Reclaim the Streets

Captain Havoc

I was just wondernig what were other peoples view on this tomorrow. This is what they're saying

For the community ownership of Kilkenny's public spaces.
Vehicular traffic is causing the obstructions on our streets. Pedestrians, cyclists, wheelchair users, parents with pushchairs, skateboarders, etc deserve more rights to travel around our city unimpeded by congested traffic, fumes, noise pollution and the ill effects of our car-centred society....

Party for pedestrian rights on Kilkenny streets....
for more space, more room, less traffic, less pollution!!

I'm all for leaving the car at home, as any regular poster here knows and that I cycle a lot. I do feel that taking the streets is going a bit far though. They still are roads for the use of cars and bicycles and this sort of thing only divides us cyclists from motorists as opposed to everyone getting along in harmony and sharing the road, I hate the us vs them thing that a lot of cyclists and motorists take up and that they feel they have some divinely given superiority on the road as opposed to the legal obligation to share the road and use it in a manner that is with due consideration of others.

I'm not for this hippy parade unless I can hear a sensible argument for it.

femur61

They are called roads not walk ways or bicycle lanes. I walk when I can but I to collect the kids from various schools, weekly shopping etc. So a bit jeuvinille to expect one to walk everywhere. In the 80's I was going to save the whale and go to protest at Sellafield but have matured a bit.

fabbydabby

If these goons had jobs to go to they would see why we need cars.

highgiant1985

Captain Havoc wrote: »

I was just wondernig what were other peoples view on this tomorrow. This is what they're saying





I'm all for leaving the car at home, as any regular poster here knows and that I cycle a lot. I do feel that taking the streets is going a bit far though. They still are roads for the use of cars and bicycles and this sort of thing only divides us cyclists from motorists as opposed to everyone getting along in harmony and sharing the road, I hate the us vs them thing that a lot of cyclists and motorists take up and that they feel they have some divinely given superiority on the road as opposed to the legal obligation to share the road and use it in a manner that is with due consideration of others.

I'm not for this hippy parade unless I can hear a sensible argument for it.

sorry genuinely not aware of this who are "they"?

Any link?

Captain Havoc

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/event.php?eid=119473794730345&ref=ts

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/profile.php?id=100000984012261

Cabaal

femur61 wrote: »

They are called roads not walk ways or bicycle lanes. I walk when I can but I to collect the kids from various schools, weekly shopping etc. So a bit jeuvinille to expect one to walk everywhere.

Calling something a road doesn't mean its ONLY meant for cars though, while I'd agree that walking everyone isn't always do-able there are many benefits of cutting down on traffic

A road is an identifiable thoroughfare, route, way or path between two places

Cutting down on cars needs to be done the right way of course, extremeists on both sides of the debate help nobody

Captain Havoc

Cabaal wrote: »

Cutting down on cars needs to be done the right way of course, extremeists on both sides of the debate help nobody

Totally agree, the only way you'll get people to leave the car at home is thorugh education and making them want to leave it at home. There are a lot of cyclists who drive (I'll be on that list in the next week or so). The one thing that pisses me off no end in this country is the scare mongering done by rags like the daily fail and such. One thing that immediately struck me when I moved back to Switzerland was the number of very young kids that walk to school unassisted. The newspapers over there don't carry as many stories of kidnapping etc.. as here. There's no doubt in my mind that a pedestrianised city centre would be so much better as would hospital wards but doing this sort of crap is a step backwards and will only create resentment from motorists. I can't see any motorist going into Kilkenny tomorrow and going "oh what a joly good idea, I think I should walk or cycle" and not "get off the road ya feckin hippy, there's no whales here". Education and encouragement is the way forward not a "we're better than you" parade.

Cabaal

Captain Havoc wrote: »

Totally agree, the only way you'll get people to leave the car at home is thorugh education and making them want to leave it at home.

Totally agree, alot of people need to use common sense and just walk instead of driving say 200metres....yes I've seen numerous people drive 200metres instead of walking...shops and schools are perfect examples.

There are a lot of cyclists who drive (I'll be on that list in the next week or so).

Used to cycle to work each day for about 7 years, averages about 16km each work day for the last two years of that period.

What I always found interesting was people's view that I'd get soaked in the rain yet only a handful of times can I remember using ALL my rain gear to protect me from very heavy rain.....most days I just had a jacket as the road would be wet from the night before.

The one thing that pisses me off no end in this country is the scare mongering done by rags like the daily fail and such. One thing that immediately struck me when I moved back to Switzerland was the number of very young kids that walk to school unassisted. The newspapers over there don't carry as many stories of kidnapping etc.. as here.

Don't get me started, kids not allowed to walk1 mile along a road cause they'll be kidnapped...nonsense.

Recent documentary channel 4 aired compared present day stats to the 1970's. there has been no increase in kidnapping or any of that sort of thing...the only thing that has changed is the way media reports on it...bigging it all up to get viewers and sell papers.

Fear sells

There's no doubt in my mind that a pedestrianised city centre would be so much better as would hospital wards but doing this sort of crap is a step backwards and will only create resentment from motorists. I can't see any motorist going into Kilkenny tomorrow and going "oh what a joly good idea, I think I should walk or cycle" and not "get off the road ya feckin hippy, there's no whales here". Education and encouragement is the way forward not a "we're better than you" parade.

Its a mindset, for me I don't mind parking somewhat away from High street and walking but then my dad is like that...walking doesn't bother him, but so many people want to park beside the supermarket checkout when they go shopping
:rolleyes:

femur61

I have no obvious disability but find walking streneous due to illness I am not yet 40 two kids so personally I need a car. I need a car to get into town, shopping , small kids to school. So why can't hippy, hoppy people realise a car is necessary even though they might see a healthy person. So see the bigger peicture.

ergonomics

femur61 wrote: »

I have no obvious disability but find walking streneous due to illness I am not yet 40 two kids so personally I need a car. I need a car to get into town, shopping , small kids to school. So why can't hippy, hoppy people realise a car is necessary even though they might see a healthy person. So see the bigger peicture.

I've said this before; why do people think that everyone is saying no one is EVER allowed to use their cars? They're saying that those who DON'T need to use a car should consider alternative means of getting into town. No one expects anyone to bring a week's food shopping home on the back of the bike and no one is forcing someone who can't walk into town to do so. Everyone needs to stop playing the victim.

Threadhead

I think the point of the walk (through John Street and through Rose Inn Street) was to highlight the fact that for 6 days you could comfortably cycle and maneouvre a wheelchair or a buggy around both those streets easily.

It is not a bunch of hippies trying to get rid of cars. Cars are essential to many people. It's about equality. Now people in wheelchairs, people wheeling buggies and cyclists are back to being squashed and generally inconvenienced on those two streets. They're speaking up because the one way system for the 6 days it was in implementation made a massive difference to the quality of their life in this city.

That is the crux of the matter.

Lord ButterSlip

What happened in the end? Did many go?

femur61

Musn't have been that may as not in any of the local papers. Maybe it din't go ahead.

Purry Cat

femur61 wrote: »

Musn't have been that may as not in any of the local papers. Maybe it din't go ahead.

Went ahead alright. Malcolm Noonan, Sean O hArgain, various tree huggers. Didn't quite bring the town to a standstill.

SweetEmpathy

A surprising amount of people turned out for the walk.

I find it disheartening how people are reacting to this, considering most of the people who turned out for it were people with buggies and in wheelchairs. Kilkenny is a small city and these people are inconvenienced every day they decide to walk into town.

Now, it was never said that the Reclaim Kilkenny Streets demanded that people give up their car, simply that people consider leaving their cars at home when they are not needed.

Everyone knows that person who will drive to the shop for a litre of milk; even if the shop is around the corner. Unfortunately now everyone knows alot of these people.

It was never a "Tree hugger"/"hippy" campaign; it is an equality campaign.

fabbydabby

If that's the case then ye might benefit from someone with a bit of PR experience. Reclaim the Streets was a bad name for it, because (at least to me anyway) it conjures up images of trustafarians and 'Anarchists' (most of whom are middle class teenagers who have no really concept of the meaning and implications of the term) throwing molotov cocktails at riot police and generally getting up to mischief.

Here's the very first video you get on youtube when you type in Reclaim the streets Dublin:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VCznvywH9G4


You should have called it Super fun happy happy fun time family day without mechanised transportation.

SweetEmpathy

I actually have no idea who is running the project to be honest. USK were approached via Facebook asking if we would be interested in attending.

I agree the name could have been thought out better; considering what it is linked to it in relation to Ireland. etc.

swifty73

Purry Cat wrote: »

Went ahead alright. Malcolm Noonan, Sean O hArgain, various tree huggers. Didn't quite bring the town to a standstill.

funny its the cars that bring the town to a stand still with bad air for us all to enjoy.just because people care about there town does not make them all tree huggers it makes them people with a social conscience to much me fein here for anything good to happin.

SweetEmpathy

I was wondering how "pedestrian rights" = "tree huggers"

swifty73

good point,the only people with rights here are the big fat cats.who run the town for there own pockets and dont care about anything other than cash.