Car Culture
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Motorists Dominate UES Parking Workshop
Streetsblog commenter BicyclesOnly attended last night's DOT neighborhood parking workshop at Temple Israel on E. 75th St. Here is his account (originally posted here):
January 24, 2008
On the Front Lines With “Parking Wars”
With "Reality TV" producers plumbing the depths for every conceivable confrontational scenario, it's a wonder it took so long to strike the rich vein that is the put-upon motoring public. But thanks to "Parking Wars," the wait is over.
January 23, 2008
Queens Parking Workshop Turns to Talk of Motorist “Rights”
Speaking of the upcoming second round of citywide parking workshops, the summary of Round 1 is now online at the Department of Transportation's web site. To get a sense of why it's so essential for non-car owners and livable streets
advocates to attend the second round of parking workshops (especially
in Queens), download the summary memorandum.
January 22, 2008
The Battle for Britain’s Roads
The whole hour is well worth watching, but here are some highlights:
January 15, 2008
Nano Technology
The much-hyped and much-criticized Tata Nano, a car that will hit the Indian market retailing for a mere 100,000 rupees -- the equivalent of $2,500 -- got a perplexing nod of approval from the Economist newsmagazine last week:
January 14, 2008
Lincoln: The Powerful Don’t Take Transit
Last year rapper Common signed with Lincoln as the "new face" of its Navigator SUV. The first TV spot of the campaign debuted in November on NBC's Sunday night NFL broadcast, and continues in heavy rotation during the playoffs. In the ad, shot in Chicago, Common reflects on his roots in the Windy City, his voiceover set to a modern urban beat as he glides a shiny black Nav through unobstructed streets.
January 9, 2008
When It Comes to Auto Supremacy, No Island Is an Island
Through circumstances too convoluted to go into here, I found myself on a huge cruise ship over the holiday break, bound for the Eastern Caribbean. Our first port of call was San Juan, Puerto Rico, which is much the same as Aaron Naparstek left it two years ago:
January 7, 2008
Disney’s Highway to Hell
This scarifying nine-minute peek into an auto-enslaved Disney world of the future, as seen from 1958, is as amazing for what it gets right (like urban sprawl) as much as what is laughably off the mark (like urban sprawl = Utopia).
December 20, 2007
Hats and Top Coats: Unsung Casualties of Car Culture
What we wear or don't wear -- fashion, that is -- tells a lot about how we live, including how we get around.
December 17, 2007
Driving: Teenage America’s Deadliest Preventable Epidemic
Automobile crashes are the number one killer of teenagers in the United States, with nearly 6,000 deaths a year for the past decade, and more than 300,000 injuries annually. Yet millions of parents continue to let their kids drive unsupervised, many of them counting on God and government to keep them safe.
December 12, 2007