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

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

otto|Court|Weather|Property|Hot Topics Index|Christchurch Earthqake

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.

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

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

Man's Greatest Mistake

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'

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

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]

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.