Monday, June 30, 2014

UK celebrity wants free public transport

Life according to Coronation Street actor Jimi Mistry | Life | Life & Style | Daily Express: "If I could pass any law I would... make public transport free for everybody. There are too many issues with congestion these days, so the least we can do is get people around."

Thursday, June 26, 2014

“Hands off”: Older voters send warning to Government on Free Travel Pass

thejournal.ie : "AGE ACTION, THE lobby group representing older people, launched its pre-Budget campaign today —  sending a warning to the Government not to meddle with the Free Travel Pass.
Currently, anyone over 65 is entitled to a pass entitling them to free public transport."

Wednesday, June 25, 2014

Oil industry wants you in a car, or trapped in your home



Pensioners handcuffed by police at protest at Sheffield Railway Station over cuts to free travel passes | Mail Online: "This is the moment a 65-year-old grandfather is pounced on by police, bent over double and his arms twisted behind his back at a peaceful demonstration by the elderly and disabled.

Tony Nuttall’s arrest at a protest against travel pass cuts was described as disgusting by campaigners last night as police chiefs revealed they were investigating the incident."

Tuesday, June 24, 2014

Sheffield reporter threatened with arrest under anti-terrorism laws

guardian : "A reporter was threatened with arrest under anti-terrorism laws and forced to erase potentially important video evidence after filming a protest in Sheffield.

The editor of the Sheffield Star has demanded an explanation as to why his reporter, Alex Evans, was warned off filming a protest against cuts to free travel provision for pensioners and disabled people by British transport police officers on Monday."

Wednesday, June 18, 2014

£4m to improve city bike and bus networks

Evening Times: "The city council was awarded £1.7 million by Strathclyde Partnership for Transport, £930,000 from the Cycling Walking and Safer Streets project and £1.2m from Sustrans, the UK charity enabling people to travel by foot, bike or public transport."

Tuesday, June 17, 2014

Cars choking Moscow

Moskva-City Petitions for Toll Road to Repel Commuter Traffic | Business | The Moscow Times: "In an interview to business daily Vedomosti published Monday, Oleg Malis, head of City, which manages the business center, said the company had sent the request to City Hall to free Moskva-City from commuters unnecessarily adding to the congestion around the financial center by simply passing through."

Sunday, June 15, 2014

US test-driving fascism in Ukraine

Russia and China increase cooperation on energy. US meddling in Mideast is not working very well. US economy is hopelessly car and oil-dependent. But the US has three big weapons left, nuclear blackmail, conventional air strikes, and a brain-washed public. If their international credibility falls much further, the US elite may have to turn to overt Nazi-style fascism on a world scale, so they are testing it out on Ukraine.

The Propaganda War About Ukraine Washington's Blog: "The major media present a very different picture than you see documented in those links. Voltairenet pointed out how blatantly the major media lie. Headlining, “Kiev regime bombs civilians in eastern Ukraine,” they noted that those bombings were shown “only on Russian TV channels” even though “The OSCE mission in Ukraine has confirmed that the incident involving the administrative building in Lugansk was indeed an airstrike.” Moreover, “To this day, the Western media have ‘refrained’ from broadcasting the images of the civilian victims killed at the Lugansk administrative headquarters, despite their being available on Russian television and on the internet.”"

Thursday, June 12, 2014

Livorno will have Free Pubblic Transport

Due anni fa iniziavo a studiare il tema del trasporto pubblico con Cristiano Zanella in seno al meetup trentino.
Giungemmo alla conclusione che la bigliettazione fosse economicamente inutile e che servisse solo a bloccare l'utilizzo del mezzo pubblico da parte della popolazione.
Abbiamo girato l'Europa e conosciuto persone del calibro di Allan Alaküla, che per la città di Tallinn segue il Trasporto Pubblico Gratuito.
Partecipando alla School of Free Public Transport di Tallinn ho avuto l'opportunità di parlare con gli amministratori di Aubagne, Hasselt, Chengu...tutte amministrazioni che applicano o che hanno applicato il FPT.
Non è sufficiente togliere i biglietti per rendere il TPL efficiente, lo sappiamo. Ma l'obiettivo è trasformare le città in luoghi vivibili e a misura delle persone, non delle automobili.
Quando Enrico Pecoretti mi ha invitato a Livorno per parlare di FPT ho accettato immediatamente. Ho trovato un gruppo di persone che hanno compreso immediatamente la potenzialità del progetto.
Ora Filippo Nogarin è stato eletto sindaco di Livorno proprio grazie a quel gruppo di persone.
E la prima dichiarazione è stata proprio sui servizi e sulla gratuità del trasporto pubblico.


Il neo sindaco Filippo Nogarin, Movimento 5 Stelle, ha infatti dichiarato, all'atto del suo insediamento, le linee guida che caratterizzeranno la gestione nei prossimi 5 anni:
  1. abbassare le tasse
  2. rendere gratuito il trasporto pubblico, 
  3. elargire un bonus per acquistare l’amata bicicletta 
  4. dividere i premi produzione dei dirigenti anche agli impiegati che hanno raggiunto ottimi obiettivi. 
  5. aprire Livorno agli investitori
  6. cancellazione delle grandi opere inutili.

Non solo si può fare, ma sarà un successo!

In bocca al lupo a tutto il gruppo.


Paolo Vergnano

Wednesday, June 11, 2014

Demonstration: Solidaritet med MPL - hellre nolltaxa än VM

Demonstration: Solidaritet med MPL - hellre nolltaxa än VM: "Movimento Passe Livre (MPL) är en organisation som arbetar för avgiftsfri kollektivtrafik och finns på många brasilianska städer. MPL var en del av att dra igång proteströrelsen, och den 19 juni demonstrerar MPL i bland annat Rio de Janeiro och Sao Paulo. Myndigheterna har svarat genom att försöka kriminalisera protester och gripa nolltaxeaktivister.

För Planka.nu är det självklart är kampen för avgiftsfri kollektivtrafik är global. Därför samlas vi också den 19 juni för att vid Brasiliens Ambassad ge vårt stöd till demonstranterna från MPL och säga: Por uma vida sem catracas! (För ett liv utan spärrar) och Tarifa Zero Já! (Nolltaxa nu!)"


Brazil: Free public transport-protests against the World Cup

Free public transport: "The protests in Brazil are kicking in again, at the same time as the much-disputed football World Cup takes place. The cup claims billions, and activists want social infrastructure, reforms like free pulic transportation and an end to corruption.

On the 19th of June, Movimento Passe Livre (The Free Pass-movement) will arrange protests in Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo  and Natal.

The authorities are trying to criminalize protesters, and global support may shift the focus to the protesters demands. In Stockholm, a solidarity demonstration will also be held on the 19th and marsch to the Brazilian Embassy.

Tarifa Zero jà!"

Big powers fight over energy, to keep wasteful autosprawl alive

Ukraine, Arab Spring, Cold War II and Price Wars Hardly Disguised: "When US President Barack Obama began the campaign to “punish” Vladimir Putin and Russia over interference in Ukraine, we all should have known there was more to the story. And there is. As it turns out, Ukraine’s violence, and most of the unrest abroad in fact,  is a competition in between huge investment partners, gas companies like Exxon Mobile, and Russia’s Gazprom. As for the people, the public? They are just collateral damage, pawns or meaningless in a worldwide corporate game for profit. The Obama administration, and almost all the western governments are involved in one way or other, are fighting a price war over gas against Russia."