adversely impacted through
the loss of parking which acts as a buffer between moving traffic and
pedestrians."
Jeff Lewis, a spokesman for the Lord Mayor, Clover Moore, defended the
council. He said it backed extended bus lane hours.
"The city has also advised the state that it is prepared to forgo
parking where there is a net benefit to the community, for example the
recent bus lane extensions, for the provision of light rail services and
for the provision of cycling facilities," he said.
Other traffic problems are slowing bus services in the city. A lack of
bus terminus parking throughout the city centre means dozens of buses
are forced to circle city blocks while waiting for the next trip to begin.
Mr Lewis said it was bus layover areas that were clogging the city.
"[The city] is continually receiving requests from the STA for the
provision of additional on-street layover spaces for the exclusive use
of buses … [that] are not being used to provide services, and the spaces
could otherwise go to supporting the commercial activity of the CBD."
The Rail, Tram and Bus Union wants greater traffic priority given to
buses, even isolating bus lanes, as is done in London.
"The first thing we need is to reduce or eliminate the number of streets
where cars turn left and block the lane," said the union's bus division
secretary, Raul Baonza. He also called for concrete dividers to separate
bus lanes from general traffic. Bus lights would control the lane, and
cars wishing to turn left would do so from the centre lane when given
the appropriate green light.
A Roads and Traffic Authority spokesman, Adam Berry, said concrete
barriers caused problems for buses wishing to overtake each other, and
posed challenges for delivery vehicles.
Mr Stott said buses and light rail posed similar challenges and required
similar infrastructure. "They need guaranteed right of way, with
separation from traffic and priority through intersections," he said.
The Lord Mayor, Clover Moore, has made no secret of her dislike for
State Transit's noisy buses: "More and more buses do not make a
strategic integrated transport solution for the City of Sydney," she has
said.
Cr Moore and the council has called repeatedly for an extension of light
rail through Sydney, and pointed to the 2004 State Government report
into light rail that found it was a feasible solution.
The State Government shelved the report and has since declared that
buses remained the transport of choice for the city centre.
Transit-style bus lanes were preferred, the report said, if they were
installed along the centre of the street.
Such centre lanes were "safer for pedestrians and can avoid delays from
obstructions, such as left-turning traffic, illegal parking and drop off".
=v= This is precisely the problem in San Francisco, as well.
San Francisco nominally has a Transit-First Policy, which was
at first nonbinding and existed mostly to be criticized by
politicians as they approved parking for a thousand more cars
here and there. Then it was made into law by the voters (as
part of the ballot initiative process), so politicians don't
criticize it any more; on the contrary, they mention it when
trying to puff up their green credientials; but they continue
to impose a cars-first policy on the city.
=v= Bus service has suffered in lockstep with an influx of cars,
which park in bus stops (and crosswalks and on sidewalks) with
impunity. Their idea of improving it is to space bus stops
further apart, so as to create "more" parking for the cars that
are already illegally parked there.
=v= The surface rail also suffers. At many stops the doors open
and riders have to step out into parked cars, wending around
them to get to the sidewalk. The most heavily-used stop in the
city is encumbered by three parking spaces that are considered
too precious to sacrifice, so onboarding/offboarding is delayed
quite a bit. (After over a decade of complaints, one space was
freed up, but the police use it as their personal parking spot
while they grab coffee and hamburgers.)
=v= When a new surface rail line opened along the waterfront,
there was a big celebratory event that came to screeching halt
because somebody parked an SUV in the way. Hey, new parking!
(No ticket was issued.)
<_Jym_>
--
The cars below knew nothing. People in cars weren't New Yorkers
anyway, they'd suffered some basic misunderstanding.
-- Jonathan Lethem, _The_Fortress_of_Solitude_
> >On 10-Nov-07, at 3:09 PM, J.H. Crawford wrote:
> >> Hi All,
> >>
> >> Carfree Times #48 is now on line at:
> >>
> >> http://www.carfree.com/cft/i048.html
> >>
> >> I will wait until Monday morning (Eastern Time, USA) to send
> >> out the notices to subscribers, so if you notice any errors
> >> before then, please send mail OFF LIST.
Joel -- something I just noticed in the (wonderful as usual) photos is
that there is not a green thing growing between the pavers in any of
those squares. No grass, no moss, no lavender, nothing.
How do they do that? Any ideas?
>
>
>Joel -- something I just noticed in the (wonderful as usual) photos is
>that there is not a green thing growing between the pavers in any of
>those squares. No grass, no moss, no lavender, nothing.
>
>How do they do that? Any ideas?
odd, I never really noticed, but you're right. I have no idea how.
Joel
----- ### -----
J.H. Crawford Carfree Cities
mailbox@... http://www.carfree.com
Hi All,
By coincidence, my father grew up in Niskayuna and attended
Van Antwerp School. I don't think there even WAS bus service
to the school in his day.
Do these kinds of real-life horror stories have a place in
trying to make it safe for kids to walk or bike to school?
Does anybody really care that drivers are doing 30 or 40 in
a blind corner at a school intersection? Can we do anything
to stop this?
Regards,
Joel
http://timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=638495&category=SCHENECTADY&B\
CCode=HOME&newsdate=11/13/2007
Invisible scars are slow to heal
Youth who was brain- injured when hit by a car hasn't fully recovered
By CATHLEEN F. CROWLEY, Staff writer
Click byline for more stories by writer.
First published: Tuesday, November 13, 2007
NISKAYUNA -- Madelyn Mallein says part of her son died on Nov. 11, 2006, when he
was struck by a car.
Julian's broken leg mended easily, but his brain has not. His mother prays that
his mind will eventually rewire itself to bring back the loving boy she knows is
locked inside.
A year ago this week, Julian was hit by an SUV as he and a friend crossed
Balltown Road on a Saturday evening on their way to rent a video. The impact
sent Julian flying.
He was comatose for a week as his brain swelled. He spent six weeks in
rehabilitation, learning to feed himself and to walk again.
Today, Julian -- now 13 -- is back in school, and with special help is earning
good grades. He rides his bike and plays catch with his brothers. He also has
grown several inches and gained 20 pounds since the accident, and his voice has
a deeper tone.
But some things are not the same.
Before the accident, Julian was sweet, funny and affectionate. Now, he flashes
from angry, sad, scared and obscene to elusive moments of affection.
"People would understand him better if he were in a body cast," Mallein said.
"You can't see what's inside."
Julian's brain was traumatized, and he may never fully recover. In addition, his
behavior can be hurtful and embarrassing -- such as a venomous verbal attack on
his mother in the Macy's shoe department in which he told strangers that his mom
doesn't love him, and accusing his mother of wishing he had died in the
accident.
"I know it's the injury talking, but it still hurts," said Mallein, who is
divorced. Julian's father lives in California.
Swearing is a common behavior for teenagers with frontal lobe injuries like
Julian, said Jane Higham, of the Brain Injury Association of New York. The
frontal lobe controls executive functions like decision-making, planning,
emotions, memory and inhibition.
"When it's injured, these people can't monitor what they are saying or doing,"
Higham said. "It will take a lot of patience on the part of the family."
There's no consensus in the brain injury community about how long the mending
process takes after trauma. The most dramatic progress is generally seen in the
first six months to a year, she said.
Children who suffer brain injuries often appear to recover, but as they grow
older and encounter more difficult schoolwork and more complex social
situations, their deficits resurface, Higham said.
Like all teenagers, Julian's frontal cortex is still developing. Normal
teenagers make bad decisions and talk back to their parents.
"The fact his brain injury is meeting puberty is not a fortuitous meeting,"
Mallein said. "What (behavior) is brain injury, what is puberty?"
Julian looks unharmed on the outside, and like any kid his age he wants some
freedom but the accident makes it impossible.
His mother walks him to school and an aide accompanies him through his school
day. He can't play baseball or football or go skateboarding. Even as a spectator
at a baseball game, his mom made him wear a helmet because reinjuring a
traumatized brain can have devastating effects. His friends donned helmets in
support.
Julian's accident also has affected his mother, who now has heightened concerns
about crosswalks.
Her kitchen window overlooks the crossing that leads to Van Antwerp Middle
School where Julian attends seventh grade. It's not the crosswalk at which
Julian was hurt, but Mallein believes it's only a matter of time before a child
is struck there.
The school crosswalk is striped at an angle, in the middle of a curve, at an
intersection with no signal or stop sign. A large swamp maple on the inside of
the curve obscures the driver's view even further. The speed limit is 20 mph,
and signs warn motorists that they are in a school zone.
On Thursday morning, cars whipped past students waiting next to the crosswalk at
speeds that easily exceeded 30 mph, maybe 40 mph.
Mallein shouted at the drivers.
"I'm out here screaming all the time," she said, her voice several notches
higher than her usual steady tone. "I know firsthand what damage it does."
As Julian and his mother try to cross to the middle school, a car on the
opposite side stops. The black sedan in the near lane plans on driving through,
but Mallein raises her palm and glares at the driver, who is wearing a suit and
tie. Her other hand holds Julian back.
Julian makes an obscene gesture at the driver, who reciprocates.
Mallein's lawyer hired an expert to study the intersection at Balltown Road and
Van Antwerp where Julian was hit. The crossing met the state's minimum safety
standards. As a result, the Malleins received a $100,000 settlement from the
company that insures the driver who hit Julian.
Julian's own insurance company is trying to claim most of that money for medical
bills.
On the eve of last week's election, Mallein called town supervisor candidate Joe
Landry and asked him if he'd make the crosswalks safer if he was elected. He
said he would and Mallein voted for him.
"She has some very valid points about what she wants done," said Landry, who won
the election.
Landry lives near the middle school. But his own children take the bus to school
to avoid the intersection where Julian's accident happened.
Landry said he would work with the state and the Town Board to explore speed
reduction, improved signage and crossing guards.
Mallein can try to fix the crosswalks, but she can't fix Julian.
And while Julian still gives her glimpses of the boy he was before the accident,
most days he exhausts her with his mood swings and unpredictable behavior.
"I love him intensely, but I still have to deal with the loss of a child I don't
have anymore," she said.
Crowley can be reached at 454-5348, or by e-mail at ccrowley@....
----- ### -----
J.H. Crawford Carfree Cities
mailbox@... http://www.carfree.com
This may be of interest and relevance to the list:
http://anz.theoildrum.com/node/3228
This piece considers that industrialisation could only happen with cheap
fuels, and by looking at the countries of the world, tries to figure out
just how cheap fuel has to be before lots of people start using it ?
before a country can industrialise with fossil fuels. The flipside to
this is seeing how expensive fuel must be before it deindustrialises.
This then gives us a clue to if and when will industrial society will end.
I think it's significant in our visions for carfree cities, since the
oil running short will give us rather fewer cars on the roads, and lots
lying derelict; but anticipating the crisis we'd move towards planning
for carfree cities, rather than having it forced on us. Obviously, the
carfree city we plan to get will look much nicer than the one we stumble
into.
Cheers,
Kyle
http://greenwithagun.blogspot.com/
I see this all the time here in Kent, Washington. As a member of the
Bicycle Advisory Board, I recently invited a police liaison to our
monthly meeting and we are working to see that "Inattentive Driving"
violations ($125 fine) are being enforced.
For myself, I have developed a new technique to slow down and shame
speeding drivers. Instead of staring at the driver, (1) STARE AT HIS
LICENSE PLATE. Fix your eyes on it like you will shout it out as
your dying words if he tries to injure you. If that still doesn't
work, take out your cell phone and (2) ZOOM IN ON HIS LICENSE AND TAKE
A PICTURE as if you are ready to email it to the police.
I guarantee you, drivers don't care if you cuss at them, but if you
show intent to sue or report them to the police, they immediately
crumble and comply!
Just made a post to The Oil Drum on this featured topic
<http://europe.theoildrum.com/node/3248> in case anyone wanted to join
in. Pointed to carfreecities.com and posted a couple of enticing images
to draw in attention to the best solution.
Will
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
<http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7098902.stm>
EXPERTS WARN OF 'ABRUPT' WARNING
A UN panel has agreed a landmark report on climate change, and says the
world must act hastily to prevent the worst predicted effects coming to
pass.* *
After arduous talks in Valencia, Spain, scientists agreed a document
they hope will shape debate on the next phase of the fight against
climate change.
It declared the fact of global warming "unequivocal", and said it may
bring "abrupt and irreversible" impacts.
The text will be officially launched by UN chief Ban Ki-moon on Saturday.
Delegates to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
summarised thousands of pages of scientific analysis, bringing together
elements of the three reports already released this year, on the science
of climate change, impacts and adaptation, and options for mitigating
the problem.
"This is the strongest report yet by the IPCC - but says that there is
still time to act," Bill Hare, an Australian climate scientist and one
of the authors, told Reuters.
Among the report's top-line conclusions are that climate change is
"unequivocal", that humankind's emissions of greenhouse gases are more
than 90% likely to be the main cause, and that impacts can be reduced at
reasonable cost.
The synthesis summary finalised late on Friday strengthens the language
of those earlier reports with a warning that climate change may bring
"abrupt and irreversible" impacts.
Such impacts could include the fast melting of glaciers and species
extinctions.
"Climate change is here, it's impacting our lives and our economies, and
we need to do something about it," commented Hans Verolme, director of
the climate change programme with the environmental group WWF.
"After this report, there are no politicians left who can argue they
don't know what climate change is or they don't know what to do about it."
* Local witnesses *
At a news conference, WWF presented testimonies from "climate change
witnesses" in various parts of the world.
Speaking by video link, Australian scientists and fishermen spoke of the
changes they were seeing on the Great Barrier Reef. And Olav Mathis
Eira, a Sami reindeer herder from Norway, said that his communities are
seeing weather patterns unprecedented in their oral history.
"Winter is one-and-a-half months later than it used to be," he said. "We
observed birds and insects that do not have a name in Sami."
The 20-page synthesis summary by the Nobel Prize-winning IPCC will be
accompanied by a longer, more detailed document.
The findings will feed into the next round of negotiations on the UN
climate convention and Kyoto Protocol, which open in Bali on 3 December.
"The report sends a very strong signal to Bali," said Mr Verolme of the
WWF. "Now it's up to the politicians."
--
--------------------------------------------
Todd Edelman
Director
Green Idea Factory
Korunní 72
CZ-10100 Praha 10
Czech Republic
Skype: toddedelman
++420 605 915 970
++420 222 517 832
edelman@...
http://greenideafactory.blogspot.com/
www.flickr.com/photos/edelman
Green Idea Factory is a member of World Carfree Network
www.worldcarfree.net
Sent to me by my son--good overview of what promises to be a
significant book. Link at end of teaser.
Rick
Begin forwarded message:
>
>
>
> CapitolReader.com - Political Book Summaries™
> http://www.capitolreader.com
>
> * November 15, 2007 *
>
>
> - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
>
> PLEASE NOTE: Due to the Thanksgiving holiday, there will not
> be a summary published next Thursday (November 22nd). Our
> next summary will be published on November 29th.
>
> Have a happy and safe Thanksgiving!
>
> - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
>
> This Week's Summary:
>
> BLESSED UNREST:
> How the Largest Movement in the World
> Came into Being and Why No One Saw It Coming
> by Paul Hawken
>
> As the twenty-first century gets underway, systemic global
> problems are becoming increasingly expansive and alarming.
> However, a worldwide movement has also emerged through
> literally millions of organizations, many of them grassroots,
> which are determined to rectify the mistakes made by humanity
> in an effort to heal and sustain the earth. In "Blessed
> Unrest," Hawken provides the historical underpinnings of the
> movement and lays out its common aims and ideals. This is a
> movement that has no name, leader, or location, but is in
> every city, town, and culture and it is organizing from the
> bottom up and emerging as an extraordinary and creative
> expression of people's needs worldwide.
>
> To download this summary, click on the following link:
> http://www.capitolreader.com/sum/111507-blessedunrest-pvng.pdf
--
Richard Risemberg
http://www.bicyclefixation.comhttp://www.newcolonist.comhttp://www.rickrise.com
Hi All,
I'm in the middle of a move and won't be able to do
much on line until the middle of next week, when my
new connection should be installed.
In the mean time, play nice!
Best,
Joel
----- ### -----
J.H. Crawford Carfree Cities
mailbox@... http://www.carfree.com
This story was sent to you by: Richard Risemberg
--------------------
Fortunes shift as oil prices soar
--------------------
Millionaires are created in Moscow but French fishermen riot over lost profit as
effects ripple around the globe.
By Times Staff Writers
November 24 2007
Oil makes the world go 'round. Each day, more than 85 million barrels of black
gold are pumped from the ground -- that's nearly 70 ounces for each of the 6.6
billion men, women and children on Earth.
The complete article can be viewed at:
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-oilworld24nov24,0,6484649.story?coll=la-ho\
me-center
Visit latimes.com at http://www.latimes.com
Rick Risemberg saw this story on the BBC News website and thought you
should see it.
** DIY patrols to curb SA road deaths **
Parents in the South African city of Durban set up their own road safety
campaign to help their children cross safely to school.
< http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/fr/-/2/hi/africa/7107374.stm >
** BBC Daily E-mail **
Choose the news and sport headlines you want - when you want them, all
in one daily e-mail
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The BBC is not responsible for the content of this e-mail, and anything written
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Rick Risemberg saw this story on the BBC News website and thought you
should see it.
** China's eco-city faces growth challenge **
Shanghai plans to turn a huge island in the Yangtze River into an eco-city - but
how green are its expansion plans?
< http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/fr/-/2/hi/business/6756289.stm >
** BBC Daily E-mail **
Choose the news and sport headlines you want - when you want them, all
in one daily e-mail
< http://www.bbc.co.uk/email >
** Disclaimer **
The BBC is not responsible for the content of this e-mail, and anything written
in this e-mail does not necessarily reflect the BBC's views or opinions. Please
note that neither the e-mail address nor name of the sender have been verified.
If you do not wish to receive such e-mails in the future or want to know more
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In Search of a Great Street
Barcelona's Ramblas Provides Hints for Downtown's Broadway
Every time I go on a trip, as I did last month to Barcelona, I am reminded how
singular streets more than signature buildings distinguish a city.
Streetscapes are for me the rivers of life in a city, revealing in the passing
flow the character and culture of the residents and what makes them and their
surroundings so special.
For more of this story, click on or type the URL below:
http://www.ladowntownnews.com/articles/2007/11/26/news/opinion/edit02.txt
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