Planning your first excursion 7 – 8 July, 2012

In week 5, you will be giving a presentation in pairs on a visit which you are planning for this weekend. Your teacher will have given you the brief which outlines the aims of your visit. Please note that you should:

Research
1. Work in pairs
2. Fully understand the 4 aims you need to prepare and deliver an effective presentation.
3. Select a place and plan how you will get there (e.g. train, coach, bus). For this task, you need to select a place outside Plymouth.
4. Agree on a plan to ensure that you collect appropriate and adequate material during your visit.
5. Take photographs of yourself and your partner in front of or inside the place you visit.

Travel
• We advise you to purchase your own discount card for rail or coach which will give you 30% discount on all travel and is valid for a whole year. We have included a link for the application form which you will need to use for travel this weekend. DO NOT APPLY ONLINE as this can take up to 5 days. Your completed form needs to be taken to the rail station with your passport and a passport-sized photograph. Discuss the form with your teacher in class and plan to do this before Friday.

rail card application form - http://www.16-25railcard.co.uk/clientfiles/File/16-25_railcard_application.pdf

coach card - http://www.nationalexpress.com/coach/offers/studentcoachdeals.aspx

• If you do not wish to buy a railcard at this time, you can receive a discount by buying your tickets as a group of 4 (ask for a Group Saver). However, you must travel together on both the outward and return journeys.

Ticket reimbursement

• We will reimburse your return rail or coach ticket up to a maximum of £15 per person. You MUST ASK FOR A RECEIPT when you buy the ticket. You will ONLY be reimbursed if you submit the receipt to your teacher.

• You should always carry your Plymouth address and the relevant telephone numbers (Student Support Assistant and Student Village Reception) with you in case of emergency.

• Be practical. Think about the weather-wear suitable clothes and take an umbrella.

• Your teacher will help you with your research to find places of interest, but you can also talk to the Student Support Assistants, visit the website and go to the Tourist Office in Plymouth City Centre. This will encourage you to speak to people and to try out your English. Most people are very helpful and you do not need to worry about making mistakes.

Evaluate solutions for congestion: Moto taxi

http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=traffic+congestion+jakarta&view=detail&mid=13ABC384361E3E2838D913ABC384361E3E2838D9&first=0

Evaluate the solution

Good points:
You arrive to your destination quickly, because the motorbike is not affected by the traffic, as it can weave between the cars

It gives an extra option to travellers, so peole can choose the best way to reach their destination, for example shorter distances, an d rush hour travel may be better on a motorcycle, while longer distances and travel outside rush hour, maybe better in a car or bus.




Bad points:

could be more dangerous because motorcycles travel fast and car drivers cannot see them and crash into them

It is a noisy and dirty way to travel because you are outside and not protected so you hear all the traffic and breathe in the pollution

Solutions for congestion: build

Build: In 2008, the Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company announced its plans to build Masdar City, the world’s first zero-carbon, zero-waste and, yes, car-free city. With zero carbon emissions from transport within the city, Masdar also plans to facilitate low-carbon journeys to its boundaries through support for public transport and vehicle sharing. Recently, visitors to the development site have been given rides in personal rapid transit vehicles that run on tracks below the city. Each driverless pod is powered by rechargeable lithium-phosphate batteries. Of course, the city, which is designed to house 50,000 residents and 1,500 businesses, is only six square kilometres.

Cities get creative with solutions for traffic congestion woes

SIRI AGRELL and MURAT YUKSELIR

The Globe and Mail  Published Sunday, Aug. 21 2011, 11:39 PM EDT

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/time-to-lead/cities-get-creative-with-solutions-for-traffic-congestion-woes/article2136868/

Solutions for congestion: Ban

Ban: In March, the European Commission released a white paper outlining its vision for a “Single European Transport Area.” Designed to bring about a “profound shift” in how people travel the continent, the document called for a ban on conventionally fuelled cars in city centres by the year 2050. Siim Kallas, of the EU transport commission, said that new taxation on fuel would force people out of their cars and onto alternative transport. “That means no more conventionally fuelled cars in our city centres,” he said. “Action will follow, legislation, real action to change behaviour.” Needless to say, the idea has not been overly popular. The British government has gone so far as to veto the idea, with Norman Baker, U.K. under secretary of state for transportation, saying: “We will not be banning cars from city centres any more than we will be having rectangular bananas.”

Cities get creative with solutions for traffic congestion woes

SIRI AGRELL and MURAT YUKSELIR

The Globe and Mail  Published Sunday, Aug. 21 2011, 11:39 PM EDT

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/time-to-lead/cities-get-creative-with-solutions-for-traffic-congestion-woes/article2136868/

Solutions for congestion: rotate

Rotate: Even government rules sound better in Spanish. In Bogota, the phrase “pico y placa” translates to “peak and plate.” In layman’s terms, it’s a traffic mitigation policy created in 2000 by then mayor Enrique Penalosa. The idea behind the rule is to restrict certain vehicles from travelling the streets at certain times. At first, traffic was restricted between 6 and 9 a.m., and then again between 5 and 8 p.m. on weekdays. In 2009, the restriction was extended from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekdays. Both public and private vehicles are included in the ban based on the last digit of the licence plate. The numbers restricted each day rotate on an annual basis.

Cities get creative with solutions for traffic congestion woes

SIRI AGRELL and MURAT YUKSELIR

The Globe and Mail  Published Sunday, Aug. 21 2011, 11:39 PM EDT

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/time-to-lead/cities-get-creative-with-solutions-for-traffic-congestion-woes/article2136868/

Solution for congestion:fly

Fly: Before the 2012 Olympic Games, the city of London will introduce a new transit corridor between sporting arenas. But this one will soar above the city roads, transporting amateur sports fans via a cable-car network intended to reduce traffic during the event. Cable cars are gaining popularity as a transit option after years of use in South America. The city of Jakarta recently announced plans to have a cable car system operating by next year. The city of Medellin, Colombia, first introduced cable cars in 2006 to cut commute times by as much as two hours. The cars are ideal for transporting people over steep or muddy terrain where the construction of roads is difficult, and are generally used to connect poorer neighbourhoods to the downtown core. Brazil’s government plans to use the gondolas to connect the sprawling shanty towns to the centre of Rio.

Cities get creative with solutions for traffic congestion woes

SIRI AGRELL and MURAT YUKSELIR

The Globe and Mail  Published Sunday, Aug. 21 2011, 11:39 PM EDT

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/time-to-lead/cities-get-creative-with-solutions-for-traffic-congestion-woes/article2136868/

Solutions for congestion: Reward

Reward: It’s not unusual for cities to offer incentives for people to turn in their weapons or inefficient appliances. But the city of Murcia, Spain, has asked people to turn in their cars. To ease traffic congestion, the city offered lifetime passes to its new tram system to anyone who turned in their car – assuming it was fully paid off, of course. The city then put the cars that were traded in on display around the city, slowly disassembling them over time or piling them on top of each other as a commentary about parking shortages.

Cities get creative with solutions for traffic congestion woes

SIRI AGRELL and MURAT YUKSELIR

The Globe and Mail  Published Sunday, Aug. 21 2011, 11:39 PM EDT

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/time-to-lead/cities-get-creative-with-solutions-for-traffic-congestion-woes/article2136868/