CAR FREE WEEK 2007

they're here....

Car Free Day falls on Saturday, September 22, 2007, and Hamilton will be holding a week of activities beginning Friday S.21 and ending Friday S.28.

TONIGHT!

• FRIDAY SEPT. 21, 7-10pm. Start Car Free Week in Hamilton with a thought provoking documentary film: The City and the World (1945-Present) from the series New York: A Documentary Film.

During the seventh episode of NEW YORK: A DOCUMENTARY FILM, the turbulent and often harrowing years from 1945 to the present are explored. Emerging from the Depression and the Second World War as the most powerful metropolis on Earth, New York soon confronted urban woes of unprecedented proportions, and fought for its very existence.

Program Description

In exploring the social, economic and physical forces that swept through the city in the post-war period, Episode Seven examines the great African-American migration and Puerto Rican immigration of the '40s, '50s, and '60s; the beginnings of white flight and suburbanization; and the massive physical changes wrought by highways and urban renewal -- all of which were directed, to a surprising degree, by one man: Robert Moses. The film comes to a climax with the destruction of Penn Station, the battle over the Lower Manhattan Expressway, the social and fiscal crises of the '60s and '70s, and New York's miraculous revival in the last quarter-century.

DISCUSSION TO FOLLOW THE FILM
Ewart Angus Centre (McMaster University Medical Centre) Room 1A6 FREE ADMISSION

• CAR FREE DAY: Parking Meter Party!

SATURDAY. SEPTEMBER 22. 12 noon, KING STREET EAST at FERGUSON. Transform a roadside parking spot into party central, all you need is a quarter for the meter! The more people who come, the more parking spaces we will liberate for uses other than depositing a car.

TLC will supply the sod, bike mechanics will set up shop to do free bicycle check-ups, there will be live acoustic music, and the brave will dance.
Car Free Day is an international annual celebration of living in the city without a car, focusing on active and sustainable modes of transportation.
TLC has been celebrating CFD each year since 2000. Join the fun.

• CAR FREE COOTES

SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 23
Explore the natural beauty of Cootes Paradise, the nature preserve in McMaster's backyard.
Ward one city councillor Brian McHattie (also former president of the Hamilton Naturalist Club) takes us on the annual hike into the natural wonders of Cootes to explore the diverse environment. Learn about the native flora and fauna, the efforts to protect this Carolinian Forest and marsh habitat, and better understand how we can work to improve the environment.
Meet at 10am inside the McMaster Student Centre, at the tables in front of the Union Market (at the north end of the student centre). Wear sensible footwear, bring water and a sun hat, and binoculars if you have some. Please pre-register with randy(at)opirg(dot)ca or 905-525-9140 ext. 26026

• TALKING TRANSIT
  

Monday September 24, 7pm
Sky Dragon Centre, 27 King William Street

Hamilton has been promised hundreds of millions in funding for public transit this election. How are we going to spend this windfall? On more buses and business as usual or on a revolutionary new transportation system. Light rail, as opposed to bus rapid transit, is cleaner, more attractive to new users, stimulates economic development and is just plain cool. Ward One Councillor Brian McHattie will be on hand to join Raise the Hammer and Hamilton CATCH for a municipal politics discussion night at the Sky Dragon with a focus on the future of public transit in Hamilton.

• BASIC BICYCLE REPAIR - the dedicated volunteer mechanics at RECYCLE CYCLES will host a free, basic bike repair workshop from 6-9pm, Tuesday, September 25, at their workshop in the basement of Erskine Presbyterian Church (19 Pearl street North, enter off Morden). After learning the basics, consider volunteering with Recycle Cycles to help keep old bikes from the landfill, while making inexpensive bicycles available to the people of Hamilton. Space at the workshop is limited so please pre-register with randy(at)opirg.ca or 905-525-9140 ext. 26026.

• WOMEN ONLY BASIC BIKE REPAIR - TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 7-9 pm at MaCycle (basement of Wentworth House, McMaster University) - space is limited, so please pre-register with randy(at)opirg(dot)org

Learn how to change a tire, fix a flat, adjust your brakes and gears along with general maintenance tips

• BUS and HIKE TO TIFFANY FALLS

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 26
Alf Senior of the Hamilton Naturalist Club will lead a BUS and HIKE from McMaster to Tiffany Falls, 5:30pm sharp!
- Meet at the bus stop beside McMaster Museum of Art, McMaster University and take the 5C Bus - the entire trip will be less than 2hrs est. return - F/T mac students bring student card with valid HSR sticker - others please have HSR ticket or exact cash fare. TLC will have free tickets for those who request them.
Participants will receive free Hamilton Waterfall, and City Cycling Maps.
Wear sensible clothing and footwear, bring water and a snack. Stay on marked trails - take nothing but photos, etc. for a zero impact hike.

• CAR FREE DRIVE-IN MOVIE AT GAGE PARK BANDSHELL - THURSDAY, September 27, films start at dusk - a great outdoor family event - leave your car at home and walk, bike, or bus to Gage Park for the annual event celebrating car free week in Hamilton. Bring a lawn-chair or a blanket and a friend.
  

• CRITICAL MASS BICYCLE RIDE

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 28
End Car Free Week with the monthly CRITICAL MASS BIKE RIDE, Friday, September 28, meet at 5:30pm at Hess and George Streets in Hamilton's "Hess Village" - the mass bike ride through the downtown is a great way to explore the city's reviving core in a friendly ride with other cyclists. The more the merrier, so grab a friend and come downtown.
The ride is about an hour long at a leisurely pace (it's not a race) and roller bladers, skateboarders, uni-cyclists, wayward youth, and ice-cream vendors all welcome.