Echo poll are youi in favour of congestion charging?

YES.
http://icwales.icnetwork.co.uk/southwalesecho/
The poll follows the story that even the Chamber of Commerce has come out in favour of charging...

Stockholm 'world's most livable city'

No surprise there then ..wonder where Cardiff came? Pretty low I would guess ..being a car orientated city ..

Stockholm is the world's greenest, most livable city, according to a survey carried out by the Reader's Digest magazine.

Using a range of sources, environmental economist Matthew Kahn, from UCLA's Institute of the Environment, ranked 72 major international in terms of how 'green and livable' they are.

Environmental legislation, energy prices, waste production and disposal and available parkland were among the factors considered.

Stockholm was ranked number one, followed by Oslo in second place.

http://www.thelocal.se/8578/
Online: http://www.thelocal.se/8578/
"You shouldn't boast, but Stockholm is the world's most beautiful city," said mayor Kristina Axén Olin .

"I get happy every time I come back to Stockholm after being away. We probably don't realise what a unique environment we have," she told Aftonbladet.

A third Scandinavian city, Copenhagen, was ranked tenth, but the top ten was dominated by German and French cities.

Munich was third, with Frankfurt (5th), Stuttgart (6th) and Dusseldorf (8th) completing a German quadruple. Paris was rated the fourth most livable city in the world, with Lyon and Nantes in 7th and 9th places respectively.

The first American city to make an appearance was New York, in 15th spot, while London only managed 27th place.

Reader's Digest also ranked countries and, as is usually the case with these kinds of surveys, the Nordic nations grabbed the top spots. Finland was top, given high marks "for air and water quality, a low incidence of infant disease, and how well it protects citizens from water pollution and natural disasters".

Iceland came second, with Norway and Sweden in third and fourth places.

The Local (news@thelocal.se/08 656 6518)



Living Green
http://www.rd.com/content/greenest-locations-on-the-globe/3/;jsessionid=84A6BE610B0479316CD56C8026A2FD3F.app2_rd1
Ranking the best (and worst) countries.
By Matthew E. Kahn, PhD, and Fran Lostys
From Reader's Digest October 2007

How Countries Rate
Top 5

1. Finland

2. Iceland

3. Norway

4. Sweden

5. Austria

Bottom 5

137. Chad

138. Burkina Faso

139. Sierra Leone

140. Niger

141. Ethiopia

Air Quality
Rates concentration of several pollutants in urban areas

1. Moldova

8. Finland

63. United States

126. Ethiopia

141. Guatemala

The World's Greenest, Most Livable Cities
Using different data, we analyzed 72 major international cities and ranked them in terms of being green and livable. The sources included The Millennium Cities Database for Sustainable Transport (2001) by Jeff Kenworthy and Felix Laube of Australia's Murdoch University, the World Bank's Development Economic Research Group Estimates, and our own reporting on local environmental laws, energy prices, garbage production and disposal, and parkland.

5 Best

1. Stockholm

2. Oslo

3. Munich

4. Paris

5. Frankfurt

5 Worst

68. Bangkok

69. Guangzhou

70. Mumbai

71. Shanghai

72. Beijing

How U.S. Cities Rate

15. New York

22. Washington, D.C.

23. Chicago

26. San Francisco

36. Atlanta

43. Denver

46. Houston

55. San Diego

57. Los Angeles

60. Phoenix

Water Quality
Rates pollutant levels as well as other factors that affect water purity

1. Norway

2. Finland

22. United States

127. Ethiopia

141. Morocco

Greenhouse Gases
Rates carbon emissions per capita and by GDP

1. Chad

18. Ethiopia

75. Finland

107. United States

141. Turkmenistan

Energy Efficiency
Rates conservation efforts and use of renewables such as hydropower

1. D.R. Congo

17. Ethiopia

66. Finland

106. United States

141. Trinidad & Tobago

Environmental Health
Rates childhood mortality, disease; deaths from intestinal infections

1. Austria

8. Finland

125. Ethiopia

16. United States

141. Turkmenistan

MEPs 2 major votes on climate change

Climate change is the biggest environmental threat facing our planet. Over the summer, we have seen widespread flooding in the UK and in Africa and heat waves and forest fires in Southern Europe. Transport accounts for over a quarter of Europe’s carbon dioxide emissions and they continue to rise placing the European Union’s emission reduction targets in jeopardy.

Your MEPs (Members of the European Parliament) have a golden opportunity to make a real difference on climate change. You can help to persuade them to vote to tackle transport’s effect on the climate.There are two major votes on climate change coming up in the European Parliament:
• Aviation and Emissions Trading. This is the EU’s response to the growing emissions from air travel. Research from the Tyndall Centre shows that it needs to be strengthened if it is going to have any impact.

• Cars and carbon dioxide emissions. The car industry promised to cut emissions but instead continue to produce big, gas-guzzling vehicles including 4x4s. Proposals are being made to make these cuts legally binding.

Go to http://www.transportactioneurope.org and ask your MEP to take action on climate change.Then help spread the word by sending this to your friends, family and fellow campaigners. You could also use web networks like Facebook to ask others to take action.

Thank you!
Simon Transport and Climate Campaign Friends of the Earth

Sign the petition to keep St Mary Street pedestrianised

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/petition/631673943

Haven't you signed it yet?

Paved with gold: the real value of street design

This report presents new research that shows how good street design contributes both economic benefits and public value. It shows that investment in design quality brings quantifiable financial returns and that people value improvements to their streets. It is intended for local authorities, regional government, business, developers and investors. For the first time we can see that the best streets really are paved with gold.

Paved with gold is part of a wider CABE programme that provides research, guidance and case studies aimed at promoting high-quality street design. For more information see www.cabe.org.uk/streets

Date: 25 June 2007

Download the briefing document (919KB)

Download the full publication (3MB)

To view PDF files you will need a copy of Adobe Acrobat Reader.

Read this publication? Tell us what you think

cardiff planners could learn a thing or two!

Look at Birmingham change to pedestrianisation and beauty

Manual for Streets

Park-and-ride plans held up by dormice!

Sep 11 2007 by Ben Glaze, South Wales Echo

A 1,500-SPACE park-and-ride scheme has been delayed after environmental experts discovered rare dormice.

The Echo revealed plans for the £4.1m project off the A48 Eastern Avenue at the Pentwyn Interchange on the outskirts of Cardiff in January, but the proposals have suffered a setback thanks to the little rodents.

Cardiff council hoped the giant car park, on the Llanrumney side of Eastern Avenue, would be ready by April and slash the volume of cars pouring into the city centre.

But the authority must now work with the Countryside Council for Wales (CCW) to decide how to deal with the dormice.

Dormice they are so cute!! Such a shame to destroy their habitat. Why concrete over so much land - every thing in moderation evan moderation.

View Larger Map

Get behind city trial!

Get behind this city traffic trial Sep 11 2007 by Our Correspondent, South Wales Echo

I AM concerned at the Echo campaigning for Cardiff's St Mary Street to be reopened for car traffic.

The people of Cardiff are quite capable of seeing that the change has made shopping in the city centre a more pleasant experience, increased safety for pedestrians and cyclists and reduced the extremely high levels of air pollution.

Once the pavement widening and other improvements are carried out this will improve things further.

I frequently walk down St Mary Street and have seen no sign that the
ban has succeeded in turning St Mary Street into a bus racing track,
as the article of September 3 alleges.

There is also little evidence that traffic levels increased in either Grangetown or Riverside when the ban came into force.

The Echo should thank the council for taking this sensible and popular step to make Cardiff a better city.

Chris Brown

Janet Street, Splott, Cardiff

Welsh man fined after getting run over - you couldn't make it up!

Man fined after getting run over - Metro

Is this really true? Unbelieveable!!

Daniel Horne of Llanharry, Glamorgan

When a police car swerved off the road and ran over Daniel Horne's foot, he thought he was owed an apology. But instead he was landed with an £80 fine – for denting the car.
Mr Horne, 28, said he was 'speechless' when the PC who had been at the wheel wrote in the fine notice: 'You ran into the nearside front wing of a marked police vehicle causing a dent.'
He said: 'I was in agony, with my foot broken in bits, and I end up being fined for my body damaging the police car.'

The businessman was on his way home from a night out with friends when he was rammed from behind, knocked over and had his foot crushed under the wheels of the patrol car.
The group had pulled over when their own car had a flat tyre, leaving the vehicle with the hazard warning lights flashing to walk to the nearest village to find help.
But a passer-by thought they were dumping the car and called the police. Mr Horne said: 'I was just walking along the pavement and heard the police car siren coming behind us.

'The next thing I knew was that the police car came on to the pavement to stop us.
'The car hit my right leg and I fell over – with my foot being crushed under the front wheel.'
Mr Horne said the police soon accepted they had done nothing wrong and Mr Horne was driven to hospital after the accident in Beddau, near Pontypridd, South Wales.

He added: 'The copper was very helpful and was there with me for about three hours while the doctors examined me.

'He gave me a lift back but then he told me, “Sorry but I've got to do this to cover myself”.'
Doctors have told Mr Horne, of Llanharry, Glamorgan, that he will need to wear a cast for nine weeks. He has been unable to work at the courier company he runs and plans to sue the police for compensation. He added: 'There is no way I'm going to pay the fixed penalty fine. I've spoken to my solicitor and I'm going to fight it all the way.'

A South Wales Police spokeswoman confirmed that a fixed penalty was issued for criminal damage, adding: 'We have received a complaint from Mr Horne and are looking into it.'

Monday, September 3, 2007

Cardiff Bus sellout by LIb Dems

Bus service could go privatePLANS have been unveiled which could lead to a sell-off of a slice of Cardiff Bus, netting tens of millions of pounds. more We want better services not worse!what next .. this is a big mistake - perhaps the councillors who are on the board could have resisted this? Cllr Neale?

Are they skint or what is going on? They are trying to sell of Whichurch Highschool grounds for housing! Is this property developers world or what?

Cardiff Bus Contact Details:
David BrownManaging DirectorLeckwith DepotSloper RoadCardiffCF1 8AFTelephone: 029 2078 7704 email: headoffice@cardiffbus.com
Website: http://www.cardiffbus.com/
Council Representation:
Councillor Joe Carter
Councillor Gareth Neale
Councillor John Dixon
Councillor Steve Pantak
Councillor Cathy Pearcy
Councillor Christine Priday
Councillor John Sheppard

"Mr Davies ..whos he?.. is also looking at a major rationalising of the council’s land and buildings. That could even mean proposals being looked at to sell County Hall and move office staff to a site on the outskirts of the capital. He is looking closely at non-operational buildings and whether a partnership with the private sector could bring in funding in a so-called equity release scheme.
The shake-up could also see several sections of the council becoming “arm’s-length” companies along the lines of the marketing company, Cardiff & Co, but with staff pay and conditions protected.
A report on Mr Davies’ review of the council’s operations will go to the council’s executive on Tuesday. Mr Pantak said: “While I understand a minority shareholding would be involved, I believe this would be the thin edge of the wedge and will open the door to full privatisation of Cardiff Bus which will gradually reduce the service to customers."

Silly enough at present when we have stagecoach buses in cardiff from for wxample Caerphilly and we get a day ticket from Cardiff Bus but can't use it on those buses! Is this why the fares keep going up. People scream about parking prices but for adults going to work it is £3 or to go shopping with the kids?

St Mary's Street petition

A petition has been started re St Mary's street - please go to the link to sign

http://apps.facebook.com/petitions/view?pid=631673943

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/keep-st-marys-street-in-cardiff-pedestrianised

Sign petition to save Penylan trees

31 July residents of Penylan were sent a letter from Cardiff Council informing them without consultation about their plans to remove 8 Crab-apple trees. The trees in question are in fact actually cherry trees and the beautiful blossom in Spring calls into question how 'diseased' as claimed by the Council they really are.

With each tree being 50 years old the felling would mean the destruction in one year of 400 years of tree growth. Please sign our petition and send the link to anyone you may think would beinterested in supporting a worthy cause
http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/penylan-trees

Further information on new website http://www.penylan-trees.co.uk/

Facebook group (you need to have a Facebook account to access this)http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=5136685997

Background - Friday August 24IC Wales features the article 'Trees are healthy, so please don’t fell them'.find out more at IC Wales

87% say Pedestrianisation of Cardiff's St Mary Street IS working

The Echos Poll

Is the pedestrianisation of Cardiff's St Mary's Street working? The results so far show..it is..

Yes
86.67%

No
13.33%

Support a Greener Cardiff Echo

Unfortunately the Echo headlines say : Time to re-think traffic ban
THE Echo is today demanding an immediate re-think of the city’s controversial St Mary Street scheme.

Write to the journalist: phillip.nifield@wme.co.uk
and the Echo: ecletters@wme.co.uk

The Echo has a question - not entirely fair -
Is pedestrianisation working?
YES 090 12293013
NO 090 12293014

Welsh politicians need to make radical changes as people in Wales are becoming more environmentally aware and expect strong leadership from government to tackle the ongoing threats of climate change, waste mountains and traffic congestion to achieve cleaner more environmentally and pedestrian friendly city. For a greener Cardiff we need support from our local paper too.

Living Streets is a national charity established in 1929 as the Pedestrians’ Association. Cardiff Living Streets campaigns for better streets and public spaces in the Welsh capital, and for a higher priority for pedestrians. Cardiff Living Streets propose that a more appropriate solution would be to liberate St Mary Street from motor traffic all together and convert it into a fully pedestrianised zone. This would bring many benefits. It would much reduce pedestrian congestion on the pavements, eliminate contention between pedestrians and traffic and improve the associated problems of insecurity, noise and pollution - provide many more opportunities for improved pedestrian facilities such as seating, recreational areas, and outdoor eating.

Previously St Mary Street was performing poorly in attracting people aged over 45 and people with children, and probably people with mobility difficulties as well. We ask that you involve these groups closely in the development of plans and before giving up the pilot scheme. A better walking environment = good for local businesses = stronger communities.

Not only do people who walk to the shops spend more per week but overall, the nicer the environment for walking and enjoying, the more people spend.

We ask that Cardiff County Council
• increase the width of the pavements in St Mary Street
• provide cross-overs which carry pavements over side-streets
• create safer and more generous crossing opportunities
• reduce street clutter
• remove unnecessary barriers and railings including those at “cattle-pen” crossings
• prioritise pedestrian movement

High quality traffic calming is a crucial element in restoring peoples freedoms from speeding traffic, for buses too, merely by imposing speeds appropriate for the surroundings, 20 is enough in St Mary Street. But importantly it creates safety, equity and an enhanced environment. Traffic lights can be co-ordinated to encourage smoother driving at lower speeds. But it can not be done on the cheap!

A great deal is currently said about 'zero tolerance' of crime and anti-social activity. Yet motoring offences are dealt with as if they are somehow not as serious as others.

We have made the first step to a greener Cardiff so don't give up just yet, give the pilot a little longer, consult widely and look at ways to improve St Mary Street and meet the challenge to make Cardiff a greener city.

See also The Slower Speeds Initiative

New Labour turn its back on a cleaner and greener Wales

Forgotten what it was like?

Re-open St Mary St now, says opposition
Story in the Echo Sep 1 2007 by David James, South Wales Echo THE leading opposition group on Cardiff council today demanded immediate changes to the “ill-thought-out” St Mary Street traffic ban. Cardiff council’s New Labour leader, John Sheppard, said the ban was “badly-timed, ill-thought-out and has been the subject of inadequate consultation”.

Obviously this new labour dinosaur has forgotten his New Labour Manifesto
where NEW Labour talk about "A cleaner and greener Wales, safe, green transport system, a green Wales.......In our first and second

terms Labour pioneered action to promote sustainability and to make our communities greener and cleaner. In a third term we will implement practical policies to tackle climate change and improve the local environment. We are determined to leave a clean, green and sustainable Wales for future generations and not a legacy of pollution and non-sustainable Development... We will promote new opportunities for walking and cycling and provide public transport alternatives to the car. Whoops John Sheppard Leader of the New Labour group on the council has forgotten where he is with policy altogether ..New labour policy on Cars: Road pricing is a key Labour policy, with plans to charge motorists according to how much and where they drive. The party is also looking into introducing the congestion charge in major towns and cities across the country. Is he sure he knows what party he is in?

I recall the WWF calling for .."Better leadership is needed to reduce Wales' impact on the world - A major report launched 10 March revealed that Welsh politicians need radical changes to reduce the impact of Wales' population on the world. A WWF survey demonstrates that increasingly people in Wales are becoming more environmentally aware and expect strong leadership from Governments to tackle the ongoing threats of climate change, waste mountains and traffic congestion," said Stuart Bond, Sustainable Development Officer for WWF Cymru."

People in Wales and in Cardiff want a cleaner more environmentally friendly city.

Cardiff Council said in its in depth report in 2004 that it had recognised that to ensure that the City does not become grid locked in the future it must start planning now. To this end the Executive in February published a green paper on Transport, followed in May by a white paper entitled “Getting Cardiff Moving”.(Report of the Environmental Scrutiny Committee 2004) Where was Cllr John Sheppard then if he was on the council from 1995 - not a cheep until today and now he gets cold feet - this is the worst sort of political opportunism!!

Julie Morgan New Labour MP said "The first step to achieving a debate based on sound evidence is to try and see through local pilot schemes how road pricing can tackle local congestion."

City centre retailers underestimate the number of their customers arriving by bus, walk and cycle and their spend profile and overestimate the number and effect of car borne customers.

A commission for integrated transport study revealed that public transport users do not spend significantly less than car users in city centre, particularly once income bias is eliminated. Therefore, any reduction of existing car shoppers should not result in significantly less retail spend. People travelling by bus, cycling and walking are more likely to support their city centre, visiting it more frequently than car users.

It is a myth that reducing traffic will harm the economy.

Research carried out by the German Institute for Urban Research6 indicates that a sustainable transport approach benefits trade in German towns. It says: "Retail trade in central city districts increases with policies that encourage environmentally friendly transport
Modes” Another German study showed there was no relationship between the amount of car parking provision and the amount of money people spent in shops.

SHEPPARD. John B.A. Dip. Educ. MBA.11, Hardwicke Court Llandaff CARDIFF CF5 2LB
Tel: 0292 553810 Fax: 02920553810 feedback: Contact the Councillor (No Email required)
Portfolio:
Serving the Llandaff Electoral Division, elected on 10 June 2004 John was first elected on 04 May 1995. The Llandaff electoral division has an electorate of 7270 (1 December 2005) and has 2 seats.

Mass cycle in Cardiff to mark in Town without my car day!

There's a mass ride planned for car free day, if anyone fancies it, organised by Cycle Cardiff.

Cycle Cardiff are planning to mark In Town Without My Car Day with a tour around the city, ending with coffee/lunch at a cafe in the Bay. The purpose of the event is to draw attention to the growing number of cyclists and our needs. For more information, see Bike in the City.

The Echo have begun their cycling campaign this week. Here are links to articles appearing on icWales:
Give cyclists a fairer deal