Car Culture
Streetsblog Basics
LA.Streetsblog: The Joy of Poor Circulation
Every week, KCRW radio's Marc Porter Zasada sets out to fathom Los Angeles on his show The Urban Man. This week he talks about neighborhoods, how fragile they are and how easily they can be lost to bad traffic engineering:
May 30, 2007
Motor Vehicles Leading Cause of NYC Child Injury Deaths
According to a new study out from the city's Department of Health, children in New York are seven times less likely than children nationwide to die as car passengers. That's the good news, likely the result of the fact that our kids spend a lot less time in cars than most American children.
May 30, 2007
The ‘Burbs: Extremely Safe or Especially Dangerous?
Long Island is safe. So safe that police recruits are flocking to the island's two counties, according to an article in last Tuesday's New York Times:
May 30, 2007
Blind Spots in SUVs Still Killing Kids
Growing public awareness of the danger posed to children by the huge blind spots in SUVs has led to likely passage of what is known as the Kids and Cars act in this session of Congress. But it remains unclear whether the now-weakened bill will adequately address rear-visibility issues that have led to the deaths and injuries of hundreds of children in the past few years.
May 24, 2007
Gas Costs More? Fill ’Er Up!
Rising gas prices may be causing a reduction in driving. That makes sense. What doesn't is the news that in spite of increasing pain at the pump, SUV sales are on the upswing.
May 22, 2007
The Car Habit Is Tough to Break
"People are addicted to their cars," said John Street, the Mayor of
Philadelphia, at a panel on transport yesterday during the C40 Large
Cities Climate Summit. He was identifying what he saw as the major
challenge for cities striving to make their transport systems more
environmentally sustainable.
May 17, 2007
Double-Parking in a Bike Lane? There Isn’t Even a Check Box.
Those of you who are sick of reading about DOT's plan for Park Slope's 9th Street and the small but well-organized group of car-owning residents who are opposed to it, will be pleased to know that whole affair may soon be resolved.
May 11, 2007
Smoggy China to Observe World Car Free Day
The Financial Times reports that China's cities will participate in this year's World Car Free Day. These actions have a measureable effect. A recent
study found that when Beijing ordered 800,000 cars off the roads for three days last year, local nitrogen oxide air pollution fell by 40 per
cent.
May 11, 2007
Swerve and Protect: Boston’s Bicycle Bible
In this month's issue of the Boston Phoenix, a 20 page supplement called the Bicycle Bible offers advice on bicycle safety and how to stay alive on the streets of Boston. Although there is a nice piece on Boston's Livable Streets Alliance, the paper may have done more harm than good. With subtitles like "Urban Bikers Need to be Careful, Prepared, and Paranoid" and "Biking on the Defensive," bike commuting is presented as a fringe activity for people with an urban death wish.
May 11, 2007