Bikes vs Cars (2015) Movie Script
1
Last week a bike protest
tried to cross the bridge.
They were stopped
and could not proceed...
- And then on the next day...
- It was one officer per activist, right?
Rafael made a video.
I think it's on the "Bike Legal" blog.
William, you contacted
the Transport Secretary
about the bike lane at Paulista, right?
I sent an e-mail, but as always,
there was no response.
In 2008, I moved here to study.
I planned to bring my car.
There was lots of traffic,
and I was scared to drive.
I took the bus the first six months.
It was very expensive.
One day, I rode my bike
to the university.
I didn't know anyone in town.
I did it on my own.
It was really scary.
But I arrived at school alert,
with a clear mind,
happier, energized
and full of adrenaline.
This made me
do it over and over again.
Then one day,
I was a bike rider in So Paulo.
Today I have a lot of friends,
a true family here.
We are trying to understand
what is happening to our city.
What influences the mayor's decision
when it comes to building cycle paths
or a bridge for cars?
Why is public transportation expensive
even though it's so bad?
Who makes the choice?
What are the criteria?
Who funds this?
What are their motives?
I think this is the key problem
in every city.
Riding a bike in So Paulo
is a huge challenge.
You need to have a strong will.
Julie was a happy and very cool girl.!
She was killed here in 2011.
She was hit by a bus
on Avenida Paulista.
She was on her way to work.
She was a biologist,
working with stem cells.
She'd take it easy.
She vvasn't aggressive on her bike.
The bus was not in its lane.
He squeezed her in, towards this lane.
Then another bus ran over her.
When I see the ghost bikes, it's a shock.
Because they remind me
that it's possible to die biking.
It's a possibility and one that sucks.
It reminds me that I'm in So Paulo.
When Julie died, we Went there
to understand What was happening,
why cyclists get trapped.
There's a place Where the buses start
accelerating and the street opens up.
They are able to pass and out in
to get to the bus stop.
The bus driver can't really see
the cyclist. It's a blind spot.
It is not the bus driver's
or the cyclist's fault.
It's a faulty system that doesn't
take people into account.
It's not designed for cyclists
or for bus drivers.
The system itself creates this stress.
This is Paulista.
- Here?
- Here.
This is the present Paulista.
The lane dimensions
allow cars to go 100 km/hour.
Our idea is to reduce
the width of the lanes for cars,
and induce a speed of 40-50 km/hour.
This way, we would gain
two meters for a bike lane
and have an avenue with trees.
There would not only be segregation
that allows a high traffic volume,
but it would also keep the cyclist safe.
This project is our own initiative.
There's no contract.
Being realistic, if nothing
is done Within the next 20 years,
it will never be done.
The Traffic Dept. makes adjustments
for the flow of cars.
To prevent traffic jams
and not to prevent...
risky situations for people.
The concern is about the flow of cars.
It's not about people.
A biking city is possible.
A city where people are safe
to walk and to ride bicycles.
So Paulo doesn't have a structure
for bikes, but it's full of bike riders.
Just imagine if there was a structure,
if there were incentives.
Copenhagen is an example for us.
A city made for people.
It's like a dream to watch
features about Copenhagen.
When I read about
Denmark or the Netherlands,
it really makes me want
to go there someday.
I think bicycles are fantastic,
because they're simple.
It's magic. It's magical to me.
It's so different, meeting people on the
road compared to when you're in a car.
In a car, you become invisible.
There are more people on the streets.
The obstacles, the cultural perception -
You have to keep fighting for people
to change their mentality of,
Poor people ride bikes
and car drivers are rich.
Good morning, kids.
How was your morning?
Good!
Miss Milena wants you to pair up.
Ready?
You're class 504, right?
- What's your class?
- 504!
So pair up.
My students love it when we go out.
Here we have 4-way traffic.
Let's go in groups.
I want to plant a seed in these children.
A sense that they are able
to move freely in life.
Doing it in their childhood
makes it a habit.
As an adult you never forget it.
We're going that Way.
Children, by nature,
are not afraid of anything.
Grown-ups are the ones
who imprint fear in them.
Today, horror scenes in one of
the most famous avenues in So Paulo.
A cyclist was hit by a car,
and his arm was torn off.?
His arm was caught in the car,
and the driver took off
without helping the victim.
It's 5.30 AM.
A dramatic scene in the middle
of Avenida Paulista.
The young man on the ground
was hit by a car.
He was riding a bike to work.
He doesn't seem to realize that
his arm was torn off in the accident.
Witnesses said that the driver
was speeding and didn't stop the car.
While escaping, the driver realized
that the cyclist's arm was in his car.
He drove for 7 km,
dropped a friend off,
and going down this street
he decided to get rid of the evidence.
He threw the arm in this creek.
- I hadn't seen this.
- Me neither.
She's not picking up.
Do you have Sussa's number?
Check, ifs in there.
Sussa? Hi. It's Evelyn.
L-low are you'? Are you going
to the demonstration today'?
This is our city. I don't want
to live in London or San Francisco.
I want to live here. I like it here.
If I stopped taking my bike and used a car,
a bus or the metro instead,
there would be one cyclist less
exercising their right to bike.
I don't want to be that cyclist less.
Wow, look at all this rain.
Rain is the biggest
anti-recruiter in the World.
But not that much, mind you!
But a thousand confirmed on Facebook!
In reality,
Facebook is a fake recruiter.
Fewer cars! More love!
Fewer cars! More love!
It's always for a stupid reason,
someone drunk, irresponsible.
And the Weaker suffer.
It's not fair.
What if the driver had lost his arm?
It's not about opinion. It's about respect
and being able to live together.
BRAZILIAN FACTORY 2014
May this be the last ghost bike
we ever have to put out there.
FINANCIAL SUPPORT GIVEN
TO POLITICAL PARTIES
CONSTRUCTION COMPANIES;
268 MILLION USD
Biggest Funders Since 2002
Camargo Construction Co.
Andrade Gutierrez Construction Co.,
OAS Construction Company.
The construction companies,
car industry and oil companies
are the main financial donors
supporting
political campaigns in Brazil.
I believe that the car industry
has spun a web that has
trapped the public and the politicians
and it is very hard to untangle.
Quiet!
- He speaks for the mayor!
- Quiet!
My father is upstairs resting.
It's Sunday.
Ask him to come down.
We need to talk to him!
He promised to see us.
This is unprecedented.
Choose a group of representatives,
and he will meet them.
But not at his house, on a Sunday.
We all say different things.
We're not organized.
We must have a letter, a manifesto,
to deliver to the mayor.
We need to organize,
get articulated, otherwise -
You know what will happen?
He'll talk to a few of us,
and say, I've talked to the cyclists.
And then What? Who is who here?
We don't have any representatives.
It's all about representation.
Could we go for a coffee?
It's cold.
We're reaching a point
where it's impossible to live.
In So Paulo, the hospitals
are filled with children
and elderly people
who are sick from air pollution.
It's a pity that people don't see
that it's an endless black hole
and that everybody
is getting sucked into it.
I think the cities are collapsing.
There's not much we can do.
It's very difficult to reverse the process
because cities are based on money.
What other industry has
the money to face the car industry?
I don't know of any.
Painted my soul gray
But they didn't dry my eyes
Buckled up my chest
They put that knife in my chest
Hello!
So you came!
Another round today!
- What's today's agenda?
- Money, money, money!
Driving oars doesn't work anymore.
We've got to have alternatives.
One of them is investing in cycling.
It's crucial that the City Council
invests money in cycling,
and that the projects get going.
We have to go through the budget again
because of the debt limit of the city.
Everything is more complicated now
and takes more time.
It's going to be twice as hard.
But we haven't abandoned this project.
We are working on it.
There is optimism. The new mayor
is at least open to having a dialogue.
But you know,
that doesn't change the city.
As we say in Brazil,
you've got to have balls.
One day, we woke up and everybody
on the Internet was like, Yay!"
Downtown, bicycles!
The combined effects of a new mayor
and a strong bicycle movement...
led to a plan
to instate 400 Km of bike lanes.
And now it's happening.
City Hall with the red carpet
right in front of it.
Who would have believed it?
It's really crazy.
Who would have guessed?
Cool.
It's a shift in paradigm, at least.
It's time to rethink -
For car owners, now it's time to share.
You own a car, not the street.
The street belongs to all of us.
This is not a war.
It's a city.
To the left, guys!
Excuse me, Mr. Policeman.
Good morning.
ONE CAR LESS
Last week a bike protest
tried to cross the bridge.
They were stopped
and could not proceed...
- And then on the next day...
- It was one officer per activist, right?
Rafael made a video.
I think it's on the "Bike Legal" blog.
William, you contacted
the Transport Secretary
about the bike lane at Paulista, right?
I sent an e-mail, but as always,
there was no response.
In 2008, I moved here to study.
I planned to bring my car.
There was lots of traffic,
and I was scared to drive.
I took the bus the first six months.
It was very expensive.
One day, I rode my bike
to the university.
I didn't know anyone in town.
I did it on my own.
It was really scary.
But I arrived at school alert,
with a clear mind,
happier, energized
and full of adrenaline.
This made me
do it over and over again.
Then one day,
I was a bike rider in So Paulo.
Today I have a lot of friends,
a true family here.
We are trying to understand
what is happening to our city.
What influences the mayor's decision
when it comes to building cycle paths
or a bridge for cars?
Why is public transportation expensive
even though it's so bad?
Who makes the choice?
What are the criteria?
Who funds this?
What are their motives?
I think this is the key problem
in every city.
Riding a bike in So Paulo
is a huge challenge.
You need to have a strong will.
Julie was a happy and very cool girl.!
She was killed here in 2011.
She was hit by a bus
on Avenida Paulista.
She was on her way to work.
She was a biologist,
working with stem cells.
She'd take it easy.
She vvasn't aggressive on her bike.
The bus was not in its lane.
He squeezed her in, towards this lane.
Then another bus ran over her.
When I see the ghost bikes, it's a shock.
Because they remind me
that it's possible to die biking.
It's a possibility and one that sucks.
It reminds me that I'm in So Paulo.
When Julie died, we Went there
to understand What was happening,
why cyclists get trapped.
There's a place Where the buses start
accelerating and the street opens up.
They are able to pass and out in
to get to the bus stop.
The bus driver can't really see
the cyclist. It's a blind spot.
It is not the bus driver's
or the cyclist's fault.
It's a faulty system that doesn't
take people into account.
It's not designed for cyclists
or for bus drivers.
The system itself creates this stress.
This is Paulista.
- Here?
- Here.
This is the present Paulista.
The lane dimensions
allow cars to go 100 km/hour.
Our idea is to reduce
the width of the lanes for cars,
and induce a speed of 40-50 km/hour.
This way, we would gain
two meters for a bike lane
and have an avenue with trees.
There would not only be segregation
that allows a high traffic volume,
but it would also keep the cyclist safe.
This project is our own initiative.
There's no contract.
Being realistic, if nothing
is done Within the next 20 years,
it will never be done.
The Traffic Dept. makes adjustments
for the flow of cars.
To prevent traffic jams
and not to prevent...
risky situations for people.
The concern is about the flow of cars.
It's not about people.
A biking city is possible.
A city where people are safe
to walk and to ride bicycles.
So Paulo doesn't have a structure
for bikes, but it's full of bike riders.
Just imagine if there was a structure,
if there were incentives.
Copenhagen is an example for us.
A city made for people.
It's like a dream to watch
features about Copenhagen.
When I read about
Denmark or the Netherlands,
it really makes me want
to go there someday.
I think bicycles are fantastic,
because they're simple.
It's magic. It's magical to me.
It's so different, meeting people on the
road compared to when you're in a car.
In a car, you become invisible.
There are more people on the streets.
The obstacles, the cultural perception -
You have to keep fighting for people
to change their mentality of,
Poor people ride bikes
and car drivers are rich.
Good morning, kids.
How was your morning?
Good!
Miss Milena wants you to pair up.
Ready?
You're class 504, right?
- What's your class?
- 504!
So pair up.
My students love it when we go out.
Here we have 4-way traffic.
Let's go in groups.
I want to plant a seed in these children.
A sense that they are able
to move freely in life.
Doing it in their childhood
makes it a habit.
As an adult you never forget it.
We're going that Way.
Children, by nature,
are not afraid of anything.
Grown-ups are the ones
who imprint fear in them.
Today, horror scenes in one of
the most famous avenues in So Paulo.
A cyclist was hit by a car,
and his arm was torn off.?
His arm was caught in the car,
and the driver took off
without helping the victim.
It's 5.30 AM.
A dramatic scene in the middle
of Avenida Paulista.
The young man on the ground
was hit by a car.
He was riding a bike to work.
He doesn't seem to realize that
his arm was torn off in the accident.
Witnesses said that the driver
was speeding and didn't stop the car.
While escaping, the driver realized
that the cyclist's arm was in his car.
He drove for 7 km,
dropped a friend off,
and going down this street
he decided to get rid of the evidence.
He threw the arm in this creek.
- I hadn't seen this.
- Me neither.
She's not picking up.
Do you have Sussa's number?
Check, ifs in there.
Sussa? Hi. It's Evelyn.
L-low are you'? Are you going
to the demonstration today'?
This is our city. I don't want
to live in London or San Francisco.
I want to live here. I like it here.
If I stopped taking my bike and used a car,
a bus or the metro instead,
there would be one cyclist less
exercising their right to bike.
I don't want to be that cyclist less.
Wow, look at all this rain.
Rain is the biggest
anti-recruiter in the World.
But not that much, mind you!
But a thousand confirmed on Facebook!
In reality,
Facebook is a fake recruiter.
Fewer cars! More love!
Fewer cars! More love!
It's always for a stupid reason,
someone drunk, irresponsible.
And the Weaker suffer.
It's not fair.
What if the driver had lost his arm?
It's not about opinion. It's about respect
and being able to live together.
BRAZILIAN FACTORY 2014
May this be the last ghost bike
we ever have to put out there.
FINANCIAL SUPPORT GIVEN
TO POLITICAL PARTIES
CONSTRUCTION COMPANIES;
268 MILLION USD
Biggest Funders Since 2002
Camargo Construction Co.
Andrade Gutierrez Construction Co.,
OAS Construction Company.
The construction companies,
car industry and oil companies
are the main financial donors
supporting
political campaigns in Brazil.
I believe that the car industry
has spun a web that has
trapped the public and the politicians
and it is very hard to untangle.
Quiet!
- He speaks for the mayor!
- Quiet!
My father is upstairs resting.
It's Sunday.
Ask him to come down.
We need to talk to him!
He promised to see us.
This is unprecedented.
Choose a group of representatives,
and he will meet them.
But not at his house, on a Sunday.
We all say different things.
We're not organized.
We must have a letter, a manifesto,
to deliver to the mayor.
We need to organize,
get articulated, otherwise -
You know what will happen?
He'll talk to a few of us,
and say, I've talked to the cyclists.
And then What? Who is who here?
We don't have any representatives.
It's all about representation.
Could we go for a coffee?
It's cold.
We're reaching a point
where it's impossible to live.
In So Paulo, the hospitals
are filled with children
and elderly people
who are sick from air pollution.
It's a pity that people don't see
that it's an endless black hole
and that everybody
is getting sucked into it.
I think the cities are collapsing.
There's not much we can do.
It's very difficult to reverse the process
because cities are based on money.
What other industry has
the money to face the car industry?
I don't know of any.
Painted my soul gray
But they didn't dry my eyes
Buckled up my chest
They put that knife in my chest
Hello!
So you came!
Another round today!
- What's today's agenda?
- Money, money, money!
Driving oars doesn't work anymore.
We've got to have alternatives.
One of them is investing in cycling.
It's crucial that the City Council
invests money in cycling,
and that the projects get going.
We have to go through the budget again
because of the debt limit of the city.
Everything is more complicated now
and takes more time.
It's going to be twice as hard.
But we haven't abandoned this project.
We are working on it.
There is optimism. The new mayor
is at least open to having a dialogue.
But you know,
that doesn't change the city.
As we say in Brazil,
you've got to have balls.
One day, we woke up and everybody
on the Internet was like, Yay!"
Downtown, bicycles!
The combined effects of a new mayor
and a strong bicycle movement...
led to a plan
to instate 400 Km of bike lanes.
And now it's happening.
City Hall with the red carpet
right in front of it.
Who would have believed it?
It's really crazy.
Who would have guessed?
Cool.
It's a shift in paradigm, at least.
It's time to rethink -
For car owners, now it's time to share.
You own a car, not the street.
The street belongs to all of us.
This is not a war.
It's a city.
To the left, guys!
Excuse me, Mr. Policeman.
Good morning.
ONE CAR LESS