This issue of Auto-Free Zone was prompted by the recent announcement that the federal government is considering a high-speed train in the Quebec-Windsor corridor. This plan is avidly supported by Bombardier Inc. who hope to get the contract to build the trains. The main motivation for the federal government is to shift airplane passengers onto the new trains and thus avoid having to even think about building a new airport in the Toronto area. AFO has used this impetus to consider the high-speed train issue and related questions of moving people over long distances. Although such journeys make up a small portion of total journeys, because of the distances they make a large contribution to total distance travelled (see Table). Thus, programs which promote the shift away from the most polluting and least efficient modes namely cars and airplanes for long distance travel will have significant positive impacts on healthcare, the environment and the economy. The presently available choices are mostly limited to bus and train, the latter being the most preferred because it does not require the exceptionally costly construction and maintenance of highways ($200 million a day in the U.S.A. Paving Moratorium).
| 25 to under 50 miles | 50 to under 100 miles | 100 miles and over | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Percentages of Journeys | |||
| Social Entertainment | 27 | 30 | 34 |
| Holiday other | 14 | 24 | 33 |
| Other Personal Business | 11 | 9 | 7 |
| Commuting | 25 | 15 | 5 |
| Shopping | 9 | 3 | 2 |
| Business | 13 | 17 | 18 |
| Education | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| All Purposes | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| Average Number of Journeys per Person per Year | 27.6 | 11.7 | 6.1 |
| Average Number of Miles Travelled per Person each Year | 941 | 804 | 1,068 |
| Transportation and the Environment - The Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution's Report - Oxford University Press 1995. | |||
Several articles in this issue touch on these topics. It is hoped that some of these ideas will stimulate thinking and discussion by the readers. Some of the more technical details provided in, for example, the tables is intended as reference material if AFO members find themselves in a position to discuss or otherwise state their opinions.
As a final example, the following graph is reproduced which shows a theoretical curve for petroleum production along with the actual production figures. The accompanying article laments that this is not front page news! If this theory is true, as the data supports, then world petroleum will run out in 2020. Our local Regional Municipality of Ottawa Carleton 25 year plan (see article) does not consider this eventuality as it projects petroleum powered cars as the dominant means of personal transport until at least the year 2021. The pragmatic conclusion is that our society should become car free as quickly as possible.
Courtesy of Auto-Free Times Aug.-Oct. 1996
Next AFO meeting on Tuesday October 8 at 7:00 PM at the Co-op at 140 Mann Ave. (in Sandy Hill accessible by OC Transpo #16 and via Chapel St. from the Lee's transitway stop). Phone the AFO contact number 237-1549 or check out the WEB site for further information. The subsequent meeting on November 12.
Auto-Free Ottawa information is also available via Internet WWW: http://www.flora.ottawa.on.ca/afo/
Editors: Dennis Whitfield can be contacted at 565-0578 ci456@freenet.carleton.ca and Cathy Woodgold 231-4311 an588@freenet.carleton.ca. Our Events Coordinator is Caroline Vanneste 236-9370 and Richard Briggs 237-1549 rgb@conscoop.ottawa.on.ca is the general contact person. Auto Free Ottawa's mail address is Box 57006 797 Somerset St. W. Ottawa Ontario CANADA K1R 1A1.
AUTO-FREE ZONE is published quarterly and is mailed to subscribers or members of Auto-Free Ottawa (see form inside last page). Opinions expressed in AFZ do not necessarily reflect those of Auto-Free Ottawa members. Articles should be submitted on diskette (WP 5.1) or by E- mail and limited to 1,000 words. Letters to AFZ must be marked "For publication" (include address and phone number which will not be pub- lished), and are subject to selection and editing. Articles reprinted from other publications are abridged to save space.
Thanks to the following for contributing articles (original or borrowed), graphics, ideas or their time: Cathy Woodgold, Jane Stratton- Zimmer, Richard Briggs, Darrell Richards, Russell McOrmond and Caroline Vanneste AFZ Graphic: Cathy Woodgold
Deadline for next issue: Nov. 10, 1996. Tentative Topic: Safety and Transportation - The Rights of the Carfree
ISSN 1195-1958
After Premier Bouchard of Quebec raised the idea of spending about $11 billion to build a fast train between Windsor and Quebec Prime Minister Cretien jumped on the band wagon suggesting yet another study. Does Canada really need fast trains? I have been on the Japanese shinkansen trains and the service is excellent. Canada's VIA does not come close.
Just about all AFO supporters believe in passenger trains because trains are the safest, cheapest and most environmentally friendly alternative available for long trips. Sufficient trains coupled with bike and walk to station facilities could significantly reduce car usage at a fraction of the cost. According to a British study (see Table) express coaches (buses) use less energy than trains but this does not factor in the reduced safety and the cost of building and maintaining
At Typical With All
Occupancy Seats
Occupied
Express Coach 0.3 (65%) 0.2
British 125 Train 0.8 (50%) 0.4
(diesel)
British 225 Train 1.0 (50%) 0.5
(electric)
French High-Speed Train 1.1 (50%) 0.5
(electric)
Small Diesel car 1.2 (35%) 0.4
(1.8 litre)
Small Gas Car 1.4 (35%) 0.5
(1.1 litre)
Provincial/Suburban 1.7 (22%) 0.4
Multiple Unit Train
(electric)
Large Diesel Car 1.8 (35%) 0.6
(2.5 litre)
Large Gas Car 2.8 (35%) 1.0
(2.9 litre)
Air Internal Flights 3.5 (65%) 2.3
Transportation and the Environment - The Royal Commission on Environmental
Pollution's Report - Oxford University Press 1995.
roads versus railway tracks. In Britain, in 1993, road accidents killed 3,820 people, including 1,250 pedestrians and 190 cyclists; caused 44,890 people serious injuries, including 12,680 pedestrians and 3,740 cyclists; and involved over 0.2 million other casualties. By contrast, 5 people (none of them passengers) died in rail accidents, 13 were seriously injured and 140 received minor injuries. These figures do not include getting to and from the train station, almost undoubtedly the most dangerous part of the trip because of cars. It also does not say how many of the train accidents were caused by cars and trucks. Nor do these figures include pollution- related deaths where again cars and trucks are major contributors. Air travel calculated on number of deaths per kilometre basis is the safest.
The high speed trains in Japan have an excellent safety record but the building of the tracks and the electricity consumption to run them still have major environmental consequences. In Canada because of winter
The New Tokyo Monorail 1996
not only do we need to build tracks to higher specifications, we also need very effective snow and ice removal which will not be cheap or easy. Therefore, it is unlikely that winter schedules would compare to summer schedules. Another major problem with high speed trains is that they are primarily aimed at the air traveller and are likely to have only a minor impact on the number of drivers. According to the Globe & Mail (Jeffrey Simpson June 14 1996) in 1992 109 million trips were made in the Windsor - Quebec corridor of which 99 million were by car, 4.1 million by air, 2.9 million by rail and 2.6 million by bus.
AFO supporters would like to see significant reduction in car use. I would suggest that major improvements in terms of frequency and convenience of VIA rail could be made at a fraction of the cost of the high speed trains, in particular at least hourly trains on major runs including late night runs and on platform waiting rather than lining up in the station. Also new trains with compartments rather than rows of seats for greater privacy and comfort. My suggestions would likely cost about $5 billion, mostly for the new trains, but could significantly reduce car usage, thus saving taxpayers significant amounts of money due to reduced road capital, maintenance and healthcare costs.
by Cathy Woodgold
One of the major costs of buses is the wages of the drivers. Smaller, more frequent buses are better for the riders, but more costly in terms of drivers' wages. Would it be possible to have automated buses? We already have something of this nature: elevators. Elevators are automated and are safe enough. How about "elevators" that move sideways and take people places? Call them "shifters". Smaller buses may cost more per rider in terms of energy and pollution. However, this can be compensated by putting the shifters on rails. Vehicles on metal tracks (rails) are much more energy-efficient than ones on rubber wheels. The tracks can also help an automated vehicle to go in the right direction.
Elevators have dedicated shafts, used for nothing but the elevator. Arranging for such a passageway for a horizontal shifter presents a land use problem. There are several solutions. The shifter can be raised up like the Queensway, or underground like a subway. It can be at street level, with pedestrian bridges over it (Ughh). It can be raised slightly, with pedestrian underpasses that only go down a few feet. Or, it need not have a dedicated space. It can share space. Automatic barricades or traffic lights can warn people to get out of the way when a shifter is coming. The shifter can have sensors so it will stop automatically if somebody is in the way. If it goes fairly slowly ... say, about the speed of a bicycle ... and has such sensors, it can fit into a fairly relaxed, shared streetscape. This solution gives priority to pedestrians, as is best. Or, it can be fenced off in most places and have pedestrian crossings about one or two per block, with automatic barricades like the ones at railway crossings.
A person would go to a shifter stop and push a button. They would wait, longer than one waits for an elevator but not as long as one waits for a bus. Then a shifter would come and the person would get in. There might already be other people in it, too. Like in an elevator, the person would push a button to indicate where they want to get off. The shifter would continue along its track, perhaps a big square route through the downtown area, and let people off. There would be several shifters on the track. Another track with shifters moving in the opposite direction could be placed beside it.
The shifter could be powered by electricity, but how about having it partially or totally human-powered? It would have pedals for each person, and people would be rewarded for pedalling hard either by the shifter moving faster, or by having part of their fare (if any) refunded. It could be like escalators: if you just stand there you move slowly, but if you walk you go fast. The shifter could move at walking pace by electricity, and faster if people pedal. It could not pass the shifter ahead of it, however. Or, each set of pedals could have a meter, and people could get their card stamped with a human-readable and magnetic record of the refund they got for their pedalling, similar to the way semi-disposable fare cards at the San Francisco BART are marked with deductions when people travel.
A totally human-powered shifter system could have very low maintenance costs. The city simply installs a set of tracks in a circular route, with a number of human-powered vehicles attached to the tracks. The shifters could resemble bicycles (but on rails) and could be designed to hold one or more people. People just get on when they feel like it, and ride. Nobody can steal the shifters because they're attached to the tracks. The tracks also provide energy efficiency, so people can make them go fast. When you come to an empty shifter ahead of you, you stop, get into the other shifter, and continue on. City workers could reduce the number of shifters on the tracks at less busy times of day. The track should be built on a route free of hills.
Even better: vehicles that can go anywhere. In Copenhagen where they have white bicycles. The city just leaves these bicycles lying around, and anybody is allowed to use them. What public transit system can top that for low cost, high convenience and flexibility?
The draft regional development strategy includes two rail transit corridors using existing rail infrastructure. One line would run from Booth St. in LeBreton Flats to Billings Bridge through Carleton University and Confederation Heights (7 kilometre). The other would run from the high tech park at March Road in Kanata across the region to the VIA station via several industrial parks (Colonade Road, Ottawa Business Park, Industrial area, Lancaster area).
The consultant envisions using light diesel rail cars (not big trains) on the existing rail tracks. These vehicles are lighter, quieter, and less expensive to operate than conventional commuter trains. They also start and stop more quickly.
The main event of the summer was a visit by 7 jours 2 roues (7 Days 2 Wheels), a travelling cycling/workshop on climate change organized by aseed (Action for Solidarity, Equality, Environment and Development, 3647 University Montreal, Quebec H3A 2B3 Ph. 398-8969 E-mail bh7f@musicb.mcgill.ca). AFO helped host the Ottawa portion of this trip. Approximately 50 cyclists came to Ottawa by bicycle of all ages and on the night heard some workshops given by Caroline Luce on the ByWard Market, Peter Martin on Traffic Calming in Sandy Hill and Mike Gifford on Changing Attitudes to Transportation.
The next morning, Aug 7, they along with about 10 people from Ottawa mostly from AFO rode out to the Champlain Bridge via Lebreton Flats to make a protest. In a macabre sense the weather co-operated as there was a smog warning that day. The protest moved to the parliament buildings where several politicians met the group.
AFO has supported the No 3rd lane
Keep the Planet Cool (No 3rd Lane Demo)
option for the Champlain bridge from the beginning. Please write, phone etc. your MP on this issue.
The RMOC as discussed in the story above is developing a Regional Development Strategy. Public meetings were held on August 7th and on September 24th. Some AFO members have participated in these meetings. A public meeting was held on September 12th at the RMOC on the new OC Transpo Service Design Guidelines which also was attended by some AFO members.
Although not organized by AFO (initiated by Ottawa city council) William street in the ByWard market was closed to traffic for the weekend evenings the last two weekends in August. Many members visited and patronized the restaurants in the area. This resulted in lively discussions about the efficacy among ourselves especially on the WEB site. The idea was good but the implementation was poor seems to be the consensus and a general wariness of real motives for closure vis a vis the motorcycles and owners who typically hang out on William street.
TransMission - c/o Transportation Options 427 Bloor St. W. Box 16 Toronto ON M5S 1X7 detour@intacc.web.net Bike and Ride by Daniel Egan
There is a perception among some transit officials that promoting cycling takes riders way from public transit.... Not surprisingly, most bike commuters also ride transit. It follows, then, that the relationship between cycling and transit should be strengthened. Many cities around the world have recognized this and have taken steps to integrate the two modes. In the Netherlands (see Table), the country that has done the most to encourage bike-and-ride trips. 44% of train passengers get to the station on bicycles and 23% of bus/tram and subway trips start on a bike. North American cities are way behind in both transit and bicycle use, though several have started integrating the two modes. Rapid Station Access by Bicycle
Netherlands (train stations) 44.00% (bus/tram/subway) 23.00% Washington, DC suburbs 0.50% San Francisco 1.00% Toronto 0.02%
Editors comment: Numerous times people make comments like "I am not going to ride my bike out to Kanata especially in winter." A response, if one is given a chance to respond to what the utterer usually believes to be a closed case with their car as the only answer, is that the traveller could easily ride in all weather down quiet suburban streets which link up to ploughed bicycle paths that terminate at the public transit station. Such paths cost a small fraction of arterial roads. They could then park their bike in a secure covered locker type facility and take fast public transit to near their destination. If for example it is a place of employment they could have a locker with a second bicycle which they then ride to their destination. Coin operated rental bicycles could easily be incorporated into the system. Coupled with bicycles on buses and trains anyone should be able to travel almost anywhere without a car in all seasons.
Marcia D. Lowe Worldwatch paper #118 1994
This is an extended essay describing the status and advantages of rail transport. Although it covers many areas, one Table is reproduced to give an idea of the material presented.
Germany Estimated External Costs of Passenger Transport, 1993
Category Train Aircraft Automobile ($US per thousand passenger- kilometres) Air Pollution 1.05 8.54 17.08 Carbon Dioxide 2.57 10.76 5.26 Noise 0.35 1.87 1.40 Accidents 1.64 0.23 16.03 Total 5.50 21.41 39.78
SOURCE: Per K†geson, Getting The Prices Right: A European Study for Making Transport Pay its True Costs (Stockholm: European Federation for Transport and Environment, 1993)
She also gives:
| Category | Examples |
|---|---|
| Greater Energy Efficiency | An intercity train is three times as energy efficient as commercial air and six times as efficient as a car with one occupant. |
| Less Highway Dependence On Oil | Switching 5% of U.S. driving to electrified rail would save more than one/sixth the amount of oil imported annually from the Middle East. |
| Less Air Pollution | For every ton of goods moved one kilometre, freight rail emits one-third the nitrogen oxides and carbon monoxide, and one tenth the volatile organic compounds and diesel particulates emitted by heavy trucks. |
| Lower Greenhouse Emissions | For every ton of goods switched from roads to rail in the United Kingdom, the amount of carbon emitted per kilometre would drop by 88%. |
| Less Road & Traffic Congestion | Conservative estimates that without Air Amtrak (the U.S. intercity passenger railroad), air passengers on the New York City/Washington, D.C. route would increase 36%. |
| Fewer Injuries and Deaths | Between 1964 and 1992, more than 3 billion trips were made on Japan's bullet trains without a single fatality; the equivalent volume of road travel over that period killed nearly 2,000 people. |
| Less Land Paved Over | Two railroad tracks can carry as many people an hour as sixteen lanes of highway. Some 500 kilometres of the French TGV high- speed rail system could fit into the area occupied by a single large airport. |
| Local Economic Development | In the Washington, D.C. area during the eighties, 40% of new building space - worth $3 billion - was built within walking distance of a Metro (subway) stop. |
| Sustainable Land Use Patterns | Rail corridors help encourage compact efficient land use. Rail-based cities such as Paris, Stockholm and Toronto have accommodated new growth while remaining livable and avoiding sprawl and excessive car dependence. |
| Greater Social Equity | The majority of the world's people can afford neither an automobile nor an airline ticket; rail is a vital option for people who are disabled or too young or old to drive. |
SOURCES: Deborah Gordon, Steering a New Course: Transportation, Energy and the Environment (Washington D.C. Island Press, 1991); Campaign for New Transportation Priorities (CNTP), "Get America on Track", Washington D.C. 1993; John Whitelegg, Staffan Hult‚n and Torbj”rn Flink Eds., High Speed Trains: Fast Track to the Future (Hawes, North Yorkshire, U.K. Leading Edge Press, 1993; American Public Transit Association (APTA), "Public Transit Works for America," Transit California, monthly publication of the Sacremento based California Transit Association, Nov. 1993; Motor Vehicles Manufacturer's Association (MVMA) Facts and Figures '91 (Detroit Michigan, 1991); Stacy C. Davis and Melissa D. Morris, Transportation Energy data Book: Edition 12 (Oak Ridge, Tenn.: Oak Ridge National Laboratory, 1992; U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Information Administration, Annual Energy Review 1990 (Washington D.C., 1991); Transport and Environmental Studies of London (TEST), Wrong Side of the Tracks? Impacts of Road and Rail Transport on the Environment (London, 1991).
Auto Facts and Ideas from Transporting Ourselves to Sustainable Economic Growth by Sue Zielinski Transportation Options, 35 Manning Avenue, Toronto ON CANADA M6J 2K3
According to 1992 World Resources Institute report, annual market costs not borne by drivers add up to $174 billion which includes $85 billion in free parking.
We have also become "locked in" culturally. In North America, about $5 billion a year goes into car advertising. This is about $2 billion more than it takes to operate the entire US transit system.
Re-orienting the transportation hierarchy involves increased rate of exchange rather than increased speed of travel. Cities and towns that favour access by foot, bicycle, and transit typically legislate speed restrictions in favour of safe use of the streets as public spaces. They also have more vibrant local economies because the emphasis is placed on participation in the city - - socializing, shopping, playing, rather than speeding from destination to destination (access over excess).
Integration of transit modes increases the possibility for "mixed mode" trips such as walking, cycling, or car pooling to transit and train stations. This option increases the size of the area that transit and trains can serve. Mixed mode options also increase the possibility to connect trucks with trains to allow for delivery of train freight in and out of localities. There are now technologies for allowing easy loading from train to truck and vice versa.
In a 1991 study, the Washington, D.C.-based Urban Institute and Boston-based Cambridge Systematics compared the economic effects of investing in rehabilitation and continued operation of SEPTA (the light rail, subway, and commuter rail system in the Philadelphia metropolitan area) with cutting or eliminating the service. The study found that for every dollar of public spending on rebuilding and operating SEPTA, $3 would accrue to the state and the region as a direct result of improved transport. The total economic impact, including increases in business sales, jobs, personal income, population, and the accompanying rise in state and local tax revenues, would be $9 for every dollar invested. (Marcia Lowe, Worldwatch Paper #118, p42, available from AFO and Detour Publications call: 416-536-7999 E-mail: detour@web.apc.org homepage: www.web.apc.org/~detour at 340 Harbord Street Toronto Ontario M6G 1H4)
There are 14 million cars and light trucks on Canada's roads today, more than one for every two Canadians - and the number is growing. Each car travels and average of 16,000 kilometres a year, pumping out four tonnes of pollutants into the air we breathe. Cars also send out carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. In Canada, as much as 33% of carbon dioxide emissions come from cars and light trucks....The sticker price tells only part of our story about how much our cars cost. Maintenance, car payments, insurance, fuel and registration total about $7,000 a year. There are hidden costs, however, which everyone pays, whether they drive or not. Roads have to be built and maintained, snow has to be removed, traffic controlled, emergency services provided, accidents and related health care costs paid for. Add these costs, plus the tax losses from land paved over for roads and the actual cost of each car reaches $10,000 per year.
Editors note: This means that the government is admitting that each car receives a $3,000 a year subsidy. Car- free persons pay for this unfair subsidy even though they receive minimal benefits from it, D.W.
Ottawa Citizen June 24 1996
New Railways to Pick up Track from CP Rail, CNR Montreal - Canada's two major railways are about to embark on a massive track sale, with several companies poised to snap up sections to create small railways called short lines. After new rail legislation goes into effect, a change expected within weeks, Canadian National Railways and CP Rail will be able to sell track as quickly as they can find buyers, instead of going though a long regulatory process....
Chemical&Engineering News, ACS Washington D.C. June 17 1996
Benefits of Clean Air Act Greatly Exceed Costs, EPA Finds
"In 1990, Americans received roughly $20 of value in reduced risks of death, illness, and other adverse effects for every $1.00 spent to control air pollution," says Environmental Protection Agency in the draft of a report commissioned by Congress. EPA finds that the benefits of the Clean Air Act "substantially exceed costs." From 1970 to 1990 the U.S. spent about $436 billion ( in 1990-value dollars) in direct compliance costs. Total human health and ecological benefits during this same 20-year period were estimated to range from $2.7 trillion to $14. trillion, again in 1990-value dollars. EPA pegs the "central estimate" for benefits at $6.8 trillion, and contends that the greatest benefits have accrued from eliminating just two pollutants: lead and particulates. But other air pollutants were reduced dramatically during this period: sulfur dioxide 40%, nitrogen oxides by 30% and carbon monoxide by 50%.
July 15, 1996 Pamela Zurer
In the midst of already heated negotiations on controlling greenhouse gases, the United Nations agencies are warning that global warming poses a serious threat to human health. A "wait-and- see" to the problem "would be imprudent at best and nonsensical at worst," says their report. "Climate Change and Human Health" - by the World Health Organization, the World Meteorological Organization and the UN Environmental Program- predicts increased suffering and death from both direct and indirect effects of global warming....
"Not a Sentimental Journey" edited by Jo Davis a project of the Turnaround Decade Group 1990
This is a book about the demise of VIA rail in Canada. It is full of evidence, if not of outright corruption then certainly of questionable business practices designed to eliminate passenger rail in Canada, mostly by people with connections to the oil, car and rail freight industries. One of the most outrageous examples, in which the president of VIA's competitor for track space got to decide on VIA's space allotment, is quoted below p194: It is additionally difficult because the government (Mulroney's PC's) appointed the president of CN to be president of VIA and asked that the president of VIA, who was also president of CN, to do a study as to the rail feasibility for passenger lines in Canada. He decided which lines were to be closed and that recommendation was then given to the government. The president of VIA, by closing the VIA service in many parts of Canada, helped to make his case as President of CN for the abandonment of those particular lines. It is just not acceptable.
London Times Aug 2 1996
Drivers face M-way junction closures across the country.
The sudden closure of one of the country's busiest motorway (freeway) junctions for repairs expected to take a year could be repeated on other main routes because of the scale of cuts in roads maintenance programme. The Highways Agency has shut junction two of the M1 in north London for safety reasons with less than fours hours notice. Tests showed that it was unsafe and needed 2.5 million British pounds of strengthening work...Mr Haynes, the agency's chief executive, said that 1,756 trunk road (highways) bridges, including 34 motorway bridges may need strengthening...
The Vienna Reporter July 1996
Walkers Stage Air Pollution Protest
Some 450,000 people heeded a call by German environmental groups to leave their cars at home to draw attention to the danger of air pollution. The focus of the event was the Lake Constance area, where 200,000 people in Germany, Switzerland and Austria walked, biked or used public transport.
Pedestrian and Cyclist Signs on a Bridge in Tokyo
The Urban Ecologist #2 1996
405 14th St. Suite 701 Oakland
California 94612 USA
Amtrak recently chose a consortium led by Bombardier, Inc, to build $611 million worth of "American Flyer" train cars that will travel 150 mph on the Boston- Washington route, while offering laptop computer outlets and "bistro" cars with improved menus (The New York Times).
The state of Florida has awarded a franchise to four companies to build a high speed Miami-to-Orlando rail link with trains that would average 157 mph over the 228- mile route (The New York Times).
It is interesting to note that while the proportion of townhouses, semi-detached and apartments in Ottawa-carleton has increased since the beginning of the century (from 33% in 1921 to 58% in 1991), urban density (persons per hectare) has declined. In 1906, there were approximately 53 persons per hectare in the urban area. Even with the introduction of high rise apartment buildings in the early 1960's, this figure has declined steadily. By 1991, there were only 28 persons per hectare in the urban area, about half the 1906 level. This is mainly because of increased lot sizes and because household size has dropped significantly over the last several decades, both in size and structure. Declining birth rates and more people living alone have contributed to a steady decline in household size. The 1991 Census marked the lowest household size in Ottawa- Carleton, 2.6 people per household. It is also interesting to note that, in spite of smaller current household size, all of the urban population could be housed inside the Greenbelt with enough vacant land to last past the year 2011 if we had continued to build at 1906 densities.
Now the Symptoms of death have come(car bridges)
The following is excerpted from an article entitled KICK OUT THE CAR by Connie Hinatsu, featured in the May/June issue of Homes & Cottages. If you're looking for a way to add 200 to 400 square foot of living space to your home consider a garage conversion....converting a garage is one of the simplest ways to increase the home's value and its livable area.
It is usually easier than other types of conversions because the space has many existing features. The framing and roof are already in place, and the space is dry, well-ventilated, has adequate ceiling height and is partially weatherproof. With a separate entrance it's the ideal home office or work space. Case Study Axiis Architects Inc. of Toronto created a plan to convert a single-car garage into a home office with a separate entrance, as well as access from the house. The owners are expecting their first child and the wife intends to work out of the home says architect and partner Larry Dang. Dang extended the entrance, created a space to accommodate a large work station and put the meeting/library space into a circular raised area. Two walls will be removed from the original garage to create the circular area, which will give the space character, Dang says. A sculptural ceiling will create additional interest while providing lighting. The raised area will be carpeted and hardwood floors used in the main work space. The office is accessible to the rest of the house via sliding doors.
The past 2 years have seen a huge struggle against the imposition of the roads programme in the UK. But the spectre of the car still haunts us. It poisons our air, demolishes homes and communities, buries our land beneath a tide of tarmac and concrete. Increased safety for those behind the wheel means more of us dead under the wheel. The cosy private comfort on the inside offers no relief to those stranded in the war-zone on the outside.
In 1969, 90% of 7-8 year olds made their own way to school - now the figure is 9%. The others go by car. It's too dangerous to let the kids out on their own - because of the traffic. Cars pump out greenhouse gases, threatening the very existence of life on earth. Is this the world we want? Do we want more wars over oil, indigenous peoples slaughtered and their lands decimated, just to fuel the engine of "economic growth"?
MAD CAR DISEASE is not terminal - the antidote is in our hands! Streets can be places where kids play, the elderly watch the world go by, neighbours meet - in short, a place of community. In the modern street people hurtle past in their own metal worlds, all on their way elsewhere. The paranoia of Neighbourhood Watch replaces welcoming and open public places. Reclaiming the Streets is not just about rejecting cars. It is about rediscovering the joys of life without them. Do you dream of a London (UK) where gridlocked drivers abandon their cars to join in the street party? Where cyclists are not isolated diehards, but a force to be reckoned with? Where football isn't something happening on your car radio, but a game played on Marylebone road? Where accident black spots are marked not by crosses beside the road but by crosses in the road? Where no car ad stands longer than a day, assembly lines stand still and oil slicks are returned to their makers? Where politics is not a grey drip drip of policy from above but a slash of light from below?
Reclaim the Streets! is a direct action network committed to ending the rule of the car. We are FOR walking, cycling and cheap (free!) public transport, and AGAINST cars, roads and the vested interest they serve. We are not a send-a-donation / get-the-mag / sit-in-your armchair organisation. We are about getting involved and changing things through our own actions. If you are interested in taking part in our activities send us your name and address for our mailing list.
Pedestrianisation in Commercial Areas From: siebert@BRAZNET.COM.BR (Siebert Arquitetos Associado)
http://www.braznet.com.br/brznet/empresas/siebert
I can tell you a little of our experience on the subject. Brazil's first pedestrian street, Rua XV de Novembro/Rua das Flores, was created in 1975 in Curitiba-PR by Jaime Lerner and Jorge Wilheim. The first blocks of the "calcadao" ("big side walk") were done overnight on a Friday, so it was "fait accomplis" on Saturday morning. Shop owners went mad, and decided to camp in front of the Town Hall to protest, demanding the street to be re-opened to cars, lest they would go bankrupt. But the thing is, in a couple of months they realized they were making big money, people kept walking into their shops! So they quietly went back to their shops, being replaced in front of the Town Hall by shop owners of the blocks which hadn't been closed yet, demanding their pedestrianisation! The idea caught like a fever and many brazilian cities created their own pedestrian streets, following Curitiba's example. I had the chance to design one myself last year, in Sao Bento do Sul-SC, a 50,000 inhabitants city, colonised by German immigrants. It is just three blocks long, located downtown, in the main commercial area, and it has a narrow passage for cars in two of the blocks. Before starting this project, I talked a lot with shop owners, and they were afraid they would lose clients. I argued that the owners of the cars parked in front of their shops weren't in sight all day. People also said nobody would use such an equipment because the city is very cold and town people go home right after work. The Mayor executed the project, and what a success it was! Commerce is blowing and so are the flowers. The shops are being re-painted or remodelled. And the people? Well last time I went there at 9 p.m., and counted several groups of people gathering, talking, drinking, laughing. There was music too. At lunch time they sit on the wood benches or at the small cafes to warm up in the sun. If you're interested I can send renderings and photographs (before and after) by e-mail. Siebert Arquitetos Associados, Arquitetura - Planejamento
Letters written by AFO members
Land Development Branch, Attention: Gordon Harrison 111 Sussex Dr. Ottawa, ON K1N 5A1 Tel: (613) 244-5300 ext 3868
Dear Sirs,
I would like to comment on the posting found in a store-front window on Sparks St between Bank and O'Connor. Proposal Rezoning and site plan applications are being considered for this location to establish a public parking area for three years, involving the demolition of the existing building.
168-182, Rue Sparks Street
Any person wishing to comment may do so by writing to the Land Development Branch, 111 Sussex Dr. Ottawa, K1N 5A1 before August 8, 1996. I just recently moved my business to Sparks St. One of the largest reasons for this move was the more environmentally and socially responsible nature of a pedestrian mall - 5 blocks of stores where the person was considered most important, rather than the unsustainable private-transportation mode in which some people choose to travel downtown.
In my mind a parking lot being added to Spark St goes against everything that makes this street unique in Canada. If visible parking is made available, this will eventually lead to a removal of the automobile restrictions on Sparks St as people become more and more familiar with the idea of automobiles and Sparks St. going hand in hand. We all know the environmental and social effects of private-transportation in our society. Sparks St is a place that in a very small way gives a glimpse of what it might be like in an auto-free environment. Please do not allow the destruction of this good example of a better future for everyone.
Russell McOrmond
To whom it may concern:
I'm writing to complain about the bikepath which follows the Rideau River (east side of River) being closed at the Cummings Bridge in order to accommodate a dumpster for the construction project; and worse, mostly to provide automobile parking for the project! There is really no excuse for this. There is plenty of parking available nearby in the mall lot at the intersection of Montreal Rd. and River Rd., and lots too in the residential streets just north of the Cummings Bridge. Surely a spot to put the dumpster could be found without closing a bike path. I protest a bikepath being closed to provide automobile parking! This part of the path is *NOT* under construction, and apart from a railing being torn out beside the bridge, there is no reason why the area is unsafe to use! If it is unsafe, then please put barriers up on part of the road and allow the path to continue! Please remove the automobile parking from the bikepath. This situation is unacceptable.
Nancy Shaver
The Offending Parked Cars!
Just a quick summary of what happened with my quest to rid the Rideau River bike path of automobile parking at the construction site. The only thing I was successful in was in getting the cars that were parked outside the boundary of the site to be moved. I got this done through parking control at the City of Ottawa. Councillor Meilleur's office was sympathetic and approached John Fraser, the engineer responsible for the project, but nothing will be done. I did speak with John Fraser myself though, and I'm encouraged that he does seem to be aware of the issues, and although nothing will be done this time, I'd still encourage others to speak out on this issue since I think it's mostly the lack of public pressure that's preventing engineers from acting in a more bike and ped-friendly manner. John and I differ in opinion about the intersection; I see it as unsafe to be crossing on a bike the way it is laid out now, and he sees it as "protected" because it's got pedestrian traffic signals. We also differ on whether automobile parking is appropriate for a bike path... he defends the right of the contractor to use the site as he chooses, while I say that keeping the path open should have been a condition of work (it could have been, but John is reluctant to put too many restrictions on a project as it increases the amount of $$ it costs.) I was glad to have the opportunity to point out that biking is ultimately cheaper that automobile use for the region, and to point out that if an aggressive cyclist like myself avoids the intersection the way it is, that the more timid or beginner cyclists will be even more easily deterred from using the route. But I'm really glad I spoke out, and will definitely do so again in the future... the engineers do have a lot of knowledge of alternatives... they also are going to need a lot of friendly pressure to use them! Please speak to Councillor Meilleur's office (560-1218) if you use and are annoyed by this issue! Everybody is very friendly, and I think it will really make a difference next time one of these projects is planned (or at least at some point down the road... no pun intended!).
One of our associates is orchestrating this campaign which AFO supports.
CARS ARE RUINING MY LIFE AND OUR BIOSPHERE! Sign me up, and ....................................................................... ............send a complimentary copy to: ___ $20.00 individual or family ___ $10.00 un/underwaged ___ $50.00 corporate/institutional ___ donation (sorry, we don't issue tax receipts) _______________________________________________ _______________________________________________ Name Name _______________________________________________ _______________________________________________ Address Address Tel: (h)___________________(w)______________________ (e-mail) __________________ AUTO-FREE OTTAWA, Box 57006, 797 Somerset St. W., Ottawa River
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