AUTO-FREE ZONE
 

Editors Comment

As a person whose vision of the future is a car free-path I am always dismayed by the alibis and outright hostility of those who will not share this vision. As I see it, the choice is clear one can walk in the light or get lost in the morass of the darkness. As a society we have made what I call the $trillion mistake of building the freeway system. It is helpful to realize that cars are a catastrophic mistake but blame is scarcely productive. Instead we need to look for support to implement the alternatives. I believe by standing up for our rights we take the first steps on the paths to recovery.

In a small but concrete way, every time a pedestrian, cyclist or disabled person asserts their rights and provides a driver with an opportunity to learn respect and humility, growth is achieved. For example, I have observed that once bicycle traffic reaches about 1 bicycle per block all the time then the motorized traffic is almost 100% calmed and both begin to work more efficiently.

These are the small issues that like Velcro can reach a point where they hold on. The big ones are the trillions of dollars of infrastructure for the car which must be reused, recycled or abandoned. This is why I like the analogy of comparing the car free movement with the movement to abolish slavery - the fundamental ethics, the vital importance and the immense challenges.

Groups like Auto-Free Ottawa help small steps happen towards our car-free goal. In this issue of AFZ we present a number of articles taken from the newspapers, magazines and web sites that outline the issues and some of the initiatives to do something about it.
 

May 31 - June 4, 1999

The Commuter Challenge is an environment-friendly competition to see which city in Canada can cut pollution the most by using healthier ways of commuting.
 

This year, Ottawa will compete against Calgary, Vancouver, Victoria, Edmonton, Fredericton, Toronto and other cities in Canada.
 
 

***Upcoming Events***

Next AFO meeting: Tuesday April 13, 1999 at the Regional Municipality of Ottawa-Carleton headquarters at 111 Lisgar Street - usually training room C in the south east ground floor corner of the building. Accessible from OC Transpo transitway stops on Elgin or from the Transitway stop at the Confederation bridge. Phone the AFO contact number 237-1549 or check out the WEB site for further information. The subsequent meeting on May 11th 1999.

We have been awarded a contract from the RMOC to hire someone to coordinate the "Commute to Work WeeK 1999". Sharon Body is coordinating. Anyone willing to help in coordinating their workplace or helping in any way is asked to contact AFO as soon as possible.
 

This years theme is "Growing a Strong Community". All AFOers are urged to raise money for AFO by picking up a pledge sheet either through AFO or the Peace and Environment Resource Centre 174 First Ave., 230-4590.
 

Editors: Dennis Whitfield can be contacted at 565-0578 dmw@conscoop.ottawa.on.ca and Cathy Woodgold 231-4311 an588@freenet.carleton.ca. Richard Briggs 237-1549 is the general contact person. Auto Free Ottawa's mail address is Box 57006, Ottawa ON 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 (any format) 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 published), 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, Russell McOrmond, Michael Richardson, Richard Briggs, Linda Hoad, Chris Bradshaw, Nancy Shaver and Brett Delmage.

AFZ Graphics: Cathy Woodgold

Deadline for next issue: Jan. 1, 1998. Tentative Topic: Electric Cars Panacea?

ISSN 1195-1958
 

Auto-Free Ottawa Mailing Lists

Auto-Free Ottawa makes extensive use of electronic discussion areas. They are used for announcements, for general discussion and also for event planning. There is also a support area for people that are making a transition to a car-free lifestyle. The relevant E-mail addresses (all @flora.org) are:

afo-announce A read-only area. General posts are not accepted to this list, but you can subscribe to it. Notices of upcoming meetings and events are posted here. Subscribers to this area receive at most three messages a month: the meeting agenda, the meeting minutes, and a notice about upcoming events.

afo-info This is a write-only area: you can not subscribe to it. Rather, you can use this address as a general place to send questions and queries related to AFO.

afo The general discussion area is available for discussion and debate about any topic that is within the AFO mandate. Subscribers to this list automatically receive all

announcements. You need not subscribe to both afo-announce and afo. This list is available on some machines as a newsgroup and is archived.

afo-vols A mailing list that is used for discussion and planning of upcoming events. Some of the debates on the main afo list are long winded and some active volunteers find themselves running short on time, so this list was created. We suggest coming to a couple of meetings prior to subscribing to this list. This list is not archived.
 

A car-free street in Italy, courtesy of the Car-Free Website; http://www.carfree.com/

The total history of "car culture" is not very well known or understood.

Historical facts:

1. The first three countries to develop a "love affair" (yeah, right) with the automobile and highways: Fascist Germany, Fascist Italy, and the United States.

2. Friend, advisor, financial supporter and confidant to young Adolf Hitler: Henry Ford. Hitler even cribbed passages from Ford's anti-Semitic tract "The International Jew" for his book "Mein Kampf." There is a good possibility the Nazi party might not have survived its early years without Ford's financial contributions. Ford received the Grand Cross of the German Eagle from Hitler as a reward for his support.

3. The German blitzkrieg ("lightning war"), the key to the Nazi conquest of Europe, simply would not have been technically possible were it not for contributions from the following American companies: Ford, General Motors, duPont, Curtiss-Wright Aviation, Standard Oil, ITT, and Chase National Bank. In some cases, the Nazis were given access to advanced technology that was not available in the US.

4. Disguised as a public works project, the German Autobahn was built for military purposes, first to develop roadways for invasion and second to train combat engineers. The Volkswagen, though presented as a consumer item, was not used as such until *after* WWII. Hitler used a monthly car payment scam to raise money for the war effort. German citizens had money deducted from their paychecks to go towards a "people's car" which they were to take possession of at a future date. It never happened. Instead, Volkswagens were used as jeeps to transport Nazi soldiers. Hitler got the "installment payment" plan, as well as his enthusiasm for car culture, from the good old USA.

5. GM, Phillips Petroleum, Chevron (Standard Oil of California), and Firestone were convicted in federal court of violating the Sherman Anti-Trust Act for buying up and destroying the mass transit systems of 45 US cities including NY, LA, Oakland, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and St. Louis, starting in the 1930's and ending after World War II. Some spontaneous "love affair", huh?

These are the kinds of forces you bump up against when you try to make the streets of American cities bike and pedestrian friendly. There is serious money and decades of "tradition" behind trying to make sure this doesn't happen.
 

I went to the Ottawa-Carleton(OC) Transpo public meeting last night (Dec. 98). It was reasonably well attended and many people made comments. No one really went for the jugular but some good comments were made. Notable was the presence of OC-Transpo union people. Some of the consultants and the commissioners running the meeting seemed to partly understand. I don't think they really understand what an 85% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions requires. This number is widely believed to be the minimum level of reduction necessary in the developed world to halt catastrophic climate change i.e. highly pragmatic.

For example, their aim is a 20% modal share of transportation up from about 15% it is now by 2021 (20 years). I think we need to aim for at least 50% with most of the rest of the 50% walking, cycling etc. I think a 20 year time frame to eliminate private motorized vehicles is necessary for survival of the human race. Faster would of course be better. A couple of less important but still interesting pieces came up.

One was that guide dogs have a very hard time with salt put on the sidewalks for ice. The comment was made that snow removal around OC-Transpo shelters has been reduced but the amount of salt has increased in the last couple of years.

The 2nd was that although a number of bus priority/High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes have been suggested none were recommended for Bronson. Such an arrangement could help ameliorate the trend towards the Bronson expressway and the need for widening the airport parkway, building ramps etc. Note all of the latter would cost 10's if not 100's of millions of $$.

The price tag for the present OC-Transpo recommendations is about $80,000,000 a year for 20 years. Most of the cost is for new buses. The next big ticket items are the priority bus lanes (in some places this requires widening roads), the 2nd phase of the Light Rail (the CN line to Kanata), and there is still talk of more transitway and a park n'ride in Barhaven.

Lots of other details and plans were discussed. There is a report of which I have 2 copies which can be lent out. It is also available on the OC-Transpo web page. The full report should be out in early Jan. What we got last night was the executive summary of the draft interim report. The full report is available (if not on the web, then ask Catherine Caron: caronca@rmoc.on.ca).

Comments by An AFO Member

Good report, Dennis. Did you and other AFOers see the Citizen City Editorial on Friday. The Citizen (a local newspaper) sees this Transpo report in an entirely different light - what a waste of money since everyone would prefer to drive their car anyway! I am planning to write a letter in response and suggest that others do too. I am going to concentrate on the considerable, but hidden, subsidies to roads.

Centurion a solar Plane -http://www.dfrc.nasa.gov/gallery/photo/Centurion/
 

The South Keys station is at the last station on the Southern Transitway. Some people get off, and rather than exit by WalMart, hop over the west guardrail, slide down the slope, cross under the CP rail line and head west. There, they must cross the airport parkway.

Ottawalk has spoken out on the need for pedestrian access from all directions to every transit station. We carried out audits of three transitway stations in the early 1990's; we gave them significant suggestions for the stations for the proposed west transitway extension (that is now on except for the Bayshore station); and we have pressed them to ensure all stations on the planned light-rail pilot have the same walking access. This is not just an equity issue, but one of reaching transit ridership targets in the official plan.

In our recent position paper on Transit (available in ASCII by request, and soon on our website www.ncf.carleton.ca:12345

/freeport/community.associations/ottawalk/pospap/menu), we proposed that OC Transpo be ordered by Council to champion walking, recognizing that half of the time spent traveling by transit is spent walking and waiting at stops and stations. If that part of the trip is dangerous or distasteful, no matter how good the bus/train ride is, the person will not travel by transit. Another argument is that if the walking environment were more pleasant (and shorter, if shortcuts were added to the reticular r-o-w system in suburbs), OC Transpo would not need to send their buses so far into the subdivision on convoluted routes; they could also reduce the need for many riders to use feeder buses to get to and from stations, if they are within a km or so.

Another example: RMOC has had $1 million sitting in a trust account to build a walking bridge to connect Campus station to Somerset West across the canal, giving an estimated 5,000 people in the Golden Triangle access to the transitway (and allowing people simply walking between the two neighbourhoods a shortcut and an alternative to the very dangerous Laurier Avenue Bridge sidewalks). The money's been there for over 12 years, while the Region and Parks Canada bicker over the design.

OC Transpo needs to look outside its "silo."
 

1. In American cities, close to half of all urban space goes to accommodate the automobile, leaving more land devoted to cars than to housing. Nearly 100,000 people a year are displaced in the U.S. by new highway construction. Sources: Michael Renner, Worldwatch Paper #84 (1988); Jeremy Rifkin, Entropy: Into the Greenhouse World (Bantam, 1989). Reproduced in Getting There: Strategic Facts for the Transportation Advocate (Advocacy Institute, 1996)

2. The first large scale urban streetcar abandonments were orchestrated by General Motors in 1925. GM went on to bankroll National City Lines (buses), which began buying up streetcar companies, and, with Standard Oil of California (Chevron), Phillips Petroleum, Firestone Tire and Mack Truck tore out the tracks in eighty-five American cities. Source: Martha Olson, in Race, Poverty and the Environment, Fall 1995

3. Traffic calming utilizing speed bumps, narrower streets and [reduced field of vision]have contributed to a 50% reduction in pedestrian vehicle accidents in Europe. Canadians imported a Danish program, Safe Routes to Schools, installing traffic calming to slow speeds on key streets and reduced accidents by 85%. Source: ibid

4. Each year, more than 500,000 people die in road accidents. Seventy percent of these deaths are in "developing countries." Two-thirds of deaths involve pedestrians, of which one-third are children. In Africa, between 60 and 80% of urban dwellers use some form of public transport, walk, or use bicycles. A similar situation exists in Asia. Source: The World Bank, The Urban Age, Fall 1993.
 

From the Position Statement on Climate Change by the American Geophysical Union (a professional organization of earth scientists) (EOS, Transactions AGU, Feb. 2 1999)

"Atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases have substantially increased as a consequence of fossil fuel combustion and other human activities. These elevated concentrations of greenhouse gases are predicted to persist in the atmosphere for times ranging to thousands of years. ...

Although greenhouse gas concentrations and their climatic influences are projected to increase, the detailed response of the system is uncertain. ...

There is no known geologic precedent for the transfer of carbon from the Earth's crust to atmospheric carbon dioxide, in quantities comparable to the burning of fossil fuels, without simultaneous changes in other parts of the carbon cycle and climate system. ...

"Present understanding of the Earth climate system provides a compelling basis for legitimate public concern over future global- and regional-scale changes resulting from increased concentrations of greenhouse gases. These changes are predicted to include increases in global mean surface temperatures, increases in global mean rates of precipitation and evaporation, rising sea levels, and changes in the biosphere. ...

"... Science cannot be the sole source of guidance on how society should respond to climate issues. ...

"... the rapidity and uneven geographical distribution of these changes could be very disruptive. AGU recommends the development and evaluation of strategies such as emissions reduction, carbon sequestration, and adaption to the impacts of climate change. AGU believes that the present level of scientific uncertainty does not justify inaction in the mitigation of human induced climate change and/or the adaptation to it."
 

While ruminating about how to write this article I saw this quote from Sri Chinmoy in a local restaurant.
 

The truth that must be lived is that the fossil fuel powered automobile culture is a disastrous mistake and must be abandoned. Wishful thinking and other forms of denial do not help to face this fact. Below I present a partial theory of how the National Capital Region can move onwards and upwards towards achieving this goal.

Deadlines are necessary otherwise people will resist change. I propose a twenty year deadline to abolish private automobiles in this region. Ban car advertisements immediately, and ten years later stop the sale of new automobiles and in the last five years limit the resale of used vehicles. This will provide persons dependent on the automobile industry ten years to move to alternatives. This change will be highly beneficial and will almost undoubtedly lead to an economic boom as thousands of locally created and locally financed jobs are created. At the same time tens of millions of dollars that now flow out of the region will not be lost.

The first land use and lifestyle issue to change is subsidized parking. A major start would be to abolish workplace parking for government employees. This will create at least 50,000 walkers, cyclists and public transit users. This boom for alternate transit use will create seed money for the future expansions of services. The next level of positive change is to tax or otherwise increase the cost of private parking places. Particular targets are shopping mall and big box store parking lots. Hopefully making this fashion of marketing obsolete. The list of things to do to implement these strategies is long and this article is incomplete as it is intended to give the idea and not details. A few additional ideas: special levees on trucks, discounts for patrons who do not use the parking lots, eliminating parking provisions for new buildings, only allowing new buildings on land serviced by efficient public transit etc.

The elements of the infrastructure would need to be increased. A moratorium on new roads, widening of roads etc. should be implemented Instead of repairing roads close them. These measures along with the elimination of parking would ensure that the local governments could afford the other infrastructure changes. One major initiative would be to create neighborhood emergency response services i.e. 24 hour a day 7 day a week local services that would respond to 911 calls. By local I mean five to ten minute walking distance in the core and similar cycling distance in the suburbs. Expand the regional rail services as the heart of the new transportation network. It would be anticipated that local business and consumer demand would finance this expansion. The goal is to have a station in every neighborhood to which every person could if not walk at least cycle to. These centers would allow for goods delivery, mail, emergency services etc. It is anticipated that appropriate retail and other consumer services would locate near these centers. It is anticipated that this building boom will create more employment than the current models do with the important distinction that the new system is sustainable and universal i.e. truly democratic.

The more long term transit potentials include using the right of ways of the transitway for alternate modes. Most diesel engines such as OC-Transpo buses, can be retuned to use vegetable oil as fuel which can be grown locally on for example the abandoned suburban parking lots. Similarly the inner city parking lots can be used for infill housing and green space. Without the need to build garages and other parking places the cost of housing will drop substantially giving the local economy a significant boost. With drastically lowered police costs and healthcare costs we can expect major tax cuts. Besides freeing up the transitways for alternate modes of transportation the newly abandoned freeways and parkways can be used as bicycle paths and plausible public transit routes. In twenty years several high tech public transit platforms might be shown to be feasible such as magnetic levitation trains, electric monorails and wind and/or solar powered ideas.

Since this twenty year time frame takes us well past the end of cheap gas which is widely believed to end about 2005 it is expected that this region would be far ahead of most other regions in the world. This would mean that it is highly probable that other regions would use us as a role model. We could therefore anticipate that more progressive models of inter-region transportation could also be created. My personal favorite is solar powered zeppelins for moving freight without the need for roads, tracks, airports or other sophisticated infrastructure. I personally am quite confident that given the demand for sustainable universally accessible transport creative minds will invent viable alternatives.
 

One of the items that came up at the last sounding board meeting and at the public advisory committee on the environmental assessment of the Light Rail Pilot Project was the carriage of bikes on the trains. I was told that since we are only getting three vehicles instead of the five originally considered necessary to handle the expected ridership, bicycles will probably not be allowed on the trains during the peak period. This pretty much negates the whole point of having vehicles which can carry bicycles. When I pointed out that as a compromise, secure bike LOCKERS would be required at each station, I was again given the thumbs down. Now, if this pilot project is really going to be a showcase for new ways of transporting people, I think we had better get with the program and make improved facilities for cyclists a mandatory part of the project. The disabled community will no longer stand for being treated as second class citizens, and I don't think cyclists should either. It is long past time that transportation planners accept the FACT that cycling, especially in this community, is a viable and important part of the transportation mix. As a start to educating said planners about what is being done elsewhere, I am including these links (This is only a tiny sample of what's out there):

http://www.bikemap.com/ photos.html

http://www.kitsaptransit.org/ bikes.html

http://www.tri-met.org/ bikes.htm

http://www.maricopa.gov/rpta/ bike-bus.html

http://www.ridelink.org/bike/ bike.htm

http://www.metrocouncil.org/transit/

biklckrs.htm

http://transit.metrokc.gov/bike/ bike.html

http://www.transitinfo.org/SCVTA/ bikes.html

http://www.creativepipe.com/
 

***FROM THE NEWSPAPERS,

MAGAZINES and WEB SITES***
 

#475 A rail lobbyist from the UK, Jack Hill of Save Our Railways, was interviewed on CBC radio about the plan by Transport Minister David Collenette to franchise Via. He pointed out that the British privatization model has been a disaster for the travelling public, the government, and the railway industry, but a windfall for the franchise purchasers, lawyers, consultants, and accountants. 80% of travellers now believe things were better under British Rail. The government subsidy has doubled from 1 billion to 2 billion pounds, with none of the promised savings yet in sight. Reliability has collapsed, overcrowding is severe, and there is little or no co-ordination among the 25 operating companies among which Britain's national rail network was divided. Hill had particularly harsh words about Hambros, the British consultants engaged by the Canadian Government to plan the VIA selloff.

#476 The Toronto Transit Commission's 50 low-floor Orion VI buses will remain off the road. The TTC first found in September that wheel rims could not withstand heavy passenger volumes. Now that stronger wheel rims are available, there are now problems with the steering system in which drivers could lose control of the wheel. Low-floor buses may return in February once repairs are made. Toronto performed a stress test by putting the low-floor buses on the heavily-used Dufferin route 29. In contrast, low-floor buses in Ottawa are used on the lightly-travelled route 18.

#477 Ontario Police Chiefs have challenged the public to assume responsibility for the 85% of the 215,000 collisions each year in Ontario which are caused by driver error. There are 90,000 injuries and 1,000 deaths (one every 9 hours) on Ontario roads annually. Only 10% of crashes are due to road engineering or weather and 5% occur because of vehicle defects. Estimated cost of these crashes is $9.1 billion including police time, ambulance and fire calls, hospital costs, and lost productivity #482[ New VIA connections between Ottawa and Dorval Airport ] VIA's new Ontario-Quebec corridor schedule takes effect on Monday, 8th February. The Ottawa-Montreal route has new afternoon departures, 1615 from Ottawa and 1640 from Montreal. A new Airconnect shuttle bus service will provide Ottawa-Montreal trains with improved passenger and baggage connections with Dorval Airport.

#484, recorded on 19th February 1999.T2000 The proposed privatization or "franchising" of VIA Rail Canada is generating active discussion within Transport 2000 Canada. Many members worry that the negative effects on connectivity, fares and service quality reported in the United Kingdom will come to Canada. VIA Rail Canada has served us well and many members are concerned by its possible dismantling. An enlarged Transport 2000 Steering Committee meeting discussed a strategy that would include holding more regional meetings like that held in Montreal in December culminating in a National Conference in Ottawa in August. The idea is to discuss franchising in depth.:
 

22 Nov 1998 GMT

<739cs1$gnc$1@news.missouri.edu>

NEWBURY, England - A highway in southern Britain that spawned a new breed of "eco warrior" protesters prepared to live for months in trees and tunnels, opened in the dead of night on Tuesday. The 74 million pound ($124 million) Newbury bypass, which takes cars and trucks heading for southern ports around the busy market town, was opened to traffic just after midnight with only two hours notice. The road cuts through some of southern England's most beautiful countryside and when work began in 1996 protesters had to be forcibly removed from 35 camps in and around trees targeted for felling. More than 1,000 anti-roads protesters were arrested during the building of the eight-mile (13-km) bypass and 26 million pounds ($43.5 million) was spent on security and policing. Much of the road was built behind high fences and barbed wire. The environmentalists lost the battle over the NEWBURY bypass but claimed victory in principle earlier this year when the British government slashed the amount of planned new motorways and bypasses from 150 schemes to 37. (C) Reuters Limited 1998.
 

This message sent to pednet by Geraint Jennings <geraint@itl.net>.September 23 1998 Motorists were banned from streets in 35 cities in a drive against pollution, writes Ben Macintyre French drivers fume on a day without cars

FRANCE made a brave but probably hopeless attempt to wean its citizens away from their beloved cars yesterday by banning vehicles from parts of 35 cities in a radical anti-pollution experiment. French motorists are as passionate about their cars as they are dangerous in them and the one-day project was only a partial success: the overall volume of car traffic was slightly smaller, but the traffic jams outside the "restricted zones" were not only larger but markedly angrier as drivers encountered unexpected barriers.

Pedestrians, skaters, cyclists, manufacturers of electric cars and national officials hailed the Government's "Day without Cars" as a huge success. But shopkeepers and stranded commuters in some cities complained bitterly, along with motorists who noticed that attractive women drivers tended to slip through the police barriers more easily.

........

Dominique Voynet, Environment Minister, head of the Greens Party and electric motorist, said that the project, which is intended to become an annual event, was "a starting point from which to reconquer our cities". Paris City Hall offered more than 1,000 bicycles for rent, but some of the largest and most congested cities, such as Lyons and Lille, shunned the experiment. The idea followed a pioneering move in the western port of La Rochelle, which banned cars for a single day last year and saw the number of passengers on public transport rise by 70 per cent.

......
 

BRITAIN has relied on persuasion rather than compulsion in campaigns to get motorists to leave their cars behind for a day. In the summer, the Environmental Transport Association staged its annual National Car-Free Day and won temporary support from government ministers. Baroness Hayman, then the Road Safety Minister, shared a car with a ministerial colleague. Other ministers experienced the mixed pleasures of walking to work or catching the bus, train or Tube. Rather more havoc has been caused by the Reclaim the Streets campaigners, who have infuriated motorists by taking to their bicycles in droves. Many councils are drawing up green transport policies aimed at curbing traffic. But the Government remains nervous of the political consequences, saying it is not anti-car but in favour of responsible car use.

Geraint JenningsArtist, Teacher, Green, http://user.itl.net/~geraint/
 

From the Car Free Cities website

http://www.carfree.com/cft/i008_qz.html

Symposium: "Beyond Oil: Transport & Fuel for the Future" The Chartered Institute of Transport in Australia held a 1998 symposium on the question of what happens when the oil runs out. Some choice nuggets from the press release after the

conference:

The Symposium heard that a clear consensus is emerging that cheap oil production outside the Middle East will begin permanent decline around the year 2000, to be followed by permanent world decline within 15 years.

We have reached a crucial stage in the development of our local, national and international transport services. Our present path is leading us into potentially serious economic, social and environmental problems. New directions are needed for our future transport fuels and vehicles. 'More of the same' in our current transport plans and ways of thinking is no longer tenable.

The real cost of transport is going to increase and the decline in the scope and scale of present transport systems is inevitable and will be a major factor in setting the economic agenda for the 21st century.

Press release from The Chartered Institute of Transport in Australia Inc. My Australian contact, Charlie Richardson, had this to say about the CITIA: The CITIA is the local chapter of the British Chartered Institute of Transport, which has a chapter in most of the British Commonwealth countries. Its Patron is the Queen, its president

is Princess Anne. In Australia it has a membership of about 2000, made up of the senior managers and owners of our largest transport outfits (land, sea and air), transport academics, the Directors General of our State and Federal transport departments and the State and Federal Ministers of Transport. It is a conservative, establishment kind of an organization, not given to making alarmist statements, which makes the

language of the Press Release all the more remarkable.
 

An excellent Website about the end of oil http://www.hubbertpeak.com/.

Another interesting site is http://antenna.nl/eyfa/cb/english/main.htm.

From which I lifted the following:

In the former Vicar Lane Bus Station in Leeds there is a notice which says:

"National Car parks would like to apologise to bus passengers for any inconvenience caused by the demolition of this bus station and its conversion into a car park." That's OK lads, don't mention it.
 
 

A Weekly Bulletin from the Tri-State Transportation Campaign September 11, 1998

TORONTO CORONER: GIVE BIKES PREFERENCE

The Regional Coroner of Toronto has recommended changing Canada's Highway Traffic Act to give cyclists precedence over drivers. In a report reviewing 38 Toronto cycling deaths over an 11- year period, the coroner, Dr. William Lucas, also recommended "side guards" for large trucks and buses to prevent cyclists from being crushed under rear wheels. "Operators of motor vehicles need to understand the vulnerability of cyclists and have respect for them," Lucas said. "It isn't just the cyclists' problem and responsibility. It's a shared responsibility," he said.

Municipal and provincial officials commissioned the report following demands by Advocacy for Respect for Cyclists, a Toronto group formed in 1996 after trucks killed two cyclists and police arrested protesting cyclists. Noting that current law "does little to clarify how bicycles interact with other vehicles on the road," the Lucas report concluded that "The concept of motorized vehicles yielding to non-motorized vehicles seems to be a common sense rule which should be accepted by all road users. Entrenching this principle [would] likely significantly reduce risk of injury and death."

The report offered only limited support for bicycle helmets, noting studies showing limited reduction in deaths or injuries and finding that compulsory helmet laws might discourage cycling. "Helmets are an asset, not a panacea. The helmet does nothing to prevent a collision," the Lucas report added.

Stronger support was offered for "side guards," which are mandated on large vehicles in several European countries. The devices prevent cyclists from being knocked or pulled under the vehicle's rear wheels.

The Lucas report is Canada's first epidemiological study of cycling casualties. In the U.S., the National Transportation Safety Board and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration have ignored demands for similar studies. The report's emphasis on motorist responsibility to reduce danger to bicycle riders is a big departure from the usual cyclist-blaming philosophy.

Toronto Star
 

Gas Costs How Much?

The International Center for Technology Assessment reports that gasoline costs the US economy between $5.60 to $15.14 per gallon. (The pump price in the USA is now around $1.00/gallon.) The externalized costs are tailpipe emissions, industry tax breaks,

military protection of oil supplies, and various other costs. More than 40 externalities were examined, and it was found that the US spends between $558.7 billion and $1.69 trillion to support the production of gasoline. Environmental, health and social costs are the hardest to quantify, the report stated. These costs, however, appear to represent "the largest portion of the externalized price Americans pay for their gasoline reliance."

"The Real Price of Gasoline: Report No. 3

An Analysis of the Hidden External Costs

Consumers Pay to Fuel Their Automobiles"

obtainable from the International Center for

Technology Assessment at +1 202 547 935
 

Barry Wellar a University of Ottawa professor has developed a "Walking Security Index". A brief report appeared in the Ottawa Citizen on Dec. 18, 1998(pE1). The full report can be purchased through the University of Ottawa, department of geography.
 

***AFO ACTIVITIES***
 

Chris Bradshaw the president of Ottawalk and organizer of the Green Modes network had an article titled "How our Family Kicked the Car Habit" published in the Ottawa Citizen March 4 1999. A short excerpt follows:

"The next time you talk to your councillor, tell him or her that you drive more than you want to and you expect local government to improve freedom of movement without a car, that you want convenience, as well as streets that are more civil.

Emphasize that you want to use kinder gentler ways to make changes through planning. There is a better way."
 

"Green Modes" On February 11^th 1999 the first meeting of the Green Modes Coalition was held at the RMOC centre at 111 Lisgar street. Representatives of Transport2000, Communities before Cars, OC-Transpo riders group, City Centre Coalition, Ottawalk, Citizens for Safe Cycling, the Federation of Communities and Auto-Free Ottawa were there. In the spirit of a new group the pros and cons of being a network or a coalition were discussed. As well, what types of issues to concentrate on was discussed at length. Beside big picture issues, four local issues came to the top of the list which are: 1. the future of the Daly site (nb. Presently to be an Aquarium with acres of parking)

2. Transit issues around the Nortel expansion 3. Opposition to building a parking lot at the National Arts centre 4; Opposition to widening the airport expressway. A newsgroup has been setup from which postings relevant to AFO will be reposted to the AFO newsgroup It was suggested that perhaps the coalition could regularly appear on the CKCU radio (Carleton university) station and/or make regular contributions to the Peace and Environment News paper.
 

***IT'S NOT MY CAR***
 

Dear Members of Parliament, Ministers:

I am writing to you today because the anniversary of the Kyoto Conference is rapidly approaching and I have failed to see any progress what-so-ever in addressing this issue. I hear that you have been meeting with other countries in Brazil, but I have also heard that you have yet to make any real progress. This is deplorable. It is shameful. I am not proud to be Canadian. I look forward to hearing something from your this week: some statement that you haven't forgotten Kyoto and will be acting to reduce our carbon dioxide emissions with, or without an international agreement.

I am writing to the Honorable John Manley, Minister of Industry, because if Canada should be leading the rest of the world in energy and resource reduction. We have the brainpower, we have the technology what we lack is clear leadership about the importance of this process. Let us shed our image as hewers of wood, drawers of water, and trappers of beavers and become internationally renown planters of trees, cleaners of water, and connectors of people (via high tech). Let us become the experts at living within one's means, and let's sell this technology to the world.

I am writing to Honorable Ronald Duhamel, Minister for both Science and for Western Diversification. It seems to me that these are indeed intimately related: Alberta has to realize that its oil won't last forever, but if managed properly, their brains and their fields will. Once the Minister of Industry provides the leadership, you will need to enact specific programs to help the transition.

I am writing to the Honorable Lloyd Axworthy as Minister of Foreign Affairs, third in precedence according to the web site only to the prime minister and to the deputy prime minister. If your role is that important, then you should make sure that Canada really lives up to our international commitments. The commitments we make are important for world peace, must have the power of law, and are made by good governments. If your role is other than peace, law and good government, then you should really defer to one of the other esteemed people in your cabinet and allow them to fix things at home before we continue to export our riches to the world. Further, I would ask to you realize that if Canada, a very large and rich land, is currently having difficulties living within our ecological means, how can other countries with larger populations and smaller land masses cope? What financial agreements are we supporting that are forcing countries to clear cut what little forests they have left?

I am writing to the Honorable Paul Martin, Minister of Finance. It is well and good that you've balanced the financial budget, but the ecological budget is now worse than it ever was. You need to work closely with Ms. Stewart and make sure that every single word of tax law favours renewable resources. To use up non-renewable resources is akin to running a deficit: you have to pay it back sometime. Prove that you can continue to make hard decisions when it comes to balancing the needs of now vs the needs of tomorrow. And, remember: renewable resources employ many times more people than non-renewable ones.

I am writing to the Honorable Ralph Goodale, Minister of Natural Resources. It is time to change our forest practices. Many mines need to be cleaned up. Your own inspectors are unable to do anything. The RCMP doesn't have any jurisdiction. The situation is unacceptable.

I am writing to the Honorable Mac Harb because he is my MP. For some reason he thinks he has been doing a good job and had a 10 years in office party. I'm afraid that I, and quite a number of his constituents disagree. I am writing to Mr. Harb to ask him why he continues to encourage increased automobile use in Ottawa-Carleton, and destroying the downtown with the Metcalfe Nonsense when both actions will be so terribly harmful to our both our quality of air, and our quality of life.

Last am writing to the Honorable Christine Stewart, Minister of the Environment. I'm sure that you try very hard, yet I can't name a single important positive milestone that your department has achieved. You are the most important minister in the government. If something is not done now, your department will be the ONLY ministry.

As one of the richest countries in the world we are one of highest per-capita consumers of energy and resources. If *WE* can reduce our consumption, then we can lead by example. Otherwise, Kyoto and all other agreements were just a joke, and the world will truly end. What follows is some information that inspired me to write to you. It is from a recently printed article in the San Jose Mercury from the AP wire service. The article is from Ken McCarthy of San Francisco, he is a campaigner for fair elections and accurate reporting.

Michael Richardson
 

Dear Mr. Harb:

The City Centre Coalition is a grouping of nine Community organizations (Hintonburg, Dalhousie, Centretown, Sandy Hill, Ottawa East, Glebe, Dow's Lake, Old Ottawa South and Carleton University Students' Association). Although we have had numerous contacts with officials of the Regional Municipality of Ottawa-Carleton and the City of Ottawa, this is the first time we have written to a Member of Parliament and we do so because we are seriously concerned about the central core of our city.

We wish to accept the invitation in your most recent newsletter to comment on the NCC's proposal to orchestrate a major reconstruction of the area around Metcalfe Street. We urge you to oppose actively any version of the plan to demolish buildings along Metcalfe Street in order to open sight lines to the Peace Tower.

1. The proposal would destroy the coherent nature of the downtown core as well as divide the Centretown neighbourhood.

2. Cutting a 150 metre swath along Metcalfe would reduce retail presence in the core.

3. Destruction of buildings to make open space would weaken the property tax base.

4. The mere existence of the plan will stall investment downtown and create a property blight.

5. Building a huge underground parking garage at the north end of Metcalfe would generate major north-south automobile traffic on Metcalfe, which the proposal sees as a main gateway to the core. Most of the traffic would have to cross the Albert/Slater transitway, unless the garage extends even further south than Slater Street. In that case, it would hold even more cars and cause even more automobile congestion in the core, as well as blocking any future plans for east-west underground rapid transit through the core.

6. Studies done for the City of Ottawa indicate that there is no shortage of parking downtown; indeed, there is surplus capacity in many blocks.

7. Studies done for OC Transpo indicate that there is an inverse relationship between the provision of parking space for cars and transit ridership.

8. The plan works against revitalizing the core because is involves massive destruction of housing south of Laurier

9. The plan would create more car congestion in the core, thereby working against the Regional Municipality's Official Plan to encourage use of public transit.

10. Blocking east-west streets south of Somerset would make Metcalfe a limited access highway, with all that implies in terms of massive scale that is inhospitable to pedestrians, cyclists, residents of the neighbourhood and people wanting to enjoy the urban environment.

11. The plan would destroy many heritage buildings.

12. The proposed destruction of much of the core and Centretown would cost Canadian taxpayers many hundreds of millions of dollars at a time when government finds it necessary to reduce expenditures.

13. The Greber Report, itself, stated that opening up Metcalfe to a straight-on view of the Peace Tower would actually make the Parliament buildings seem LESS attractive. The Peace Tower looks better when seen from an oblique angle, such as the view one gets from Colonel By Drive or Confederation Square. As well, because of the rise in Metcalfe Street from Slater to Wellington and the trees that would be planted along it, one would not get a good view of Parliament Hill until one is north of Queen Street, or even Sparks, which negates the whole idea of a broad, ceremonial artery leading up to the Hill.

14. Building roads and parking garages in the central area is expensive, futile and damaging. Much more in keeping with the principles of the NCC's 50-year plan and the Official Plans of the City and Region, would be for the Government of Canada, through the NCC, to invest a small fraction of the money saved by not proceeding with the Metcalfe destruction in enhancing Canada's capital as a city in which all Canadians can continue to take pride. The government could upgrade the pedestrian, bicycle, and transit networks in the National Capital Region. This could include contributing to extensions of the coming light rail line to Hull and the airport. Will you support the central area communities that want an early announcement that the NCC's destructive plan will not be implemented? The removal of that threat will enable investment and the revitalization of Ottawa's core to proceed. We look forward to hearing from you on this matter and would greatly appreciate your support in keeping our beautiful city vibrant and livable.

Sincerely,

Campbell Robertson, Chair, City Centre Coalition John Kane President, Glebe Community Association Robert Showman President, Dow's Lake Residents' Association
 

Ed. Note Shortly after this letter was sent the NCC had a press conference which announced that it was abandoning this Metcalfe proposal. This letter was probably instrumental in achieving this victory.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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