Fare-Free New Zealand

2012-01-24T18:08:00.004+13:00

Nigerian state introduces free transport for all school children

THE Enugu State Government has introduced free transport services for primary school pupils and secondary school students in the state.

By Emma Ugwueze, Enugu, Nigeria.

THE Enugu State Government has introduced free transport services for primary school pupils and secondary school students in the state.

This is part of the palliatives the government has rolled out to cushion the effect of the increase in the pump price of petrol,

The State Commissioner for Information, Mr. Chuks Ugwoke, who disclosed this to newsmen at the end of the first meeting of the Year of the State Executive Council said the service would be provided by the government owned Coal City shuttle buses.

According to Mr. Ugwoke, the bus services would operate in all parts of the state between half past six in the morning and to three in the afternoon.

He however added that the buses would only pick up students in school uniforms.

The Commissioner explained that government’s decision was in line with the administration of Governor Chime’s resolve to improve quality of education and make commuting for students much easier, more convenient and affordable.

He added that the governor has also approved over N238,355,761.00 (two hundred and thirty-eight million Naira) for the renovation and upgrading of infrastructure at the School of Health Technology, Oji River, and School of Public Health Nursing/Health Technology, Nsukka.

One hundred and twenty- one million Naira (N121,810,581.00) will cover construction of class rooms, administrative office, library, hostel blocks, water boreholes and ICT centre at the Oji River while over one hundred and sixteen million Naira (N116,545,180.00) would be spent for the same project at the school of Public Health Nursing, Nsukka through direct labour.

'The Moment' - independent Nigerian newspaper. 23 Jan 2012.

[Egunu State: Pop nearly 6 million. Ed]

2012-01-13T21:16:00.002+13:00

Tallinn Offers Free Public Transportation to All Residents

Published: 11.01.2012

Tallinn Mayor Edgar Savisaar ( Photo: Postimees/Scanpix )

Tallinn Mayor Edgar Savisaar said the city is willing to make public transportation free for its residents in 2013, if taxpayers support the idea in a poll from March 19 to 25.

Currently, pensioners and children of families with financial difficulties are granted free bus rides in Tallinn, reported Õhtuleht. "Free fares would be useful for others in economic hardship, who could instead use the ticket money for a better meal," said Savisaar.

A three-member family could save up 650 euros per year, the mayor said.

The reform would also popularize travel by bus and reduce the number of cars, congestion and traffic accidents, he added.

Ingrid Teesalu

Estonian Public Broadcasting, 11 January 2012.

[Tallin is a major city in Estonia, with a population of 416,144. Editor]

2011-11-25T17:12:00.001+13:00

Montenegro - Students demand free public transport

Students walked from the Podgorica University campus to parliament carrying slogans "I do not want to party, I want a job" and "Do not tell me to shut up".

They are demanding lower tuition fees, improved conditions in student dormitories, quality instruction as required by the Bologna Process, free public transportation, as well as more government efforts to boost employment after graduation.

http://www.setimes.com/cocoon/setimes/xhtml/en_GB/features/setimes/features/2011/11/21/feature-03

[Montenegro is a small nation in southeast Europe, next to Croatia & Albania. Pop 625,266. Ed]

Letter to the editor NZ Herald

2011-11-15T14:22:00.002+13:00

The Business Forum's proposal to add a punitive $2 toll on to public transport tickets to fund more big roads is the opposite of what Auckland needs.

Instead, it's time funding was ploughed into public transport to get us out of our cars and cut this obsession for more roads.

Auckland already has the largest amount of bitumen than any other comparable city.

As your editoral (NZ Herald 14 November) states; "To attract and retain patronage, public transport has not only to be fast, frequent, convenient and comfortable. It has to be affordable." If we really want to succeed - why not divert a fraction of the millions of dollars earmarked for more roads and make public transport fare-free?

Roger Fowler,
Mangere East.
15 November 2011.

2011-11-15T14:19:00.001+13:00

Free train travel pushed to tackle peak-hour overcrowding in Sydney

Jacob Saulwick November 15, 2011

Sydney business leaders are backing a proposal by Infrastructure NSW for the government to offer free train travel before 7am.

The proposal, pushed by the Infrastructure NSW chief executive, Paul Broad, would aim to lessen crowding on peak-hour trains by making it more attractive to travel before the peak period.

At a transport forum last month, an Infrastructure NSW board member, Max Moore-Wilton, said the state government should be looking at introducing congestion charging across all modes of transport.

"Why on earth is it just for cars?" Mr Moore-Wilton said.

"Why don't we look at it for State Rail and State Transit? We all know that the people that come in in peak hour should principally be those people that are going to work. They have the capacity to pay," he said.

"Whenever we go and talk about that, the first thing the politicians do is what I call 'Labor disease', which has now become general," Mr Moore-Wilton said at the event, hosted by the Tourism and Transport Forum.

"They say, 'Well we don't want the average punter to pay differentially, we don't want the pensioners to pay deferentially,' and it's left to the merchant bankers to pay. Well they're not the great bulk of the people.

"You've got to tell the people, if we are going to improve peak-hour congestion, those people that need to come for their work should be prepared to pay more. Those people that don't should be encouraged, and I use the word encouraged, through lower pricing."

Mr Broad has raised the idea of free train travel before 7am with the state government. It is unclear if Infrastructure NSW has also raised the idea of higher fares for peak-hour commuters.

The acting Premier, Andrew Stoner, said this morning: "We're all interested in innovative ways to get cars off Sydney's main roads, to get more people on to public transport and Infrastructure NSW is a body that will advise the government on infrastructure, including public transport.

"So that's a proposal we'll think about. It has been trialled in part by a previous government with fairly limited success but we'll have a look at it."

Patricia Forsyth, the executive director of the Sydney Business Chamber, backed the use of more so-called demand management measures.

"The cost of increasing capacity on the road and rail network throughout Sydney is becoming so prohibitively expensive that we need to start looking at using what we already have in a more intelligent and efficient way," Ms Forsythe said this morning.

"Business supports the move by Infrastructure NSW to incorporate a transport demand strategy into its 20-year infrastructure plan. That is a victory for common sense and transport planning," she said.

A recent study by researchers from Southern Cross University and Douglas Economics, presented to the Australasian Transport Research Forum, found some willingness among Sydney commuters to change their travel times if offered attractive pricing.

While most commuters could not change their travel times because of work, the study, which analysed results of a 2010 survey, showed that, for a 30 per cent discount, 15 per cent of peak-hour passengers would be willing to travel 30 minutes earlier, while 4 per cent of commuters would be willing to travel an hour earlier.

Industry experts say that previous trials of free off-peak train travel have thrown up numerous problems.

One problem is that commuters tend to rush for the last train in the free period. This would mean, for example, there would be little patronage growth on a train leaving at 6.30am but huge overcrowding on a train leaving at 6.55am.

Another issue is that free early morning travel would attract to the train system people who do not currently use it. While this would be a good thing, it would also mean more people would need to pack on to crowded afternoon return trains.

Jacob Saulwick is the Herald's Transport Reporter

Fare-FreeNZ submission to the Auckland Plan

2011-11-11T18:04:00.002+13:00

Fare-FreeNZ editor, Roger Fowler, presented a submission to the Auckland Council on the Draft Auckland Plan on Tuesday.

His submission called on the Council to "introduce a region-wide network of fare-free public transport to get Auckland commuters out of our cars, and seriously reduce traffic congestion, fuel wastage, road accidents, pollution and related health issues."

Fowler recalled his recent visit to Hasselt in Belgium, who's visionary mayor introduced free public transport 15 years ago, which totally transformed the provincial city from a drab, gridlocked nightmare, into a pleasant, green, 'people-focused' city. Hasselt has since become a popular cultural hub in Europe.

Auckland too could be transformed into a modern, clean & green world-class city by implementing an efficient, integrated, publicly-owned fare free public transport network. Free & frequent low (or no) emission buses criss-crossing the city and linking up with free electric rail services and ferries, would free up the roads and allow people to move about easily, and leave their cars at home.

One councillor inevitably asked "How would it be paid for?" Fowler noted that no one seems to ask who pays for all the extravagent motorways, tunnels, and flyovers that continue to be built - only to be encourage more traffic that soon gets clogged again. Not to mention the high costs to people's health from exhaust pollution and accidents.

Government & Council funding for decent public transport should be a public service priority. Free public transport would make Auckland a world leader and attract a large influx of visitors, who could be levied a special tourist tax. Companies who profit from the resulting increased business could be levied too. And Auckland would be spared the excessive costs of building more motorways.

2011-11-07T22:11:00.001+13:00

What if transit were free?

Urban Compass by Colin Fast

METRO WINNIPEG, CANADA

November 07, 2011

As sure as the arrival of the ice and snow, this time of year always brings unpleasant news about how much the city plans to jack up bus fares.

This year, Winnipeg Transit is asking for a five-cent increase to the basic fare, taking it up to $2.45 for a one-way trip. Passes and tickets will go up accordingly.

If approved, this will mean that fares have gone up about 36 per cent since Mayor Katz took office in 2004, or about two and a half times the rate of inflation over that period.

Amazingly, ridership has actually increased despite the rate hikes. While transit officials credit service improvements, it’s far more likely that rising fuel costs, rising awareness of environmental issues and changing commuting patterns are really the cause. And even with several years of growth, ridership is just now back up to what it was 20 years ago.

Politicians and policy makers like to roll out expensive plans to build rapid transit to attract even more riders, but I have to wonder why no one is talking about the one surefire way to boost transit use.

What if it were free?

Now, I can already hear drivers howling in outrage about the idea of transit users getting a “free ride.” But the reality is that drivers have been getting their own free ride for years.

This city spends tens of millions on planning, building and maintaining roads every year, primarily for the benefit of private automobile owners.

The new Transportation Master Plan calls for $2.1 billion in new roads and bridges to be built over the next 20 years. Billions more will be needed to maintain our existing crumbling streets.

But we could potentially save much of that expense if we could simply get more people out of their cars and on to transit.

It wouldn’t be cheap; we’d need more buses, more drivers and more public-operating subsidies. But the benefits are clear. It would reduce traffic congestion, speed up everyone’s commute and eliminate the need for more road capacity. It would benefit the environment, encourage more compact development and enhance mobility for people who can’t drive or afford a car.

Sure, this might be a bold (or crazy) idea, but it would be nice to see a few more of those from city hall rather than just a nickel-and-dime approach to running essential services.

– Colin Fast is a corporate communicator who blogs about life in Winnipeg at policyfrog.com.

2011-09-26T18:12:00.001+13:00

Wacky-Named "Pirate" Party Gains Power in Germany, Calls for Free Public Transportation

by Christine Lepisto, Berlin on 09.25.11

Image: Pirate Party/Susanne Graf

As the rest of the world was celebrating talk like a pirate day, the Pirate Party won its first seats in the Berlin state elections.

In Germany, any party winning more than 5% of the votes is entitled to a share in government. With 8.9%, the Pirate party lands 15 seats in the state government, among them 19-year-old Susanne Graf (pictured above), who will be the youngest representative when session opens in October. Is this the beginning of a new kind of politics? Is the Pirate party walking a green plank?

First and foremost, the Pirate Party campaign program (pdf, German) promises transparency and to give citizens more voice in government.

As a young, technologically oriented party, this could auger a change (which some believe is inevitable) in the way we govern ourselves, a move away from representative government to net-based referendums. While not itself green, many believe this strategy could help take big money out of government, bringing balance back to the human aspect of decision making.

Although the word "pirate" has come to be associated with, well let us just say, the uncompensated use of certain digital properties, the official program of the Pirate Party focuses on equal access to information that is in the public domain, and equal opportunity use of internet technology as well as improved educational opportunity for the youth.

The greenest angle on this approach to equal access in public domains is the call to keep natural areas available for everyone, such as maintaining open access to river banks. Ironically, the debate stirs already over the lack of female presence in the party. Susanne is the only female sitting with 14 males.

The Greenest Planks of the Pirate Party Platform
Probably the greenest plank proposed in the Pirate program calls for free public transport, and activates against expanding highways through the city. Free public transport speaks for itself as a green platform. Thoughts on how to suppress highway construction projects rest on the main Pirate plank: make the contracts transparent, so the big money cannot win behind closed doors, and give people a direct vote on whether such projects should proceed.

Of course, the Pirates advocate nuclear-free power as well. And the campaign program explicitly calls for "sustainable, ecological economic policy."

Pirates Walking Other Planks
The Pirate program offers much more than "open access." It turns the clock back on post-9/11 state controls, fighting against surveillance of citizens and demanding improvements in accountability for police forces.

The platform contains planks designed to open borders, fighting on several fronts against anti-immigrant feelings. Perhaps most controversially, the Pirate platform also demands a change from drug abuse penalization to educational and social supports designed to reduce dependence on harmful drugs. Walking this plank includes the legalization of marijuana, on the grounds that illegal cannabis handlers pose a health risk by selling contaminated products.

Nations around the globe are finding politics as usual unsatisfying in the face of global economic crisis. Sustainability fans know that things cannot go on as they are. The question that now arises in Berlin is: will this youth movement earn respect for a new path forward, a post-capitalist, post-industrial, social-network based politics? Can politics survive transparency? And can it work for a party named "Pirates"?

People Power for the Planet

2011-09-23T21:12:00.004+12:00

AUCKLAND CLIMATE ACTION EVENTS:
SATURDAY 24 SEPTEMBER

http://www.moving-planet.org/auckland

About The Event

From 11am: Family-friendly cycle ride

Cycle Action Auckland and Frocks on Bikes are organising a big family-friendly bike ride around central Auckland. Meet at 11am at the Wynyard Quarter playground. There will be a limited number of bikes available to borrow for the ride thanks to www.nextbikes.co.nz. Cyclists will arrive back at QEII Square in downtown Auckland by 1pm to join in the parade to Albert Park.

From 1pm: People-powered parade up Queen Street

Cyclists, walkers, skateboarders, roller skaters and more from around the city will parade together up Queen Street with signs and banners calling for action to address climate change by moving New Zealand beyond fossil fuels.

From 2pm: Celebration in Albert Park

The people-powered parade will make its way to Albert Park, where there will be live music, entertaining speakers, a vegetarian sausage sizzle, coffee and cold drinks available to purchase (cash only).

You can follow the whole journey, or join in anywhere along the way.

For all parts of the day, we challenge you to come dressed up as your favourite fossil fuel alternative.

Let's create a visual spectacle of human wind turbines, etc.

Or keep it simple and decorate yourself with the unifying symbol for the worldwide Moving Planet day: arrows to symbolise moving away from fossil fuels.

We'll have some face paint on hand at the cycle ride and parade gathering points for the young and young at heart.

Come show your support for moving New Zealand beyond fossil fuels - make your voice heard!

If we don't change them, we'll end up where they're taking us !

Contact: Alan Preston ( a campaign co-ordinator )
Mangawhai Village, Northland , New Zealand
tel: (09) 431 5389
mob/txt: 02102377242
thewayforward2011@gmail.com
https://sites.google.com/site/thewayforward2011/

World Car Free day comes to Bay of Plenty

2011-09-23T17:26:00.002+12:00

Free bus rides across the region

Voxy News Engine

Friday, 23 September, 2011

More than 11,000 passengers enjoyed a free ride on the bus yesterday [Thursday] as part of World Car Free Day activities in the Bay of Plenty. The region's Bay Hopper and City Ride buses were made free for the entire day as a surprise to reward those committed to using public transport.

Bay of Plenty Regional Council Public Transport Subcommittee Chairman Doug Owens said that it was a great opportunity to offer a small reward to people who are choosing to act sustainably.

"This was an opportunity to recognise the thousands of people in our community that already know the benefits of using public transport and are making use of our buses. We hope that we created a positive experience yesterday that will increase awareness of our valuable bus networks," he said.

World Car Free Day is an international campaign to promote the economic, social and environmental benefits of cycling, walking and public transport.

The Bay of Plenty Regional Council incurred the loss of revenue for the day, and Reesby Buses Ltd also came on board to make a contribution towards the Rotorua costs.

The Bay of Plenty Bay Hopper and City Ride bus services cover all major towns and suburbs in the Bay of Plenty including Opotiki, Whakatane, Kawerau, Murupara, Rotorua, Te Puke, Tauranga, and Katikati.

Cr Owens encourages others to consider the bus as a win-win option for getting around.

"Taking the bus is not only good for the environment, it also takes a lot of hassle out of your day. In addition there's no need to pay for a park, and plenty of time to text your friends and have a read of the paper," Cr Owens said.

"World Car Free Day was a great opportunity to encourage people to use public transport, but the biggest challenge now is to encourage people to make it part of their everyday routine," he said.

"We hope that those who received the free ride yesterday will continue to keep taking the bus and encourage friends and family to join them too," Cr Owens said.

2011-09-21T13:13:00.002+12:00

Push to make public transport free for kids under 19 years

Rachel Gordon, San Francisco Chronicle Staff Writer

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

San Francisco -- A growing number of city leaders want to make riding Muni (San Francisco public transport) free for kids 18 and under, but doing so would cost $6 to $13 million annually.

Supervisor David Campos said the cost should be viewed as an important investment.

"It's one critical step we can take to improve the quality of life for all families in the city, and to support and encourage a new generation of transit riders for our future," said Campos. He introduced a resolution Tuesday that has the backing of the majority of the Board of Supervisors and would call on the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency to provide a free transit pass for young people.

But that's a tough proposition since the agency, with a $781 million operating budget, is already facing a $23 million deficit.

Muni's youth cash fare is 75 cents, and the monthly youth Fast Pass is $21. Children under 5 already ride for free.

Muni estimates that 36,000, or about 15 percent, of the system's weekday riders are under 18. Included in that estimate are kids who sneak aboard. A 2009 study found that about 10 percent of the passengers in the peak after-school hours between 2 and 4 p.m. didn't pay. Unknown is the age breakdown of the fare cheats.

Cable cars would be excluded from the proposed free-Muni program.

The idea of free transit for youths is not new - New York City and Portland for example, have variations of such a program. And over the years, the idea of free Muni has been floated.

But proponents say the need in San Francisco is particularly acute now, given that Muni has more than doubled the cost of the youth Fast Pass over the past two years and the San Francisco Unified School District is cutting its school bus program by 43 percent over the next two years.

Gabriella Ruiz said her family, who lives on a fixed income in the Bayview, feels the financial pinch and would welcome the prospect of free transportation.

Ruiz, a 17-year-old freshman at San Francisco State University, and her younger sister who attends high school, pay cash to ride Muni and every day they scrounge to come up with the money rather than shell out the combined $42 at the beginning of the month to buy the more thrifty passes. When money is short, she said she sometimes boards the bus using an expired transfer. "It would be good if Muni was free and we wouldn't have to worry," she said.

Ruiz was one of several dozen people, among them city supervisors, community activists, public schools superintendent Carlos Garcia and Joel Ramos, who serves on the transportation agency's governing board, who rallied on the steps of City Hall Tuesday in support of the idea.

Muni chief Ed Reiskin offered no promises, but said his agency is "very open to discussion."

Money will be the key sticking point.

Muni set aside just $1.4 million this fiscal year to provide free passes for a limited number of eligible low-income students. Campos and other proponents hope a three-year trial could be funded by sources that include the San Francisco County Transportation Authority, the San Francisco Unified School District, the regional Metropolitan Transportation Commission and even private donors.

Muni could lose $6.4 million to $7 million in revenue if youths rode free, according to a report issued Tuesday by Board of Supervisors budget analyst Harvey Rose.

On top of that, Muni officials estimate that the lure of free service would boost the number of young riders by 10,980 a day, which would require the agency to provide more service and could lead to more graffiti that needs to be cleaned up. Those costs would add another $6 million or more to the tab, although the budget analyst questions whether Muni actually would add more service to handle the additional riders, given the agency's past handling of capacity issues.

The analyst outlines several potential benefits, the costs of which are hard to calculate Among them: Enabling youth to get to jobs at more distant neighborhoods, reducing the need to use private automobiles, which cause congestion and pollution, and cutting truancy to the extent that students miss school because they don't have bus fare.

E-mail Rachel Gordon at rgordon@sfchronicle.com.

Free student buses transform city

2011-09-19T10:26:00.001+12:00

Fare-free bus services for university students in Lawrence, Kansas, have resulted in 138 percent increase in ridership and freed up the roads, as described in the following report.
Many other cities have experienced similar dramatic advantages after introducing free public transport services. New Zealand cities can learn from these experiments to reduce traffic congestion and move towards a sustainable environment. Editor

Every day, bus drivers provide an instrumental service to students and the community as they travel routes to and from campus.

Unlike other public transit systems, KU on Wheels finds itself carrying more passengers. This is due a great deal to the University going fare-free for the last three years. Students now pay a flat fee as a part of their student fees.

This led to KU on Wheels, in association with the City of Lawrence, winning the 2010 Federal Transit Association Ridership Award. The award was based on ridership increasing 138 percent in the first year of implementation, according to the Kansas Public Transit Association.
As a result of the increased ridership, the busing system helps traffic flow and makes campus greener.

By Marshall Schmidt
The University Daily 18 Sept 2011
Kansan.com

2011-09-01T16:19:00.003+12:00

Man's Greatest Mistake

Man's Greatest Mistake: "It is an issue that cuts across many aspects of modern society, it costs billions, it kills millions and maims millions more, it is a key factor behind the obesity epidemic, it criminalises hundreds of thousands of citizens, it eats up vast tracts of land, it is an anti-social menace that blights communities, particularly poorer communities, and it is deeply socially divisive. It is so resource hungry that it pushes up the price of food and other world commodities, it even causes developed nations to go to war."

'via Blog this'

2011-08-23T08:12:00.001+12:00

2011-08-23T08:05:00.001+12:00

Big tick for council cycleway
RICHARD BOOCK

23/08/2011

What is it with Auckland and public transport? The two seem to go together like Catholicism and contraception. No matter what logic, rationale or overwhelming support from the people for change, there always seems to be some high priest standing in the way, promising an eternity of hellfire and Sensing Murder replays should anyone challenge the status quo.

It happened again this week after the proposal to build a rather wonderful pedestrian and cycle path over the Harbour Bridge. That's right, a project offering folk the option of being able to walk or bike between Auckland City and the North Shore, rather than being forced to travel by car or bus. Pretty heady stuff, I know. Retro and futuristic at the same time. Just imagine. Wow. Walking.

Anecdotal evidence suggests Aucklanders love the idea. Mayor Len Brown has spoken about it warmly, re-iterating his support for harbour crossing options. National's Auckland Central MP Nikki Kaye was in attendance when the plans were unveiled. But, as usual, some arch-bishop of orthodoxy has stepped in to play spoiler. Can't afford it, says transport committee chair Mike Lee. End of story.

Is it just me, or have we heard the same reason for not developing Auckland's public transport system for the past 50 years? Wasn't Mayor Robbie thwarted from implementing a rapid rail network? Haven't successive governments and councils continued to hurl it into the too-hard basket? Result? A city choking on its own vehicle congestion, with one of the worst transport systems going around.

Mayor Robbie's critics used to say he was ahead of his time. Maybe it was just that they were stuck in the past, unable to comprehend the impact of a rapidly changing environment? In 1968, 22 percent of Auckland trips were conducted on public transport. According to the 2006 census results, only six percent of us bother now. And that's including the Minute, now a fully paid-up member of the carless minority.

I don't know about you, but it seems Auckland's public transport still leaves a lot to be desired, despite the attention it receives. The rail option is disconnected and unreliable, the bus system fractured; the task of trying to get from the North Shore to the airport an exercise in hope. And yet Transport Minister Steven Joyce has the temerity to claim the PT option is not popular.

Excuse me? He's got to be joking, hasn't he? This one's not about popularity, it's about Aucklanders having little or no choice but to use cars. Joyce's doctrine reads like some sort of self-fulfilling prophecy. Spurn investment in public transport, encourage everyone to use cars and, when that inevitably becomes a problem, build more roads and promote even more cars.

That's at least one reason why the proposed harbour bridge cycleway/pathway deserves our support. Anything that encourages people to perambulate or cycle rather than sitting around in traffic jams has to be good for all concerned. Not only a fantastic extension to the city's waterfront development, but an important policy step in the right direction.

And at $23 million? Sounds like a steal. Let's just hope that if it does somehow get off the ground, city councillor Cathy Casey's plea for free access for all is embraced and implemented. Forget the idea of extracting a toll from users and, by definition, making it unaffordable for some. Far better to use a portion of the already-forecasted congestion charges that CBD-bound motorists will soon start paying.

» Click here to watch a video about the cycleway

What's that you say? You wouldn't want to hold your breath? I hear you. Trouble is, if something doesn't change soon, we'll all have to.

Images supplied by Copeland Associates Architects.

RE-OPEN THE GRACEFIELD RAIL LINE: PETITION

2011-07-26T09:58:00.003+12:00

The Greater Wellington Regional Council is currently seeking feedback on their Draft Hutt Corridor Transport Plan. When it's finalised in September, the Hutt Corridor Plan will influence decisions on transport projects in the Hutt Valley worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

VAN - Valley Action Network has made a written submission, which Michelle Ducat will expand on in an oral presentation in Lower Hutt on Tuesday, 2 August.

In addition, we are backing an individual submission from Petone resident Norman Wilkins. In support of his submission, Norman is seeking signatures on a petition to re-open the Gracefield rail line.

He has already delivered the following message to letterboxes along the Petone Esplanade:

"To the residents of this Petone Esplanade property

I am asking you to please support a submission to reopen the Gracefield rail line.

I live near the Petone Esplanade and drive people to Wellington Hospital for treatment so I know that there is simply too much traffic on Petone Esplanade and SH2.

According to CentrePort’s research there are approximately 3000 trucks a day using the Esplanade which is about 10% of the traffic, so that means about 30 000 vehicles on that road each day. Those trucks carry about 2.5m tonnes of freight such as logs and scrap metal a year.

My submission asks the Greater Wellington Regional Council in its Hutt Corridor Plan to ask KiwiRail and Metlink to investigate the practicality of:
1. Re-instating the Gracefield to Woburn rail link for freight transport to and from Wellington’s CentrePort.
2. Building a station where the line crosses Seaview Road and putting in car park spaces to enable commuter traffic from Eastbourne to use rail from there into the city.

In presenting this submission I have the support of CentrePort for the use of the rail for freight movement. I have the support of the Petone Community Board, the Rail and Maritime Workers Union and am seeking further backing.

I would also like your support by signing a petition that I can present to the Council on Aug 2nd.
If you are prepared to do this please phone me at 9701010 to make an appointment for me to come to your house for you to sign."

Can you help gather more signatures on this petition?

Print off the petition form and take it around your family/friends/neighbours/networks, or join me in door-knocking this coming Sunday to take the petition to the residents of the Esplanade, who've been badly affected by heavy traffic since the closure of the rail line in 2002.

Time is short. Petition forms need to be returned by next Monday (1 August) so they can be tabled at the oral submissions on Tuesday.

I hope to hear from you soon.

Grant Brookes
VAN - Valley Action Network
www.huttvan.org.nz

[Go to the website for petition details: Ed]

2011-07-25T10:37:00.006+12:00

Give up your car, get free public transportation

Would you ever surrender your car?

We don't mean to trade in your gas-guzzler for a high mileage vehicle, or swap your Toyota Prius for a Nissan Leaf, or even agree to trundling around in a G-Wiz. In this case, we're talking going automotive cold turkey. What would it take for you to make that jump? Would a lifetime of free public transportation do it for you?

Well, this is what the city of Murcia, Spain is offering. The city is trying to lure residents into a unique trade-in offer: turn over your car, and you get an unlimited pass to the city's new public transportation system.

Like many cities in Europe, Murcia has become a constant traffic jam. Car owners are also finding it harder and harder to find a place to park. City planners in the U.S. [and New Zealand: Ed] might prescribe construction of additional parking lots and new highway lanes as the solution, but Murcia is taking this other route. Sound like a deal?

Autoblog Green

See additional info in the report below: Ed.

2011-07-19T10:37:00.003+12:00

Trade Your Car For A Free Lifetime Bus Pass (If You Live In Murcia)

BY Morgan ClendanielTue Jul 12, 2011

A Spanish city, in a bid to end congestion, has made its citizens an offer: Give up your car and ride our trolley for free, forever.

People love their cars. They're willing to maintain a car even when it's expensive and difficult. In the Spanish city of Murcia, which had become crowded with vehicles, the government decided to try to pry people's hands off the wheels by offering a little economic incentive. Not only would you not have the inconvenience of trying to park, you could ride the city's public transit for free for the rest of your life.

To promote the campaign, the city made a series of adorable advertisements showing how unpleasant it is to be stuck in traffic and looking for parking all the time.

And just in case some Murcia residents hadn't noticed how annoying it was to have a car in the city, they also started leaving cars in impossible parking spots, like this one, where the car is forced to sit on two other cars to find a space.

Seeing that, a lifetime trolley pass looks quite enticing. While many cities have campaigns to encourage public transit use, and a few use congestion pricing to help limit the number of cars in the city centers, this is an impressive use of city funds to directly influence how people get around the city. A lifetime trolley pass is probably a minimal cost for the city (though most transit systems are already bleeding money without giving away free fares), but with enough given away, could make a drastic difference in the livability of the city.

[Images: Mejor en Tranvia]

[Hat tip: Springwise]

Follow @fastcompany.

Highway spending up, public transport funds cut

2011-07-18T07:39:00.004+12:00

Public transport price shock on way

Public transport users have been warned they will be stung in the pocket by rising travel costs.

The government will cut up to $17 million from its public transport budget for the 2011-12 financial year.

Further costings compiled by Green Party transport spokesman Gareth Hughes estimate that figure could balloon up to $87m over the next decade.

Hughes said the big losers would be the growing number of public transport users, warning that local councils would have to either hike up prices, or cut the number of services they offered.

"The burden is squarely being placed on the shoulders of rate-payers and public transport users.

"The government is reducing the financial assistance rates to councils. This means that regional councils will have to find more money to run the same bus and train services.

"Public transport patronage is growing fast. New Zealanders are looking for affordable options and the government needs to make up for decades of under-investment.

"Instead, they are doing the opposite, increasing funding for new state highways to over $1 billion a year for the next decade, while everything else suffers."

Hughes described the policy as a disincentive to increasing public transport services.

He said the time was right for the government to start investing in a "smart, green transport system for New Zealand".

"It will save us money, improve our health and keep New Zealanders moving," he said.

He said the government funding needed to achieve a sound and efficient nationwide public transport system would be "a tiny fraction of the billions" being spent on new motorways.

Campaign for Better Transport convener Cameron Pitches backed Hughes' comments.

"We hope the government isn't going to be too severe on the public transport spend. But we know they are cutting back on the infrastructure spend. At the moment, the national road transport fund, which is a petrol tax and road-user charges, is $2.8 billion a year.

"Of that, 1.8% is spent on public transport infrastructure. But the government is seeking to cut that back to 0.7%. What the government says is, with public transport, the ratepayers are going to have to pay it [almost] entirely themselves."

Neil Reid

Sunday Star Times 17/7/2011

Free buses for university students & staff

2011-07-11T09:36:00.003+12:00

TheDigitel

By Ken Hawkins,

MUSC, College of Charleston students and staff to keep getting free CARTA bus fare

The Charleston Area Regional Transportation Authority (CARTA) has struck a deal to continue its transportation agreements with the Medical University of South Carolina and College of Charleston.

This is the sixth year that MUSC has had a partnership with CARTA and the eighth year for CofC of offering students, faculty and staff of both institutions unlimited rides with their organization identification card.

The result is free bus service to these riders, with costs covered by MUSC and College of Charleston.

Learn more about CARTA and its services on our topic page.

“Our constant focus is to encourage use of public transit throughout the Charleston area,” said Christine Wilkinson, interim executive director for CARTA. “These two partnerships further our continual pursuit of that goal. We encourage other Charleston area businesses to consider how CARTA can help their employees and staff.”

CARTA also has ongoing partnerships with the City of Charleston, Charleston County School District and Roper St. Francis Hospital.

On average, as many as 65,000 trips per month are taken by MUSC and CofC ID holders. In addition, more than 30,000 riders take the Express routes each month, which are heavily utilized by MUSC and CofC.

“Continuing this important partnership is not only a benefit for our students, faculty and staff, but an investment in the community,” said John Runyon, director of business services at Medical University of South Carolina.

The partnerships offer a number of other benefits, which include:

Reduce traffic and congestion in the Charleston area
Reduce need for additional parking on campus
Accommodating to students and faculty – provides safe travel as well as bike racks for transportation around their respective campus
Brings the benefit to staff, faculty and students while increasing ridership and encouraging public transit
Increase in ridership enables CARTA to acquire additional federal funding for equipment and upgrades
Continuing a strong relationship with two valuable partners and involvement in regular events such as MUSC Green Fairs and CofC Orientation
Provides a valuable service to a diverse community

2011-07-08T09:21:00.005+12:00

Hundreds protest Kapiti expressway

Activists say road will destroy Kapiti region

DANYA LEVY. Dominion Post 06/07/2011

ANDREW GORRIE/Dominion Post
NO WAY: Opponents to the Kapiti expressway protested outside Parliment today.

They came on the train from the coast, others walked from their city workplaces and some came by bicycle.

About 300 protesters brought a colourful and vocal message to Parliament today - they do not want the Government's proposed Kapiti Expressway.

Their banners read "Rail Against The Expressway" and "Riding Rough Shot Over Kapiti'' and carried images of Transport Minister Steven Joyce and National's MP for Otaki Nathan Guy.

Forty-three homes will be demolished under the proposal and a further 33 affected under the planned route for the McKays to Peka Peka expressway.

Protest organiser Bianca Begovich said the expressway would devastate our whole district.

"It's not just about a few people losing their homes. It's about destroying Raumati, Waikanae, Otaki and Paraparaumu.''

"Environmentally it's a disaster, socially it's unacceptable and economically it doesn't stack up.''

The Government's consultation on the expressway had been a ``joke'', Begovich said.

"People don't get back to you. I've been waiting six weeks for a New Zealand Transport Agency representative to get back to me. Steven Joyce has never met publicly with anyone that's asked him to.''

The protesters presented a 4000-signature petition to Joyce and Guy asking the Government to revisit the previous proposal for a community link road.

"The community link road was a well planned, well designed road that was for Kapiti and for the greater good of New Zealand.''

MPs from all sides of the political spectrum came out of their offices to see the protesters.

Labour MP for Mana Kris Faafoi said the Government's move to cancel a public meeting on the expressway just before last year's by-election was "cynical politics''.

"I think everyone was keen to find out what the plan for the expressway was and it was proving very unpopular a few weeks out from the byelection. So all of a sudden they went quiet on the people.''

The expressway was the number one issue on the Kapiti Coast, he said.

"Nathan Guy was all for the link road before the 2008 election. The expressway wasn't even in his vocabulary. He's gone back on his word''

Green Party transport spokesman Gareth Hughes said the real beneficiaries of the expressway were the trucking industry.

Maori Party co-leader Tariana Turia said the Government had to consider the alternative route.

"Communities do need to be listened to when they feel really strongly about these issues.''

Begovich said she had invited both Joyce and Guy to meet with protesters. Neither were anywhere to be seen.

"Nathan Guy will lose his seat because of this. It's about time he listened to the community.''

- The Dominion Post

2011-07-07T16:52:00.004+12:00

Group puts bodies on line in bid to save rail route

Mike Dinsdale

Northern Advocate 7th July 2011

No Sleepers: People opposed to a proposal to mothball the rail line from Auckland to Whangarei made their point during a mass planking protest at Whangarei's Mander Park yesterday.

Photo / John Stone

What do you get when more than 40 angry people are prepared to lay their bodies on the line to protest a proposal to mothball the rail line north of Auckland - a mass planking in the park.

Yesterday, a low-energy, ground-level planking rally organised by the Save Northland Rail group saw more than 40 people lay their bodies on the line - or should that be tracks - in a symbolic protest against the proposed mothballing.

The planking, which saw protesters lay down planking-style to symbolise the sleepers on a rail line, coincided with a nationwide day of action in support of sensible transport solutions.

Save Northland Rail spokeswoman Vivienne Shepherd said the idea was to highlight the link between massive spending on road projects for truck freight and the running down of the rail network.

The Whangarei-Auckland railway line could be mothballed indefinitely from next year, after talks KiwiRail plans to have with the region's businesses and local authorities. Mothballing would involve maintaining the line but ceasing services.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
To contact the 'Save Our Rail Northland' group:
campaign coordinator is Alan Preston.
Email: thewayforward2011@gmail.com
Cell phone: 021-02377242
Website: thewayforward2011

Free, frequent, clean & colour-coded: Yes! - now let's spread it over the whole city

2011-07-06T07:54:00.005+12:00

Three Link services to make inner-city busing easier

By Bernard Orsman

Wednesday Jul 6, 2011

Photo / The Aucklander

Auckland will soon have three Link bus services as part of an expanded and simplified network in the central city and inner-city western suburbs.

From August 21, most bus services will be banished from Queen St to make the city's premier street more pedestrian-friendly.

The only buses using Queen St will be the airport bus and a new city Link running every seven to eight minutes to Karangahape Rd and back, with every second bus going in the other direction to Wynyard Quarter.

The city Link will replace the free City Circuit bus, which carries 2200 passengers a day. The new service will be free until Christmas and then free for Hop card users and 50c for others.

Auckland Transport public transport planning manager Anthony Cross said yesterday the current city and Western Bays bus network was confusing, especially for new bus users.

The inner Link simplified the existing Link route by running it more directly through the city, Ponsonby, Karangahape Rd, Newmarket and Parnell, while the new outer Link would run in a circle that included Mt Albert, St Lukes, Mt Eden, Epsom and Newmarket.

In response to public feedback - the proposed changes in March attracted 1200 submissions - Auckland Transport changed the city routes around so the inner-city Link service now goes via Britomart and the outer Link service via Wellesley St.

Mr Cross said Western Bays areas not served by the Link buses would have two routes to the city via Albert St - one service would go to Westmere, Richmond Rd and Freemans Bay and the other to Pt Chevalier and Williamson Ave.

Auckland councillor Wayne Walker predicted there would be a quantum leap in bus patronage.

"People like to use circular routes. They are incredibly easy to understand," he said.

New Zealand Bus is spending $66 million on 158 new buses for the Link services. The vehicles are 90 per cent cleaner than diesel buses and will be painted red, amber and green.

By Bernard Orsman | Email Bernard
NZ Herald 6 July 2011

Environmentalist for fare free public transport to cut oil consumption

2011-06-19T17:07:00.004+12:00

Digital Journal 17 June 2011

An interview with an environmentalist and anti-deep sea drilling campaigner in the run-up to the second Hands Across The Sand in London on June 25.

The Deepwater Horizon disaster was one the greatest man-made catastrophes of the past fifty years – was and is – we still don’t know the full and ongoing effects it will have on the flora and fauna of the Gulf Coast and beyond, and even on the Gulf Stream. The eco-movement is nothing new of course, but a branch of that movement – if it may be called that – which is specifically anti-oil – is making headway in the US and in many other countries. On June 25, Hands Across The Sand is mounting its second annual event. One person who has a professional as well as a personal interest in this event and what it stands for, is Maura Flynn, an American marine biologist currently living in London. Here she is in her own words.

AB: How long have you been involved in the anti-oil campaign?
MF: Bit of an odd story. I graduated university with a degree in marine biology right into the recession. I’ve had seasonal or grant jobs here and there, but it’s been hard to find work in a field that’s been suffering from budget cuts and threats of research defunding. In March of last year, out of fears that I was becoming unfamiliar with the current events in my field, I created a blog that aggregated news articles from various places around the web with topics like marine conservation, fisheries and endangered marine species. Not even a month later, the Deepwater Horizon blowout occurred. The news was flooded with articles about the Gulf of Mexico, the marine species that would be affected by the spill, the fisheries in the area and the impacts on the marine environment. It became the topic that I wrote about the most, and through researching the articles I came across events like Hands Across the Sand.
AB: Did you take part in the last Hands Across The Sand?
MF: Yes. Last year the event received a lot of attention after Deepwater Horizon. I actually heard about Hands Across The Sand from a former university classmate of mine back in the United States, and I was very pleased to find that there was an event happening here in London as well, which I'm helping to organise.
AB: Was that organised in response to the Deepwater Horizon disaster or is it something that was in the wind long before that?
MF: Hands Across The Sand originated in Florida before Deepwater Horizon as a movement against the efforts of the Florida Legislature and the US Congress to lift the ban on near and offshore oil drilling along Florida’s coast. Deepwater Horizon drew considerable attention to the problems of offshore oil drilling, and the event took off nationally and globally from there. Last year, events took place in all 50 states and in 43 countries worldwide.
AB: What do you hope to achieved by this...protest is not the right word, but I hate to call it a publicity stunt. Action?
MF: I would call it a demonstration. My main goal is to spread awareness of the issue of offshore oil drilling and dirty fossil fuel use versus clean energy sources such as wind and solar power. Personally, I think the environmental movement has sort of a bad reputation at the moment. Oftentimes when I mention an environmental topic I’m interested in or that I’m writing about, people assume I’m some kind of “tree-hugging hippie” or a PETA member who throws blood on people. I feel like these are the two stereotypes thought of when someone thinks “environmentalist.” But really this event is just to show that normal people care about the environment too. I believe most people want to do the right thing; it’s just a matter of bringing the issue to everyone’s attention. We all want clean air, clean water, safe food resources and to pass on a good future to those who come after us. The continued use of fossil fuels and dirty energy is jeopardizing that. This demonstration is a simple way people can come together to say it’s time to move towards a cleaner energy future.
AB: Are you opposed to all drilling for oil, just drilling in the sea, or deep sea drilling?
MF: I’m not a fan of any drilling – or any activity for that matter – that degrades the environment. I am particularly opposed to drilling in the sea or in coastal areas due to the potential magnitude of a spill event. Water will carry oil to places we might not even be able to find…And then how are we to fix it? I know we can’t all stop using oil tomorrow and switch entirely to more environmentally-friendly energy sources, but I do think it’s way past time to be taking a closer look at alternative energy and investing more time and money into its research and development.
AB: What do you think are the alternatives to oil: how can we reduce consumption of oil, etc? MF: The easy answer is to use public transport and to drive less, but there’s so much more than that. Plastic production is a huge consumer of oil, so minimizing the plastic products you purchase is a great step. This includes the obvious such as bottled water and plastic shopping bags, but also things like kitchen gadgets, child’s toys and certain types of clothing. I’m not saying you can’t buy these things, but consider the materials the products you buy are made of, and perhaps move towards items made from recycled glass, sustainably sourced wood or organic cotton. Another thing is to lower your “food miles”. London has some wonderful farmers’ markets, so consider buying your groceries locally instead of at Sainsbury’s, where many products are flown in from other countries. You can also try to eat lower on the food chain – that is, eat less meat and animal products. It takes far more resources to produce a pound of beef than it does to produce a pound of veg. Why not start with introducing one or two “vegetarian days” into your week? Perhaps most importantly, take a moment to write your representatives in the government and tell them how you feel about your country’s oil usage and that it’s time for a change.
AB: What is your view of synthetic oil and other alternatives?
MF: At the moment I don’t know very much about this, but it is a topic I’m looking in to. I know there is currently a debate about biofuels like corn oil because it’s taking food resources that hungry people could benefit from and using them to power luxury items like cars.
AB: How do you feel about a totally fare-free public transport system and similar measures to reduce oil consumption?
MF: I have to say, as an American from a small town where everyone has cars coming to a big city like London with multiple public transport systems…I love it! Everything is so easy to get to, and there’s never any traffic. On top of that, I’m a fan of public transport because it lessens the number of cars on the road. If you know a bus or train is already going to your desired destination, why not just hop on and save yourself the frustration of traffic and tolls? Making it fare-free would just sweeten the deal.

Leave the car in the garage - could save you $10,000 a year

2011-06-17T13:18:00.002+12:00

Pocatello Transit Wants You To Dump The Pump

By Jake Taylor

POSTED: 4:47 pm MDT June 16, 2011

POCATELLO, Idaho --

Transit officials want locals in Pocatello to dump the pump and, in the process, save a little cash.

Thursday is national Dump the Pump Day, and Pocatello Regional Transit is hoping to entice more people to take the bus instead of their car.The PRT has begun handing out small flyers, and will continue through the week.

They give the holder a full free month on Pocatello public transportation.Transit officials said if you haven't considered taking the bus in Pocatello recently, look again. Routes have been expanded and schedules improved.

They said if you can take advantage of public transport enough to get a rid of a car, it'll save the average family about $10,000 a year.

...hey - this public transport thing might be the way to go!

2011-06-17T07:48:00.002+12:00

Free Rides In Honor of Dump the Pump Day

by Joseph Cutrufo on Thursday, June 16, 2011 at 11:30 AM

Share on Tumbl

Today is the sixth annual National Dump the Pump Day, a day meant not only to raise awareness of our dependence on foreign oil, but also to remind us of the benefits of public transportation. We all understand that public transit reduces congestion, but did you know that transit use in the United States saves 4.2 billion gallons of gasoline each year and that every dollar invested in transit generates about $4 in economic returns? These are just a few of the benefits the American Public Transportation Association is highlighting this year. APTA is also encouraging transit agencies across the country to offer free rides.

IndyGo of Indianapolis, where transit ridership is up 13.6 percent over May 2010, is offering free rides today on all lines except their downtown/airport express line. Dump the Pump Day couldn’t come at a better time for Indianapollis, where the Central Indiana Regional Transportation Authority and transit advocates are trying to persuade the Hoosier State’s GOP-heavy legislature to put a new tax for rail on the 2012 ballot.

LexTran, the transit agency in Lexington, Kentucky, is unveiling its new hybrid buses in addition to offering free rides. Space Coast Area Transit in Brevard County, Florida, is offering free rides too, but riders have to go online and print a ticket.

Offering free rides might be a way to attract riders who are on the fence about riding transit for everyday trips, but one can’t help but wonder what’s the long term impact of an initiative like Dump the Pump. Sure, raising awareness is important, but it seems like the only way to really increase transit ridership is to hit drivers in the wallet.

...aren't drivers are being "hit in the wallet" already with rocketting fuel costs? It's time to cut the red tape and penalties - limited free transit days are a good promotion, but permanent city-wide, free & frequent modern public transport is the way to get commuters out of our cars, increase mobility and cut car pollution, traffic congestion, road accidents and wasting precious fossil fuels - big time. Ed.

Free bus services in Gibraltar

2011-05-26T22:09:00.004+12:00

GOVT INTRODUCE FREE BUS SERVICE FOR ALL

Gibraltar Government yesterday announced the restructure and shortening of bus routes plus the introduction of a free bus service for all on all routes with the exception of the frontier route. In a statement to the Chronicle, Minister for Transport Joe Holliday said these measures will bring about “a significant improvement in transport infrastructure, traffic flow and parking in Gibraltar.”

Commenting on the introduction of these new routes, Mr Holliday said: “In addition to the on going construction of car parks and parking schemes, traffic management, new roads and other initiatives that are currently being implemented, these new bus routes will provide for a significant improvement in transport infrastructure, traffic flow and parking in Gibraltar.

“The introduction of free bus fares on four of the five routes, is aimed at encouraging the increase in use of public transport and therefore a decrease in the use of private motor vehicles, so as to deliver an environmental gain, as well as improved traffic circulation. The introduction of the new bus routes and free bus service on most routes will represent further significant progress of the Plan.”

A statement by the Ministry of Transport said: “The Government will be introducing a new bus service as stated in its Integrated Traffic, Parking and Transport Plan and as part of its manifesto commitments, on Saturday 28th May 2011.

“The current routes have been reviewed and new routes will be introduced that are more consistent with an efficient and modern bus service that provides for point to point transport. The new routes will have as their main terminus the Market Place bus stop.

“The new routes will be numbered from 1 to 5. In keeping with the Government’s commitment to introduce a free bus service, routes 1, 2, 3 and 4 will provide a free service for all passengers at all times. Routes 1 to 4 will cover all points in Gibraltar, except a journey to and from the frontier.

“Route 5, which will be operated jointly by the Gibraltar Bus Company Limited and Calypso Transport Limited, will be the only fare paying route. This route will operate from the Frontier via Market Place to Reclamation Road and return to the frontier via Europort Avenue, Waterport Road and Market Place

Gibraltar Chronical 26 May 2011.

Rail against the express way

2011-05-17T13:25:00.007+12:00

The Kapiti coast, north of Wellington, is faced with one of the government's "roads of significance", due to be bulldozed through the district despite a more logical, less expensive & community-friendly alternative.
Locals want their rail services & stations upgraded.
"Save Kapiti" has called for a protest rally at Parliament, Wellington on Wednesday 6 July from midday.

JOIN US TO MARCH OR MEET US AT THE STATION:
9AM: RED HOUSE CAFÉ, TE HORO
9:30AM: MELT CAFÉ, WAIKANAE TE RA SCHOOL, RAUMATI
10AM: KCDC, PARAPARAUMU WHAKARONGOTAI MARAE, WAIKANAE
11AM: WAIKANAE STATION PARAPARAUMU STATION PAEKAKARIKI STATION
12PM: PARLIAMENT GROUNDS, WELLINGTON
(AND 10AM BASIN RESERVE, HATAITAI FOR THOSE OF YOU JOINING US IN WELLINGTON)
• Roads of National Significance (RoNS) – roads built for trucks, not for Kiwis
• Decisions made without honest public consultation
• Built with borrowed money funded by State Assets?
• There are proven safer, more efficient solutions
• Join over 4000 petition signers for a March on Parliament
Save Kapiti
TO FIND OUT HOW TO BOOK OR FOR MORE INFORMATION email: contact@savekapiti.co.nz or phone 021 641 123
And don’t forget to ‘vote with your vote’ - Vote against the expressway at the November election.

Check out the website: www.savekapiti.co.nz

2011-05-10T20:53:00.002+12:00

HEI study finds London Congestion Charging Scheme shows little evidence of improving air quality

27 April 2011

The London Congestion Charging Scheme (CCS)—which charged for travel into central London and reduced traffic volume (earlier post)—has shown little evidence that it improved air quality as well, according to Part I of a new study published by the Health Effects Institute (HEI). The study, “The Impact of the Congestion Charging Scheme on Air Quality in London”, was led by Professor Frank Kelly of King’s College London as part of HEI’s research program to measure the possible health outcomes associated with actions taken to improve air quality.

Although the London CCS was designed to improve traffic and not necessarily air quality, early projections had suggested it could also improve air quality. Kelly and his team used a multifaceted approach to explore the impact of the Congestion Charging Scheme on air quality: a variety of emissions and exposure modeling techniques, analysis of air monitoring data, and a newly developed assay for the oxidative potential of particulate matter collected on filters at urban background and roadside monitors. Part I of the report deals with emissions modelling and analysis; Part II, to be released next month, analyzes the oxidative potential of PM.

The CCS offered an unusual opportunity to investigate the potential impact on air quality of a discrete and well-defined intervention to reduce traffic congestion in the middle of a major city. The CCS was implemented in London in February 2003 with the primary aim of reducing traffic congestion by charging vehicles to enter the central part of London, defined as the congestion charging zone (CCZ).

In an earlier study based on data from the first year of the scheme, members of the investigative team had reported early findings of modest reductions in the number of vehicles entering the zone and had projected declines of about 12% in emissions of both PM₁₀(particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter of ≤10 µm) and nitrogen oxides (NO_x) within the CCZ.
—Kelly et al.

The investigators did not find consistent evidence of improved air quality resulting from the CCS. In part it is difficult to identify significant air quality improvements from a specific program—especially one targeted at a small area within a large city—against the backdrop of broader regional pollutant and weather changes.

Within the CCZ, the investigators projected a net decline of 1.7 ppb in the annual average mean NO_x concentration and a decline of 0.8 µg/m³ in PM₁₀. The modeling also suggested that a major proportion of PM₁₀ might be accounted for by regional background levels, but that contributions from tire and brake wear might also be important. NO₂ was projected to increase slightly, by 0.3 ppb on average; the investigators attributed this increase to higher NO₂ emissions associated with the introduction of particle traps on diesel buses as part of Transport for London’s improvements in the public transport system.

From their comparison of actual air pollutant measurements within the CCZ with those at control sites in Outer London, the investigators reported little evidence of CCS-related changes in pollutant levels at roadside monitoring sites, where their modeling had suggested the most pronounced effects would be seen.
—Kelly et al.

Also, some behavioral adjustments among the population, e.g. increased diesel-powered taxi and bus trips to transport people into the zone, may have offset any benefits. Finally, other changes occurring at the same time (e.g. the introduction of more filter-equipped diesel buses in response to a separate rule) likely also affected air quality and obscured effects of the CCS.

The Congestion Charging Scheme was one of the first to be implemented in a major city in Europe or the US—and did show measurable reductions in traffic volume—but air pollution does not know precise boundaries so any benefit of the CCS or air quality appears to have been lost in the larger regional pollution mix.
—Dan Greenbaum, HEI’s President

Overall, HEI’s Review Committee concluded that Kelly and colleagues’ investigation represents a creative effort to explore a subtle change in air quality associated with a complex intervention to reduce traffic congestion. Although they were unable to demonstrate a clear effect of the CCS either on individual air pollutant levels or on oxidative potential of particulate matter, their study offers lessons for future studies of interventions that are expected to influence air quality.

The London Congestion Charging Scheme was a world leading traffic intervention aimed at controlling excessive vehicle flows in central London. The findings reported in this HEI study will hopefully be of use to other administrations considering introducing traffic management schemes so that they can achieve vehicle reductions as well as improving air quality at the same time.
—Professor Frank Kelly

In addition to the Investigators’ Report by Kelly et al., Research Report 155 includes a Commentary by HEI’s Health Review Committee, which summarizes its independent review of the study and an HEI Statement that provides a nontechnical summary of the study and the committee’s comments.

The Health Effects Institute is an independent, non-profit research institute funded jointly by government and industry to provide credible, high-quality science on air pollution and health for air quality decisions. Typically, HEI receives half of its core funds from the US Environmental Protection Agency and half from the worldwide motor vehicle industry. Other public and private organizations periodically support special projects or certain research programs.

HEI has funded more than 280 research projects in North America, Europe, Asia, and Latin America, the results of which have informed decisions regarding carbon monoxide, air toxics, nitrogen oxides, diesel exhaust, ozone, particulate matter, and other pollutants. These results have appeared in the peer-reviewed literature and in more than 200 comprehensive reports published by HEI.

Resources

Frank Kelly, H. Ross Anderson, Ben Armstrong, Richard Atkinson, Ben Barratt, Sean Beevers, Dick Derwent, David Green, Ian Mudway, and Paul Wilkinson. The Impact of the Congestion Charging Scheme on Air Quality in London. HEI Report # 155

_ _ _ _

Alright ...so punitive measures don't work ... hey! - so how can we make car & oil dependency history & create healthy cities? ....what about fare free public transport! ....make it so attractive that no sane person would even consider driving around by car unless it was absolutety essential.... mmmm; yeah, but how would those poor oil companies survive?

FareFreeNZ editor

Capitalism's war on the Earth

2011-05-05T19:59:00.000+12:00

The ecology of consumption -- excerpt from John Bellamy Foster, Brett Clark and Richard York's `The Ecological Rift'

October 20, 2010 -- Links International Journal of Socialist Renewal, with the permission of Monthly Review Press, is excited to offer its readers an excerpt from the The Ecological Rift: Capitalism’s War on the Earth, an important new book by John Bellamy Foster, Brett Clark and Richard York. Links' readers are urged to purchase the book. Please click here to order your copy. You can download (in PDF) the chapter, "The ecology of consumption", below the following introduction, or read it on screen.

* * *

Humanity in the 21st century is facing what might be described as its ultimate environmental catastrophe: the destruction of the climate that has nurtured human civilization and with it the basis of life on earth as we know it. All ecosystems on the planet are now in decline. Enormous rifts have been driven through the delicate fabric of the biosphere. The economy and the Earth are headed for a fateful collision—if we don’t alter course.

In The Ecological Rift: Capitalism’s War on the Earth, environmental sociologists John Bellamy Foster, Brett Clark and Richard York offer a radical assessment of both the problem and the solution. They argue that the source of our ecological crisis lies in the paradox of wealth in capitalist society, which expands individual riches at the expense of public wealth, including the wealth of nature. In the process, a huge ecological rift is driven between human beings and nature, undermining the conditions of sustainable existence: a rift in the metabolic relation between humanity and nature that is irreparable within capitalist society, since integral to its very laws of motion.

Critically examining the sanguine arguments of mainstream economists and technologists, Foster, Clark and York insist instead that fundamental changes in social relations must occur if the ecological (and social) problems presently facing us are to be transcended. Their analysis relies on the development of a deep dialectical naturalism concerned with issues of ecology and evolution and their interaction with the economy. Importantly, they offer reasons for revolutionary hope in moving beyond the regime of capital and toward a society of sustainable human development.

John Bellamy Foster is editor of the US-based Marxist journal, Monthly Review. He is professor of sociology at the University of Oregon and author of The Ecological Revolution, The Great Financial Crisis (with Fred Magdoff), Critique of Intelligent Design (with Brett Clark and Richard York), Ecology Against Capitalism, Marx’s Ecology, and The Vulnerable Planet.

Brett Clark is assistant professor of sociology at North Carolina State University. He is coauthor (with John Bellamy Foster and Richard York) of Critique of Intelligent Design.

Richard York is associate professor of sociology at the University of Oregon. He is co-editor of the journal Organization & Environment and coauthor (with John Bellamy Foster and Brett Clark) of Critique of Intelligent Design.

* * *

Click HERE to download (PDF) "The ecology of consumption" or read it on screen below.

"The ecology of consumption", by John Bellamy Foster, Brett Clark and Richard York

2011-04-28T14:56:00.004+12:00

Arguments for Free Public Transportation

By Jody Hanson, eHow contributor

2011-04-04T13:37:00.002+12:00

Capitalism’s war on the planet

GreenLeft Weekly: Sunday, April 3, 2011

Climate change is often called the greatest environment threat facing humanity.

The threat is very real. Unless we cut carbon pollution fast, runaway climate change will worsen existing environmental and social problems, and create new ones of its own.

But it’s no longer enough to simply refer to the climate crisis. Climate change is one part of a broader ecological disaster, brought about by an economic system that relies on constant growth, endless accumulation and ever-deepening human alienation.

A 2010 study published in Nature revealed some of the extent of this ecological crisis.

The study, which was led by Sweden’s Johan Rockstrom and included US climate scientist James Hansen, identified nine “planetary boundaries” that are critical for human life on the planet.

Along with climate change, these boundaries are: global freshwater use, chemical pollution, ocean acidification, land use change, biodiversity (the extinction rate), ozone levels in the stratosphere, aerosol (or small particle) levels in the atmosphere and the nitrogen and phosphorus cycles that regulate soil fertility (and hence food production).

The study said three of these critical planetary boundaries — climate, the nitrogen cycle and biodiversity loss — had already been crossed.

A further four — land use change, the phosphorus cycle, ocean acidification and freshwater use — are emerging problems. The scientists said these boundaries had not yet been breached, but could be soon if nothing is done.

The state of the ozone layer, which regulates the ultraviolet radiation from the sun hitting the Earth, was the only good news. A global treaty to phase out ozone depleting gasses, such as chlorofluorocarbons, seems to have made a difference.

The study’s authors said they didn’t yet know enough to measure the planetary boundaries for chemical pollution and aerosol levels.

In their 2010 book, The Ecological Rift, US Marxists John Bellamy Foster, Brett Clark and Richard York remark on this study: “The mapping out of planetary boundaries in this way gives us a better sense of the real threat to the Earth system.

“Although in recent years the environmental threat has come to be seen by many as simply a question of climate change, protecting the planet requires that we attend to all of these planetary boundaries, and others not yet determined.

“The essential problem is the unavoidable fact that an expanding economic system is placing additional burdens on a fixed earth system to the point of planetary overload … Business as usual projections point to a state in which the ecological footprint of humanity will be equivalent to the regenerative capacity of two planets by 2030.”

Capitalism, a grow-or-die system, must ignore the planet’s boundaries. But we cannot afford to: not if we are to secure a safe planet that can sustain human civilization.

As Foster, Clark and York conclude: “No solution to the world’s ecological problem can be arrived at that does not take the surmounting of capitalism, as an imperialist world system, as its object.

“It is time to take the planet back for sustainable human development.”

Much money wasted collecting fares on public transit

2011-03-31T18:33:00.004+13:00

Letter from Dave Olsen (Canadian free public transport advocate)

It seems that when it rains, it pours, especially with elections.

Not that any of them have improved anything for the average person for a long, long time; they have enabled the rich to get richer but I'll save you that one for another time.

The Provincial NDP have a leadership race on right now. If you're a member, you can vote for their new leader.

I was astonished when one candidate, Dana Larsen, asked me for more info about Fare-Free Transit. After our chat, he asked that we do a video together. It's short and concise and I've received very positive feedback from it.

You can view the video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c3dI-kQgwDA&feature=youtu.be

What inspired me to write this email though, is that Dana has created two platform pledges from this work: making the Skytrain Fare-Free and then converting all of the BC Transit systems to Fare-Free.

He really seems to understand the necessity of moving our transit systems to Fare-Free:

we need to help people out of their cars if we are to survive as a species
it costs more to collect fares than to not collect fares in every community in BC, save Vancouver and possibly Victoria. Shockingly, we have no idea how much net revenue (if any) is actually generated by the farebox in either of those cities.

Don't get me wrong: the political/electoral system that is in place will make these kinds of changes next to impossible, regardless of who is elected.

But if you believe in peaceful change from within, then here's a rare opportunity for you. Fare-Free Transit has happened in many other places in the civilized world, so it could happen here, too.

For more on Dana's and the other candidate's platforms, you can read them here:
http://conservationvoters.ca/leadership-race-2011/ndp-candidates/dana-larsen

If nothing else, spread the news that a potential Premier wants to make it easier for you to take transit!

PS. In related news, the Ontario Legislature just voted to remove the right of transit workers in Toronto to strike, deeming the TTC an "essential service." This is on the eve of the Amalgamated Transit Union contract expiring at the end of this month and on the heels of Wisconsin, Michigan, and other US states' legislatures removing the right for public workers to collectively bargain.

ATU Local 113 president Bob Kinnear stated in response to the legislation: "If we are so essential why hasn't there been legislation to properly fund the transit system."

Traffic mayhem or common sense?

2011-03-29T16:02:00.003+13:00

[From www.transitiontowns.org.nz]

It's said a picture is worth a thousand words. Take a look at these graphs and see if you can make any sense of the government's response to oil prices rising and it's transport policy. Damned if I can. (hat tip to Auckland Transport blog and frog blog)

Traffic volumes on State Highways have not increased since 2005.

The pink line is heavy traffic, the blue line is all traffic. Source: New Zealand Transport Agency

Patronage of Public Transport in Auckland has increased since 2005

Source: ARTA

Spending on improvements to State Highways has increased dramatically since 2006, but spending on public transport and road maintenance has languished

Source: Cabinet papers.

And if you are still unconvinced about the connection between fuel prices and a recession in the New Zealand economy - take a look at the graph compiled by Marty G at The Standard

"Of the 8 quarters in which petrol has averaged over $1.77, 5 were followed by a quarter of recession and the other 3 were followed quarters with 0.1% growth. Of the 17 quarters where petrol was below $1.77, the economy shrank once in the following quarter, was flat once, and grew 15 times."

With petrol at around $2.15 a litre and rising, and leaking billions out of our economy and wallets, and with the transport trends staring us all in the face - why would a government that prides itself on good economic management be so myopic and not have a plan? Ideology trumping common sense?

Denis Tegg 22 March 2011, re-posted from his blog - oilshockhorrorprobe

A spectacular year?

2011-03-28T08:12:00.002+13:00

Public Transport – a spectacular year?

http://transportblog.co.nz/2011/03/25/2010-pt-patronage-–-a-spectacular-year/

It is good that there is an overall percentage increase of public transport use of 8%.
But is it enough?

In a world where private transport is one of the leading causes of CO2 pollution and resulting climate change, to really make a difference we need percentage changes of hundreds and thousands of percent increase in public transport usage.

The present profit driven free market public transport model will never cut it.
Fare Free New Zealand points out that the way to achieve the sort of increase we need is to make all public transport fare free.

According to Wikipedia Public transport in Hasselt This Belgium city saw an increase in public transport usage by 100% in it’s first year of introducing fare free city wide public transport. Since then increases in public transport have topped 1300% ridership increase.
Apart from this phenomenal increase in public transport patronage Wikipedia lists a range of other benefits.

Wikipedia
Operational benefits
Transport operators can benefit from faster boarding and shorter dwell times, allowing faster timetabling of services. Although some of these benefits can be achieved in other ways, such as off-vehicle ticket sales and modern types of electronic fare collection, zero-fare transport avoids equipment and personnel costs.

Passenger aggression may be reduced. In 2008 bus drivers of Société des Transports Automobiles (STA) in Essonne held strikes demanding zero-fare transport for this reason. They claim that 90% of the aggression is related to refusal to pay the fare.[2]

[edit]
Commercial benefits
Some zero-fare transport services are funded by private businesses (such as the merchants in a shopping mall) in the hope that doing so will increase sales or other revenue from increased foot traffic or ease of travel. Employers often operate free shuttles as a benefit to their employees, or as part of a congestion mitigation agreement with a local government.

Community benefits
Zero-fare transport can make the system more accessible and fair for low-income residents.[citation needed] Other benefits are the same as those attributed to public transport generally:

Road traffic can benefit from decreased congestion and faster average road speeds, fewer traffic accidents, easier parking, savings from reduced wear and tear on roads
Environmental and public health benefits including decreased air pollution and noise pollution from road traffic
[edit]
Global benefits
Global benefits of zero-fare transport are also the same as those attributed to public transport generally. If use of personal cars is discouraged, zero-fare public transport could mitigate the problems of global warming and oil depletion.

Interestingly one of the other major benefits of a fare free public transport system is that it actually may work out as cheaper.
Are free buses the answer to Bristol City’s transport problems

A spokesman for Free Bus said: “Bristol City Council subsidises the bus network for £4.7 million per year, whilst entirely free public transport in Hasselt, Belgium, costs £4.2 million per year. The cost of a fully loaded short-hop bus journey is 23p per passenger.”
When you think about the £2 or £3 fares you currently pay for a bus journey in the city and the profits they must be making you wonder why we haven’t aleady pursued this Free Bus initiative.
Jenny
27 March 2011 - a response to posting on NZ blog: the Standard entitled: 'Steven Joyce [Transport Minister] still living in the 20th century.'

2011-03-25T18:41:00.003+13:00

Telecom Partners with Auckland Transport: reduces congestion

Friday, 25 March 2011, Scoop
Press Release: Auckland Transport

Friday 25 March

Telecom partners with Auckland Transport to reduce congestion

Auckland Transport has teamed with Telecom to develop a plan of sustainable transport measures to implement at their new Telecom Place building on Victoria Street, Auckland.

Telecom aims to educate staff on their travel options and challenge their current choices of commute to and from work. Employees are being encouraged to use peddle power, pound the pavement, car pool or simply use public transport as a more environmentally friendly and cheaper way of getting to work.

As part of the partnership Auckland Transport is offering staff free travel on all bus and train services in April to entice staff out of their cars. It is also offering Telecom the use of their Rideshare software to help staff find a carpool match.

Auckland Transport’s Matthew Rednall applauds Telecom on developing a travel plan.

“Telecom has more than 2400 staff working at Victoria Street. Potentially there is a large number of staff that will accept the travel passes, give public transport a go and hopefully continue with it long after the trial period.

“If people can leave their cars at homes it not only helps reduce congestion and pollution associated with heavy traffic but offers wide-ranging health benefits to employees themselves – not to mention cost savings,” says Mr Rednall.

Free travel passes are offered to all organisations developing a Travel Plan to help facilitate change in commuter behaviour.

Telecom’s Corporate Communications Consultant, Stephanie Fergusson says that a company survey conducted in June 2010 showed that a large number of staff would be willing to change how they travel to work if public transport was accessible and affordable.

“As we have significantly decreased the number of car parks in our new building to comply with our Five Star Green rating, it is excellent to see that people are willing to use public transport and carpool, and it is very heartening to have Auckland Transport’s support on this.

“We also encourage active transport to work, by providing 22 showers with ironing facilities and more than 200 lockers and cycling facilities on-site at Telecom Place,” says Ms Fergusson.

On Wednesday 16 March, Telecom launched its first initiative, a public transport clinic.

2011-03-17T21:32:00.001+13:00

Eureka moment came while stuck in a traffic jam

...So what do we do? It came to me while sitting in a traffic jam: why not make public transit free while providing a whole lot more of it?
Before you stop reading or call the guys in the white coats to come get me, hear me out.
The more people who currently drive that we can get out of their cars and into buses and trains, the easier it will be to get around our roads for those of us who choose to keep driving (or have no other choice but to drive). Fiddling around with a few extra bus routes or a new train line is not going to make a big enough difference. We need radical change or those traffic jams will just get worse and worse and worse.
The first step is to send a strong signal to people by making hopping on a bus or train absolutely free. Cost is not a deciding factor for a lot of people, but it is for some and, more importantly, anything that makes it easier and more attractive to take transit should be adopted....

Read on... SurreyBeacon

"Welcome news" - costly Hutt Valley road building plan scrapped

2011-03-15T20:56:00.004+13:00

The Hutt News,
Feature letter, 15 March 2011.

News that the proposed Cross Valley Link road has been scrapped is surely welcome for Hutt residents.
Even more welcome would be signs that the Council is ready to look at the alternative solutions needed to solve our city's transport woes.
VAN - Valley Action Network led grassroots opposition to the Cross Valley Link from 2007.
We didn't oppose it just because of the cost to ratepayers, who would have borne much of the $76 million price-tag.
Building more roads also fuels the growth of climate-changing greenhouse gases.
It ties us to cars for our transport, just as the world's cheap oil supplies are running out. Who can afford the price of petrol now?
Construction of the Link would have impacted on scores of properties and on the ecology of the Hutt River, Te Awa Kairangi.
True, the congested Petone Esplanade does need relief. It carries 30,000 vehicles per day.
Around 3,000 are trucks carrying freight from Seaview and Gracefield. Freight could go by train, with less impact on our climate too, if the Gacefield rail line was re-opened as the Petone Community Board suggests.
Many of the other 28,000 vehicles carry commuters. Commuters sick of being stung at the pump would happily switch to public transport if it was made frequent and free.
Past Mayors and Councillors battled for decades for the Cross Valley Link. If the current and future Councils put similar energy into the ecologically sound solutions which serve the people, we can succeed.

Grant Brookes
VAN - Valley Action Network
www.huttvan.org.nz

Hutt Valley network advocates free transit

2011-03-15T20:36:00.005+13:00

Free and frequent public transport
- it makes climate sense and serves the people

World oil resources are growing increasingly scarce. The reserves that remain are getting harder and riskier to retrieve, leading to disasters like the massive spill in the Gulf of Mexico – a disaster which could be repeated off the North Island's East Coast if similar deep-water drilling goes ahead there.
Meanwhile, transport accounts for 36 percent of Greater Wellington's climate-changing carbon emissions.

VAN believes that free and frequent public transport is needed if we're going to make efficient use of these limited and increasingly expensive resources, decrease our carbon emissions and reduce congestion on our roads – benefiting everyone.

A third of Hutt City residents commute outside the Hutt for work, so transport is a big issue in our city.
Many residents are all-too-familiar with sitting gridlocked in traffic on the Esplanade during rush hour, wishing there was a quicker way to get out and around the city. Investing in free and frequent public transport would make buses and trains an attractive option, taking cars off the road. Yet on October 1, instead of decreasing fares, public transport operators will raise fares once again – partly due to pressure from central government. There is no incentive to use public transport if it costs just as much to drive.

VAN believes that Hutt City Council should support resistance against fare rises imposed by central government.

Earlier this year, our council sat silently as other city and regional councils made submissions against transport minister Steven Joyce’s plans to make public transport users pay more for services. He singled out Hutt Valley train users as a group who should pay more. The submissions had some effect in watering down this policy.

VAN will stand up to central government against fare increases for Hutt Valley residents. VAN also believes that public transport should be more frequent and reliable. We will advocate for increases in rail services, because trains run largely on renewable energy, and more frequent feeder buses to train stations.
We would advocate for bus lanes which would keep buses running to schedule, and cycleways that would increase safety and promote this emission-free mode of transport. Another issue with public transport currently is that bus companies are privately owned, but get around half of their income from public funds. It makes sense for bus services to be publicly run, because without the profit motive the focus can be on providing quality public transport.

Councils know that free public transport decreases traffic congestion. Many cities overseas have already introduced it. New Zealand cities such as Auckland, Christchurch, Palmerston North and Invercargill run some free public transport services. Trains will be free in Wellington on Rugby World Cup quarter final day. Wellington Regional Councillor Paul Bruce has called for free inner-city buses in Wellington on weekends.
But at the moment, the council and central government's main focus is on building expensive new roads.
Hutt City Council supports spending over a billion dollars on a single new motorway through Transmission Gully. They also want a $76 million Cross Valley Link road and a Grenada-Petone link worth $250 million more, which will destroy the Korokoro Reserve in Belmont Regional Park. Building more roads will encourage residents into cars, burning more fossil fuels and increasing carbon emissions. In the long term, this will not reduce congestion.

Recent official analysis has concluded that the Cross Valley Link has a low cost benefit ratio, meaning the government is unlikely to fund it. Hutt City residents will be left to bear the cost. So far $18 million has been set aside by the council for the Cross Valley Link. VAN will push to divert a small portion of the massive roading budget for the region towards public transport, and make it frequent and free.

If elected, we will:

• Advocate for public transport over more road-building in all public forums
• Scrap plans to waste millions of ratepayer dollars on a new Cross Valley Link
• Press the Greater Wellington Regional Council to increase the frequency of rail services on the Hutt Valley line
• Advocate for more bus and cycle lanes in the Hutt Valley
• Support other authorities and campaigners in the region to lobby the government for more money for public transport
• Oppose any government moves to privatise Tranz Metro or the rail network
• Investigate plans for local councils to directly run bus services, and then move to reduce fares towards zero.

From VAN - Valley Action Network website: www.huttvan.org.nz

2011-03-10T18:26:00.002+13:00

Freeway or free way

BY GORDON CLANTON
North Coastal columnist, Del Mar Times, San Diego USA.

The proposed widening of Interstate 5 has triggered renewed discussion of how to expand the use of public transportation so as to reduce the need for ever-more freeway lanes.

Such discussion often revolves around three variables – convenience, frequency, and cost. More people would use public transit (1) if transit stops were nearer to people’s homes and workplaces, (2) if buses and trains ran more frequently, and (3) if fares for public transit were lowered. Also, it would be nice if you could take a bus or a train to the airport.

Providing more routes, more stops, and more frequent buses, however desirable, is enormously expensive. And governments are broke. And we are unsure if we would ever recoup the public investment in more stations, stops, drivers, and rolling stock. So let’s consider the third variable, lowering the cost of transit use.

Since 2002 Chapel Hill, North Carolina, has enjoyed free public transit on all fixed-route bus service and EZ-Rider service for the elderly and disabled.
The University of North Carolina, faced with the enormous cost of building and maintaining parking lots and parking structures, formed a partnership with the cities of Chapel Hill and Carrboro to provide free bus service. The buses are fare-free for all area residents and visitors, not only for the 40,000 UNC students, faculty, and staff. Ridership has more than doubled in the nine years since the fare-free policy was adopted.

What if UCSD, SDSU, the VA Hospital, the Navy, and the Marines formed a consortium to subsidize free public transit for San Diego County?
What if they were joined by large private-sector employers such as Qualcomm, Sempra, Solar, General Dynamics, General Atomics, Northrop Grumman, Callaway Golf, SeaWorld, Cox Communications, Wells Fargo, Jack in the Box, NASSCO, SAIC, AT&T, BAE, SBC, UPS, XYZ, ETC? You know who you are.

Other partners might include city, county, state, and federal governments, colleges and universities, community colleges, school districts, the Postal Service, the zoo, the big hospitals, the Indian casinos, the major shopping centers, Hotel Del Coronado, and the Del Mar Fairgrounds.

Collectively, these entities employ or serve hundreds of thousands of people every day – most driving solo to their destinations. Collectively, these entities spend untold millions of dollars every year on parking facilities and services.

If buses and trains were fare-free, many more people would ride them. And traffic, congestion, pollution, and new freeway construction would be reduced.

Gordon Clanton teaches sociology at San Diego State University. He welcomes comments at gclanton@mail.sdsu.edu

2011-03-09T08:03:00.004+13:00

Pennsylvania city may go fare free

Jessica VanderKolk

- jvanderk@centredaily.com

March 8, 2011 11:30am EST

Future Centre County bus riders may have the option of showing identification instead of fumbling for change each time they board the bus.

CDT/Christopher Weddle: A rider boards a CATA bus along College Avenue.

A state-funded study set to start later this year will analyze the universal access concept, which allows mass transit users to ride without paying a fare at that time.
While the “U-pass” system often targets student populations, the study also will analyze a scenario for broader Centre Area Transportation Authority bus riders.
Penn State Altoona uses the system with the city’s Amtran bus service. Students ride free with their student IDs and riders older than 65 can ride free with a special Amtran ID card.
Greg Kausch, CATA and Centre Region Council of Governments planner, presented the plan for the study to COG’s Transportation and Land Use Committee on Monday, and has done so elsewhere to collect feedback and answer questions.
The study, which Kausch said he expects to begin in late summer or early fall, will last about 20 months. CATA received a $100,000 grant from the Pennsylvania Community Transportation Initiative to pay for it.
L. Eric Bernier, CATA’s service development manager, attended the meeting Monday and said universal access is not new, but the time is right. Kausch added the study works well with Penn State’s Intermodal Transportation Concept, which seeks to make the University Park campus more pedestrian-friendly, with fewer vehicles and better mass transit.
“We hear this referred to as free transit, and it’s certainly not free,” Kausch said.
“It still involves a very large investment in the transit system, and that has to come from somewhere.”
Committee Chairman Jeff Luck, of Patton Township, expressed concern about losing revenue from visitors to the area who ride the bus, though he said he supports the concept.
Luck also raised the issue of losing revenue from the “mini-universal access” system already in place between CATA and apartment complexes, which pay CATA for bus passes, then provide them to their mostly-student tenants.
Bernier said CATA receives $1 million in revenue from apartment agreements annually and there are 6,000 to 6,500 bedrooms under contract, typically with one person in each.
“That’s probably held back efforts to universal access,” he said. “I can’t imagine any scenario where that would go away and the municipalities would pick it up.”
Kausch said students have questioned whether university fees would increase to pay for a universal access plan. While other university communities have done that, the funding question is “tricky” and the study will analyze options, he said.
“The majority of ‘fare-free’ systems in the U.S. do utilize some sort of enhanced funding from a local university, whether that comes from student fees or some other source,” he said. “Others employ a transportation-dedicated sales tax.”
Penn State Altoona spokeswoman Shari Routch said the program with Amtran, about a decade old, is funded in part through the bus company, the campus and the student activities fee.
“I do know ridership has increased every year that the program has been in place,” she said, noting recent increased course offerings in downtown Altoona. “The students have really embraced the concept of taking the bus from one campus to another.”
The local study also will consider how the system could benefit CATA.
“Moving into the more abstract, universal access would result in increased operational efficiency and decreased fare collection costs,” Kausch said. “Some of these savings could be put back into operating service.” --CentreDaily

2011-03-02T16:40:00.003+13:00

Billionaire oilmen secretly fund the climate-change denial machine

- Greenpeace USA

Koch Industries: Secretly Funding the Climate Denial Machine | Greenpeace USA: "Explore Koch's Web of Dirty Money and Influence
Billionaire oilman David Koch likes to joke that Koch Industries is 'the biggest company you've never heard of.' But the nearly $50 million that David Koch and his brother Charles have quietly funneled to climate-denial front groups that are working to delay policies and regulations aimed at stopping global warming is no joking matter."

2011-02-24T18:08:00.004+13:00

TRAFFIC AIR POLLUTION DANGER TO HEART

Traffic: Analysis shows 7.4 per cent of heart attacks were down to air pollution

AIR pollution causes more heart attacks than alcohol, drugs or physical exertion, according to a new study.

Despite the popular belief that eating and drinking are the worst triggers, travelling by car or bus are greater culprits.

Analysis shows 7.4 per cent of heart attacks were down to air pollution.

This was higher than the 6.2 per cent caused by physical exertion and the five per cent caused by both alcohol and coffee.

The study, published in The Lancet, shows that air pollution triggers more heart attacks than even anger and lung infections.

The authors say their findings are important as many people are not aware pollution plays a role in heart attacks.

The research was led by Dr Tim Nawrot from Hasselt University, Belgium.

He said that, of the “triggers” studied, taking cocaine was most likely to cause a heart attack in an individual – but traffic affected more of the population as many more people are exposed to it than take the drug.

Express.co.uk 23/02/2011

2011-02-22T18:53:00.000+13:00

Starving people to feed cars

Food Prices: Crisis Deepens as Biofuels Consume More Crops - Yahoo! News:

"In America, 40% of the corn crop is currently diverted to make fuel for cars. 'Ethanol uses 4.9 billion bushels of corn in the U.S.,' says Lester Brown, president of the Earth Policy Institute, an environmental think tank. 'That's enough grain to feed 350 million people.'"

Click on subheading to read the rest of this article. Ed

2011-02-21T18:28:00.002+13:00

CARnivores

2011-02-21T16:40:00.002+13:00

Wifi on public transport if Labor elected

21 Feb 11. Sydney, Australia.

WIFI will be free for commuters if the Labor Party is re-elected next month.

It will be available on a bus, ferry or train for commuters to check their emails, read the news or do their banking.

The free wifi will be installed by the end of 2011 on all metrobuses and Sydney Ferries, with the rest of the bus fleet and CityRail trains to follow.

The Government has also announced that by the end of this month, all Sydney Buses commuters will be able to send a text message and receive up-to-the-minute information about when their next bus will arrive.

If is re-elected, the Labor Party will extend the next bus SMS service to every bus in the metropolitan network, including private operators.

What a great idea! Yes, there needs to be an all-out effort to make public transport user-friendly and attract the bulk of commuters - including:

free Wifi connections,
space for wheel chairs, push chairs, shopping & even bikes
comfortable seating
on-board 'ambassadors' to offer directions, assistance & to deter anti-social behaviour,
priority lanes & traffic signals for buses
more bike & walking facilities
easy transfers & links
colour coded routes & vehicles
very frequent services
24 hour operation
passenger shelters that actually protect people from the elements
modern no-emission buses & electric trains & trams & ferries

.... the list goes on - but the central ingredient to really get commuters onto decent public transport & slash car-dependency, pollution & oil consumption big time: make it free to use and frequent with easy access - no waiting, no tickets, no money handling, no cash box robberies, no parking woes, no traffic gridlock, reduce road accidents & resulting medical treatment... modern, civilised stress-free mobility for people.

FareFreeNZ Editor

2011-02-21T14:19:00.000+13:00

Greenhouse emissions to double unless action taken

Greenhouse emissions to double unless action taken: "GREENHOUSE gas emissions are escalating so rapidly they will double between 2005 and 2030 if nothing is done to stem their growth."

theage.com.au
12 Feb 2011

2011-02-18T08:15:00.001+13:00

Humans flirting with point of no return for biosphere

In 5 years the Amazon has experienced 2 extremely severe droughts. (Earth Week)

Living on Earth: Amazon Forest as a Source of Carbon Dioxide: "In recent years there's been a distinct lack of rain in the Amazon rainforest. 'The drought of the century' is what they called the first in 2005, but the second, just 5 years later, was even worse. The forest is drying and the trees are dying, destroying the vast region's ability to absorb carbon from the atmosphere. University of Leeds researcher Oliver Phillips says instead of acting as a carbon sink, the Amazon forest is becoming a huge source of climate changing gases."

2011-02-15T15:43:00.002+13:00

Let's get free

Combating climate change and peak oil with free public transport

We are standing at a crossroad: in order to reduce our oil dependency and to make our cities climate smart, we have to change our ways of getting around. It is a fact that the future is on track, and with free public transport everyone can come along for the ride.

So far, the local transport sector has been sadly neglected in the climate debate. Even though the inflation in car traffic is one of our biggest sources of greenhouse gas emissions and unnecessary oil use, few cities have any serious plans to radically decrease their car traffic.

With just a marginal tax-raise (in Stockholm, capital of Sweden, all commuters who earns less than 5000 Euros a month would benefit from this), the public transport system could be made free at the point of entry. This would lead to a decline in car-traffic and a surge in the demand for public transportation, which in turn would stimulate a much needed capacity and comfort increase in the public transport system.

In cities where a free system has been introduced, such as Hasselt in Belgium, Ockelbo in Sweden and Changning in China, there has been an extraordinarily increase in passengers as well as a large decrease in car-traffic – rendering some investments in new roads unnecessary. With the car industry crisis in mind – an expansion of the public transport system would also be beneficial because it would create green jobs in a manufacturing industry with a future.

As Irwin Kellner, chief economist at MarketWatch, puts it: the introduction of free public transport in the cities of America would be a win-win solution!

For more information, please read our report Travel doesn't have to cost the earth.

From Free Public Transport [Sweden] Feb 2011

References:

MarketWatch – Mass-transit systems taking wrong turn http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/Mass-transit-systems-taking-wrong/story.aspx?guid={7D3B4CEB-8C3A-4D5F-83FD-D26CA33FA5F9}

Kheel-Komanoff — A Transition to Free Transit http://www.nnyn.org/kheelplan/kheel_komanoff_plan.html

Externalities by Automobiles and Fare-Free Transit in Germany — A Paradigm Shift?

2011-02-15T09:51:00.001+13:00

Free bus initiative: the solution to Redland transport problems?

By Laura_Local | Sunday, January 09, 2011, Redland People

We recently looked at parking problems in Redland and I hinted at a potential solution in improved public transport. I then stumbled across a link to theFree Bus initiative on the Sustainable Redland website - something which could transform public transport in Bristol.

Free Bus

Basically, it is a non-profit organisation which asks those who can to become members or donate but which aims to provide free travel for all. The scheme looks set to start with one simple route around the centre from Temple Meads to Broadmead and the Hippodrome but if this goes well, will expand to include more routes further afield to places like Redland.

A spokesman for Free Bus said: "Bristol City Council subsidises the bus network for £4.7 million per year, whilst entirely free public transport in Hasselt, Belgium, costs £4.2 million per year. The cost of a fully loaded short-hop bus journey is 23p per passenger."

When you think about the £2 or £3 fares you currently pay for a bus journey in the city and the profits they must be making you wonder why we haven't aleady pursued this Free Bus initiative.

Free Bus is very open with it's running costs on its website and says it needs £25,000 to be able to run the initial route for six months. It is already collecting pledges from potential members and hopes to be up and running in April.

We've been held t ransom for too long by the First Group, be it on the buses or the trains. They appear to be able to charge whatever they want for a sub standard service so it was with great excitement that I read about this initiative which has the potential to change the face of public transport in Bristol for the better.

And once we have decent, affordable (in this instance free) public transport there is no reason to sit in rush hour traffic in your car, wasting petrol and polluting the air. You can simply join others on the Free Bus whizzing to town in the bus lane.

Of course, better still - put your best foot forward and walk or hop on your bike but that comes with its own risks!

Good, cheap transit reduces traffic congestion

2011-02-15T09:42:00.002+13:00

Good, cheap transit reduces traffic congestion

On January 10, 2011, by Howie

Why isn’t transit free? After all, roads are completely free for everyone to use, yet most paved surface space is dedicated to private car usage. Since cars take up more space and are far more polluting than public transit, doesn’t it make sense to charge drivers more and transit users less?
A city in Europe has proved that not only can free public transit work, it can do great things for a city and even reduce traffic and congestion.

There are several benefits to providing free public transit. In 1997 the town of Hasselt, Belgium eliminated all fares to its bus system, immediately increasing passenger growth by 428% and, by 2006, an astounding 1300%. What else happened?

Hasselt saved an enormous amount of money by not having to build extra roads and parking spaces
the safety of transit operators improved since they no longer had to deal with irate passengers over fare payments
increased accessibility attracted the development of more businesses, resulting in the city lowering its taxes!
Hasselt now experiences nearly zero traffic congestion

The idea of providing at least some transit free-of charge is not new. In fact, public transit in the downtown section of the notoriously socialist city of Calgary is provided free-of-charge.
Rethinking the Issue
In Toronto, $980 million of the transit system’s $1.4 billion budget comes from the farebox. That means that even though their taxes have already paid for it, Toronto transit riders still have to pay 70% of the total cost of running Canada’s largest transit system.
Imagine the uproar if drivers had to pay 70% of road maintenance costs each day before they left their driveway?
It’s a difficult conversation to have. But experience shows that making transit better and more affordable is the only way to reduce congestion.

2011-02-08T08:12:00.004+13:00

Free Bus Ride For UNO Students

University of Nebraska at Omaha students will be offered a free bus ride. The idea is to help fight overcrowding in the schools' parking lots.

Posted: 10:43 AM Feb 7, 2011
Reporter: WOWT
Email Address: sixonline@wowt.com

Free public transport for tertiary students would be a good step towards cutting traffic congestion and parking problems in the cities here in New Zealand...and, who knows? - there's a chance the concept may catch on. Editor, FarefreeNZ.

Fare-free weekend buses in Tasmania

2011-02-03T18:42:00.004+13:00

Tasmanian transport minister launches fare-free weekend bus services to "reduce traffic & parking congestion" and to "encourage people to use public transport" for "enormous long-term environmental and road safety benefits for the community." GREAT! ....but aren't these valid and compelling reasons to make it free everyday?

Editor, FareFreeNZ

Fare Free Weekend on the Buses

Metro is offering free travel on its buses on the weekend commencing February 12.

Launching Metro’s “Have a Weekend on us” campaign today, the Minister for Sustainable Transport and Alternative Energy, Nick McKim, said the fare free weekend aimed to encourage more people to use public transport.

Mr McKim said by offering a weekend of free travel on regular services and routes, Metro was giving Tasmanians a chance to experience bus travel.

He said the free service would also reduce traffic and parking congestion on what was one of the busiest weekends of the year.

“This particular weekend is packed with major events and travelling on Metro buses provides a safe, convenient and enjoyable alternative to taking your own car,” Mr McKim said.

Events over the weekend include Festivale in Launceston, the Hobart Regatta, Hobart Cup, the Wooden Boat Festival and a Sheffield Shield cricket match at Bellerive Oval.

Metro Chief Executive Officer Heather Haselgrove said the “Have a Weekend on Us” campaign sought to encourage people who did not generally ride on buses to consider switching to Metro for future travel.

“Our aim is to increase public transport patronage in Tasmania and the fare free weekend gives people, especially those who haven’t ridden a bus in many years, the opportunity to see what it is like,” Ms Haselgrove said.

“We’re encouraging people to use buses not just to go to and from major events on this weekend, but to use regular services between other destinations – to see family and friends, go to the beach, go to shopping centres and so on.

“We believe that by showing people how easy and convenient it is, they will be more likely to see buses as a sensible alternative for daily commuting.”

Mr McKim said increasing the use of public transport had enormous long-term environmental and road safety benefits for the community and in the long-run would save people money.

The availability of the free fare services varies from region to region. In Hobart where there is a public holiday on Monday 14 February, it includes Saturday, Sunday and Monday; in Launceston the free services operate Saturday and Sunday and in Burnie the free services will run on Saturday.

For people attending Festivale on the evening of Friday 11 February, there will be free bus services on major routes from City Park (Cimitiere St before Tamar St) from 11.05pm to get people home from the event.

Tasmanian government media release: 3 February 2011
Nick McKim MP
Minister for Sustainable Transport & Alternative Energy.

Campaign to Save the Auckland to Northland Rail Line

2011-02-03T13:11:00.003+13:00

Please forward this message, from Save the Auckland to Northland Rail Line campaign, on to others who may be concerned. FareFreeNZ Editor

Kia ora !
To join a broad network of people working to save Northland's railways, to offer your skills, knowledge or time, or just to be kept informed of what's happening, please send an e-mail to : thewayforward2011@gmail.com
and sign up to Save the Auckland to Northland Rail Line ( on Facebook )

To learn more,go to the web-site : https://sites.google.com/site/thewayforward2011/
and read the Local Matters Newspaper article : Railway campaigners mobilise to save northern line (2nd February, 2011)
If you know someone who's likely to want to get involved but who doesn't use the internet, please give them my number.
Our input into this will be crucial in deciding the best way forward for Northland's future.

Thanks !
Contact: Alan Preston ( a campaign co-ordinator )
Mangawhai Village, Northland , New Zealand
tel: (09) 431 5389
mob/txt: 02102377242
thewayforward2011@gmail.com
https://sites.google.com/site/thewayforward2011/

2011-02-02T14:04:00.002+13:00

A new fare-free service announced for South West Sydney - a great start! ...but to have a real impact on combatting traffic gridlock, this needs to be expanded to cover the whole city at all hours.

Free Shuttle Buses in Liverpool City Centre

by StreetCorner Staff
02/02/2011

The State Government will be operating free daily shuttle services in Liverpool City Centre as of Monday 31 January 2011.

The new buses will be provided in line with the NSW Government’s $50.2 billion Metropolitan Transport Plan and signifies a $1 million investment in free public transport, on top of more than $3.4 million already invested in free shuttle buses in Sydney and Wollongong.

Coloured a distinctive green in order to make them easily identifiable, the new buses provide families and shoppers with more public transport links between key destinations such as train stations, shopping centres, hospitals and other community hubs. Each bus is air conditioned and low to the floor – providing easy to use public transport for parents with prams, the elderly and people with disabilities.

The free ‘999’ Liverpool Shuttle will make travel around the Liverpool city centre faster and simpler, and will run as a continuous one way loop connecting locations including Liverpool Station, Liverpool Hospital, Liverpool CBD Library, medical centres, Westfield and the post office.

Services will operate during the following times:

+ Monday to Friday between 9am and 2.30pm, every 20 minutes.

+ Saturday and Sunday between 9am to 5.45pm, every 20 minutes.

While the free bus service is considered a positive step in improving transport options available in Liverpool, the bus operates outside of peak hours and as such does not serve the needs of commuters and school children and is mainly targeted at shoppers.

Abridged

Oregon city buses go fare-free

2011-02-02T08:16:00.003+13:00

Corvallis public transportation goes fareless

Rides will be free on Feb. 1 as new taxpayer transit operation fee covers the cost of Corvallis Transit System, Beaver Bus

Colin Bowyer 2/1/11

On Feb. 1, users of the Corvallis Transit System and the Beaver Bus will no longer have to pay a fare.

The Corvallis Public Works Department announced earlier this month that because of a reallocation of taxpayer funds to the new Transit Operations Fee, voted on by the City Council, passengers will be able to ride for free.

Originally, the city's general fund, from property taxes, provided for transit costs. Now with the Transit Operations Fee in place, that money from the general fund can be put toward the library, parks and other social services, according to Transit Coordinator Tim Bates.

Unfortunately, the Philomath Connection, Linn-Benton Loop and the 99 Express will still charge a fee because they are not owned and operated under the City of Corvallis.

Because the Beaver Bus is 30 percent funded by the City of Corvallis and 70 percent funded by the students, that will also be free of charge.

The Corvallis Transit System services an average of 2,280 people a day and stretches out to a majority of the Corvallis neighborhoods and the Hewlett-Packard facility on the North side of town.

Bates is optimistic about the change.

"I hope that it gets new riders on the busses," Bates said. "I would hope that people that ride it now will continue to ride it and bring in more people who don't ride it now."

Additionally, CTS riders with monthly passes containing an expiration date past Jan. 31 will be refunded their money.

Canada political candidate advocates removing fares from public transport

2011-02-01T19:30:00.022+13:00

Larsen as premier would let you ride transit for free

By Ian Austin, The Province January 31, 2011

Photograph by: Glenn Baglo, PNG

Dana Larsen wants you to ride the SkyTrain for free.
Larsen, who’s running for the leadership of the New Democratic Party, floated the free-ride concept Monday, comparing the SkyTrain line to the highway system.
“As premier, I would designate the SkyTrain as part of B.C.’s highway system, and then get rid of fares for users,” said Larsen. “We don’t charge a tariff to use the road, and we shouldn’t charge a tariff to use the SkyTrain.”
While cutting fares for SkyTrain would put a giant hole in the transit budget – 2010 TransLink estimates for SkyTrain fares collected are $155 million - Larsen maintains it’s similar to the subsidy now enjoyed by drivers.
“BC spends hundreds of millions of dollars subsidizing a free road system for car drivers, meanwhile SkyTrain has a fare, and a lot of that money is spent on the fare-collection system,” said Larsen.
“Why should we selectively subsidize car travel, but not SkyTrain?
“We don’t have a toll on our roads – why should we have a toll on the SkyTrain?”
Larsen credits, in part, the research of environmental consultant Dave Olsen, who has studied free transit services as far away as Hasselt, Belgium and as close as Whidbey Island, just south of the border in Washington state.
“We’re paying people to drive, but we’re not paying them people to take transit,” said Olsen, who has a masters in environmental studies from York University. “A simple way is to make transit fare-free.”
Olsen said transit police on SkyTrain cost $13 million per year, and the government is spending millions to install barriers at SkyTrain stations and on advertising campaigns to get people to take transit.
“Instead, they can just stop charging fares,” said Olsen. “In Hasselt, transit ridership went up 1200 per cent when they made it fare-free.”
While Larsen is considered a long shot to become NDP leader – let alone premier – he’s happy that his idea has started a fresh debate on fares.
“I see a lot of discussion on the Internet – people are Tweeting about it,” he said.
“People are really interested in this.”
iaustin@theprovince.com
twitter.com/ianaustin7

2011-02-01T07:49:00.001+13:00

'Make ALL public transport frequent & free' say Aussie candidates

** MEDIA RELEASE **

Monday January 31, 2011 - Local state election candidates for the Socialist Alliance have welcomed the news that passenger numbers on the free CBD shuttle bus are increasing. They have repeated calls to expand the shuttle service to other areas in NSW and to make all public transport frequent and free.

Paola Harvey, Socialist Alliance candidate for Keira, said: 'The news that nearly 5 million passengers have used the free shuttle service really vindicates our position that if you make public transport frequent and free, people will make the switch. The CBD shuttle initiative has been a wonderful departure from Labor's decades long neglect of our public transport system, particularly our rail.

'Dramatically improving public transport would give people the option of leaving the car at home. It's a socially just response to the chronic problems of traffic congestion, lack of parking and lack of mobility faced by poorer sections of the community. It would also reduce greenhouse-gas emissions from the transport sector, which contribute roughly 14% of Australia's total emissions', Harvey said.

Jess Moore, long-time public transport campaigner and Socialist Alliance candidate for the Legislative Council, said: 'We campaigned for frequent and free public transport during the 2007 NSW election campaign. Given the social and environmental benefits of public transport use, all public transport in NSW should be made frequent and free.

'In the Begian city of Hasselt, within a year of introducing free and frequent public transport, patronage increased by 870%. And their government found they saved money overall, given subsequent savings on health, road maintenance and construction, and also on ticketing.

'We stand for publicly owned public transport, not public handouts to private companies. The current Wollongong CBD shuttle service is publicly funded but privately run. This reduces the number of public sector jobs, and needlessly complicates planning, especially across an entire state.

'Any income generated from the public transport system should immediately be directed back into the system, not into private pockets.' Moore concluded.

2011-01-30T10:17:00.001+13:00

Is climate science disinformation a crime against humanity?

Donald Brown | Environment | guardian.co.uk

Is climate science disinformation a crime against humanity? | Donald Brown | Environment | guardian.co.uk:

"Although there is an important role for scepticism in science, for almost 30 years some corporations have supported a disinformation campaign about climate change science.

While it may be reasonable to be somewhat sceptical about climate change models, these untruths are not based upon reasonable scepticism but outright falsification and distortions of climate change science

"Buses should be free to ride"

2011-01-26T08:26:00.000+13:00

Public buses should be free to ride, said a representative at the Sichuan Provincial People's Congress yesterday.

"Implementing free public buses within the city will reduce basic operation costs," said representative Zhai Feng. Zhai argued that free city buses would reduce traffic congestion as well as air and noise pollution. Currently, says Zhai, bus trips account for only 20 percent of trips made in Chengdu.

Zhai suggested a step-by-step implementation of a free-bus scheme, starting with central and commercial areas as well as schools and workplaces. The system would be paid for by government funding, corporate sponsors, and advertising.

If the Aussies can do it...

2011-01-24T17:41:00.002+13:00

Free buses for Liverpool, Campbelltown & Gosford residents

NSW Premier Kristina Keneally

by StreetCorner
24/01/2011

New South Wales Premier Kristina Keneally today announced free new air conditioned shuttle services that will begin operating next Monday (January 31) in Campbelltown, Liverpool and Gosford.

The bright green shuttle buses are a $1 million investment in easy to use public transport for local families, and will provide services for up to 24,500 people a week.

This is a direct investment by Labor in public transport for western Sydney – in stark contrast to the Liberal Party who on Friday night pledged to slash $7 billion and two western Sydney transport projects – the Western Express and the Parramatta to Epping Rail link.

“These new buses will help families in western Sydney and the Central Coast who are feeling the pressure of the cost of living,” Ms Keneally said.

“Today’s announcement is a solid demonstration of Labor’s commitment to improving public transport for families in western Sydney and the Central Coast.”

The new shuttles will provide free transport links between key commuter destinations – including hospitals, transport hubs and shopping centres.

In total, three new buses will provide 400 extra ‘loop services’ per week. They will operate as often as every 20 minutes per day between around:

• 9:00am and 2:30pm on weekdays, and

• 9:00am and 5:30pm on Saturdays and Sundays.

Each bus is air-conditioned and low to the floor – providing easy to use public transport for parents with prams, the elderly and people with disabilities.

The new buses are a significant expansion of the free shuttles already operating in Sydney and Wollongong – which have provided eight million people with free transport since 2008.

The bright green shuttle buses are in line with the NSW Government’s $50.2 billion Metropolitan Transport Plan, announced by the Premier in February 2010.

Under the Metropolitan Transport Plan, the NSW Government will grow the bus fleet by 1000 buses by 2020, providing better transport between people’s homes and workplaces.

Ms Keneally made the announcement today with Minister for Transport, John Robertson, Member for Liverpool, Paul Lynch, and Member for Wollondilly, Phil Costa.

“These new, free buses are a big win for local commuters – providing better public transport between train stations, shopping centres, hospitals and key locations,” Ms Keneally said.

“This is a fantastic initiative that will deliver significant benefits for local residents, local businesses and local communities in western Sydney and the Central Coast. "

2011-01-18T18:13:00.001+13:00

Make public transit free first. Then it will be obvious where to put the rail.

Below is an excerpt from an article by an urbanist who knows what he is talking about. Capital-intensive rail projects require density. Subways are excellent in dense areas, but the purpose of some subways is simply to reduce the pain of the auto-system and keep it viable. As long as the auto-system is heavily subsidized, no proper planning is possible. First... GET RID OF THE PRIVATE AUTO. Make public transit free. Use buses first, then light rail and streetcars as indicated. When the city is revived, the development patterns will change and it will become obvious where to put the rail.

Why Private Transit is Destined to Fail | The Mark: "...The critical factor in transit provision is density. High-density areas can support high volume transit like subways. As the density is reduced, the supportable form of transit changes from subways to streetcars to buses to minibuses to jitneys. Putting the wrong vehicle in an area is an invitation to requiring operating subsidies, or to inadequate service that will lead to declining ridership...."

2011-01-18T13:53:00.002+13:00

A Modest Proposal To Instigate A Totally Fare-Free Transport System
Throughout The United Kingdom

Some Necessary Preamble

In 1968, the actress Anita Harris recorded an Andrew McMaster song called We're Going On A Tuppenny Bus Ride. Having grown up during the Swinging Sixties, I can remember going on a tuppenny bus ride. That is 2d in old money; the adult fare was 3d. At that time there were twelve pennies to a shilling, and two shillings – two bob or a florin – became tenpence in modern money. Ten new pence it was called then.

My second job after leaving school was working for what was then the London Transport Executive. Round about late 1975 I had a discussion with a fellow workmate at the White City depot where I was then based regarding free travel, which was probably the major perk of the job. As anyone who knows me will tell you – especially my solicitor - I have never been slow to claim a free lunch, but by the same token, I have always thought sauce for the goose, sauce for the gander, so it seemed to me only fair that other people should free travel too.

Of course, we would all like free travel, and free everything else, but the stumbling block is that in practice free usually means “free to us”, and that somebody else has to pay. Socialism promises free this, free that, but in order to provide these free goods and/or services, somebody else has his pocket picked, usually the taxpayer. Mostly it turns out that far from being provided with a free service, free this, free that, we are actually paying for it through our taxes, and that if the same service were provided commercially, it would cost us less.

There are though, exceptions. While most of my Libertarian friends believe the whole state should be sold off, there are some services which can only be provided by the state – in my humble opinion. For example, although we can and do have private security services, investigators, etc, most people agree that the police should be employed by the state, the Crown, the local authority or whatever, and that there should be some mechanism of public accountability, including to Parliament. Similarly, many people view private prisons as unethical, and the state – in its role as servant of the community – can and perhaps should provide various other services.

At various times and places – including in contemporary Britain – the state, either through central government or local authorities, provides subsidies to services for the public good. The state has at times subsidised basic foodstuffs. Although subsidies are always viewed by Libertarians as picking the pocket of the taxpayer in order to appease or bribe special interest groups, there is an up side. Subsidies can lead to economies of scale, so the goods or services in question can be provided more cheaply, or at a price that would be uneconomical for most of the consumers concerned.

Up until the Thatcher era, public transport in Britain was exactly that, ie it was publicly owned. Most of Britain’s railways were nationalised in 1948; having begun their existence as private companies with shareholders, as the network grew and with competition from the newfangled motor car, it simply became impossible for the majority of rail services to be run commercially.

Now, one would imagine that if the network is publicly owned, ie by the people, then the people have the right to travel on it for free. One may imagine that, but that never was the case. The term “public ownership” or declensions thereof is something of a misnomer; although the rail network was heavily subsidised, it was run in effect as a private company. Beware, anyone caught travelling without a ticket. (1)

Returning to White City, although I had originally voiced the free travel proposal while working in a signal cabin at Baker Street, it was met here with stiff opposition, namely that it would be too bureaucratic. I beg to differ. Now, with privitisation, we have not even the pretext that public transport is either public or for the public good. The train services have been sold off as franchises, and on top of that, they are subsidised. In other words, the taxpayer has the worst of both worlds. On the one hand he is subsidising the traveller, who is still paying through the nose. On the other hand, he is also paying the parasites who run these companies. Why should the non-travelling taxpayer subsidise both groups for no return at all? There are two ethical solutions. Either he subsidises nothing, and the traveller pays the full whack. Or he subsidises the lot, and in return he is granted fare-free, unlimited travel within the UK.

If there were no subsidies at all, there would be no trains, or at best far, far fewer trains running on far, far fewer lines, and the fares would be astronomical. But what if there were no fares at all? In October 2000, I sent a letter to then Mayor of London Ken Livingstone – which was ignored – in which I proposed a fare-free public transport system for Greater London. My letter included some mathematics which I had dug out from official figures. The following calculations, for this much grander scheme – a totally fare-free rail service for the entire UK – are based on figures provided by Paul Withrington of Transport-Watch in an E-Mail of November 7, 2010.

The Basic Mathematics

Mr Withrington advises these figures be applied with caution: “Recommend that whatever you do with the numbers you cite the sources and provide definition rather than a blanket statement like the cost of running the railways.”

With that caveat, here goes:

Gross Passenger revenue £6,179 million

Government support £5,213 million

Total: c£11.4 billion

This includes capital for new projects. “Then of course, the Train Operating Companies pay dividends out of fares and there is repayment of loans totalling circa £22 billion. I am uncertain as to whether the interest on that is included in the above.”

According to the Office For National Statistics, the total UK population for mid-2009 was a shade under 62 million.

Putting these two figures together, ie total cost of running the railways and total UK population, gives us the following: 11.4 billion divided by 62 million = 1900. Ie, if the traffic were the same, the cost of running a fare-free railway system would be £1900 per person, per annum. Not per taxpayer, per person.

I must stress that there are a few rail networks that are not covered by this calculation, eg the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway, but these are railway lines that are run by and for (steam) enthusiasts rather than for people who simply want to get from A to B.

Now, with no increase in passenger traffic (yes, there would be, but I’ll come to that shortly), with no increase, the actual cost or running the UK fare-free service would be greatly reduced.

With no paid passengers there would be no need for the following: booking office clerks, ticket collectors, ticket inspectors, auditors, etc. Sack ’em all!

Ticket machines and associated costs - the railways would need much less security.

Prosecutions for fraudulent travel - how much would this save in police and court time, fines, and the occasional prison sentence?

Dividends, interest payments - nothing of this nature.

In short, the entire fare side of the expenses equation would be eliminated. Now, the two principal objections.

The Pseudo-Moral Objection

This is the first objection I have received from Libertarians. It goes something like this: there is no such thing as a free lunch, or if there is, there shouldn’t be. What this really means is that other people shouldn’t have a free lunch. One critic said that he was quite happy for other people to pay extortionate fares, even if a relatively modest sum were to come out of the public coffers in order to finance these proposals. As I said earlier, if you are a taxpayer, you are already financing the rail network, whether you like it or not. If nothing else it is far more moral to finance out of the public purse a system that can be used (in theory) by everyone, rather than to put money in the pockets of parasites, ie the current owners.

The Tragedy Of The Commons

This is the main, indeed the only real, objection, on the face of it, but on closer inspection, it turns out to be not so. For the benefit of readers who do not have a scientific background (2) [which does not include economics!], consider the following. Your local supermarket announces that as of next Monday morning, it will be giving away cans of baked beans for the entire week. Bring a shopping bag and help yourself to as much as you can carry. No limit. Does anyone doubt that it would be “sold out” by Monday afternoon?

The major objection to a fare-free transport system is that suddenly, everyone would travel by train everywhere, and the system would grind to a halt. Not so! Appealing though it is to my detractors, the tragedy of the commons does not apply, for the simple reason that the population of the UK is limited – around 62 million in mid-2009, remember? - while the demand on cans of baked beans from your local supermarket is not. In fact, London does offer free outward bound travel in the small hours of New Years Day, and in spite of the crowds in Trafalgar Square, everybody seems to get home. (See also below re Hasselt).

What we see here is not the tragedy of the commons, but the free rider syndrome, that wonderful phenomenon which everyone hates – unless it applies to themselves. Let us take an analogy that everyone reading this will understand. A large number of Internet companies offer free rides to literally everybody. You can have a free E-mail address, free webspace, free social networking account (FaceBook, MySpace, YouTube), etc. Yes, absolutely free, in fact you probably have. Of course, most of these free services are more limited than premium services, but at the time of writing, Yahoo! (for example) allows you to send as many E-Mails as any reasonable person could desire, and attachments up to 25Mb.

Of course, if you do want a premium service, you can sign up and pay. That way you will be able to store bigger files on your website, have more traffic, and so on, but at the end of the day, countless millions of people worldwide have free accounts and manage with them entirely. FaceBook has over half a billion account holders, one company.

Do people who pay for their accounts with Yahoo! complain about the free riders?

Allowing free accounts also benefits these companies. Undoubtedly there is a certain amount of idealism attached to the freebies, but certainly none of them would offer free services if to do so were to their detriment.

With a fare-free transport system, free riders are a positive benefit, because the cost of actually running the trains (on a passenger-per-mile basis) plummets dramatically. If it costs say £1,000 to run a particular train which carries one passenger, how much does it cost to run the same train with 500 passengers? A bit more than £1,000 but nothing like 500 times as much.

More Costings, And Benefits Galore

On New Years Eve, I was informed that the cost of my off-peak travel card was rising from £6.30 to £7.30. On January 2, the 5.45pm BBC news programme reported an increase of more than 6%, some more than 12%. A number of people were interviewed on the programme.

One man, who travelled from Tonbridge to London saw the price of his season ticket rise £350. Another regular passenger, from Canterbury to London, was set to pay an extra £488. Another, Gloucester to Birmingham, £268 more. And a Welsh traveller, Cardiff to Bridge End, an extra £72.

Now, let us imagine that with the fare-free network, everyone jumps aboard. Let us imagine too the traffic quadruples. Obviously more rolling stock would be needed, and more train operating staff, maintenance staff, etc, but nothing like four times the staff, and the extra wages would very likely be covered by the redundancies of the revenue side staff. But let us imagine that the cost of running the network were to treble, to around £5700 per citizen. That sounds a lot, but it is not such a lot to the man who is paying £488 extra for his season ticket. And how about the motorist who leaves his car at home?

Think of all the other benefits too. Cleaner air by dint of less traffic on the roads, and far fewer accidents. Fewer police tied up with chasing motorists, and therefore available for more pressing matters. The country would require much, much less crude oil and petrol. It would be possible, even desirable, to scrap much of the UK’s internal air traffic.

The unemployed would be truly liberated. Instead of getting on their bikes, they could get on the train instead. With a fare-free transport system, not only would mobility increase, but people would be willing to work for less, which in turn would stimulate the real economy. And so on. Indeed, society would become totally restructured. I haven’t mentioned here the possibility of a fare-free bus system within major towns and cities. In the 1980s, the City of Sheffield introduced a heavily subsidised bus service. There was even a fare-free bus that operated in the city centre. This did not lead to Sheffield becoming overwhelmed with subsidised and free riders, but it did greatly increase the mobility of its citizens, and have a beneficial effect on the transport system generally. There have been similar fare-free public transport systems here and there, including in the Belgian city of Hasselt. Which begs the question, if it works in Hasselt, why can’t it work everywhere?

How Can We Not Afford A Fare-Free Public Transport System?

There is another, extremely important reason we should introduce a fare-free transport system; the world is running out of oil. This has led governments and oil companies to take desperate measures, such as drilling in eleven thousand feet of water. The recent Gulf oil disaster was an accident waiting to happen. The loss of life aboard the Deepwater Horizon oil rig and the damage caused to the American Gulf States may be the tip of the iceberg if, as some scientists claim, the Gulf Stream has been affected, or if the seabed itself has been fractured. As I write these words, it has been announced that the lunatics responsible for this eco-holocaust, BP, have signed an agreement with the government of Russia to inflict similar damage to the Arctic. We should all heed the words of Professor Bartlett before it is too late. (3) And it may already be too late.

How Would The System Be Subsidised Initially?

Last year, the Bank Of England created some two hundred million pounds of new money by a mysterious new process known as quantitative easing. At one time, this was called printing money or inflating the currency, but quantitative easing sounds so much more alluring. What has happened to this new money? Obviously it has not gone into the pockets of consumers or been used to finance entrepreneurs, because there is a massive shortage of money in this so-called recession. Except for bankers, of course. The short answer is that this newly created money has literally been given to the banks who will lend it to “investors”, ie sell government bonds, and then pay interest on them. Did anyone ever hear of such lunacy? They create money, give it to the banks, and then we all end up paying interest on it. If instead the government, or more appropriately the Crown, were to create this money and spend it into circulation, by creating new infrastructure – perhaps on upgrading rail lines, ordering new trains, and constructing new power stations, wind and wave powered in particular – and at the same time using it to subsidise the rail network totally, this would greatly increase the wealth of the community, and lift hundreds of thousands of people out of poverty.

An alternative way of subsidising the system would be to withdraw all our troops from both Iraq and Afghanistan; perhaps a few of them could be used to police the system, travelling up and down in plain clothes, just to ensure that Al-Qaeda don't plant any bombs on the new, extended network?

The International Aspect

The introduction of a totally fare-free domestic transport system for the UK would lead to a few anomalies, for example, international travel, especially by train, would not be covered. If the government felt tourists and other overseas visitors should still contribute to their travel within the UK, a small tax could be introduced at ports, but there is no reason this system should not be introduced gradually throughout the world. Certainly high speed train travel within the Continental United States would be preferable to either driving or air travel. And again, the eco-benefits would far outweigh the actual costs.

Conclusion

The first year of such a grand scheme would be both the most expensive and the most challenging, but the novelty of free travel for the sake of it, for the Hell of it, would soon wear off, and passenger traffic would swiftly stabilise, albeit at levels considerably above those we see today. More importantly, once the viability of such a scheme was demonstrated, it would spread to other countries, not necessarily like wildfire, but there is absolutely no reason that smaller countries such as Holland and Belgium could not instigate similar schemes. And the reduction in the consumption of oil would soon become not just significant but staggering. With all these pluses and no minuses (save a few dividend payments for parasites on the public purse), how can we not afford to instigate a fare-free public transport system for the United Kingdom as a first step to providing one for the entire world?

January 15, 2011

To Notes And References

From www.financialreform.info
(UK)

People or cars?

2011-01-09T08:28:00.002+13:00

Are Modern Cities for People or Cars?

The cities of the future might be greener, cleaner and more vibrant if people are put before automobiles. David Biello reports

| June 27, 2010 | 26

Listen to this Podcast

Download MP3

Urban Visions: The Future of Cities What will population centers look like in 20 years' time? Innovations in transportation, energy production and technology will have to keep pace with a host of challenges » June 15, 2010

The stink of exhaust, the mind-numbing tedium of traffic, parking lots blighting central city real estate. The urban sins of the automobile are numerous indeed.

As more people move to cities and gain the economic wherewithal to purchase an automobile, will we be increasingly dependent on cars for our transportation and status symbols?

A new thought experiment on display at the Center for Architecture in New York City offers an alternative vision for the cities of 2030. By that time, more than 60 percent of humanity—five billion people—may live in cities.

The architects recommend careful use of express bus rapid transit—the cheapest public transportation option—and increased capacity for bicyclists and pedestrians. That may help alleviate problems like highways blocking access to waterfront in cityscapes from Ahmedabad to Rio de Janeiro.

For example, in China simply expanding the city of Guangzhou's bus rapid transit system, which already carries 800,000 passengers a day, could help re-create what used to be a vibrant shopping district before an elevated highway shrouded it in gloom.

Some form of the automobile will likely be around in 2030, but that doesn't mean we have to build our cities for its comfort instead of ours.

—David Biello

Reject false climate solutions

2010-12-04T13:43:00.000+13:00

mars 2 earth: greed times infinity: "“Market-based mitigation strategies such as the Clean Development Mechanism, and carbon offsets, including forest offsets and REDD (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation) further threaten our human rights, including our right to free prior and informed consent among many others. Our land and territories, food sovereignty, bio-diversity, cultural practices and traditional life ways are being placed in further jeopardy, and we reject these false solutions.”"

Free transport campaign spreads to Greece

2010-11-25T13:52:00.000+13:00

REPEAL OF EISITIRIOY TOY FOR ALL URBAN: "We propose to have public transport without a ticket, auditors, vendors, etc.
Anyway now we are paying the cost of public transport both through ticketing and through the pre-calculation due to funding deficits. TO OWN IT, and ultimately fairer, more burden on high incomes."

FREE PUBLIC TRANSPORT FOR ALL IN GREECE

Προτείνουμε να έχουμε αστικές συγκοινωνίες ΧΩΡΙΣ ΕΙΣΙΤΗΡΙΟ, ελεγκτές, εκδοτήρια κλπ.
Έτσι κι αλλιώς πληρώνουμε σήμερα το κόστος των ΜΜΜ τόσο μέσω εισιτηρίων όσο και μέσω του προ-υπολογισμού λόγω χρηματοδότησης των ελλειμμάτων τους. TO ΙΔΙΟ ΕΙΝΑΙ, σε τελευταία ανάλυση και δικαιότερο, για επιβαρύνονται περισσότερο τα υψηλά εισοδήματα.

-

More people on buses in fare-free month - Local News - Bay of Plenty Times

2010-11-20T15:34:00.000+13:00

More people on buses in fare-free month - Local News - Bay of Plenty Times: "More than 5000 Tauranga people packed the city's buses on the opening Saturday of a new fare-free promotion being offered this month.

Council planners are awed at the number of people who have taken advantage of the free Saturday Bayhopper service, which aims to bring more people into the city centre."

2010-11-12T11:17:00.000+13:00

Do not worry -- we will continue the struggle

'Fed up' NSW Labor MP quits

Mr Gibson says the party can still win the next election if it focuses on public transport.
"It's up to the Labor Party whether they pursue those ideals," he said.
"I've talked about public transport for probably 20 years. Free public transport: it's nothing new, it's in many cities of the world today, it'd be a winner here."
A colleague of Mr Gibson, Wollongong MP Noreen Hay, says he will be missed.
"I think Paul has been a great contribution here in the parliament," she said.
The former rugby league first grade player had been threatening to stand as an independent if pushed to resign.
The Nationals leader Andrew Stoner wants to know why he is apparently going quietly.

abc.net.au

CEOs for Cities :: The Grocery Loop

2010-10-07T12:45:00.000+13:00

CEOs for Cities :: The Grocery Loop: "Meeting our daily needs without owning a car means being able to walk, bike or take public transportation to get to work, see friends, run errands and even buy groceries. Unfortunately, high quality grocery stores are hard to come by in many urban neighborhoods, forcing even the most reticent among us to get in our cars and drive to the suburbs for fresh fruits and vegetables.

Not so in Providence.

At least not if graphic designer and US Initiative collaborator Lindsay Kinkade gets her way. With a team of graduate students from the Rhode Island School of Design, Lindsay has proposed a creative solution called The Grocery Loop, a food-centric bus route designed for the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority. Stops include not only supermarkets but also farmers' markets and ethnic grocers. A graphic identity for an existing bus and a smart phone app further enhance the riders' experience."

October 1 fare rises wrong for Hutt

2010-09-28T03:15:00.000+13:00

Press Release – Valley Action Network

Public transport fare increases which come into effect on Friday show why Hutt residents should vote to change their council, says grassroots campaign group VAN – Valley Action Network.

October 1 fare rises wrong for Hutt

Media release VAN – Valley Action Network 27 September, 2010

Public transport fare increases which come into effect on Friday show why Hutt residents should vote to change their council, says grassroots campaign group VAN – Valley Action Network.

Fares for trains, buses and ferries are going up by an average of 5.5 percent across the Greater Wellington Region, due to the GST increase and a government Farebox Recovery Policy designed to make passengers pay more.

The cost of some journeys will rise by 100 percent. Popular concessions like the monthly Gold Pass are also being discontinued.

“Passengers in the Wellington region already pay the highest proportion of public transport costs of any city in the country”, commented VAN spokesperson Grant Brookes. “Further increases just can’t be justified.

“Transport is a big issue in Lower Hutt. Over a third of Hutt residents who have jobs commute outside the city to get to work.

“We all know the frustration of sitting in traffic jams, wishing there was an easier way to get around. What’s worse, all these car journeys are pumping out more and more climate-changing greenhouse gases.

“Hutt City Council supports spending over a billion dollars on roads, which will only fuel more of the same. We need a council with real vision to solve these problems.

“We believe Hutt City should join the growing call for free public transport. Not only will it serve the people and help save the planet, it’s also a cheaper alternative for ratepayers.”

VAN – Valley Action Network is standing candidates for Hutt City Council committed to:

* A city for the residents – not for property developers & investors * No water meters, no privatisation – protect river & residents * Build council houses – create jobs, assets & affordable homes * No GST on rates – a tax on a tax is robbery * Council change, not climate change – a future for our kids * Free public transport – it makes climate sense & serves the people

Our full public transport policy is reprinted below.

==========

Free and frequent public transport – it makes climate sense and serves the people

World oil resources are growing increasingly scarce. The reserves that remain are getting harder and riskier to retrieve, leading to disasters like the massive spill in the Gulf of Mexico – a disaster which could be repeated off the North Island’s East Coast if similar deep-water drilling goes ahead there. Meanwhile, transport accounts for 36 percent of Greater Wellington’s climate-changing carbon emissions. VAN believes that free and frequent public transport is needed if we’re going to make efficient use of these limited and increasingly expensive resources, decrease our carbon emissions and reduce congestion on our roads – benefiting everyone. Transport is a big issue in our city. Over a third of Hutt residents who have jobs commute outside the city to get to work. Many more commute for family and social reasons. We’re all-too-familiar with sitting in gridlocked traffic on the Esplanade during rush hour, wishing there was a quicker way to get around. Investing in free and frequent public transport would make buses and trains an attractive option, taking cars off the road. Yet on October 1, instead of decreasing fares, public transport operators will raise fares once again – partly due to pressure from central government. Earlier this year, our council sat silently as other city and regional councils made submissions against transport minister Steven Joyce’s plans to make public transport users pay more for services. The submissions had some effect in watering down this policy. Joyce singled out Hutt Valley train users as a group who should pay more. VAN will stand up to central government against fare increases for Hutt Valley residents. VAN also believes that public transport should be more frequent and reliable. We will advocate for increases in rail services, because trains run largely on renewable energy, and for more frequent feeder buses to train stations. We would advocate for bus lanes which would keep buses running to schedule, and cycle ways that would increase safety and promote this emission-free mode of transport. Another problem at present is that bus companies are privately owned, but get around half of their income from public funds. It makes sense for bus services to be publicly run, because then every dollar spent could go on providing quality public transport. Councils know that free public transport decreases traffic congestion. Many cities overseas have already introduced it. New Zealand cities like Auckland, Christchurch, Palmerston North and Invercargill run some free public transport services. Trains will be free in Wellington on Rugby World Cup quarter final day. Wellington Regional Councillor Paul Bruce has called for free inner-city buses in Wellington on weekends. But at the moment, the main focus locally is on building expensive new roads. Hutt City Council supports spending over a billion dollars on a single new motorway through Transmission Gully. They also want a $76 million Cross Valley Link road and a Grenada-Petone link worth $250 million more, which will destroy the Korokoro Reserve in Belmont Regional Park. Building more roads will encourage residents into cars in the short term, burning more fossil fuels and increasing carbon emissions and traffic jams. In the long term the roads could lie empty, useless monuments to short-term thinking in a future devoid of cars and cheap oil. Recent official analysis has concluded that the Cross Valley Link has a low cost benefit ratio, meaning the government is unlikely to fund it. Hutt City residents will be left to bear the cost. So far $18 million has been set aside by the council for the Cross Valley Link. By contrast, the annual cost of making all of Wellington’s public transport free is just $75 million – even cheaper if bus services were publicly owned, avoiding the need to fund a private profit. If elected, VAN will push now to divert a small portion of the massive roading budget for the region towards public transport, and make it frequent and free.

We will:

• Advocate for public transport over more road-building in all public forums • Scrap plans to waste millions of ratepayer dollars on a new Cross Valley Link • Press the Greater Wellington Regional Council to increase the frequency of rail services on the Hutt Valley line • Advocate for more bus and cycle lanes in the Hutt Valley • Support other authorities and campaigners in the region to lobby the government for more money for public transport • Oppose any government moves to privatise Tranz Metro or the rail network • Investigate plans for local councils to directly run bus services, and then move to reduce fares towards zero.

Content Sourced from scoop.co.nz

Valley Action Network

2010-09-14T11:27:00.000+12:00

We Stand For:

A city for the residents - not for property developers & investors.
No water meters, no privatisation - protect river & residents.
Build council houses - create jobs, assets & affordable homes.
No GST on rates - a tax on a tax is robbery.
Council change, not climate change - a future for our kids.
Free public transport - it makes climate sense & serves the people.

2010-09-12T20:50:00.001+12:00

Further Abstract: The Economic Benefits of Free Public Transport

By Raphie de Santos

Posted on September 5, 2010 by Free Public Transport Research Group

“Most of the arguments for free public transport (FPT) focus on the environmental benefits and the enrichment of people’s lives by allowing them to travel no matter their financial situation. However, it brings many economic benefits to wider society. For example, with vehicle traffic set to rise by 50% over the next 25 years and a corresponding doubling of the time commuters loose because of congestion, FPT would greatly reduce this lost time. The lost time that could be put to more socially useful purposes is just part of the gains of FPT. Being caught in commuting traffic also creates the wrong frame of mind to tackle future tasks for the day – the multiple problems created by traffic chaos can be measured by the car commuter pain index in which London just ranks behind Madrid and Sao Paulo. FPT would greatly reduce this pain.

The design, administration, construction, maintenance, running, assembly, commissioning and servicing of a FPT system would create hundreds of thousands of jobs and apprenticeships for our young and old. By putting these people to work there would be huge savings in welfare benefits while tax revenues would increase. They would boost the economy not only from the building and running of the FPT system but their own personalexpenditure in the wider economy”.

Raphie De Santos, Financial Analyst and member of the Scottish Socialist Party
Raphie was head of Equity Derivatives Research and Strategy at Goldman Sachs International. He was an advisor on derivatives and financial markets to the Bank of England, London Stock Exchange, London International Financial Futures and Options Exchange and the Italian Ministry of Finance.

Deadly antics of climate deniers

2010-09-10T21:13:00.004+12:00

Yes, man-made climate change denial is about politics, but it’s more pragmatic than ideological. The politics have been shaped around the demands of industrial lobby groups, which happen, in many cases, to fund those who articulate them. Right-wingers are making monkeys of themselves over climate change not just because their beliefs take precedence over the evidence, but also because their interests take precedence over their beliefs. George Monbiot

NZ message of support for FPT conference

2010-09-09T09:53:00.003+12:00

A message of full support and solidarity for your inspirational Inaugural
Campaign for Free Public Transport conference in October, from the campaign
in New Zealand: Fare-Free New Zealand.

Roger Fowler
Editor
www.farefreenz.blogspot.com

You can contact the conference organisers at: manchester@freepublictransports.com

2010-09-08T13:29:00.000+12:00

October 2010 Conference on Free Public Transport - UK

2010-08-30T07:45:00.001+12:00

Public does not understand that we have an emergency

Welcome to our gridlocked nightmare

2010-08-27T09:32:00.002+12:00

Epic Traffic Jam in China Enters Its 9th Day

By: Megan Gibson (3 days ago)

Nothing is worse than sitting in traffic, right? How about sitting in traffic for nine days?

A 100-kilometer-long traffic jam in China's Heibei Province has left thousands of truck drivers stuck on the interstate heading towards Beijing since August 14. What's worse, officials are saying that the jam could continue for up to a month!

The original jam was caused by roadside construction work, but has been made worse by minor car accidents and breakdowns. (See the 50 worst cars of all time.)

The traffic jam has sparked some entrepreneurial spirit for local residents, which has added to traffic-hostages' annoyance. One truck driver complained that vendors were selling instant noodles for “four times the original price while I wait in the congestion.”

Makes that twenty-minute wait for the bus seem a little better, eh? (via the Global Times)

2010-08-24T08:00:00.001+12:00

Biofuels: Worse than useless

Renewable energy, for example, is a crucial part of every national and international strategy for curbing emissions, including plans to promote biofuels. However, rising ethanol production has been linked to losses of grassland habitats, while booming demand for palm oil, some of which is turned into biodiesel, is fuelling the clearance of biodiverse-rich forests across south-east Asia. TheEcologist

2010-08-19T17:18:00.001+12:00

Oceans die. Car production continues. Oil wars continue.

One of the most destructive and swift coral bleaching events ever recorded is underway in the waters off Indonesia, where water temperatures have climbed into the low 90s, according to data released by a conservation group this week. livescience

2010-08-19T17:15:00.000+12:00

Permafrost Melting Releases Mercury Into Swedish Lake

by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 08.17.10

Science & Technology (science)

photo: Rob Lee via flickr

Lots of environmentally bad stuff is happening as the world's permafrost melts, mostly in the realm of releasing stored greenhouse gases. But, as Conservation points out, a new report in the journal Science of the Total Environment finds that as a permafrost melts in northern Sweden, stored mercury has begun leaking from a peat bog into a nearby lake--something which could expand as temperatures continue to rise.

In addition to storing large amounts of greenhouse gases, peatlands also store mercury--some from natural sources, most coming from the emissions of burning fossil fuels. As you hopefully know, mercury and water is a highly toxic mix for life.

The study finds, "there is a very real potential that a substantial amount of mercury, and other organically bound and stored contaminants, might be released into arctic and sub-arctic surface waters from thawing permafrost."

Sediment Mercury Levels Rising at Rate Not Seen in Centuries
To come to that conclusion a team of researchers used core samples from a peat bog and lake-bottom sediments from northern Sweden to determine shifting mercury concentrations and compare them to past climate data. They found that "sediment mercury levels are now rising at 8.3 micrograms per square meter per year, a rate not seen in several centuries."

Read the original: Climate driven release of carbon and mercury from permafrost mires increase mercury loading to sub-arctic lakes

2010-08-06T07:47:00.001+12:00

Will we keep subsidizing cars until we all die?

2010-08-05T12:12:00.001+12:00

Death of the Car

I’m delighted by Blake Morrison’s prediction of the imminent extinction of that small-brained, armoured, toxic, invasive and murderous species, the private car (“Silence, vroom, vroom, silence”, August 1 [guardianweekly.co.uk])

Cars are a lie. The real costs of the mobility, freedom, comfort and power that they promise include environmental and cultural mayhem in oil-producing regions like the Niger delta; the Iraq war; the 1.2 million people who die every year at the hands of the motoring Moloch; ecological disasters caused by oil spills; and the fouling of earth, air and water during all phases of the life-cycle from the extraction of raw materials to the eventual disposal of the corpses.

As much as 35% of urban land is colonised by cars - by noise, toxic fumes and acts of violence waiting to happen. This appalling monoculture has turned our cities into wastelands, and displaced our primary needs for peace and beauty on to ever more remote and threatened patches of wilderness. Car-based mobility has trumped not just community but common sense; divide the time spent driving, paying for, servicing and grooming a car by the distance travelled and the answer is walking speed.

A quarter of all carbon emissions are generated by road transport. Our addiction to cars is holding the future hostage and driving a planet to death.

Annie March - Letter to the Guardian Weekly

[With thanks from cvrjourneyjourney.blogspot.com]

2010-07-27T09:21:00.000+12:00

The Locals: Public transport in Auckland

In the first part of our series on local body elections we took a look at housing, libraries and water issues. In this second part of our season on the haunted house of local governance we turn the spotlight on another important issue - public transport.

The only place you’ll find more out of control cars than Kiwi horror The Locals are the streets of the nation’s largest metropolitan centre- Auckland. Local government politicians are like McDonald’s advertisements, both profess to promote healthy alternatives but in reality all they do is clog up arteries and arterial routes.

Big business have done all they can to ensure that Auckland has a public transport that is ridiculed across the world. Visiting Canadian economist Jim Stanford would write in one of his county's major papers a column that deserves wide republishing around Aotearoa,

City planners impose various pseudo-quantitative performance indicators on the contractors, such as sophisticated GPS systems to monitor on-time performance. But even this minimal nod to public accountability produces unintended consequences. Bus companies fear being fined for missing schedule targets, but are driven by the profit motive to ruthlessly minimize outlays on equipment and staff. The resulting pressure is intense on drivers (some of whom don’t even get paid overtime) to meet unrealistic timetables – a media exposé last year showed this often requires breaking the speed limit. Several times, we’ve watched an awaited bus race by without stopping, the driver shrugging helplessly and pointing at his watch.

That anecdote sums up perfectly the system’s irrationality. The top priority becomes ensuring that a private company reaches profit targets, not picking up people who need a ride.

Yet Aucklanders still pay for transit – three times over. Once through taxes – subsidies to private transit consume half of all property taxes collected by the regional government. Then again at the fare box. And finally a third time through inconvenience. No wonder Aucklanders take transit one-quarter as often as Torontonians.

So before you get carried away with enthusiasm for the inherent efficiency of the private sector, visit Auckland. It’s beautiful. But you’ll need to rent a car.

A disaster all right, public transport run down and privatised in the interests of corporate vultures. As Chris Trotter summed it up in a post on his blog,

The Auckland we’ve ended up with is a city of individuals who travel by car. It’s a city based on the tried and true formula: "real-estate equals roads – roads equal real-estate". This is what I call the "Auckland Racket", and it underpins the city’s speculative economy, its nouveau-riche property-developers’ culture and, most importantly, its far-right neoliberal politics.

If anyone has any doubt that selling the country’s rail network to the robber barons of the ‘80s and ‘ 90s like Michael Fay and David Richwhite was a bad idea they need only read the short history of the deregulation of railways provided by the Campaign for Better Transport,

The new owners began massive “rationalisation”, which meant sacking thousands of staff, closing stations & depots, cutting passenger services & some branch lines. The “human presence” of railways vanished as the workforce necessary to market, manage, load & operate the system were laid off. Soon less staff meant less business & less profit. This neglect of customer’s needs was quickly catered for by hungry truckers who soon captured the freight market from smaller business in the provinces.

Tomorrow the Green Party will rally its supporters of public transport for the launch of a campaign- Fast-Track the CBD Rail Loop. Under the slogan “A Super Rail Network for a Super City” the Greens aims to put pressure on Government policy makers for a “greater sense of urgency”. The facebook event has just 11 attendees suggesting that Aucklanders themselves aren’t all that bothered about the rail network. Yet a 2003 survey showed that poor public transport was the second most common complaint about living in the Auckland region (traffic congestion was number one).

According to the giddy McCarthyites of the Act Party, public transport advocates are, “scared of cars because automobiles allow individuals to make their own decisions. Car drivers can turn left or right, they can travel for miles or stay in the city, they can live out and commute in or live in and commute out. Planners and politicians can’t control them.”

Riiiggghhttt. I mean how many car turns can a car make when it is stuck in gridlock? The hilarious reality is that Auckland’s traffic jams and low public transport use are the direct result of the privatisation shock doctrine that the new right darlings brought about in Auckland in the early 1990s: “bus boardings declined from 42 million per year in 1990 to 31 million in 1994 – a drop which is not correlated with urban density or dispersed employment, as neither of these factors changed substantially over the period”

We don’t even have to look very far back to realise that this current crop of local body politicians hate sensible transport. Take the November ’08 announcements in John Bank’s “Christmas Grinch budget” where he slashed public transport in order to fund more roads and the Rugby World Cup piss-up. Socialist Aotearoa at the time said, “The $345 million dollar Eastern Highway will mean we can keep on driving till the icecaps melt and the oil wells run dry. Just don’t worry about what we’ll do after the oil runs out because this Council plans to cut footpath, cycleways and walkways spending by $66 million, public transport spending by $20.8 million and new park-and-ride facilities will be slashed by $5 million. So say hello to Smog City, a city where Banks can drive his Bently down the freeway while we all eat dust.”

2010 and not a lot has changed for Auckland. The Auckland Regional Council’s regional growth strategy makes for alarming reading,

• Car use is growing by around 4% pa.
• Congestion is perceived by the public to be one of the region’s most significant problems.
• Vehicle use , especially under congested conditions, is a major source of pollution.
• Total cost of congestion to the region is estimated in the order of $750 million pa including loss of production and costs of delay in moving goods.

Both of Auckland’s mayoral frontrunners profess support for further development of Auckland’s public transport system but cynics might say there proposals for integrated ticketing and upgrading ferry and rail networks are simply- too little, too late. Aucklanders who seriously want to unfuck the public transport system will need to do more than vote to end local Government inaction. Getting active in community campaigns for free and frequent public transport and against further roading spending is the first step. Fighting for public ownership of transport companies and free and frequent public transport as well as a massive investment in the innercity loop, rail link with the airport and a cycle lane on the bridge won't be easy. Direct action like the GetAcross Harbour Bridge protest or the anti-SH20 protests will no doubt become more common, but Aucklanders have to keep fighting for these improvements and more if they want a liveable, sustainable, free flowing and connected worldclass city in the future.

Post by Omar. From socialistaotearoa.blogspot.com

2010-07-27T09:15:00.001+12:00

Moving our city with free public transport

The Dominion Post reported; “Round-the-clock gridlock has been predicted if The Terrace and Mt Victoria tunnels are closed for five weeks to kickstart a $80 million project to remedy serious safety problems.”

Could we use this sense of crisis to achieve immediate improvements in public transport services and safe cycle and walk ways between Wellington CBD and its suburbs?

A report to the Greater Wellington’s Transport and Access Committee is proposing that all fares be increased from 1 October 2010, to take account of the GST increase, and to produce a 3% increase in fare revenue to balance increased costs

Fare increases: bad timing

Greater Wellington Regional Councillor Paul Bruce said that coinciding Public Transport fare increases with the Mt Victoria tunnel safety upgrades is bad timing. “If we are going to close off routes, we must provide some counter balancing measure to help people move freely about Wellington city.

One of these measures could be moving the subsidy for free weekend public parking to zero inner city fares. Mr Bruce said that many other cities provide zero fare services, including Auckland, Christchurch and Invercargill.

Use the business levy

Shifting some of the Wellington City Council business levy to cover bus fares in the central business district ties in with a move towards integrated fares, allowing people arriving from outer suburbs to proceed through to Courtenay Place without any extra cost.

This will attract extra riders and lead to fewer cars in the inner city area, which in turn will improve traffic flow and air quality and thus ambience and … retail sales. Convenient public transport will also give an added pull to tourists.

Other advantages to alternative transport

There are also health, social and environmental advantages to funding alternative modes of transport such as cycling, walking and public transport.

Physical inactivity accounts for almost 10 percent of New Zealand’s 20 leading causes of death. It is a contributor to obesity and type 2 diabetes, which together cost the health system over $500 million per year. In the United States, the Environmental Protection Agency is now promoting “car reduced” communities. And the British government’s 2001 planning document says: “Development comprising jobs, shopping, leisure and services should not be designed and located on the assumption that the car will represent the only realistic means of access for the vast majority of people”.

Car parking

Wellington is an extreme case in terms of provision of car parks, with the highest number of parking spaces per job, according to figures collated by Kerry Wood. We outrank Christchurch and Auckland, and well known US cities, Phoenic, Denver, and Detroit.

Wellington City Council “free” weekend car parks cost a lot in foregone revenue, in fact four times more than the inner city public transport weekend fare, and about half the total weekend bus revenue take. Free parking contributes to vehicle pollution and traffic snarl ups as cars search for parking spaces, and may actually diminish retail sales. In a time of diminishing resources, a subsidy for free parking isn’t the best plan.

Creative solutions

Improving Wellington’s transport network can happen with some creative solutions. Our transport network includes every bus, car, skateboard or pair of feet that people use to get around, each with different requirements, whether in use or not.

Wellington’s compact size means space is at a premium downtown.What goes unnoticed are the ways in which we prioritise and even sponsor car use above every alternative. Private cars are the part of that network that take up the most space and energy, for the least return.

Instead, providing some real alternatives, such as zero inner city public transport fares combined with safer cycling after the removal of some parking, enhances the village atmosphere that we all seek.

Paul Bruce concluded that the closure of the Mt Victoria tunnel for safety upgrades should be seen as an opportunity to promote our public transport system. “Greater Wellington provides a free connecting bus service on the Kapiti Coast to connect with train services, and has found this to be a great success. What about moving towards zero weekend fares for Wellington city?”

Number of CBD parking spaces in 1996 per 1000 CBD jobs

(figures collated by Kerry Wood)

Wellington	1050
Christchurch	940
Auckland	650
Sourced figures:
Phoenix	910
Denver	730
Detroit	710
Perth	630
Houston	610
Los Angeles	520
Portland	400
Melbourne	340
Brisbane	320
Sydney	220
Copenhagen	220
Zürich	140
London	120
New York	60

Zero fare public transport services

Auckland	Free downtown bus loop, ‘City Circuit’
Christchurch	Free downtown bus loop, ‘The Shuttle’
Invercargill	Free downtown bus & free off peak buses
Adelaide	Free downtown tram route
Sydney	Free downtown city bus loop
Melbourne	Free downtown tram and bus loop
Chapel Hill , USA	Free area-wide bus services
Hasselt , Belgium	Free area-wide bus services

Free transit promotes social inclusion

2010-07-23T13:46:00.001+12:00

Let us reclaim human interaction - get rid of the anti-social private auto

Further evidence of the positive effects of free public transport can be gleaned from the Belgian city of Hasselt. Not only did use of Hasselt’s bus system explode once zero fare were introduced (from 331,551 in the old situation to an astonishing 3.2 million - and this for a city of only 70,000 people), with all the obvious benefits this shift suggests, but also, some rather unexpected advantages were produced as well. For example, following the introduction of zero fares, the number of visits to patients in the city’s hospitals was reported to have “increased enormously” (van Goeverden, 2006: 7). This suggests that individuals and families will take more of a role in terms of caring responsibilities if they can actually access the people who need to be cared for, and this could represent incredible indirect savings for the state in terms of social and health care budgets. Indeed, Harvard political scientist Robert Putnam has demonstrated statistically that people who socialise and participate in social activities are on average happier and healthier (2000:326-335). Of course you can only do this if you can get around, an evidence from a wide range of sources indicate that many people cannot ‘get around’ (see Church et al, 2000; Graham and Marvin, 2001; Hine and Mitchell, 2003; Knolwes, 2006 New Economics Foundation, 2003; Pooley et al, 2005; Raje, 2007; Reisig and Hobbiss, 2000; Shaw, 2006; Social Exclusion Unit, 2002 and 2003; Urry, 2007).

Bob Jeffrey - Towards a Sustainable Transport Policy

2010-07-20T20:17:00.002+12:00

Celebrity Stroke of Genius: Free Public Transport

July 16

Well known Australian author Graeme Base suggests free public transport. Certainly a good one for the wallet and bound to make happier commuters! It may even get more people using public transport so better for the environment and perhaps a more active option for commuters?

"Make all public transport completely free. With no insanely expensive ticketing system to keep going wrong, and no army of inspectors to police the network, plus massive productivity gains and lower health costs (mental and physical) from the easing of the ravages of traffic congestion – we could spend the savings on additional trams, trains and buses. Why, we could even bring Connies back – not to collect fares, but to help get prams on board, tell you what stop you need for the museum and to whistle jaunty tunes."

From: www.strokeofgenius.com.au

Hutt support for 'fare rise rebels'

2010-07-06T09:47:00.001+12:00

June 29, 2010

Members of Hutt City’s grassroots council ticket, VAN – Valley Action Network, will be attending the Greater Wellington Regional Council meeting today, supporting a group of commuters, dubbed the “fair rise rebels” by the Dominion Post, protesting against train fare hikes on the Wairarapa Line.

“We’re going because commuters everywhere are facing a common problem”, says VAN spokesperson Michelle Ducat. “It’s the Wairarapa Line today, the Hutt Valley Line tomorrow.

“Last year, the government’s transport agency released a ‘farebox recovery’ plan to make passengers around the country pay a bigger share of the cost of public transport.

“Transport minister Steven Joyce pushed for the plan, to divert even more public money into building costly motorways. He has publicly singled out Hutt Valley rail commuters as another group who will have to pay extra.

“The Greater Wellington Regional Council made a submission opposing the plan and won important concessions, including the right for councils to set their own targets for how much of the cost should be borne by passengers.

“But under the new rules, says GWRC Design and Development Manager Brian Baxter, councils will still come under ’strong influence’ to make passengers pay up.

“The government already spends seven times as much on roads as it does on all other kinds of transport put together”, commented Michelle. “People know that this fuels ever-growing car use and traffic jams, more reliance on dwindling cheap oil and more climate-changing greenhouse gas emissions.

“Come July 1, it’s also forcing consumers to bear the cost of an Emissions Trading Scheme that’s been watered down and won’t stop climate change anyway.

“To fix the problems in a way that doesn’t shift the burden onto grassroots people, the country needs to move in the opposite direction, towards ideas like Free Public Transport.

“At the very least, local councils need to unite against this latest government farebox plan.

“Forty submissions were received on the farebox plan. Individuals, regional and city councils from around New Zealand spoke up against the government’s push to raise fares.

“Hutt City Council said nothing. This is just not good enough”, she said.

“Hutt residents deserve, and need a council that stands up for us, and for our environment.

“This is why VAN – Valley Action Network is standing for election to Hutt City Council in October.

“We’ll be pushing for Free Public Transport. It makes climate sense and serves the people!”

Content Sourced from scoop.co.nz

2010-06-30T07:41:00.003+12:00

Thank God, deepwater oil drilling is safe in New Zealand, but then we do have different laws of physics and chemistry down under...

Peter

•••

Anadarko presses ahead in NZ despite Gulf of Mexico mess

By Grant Bradley

NZ Herald Wednesday Jun 30, 2010

The Texas-based oil explorer that owns 25 per cent of the damaged well pouring crude into the Gulf of Mexico says its work programme in deep water off the New Zealand coast has not been affected.

Anadarko Petroleum must by late next month make a call on whether to drill off the South Island, targeting up to 500 million barrels of oil.

While protesters have focused on Petrobras, the Brazilian company which has up to five years to decide on drilling off the East Coast, drilling by Anadarko off Dunedin could start in summer.

South Island's Ngai Tahu said last night they hoped the Government would ensure proper procedure was followed and the utmost care taken to protect the environment when it came to oil exploration and oil drilling.

Te Runanga o Ngai Tahu general manager of tribal interests David O'Connell said the Ministry of Economic Development had in the past sought input on oil exploration around Stewart Island.

"It is our expectation that our views still have resonance today and we would not expect these places to be placed in jeopardy."

"The tragic events in the Gulf of Mexico...(have) not impacted on what the plans are in New Zealand"

When Anadarko announced it had formed a joint venture with Australia's Origin Energy in February, it said drilling could start early next year.

Anadarko spokesman John Christiansen said the company was excited about the potential in New Zealand.

"This is a great opportunity for us and it's one that we feel very blessed to have."

Anadarko has a non-operating stake in the Deepwater Horizon project but could face paying a share of the billions of dollars required to be spent in the Gulf of Mexico after the rig explosion on April 20 that killed 11 workers and has resulted in one of the world's worst oil spills.

Anadarko's debt rating has been downgraded, it is being sued by investors claiming it made false claims about drilling safety and could face an expensive legal battle with BP over liability for the clean-up.

Christiansen said the company would maintain its US$5.3 billion ($7.6 billion) to US$5.6 billion capital spending programme this year and because of the hold in drilling in the Gulf it was looking at concentrating on other areas.

"At this point in time the tragic events in the Gulf of Mexico have not impacted other areas of portfolio. We've looking at other places - it's not impacted on what the plans are in New Zealand."

Anadarko was still assessing a three-dimensional seismic survey recorded by Origin last year over the Carrack/Caravel prospect.

Christiansen said it was a little early to say whether the company would commit itself to drilling by August 21. If it does not, it must surrender the permit.

Anadarko is also part of a joint venture in the early stages of gathering and assessing a large prospect in deep water off the Taranaki coast.

Last weekend there were protests around the East Coast by groups alarmed at Petrobras drilling in deep water there.

While much of the drilling off Taranaki is in water 200m deep or less, deepwater drilling is classified as in water over 300m. The Canterbury Basin prospect was in water 1000m deep and the Deepwater Horizon rig was in water 1500m deep. Christiansen said Anadarko was well aware of the new concern about deepwater drilling.

We are everywhere!

2010-06-18T16:38:00.002+12:00

The Free Public Transit Movement is Growing

It is catching on. People are starting to see that the private auto is a self-indulgent, anti-social killer. It kills everyday and now it threatens the biosphere itself.

There are many solutions being offered, but the most direct, simple, and effective is to make public transit fare-free.

Our advocates will be at the European Social Forum in July, and will be starting a nation-wide campaign in the UK in October. The campaign is stepping up in Scotland and getting a lot of attention in New Zealand and Australia. It has been strong for years in Brazil where there are MPL chapters in 8 cities. There are activists in Russia, Poland and India.

This movement is going to be huge. And that will happen sooner if you join.

Contact us at: farefreenz@clear.net.nz

A message from Auckland

2010-06-17T07:37:00.004+12:00

Auckland transit blues

Take note, Toronto: The private sector doesn’t always do it better

Jim Stanford

From Wednesday's Globe and Mail

Toronto’s main business lobby, the Board of Trade, recently called for the outsourcing of public transit services to private companies, part of their free advice to the next mayor on reducing the city’s deficit.

On one level, it’s an unremarkable proposal: just the latest in a chorus of business demands that governments fix their deficits by selling, contracting out or eliminating public services. But it caught my eye because I am residing temporarily in Auckland, New Zealand’s biggest city, where the transit system is the most fragmented, expensive and maddening I’ve ever used. And it’s 100-per-cent private. The gory details provide a caution for those who believe the private market always does things better.

In the 1980s and 1990s, New Zealand municipalities were forced by conservative national governments to sell off many public assets, including transit. They assumed free-market forces would cut costs and improve productivity. The reality has been the opposite. Indeed, since the 1980s, productivity has fallen far behind other OECD countries, yet costs and taxes remain relatively high. The government even had to buy back some of the privatized companies that failed entirely, such as Kiwi Rail and Air New Zealand.

Today, Auckland’s regional government contracts a dozen different private firms to supply bus, rail and ferry services. A complex network of interlocking ownership links many of these suppliers. So much for “competition.” The biggest, Infratil, is a $2-billion giant with a broad portfolio of privatized assets, including transit, electricity and airports. (That’ll surely catch the Board of Trade’s attention!)

This hodge-podge is all the worse because each company accepts only its own tickets, and not those offered by competitors. Since inter-company transfers are impossible, bus routes can be insanely circuitous. My daughter’s bus trip to school takes three long detours through different neighbourhoods, doubling what should be a five-kilometre route.

Tickets are expensive. Passengers pay according to how far they travel (and then pay again if they need a transfer). Trips of just a few stops cost as little as $1.70 – but another $1.70 is added each time the bus passes through another invisible “stage.” Travelling 40 kilometres from the city’s north to south costs $12.70 to $16.50 (depending which company is used) and takes two hours. A passenger travelling the same distance in Toronto (say, from Scarborough to Etobicoke) would pay $3 once, and require less than half the time.

City planners impose various pseudo-quantitative performance indicators on the contractors, such as sophisticated GPS systems to monitor on-time performance. But even this minimal nod to public accountability produces unintended consequences. Bus companies fear being fined for missing schedule targets, but are driven by the profit motive to ruthlessly minimize outlays on equipment and staff. The resulting pressure is intense on drivers (some of whom don’t even get paid overtime) to meet unrealistic timetables – a media exposé last year showed this often requires breaking the speed limit. Several times, we’ve watched an awaited bus race by without stopping, the driver shrugging helplessly and pointing at his watch.

That anecdote sums up perfectly the system’s irrationality. The top priority becomes ensuring that a private company reaches profit targets, not picking up people who need a ride.

Yet Aucklanders still pay for transit – three times over. Once through taxes – subsidies to private transit consume half of all property taxes collected by the regional government. Then again at the fare box. And finally a third time through inconvenience. No wonder Aucklanders take transit one-quarter as often as Torontonians.

So before you get carried away with enthusiasm for the inherent efficiency of the private sector, visit Auckland. It’s beautiful. But you’ll need to rent a car.

The Globe & Mail 16/06/2010

2010-06-13T11:53:00.000+12:00

March for Student Metrocards

Beyond Tech, Videos — By BTHSnews on June 12, 2010 at 6:45 pm

BY ALFRED NG & ANDY MAI
VIDEO BY ALFRED NG
EDITING BY ALFRED NG

Whether you know it, time is running out on the Metropolitan Transit Authority’s (MTA) decision on New York City Student Metrocards. Later this month, the MTA will vote on whether or not to continue the Student Metrocard program. The decision is for students getting free public transportation now to have to pay half fare next school year and full fair the following year. A decision heavily criticized by parents, students, teachers, transit workers and MTA employees.

The New York City Student Union, on June 11th, organized a March for Student Metrocards across the Brooklyn Bridge. The March was led by Brooklyn Technical’s own Lucas Johnson and Henry Pines who spoke with BTHSnews.org about the effects of losing student Metrocards. Johnson did the math and predicted a expense of over a $1000 a year for each child to get to school. Pines criticized the MTA’s wasteful spending by stating only three years ago the MTA had a billion dollar budget surplus and today they are in the hole.

To show that students care, back in March, the NYC Student Union collected expired student Metrocards from students all over New York City with messages on the back of them explaining how the cuts would effect them. At a March public hearing, the NYC Student Union presented the student Metrocards to MTA officials pleading the students point of view. On June 11th, they used 3000 expired student Metrocards and strung them up on a line to walk the Brooklyn Bridge.

Both Johnson and Pines stressed the right to an education and taking away student Metrocards would be taking away that right. The march also landed on the same day as an organized student walkout for student Metrocards. Students left school early to protest student Metrocards at City Hall. The MTA is expected to make their decision on student Metrocards in late June before summer vacation.

Fare-Free New Zealand

Nigerian state introduces free transport for all school children

Tallinn Offers Free Public Transportation to All Residents

Letter to the editor NZ Herald

Fare-FreeNZ submission to the Auckland Plan

by Christine Lepisto, Berlin on 09.25.11

People Power for the Planet

World Car Free day comes to Bay of Plenty

Free bus rides across the region

Push to make public transport free for kids under 19 years

Free student buses transform city

RE-OPEN THE GRACEFIELD RAIL LINE: PETITION

Trade Your Car For A Free Lifetime Bus Pass (If You Live In Murcia)

Highway spending up, public transport funds cut

Public transport price shock on way

Free buses for university students & staff

The Charleston Area Regional Transportation Authority (CARTA) has struck a deal to continue its transportation agreements with the Medical University of South Carolina and College of Charleston.

Hundreds protest Kapiti expressway

Activists say road will destroy Kapiti region

Group puts bodies on line in bid to save rail route

No Sleepers: People opposed to a proposal to mothball the rail line from Auckland to Whangarei made their point during a mass planking protest at Whangarei's Mander Park yesterday.

Photo / John Stone

Free, frequent, clean & colour-coded: Yes! - now let's spread it over the whole city

Three Link services to make inner-city busing easier

Environmentalist for fare free public transport to cut oil consumption

Leave the car in the garage - could save you $10,000 a year

Pocatello Transit Wants You To Dump The Pump

Free bus services in Gibraltar

GOVT INTRODUCE FREE BUS SERVICE FOR ALL

Rail against the express way

HEI study finds London Congestion Charging Scheme shows little evidence of improving air quality

27 April 2011

Capitalism's war on the Earth

The ecology of consumption -- excerpt from John Bellamy Foster, Brett Clark and Richard York's `The Ecological Rift'

Capitalism’s war on the planet

Much money wasted collecting fares on public transit

Letter from Dave Olsen (Canadian free public transport advocate)

Traffic mayhem or common sense?

A spectacular year?

Telecom Partners with Auckland Transport: reduces congestion

Telecom partners with Auckland Transport to reduce congestion

"Welcome news" - costly Hutt Valley road building plan scrapped

Hutt Valley network advocates free transit

Freeway or free way

Pennsylvania city may go fare free

Jessica VanderKolk

Billionaire oilmen secretly fund the climate-change denial machine

- Greenpeace USA

TRAFFIC AIR POLLUTION DANGER TO HEART

Wifi on public transport if Labor elected

Let's get free

Combating climate change and peak oil with free public transport

References:

Free bus initiative: the solution to Redland transport problems?

Good, cheap transit reduces traffic congestion

Fare-free weekend buses in Tasmania

Campaign to Save the Auckland to Northland Rail Line

Free Shuttle Buses in Liverpool City Centre

Oregon city buses go fare-free

Rides will be free on Feb. 1 as new taxpayer transit operation fee covers the cost of Corvallis Transit System, Beaver Bus

Colin Bowyer 2/1/11

Canada political candidate advocates removing fares from public transport

Larsen as premier would let you ride transit for free

Photograph by: Glenn Baglo, PNG

'Make ALL public transport frequent & free' say Aussie candidates

"Buses should be free to ride"

If the Aussies can do it...

Free buses for Liverpool, Campbelltown & Gosford residents

A Modest Proposal To Instigate A Totally Fare-Free Transport System Throughout The United Kingdom

Some Necessary Preamble

The Basic Mathematics

The Pseudo-Moral Objection

The Tragedy Of The Commons

More Costings, And Benefits Galore

How Can We Not Afford A Fare-Free Public Transport System?

How Would The System Be Subsidised Initially?

The International Aspect

Conclusion

People or cars?

Are Modern Cities for People or Cars?

A Modest Proposal To Instigate A Totally Fare-Free Transport System
Throughout The United Kingdom