Car Culture
Streetsblog Basics
Safety City: Where Cars Rule!
As part of our back to school coverage, and in light of news from the past week, we thought it would be a good time to report on programs aimed at keeping kids safe on city streets.
September 4, 2007
Queens Leaders Fight Safety Fixes for Fatal School Crossing
DOT plans to simplify a dangerous Queens intersection where a school teacher was killed last December.
August 28, 2007
Cyclists Throwing Selves Under Cars in Brooklyn
The Daily News reports that more cyclists are getting hit by cars in Williamsburg and Greenpoint -- an increase of 38 percent and 188 percent, respectively, over last year.
August 20, 2007
The Urban Transportation Report Card
Transportation Alternatives has teamed up with cycling advocates from Chicago, San Francisco and Seattle to issue the Urban Transportation Report Card (PDF), which rates these cities' progress on greening their transportation systems. The report notes that transportation accounts for 20-60% of carbon emissions in major U.S. cities, so it is very encouraging that in each city the most significant growth occurred in bicycling, with Chicago registering an 80% increase in cyclists from 1990-2000.
August 20, 2007
New Blog Expounds Joy, and Practicality, of Walking
Writer, Streetsblog reader and contributor Dan Icolari has started a new blog, simply titled "Walking Is Transportation."
August 17, 2007
More on Rep. Patrick McHenry
Grist's Dave Roberts provides some more background on Rep. Patrick McHenry, the North Carolina Republican Congressman who ridiculed bicycling as a "19th century solution" during debate over the "Renewable Energy and Energy Conservation Tax Act of 2007." The House bill, which passed on Aug. 4, included a $20/month tax break for bike commuters:
August 13, 2007
Congressman Ridicules Bikes as “19th Century Solution”
Congressman Patrick McHenry standing with an automobile, which, as it happens, was also invented in the 19th century.
August 9, 2007
When a Car Does the Killing, It’s Always an “Accident.”
Mary-Powel Thomas is President of the Community Education Council for School District 15 in Brooklyn. Back in June Thomas organized a pedestrian safety forum for schools, community groups and others who live and work along Brooklyn's dangerous Third and Fourth Avenue corridors where numerous pedestrians, kids and elderly people in particular, have been injured and killed by motor vehicles in recent months.
August 8, 2007