Ridiculous Rachael Wood wants cars, congestion and choking in St Mary street!

Website boosts support for road ban protest The Echo reports on a group that has formed on the internet to protest against the traffic ban in Cardiff’s St Mary Street. (katie.norman@wme.co.uk)

There are groups that are campaigning to save our planet, reduce congestion, reduce pollution, make out cities more liveable and childfriendly, disabled friendly, people friendly and generally much more pleasant places to walk, cycle, shop and eat. This may come as a surprise to some 140 people ..mindless dinosaurs are the words that comes to mind. Here we have people protesting to put MORE cars on the road - to INCREASE congestion - make life difficult for shoppers, pedestrians, disabled people, elderly, - Voting for more pollution??? At least there are only 140 morons in Cardiff so far.
It is a myth that businesses suffer because of a reduction in access to cars. Europe.....London would shut down if that were the case. In fact the opposite is true. Business will be better off with a pedestrianised street and better again especially when it is cleaned up. Cardiff is way behind the times.

The story goes on ...They ask members to: “Help us stop this madness of congesting the surrounding areas of Cardiff by joining this group and showing your support to reopen St Mary Street! Messages in support of their plight have been left by group members including Rachel Wood. Who is she? She said: “I support anyone and everyone that continues to ignore the ridiculous ban.” Ridiculous Rachael! Obviously environmental issues aren't her strong point.

Have they heard of for example of Friends of the Earth, Transport 2000, Living Streets, Greenpeace, Green Party to name a few... which have thousands of supporters and support the St Mary Street enlightened scheme

WWF ad: if you think pollution doesn’t affect you…

Warning over adverse impact of development on children

Poorly designed road and housing developments are invading children's space, according to the government's "green" advisory body, the Sustainable Development Commission.
The commission has published a report which claimed that large building projects, aircraft flight paths and busy roads are causing excessive noise levels, increased pollution and safety fears and preventing children from enjoying their local parks and neighbourhoods.
Sustainable Development Commission website

Yellow line pests

Crackdown on yellow line pests
Northwich Guardian, - 22 Aug 2007 By Ian Ross
Clear Streets officers are due to go on patrol across the Moorlands to enforce yellow line parking regulations. The district council is working ...

Great news - I hope it happens here soon - see the picture gallery of offenders on the right.

Tory policy raises alarm bells for pedestrians

Conservative proposals raise concerns for pedestrians
Living Streets have looked at the the Conservative Party's Economic Competitiveness Policy Group report, with the aim of influencing future Conservative policy. 'Freeing Britain to Compete' includes a chapter on transport that raises some alarm bells for pedestrians, as well as highlighting some much needed changes.Read the full article
Tuesday 21 August 2007

Bus firm criticised at hearing

I am amazed this is the only service criticised as buses often don't arrive.

David James, South Wales Echo
TWO bus company chiefs who ignored critical timeliness reports and blanked complaining passengers were lambasted by a furious transport inspector. Deputy Transport Commissioner Roger Seymour told the two top men at budget South Wales bus provider EST he was “astonished” at their unconcerned approach to “the most serious issues”.
Two bus monitoring reports in 2006 and 2007 revealed around a quarter of their services in the Vale of Glamorgan – some of which were subsidised by the taxpayer – ran late, early or not at all.
Yet neither managing director Carl Hooking, of Barry, or operations manager Mark Harris, of Penarth, replied to the letters sent to the company. Under cross-examination during a three-hour hearing at Cardiff County Court yesterday, both were repeatedly forced to admit failings.
Their solicitor Paul Carliss said: “The company has been found wanting without a shadow of a doubt.
“There probably may have been complacency.”
Llandow-based EST hit the headlines in 2002 when Ystradowen teenager Stuart Cunningham Jones died in a crash on one of the school services it runs in the Vale of Glamorgan.
Mr Seymour said he was not considering that tragedy in his inquiry into the failings over time-keeping and customer service revealed yesterday. Bus monitor Michael Anderson told the hearing that of 166 services he checked in January and February this year, 14 did not run at all, 15 were early, 10 were late and six had the wrong signs on.
Among these, he highlighted one bus that parked up at Barry Library and missed two departure times before it left.
He said: “I don’t think it could have broken down.
“The driver left the vehicle, I presumed he left for lunch, and it started up again pretty quickly when he got back.”
Mr Carliss told the hearing that many of the services that left early did so by only two minutes and that only two were more than 10 minutes late.
And both Mr Harris and Mr Hooking blamed a former employee for failing to pass on or deal with the issues and promised that they would act on everything Mr Seymour raised.
A passenger, Howard Damm, 63, who lives in the west of Barry, told the hearing how he had complained after no bus turned up five times out of six when he went to get it earlier this year.
He said: “Every time I rang up a man or a woman promised that a manager would ring me back but no-one ever did.
“I would like them to get this sorted out. I don’t want to take the company down.
“If the bus services are pulled out, people like me suffer.”
Mr Seymour told the company he would deliver a written verdict within 28 days. Among the penalties at his disposal are stiff fines and the removal of bus routes from the company.
david.james@wme.co.uk

Road building in the news!

Road building has been in the news a lot recently. Firstly Transport 2000 tipped off the Guardian about the massive cost of the proposed M6 widening which at £2.9 billion works out to be £1,000 per inch! This was then picked up in the Daily Mirror and the Daily Mail. Then the M1 came under the spotlight as the Guardian revealed that the Government was planning to add not two but four new lanes to the M1 – creating a 10-lane superhighway.

Next came the cover story of the New Statesman. The article exposed the flaws in the DfT’s decision-making structures that result in road schemes always being seen make economic sense. This is one of the strongest attacks on the DfT’s appraisal system ever written and is essential reading for roads campaigners.


BBC4 documentary on roads resistance

Next week (Tuesday 21, Wednesday 22 and Thursday 23 August at 9pm) a three-part documentary will air on BBC4. ‘the Secret Life of the Motorway’ will chronicle the first years of motorway building, through the 1960s and ‘70s and then cover the rise of anti-road protests in the 80s and 90s. Transport 2000’s campaigns director and roads campaigner make an appearance because of their role in the Twyford Down protest.

Car use, climate change and obesity linked

A report published by the Institute for European Environmental Policy (IEEP) and Adrian Davis Associates highlights the car’s connection to obesity and climate change. The report finds that if we all walked just an hour more a week – what we did 30 years ago, when car ownership was less common – we could help save up to 11 MtCO2 (15.4% of total emissions from passenger cars) and drop almost three pounds each year to boot.

the report.

New guidance on DfT funding for local road schemes

The DfT has just published new guidance for local authorities seeking DfT funding for new roads. It is basically the ‘rule book’ for those of you opposing local council road schemes. It is very strict about the need to examine non-road building alternatives and requires authorities to consider “measures that reduce or influence the need to travel… and other alternatives to address the problems in the area, such as public transport provision, demand management policies, traffic management measures and strategies”.

It also requires local authorities to contribute at least 10% of the scheme costs, 50% of the preparatory costs (after the scheme has been entered into the programme), and 50% of any cost increases. The scheme must also have been prioritised by the region. The guidance will set the hurdles considerably higher for local authorities who wish to promote dead-end road schemes.


Transport 2000 slams the Planning White Paper

The consultation period closed on Friday for the Planning White Paper, whose proposals could make the planning system more unfair to objectors. We think thousands of people wrote in to oppose the proposals.


Free legal phone line for environmental groups

Friends of the Earth's Rights & Justice Centre offers free legal advice on environmental issues to anyone (not just FoE groups) concerned about the impact of public authority decisions; to people who don't feel they have been properly consulted; or to people who are simply unsure about their rights.

Contact FREEPHONE 0808 801 0405, 6.30-8.30pm on Wednesdays. The service is staffed by Friends of the Earth's legal staff and by volunteer lawyers. Individuals who contact the advice line will be given preliminary advice. Cases will then be either taken up by the Rights and Justice Centre or passed to an organisation that can help.

Is there a noisy road through countryside near you?

Transport for Quality of Life consultancy wants to talk to people about how traffic noise in a rural area has affected how they live their lives. By documenting their experiences they aim to show how noise from roads impacts those living in, working in and visiting the countryside. If you or your friends still have strong memories of how, for example, noise from a motorway built nearby in the 1980s has changed where you go to walk, ride, relax or how you can use your house or garden, please email Ian Taylor, Transport for Quality of Life, ian@transportforqualityoflife.com

Ruth Kelly goes soft on illegal parkers!

Mirror.co.uk, UK - 16 Aug 2007

Minister: Council action over illegal parking to be curbed
New Transport Secretary Ruth Kelly is "of the view that clamping should only be used in limited circumstances", according to Government guidelines.

Wheel clamps and parking tickets are to be cut down under plans welcomed by drivers yesterday.Only persistent illegal parkers will see their vehicle impounded after 15 minutes.

Ruth Kelly is wrong and wrong again as the public consistantly put inconsiderate parking at the top of their list of antisocial behaviour! uYou just have to look at the sheer number of offences that I have photos of on this site. The culture is of complete disrespect for other citizens particularly the elderly and disabled people.

Housebuilders win battle against green technologies

Guardian Unlimited, UK - The Department for Communities and Local Government is to in effect abolish the so-called "Merton rule", under pressure from housebuilders who do not want ...

CLAMP DOWN
Mirror.co.uk, UK - 16 Aug 2007
Parking tickets and wheel clamping to be cut
Minister: Council action over illegal parking to be curbed
New Transport Secretary Ruth Kelly is "of the view that clamping should only be used in limited circumstances", according to Government guidelines. ...

Leave the car at home - Link between car use, obesity and carbon dioxide emissions

Promote walking!!! Join Living Streets

A New IEEP report makes link between car use, obesity and carbon dioxide emissions
Aug 13, 2007

A new report by the Institute for European Environmental Policy and Adrian Davis Associates published on August 13, 2007 highlights the extent to which car use is implicated in the increase in obesity as well as rising carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions.

UNFIT FOR PURPOSE: HOW CAR USE FUELS CLIMATE CHANGE AND OBESITY
How trends in walking have changed.
One fifth of all journeys (22 per cent) are under one mile, a distance that can be easily carried out by foot. However in 1975/76 the proportion of journeys under one mile made by foot was 86 per cent, in 1985/86 and 1994/95 it was 81 per cent, and in 2005 it fell to 76 per cent. The
majority of the remainder of trips under one mile (21 per cent) were by car.

Therefore, if today all main drivers (amounting to more than 26 million people) reverted to the walking patterns they had before owning a car (ie miles walked by people with no car), at least 11.1 Mt CO2 could be saved, amounting to 15.4 per cent of total emissions from passenger cars.

Since 1975, the cumulative impact on CO2 emissions of new main drivers halving their walking reached 5.80 Mt CO2 in 2005, equal to approximately 22.2 per cent of the overall increase in CO2 emissions deriving from passenger cars in the last 30 years

The main points of the argument from the report :

Since the Second World War, the continuous increase in car ownership has led to a dramatic decline in walking as a means of transport - muscle power gave way to fossil power.
This report calculates that just by returning to the average distance walked by people in the UK without cars, the rising tide of obesity can be almost halted.

At the same time, a substantial share of individuals' contribution to national carbon dioxide emissions could be avoided.

The report goes on to argue that this could and should be done through renewed efforts to promote walking as transport. This would be vastly cheaper than dealing with the consequences of the obesity epidemic and climate change.

Some key findings from the report:
40% of all journeys in the UK are under 2 miles in length – distances easily covered by up to 30 minutes of brisk walking. Nonetheless, 38% of these journeys are currently by car.
If a typical British adult were to walk just an hour more per week (equivalent to the difference in walking between a typical driver and a non-driver) this would counteract a weight increase of 2 stones over a decade, and a longer-term slide into obesity.
This alone could make a major contribution to halting the trend of increasing obesity across the UK.
The extra walking could displace at least 11 million tonnes of CO2 from cars – amounting to 15.4% of the total emissions from passenger cars.

Lead author, Dr Adrian Davis commented "the substitution of car use for walking is a major contributor to the steep rise in obesity, as walking is the most obvious way for most people to burn calories. A small daily reduction in walking over a decade or more has a profound and damaging impact on body weight."

Carolina Valsecchi from IEEP added that "the twin crises of obesity and climate change are clearly interlinked through the switch from muscle power to engine power for transport. Concerted action is needed to reverse both these trends. Our research demonstrates that something as simple as walking short trips now made by car would be make an important contribution to tackling both obesity and climate change".
Download the full press release (PDF 38KB)
Get the full report
See also the report in the Guardian
Halt school run and get in trim, says report Rachel Williams Tuesday August 14, 2007 The Guardian Cars should be banned from the school run where the distance is walkable to fight obesity in parents and children, the authors of a new report suggest.

Green league for environmental performance

Those of you going back or new to university this autumn have a lot of work to do especially in Wales! The Green League

From 1 to 100 one being the best...

71 -University of Wales Institute, Cardiff [University of Wales]

82 Cardiff - poor environmental performance

Failed
97 Aberystwyth [University of Wales]

97 Lampeter [Part of the University of Wales

Help strengthen roads campaigning

Transport 2000’s Road Block network.
Thanks to efforts of campaigners and the work of Rebecca Lush, the road-building scandal is now starting to get the media attention it deserves. Recent articles in the Guardian (http://www.guardian.co.uk/transport/Story/0,,2138044,00.html) and the New Statesman (http://www.newstatesman.com/200708090012) have blown the lid off the cost of the road-building programme – both the cost to the taxpayer and the cost to the environment. We need to keep the pressure on the Government and get these ridiculous policies ditched once and for all.

You can help do this by supporting Transport 2000 and adding your voice to Britain’s biggest environmental transport campaign. The more support we get, the more we can do to put an end to the Government’s short-sighted, environmentally destructive road-building policies.

More and more people across the country are asking transport 2000 for help in stopping road schemes that threaten to blight their neighbourhoods, destroy landscapes and increase noise and air pollution. We’ve been helping as many as we can – but we can only do so much with the resources we have. That’s why your support is so important to us.

We are also determined to continue lobbying the Government for alternatives to building more roads. We’re fighting for more investment in public transport, more freight moved by rail and more policies and programmes that give people real alternatives to driving. Our website - www.transport2000.org.uk – gives full details of all our campaigns.

Please support Transport 2000 today – you can do so online

WAG is planning a new toll motorway across the Gwent levels near Newport

M4 Motorway Widening Scheme - From Junction 29(Castleton) to
Junction 32 (Coryton)
Local information: Maes y Bryn Road / Junction 30
With approval from Cardiff Council, from Monday 6th August 2007, a construction plant crossing near the Site Compound is to be built. This will allow excavated material from the Coryton to Cardiff Gate section now being widened, to be moved by dump trucks and other site vehicles to reach the Rhymney River landscape filling area. Control will be manually operated
temporary traffic lights. The crossing will be in use between 09:30 and 15:30 outside peak travelling hours. This arrangement is due to continue for at least one year.
Cardiff Council is the Local Highway Authority for Maes y Bryn Road and Junction 30 roundabout. Welsh Assembly Government is responsible for the Slip Roads connecting with the M4 motorway. The plant crossing will allow continued access to Deen’s Dutch Garden
Centre in Wales and along Maes y Bryn Road, together with access to Cefn Mably Park and Alfred McAlpine’s Site Compound.

Further information can be obtained from the M4 Widening Public Liaison Officer:
Tel: 07805 619615 By e-mail: M4liaison@alfredmcalpineplc .com
Or visit our web page http://www.m4widening29to32.com/

Freedom of Information website

Stop speeding with Life size cardboard kids!!!

Right before Mike Wood's house in on Main Street in West Salem, Ohio, the speed limit changes from 55 to 35 -- which makes sense, as he lives in a residential neighborhood full of children. However, most drivers don't bother slowing down, making Mike's front yard a dangerous place for his kids to play.
Then he had an idea -- why not remind motorists of the lives they were putting in danger by racing through the neighborhood at such high speeds? That's when Mike made life-sized, cardboard cut-outs of his kids, and placed them a few feet from the curb.
Not only did people start slowing down, but, ironically, a few drivers even shouted at him from their car windows, chastising him for letting his children play so close to a busy road.
Apparently the idea has caught on, and is being posted on law enforcement websites around the country. Mike has even started selling the signs to other concerned parents.
I think most of us fail to think of the consequences when we're driving too fast, hurrying to get someplace on time. This is a great way to remind all drivers that -- no matter what you're late for -- it just isn't worth the risk.

See video!
http://video.wnbc.com/player/?id=136014

E-consultation on Cardiff local Development Plan

The Cardiff council has adopted a new system to improve consultation on new planning policy documents with their stakeholders via the internet. It is the intention of the council to undertake a consultation on a preferred strategy later this year.

To be registered as a user of the new online system of consultation for the Cardiff Local Development Plan - send you email address by Tues. 14th August 2007 to
developmentplanconsultations@cardiff.gov.uk
so you will be able to view documents and representations online.

Make a Difference on 4x4s

By Sian Berry Ecology/Science
From The New Statesman :: print :: email this page

This time last year, we were having a little party at Alliance Against Urban 4×4s HQ after Ken Livingstone announced plans to charge 4×4s (and other gas-guzzlers) a £25 congestion charge just a few weeks after we delivered our petition calling for almost exactly that. Now the hard work really begins as the plan is going out for public consultation this week.

In case you missed them, the proposals aim to introduce a new daily charge of £25 for cars in vehicle excise duty band G, covering cars that emit more than 225 grams of carbon dioxide per kilometre. There are also improved discounts for cleaner cars, with all vehicles in bands A and B (emitting less than 120 g/km of carbon dioxide) becoming totally exempt from the charge.

I don’t think anyone can argue that they need a 4×4 or 200 mph sports car in the centre of London and, in the absence of real action from central government, taking the lead and promoting cleaner cars on our own initiative is completely appropriate. The new rate will include all but a handful of 4×4s and every Bentley and Ferrari in town and will even remove their 90% resident’s discount, meaning owners of pointless status symbols will each pay a whopping £6,500 more per year just to have their machines parked in the zone.

I’m being harsh, but it’s an important issue. These cars aren’t harmless; the quantity of carbon dioxide emitted from even the least wasteful band G car is immense. If you have such a car, think about this: 225 g/km is the weight of a brick – of gas! – coming out of your exhaust pipe every five and half miles.

Zero Carbon Britain

Zero Carbon Britain

Centre for alternative technology

Act NOW! The Planning White Paper (PWP) consultation closes on August 17th.

, PWP will lead to a massive expansion in airports, major roads, large centralised nuclear and fossil power stations … all at a time when we desperately need to be cutting back on transport emissions and moving towards a much more efficient decentralised energy system.

In short – PWP is terrible news for climate. Please take action by responding to the PWP consultation before August 17th at:
http://www.foe.co.uk/resource/local/planning/press_for_change/planning_white_paper/

Thanks!
Simon Bowens
Transport and Climate Campaign
Friends of the Earth

Green Film Competition