Sarah Goodyear

For decades, the automobile has been the central organizing principle for planning in South Florida, a primacy that hasn't often been questioned. But there are signs that things are changing. 

Today on the Streetsblog Network, Jarrett Walker at Human Transit talks about how the push for better transit in Los Angeles provides an example for planners in other parts of the world, especially in newer cities that don't benefit from European-style density. Walker acknowledges that LA has a long, long way to go toward building a world-class transit system (read the post in full for all his caveats), but argues that the power of its image in popular culture gives it a unique influence as it moves forward:

We heard yesterday from Streetsblog Network member Kevin Buchanan of Fort Worthology about a threat to the planned streetcar project in Fort Worth, Texas. It seems like the City Council is dragging its feet in going forward with the design process, and might seek to redirect funds that have been allocated for a design study.

Statements made by U.S. DOT Secretary Ray LaHood in recent weeks -- including one regarding "the end of favoring motorized transportation at the expense of non-motorized" -- have gotten a lot of favorable coverage from members of the Streetsblog Network. But they've caused apparent consternation and anxiety in other quarters, including the trucking industry. You can find a variety of arguments on the new DOT position at the National Journal's Transportation Expert Blog.

Probably all of us have watched as an aging relative fights to keep on driving despite deteriorating vision or other impairments. I know of one case in which a woman essentially stole her mother's car so that the older lady, who suffered from dementia, would no longer be able to endanger herself and others. This is the flip side of the fabled independence and freedom afforded by the personal motor vehicle: If you live in most parts of the United States and you can't drive, you are trapped. It's a prison of autocentric infrastructure.

In my Brooklyn neighborhood, one of the most walkable and transit-rich in the country, the streets near schools fill up every morning and afternoon with parents dropping off and picking up their kids in cars. They double-park, they idle, they block bike lanes. Somehow this scenario -- which was unthinkable when I was a New York kid in the 1970s -- has become the norm.

Two different methods of making bicycle riders pay for roads came over the feed on the Streetsblog Network over the last day. 

The word "alternative" is one of the most fraught in the English language. While it can have some positive connotations, especially for those who want to be seen as opposing the mainstream (like "alternative newspapers"), when used by those within the mainstream, it is usually a not-so-subtle dismissal. If you hear someone talking about "people who live alternative lifestyles," there's a good chance what they mean is "those freaks that I have nothing in common with."

Today on the Streetsblog Network, we came across a sweet post from one of our favorite network members -- Seattle's Carla Saulter, better known as Bus Chick. She's celebrating a milestone -- seven years of living car-free. And she takes the occasion to share some memories:

Are you a woman who rides a bicycle? Or are you a woman who would like to ride a bicycle? Then the Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals (APBP) needs you to participate in a survey about women and girls and bicycling. (If you’re not a woman, perhaps you know a few females who fit into these categories.) It takes about 10-15 minutes to complete. And the data will provide useful information for planners about why women cycle — and why they don’t.