20 is enough to Save our childrens lives

Put children before Traffic -
20 mph isn't novel, it makes sense. Stop this needless slaughter.'Reclaim streets' call after tot dies ic Wales, - --- And it wants councils to consider novel schemes, such as 20mph zones or even closing off some residential streets to traffic during after-school hours to allow children to play outside. Mike Greenaway, director of Play Wales, said, “Playing out allows ...
A 20 mph Canton and Cardiff: why?
20’s Plenty is Cardiff Green Party’s campaign to bring all residential street traffic speeds down to 20 miles per hour across the city of Cardiff, as part of a wider vision for creating the kind of streets in which we really want to live. This has now started to be implemented in other UK cities.

Communities grow where the streets belong to people, not just to vehicles. Streets should be places in which you can hear yourself speak in which you can safely walk or cycle with your children. Our streets should not be grim thoroughfares serving only fast-moving vehicles.
The Green Party believes the benefits of 20 mph should be felt throughout the city on its residential streets, in the streets where we live, shop and stroll. When traffic is slowed, existing 20mph zones show that people begin to enjoy their environments and use the local amenities more. Main routes would remain at current speed restrictions.

Demo after toddler killed by car BBC News, UK - Members of a Cardiff community have protested about traffic speed after a three-year-old boy died after being hit by a car which failed to stop. ...
Our streets need to be reclaimed for children ic Wales, - 30 Jul 2007
IT IS a sad state of affairs when something so basic as ensuring our streets are safe for children to play requires campaigning, a day of action and pleas ...
Residents give council EIGHT weeks to actic Wales, by David James, South Wales Echo ROAD blockading campaigners spurred on by the death of a three-year-old boy have told Cardiff council: “You’ve got eight ...

Lethal Weapon

Lethal weapon

There’s a lethal weapon
Gleaming bright
Polished
Deadly as dynamite

There’s a lethal weapon
Hold on tight
Safety off
Death’s in sight

There’s a lethal weapon
Guessed it right?
It’s you in your car
On the road tonight

Wreckage

We can repair wrecked cars
We can’t repair wrecked lives
We can replace wrecked cars
We can’t replace dead children, brothers, sisters, husbands, wives…

Poems by David Midmer in memory of his son Nathan, killed aged 22 on 23 December 2000. A pedestrian, he was struck and run over by a car.

Campaign to reclaim streets

It's holiday time, but traffic and 'stranger danger' have driven children indoors Anushka Asthana, education correspondent Sunday July 29, 2007 The Observer
Only two out of 10 British children play in the streets and parks close to their homes each day, compared with seven out of 10 when their parents were growing up - even though campaigners have long maintained that outdoor play is essential to every child's upbringing.

Play in Cardiff
National Playday fun in Heath Park

Just in Heath park - need more committment than that. Streets should be traffic free and allow children out of their houses to play. With this rise in numbers of obese boys soon it will be too late.

....There'll be fun for all next Wednesday (2nd August) in Heath Park as Cardiff Council's Children's Play Service brings all the fun of national Playday to one of the city's most popular parks. National Playday is an initiative supported by the Children's Play Council and has being going for over eighteen years with over 100,000 children taking part each year across the UK.

Play Wales

Play Day in the Vale of Glamorgan

When is it?
An annual event held every year on the first Wednesday in August.

What is it?
National Play Day is a celebration of the child's right to play and each year has a different theme. This year's theme is 'Our Streets Too'.

Saftey first
In the Vale we’re trying to encourage traffic to slow down. Children and young people will be on school holidays and will be using the streets to access local parks and shops, as well as playing on the streets.

What's on offer
Play Schemes and Play Ranger Schemes will be celebrating the event with a range of fun-filled activities. Please see Play Rangers and Play Schemes.

For more information
Telephone: 01446 704809
or email joajones@valeofglamorgan.gov.uk
National Children’s Bureau website: www.ncb.org.uk

Copenhagen - a happier country!

I was in Denmark last week and the only parking problem was for bikes.

The traffic lights count down the length of time you have to wait to cross.

Back in wales the headlines are


More die from drink driving in Wales
and I am not surprised as even the local pubs car park is always full. They can't all be not drinking!

High carbon footprint doesn’t equal happiness
says the The Happy Planet Index which used three factors – ecological impact, life-satisfaction and life-expectancy to calculate a figure that reflects both the ecological efficiency and the well-being of a country’s population. The results were surprising - world-wide the Pacific nation of Vanuatu came out first, while in Europe, the high life-expectancy and low carbon emissions of the Scandinavian nations of Iceland, Sweden and Norway meant that they topped the list. Britain meanwhile, with its high carbon footprint and low level of satisfaction among the population, came 21st, falling behind most other western European nations. Denmark came 6th!

Hummers4Bummers - sign the petition!

Sign my petition ttp://petitions.pm.gov.uk/Hummers4Bummers/
We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to Ban Hummers

We, the undersigned, declare that Hummers which are over-sized, gas-guzzling, garishly painted, mileage-meager, energy-wasting, global-warming, road-hogging, backward-technology-embracing, inferiority-complex-compensating, cup-holder-infested "sports utility vehicles" are unsportsmanlike, non-utilitarian, and downright bad for the planet and should be banned. The H2 gets about 15 MPG, highway, (10 mpg street), large size/width, high maintenance cost, and potentially-destructive use as off-road vehicles.

Improving St Mary Street and High Street, Cardiff

Still time to have a look - I hope the hours for vans etc willb e limited and also that enforcement is improved dramatically.

Changing landscapes: Improving St Mary Street and High Street

Over the next two years St Mary Street and High Street will undergo dramatic improvements. These changes mean that the area keeps pace with the transformation taking place in the heart of the city centre.
We are working to create a better place to work, shop and visit by reducing traffic, pollution and noise levels - whilst introducing wider pavements and public art to improve the feel of the area.
From the 6 August 2007 traffic along St Mary Street, from its junction with Mill Lane along to and including High Street until the junction at Castle Street, will be restricted. Only buses, taxis, emergency vehicles and cyclists will be permitted to use the road with the exception of delivery and other service vehicles during set times.
The scheme will have two stages:
An experimental traffic order will start on 6 August 2007. This will allow us to assess the impact of the changes. We will be working on further changes as required, based on our own research and the feedback we will collect during the experimental period. During this time we will make sure that any interested party has the opportunity to comment and give feedback.
If successful, an amended permanent traffic order, based on the experimental order and its findings, will be introduced during 2008.
During the experimental period the area will look much the same as it does now. Once the permanent traffic order comes into place changes will be made to the whole area. People will be able to enjoy the experience of shopping in St Mary Street and High Street with fewer vehicles and improved pedestrian access throughout.
If you have queries, comments or feedback about the scheme either write to St Mary Street/ High Street, Transport, Infrastructure and Waste, Cardiff Council, Atlantic Wharf, Cardiff, CF10 4UW or email: tiw-ch@cardiff.gov.uk
Further information can be found on the Cardiff Council website: www.cardiff.gov.uk/stmaryst or come along to the Public Exhibition in The Old Library, The Hayes, Cardiff on Friday 6th July 2007 (10.00 am - 5.00 pm) or Saturday 7th (10.00am - 1.00pm).
We will continue to update you during this period before the order becomes permanent. All comments and feedback will be reviewed and considered as the experimental order progresses however, we cannot guarantee individual replies relating to specific issues.

Rejected petition - any suggestions?

number10@petitions.pm.gov.uk
No 10 writes to me to say
"Hi,
I'm sorry to inform you that your petition has been rejected. Your petition was classed as being in the following categories: * Duplicate - this is similar to and/or overlaps with an existing petition or petitions Further information: http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/banurban4x4s/

So you might sign this one
We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to Ban the use of private 4x4 vehicles in urban environments. More details -
Submitted by Stuart Billington – Deadline to sign up by: 15 June 2008 – Signatures: 9

If you wish to edit and resubmit your petition, please follow the following link: http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/Hummers4Bummers/CrGkKbB3JgKHA4LMaZAJ9Cu You have four weeks in which to do this, after which your petition will appear in the list of rejected petitions. Your petition reads: We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to: 'implement an energy policy that promotes gas-saving technologies' We, the undersigned, declare that over-sized, gas-guzzling, garishly painted, mileage-meager, energy-wasting, global-warming, road-hogging, backward-technology-embracing, inferiority-complex-compensating, cup-holder-infested "sports utility vehicles" are unsportsmanlike, non-utilitarian, and downright bad for the planet.

Enable local communities to have more say

The Green Party today called on Hazel Blears to take her new proposals on local democracy further by enabling local communities to have a truly meaningful input into the planning and decision-making process.
Communities Secretary Hazel Blears today announced that direct ballots would be held in local areas over "big choices" on local council spending, including choosing priorities between "play areas, youth facilities, traffic calming or more community wardens". Pilot schemes could be extended to allow the petitioning of councils to consider policy proposals from the public
http://www.greenparty.org.uk/news/3055

Transport 2000 search for worst linked train stations

Transport 2000 are searching for the UK’s worst linked train stations, by this we mean stations that are difficult to access without a car and therefore isolate many members of the community. We would like to hear from people about their experiences of their journey to the local train station. We want to send a strong message to the government, Network Rail, rail operators, local authorities and bus operators asking them to work together and improve access to our train stations.
Please see the e-flyer below outlining further information on the survey.
Thank you in advance for taking the time to fill out the survey

Vote your station as the “Weakest Link”! Is your local railway station difficult to get to?
Well now is your chance to name and shame that station! Transport 2000 is running a nationwide competition to find out which stations are difficult to access by bike, foot, bus, or by people using a walking aid or wheelchair. In a bid to highlight the need for high level station integration with cycling, walking, buses and taxis as a means of reducing car dependency, the competition will highlight some of the worst integrated stations in the country and highlight some of the exceptional ones as well.

It takes just five minutes to fill in the survey on-line and you will automatically be entered into a prize draw to win travel vouchers of your choice.
The Weakest Link survey can be completed online: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=PcEpPJbr6Jzp7mdXX_2fD3mw_3d_3d
People wishing a paper copy can request one from Tara Melton at Transport 2000 tara.melton@transport2000.org.uk; 020 7613 7716
The competition runs until 8 August and results will be announced 24 August on Transport 2000’s website.

"Gogs Against The Motorway" -the new "North Wales anthem!" -

Planning White Paper means less say on transport decisions
The government's Planning White Paper published on 21 May contains some disastrous proposals for groups opposing road schemes. As if the current system is not unfair enough, the Government also proposes to hand over decision-making powers to an 'independent' planning commission (which they will appoint) that will have a 'presumption in favour' of passing schemes that conform to new Government-decided national policy statements. You would no longer be able to question the need or economic justification for a scheme, and you may not even have the right to appear at the inquiry! For local road schemes, the Government proposes to leave all decision making to local authorities, and reduce the amount of call-ins, where the Government calls a public inquiry. This would mean that local councils apply to themselves and grant their own planning permissions with no public inquiry! It is an absolute disaster, but fortunately several national groups have formed a Planning Coalition Group to campaign against the proposals.

The coalition want as many people as possible to send in comments, to the Dept for Communities and Local Government, by 17 August. The coalition is organising a fortnight of action from 30 June to 14 July, with a day of action by local groups on Saturday 14 July. Please consider organising an demonstration on that day. The coalition’s Planning Disaster website is being updated to include an email to send to the Government. In the meantime you can send a letter or download a resource pack from the Friends of the Earth website. FoE is also producing a printed copy and postcards for giving out to members of the public at stalls – email Owen Espley if you’d like some.

Transport 2000 release new research on low-carbon transport solutions
Research by MTRU for Transport 2000 has challenged the findings of the Stern report that carbon emissions from transport are more expensive to tackle than other sectors. The Government has been using this claim as an excuse for allowing transport carbon emissions to rise - including through creating traffic growth through road building. It shows that we have to tackle transport CO2 as we cannot rely on other sectors of the economy to make those cuts when they already have ambitious targets. It also reveals that to change travel behaviour will be more equitable also, and has other benefits such as improving air quality. The research and a summary are available on the Transport 2000 website.

"Smarter Choices" work!
The three year results are out for the three Sustainable Travel Towns and they show that "Smarter Choices" measures have had an enormous impact on reducing car trips, and encouraging public transport use and cycling and walking. The three projects at Darlington, Peterborough and Worcester mainly involved nothing more than simply telling people about public transport options, starting car share schemes and encouraging people to walk and cycle more. The first three year results show that:
* Darlington - public transport trips up 14%, walking up 29%, cycling up 79%. Car trips were down 11%
* Peterborough - public transport up 13%, walking up 21%, cycling up 25%. Car trips were down 13%
* Worcester - public transport up 22%, walking up 17%, cycling up 36%. Car trips were down 12%
This is better than any road scheme could do to cut congestion, and cuts CO2 and is healthier too! And it is a fraction of the price. Now why is all that money being poured into roadbuilding...? See the Government press release

Government to rethink the rules for deciding road schemes
The Government's methodology for deciding road projects (the New Approach To Appraisal - NATA) is now almost 10 years old and is being rewritten. Currently it is very biased towards making a road look economically good, whilst down-playing the environmental costs. There will be a consultation in the Autumn. Transport 2000 will be getting in there to influence the new guidance to value the environment higher.

Cardiff council 'reply' to Cardiff Cycling Campaign post on air pollution

Not just cyclists are choking from the fumes!

Cardiff Council 'replies' on City Centre Polluted Air Posted on Monday, July 02 @ 23:43:08 BST by max.wallis Cardiff Cycling Campaign
Cardiff Council respond to the issues the Cycling Campaign raised over the Chartered Inst. of Physiotherapists' assessment of particulate pollution, viz:
# Cardiff is the third worst urban centre for PM10 in statistics for the first 3 months of the year
# routing cyclists down St Marys Street will subject them to higher air pollution
The Council put out the following Press Statement (reported in the Penarth Times)
"Cardiff Council is fully committed to supporting cycling and will continue to implement more facilities for cyclists. "The council believes that taking general traffic out of St Mary Street will certainly not make matters worse. Buses are becoming cleaner and Cardiff Bus has one of the youngest, and hence cleanest, fleets of buses. "Stationary and slow moving buses, unable to get through traffic or delayed by illegal parking, stay in the city centre for longer. The reduction of traffic in St Mary Street will help make bus use more attractive, reduce the number of slow moving or stationary buses in the city centre and will also be welcomed by many cyclists too."We pressed for proper answers and were informed in summary
# dust storms in Jordan, Egypt and the Sahara, agricultural fires in Ukraine and urban pollution from Europe
# the readings on North Road (Briardene) were much lower
# St Marys Street air quality is poor
# no assessment of cyclists’ exposure on St Marys Street, because they won’t spend much time there.
The full Council statement is as follows:
There are no plans to increase the number of buses using St Mary Street.
General traffic will however be removed. If traffic volumes are reduced and there is no increase in the number of buses, there is no reason to argue that this will result in increased diesel particulates. Further more buses will spend less time queuing so will be on that street for lesstime. Again, there is no reason for this to result in increased diesel particulates. There have been some regional and national particulate episodes whichaffected monitoring sites over the whole of South Wales and much widerafield in the UK during March 2007. These have skewed Cardiff's (andeveryone else's) readings upwards during the period in question. These episodes were of long-travelled material, i.e. not from local sources.The March 2007 episodes had the following features:a) Easterly air flows affecting the UK, air coming all the way fromRussia across central Europe.b) Increased particulate matter was recorded across most sites fromMarch 24th to April 2nd.c) Dust storms from Jordan and Egypt were seen on satellite imagesmoving north over the Mediterranean on March 21st, joining into theeastern air flow towards the UK.d) Widespread agricultural fires in Ukraine and western Russia were alsospotted by satellite on March 20th and will have been transported to theUK by the easterly air.e) The easterly air would also have picked up secondary nitrate andsulphate particulates formed from emissions across the industrial andpopulated areas of Europe. The conclusion is that the Saharan dust probably contributed to thefirst day or two of the incident, and later on it was the fires andsecondary particulate matter.The monitoring doesn't apportion sources or speciate the materialmeasured; is it therefore misleading to label the particulate matter as"diesel" or assume that it is traffic-derived. It is difficult to identifythe exact cause of each PM10 - whether from taxi, bus, train etc -although the press release attributes 25% of PM10s to transport, so it isagreed most are from other sources.It is also misleading to compare monitoring over a few months to anannual average standard. During the first few months of the yearmeasured concentrations will be higher than the annual average due to bothhigher emissions locally (e.g. from space heating, etc) and because ofatmospheric conditions.We have no detailed figures for the exposure to air pollution forspecific road user-groups. Exposure is a function of pollutantconcentration and the length of time that a person is exposed to it. It isnot possible estimate exposure for cyclists, or any other road user-group,given that no two road users follow the same route on their journeys.Exposure must therefore be directly measured and research studies arebeing carried out in London in this specific area of work. The air quality standards refer to pollutant concentrations in ambient airmeasured over a specific time-period. Cyclists will not, generally, spend a long enough period of time travelling down St Mary Street on their cycles to make direct comparison with the air quality standards in this single location valid. The air quality standard in force in the UK is 40 microgrammes per cubicmetre of air as an annual average. The annual mean measured at the CardiffCentre site in 2006 was 27 microgrammes per cubic metre. At Briardene Road Safety Centre on North Road, i.e. close to high volumes of traffic andtherefore more likely to be measuring traffic-derived pollution, the annual mean was just 21 microgrammes per cubic metre. However the Council fully acknowledges that air quality is poor on St MaryStreet, having declared an Air Quality Management Area for it, and hence the measures being taken to address it. The measures being taken will reduce concentrations of both PM10 and nitrogen dioxide.The Council's reviews and assessments of air quality are available on our website.
END of Council Statement