High speed rail, the demise of the car in the US, its rise in China, Bush’s transportation policies, free bikes, carfree in Canada, a repealed bike license law, disgustingness reduction strategies
Welcome to Monday. Here are the headlines from around the Web that caught my eye last week…
– The NY Times waxes nostalgic about the rise and fall of General Motors. Michael Moore’s take on the matter is less reverent — more scathingly jubilant.
– P.J. O’Rourke misses the automobile age already and in a Wall Street Journal essay he blames environmentalists for its demise. In a counterpart piece for NPR, he blames feminism and Facebook instead.
– High speed rail is coming, fast. Biden has been meeting with governors. LaHood has been researching rail systems in Spain. Nancy Kete of the World Resources Institute gives some sage advice (via WorldChanging) on how to make these new rail investments worthwhile — including some surprising conclusions.
– Carfree Sundays are sweeping Vancouver, BC.
– Yes, there may be a silver lining to Oregon’s new highway-heavy transportation bill, reports Chris Smith at PortlandTransport.
– Bush’s former transportation secretary dishes inside dirt on transportation policy in the making during the Bush years, including the demise of a gas tax increase he proposed.
– China now leads the world in new car purchases.
– The stats are in: the safety in numbers phenomenon is being proved in New York City as an increase in bicycle ridership correlates with a decrease in casualties.
– Toronto’s city council draws fire for prioritizing spending on transit, walking and biking facilities rather than roads.
– Automobile subsidies are not a good way to stimulate the economy, writes economist Todd Litman. (See this local analysis for Eugene, Oregon, providing an argument for investing in bicycling instead.)
– The City of Los Angeles has repealed its bicycle license fee.
– GM has announced plans to build compact cars in the US.
– “How the auto-centric lifestyle hurts our kids”
– One way around construction congestion — give commuters who ordinarily drive the route free bikes to check out at a park and ride before the forecasted choke point. Anyone who uses the bike often enough can keep it.
– “New car-free zones make Times Square 36% less disgusting,” proclaims travel blog Jaunted.
The story from Toronto was a good one. Lots of back and forth discussion with supporting stats, about the needs of motor vehicle and non-motorized vehicles, going into the future. Here’s one quote from the story suggesting some people up there are seeing reality(it would have been nice if the story told who Gary Welsh was):
” “We’re trying to meet the needs of the future,” said Gary Welsh. “There’s going to be a lot more people travelling on the roads, on the public rights of way. We may not have the room to widen. We can’t put more cars on the road.” ” Jenny Yuen/Toronto Sun
I like this:
Safety in Numbers: It’s Happening in NYC
The link to the LA license story is not working for me.
I find it difficult to believe O’Rourke still gets the attention he does. As more and more boomers drive off into the sunset, expect more of this nostalgic crap about things that never were.
I find it funny that O’Rouke can’t seem to decide who to blame. I mean it couldn’t have anything to do with the way the companies are run right? No it’s those darn women and the kids with their internets!
I liked all of these stories. Thanks Elly!
‘ODOT is required to develop a “least-cost planning” model’
Well Mia Burke said that all the bike infrastructure in Portland cost as much as 1 mile of interstate highway. How’s that for a ‘least cost planning model.’
P J O’Rourke is hilarious. I grew up in the 50’s and 60’s and he hits it right on the head. You guys need to stop taking yourselves so seriously and get a sense of humor.
P J 0’Rourke used to be funny about 20 years ago when he was a libertarian who made fun of both sides of the political spectrum and was for gay rights, legalized drugs, etc. He now even states he is a Republican and is just another cranky old white conservative nostalgic for times that never were and yelling at the kids to get off his lawn.
I read both of the P J stories, since links to them were provided. The WS Journal piece had a few good thoughts that I interpret as: the automobile had a glory era that essentially ended with the 60’s, and that the automobile was the basic foundation for sprawl.
He’s written 13 books? He was on OPB tv for awhile. Never seemed to grab my interest. I’m guessing he’s regarded as a ‘humorist’ rather than a serious writer. Most important though for republicans, is probably that he’s a ….Republican!
I thought PJ’s stories were kinda cute, in a cranky Rooney sort of way. Except when he dissed the sacred bicycle, of course. 😉
I love my car! I just love my bicycles more often…
tonyt (#3): try this one:
http://www.contracostatimes.com/california/ci_12504086
P.J wrote some really funny stuff for the National Lampoon, in the early 80s. Since then, one or the the other of us grew up too much for me to find much humor in his writing.
“The car ceased to be object of desire and equipment for adventure and turned into…”
A Motorized Cup Holder!
Ha! That’s a good one! That is such a great image of what the personal auto has become.