rupert's travel blog

Tag: transport policy

  • Get on your bike

    Imagine a form of transport that is virtually free, gets you healthy, and can get you anywhere within Bucharest in less than an hour. Is the humble bicycle the answer to our transport problems?

    Anxiety is growing about the price of oil, which has quadrupled in recent years and shows no sign of coming down in price. Suddenly, renewable energy and alternative forms of transport are looking more attractive than ever before.

    As a long term resident of Bucharest (I first came here in 1986) I can guarantee that there is no better way of getting around town than a bicycle; it is fast, cheap and healthy. And I have tried it all: car, bus, tram, metro, foot, skateboard. Cycling is ideal for business people as they value their time, health and money. But you do have to be aware of the risks. (more…)

  • If I was the mayor

    If I had stood for the local elections I would have come with an ecological strategy that would have provided everything required for a campaigning politician; connection to a hot global issue, a ready made framework that would create jobs, cut pollution, solve transport problems, attract tourists and bring discipline to construction. And I would have a framework to slam other candidates for using eco labels in their campaigns but failing to address the threats of global warming and the upcoming energy crisis (this is known as “greenwash” in the UK). (more…)

  • Bureaucrats ban ancient rural practises

    The proposed ban against transhumance is symptomatic of the Romanian government’s attitude towards the peasantry, but it goes against the values of the EU.

    It would be really tragic if Romania banned transhumance (the ancient practise of taking huge flocks of sheep to mountain pastures for the summer) . Although the practise may contravene some of the EU’s public health rules, there is a strong tendency within the EU to suport traditional cultural practises within EU member states, to encourage diversity as well as environmentally friendly activities.

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  • Cars have more rights than people

    The ancient historian Herodotus had some useful advice for the travellers and writers of his day: in order to understand a situation you must ask lots of people the same question. I have been following Herodotus’s advice for some years now by asking people I meet in Bucharest — taxi drivers, policemen, old ladies, shopkeepers – “Why are people allowed to park their cars on the pavements?” (more…)