‘Get on board’ with smart transport

Monday, 20 August 2012, 1:16 pm
Press Release: Generation Zero

Students take to streets calling on the Government to ‘Get on board’ with smart transport

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - Monday 20th August 2012
Press release: Generation Zero

Students gathered on Saturday 18th August to ‘drive’ a bus made from recycled cardboard around Dunedin with the aim of inviting Dunedin residents to get on board with Generation Zero’s call for the Government to invest in smart transport.

The bus began its trip at about 10am at the Farmer’s Market before travelling to the Octagon and down George Street to the Meridian Mall. According to Generation Zero spokesperson Harriet Leadbetter, the bus’s efforts to engage with passerby’s was met with a positive reception. “We were overwhelmed with support, and it seems that this is an issue that people are aware of and which some people had very strong views on.”

“The majority of people were keen for more of the transport budget to be spent on cycleways and public transport in Dunedin. Some people were surprised at the amount of money - $13 billion - being spent on the ‘roads of national significance’, and quite a few asked what they could do to help the government get on board a smart transport future.”

The bus did hit a roadblock at the Meridian Mall where it was allowed to enter but was then stopped. “Once we had ridden the escalator down into the food court, security felt it necessary to escort us out, as we had not asked permission to spread our message within the mall. We gave the security guard escorting us out a run-down on the importance of investing in smart transport though, and he seemed pretty impressed.”

The bus was run as part of Generation Zero’s 50/50 Campaign, which calls for a fair share of funding for smart transport. Generation Zero is a nationwide youth organization that advocates for intergenerational justice and action on climate change.

The 50/50 Campaign was launched in May and has featured attention-grabbing stunts throughout the country, including forty Generation Zero members undertaking a morning commute in their underwear on a Wellington train.

ENDS.

© Scoop Media