http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060801/ap_on_go_ot/driving_americans

I guess my main concern isn't so much that the public has a "love
affair" with the automobile.  It's that our policymakers have such a
love affair (or is it really more of a matter of prostitution?) with
the automobile.

The recent heat wave still hasn't made the folks in charge wake up and
realize that it is global warming, caused, in part, by vehicle
emmissions, that is causing this mess.  Instead, policies for most new
development is still based on how well the automobile can be
accommodated.  I guess we'll never get it until it's too late.

> http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060801/ap_on_go_ot/driving_americans
>
> I guess my main concern isn't so much that the public has a "love
> affair" with the automobile.  It's that our policymakers have such a
> love affair (or is it really more of a matter of prostitution?) with
> the automobile.

YEAH, but who elects the policymakers?

- T
------------------------------------------------------

Todd Edelman
Director
Green Idea Factory

++420 605 915 970

edelman@...
http://www.worldcarfree.net/onthetrain

Green Idea Factory,
a member of World Carfree Network

> YEAH, but who elects the policymakers?

unfortunately, for most people the carfree subject (as transport / mobility
in general) plays no important role in elections ... people want jobs
Markus
www.autofrei-wohnen.de/homeEngl.html

Hi all,

there is a conference "A New Culture of Mobility - From Auto-Mobility to
Multimodalità in the Solar Age" in Italy (Dobbiaco/Toblach) from Sept 21-23,
2006, see below the programm and details. Conf.-language is en, it, dt with
simultaneous interpreting.
For those interested I can forward german PDFs (program 460 kb and registr. 273
kb)

Same organisation does a few days later a workshop "Communicating Mobility - A
Workshop from September 24-28, 2006", find attached the engl. paper about, also
I can fw germ + italian versions as
small DOCs.


Markus

--

Dobbiaco Colloquia 2006
A New Culture of Mobility
From Auto-Mobility to Multimodalità in the Solar Age
Sept 21, to Sept 23 2006

The 2006 Dobbiaco Colloquia

After the Dobbiaco Colloquia from 1985 to 1999, a new cycle of Dobbiaco
Colloquia began in 2005 within the framework of the EU project HERMES.  Against
the background of fossil fuels that are being exhausted, the new central idea of
the Dobbiaco Colloquia is the coming of the "Solar Age" as the comprehensive
draft of civilization, as possibly the only option for the future but also a
fascinating challenge.
The new mobility is a state of mind and is therefore a cultural challenge.  The
2006 Dobbiaco Colloquia "A New Culture of Mobility" hopes to show how the
mobility of today that is primarily based upon the automobile can and must move
to multimodality, that is, to several options of means of transportation in
order to also prepare itself for the coming of the solar age.  The conference
will present comprehensive approaches of a new culture of mobility and will
describe the various components of multimodality by way of good examples from
practice.  These approaches range from pedestrian mobility through bicycle
mobility and public transportation all the way to the control of private
mobility, mobility services, mobility management, information, and marketing.
The conference hopes to connect the strategies with exemplary concrete solutions
in the various sectors of mobility.  These will show that a change is possible
in the mobility culture and is already being practiced in a number of places
with great success.

The Dobbiaco Colloquia Academy draws upon the original concept of Hans Glauber,
who launched the first edition in 1985. The Academy is a think tank for
ecological innovation. Its mission is to implement the knowledge and principles
emerging from the colloquia through the elaboration of future-oriented
development models.  Since the summer 2003,  the meetings of the Dobbiaco
Colloquia Academy have taken place at the sumptuous Grand Hotel.
The 2006 Dobbiaco Colloquia: A "Climate-Neutral" Conference
The Dobbiaco Colloquia also produces CO2 emissions itself. One need only think
of the travel and lodging of the participants, the printing of materials, the
sending of invitations, the organizational activities, etc., the total energy
consumption of which is estimated to create 14 tons of CO2 emissions. In order
to offset this impact on the global climate, the decision was made to invest in
a solar project in the Himalayas.  In this way, the Dobbiaco Colloquia may well
be the first conference to be held in Italy with no impact upon the climate.
This will hopefully provide encouragement to participants who should
nevertheless attempt to plan their travels as ecologically as possible.

Programm
A NEW CULTURE OF MOBILITY
From Auto-Mobility to Multimodality in the Solar Age

Initiator: Hans Glauber
Moderator: Christoph Ewen


Thursday, Sep. 21, 2006

   9.00  Registration

   9.30  Welcome and introduction to the conference: A New Culture of Mobility 
Hans Glauber

10.15  Zurich: A City on the Path of Multimodality Andy Fellmann

11.15  Break

11.45  With Head and Heart: A New Culture of Mobility Requires Rationality and
Emotions  Konrad Götz


14.30  Vision Zero - Victimless Mobility  Patrick Magnusson

15.30  Break

16.00  After Oil: How to Move About in the Post-Fossil Era  Wiebke Zimmer

17.00  The First Steps toward the Mobility of the Future - The Example of
Freiburg  Martin Haag

18.00  Film presentation: Val Pusteria - Between Tradition and Progress

Friday, Sep. 22, 2006

9.00  Going by Foot: The Extraordinary in Everyday Life Thomas Schweizer

   9.30  A Pedaling Region: The Example of North Rhine-Westphalia  Peter London

10.00  A Region Aiming for Public Transportation: the Example of Vorarlberg
Karl-Heinz Winkler

10.30  Break

11.00  The "City Toll" as a Means of Controlling Individual Traffic Michele
Minoja

11.30  Sharing the Road: The Concept of Shared Space  Hans Mondermann

12.00  Urban Planning Development and Traffic: Examples and Innovative Solutions
Willi Hüsler


14.30  Using Instead of Owning: Car Sharing in Switzerland Peter Muheim
15.00  Marketing the New Mobility: Bicycle Mobility in Bolzano  Günther
Innerebner
15.30  Mobility Management - Best Practices in Italy Ugo Cardamone
16.00  Break
16.30  "myclimate": Mobility with Zero Climate Impact Kathrin Dellantonio
17.00  The Main Offices and Agencies of Mobility Agencies: Information on and
Management of Multimodal Mobility Jörg Lunkenheimer

Saturday, Sep. 23, 2006

9.00  Rail and bus 2000: A Perfectly Integrated Transportation System in
Switzerland Urs Brotschi

   9.45  Sustainable Mobility in Tourist Areas: The Example of Gstaad Ernst
Linder
10.15  Car Sharing in Virgen: Innovative Mobility in a Rural Area Dietmar
Ruggenthaler

10.45  The New Railway in the Val Venosta:  A Picture of Success Thomas Widmann
11.30  Presentation of the Draft of the "2006 Dobbiaco Theses"


Speakers

Urs Brotschi, Network Development Manager for the Swiss Federal Railways SBB,
Berne
Ugo Cardamone, EHS Manager ST Electronics, Agrate, Milano
Kathrin Dellantonio, marketing, communications and sales for the foundation 
myclimate, The Climate Protection Partnership, Zurich
Christoph Ewen, Team Ewen: conflict and process management Darmstadt, Germany
Andy Fellmann, traffic expert, Department of Mobility and Planning, city of
Zurich
Konrad Götz, analyst of mobility and lifestyles, Institute of Social Ecology,
Frankfurt am Main
Hans Glauber, President of the Ökoinstitut Südtirol/Alto Adige, initiator of the
Dobbiaco Colloquia, Frankfurt and Bolzano
Martin Haag, Director of the Department of Mobility of the city of Freiburg.
Willi Hüsler, traffic planner, IBV engineering and traffic planning studio,
Zurich
Günther Innerebner, helios, audiovisual communication agency, Bressanone
Ernst Linder, Director of Infrastructure for the community of Gstaad-Saanen,
Gstaad, Switzerland
Peter London, Department of Bicycle Mobility and Information on Mobility,
Transportation Ministry of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Düsseldorf
Jörg Lunkenheimer, Director of Shareholder Relations, RMV
Rhein-Main-Verkehrsverbund, Hofheim TS (Frankfurt am Main)
Patrick Magnusson, Transportation Market Analyst with the street administration
of Sweden, Stockholm
Michele Minoja, expert in traffic simulations, Center for Traffic Studies, Milan
Hans Mondermann, Kuening Instituut, Groningen, the Netherlands
Peter Muheim, Director of Mobility Support, Mobility CarSharing Schweiz, Lucerne
Dietmar Ruggenthaler, Mayor of Virgen, East Tyrol, Austria
Thomas Schweizer, Director of "Fussverkehr Schweiz" (pedestrian mobility),
Zurich
Thomas Widmann, Commissioner for Mobility and Tourism, Autonomous Province of
Bolzano
Karl-Heinz Winkler, Coordinator of the "Unterland" Transportation System, urban
bus system of Dornbirn, Austria
Wiebke Zimmer, expert in innovative transportation technologies, Öko-Institut
Berlin, Berlin


Organization and Secretariat
Accademia dei Colloqui di Dobbiaco´- Akademie der Toblacher Gespräche
c/o Centro Culturale Grand Hotel Dobbiaco - Kulturzentrum Grand Hotel Toblach
Via Dolomiti, 31 - Dolomitenstraße, 31
I - 39034 Dobbiaco/Toblach
Tel. +39 0474 976151 - Fax +39 0474 976152
info@...   info@...
www.colloqui-dobbiaco.it    www.toblacher-gespraeche.it
Conference Venue
Auditorium Gustav Mahler
Centro Culturale Grand Hotel Dobbiaco - Kulturzentrum Grand Hotel Toblach
Via Dolomiti 31- Dolomitenstrasse  31 (opposite the railway station of Dobbiaco)
Conference Languages
German, Italian and English with simultaneous interpreting
Interpreters:
Sergio Allioni, Monica Carbone, Alberto Clò, Gabriella Del Rosso, Rosita
Lagravinese, Martina Pastore, Antonella Telmon
Registration
Please send the attached reservation form to Colloqui di Dobbiaco. The maximum
number of participants is 120. Applications will be accepted in the order they
are received.
  Registration fee
The registration fee is Euro 130.00 - young people, students and participants
residing in Dobbiaco are granted a discount amounting to Euro 65.00.
The Dobbiaco Colloquia are co-financed by the European project HERMES. The
registration fee is charged to cover administrative expenses which are not
entirely co-financed, such as simultaneous translation, organization and coffee
breaks.
  Method of payment
By bank transfer to Cassa Rurale di Dobbiaco: IBAN: IT 62 N 08080 58360 00300
002445. SWIFT- BIC: RZSBIT21138, or on a case-by-case basis upon registration at
the conference.
Hotel Reservation Information
Please contact the Dobbiaco Tourist Board:
Associazione Turistica Dobbiaco
Tel. +39 0474 972132
info@... www.tre-cime.info
Directors of the Colloquia
Dr. Hans Glauber
Dr. Hansjörg Viertler
Dr. Hans Schmieder
The Wokshop "Communicating Mobility" (Sep. 24 - 28, 2006) following the
Colloquia will attempt to establish how it may be possible to communicate a
different culture of mobility, based above all upon a multimodal approach. The
workshop is directed toward students of the Free University of Bolzano and of
the Bauhaus University of Weimar, but also toward other experts or interested
persons. It will be conducted in English and directed by Prof. Christian Upmeier
of the Department of Design of the University of Bolzano
(christian.upmeier@...). Information and registration:
info@...



----- Original Message -----
From: Toblacher Gespräche
Sent: Wednesday, August 02, 2006 10:53 AM
Subject: Toblacher Gespräche 2006

Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren,

In Anlage übermitteln wir Ihnen das Programm der Toblacher Gespräche 2006 zum
Thema "Eine neue Kultur der Mobilität", die vom 21. bis 23. September 2006 in
Toblach - Südtirol - Italien stattfinden.  Es würde uns freuen, wenn Sie das
beiliegende Programm an interessierte Personen weiterreichen.

Mit freundlichen Grüßen

Akademie der Toblacher Gespräche
Kulturzentrum Grand Hotel Toblach - Centro Culturale Grand Hotel Dobbiaco
Dolomitenstraße / Via Dolomiti 31, I-39034 Toblach - Dobbiaco
Tel. 0039 0474 976 151 - Fax 0039 0474 976 152
E-Mail: info@...  / info@...
Internet: www.grandhotel-toblach.com / www.grandhotel-dobbiaco.com

Hochpustertal - Alta Pusteria / Dolomiten - Dolomiti - Dolomites
Südtirol - Alto Adige - South Tyrol / Italien - Italia - Italy

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Recent visits to the following community land trusts (CLTs):

- the LA Ecovillage: http://www.laecovillage.org/
- Earthaven Ecovillage, http://earthaven.org
- Celo http://come2burnsville.com/celo.html

and reading about:

The Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative  (http://www.dsni.org/
[works in IE but not opera]; http://www.dsni.org/dni/ ) in _Better
Together_ ( http://bettertogether.org )

have got me wondering about the implications / possibility of having
an entire city operate as a sort of community land trust.

A Georgian land-tax seems related. . . (or is it the opposite?)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Single_Tax#Single-tax_communities

So--have any of the students of urban planning on this list considered
alternatives to the approach to organizing land use, land ownership,
and taxation that predominates in the US?

How would it work?

Lois Arkin of the LA Ecovillage believes (I think) that as long as the
real estate industry is focused on:

Maximum Rate of Return
and
Highest and Best Use
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Highest_and_best_use

Then real estate will not be developed in the community's best interest.

The following articles by Tom Wetzel (president of the San Francisco
Community Land Trust: http://www.sfclt.org/ ) also address this theme:

The Capitalist City or the Self-Managed City?
http://www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm?SectionID=41&ItemID=5907
(from the anthology _Globalize Liberation_)

http://www.zmag.org/wetzelcity.htm

Here's one last link on the CLT:
http://www.plannersweb.com/articles/pet112.html

As it is, we already have carfree cities for the ultra-rich. . .

And we're all aware that any carfree city or village will be impacted
by speculation and soaring land values if it is done well.

If this issue has already been addressed in the archives or in
carbuster magazine, please point me there.

Thanks!
Colin Leath

--
http://carfreeuniverse.org

Very nice article partially related to carfree design, as cited below.



Carlos F. Pardo.

   _____

De: Richard Layman [mailto:rlaymandc@...]
Enviado el: Martes, 15 de Agosto de 2006 07:32 p.m.
Para: public.spaces@...
Asunto: (Public.Spaces) Masterful, masterful article on streetscapes and
urban design







  <http://www.flickr.com/photos/rllayman/216375181/> Pedestrian behavior in
front of ground floors on Main StreetsPedestrian behavior in front of ground
floors on Main Streets. This diagram demonstrates the link between active
storefronts and involved pedestrians.

Urban Design <http://www.palgrave-journals.com/udi/index.html>
International is a very expensive journal ($180 for a personal subscription)
that I don't subscribe to and unfortunately isn't at the CUA Architectural
Library either. However, they have a sample issue on line, and it includes
an article co-authored by Jan Gehl, the Danish architect who is one
<http://urbanplacesandspaces.blogspot.com/www.pps.org/info/placemakingtools/
placemakers/jgehl>  of the great figures in placemaking. (Among other tomes,
he has authored the classic, Life Between Buildings.)

This article, "Close
<http://www.palgrave-journals.com/udi/journal/v11/n1/pdf/9000162a.pdf>
encounters with buildings,"* is absolute must reading. If I ever teach, this
paper will be on the syllabus.

Abstract:

What we have are closed, self-absorbed buildings. What we would like to have
is open, versatile, interesting and safe cities. The challenge is how to
incorporate large buildings in cities where people have the same small
stature and slow pace they had hundreds of years ago. There is now a
considerable confusion in the gap between large and small scales and between
'quick' and 'slow' architecture. Ground floor facades provide an important
link between these scales and between buildings and people. For public space
and buildings to be treated as a whole, the ground floor facades must have a
special and welcoming design. This good, close encounter architecture is
vital for good cities.

Download the article and save it. Read and memorize it. There are excellent
images and diagrams illustrating the points.

And for those of you in DC, press this article onto people that you know who
are involved in local land use and planning issues, neighborhood
associations, elected officials, people running for a seat on local Advisory
Neighborhood Commissions.

The principles laid out in this article support my contention that "Urban
Design" should be the first element in DC's Comprehensive Plan
<http://www.inclusivecity.org/> .
_____
* Jan Gehl, Lotte Johansen Kaefer and Solvejg Reigstad. Urban Design
<http://www.palgrave-journals.com/udi/index.html>  International 11: 29-47,
2006.



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Nice idea below, though I haven’t really seen the book.



Carlos F. Pardo

   _____

-----Original Message-----
From: Tombrowski [mailto:tombrowski@...]
Sent: Wednesday, August 16, 2006 3:56 AM
Subject: Urban Camping

Hello,

My wife, Andrea, and I recently published a book entitled Urban Camping: A
Testament to Living Without a Vehicle. Andrea and I have lived in Calgary
(Alberta, Canada) since 1997. In November 1998, we sold our only vehicle.
Seven years and two children later, we wouldn't have it any other way.

Our book is called Urban Camping but we don't live in a tent - we pay rent!
'Camping' refers to our simpler lifestyle and to the adventure that living
without a vehicle brings. We carry our groceries home, walk to most of our
destinations, and strive to keep our life "uncluttered." We've trekked
through downpours, fog, snowstorms, hail, freezing temperatures, high wind
chills, and stifling heat. We are regularly asked if we're tourists because
of our gear; large backpacks we wear around the city and are rarely seen
without.



Dr. David Suzuki calls our book “a very important model for other people.”
Urban Camping describes our life in sprawling, car-centric Calgary
(population one million) but its principles and practices of less
vehicle-dependence can be applied to most urban settings.



We have self published our book and as such are responsible for all that is
required in bringing it to the public.  If you believe that our book and our
example are worthy then please pass on this information so that more people
have the opportunity to find out about our book.  You may check us out at
www.urbancamping. <http://www.urbancamping.ca> ca . We need help.



Thank you.

Peter Tombrowski





[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

What's really nice is that this is a Canadian family living a carfree
life. Many times we've heard "Isn't it too cold in Canada to go carfree?".

Will Stewart

--- In carfree_cities@yahoogroups.com, "Carlos F. Pardo SUTP"
<carlos.pardo@...> wrote:
>
> Nice idea below, though I haven't really seen the book.
>
> Carlos F. Pardo __
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Tombrowski [mailto:tombrowski@...]
> Sent: Wednesday, August 16, 2006 3:56 AM
> Subject: Urban Camping
>
> Hello,
>
> My wife, Andrea, and I recently published a book entitled Urban
Camping: A
> Testament to Living Without a Vehicle. Andrea and I have lived in
Calgary
> (Alberta, Canada) since 1997. In November 1998, we sold our only
vehicle.
> Seven years and two children later, we wouldn't have it any other way.
>
> Our book is called Urban Camping but we don't live in a tent - we
pay rent!
> 'Camping' refers to our simpler lifestyle and to the adventure that
living
> without a vehicle brings. We carry our groceries home, walk to most
of our
> destinations, and strive to keep our life "uncluttered." We've trekked
> through downpours, fog, snowstorms, hail, freezing temperatures,
high wind
> chills, and stifling heat. We are regularly asked if we're tourists
because
> of our gear; large backpacks we wear around the city and are rarely seen
> without.
>
>
>
> Dr. David Suzuki calls our book "a very important model for other
people."
> Urban Camping describes our life in sprawling, car-centric Calgary
> (population one million) but its principles and practices of less
> vehicle-dependence can be applied to most urban settings.
>
>
>
> We have self published our book and as such are responsible for all
that is
> required in bringing it to the public.  If you believe that our book
and our
> example are worthy then please pass on this information so that more
people
> have the opportunity to find out about our book.  You may check us
out at
> www.urbancamping. <http://www.urbancamping.ca> ca . We need help.
>
>
>
> Thank you.
>
> Peter Tombrowski
>
>
>
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>

This below is wonderful (I hope everybody can see the image). Carfree
thinking since long back.



Best regards,



Carlos F. Pardo

   _____

De: Richard Layman [mailto:rlaymandc@...]
Enviado el: Lunes, 28 de Agosto de 2006 10:36 p.m.
Para: public.spaces@...
Asunto: Re: (Public.Spaces) PBS History Detectives



   <http://static.flickr.com/92/227735603_1c2445cced.jpg?v=0>

Ad from 1940.
______
I'm all for beating up on GM, Firestone, and Exxon but they were merely
icing on the cake.  Long before their campaign to convert streetcar systems
to bus systems (to sell buses, tires, and gasoline--GM didn't manufacture
streetcars) streetcar systems were on the decline due to the availability of
automobiles generally, and cheaper automobiles specifically (Henry Ford)
which fueled outmigration and deconcentration in earnest beginning in the
1920s.

Before the Depression interurban systems were going out of business, and
intracity streetcar systems too.

The Depression didn't help.

Neither did the Utility Holding Act, which eliminated cross-subsidy of
streetcar systems by electricity generating companies.  Many streetcar
systems created electricity generating companies to run their systems, but
the generating business became much bigger.  When forced to make a choice
between owning the electric company or the streetcar company, they chose the
electric company...

And state and city regulation of streetcar systems and limits on fare
increases underfunded the ability of such systems to invest in their
infrastructure and remain competitive.

Not to mention the fact that they paid franchise fees and taxes, unlike the
roads, which were used by vehicles that competed (gas taxes yes, but not
property, this was a problem too for railroads compared to trucking
companies).

WWII led to a revitalization of streetcar usage.  No automobiles were
produced during the war.  Plus gas rationing--which was instituted not
because of gas supplies, but because of lack of access to rubber for tires
(the Japanese took control of Malaysia from the British).  So people rode
streetcars.

But after the war, due to the demand for consumption of consumer goods the
price of streetcars went up greatly (demand for steel, etc.).  Buses were
seemingly cheaper to purchase (they had a shorter useful life, and reduced
capacity compared to the average streetcar).  So more streetcar lines were
abandoned, even by systems not controlled by GM...

Plus, streetcar service was "too frequent" often every 3 minutes, leading to
congestion.  Reducing frequency (headway) even by a couple minutes--from the
need for 20 cars/hour to 15 or 12--would have reduced investment
requirements.

Plus, the rush to the suburbs, fueled after 1954 by white flight, further
deconcentrated the market for public transit and streetcars.

It is incumbent on those of us demanding better public spaces to be accurate
in the recounting of history.  And if you're interested in finding out more,
there was a good discussion of this topic earlier in the year on the H-URBAN
e-list.  (It happens that transit is one of my advocacy interests.)

There are two good books about this wrt DC.  One quotes from one of the
abandonment hearings for the system in my old neighborhood, although I
haven't tried to track down the actual testimony myself.

Richard Layman

http://urbanplacesandspaces.blogspot.com



John Williams <john@...> wrote:


Tonight's episode of History Detectives looked into the history of
electric streetcar systems and the role of GM et al in eliminating
transit networks in many US communities. They mention the Snell
Hearings and also talk to the author of a new book, "Internal
Combustion: How Corporations and Governments Addicted the World to
Oil and Derailed the Alternatives," by Edwin Black."

Interestingly enough, the book will be released Sept. 5th, the day
ProWalk/Pro Bike 2006 starts in Madison. Coincidence? Hmmm...

J

==============

http://www.pbs.org/opb/historydetectives/investigations/410_electric_car.htm
l

CLEVELAND ELECTRIC CAR
AIRED: Season 4, Episode 10
THE DETECTIVE: Wes Cowan
THE PLACE: Cleveland, Ohio

THE CASE:

A Cleveland man with a passion for trains has long wondered about an
electric street car in his city's transit museum.

He is curious to learn what happened to the city's once extensive and
highly praised electric trolley car network.

Streetcars were once the most popular form of urban transportation in
the country -- by World War I, most cities of more than 10,000 people
had an electric railway system. But by the 1950s, this form of



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Which city are you describing or are you making generalities about many
different cities?

Boston, for example, has a very highly utilized "subway" system at least in the
heart of the city. Eugene, OR has no street cars and what is left of the city
that was built before the automobile is hard to discern.

The era of the automobile and its concomitant sprawl is quickly passing as the
freak of nature, the historical super-nova that it is, and we as a society must
adjust and make the hard individual and collective decisions to transition to
more walkable and mass transit environments/neighborhoods.

I think that studying the planning that has occurred in any and all cities
reveals that the norm is that there have been macro planning decisions made with
regards to infrastructure. The question that we must pose is, are the decisions
to be made for the benefit of an elite class or for the public good, or
alternatively should we suffer and die with the momentum of laissez faire
entropy?

Keep hope alive!!!


Working for peace and cooperation,

Mike Morin

   ----- Original Message -----
   From: Carlos F. Pardo SUTP
   To: carfree_cities@yahoogroups.com
   Sent: Tuesday, August 29, 2006 3:46 PM
   Subject: [carfree_cities] RV: (Public.Spaces) PBS History Detectives


   This below is wonderful (I hope everybody can see the image). Carfree
   thinking since long back.

   Best regards,

   Carlos F. Pardo

   _____

   De: Richard Layman [mailto:rlaymandc@...]
   Enviado el: Lunes, 28 de Agosto de 2006 10:36 p.m.
   Para: public.spaces@...
   Asunto: Re: (Public.Spaces) PBS History Detectives

   <http://static.flickr.com/92/227735603_1c2445cced.jpg?v=0>

   Ad from 1940.
   ______
   I'm all for beating up on GM, Firestone, and Exxon but they were merely
   icing on the cake. Long before their campaign to convert streetcar systems
   to bus systems (to sell buses, tires, and gasoline--GM didn't manufacture
   streetcars) streetcar systems were on the decline due to the availability of
   automobiles generally, and cheaper automobiles specifically (Henry Ford)
   which fueled outmigration and deconcentration in earnest beginning in the
   1920s.

   Before the Depression interurban systems were going out of business, and
   intracity streetcar systems too.

   The Depression didn't help.

   Neither did the Utility Holding Act, which eliminated cross-subsidy of
   streetcar systems by electricity generating companies. Many streetcar
   systems created electricity generating companies to run their systems, but
   the generating business became much bigger. When forced to make a choice
   between owning the electric company or the streetcar company, they chose the
   electric company...

   And state and city regulation of streetcar systems and limits on fare
   increases underfunded the ability of such systems to invest in their
   infrastructure and remain competitive.

   Not to mention the fact that they paid franchise fees and taxes, unlike the
   roads, which were used by vehicles that competed (gas taxes yes, but not
   property, this was a problem too for railroads compared to trucking
   companies).

   WWII led to a revitalization of streetcar usage. No automobiles were
   produced during the war. Plus gas rationing--which was instituted not
   because of gas supplies, but because of lack of access to rubber for tires
   (the Japanese took control of Malaysia from the British). So people rode
   streetcars.

   But after the war, due to the demand for consumption of consumer goods the
   price of streetcars went up greatly (demand for steel, etc.). Buses were
   seemingly cheaper to purchase (they had a shorter useful life, and reduced
   capacity compared to the average streetcar). So more streetcar lines were
   abandoned, even by systems not controlled by GM...

   Plus, streetcar service was "too frequent" often every 3 minutes, leading to
   congestion. Reducing frequency (headway) even by a couple minutes--from the
   need for 20 cars/hour to 15 or 12--would have reduced investment
   requirements.

   Plus, the rush to the suburbs, fueled after 1954 by white flight, further
   deconcentrated the market for public transit and streetcars.

   It is incumbent on those of us demanding better public spaces to be accurate
   in the recounting of history. And if you're interested in finding out more,
   there was a good discussion of this topic earlier in the year on the H-URBAN
   e-list. (It happens that transit is one of my advocacy interests.)

   There are two good books about this wrt DC. One quotes from one of the
   abandonment hearings for the system in my old neighborhood, although I
   haven't tried to track down the actual testimony myself.

   Richard Layman

   http://urbanplacesandspaces.blogspot.com

   John Williams <john@...> wrote:

   Tonight's episode of History Detectives looked into the history of
   electric streetcar systems and the role of GM et al in eliminating
   transit networks in many US communities. They mention the Snell
   Hearings and also talk to the author of a new book, "Internal
   Combustion: How Corporations and Governments Addicted the World to
   Oil and Derailed the Alternatives," by Edwin Black."

   Interestingly enough, the book will be released Sept. 5th, the day
   ProWalk/Pro Bike 2006 starts in Madison. Coincidence? Hmmm...

   J

   ==============

   http://www.pbs.org/opb/historydetectives/investigations/410_electric_car.htm
   l

   CLEVELAND ELECTRIC CAR
   AIRED: Season 4, Episode 10
   THE DETECTIVE: Wes Cowan
   THE PLACE: Cleveland, Ohio

   THE CASE:

   A Cleveland man with a passion for trains has long wondered about an
   electric street car in his city's transit museum.

   He is curious to learn what happened to the city's once extensive and
   highly praised electric trolley car network.

   Streetcars were once the most popular form of urban transportation in
   the country -- by World War I, most cities of more than 10,000 people
   had an electric railway system. But by the 1950s, this form of

   [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]





[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

This material is highly generalized (as another poster mentioned) and
short on facts.  It even has contradictory statements (e.g., too few
materials for construction of streetcars, but plenty for buses).

It appears this person is simply talking off the top of their head, so
I don't see any merit in this 'information'.

Will Stewart

The PBS transcript can be found here;
http://www.pbs.org/opb/historydetectives/pdf/410_electric_car.pdf

I have no idea where the blog comment came from.

Will Stewart

I will be out of the office starting  30/08/2006 and will not return until
20/09/2006.

Please contact:
1) Aaron Tang for matters relating to DTL1
2) Ang Teck Ee for matters relating to Orchard Mall Enhancement & Orchard
Turn Development.
4) Tong Cherng Yaw for all other matters.

If you really do need to get in touch urgently (but I'd rather you didn't),
please e-mail hng001@... or ech275@...


________________________________________________________________________________\
____________________
If you are not the intended recipient of this communication, please notify the
sender and delete it.
As it may contain confidential or official information, do not retain it or
disclose the contents to
any person as it may be an offence under the Official Secrets Act.
________________________________________________________________________________\
____________________

X-post. This from a colleague might be of interest to Carfree Cities.

Simon

------ Forwarded Message
From: Mike Beazley <M.J.Beazley@...>
Date: Thu, 31 Aug 2006 11:00:32 +0100
To: __CURS-ACAD-STAFF <_CURS-ACAD-STAFF@...>,
__INLOGOV-ACAD-STAFF <_INLOGOV-ACAD-STAFF@...>
Conversation: Planetizen Press Advisory - Radar
Subject: FW: Planetizen Press Advisory - Radar

Dear All
A potentially useful source to keep up to date on US planning and
development issues
Best Wishes
Mike


-----Original Message-----
From: Planning Educators Electronic Mail Network
[mailto:PLANET@...]On Behalf Of Chris Steins
Sent: 30 August 2006 15:19
To: PLANET@...
Subject: Planetizen Press Advisory - Radar


URBAN PLANNING PRESS ADVISORY

RADAR 2.0: URBAN ISSUES NEWS UPDATED 24/7

Planetizen's new web news catcher provides up-to-the-minute
updates urban planning, design, and development issues.

August 30, 2006 -- Planetizen, the leading news and
information website for the urban planning and development
community, launched a new version of its web-based news
aggregator called Radar.

Radar automatically collects news and information from
selected syndicating sources, including popular blogs and
influential websites, and categorizes them for easy browsing
and searching. The archive of stories, which is updated
around the clock, provides a snapshot of the hot topics being
discussed on the web - allowing visitors to see what other
readers think is important or interesting.

"We wanted a tool that made it easy to find and search
through all the planning, design, and development related
news and opinions on the Web" said Abhijeet Chavan, one of
the co-founders of Planetizen.

Radar's tag links, which provide visual cues to users about
the popularity of a particular topic or category, are one of
the useful features of the new version of the site.

"If there are a lot of recent posts about historic
preservation in Columbus, Ohio, Radar will highlight links
to those categories" remarked Chavan.

For users that are looking for more specific information,
Radar also allows users to filter stories by source - be it
from a blog, a traditional media site, or an academic or
non-profit organization. The archive of stories is also fully
searchable by geography, topic, or keyword. Radar is updated
every 15 minutes.

You can see Radar in action by visiting
  http://radar.planetizen.com

Contact:
Christian Peralta, Managing Editor
christian@...
Planetizen: The Urban Planning and Development Network

Planetizen (plan-NET'-a-zen) is a public-interest information
exchange provided for the urban planning, design, and
development community. It is a one-stop source for urban
planning news, commentary, announcements, book reviews, jobs,
events, and more.
http://www.planetizen.com/

------ End of Forwarded Message

Hi All--

The site's been running well in beta, and every section has some
content, though not enough yet, so it's time: September 1st is the
Official Grand Opening of the Bicycle Fixation website!

What do we do?

We present articles on urban and transportational bicycling in the
face of traffic, sprawl, injustice, and a culture of environmental
cluelessness, and essays that we hope will help us all find our way
back to living sanely in the physical world, lovingly in the social
plane, fairly in the economic realm, and passionately in all of them--
in other words, total world and personal revolution, facilitated by
the bicycle, the most efficient machine ever to come from the hands
and minds of our species!

The bicycle brings physical health, social openness, and an end to
pollution and fossil fuel dependence to a degree that no other
technology can approach, and enhances rather than diminishes your
freedom.  It's available to almost everyone at almost any age, and
even to the very poor.  It strengthens where other technologies
weaken you, it enlarges where other technologies diminish you, it
enlivens where other technologies deaden you.  The bicycle is an
extension of your body, and not an enclosure.

So are you tired of waiting for the bright future?  Make it happen
now!  Join us at http://www.bicyclefixation.com, where we bring you
face to face with the world you want to live in.
=====================
We plan also to develop a few select bicycling-oriented products
suitable for real-world bicycling, with a pair of woolen riding
knickers of our own design currently in development.  These will be
bicycle-friendly pants with a touch of elegance and a durable,
practical construction--something you can wear into a store or
restaurant without looking like you came from Mars.  A cargo bike is
also a possibility, if our resources permit.

In addition, we will present advertisements from companies engaged in
similar products or processes, from enlightened neighborhood bike
shops that understand what transportational cyclists need, to
builders, designers, and marketers presenting truly useful low-impact
products, or high-impact information, that will help us create a
better and ultimately sustainable life.  If you are such a one,
please note that as a Grand Opening Special, we have cut our rates in
half for any advertisement placed by December 31st of this year.  See
details at http://www.bicyclefixation.com/advertise.html .

Thank you,

Rick
--
Richard Risemberg
http://www.rickrise.com
http://www.bicyclefixation.com
http://www.newcolonist.com

On Aug 31, 2006, at 10:57 PM, Jason Meggs wrote:

> Wonderful -- do you have many studies on energy and bicycling?  Or
> bicycling and climate change?
I will have these soon.  Meanwhile, look up http://www.vtpi.org, the
best source on the planet for transport & energy stats.
>
> Have you heard the idea that bicycles are less fuel efficient than
> electric bikes due to the fuel used to produce food?  (I heard this
> rumor and really want to see any studies so I can find all their
> flaws!!!)
Bicycling requires 35 calories per mile.  Walking requires 4 times
that.  I very much doubt that electric anythings can beat either one,
especially if you factor in embedded energy in powerplants and
transmission systems, not to mention dams and the attendant damage
they cause the environment.

Also, one has to eat anyway.  The extra food used in bikes is
insignificant. In fact (anecdotal evidence here), I find that I eat
LESS when I'm bicycling more, as my metabolism is more efficient.

Throw in a habit of eating organic, or from farmer's markets--I do
both--and that tips the scale even further towards the bicycle.

The power addicts put forth all sorts of specious arguments.  One
even said that bicycles are less efficient because their riders tend
to live longer and consume more of other resources!  The logical
outcome to that argument would be universal enforced sterilization,
followed by mass suicide.

Well, thanks to fossil fuels, we are on track to the latter....

Rick
--
Richard Risemberg
http://www.rickrise.com
http://www.bicyclefixation.com
http://www.newcolonist.com

>
http://tinyurl.com/lcmnp


> In the Netherlands, Life Runs on 2 Wheels (Sometimes 3)
>
> By JOHN TAGLIABUE
> IJMUIDEN, The Netherlands, Sept. 7 — With more than two bicycles
> per person and a landscape as flat as a pancake, the Netherlands is
> a cyclists’ Eden.
>
> That was evident one recent balmy afternoon as a gentle surf washed
> the beach and another wave, far more daunting, headed to the beach
> from the opposite direction. A stream of bicycles five or six
> abreast, some with a single rider, others with a parent and one or
> two children aboard, stretched as far inland as the eye could see.
> Parallel to it, also headed to the beach, was a puny single file of
> cars.
>
> A generation or so ago, bicycles were popular substitutes for cars,
> which were too expensive for many people and wasteful, in a country
> below sea level and thus finely attuned to environmental matters.
> Now, with greater affluence, more free time and even greater
> environmental concerns, the Dutch are turning to bicycles in ever
> greater numbers. Sales are booming, and there is a proliferation of
> designs for all sorts of purposes.
>
> Take Hendrik de Buyzer, a retired patent office engineer in this
> fishing and steelmaking port of 15,000 people. Mr. de Buyzer, 61,
> explained that he owned two touring bicycles, plus a tandem that he
> rides with his wife. He recently bought an English Brompton folding
> bicycle that he can collapse and carry wherever he wants.
>
> As if all those were not enough, he recently paid about $3,000 for
> a Christiania bicycle from Denmark for his daughter, a kind of
> three-wheeled utility vehicle that she uses to transport her
> preschool-age children. “The kids love it for a ride,” he said.
> “She takes them out to the polder,” the land reclaimed by building
> dikes.
>
> His wife, he said, has her own bicycle, plus a Vespa scooter.
>
> “Whenever it’s not raining, which it does all the time, I’m on my
> bike,” he said.
>
> Bicycles were in decline as recently as a decade ago, Mr. de Buyzer
> said, as the Dutch increasingly turned to cars. “Now what you’re
> seeing are recreational bikes, and more expensive bikes,” he said,
> with a glance at his folding bicycle. He added sheepishly, “I take
> this one with me when I go sailing.”
>
> The bicycle vies with the automobile for space in bigger Dutch
> cities, like Amsterdam and Rotterdam; bicycle lanes and parking
> spaces reserved for bicycles are everywhere.
>
> Given the Dutch appetite for bicycles, it is little wonder that
> Frank van Oirschot joined two friends to open a business here they
> call Amazing Wheels. In a sprawling warehouse along piers where
> fishing trawlers once dumped their haul, Mr. van Oirschot runs what
> is arguably the largest wholesale bike dealership in the
> Netherlands, and possibly in Europe.
>
> Leading a visitor through the warehouse, he pointed out touring
> bicycles, the way the Dutch like them; electric bicycles, from
> mountainous Switzerland; recumbent bicycles, whose riders look like
> they are on a two-wheeled gurney; and all sorts of three-wheeled
> models, for hauling groceries or tools or children. There is even a
> bicycle that folds up into a suitcase, for carrying on planes.
>
> “We have house painters in Amsterdam who love the three-wheeled
> bikes,” he said.
>
> In neighboring Belgium, Coca-Cola recently ordered 13 SmartTrikes,
> three-wheeled bikes for carrying children or goods or both, which
> it plans to use to sell Coke at amusement parks. “Thirteen is not
> what I’d call an impressive investment, but it’s one way to bring
> the brand to consumers,” said Wouter Vermeulen, a spokesman for
> Coca-Cola. “It’s a bike-loving country.”
>
> Mr. van Oirschot, 37, a heavyset former software expert, said
> bicycles were increasingly seen as an expression of a lifestyle.
> “It’s, like, for hanging out, almost as a fashion statement,” he
> said, pointing to Phat Cycles from California, with their laid-back
> look reminiscent of the movie “Easy Rider.”
>
> Biking, it is clear, is a Dutch way of entertaining children or
> grandchildren. Michael Pronk, 31, and his wife rolled along a road
> leading to the sea, each with one of their 3-year-old twins on the
> back of their bicycles. “On a day like this,” Mr. Pronk said,
> motioning to the high scudding clouds, “instead of walking, we take
> a bike ride.”
>
> No wonder then, that on work days the train stations here and in
> nearby Haarlem look like buildings afloat in a lake of bicycles.
>
> At traffic lights, explosions of bicycles come forth whenever a
> light turns green. When day care is out, young mothers pick up as
> many as four children in comfortable wagons attached to the rear of
> their bicycles.
>
> Like all Dutch cities, Ijmuiden has bike lanes on the sides of all
> its roads and bicycle parking places at all public buildings. At
> any given moment in the downtown area, with its quaint red-brick
> buildings, there are more bikes than cars on the roads.
>
> Mr. van Oirschot said the increased use of bikes for recreation and
> for staying in shape fueled business. “People have more free time,
> and more people are trying to keep healthy,” he said. “And
> bicycling is a popular way of doing it.”
>
> Yet at bottom, he said, his success was a result of the Dutch love
> affair with bikes. The average price the Dutch pay for a new
> bicycle is $960, he said; the Danes come in second in Europe,
> spending an average $700 for a bicycle.
>
> “The Netherlands is primarily bike country; it’s something they use
> daily,” he said. “It’s no surprise that we’re having such a success.”

--
Richard Risemberg
http://www.rickrise.com
http://www.bicyclefixation.com
http://www.newcolonist.com

There is a new campaign paper from European Greens:

"Soft mobility - Measures for a climate-friendly transport policy in Europe"

en: http://www.greens-efa.org/cms/default/rubrik/7/7062.soft_mobility@en.htm

The Greens/EFA soft mobility paper, commissioned by Michael Cramer MEP,
outlines practical measures aimed at reducing oil consumption and, as a
result, cutting transport-induced climatic pollution. (pdf)

download:

en:
http://www.greens-efa.org/cms/topics/dokbin/147/147604.soft_mobility@en.pdf

fr:
http://www.greens-efa.org/cms/topics/dokbin/147/147605.mobilit_durable@en.pdf

de (432 kb):
http://www.greens-efa.org/cms/topics/dokbin/147/147606.soft_mobility@en.pdf

Markus
www.autofrei-wohnen.de/homeEngl.html

http://tinyurl.com/elszu

Go west, young subway rider

Changing transit priorities mirror the changing face of the city, with
convoluted routes of the past leading into an unrealized future.

By D.J. Waldie, D.J. WALDIE is the author of "Where We Are Now: Notes from
Los Angeles" (Angel City Press, 2004).

December 5, 2005


THAT HOLLOW laughter you hear echoing from beneath your feet is the Ghost of
Mass Transit Past, stirring again like one of Ebenezer Scrooge's unwelcome
holiday visitors below the intersection of Wilshire Boulevard and Western
Avenue, where the mid-city arm of the Red Line subway terminated in 1996.

Twenty-five years after a downtown-to-Santa-Monica subway line was proposed,
and 10 years after it was pronounced DOA, the idea of a "subway to the sea"
will not lie quietly in its grave.

It's not hard to see why, particularly when you're stuck in worsening
traffic. The Wilshire Corridor has the jobs, retail, housing and population
density to make a subway west of Western both desirable and practical — just
as desirable and practical as it was in 1980, when county voters approved an
initial half-cent sales tax increase for a transit plan that would have
built it.

But it never happened. And let's be blunt: The Red Line subway stopped at
Western because of Anglo homeowner fears of "those people" coming to their
neighborhood (and Anglo shop owner fears that subway construction on
Wilshire would kill business for years, only to deliver "those people" to
their doors afterward).

That Rep. Henry Waxman and County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky (old opponents
of a Red Line extension) are now talking about allowing a subway to cross
into the so-called methane zone has nothing to do with their sudden
discovery of a better, safer way through the Westside's former oil fields.
(The first Red Line tunnel came through the 1994 Northridge earthquake with
hardly a crack.)

Rather, today's talk of a subway extension demonstrates just how many
homeowners and shop owners on the Westside have become "those people"
themselves. Los Angeles is finally hybridized enough to imagine that transit
riders are not Mau-Maus on the bus but only you and me and the woman who
cleans your house.

It's a demonstration of will and ingenuity that tens of thousands of these
riders daily cobble together bits of a politicized transit system and
commute to work, shop and make their way in a city that often misunderstands
their transportation needs.

Los Angeles may be grown up enough for transit (and grown dense enough to
need it), but that's not enough to deliver the system the city should have.
Transit in Los Angeles isn't the neutral delivery of passengers from one dot
on a map to another. Like everything that accelerates the flow of public
money and political influence in this city, transit isn't really about buses
and trains, it's about the mechanisms of power.

Every "great idea" for transit in the last 25 years has found a constituency
of contractors, lobbyists and consultants ready to carve out their piece of
the county, state and federal funding pie: heavy-rail subways, light-rail
trolleys, dedicated busways, limited service buses, granny-toting jitneys
and long-haul commuter trains. If it has wheels and you can find someone to
subsidize its construction, it's currently running on, under or alongside
the streets of Los Angeles.

Passing enthusiasms and political fixes have contorted the city's bus and
rail networks into forms that are not logical or efficient. But that's what
happened when well-intentioned voters offered up a sea of county sales tax
revenue in 1980 and again in 1990 for a transit system they had no intention
of using.

It's not to get themselves out of their SUVs that so many frustrated drivers
support transit funding, it's to get their neighbors out of theirs.

Big public transit projects are essential to the future of Los Angeles, even
if they never add up to a coherent system. The proposed Red Line extension
down Wilshire is essential, even though it will cost $200 million to $300
million per mile to build the three miles just to Fairfax. The new
Exposition light-rail line to Culver City is essential too. So are more
limited-service Rapid buses. And the plodding local buses, completing their
crooked routes across the disregarded parts of the city, are utterly
essential.

Building subways and light rail and expanding bus service won't restore the
visceral pleasures of 1960s freeway momentum (when the county had 4 million
fewer residents). It won't break up the rolling gridlock that infuriates
Westside drivers. But more transit options are making an increasingly urban
Los Angeles a little more livable.

If you've been reading these pages for a while, you may have caught the
half-anxious, half-amazed tone of city watchers who seem to be wondering
what to make of Los Angeles when it isn't Los Angeles any more, when all of
our cliched assumptions — bright and noir — are questioned by our encounters
with a city that isn't Raymond Chandler's or even Joan Didion's.

Public transit has the unsettling capacity to redefine our experience of a
built-up, built-out and densified Los Angeles. If it's ever built, a subway
into the west will carry more than passengers; it will bear our imagination
into a city as yet unrealized.

http://tinyurl.com/kmsnz

Dear all,
I'd like to ask if anyone here know of anything about public transport
in Anchorage. As far as I know there is only a simple bus system, but I
have been told that there are those who want to see a light rail system
built there.

Many thanks,
Eu Chai

Interesting.of course, they include mountain biking, which changes the
picture completely. If the "thrill of the hunt" is to be included, I would
include NYC.



Best regards,



Carlos F. Pardo

   _____

De: Katie Salay [mailto:ksalay@...]
Enviado el: Lunes, 02 de Octubre de 2006 10:51 a.m.
Para: public.spaces@...
Asunto: (Public.Spaces) 10 great U.S. cities for cycling



http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/29/AR2006092900
490.html



10 Other Great Biking Cities

Sunday, October 1, 2006; P04

City biking can be more than bus fumes and potholes; in some metropolitan
centers, urban cyclists can enjoy clean bay air, lighted paved routes and
even shower stations to rinse off the bike sweat. We asked Adventure Cycling
Association (800-755- 2453, http://www.adventurecycling.org), a nonprofit
bike organization in Montana, and Bicycling magazine
(http://www.bicycling.com) for their suggestions on the most bike-friendly
cities in the country. Their picks:

-Portland, Ore. The city of outdoors enthusiasts has 164 miles of bike
lanes, 66 miles of bike paths, 30 miles of bike boulevards (low car volume)
and ample parking for two-wheelers. For a standout ride, ACA recommends
Forest Park, one of the nation's largest urban parks, while Bicycling
magazine suggests the 18-mile route from the Willamette River downtown to
the rural town of Boring. Info: City of Portland Office of Transportation,
http://www.portlandonline.com/transportation.

-Seattle. Not even the rain can stop bikers from cruising 28 miles of
multi-use paths, 25 miles of on-street lanes and miles of signed bike
routes. A favorite is the Burke-Gilman Trail, a rails-and-trails project
that opened in 1978 and continues to expand. The city is also building the
Chief Sealth Trail, which will cross southeast Seattle, and the Backcountry
Bicycle Trails Club is constructing a mountain bike park under Interstate 5.
Info: Seattle Department of Transportation,
http://www.seattle.gov/transportation/bikeprogram.htm.

-San Francisco. What's better than riding the cable cars? Biking across the
Golden Gate Bridge. Adds Jim Sayer, executive director of Adventure Cycling:
"Most of the neighborhoods and attractions are close together and easy to
get to by bike. Despite San Francisco's reputation for hills, you can use
the city's expanding bike network with great signage to steer you to
less-hilly routes from the bay to the sea." Info: San Francisco Bicycle
Program, http://www.bicycle.sfgov.org/site/dptbike_index.asp.

-Davis, Calif. This college town has more bikes than cars, 100-plus miles of
bike lanes and paths, and a $7.5 million bike tunnel that travels beneath
I-80. In addition, you can cycle from downtown to the University of
California, Davis, campus and on to Sacramento -- without having to dodge
auto traffic. Info: City of Davis,
http://www.city.davis.ca.us/topic/bicycles.cfm.

-Boulder, Colo. Sayer calls Boulder "the classic mountain bike town," and
the city has the numbers to back up that claim: 150-plus miles of bike paths
and 192 miles of bike lanes. In addition, the bike paths follow the storm
drainage system, so you can ride virtually everywhere without crossing the
street. To toughen up the legs, pedal up to the Flatiron Mountains, or for a
"wild biking experience in the city," Sayer recommends the 18-mile Boulder
Creek Path. Info: City of Boulder,
http://www.bouldercolorado.gov/index.php?option=com_content
<http://www.bouldercolorado.gov/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=70
5&Itemid=311> &task=view&id=705&Itemid=311.

-Tucson. Year-round sunshine and 325 miles of bike lanes make for ideal
cycling conditions. Work it on the Mount Lemmon Hill Climb, a 26-mile
one-way ride with a constant 5 percent grade, or coast on a piece of public
art, the Broadway Bicycle-Pedestrian Bridge, which is shaped like a
diamondback rattlesnake. Info: City of Tucson,
http://dot.ci.tucson.az.us/bicycle.

-Madison, Wis. Madison's bike plan dates back to 1975, but the city is still
building trails (at last count: 35 miles of off-street bike paths, 35 miles
of on-street bike lanes and a 120-mile network of signed bike routes). For
example, you can bike from downtown to the lakeshore and around farmland,
says Sayer, adding that "Madison has exceptional signage and an innovative
share-the-road program." Info: City of Madison,
http://www.ci.madison.wi.us/transp/bicycle.html.

-Chicago. Mayor Richard M. Daley (also a biker) hopes to make Chicago
America's top cycling city by 2015; with 315 miles of bikeways and the
McDonald's Cycle Center in Millennium Park (indoor parking, showers,
repairs, rentals, etc.), he's on his way. Info: Chicago Department of
Transportation's Bicycle Program, http://www.chicagobikes.org.

-Austin. The city that produced Lance Armstrong has myriad bike programs in
the works, including, of course, the Lance Armstrong Bikeway, a six-miler
that will connect the eastern and western portions of the city. For now, you
can bike any number of routes, such as the hilly Dam Loop, Shoal Creek Trail
(with a creek crossing) and Mary Moore Park trail, where bikers can stop and
have a picnic or throw some hoops. Info: Austin City Connection,
http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/bicycle/default.htm.

-Philadelphia. Philly loves its brothers and its bikers: The $3.7 million
Bicycle Network Plan will create a web of bike routes incorporating 300
miles of city streets and major cultural and commercial sites. One of the
most popular rides is the Schuylkill River Trail, which stretches 22 miles
from the Philadelphia Museum of Art to the Valley Forge National Historical
Park. For mountain biking, the Wissahickon Park has some of the most
challenging terrain in the region. Info: Bicycle Network,
http://www.phila.gov/streets/the_bicycle_network.html.

-- Andrea Sachs

C 2006 The Washington Post Company







Katie Salay

Associate

Project for Public Spaces
700 Broadway New York, NY 10003
T (212) 620-5660 x 313  F (212) 620-3821
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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

It is mentioned before in this group that there exists some study
indicating that conserving energy in transport sector makes much more
sense, than conserving energy in residential sector. Does anybody have
any clue how to find this or some similar study?

------------------ Old Message ----------------------
   Date: Mon, 31 May 2004 09:25:38 -0400
   From: Lloyd Wright <LFWright@...>
   Subject: Lisbon project

The following article outlines a new project near Lisbon, Portugal to
develop a "sustainable" community for 30,000 people.  Unfortunately,
they have chosen a greenfield site in a nature reserve.  Besides the
obvious damage to the reserve, it would also seem that the development
(about 20 km) from Lisbon is also going to increase sprawl and long
commutes.  I am surprised to see that WWF is behind the project.
I recall a study a few years back comparing the overall environmental
impact of highly energy-efficient homes in a suburban area to energy
inefficient homes in the city centre.  The study took place in San
Francisco.  The result was that the super efficient homes in a
suburban area produced many more emissions than an inefficient home in
the city centre.  Basically, the extra energy consumed in the longer
commute blew away any savings from having an energy-efficient home.

It seems that the Lisbon project is repeating this mistake.  Worse
still is the fact that the whole concept is being touted as being
"green" and "sustainable" by leading environmental organisations.  It
seems to me that it would be significantly better to invest their 1
billion euros in a brownfield site in a low-income area of Lisbon.

> It is mentioned before in this group that there exists some
> study indicating that conserving energy in transport sector
> makes much more sense, than conserving energy in residential
> sector.

=v= This is a false dichotomy.  Given the amount of carbon being
pumped into the atmosphere, we need to be looking at reducing
the energy use in *all* sectors.  Quibbling over which sector is
worse is a distraction.

=v= We see this all the time within a sector:  Being able to run
an electric, or hybrid, or biodiesel engine becomes an excuse to
drive cars, drive SUVs, and drive them longer distances.  That
kind of thinking impedes real progress.

=v= If you do find the type of studies you seek (including ones
that come to the opposite conclusion), analyze them.  It's easy
for them to overlook variables.  Also, consider the ways in
which the two overlap:

o What proportion of the building is being devoted to cars?

o Is the building situated in a location (e.g. a sprawling
   suburb) dependent, by design, on car use?

     <_Jym_>

Hi,

>> It is mentioned before in this group that there exists some
>> study indicating that conserving energy in transport sector
>> makes much more sense, than conserving energy in residential
>> sector.
>
> =v= This is a false dichotomy.  Given the amount of carbon being
> pumped into the atmosphere, we need to be looking at reducing
> the energy use in *all* sectors.  Quibbling over which sector is
> worse is a distraction.
  <_Jym_> (Dyer)

I DISagree that this is a false dichotomy. I think everyone on this list
... and a few others ;-)... would agree that we need to reduce energy use
and its effects in *all* sectors. The point Lloyd makes (original message
below) is quite right-on, and - though it is not clear if the Lisbon
Ecoproject With Convenient Parking energy use estimate includes a high or
decent percentage of public transport - I would argue that even public
transport-dependent development is a problem, as when someone cant or
doesnt want to take public transport their only option is a car. So,
sprawl can induce car use, even it has plenty of public transport to
another urban area.

Of course, if it is difficult to take a car to the centre, or if the new
site is relatively self-sufficient, things get improved. I think the best
distance is tram-distance, which is also bike-distance, or closer of
course.

As some of you know I have been involved in the train/public transport
industry sector for a couple of years now,  and I am really so sick of
sustainable transport this, sustainable mobility that... argghh!

Leading industry manufacturers, so proud of their magnificent trains and
such, say things like "cities are defined by the public transport systems"
in industry magazines. They talk about cities expanding and the need for
mobility and so on, and that trains are a solution. They want cities to
expand, or at least dont care, and are there with some nice commuter
trains and metros which make non-independent sprawl okay.

But really, I think they are shooting themselves in the foot (feet). I
would like to make an economic case for the industry for building public
transport for closer distances. So trams (and buses) plus infrastructure
making the industry more money than suburban trains and metros. Focusing
on proximity, which means way less people get tempted (because, as I said
above they live in long-distance transport dependent areas) to buy a car
and drive. And if everyone who is not walking or taking the tram (bus)
doesnt need a car, then you better bet they will have to take the train
between cities, and this makes them more money in that sector anyway.

- Todd
>
>
>------------------ Old Message ----------------------
   Date: Mon, 31 May 2004 09:25:38 -0400
   From: Lloyd Wright <LFWright@...>
   Subject: Lisbon project

The following article outlines a new project near Lisbon, Portugal to
develop a "sustainable" community for 30,000 people.  Unfortunately,
they have chosen a greenfield site in a nature reserve.  Besides the
obvious damage to the reserve, it would also seem that the development
(about 20 km) from Lisbon is also going to increase sprawl and long
commutes.  I am surprised to see that WWF is behind the project.
I recall a study a few years back comparing the overall environmental
impact of highly energy-efficient homes in a suburban area to energy
inefficient homes in the city centre.  The study took place in San
Francisco.  The result was that the super efficient homes in a
suburban area produced many more emissions than an inefficient home in
the city centre.  Basically, the extra energy consumed in the longer
commute blew away any savings from having an energy-efficient home.

It seems that the Lisbon project is repeating this mistake.  Worse
still is the fact that the whole concept is being touted as being
"green" and "sustainable" by leading environmental organisations.  It
seems to me that it would be significantly better to invest their 1
billion euros in a brownfield site in a low-income area of Lisbon.

------------------------------------------------------

Todd Edelman
Director
Green Idea Factory

++420 605 915 970

edelman@...
http://www.worldcarfree.net/onthetrain

Green Idea Factory,
a member of World Carfree Network

--- In carfree_cities@yahoogroups.com, "ktsourl" <ktsourl@...> wrote:
>
>
> It is mentioned before in this group that there exists some study
> indicating that conserving energy in transport sector makes much more
> sense, than conserving energy in residential sector. Does anybody have
> any clue how to find this or some similar study?

Here are some results of a study in the US.  Energy used for
transportation is significant.  Also note that almost all energy  for
transportion in the US comes from petroleum.

http://eed.llnl.gov/flow/02flow.php

The American Highway Users Alliance released a "study" giving
a "report card" on the evacuation capability of various cities.

http://www.highways.org/pdfs/evacuation_report_card2006.pdf

With some exceptions, the grades seem to be inversely related to
which cities have the most extensive rail transit service. The lowest-
ranked "F" cities are New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles.

The organization concluded, as a surprise to nobody, that the remedy
is "Additional highway capacity on exit routes, *** relief at traffic
bottlenecks, and the physical construction of new highway capacity."
They also conclude that "buses are the most important mechanism for
evacuation for those without cars."

The problem with this self-serving "study" is that several media
outlets across the nation have picked up the "press release" as
actual news.
http://www.highways.org/Press_Releases/release10-12-06.htm
became a story on Reuters:
http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?
type=domesticNews&storyID=2006-10-
12T165716Z_01_N12329986_RTRUKOC_0_US-SECURITY-
EVACUATION.xml&WTmodLoc=NewsHome-C3-domesticNews-3
Bloomberg News:
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?
pid=20601103&sid=a_WOdeFbVKyA&refer=us
USA Today:
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2006-10-11-cities-
evacuations_x.htm
The UPI:
http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/view.php?StoryID=20061012-085417-9945r
and various local outlets.

Only a reporter's blog at the Chicago Tribune sounded a note of
skepticism, stating that the study had to be taken with a grain of
salt:
http://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com/news_theswamp/2006/10/evacuation_s
tud.html

Opponents of sprawl and endless highway construction should respond
quickly, firmly, and widely to this pro-highway propaganda disguised
as news and designed to capitalize on the public's fear of terrorism.

John B. Bredin
jbbredin@...

Pick a perceived problem then suggest more roads and automobiles as
the way to ameliorate the problem.  Never mind that more automobiles
would just make such a problem worse.  The news media dutifully
repeats such nonsense as credible.

We may just have some work cut out for us.

I commented on this back in January
http://carfree.meetup.com/boards/view/viewthread?thread=1511959

Bill
--- In carfree_cities@yahoogroups.com, "John Bredin" <jbbredin@...> wrote:
>
> The American Highway Users Alliance released a "study" giving
> a "report card" on the evacuation capability of various cities.
>
> http://www.highways.org/pdfs/evacuation_report_card2006.pdf
>
> With some exceptions, the grades seem to be inversely related to
> which cities have the most extensive rail transit service. The lowest-
> ranked "

I have been looking at a satellite image of the area around an
apartment I used to live in, and I've made some comments about how I
feel the area could be converted to carfree. Comments welcome/encouraged!

http://mahohmei.com/carfree/

Didn't lower Manhattan evacuate relatively quickly on 11 September
2001? And, if I'm not mistaken, didn't a lot of vehicular roads turn
into giant pedestrian roads?

Yet every time a McCity has to be evacuated before a hurricane, the
interstate never seems to have enough capacity.

I especially love the part about rental cars. I live a few blocks from
a Budget station which has 10-20 rental cars on the lot at any given
time, so they'll be primed and ready to evacuate, oh, 50-100 people
when the Big One strikes.

And, of course, giving low-income people access to own cars will help
them evacuate too. Must be why most cities force landlords to provide
tenants with "free" parking.

[/sarcasm]

--- In carfree_cities@yahoogroups.com, "John Bredin" <jbbredin@...> wrote:
>
> The American Highway Users Alliance released a "study" giving
> a "report card" on the evacuation capability of various cities.
>
> http://www.highways.org/pdfs/evacuation_report_card2006.pdf
>
> With some exceptions, the grades seem to be inversely related to
> which cities have the most extensive rail transit service. The lowest-
> ranked "F" cities are New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles.