Car Culture
Streetsblog Basics
Hummer Going the Way of the Dodo
The days are numbered for the military vehicle that carmakers turned into the bane of pedestrians, cyclists and planet Earth. GM has announced plans to wind down Hummer production after a deal to sell the brand to a Chinese manufacturer fell apart. According to the Times, the Chinese government wanted no part of Hummer because it is "trying to put a new emphasis on limiting China’s dependence on imported oil and protecting the environment."
February 24, 2010
U.S. DOT Offers Sample Distracted Driving Bill — With a Potential Loophole
The Obama administration today offered a one-page sample proposal to crack down on texting behind the wheel, aimed at helping guide states through the process of crafting their own distracted driving legislation.
February 22, 2010
The Netroots, Brought to You By the Auto Lobby
We've wrung hands before over the seeming disinterest of the "progressive" left in reducing automobile dependence. But it was still a shock to see Daily Kos enshrouded in advertising for Auto Innovation, a project of the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers.
January 20, 2010
Drivers, Pols Just Fine With Traffic Cams That Don’t Enforce the Law
Judging from the amount of press it's getting, hysteria over traffic enforcement cameras is reaching a fever pitch. According to USA Today, at least seven states have banned automated enforcement, with other states and municipalities considering restrictions of their own.
January 19, 2010
BMW: World’s Mega-Cities Need a Mega-Fast Car
How perfect is this. The Granite concept car, the Chevy Aveo with a miniaturized SUV snout touted by GMC as a "tool for urban living," has taken top honors in its design category at the Detroit Auto Show.
January 15, 2010
NewSpeak From Detroit: GMC Pitches “Tool For Urban Living”
In a turn of phrase straight out of "1984," Detroit is touting a new concept car as a "tool for urban living."
January 12, 2010
Facebook Refuses to Remove Group Promoting Anti-Cyclist Violence
A number of Streetsblog readers have noticed a particularly loathsome group that has sprouted up on Facebook and has a legion of fans. As of this writing, more than 32,000 people are fans of "There's a perfectly good bike path right next to the road you stupid cyclist," a group page with a bunch of anti-cyclist screeds and some pretty nasty photos of bicycle crashes and car-on-bike violence. Facebook has concluded that the group does not violate the site's terms of use and will not shut it down.
January 8, 2010
Trend Watch: Governments Ceding Control of Roads to Outlaw Drivers
Traffic cameras have spotted hundreds of thousands of drivers speeding on Arizona highways since the 2008 launch of an automated enforcement program. Yet the AP reports that what should be a highly successful safety measure is in danger of disappearing. The reason: Law-breaking motorists are staging what amounts to an insurrection against the state, and they might be getting the upper hand.
January 7, 2010
Report: The American Auto Fleet Is Shrinking
Could the nation be turning away from its decades-old yen for auto ownership? Americans got rid of more cars than they purchased in 2009, reversing a trend that saw total U.S. vehicles exceed the number of drivers more than 35 years ago, according to a report released today by the Earth Policy Institute (EPI).
January 6, 2010
Pollution Pricing? NY Among 11 States to Back Low-Carbon Fuel Rules
While many in Washington spent their holiday breaks wondering if Senate Democratic opposition would deal a major blow to progress on a climate change bill, eleven northeastern governors were agreeing on a deal that suggests otherwise.
January 4, 2010