Friends of the Earth
Action Briefing June /July 1999
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Birmingham Friends of the Earth Action Briefing June /July 1999 |
Certainly everybody has heard about the BNRR. Most people are aware of the environmental damage that this new road will cause. Many people also realise the outdated and flawed traffic policy that stands behind this project.
What is not generally seen, is that road building projects of this scale are not just a local or regional issue. There are new motorways and road links being built all over Europe, and together they make quite an alarming picture. Even now that most governments pay lip service to traffic reduction, they are still working towards an ever denser network of national and international road links.
I have been involved in the protest against the "Thueringer-Wald-Autobahn" (A71/73) in Germany for four years. Every summer we stage a ten-day mass bike ride (100+ riders every day!), the "Tour de Natur", along the proposed route, through one of the most beautiful countryside and forests anywhere in Germany, rightfully known as "The Treen Heart of Germany." The bike ride promotes environmental awareness and sustainable transport, and it serves to tie together the many local groups protesting against the destruction of invaluable forests and fields, hills and valleys.
This summer again, I will cycle the 600 miles from Birmingham to the start of the "Tour de Natur" in Kassel. To make this trip more than a holiday, I am looking for sponsors. The money I raise will be split evenly between the anti-BNRR campaign and the campaign against the "Thueringer-Wald-Autobahn." If you would like to sponsor me for all or part of the way, please contact me under (0121) 441 3828 or use the sponsorship form at the Warehouse. I'm hoping to raise at least 10p per mile, and any contribution is highly welcome. I expect to ride 50-60 miles per day, so maybe you would like to sponsor me for a day (£5) or two!?
If you would like to join me for part or all of the journey, you are very welcome, too - contact me under (0121) 441 3828 or by e-mail: M.C.Plath@cs.bham.ac.uk
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