Reclaim the Streets Open Meeting -reminder

by Naive Wed Aug 20, 2003 13:50

I am sure the impartial IMC editors will delete it like they do other reposts.

by simon Wed Aug 20, 2003 14:21

Is there an irish RTS website?? I know there is a news group thingy. Ill be away for the meeting but that would be one of my suggestions - it would help for information gathering, expressing the ethos, co-ordination, linkages etc. It might help put people like Seanin's mind at rest....

by dunk - FUSPEY Wed Aug 20, 2003 15:09 02092997 at brookes dot ac dot uk b.a.c.

"Sustainable living" just happened @ EASA003 in Denmark
http://www.easa003.dk
which was the largest gathering of europes architectural students, now trying to get them involved with car free day and RTS in their areas and with that get mores nodes, including ireland, COMMUNICATING together

"Now we can DO something about it: join in the activities in your city, get all your friends and college mates involved, get your granny down for the street party

Get onto the streets, make them clean, habitable and fun places again"

your (IMC IRE) communication with this bunch would be good,
esp those who were at ecotopia

by simon Wed Aug 20, 2003 15:40

where did you come across that EASA link. were you at it? - has it been over here? - will it be over here?

is it exclusive to architectural students could it be opened to urban planners, product designers etc.

by Rapper Tandy Wed Aug 20, 2003 15:48

I hope an Autognome (Noddy) runs you over ;)

by simon Wed Aug 20, 2003 16:04

ha ha. nice one, Rapper :)

by jc Wed Aug 20, 2003 18:48

there was a last minute change of venue and thats why it was reposted a perfectly valid reason to repost to make it clear where it is

by Fergus Wed Aug 20, 2003 19:05

I can't make the meeting, but could someone who is going raise this idea.

Car free day has the stale air of establishment.

On Sept 9th British Petroleum chief Peter Sutherland will be speaking at a business lunch in Dublin hosted by the lobby group American Chamber of Commerce Ireland.

see http://www.indymedia.ie/newswire.php?story_id=60763

The petrol that fills cars that fills the streets.

Block the petrol that fills the cars that block the streets with a petrol free party

Lobby the Lobbyists with a demonstration of alternatives.

by Naive Wed Aug 20, 2003 19:07

Didnt want it deleted just wanted to point out that the likes of Risible would be quick to delete other topics.

by Pádraig Thu Aug 21, 2003 02:56

does anyone else here fancy bringing along a few camans and playing a game of hurling in dublin city centre? Bring county jerseys G.A,A, paraphanelia etc??? Also how about a great big ply-board gable end ala Northern murals, with "YOU ARE NOW ENTERING FREE DUBLIN" written on it??

by d. iesel - granny bumpers Thu Aug 21, 2003 02:57

middle class students playing at street politics...daddy will keep paying for your "hobby" until a position becomes available in the family firm. reclaim the streets....you couldn't reclaim a bus ticket. losers.
bye the way....mammy has increased your allowance so you can buy that rage against the machine limited edition. ali o' g ..innit!

by Seáinín Thu Aug 21, 2003 03:56

You little toffs wouldn't know an original idea if it was a large purple thing sitting on your face.

No point in holding this event, there is no idea behind it, no thinking whatsoever. It's just kids going through thier rebellious phase. You'll all realise this of course, in about 10 years time.

Pathetic.

by simon Thu Aug 21, 2003 10:57

although im not a 'member' of RTS i see its merit and principle clearly. One slightly ironic aspect of the whole thing is that the RTSers are towing the line of accepted and progressive city planning. If you notice who the city is becoming less car-friendly anyway. More pedestrianisation, Luas taking over major routes, more and more cycle lanes, traffic signage systems that redirect cars from the city.

Owen Keegan the director of traffic has been quoted as saying that if in this day and age you feel the motorcar needs to be more accomodated you need your head examined. So seanin its people like you who are on the periphery of public and private opinion. The critical mass/RTS are doing a job that the corporation would like to do more often. Who do you think is in charge of the internationally promoted car free day? The corporation and some parts of the the government want to achieve the same thing as RTS. RTS may or may not think that but I can tell you its true.

I dont care if you are from Foxrock or your homeless, if you feel that the city should be for the people and that we need more public space and less polluted air etc well thats fine by me. Like many many things such planning practice, legislatiion and progressive thinking Ireland is far far behind - and Seanin you are a prime example of this. What I would like to see is more public participation and communication between established community groups and the RTS. The amount of public consultation that went through things such as the Ballymun regeneration is sign of progressive and inclusive planning and I hope thats a sign of things to come.

i know i fed the troll or whatever that means, sorry.

by simon Thu Aug 21, 2003 12:47

oh and Seanin through all your postings youve not shown the capacity to deliver an intelligent or considered opinion. Im getting bored with YOUR lack of ideas.

I welcome discussion on anything especially with somebody with a differing opinion but im losing hope with ever having a decent chat with you. If your lonely and need attention im willing to keep you occupied now and then just so you dont ruin each and every thread on this site.

by mick from ballymun Thu Aug 21, 2003 15:46

Simon, Don't rely on the corpo or progressive members of government being in tune with RTS. Of course its in the interests of rich car owners to have nice clear streets to drive around in but when it comes to any real challenge to the car/oil industry ,if you're not well organized ,expect to get clubbed off the streets.
BTW don't believe all the propaganda about consultation that's being dished out by Ballymun Regeneration Limited - its a big con job. There's any amount of highly paid consultants out here but no consultation.

by simon Thu Aug 21, 2003 16:30

But there were ballymum community groups that were involved in the re-generation projects - thats not a con. Also by public consultation I mean that the community were kept informed all along.

I met eoin keegan myself and he would like to see the car restricted greatly from the city as would many others in the corpo. You have to look at FF for restricting the progressive plans of the department of traffic etc. E.g. Remember when the corpo tried to introduce new signage systems that were more logical and inline with the rest of Europe etc. - who pulled them down after they went up.

Believe me city planners are not always there to accommodate the 'rich-car drivers'. The compound and external costs of car use are a headache for the governement and more importantly those who are responsible for civic amenities, traffic and transport in general. The slowness of development in these areas can be frustrating. How long did it take them to lay that cycle-lane in Ranelagh?? But the concept of sustainability is becomming firmly rooted into proper planning and management.

Its nice to see that some corporations(companies not the corpo) are encouraging cycling amongst employees. Apart from the fact that the cost of car parks is massive a 'healthy work force is a good workforce'. They do this through ecomomic means and things like providing showers etc.

I just see so much opportunity for cross-polination between RTS and those that they would consider the 'enemy' that its a lot of wasted energy. The most press that RTS gets is bad press because all people see is the police violence and, it has to be said, poor grafitti. It has to change.

by mick from ballymun Thu Aug 21, 2003 17:58

Sorry if I gave the wrong impression Simon ,I'm not saying that there aren't good people in planning .But when well intentioned planners come up against the vested interests of big business , the state always come down on the side of big business unless people on the ground get organized. The same thing happens when local communities come up against big business and I think its high time that well intentioned planners and local community groups put their heads together.Perhaps we might see something developing through the Irish Social Forum.
I hope I'm not going off the thread too much but can I say a couple of things about Ballymun's so called regeneration .
Ballymunners have been living on a building site for the last five years while big ,multi -national building contractors ,architects ,accountants, bureaucrats and ,yes,planners have made a nice living for themselves thank you very much.Ballymun Regeneration Limited is an unelected mean spirited junta that has been foisted onto the people of Ballymun by Dublin City Council at the behest of the above mentioned multi nationals etc. At first BRL went through a charade of consultation but what it amounted to in the end was the old trick of buying off a layer of cynical and clapped out community activists with jobs and fancy titles. What was once a friendly ,easy going community now finds itself on the way to being well and truly shafted by a bunch of parasitic snobs who have no regard for the people of the area. And people are starting to get very angry.

by simon Thu Aug 21, 2003 18:57

Mick, thats very interesting about how the the process seems to have broken down. Its good to hear from somebody 'on the ground' as such.

im not a planner or consultant or architect for that matter.I was interested in the process that had taken place as saw as something that should be workred on and encouraged. If the process has failed in this case where, how and why has to be addressed to improve the process in the future.

by R Isible - 1 of IMC Tue Aug 26, 2003 18:03

I took a well-deserved break from editing for a week, but I'm back!, full of energy with my finger hovering over the special customised "delete" button that I had built onto my keyboard. Now I can delete up to 10 times faster!

by dunk - FUSPEY Thu Aug 28, 2003 21:12 02092997 at brookes dot ac dot uk

hi RTS heads

sorry I havent got in contact sooner since meeting last week,
been v busy

anyway a few suggestions, perhaps its all been looked at
already, perhaps it could spark some new and interesting stuff

getting in contact with other RTS nodes around europe/ world-
where is there definitely going to be one?
Having a public meeting/ discussion/ street theatre piece on the
day about the idea of greener cities, what they entail, how RTS
can help in that process?

Im trying to get more people invovled with RTS, for many they
just see RTS heads as troublemakers, change this- for many
painting the streets puts people off as is criminal offence?

What about trying to make a film about what RTS is trying to
achieve and when done submitting it to rte/ tv3 / tg4? If they
refuse to show it, we can screen it ourselves as an indymedia
event, maybe outside or in new cultivate centre run by
sustainalbe ireland

The dublin fringe theatre festival is on next week, I think just
for one week- has there been any publicity stunts planned for
this week? Id be interested in meeting up with people this w/e
for a brainstorm if there has not. Who knows…..

I gave an interview that went out on NEAR FM “majority world”
today 101.6fm 3.30 4.40pm. in which I announced sep 22, car free
day and RTS- theres a repeat of that which is on at 9-10
tomorrow morning

I put a post up on the main website for european student
architects, in an attempt to get them invovled with rts in their
node and get them feeding back about whats going on,
unfortunately no response- I doubt too many of them are into
sustainability??? Perhaps you could comment @
http://easa.antville.org/topics/car+free+day/
car free day


I see RTS as a progressive step in pushing cities toward the
ideal of an eco cities
http://easa.antville.org/stories/348675/#490119
eco cities? Is more on that

http://easa.antville.org/stories/468796/
gives more info of what im trying to do in general with the EASA
network

www.geocities.com/fuspey is my website, still being developed
if anyone wants to get invovled with any of this or has any
other ideas, give us a mail

see you soon

dunk- the guy who rushed in and out of the meeting last week
with the red shirt on