A link to london's Docklonds light railway which provides an efficient mode of transport which is an alternative to a car.




http://www.tfl.gov.uk/modalpages/2632.aspx

Advertising campaign uses stunt yolks to persuade motorists to use the Metro

Published: Monday, September 20, 2010 with 0 Comments

By Ramola Talwar Badam www.thenational.ae

DUBAI // Fried eggs were splattered across the bonnets of thousands of cars in the emirate yesterday.

Well, not quite. But many commuters did a double take when they found eggs seemingly sizzling in the summer heat on car hoods in Dubai Media City, Internet City and Deira.

The sunny-side-up culprits, printed on palm-sized cards and mounted on magnets, were part of a Dubai Metro advertising campaign to get people out of their cars and onto the Metro. The small lettering on the egg white read: “It’s a cool 20°C on the Metro”.

Some 3,500 cars were plastered with the magnetic cards yesterday, and about the same number of vehicles will be targeted tomorrow.

“We’re trying to get a key message across in a different way,” said Peyman Younes Parham, the director of the Roads and Transport Authority’s corporate marketing department.

“Basically, we want to get people who drive cars thinking of public transport – and the Metro specifically. The idea we’re placing is that it is so hot right now you can fry an egg on your car.”

The advertising agency Saatchi & Saatchi Dubai drew up the campaign to target motorists near the Red Line between Ibn Battuta and Bur Dubai over the next few days. The agency targeted areas where there was little underground car parking.

The fried egg campaign drew laughs from many car owners. Some spotted the magnetic cards as they pulled off sun shades from the windscreen, others gave a curious glance at the eggs while walking up to their cars.

“This is so funny. It literally is baking here,” said Osadya Selen, a French national who runs a marketing firm in Media City. The temperature on her car thermometer showed 46°C.

“It should have been bigger, though, many people won’t see the egg because the sunlight is blinding.”

Mira Magd, who works with a television media company and frequently travels on the Metro, said: “It’s really cool advertising. But you can’t use the Metro every time; sometimes people need cars to get them to different places.”

Mr Parham acknowledged the campaign would not get people hopping onto the Metro immediately, but said it would get people thinking.

“It’s a new campaign style in which we are trying to send people a message: ‘See how long it takes to walk to your car? How long it takes for the air conditioning to kick in? Instead, you could have been sitting in a cool Metro station’,” he said.

Meanwhile, the RTA yesterday announced November 1 as Public Transport Day to mark the fifth anniversary of the transport body. To celebrate, free rides will be given to Nol Card holders on the Metro, buses and water taxis.

Passengers have made 30 million rail trips in Dubai since the Metro launch last year.

rtalwar@thenational.ae

A couple of english sites that promote walking rather than driving in cities.

http://www.walkingworks.org.uk/index.php

www.livingstreets.org.uk/

This is a site about campaign to make things better in the world by making them fun. Its a different way of thinking. Can we make more people use the stairs if it is more fun ect... social experiments to try and improve society.

This site is dedicated to the thought that something as simple as fun is the easiest way to change people’s behaviour for the better. Be it for yourself, for the environment, or for something entirely different, the only thing that matters is that it’s change for the better.

http://thefuntheory.com/

Jan Gehl

This is a direct link to Jan Gehl's website. He is the architect/urban planner who has been asked to make recommendations for changing hobart into a more sustainable city.

http://www.gehlarchitects.com/?

Sustainable Cities

This is a link to a website which has cases, expert opinions and discussion about sustainable living in inner cities. Its a great general resource to look at to get a view2 of what other cities are doing to become greener and more car free though planning and community projects

http://sustainablecities.dk/

This is a link to a discussion about the controversial bike lane intended to be put in on sandy bay road. Handy for getting opinion on the issue.

Cycling on Sandy Bay Road- what are your thoughts?

24/08/2010 , 10:40 AM by Jayne Landsberg

A proposed cycle way on Hobart's Sandy Bay Road has generated a lot of discussion, for both positive and negative reasons.

Today a panel discussion took place on Mornings, including MLC for Nelson Jim Wilkinson, Hobart City Council Alderman Damon Thomas, Tim Stredwick, president of Bicycle Tasmania and Kathy Gates, Sandy Bay resident and regular cyclist.

http://blogs.abc.net.au/tasmania/2010/08/cycling-on-sandy-bay-road-what-are-your-thoughts-.html?site=hobart&program=hobart_mornings