#SALVEMELBICING

Presentation prepared for the “Workshop on Democracy”-Madrid from the 7/11 November

2012-

Introduction: What’s the bicing?

-Bicing is a public bike transport system started by the Socialist Party of Barcelona in 2009

-Main figures of this public transportation system:

1.- Price in 2009: 24 Euros per year

2.- Price in 2012: 45,11 Euros

3.- Number of users in 2012: 120.000

1.- Who started the bicing affair?

2.- Which was the decision adopted by the government of Barcelona (CIU)?

On the 19th of October the government of Barcelona proposed to the others parties of the

city council to increse the price of the Bicing

116%= 97,5 Euros per year

3.- Which was the society answer?

a.- Position of the main political parties in the BCN city council with regard to the CIU proposal of increasing the bicing price:

-Socialist Party of Barcelona: against-ERC: against -ICV: against -PP: abstain

b.- Position of the BCN citizenry: creation of the civic platform: #salvemelbicing

4.- The #salvemelbicing civic platform

a) Origen: Decision of the government of Barcelona taken the 10th of October 2011

b) Place of inception: the Internet

c) Instruments: c.1.- blog c.2.- twitter c.3.- Facebook

c.1.- blog #salvemelbicing

Main elements of the blog #salvemelbicing 1.- Who are we?

-we are a group of citizens who do not want to shut up our mothes before the incrising of the 116% of the bicing price

-we are fed up of the incresing of the public service’s prices

-we are coordinating in order to carry out a “bike demonstration” in front of the city hall of Barcelona on the 26th of October

-If you want to help us, please send and e-mail to salvemelbicing@gmail.com

2.- Which are our demands?

-the withdrawal of the increase of the bicing price

-the compromise of Mr.Xavier Trias (mayor of Barcelona) to mantain and improve the present bicing system

For these reasons we convoque to all the bicing users and citizens of Barcelona to a demonstration the 26th of November 2012.

3.- How can you help us?

Help us in three easy steps:

-Spread the bicing demonstration online using your facebook profile, blog, twitter, etc and the HT #salvemelbicing

-Tweet directly to @xaviertrias explaining him why you are against the meassure

-Como to the bicking demonstration the 26th of October at 20h pm to the Plaça Sant Jaume

Yet, do you want to help us even more? We would like to ask you that you print the poster of bicing and stick it on the bicing stations in order that everyone could get the information about the bicing demonstration

4.- Add to the bicing Manifesto

c.2.- Twitter evolution: from topsy data analysis

c.3.- Facebook.

5.- Which was the impact of the campaign on the mass media?

6.- The final outcome

-On the 26th the PSC municipal group, supported by all the other groups of the city council of Barcelona presented an amendment to the bicing proposal of CIU in which it demanded to keep the present prices for the next year and to improve the quality of the bicing system

-The political support to this amendment was:-PSC, ICV, ERC and PP: in favour.-CIU: abstain

-Consequently: the increase of the bicing prices was refused.

7.- From practice to theory

a) Network Society: Manuels Castells (2000)

b) Internet and political parties: Cyber Party (Margetts, 2000)

c) Single issue campaigns: R.Gibson (2006)

d) Collective action vs Connective action: B.Bimber (2012)

Thanks for your attention!Marc Esteve i del Valle

IN3 Researcher -UOC University-