The joys of walking, breastfeeding while driving, overcrowded bike parking, the case against homeownership, school choice in Japan, and more…
– The Oregonian profiles a Vancouver woman who switched from driving to taking the bus when gas prices went up last year — and kept riding even when they dropped again, even though the bus doubles her commute time. Service changes may push her back into her SUV, however.
– A woman has been arrested in Ohio for breastfeeding her infant while talking on her cell phone and driving her other kids to school. “If my child’s hungry, I’m going to feed it,” she was reported to say.
– A Minnesota state senator, faced with the suggestion that driving alone is not an ideal choice for the environment. About a minute and a half into this video of the exchange, she bursts out:
“Mr. Chair, are we still in America? … I find that to be very offensive, an insult to every person who drives a car. I guess it insults me because I drove to the Capitol alone today. I find that very insulting.”
– Transportation for America (via Streetsblog) has launched a major federal level campaign:
Our campaign platform calls on President Obama and Congress to launch a new federal transportation mission that breaks with the worn-out ways of the status quo, helps put an end to America’s oil dependency, brings opportunity to all Americans and allows our country’s businesses to compete and thrive in the 21st Century.
– The Bus Bench opines on the basic social justice of building plain and simple separated cycletracks instead of regular bike lanes and “greeney silliness.”
– The Sierra Club Magazine has a feature about “Bikes!” including some colorful art bikes, stylish helmets, advocacy links, and a short interview with Gil Peñalosa.
– Amsterdam can’t keep up with the demand for bicycle parking.
– There’s often a lot of talk about how car dependence is reduced when people live closer to work. But that’s often easier said than done. Greater Greater Washington (via Streetsblog) makes the case for renting rather than buying homes as a way to increase our ability to move along with jobs.
– In Japan, kids almost always must attend the school nearest their home. What’s more, most Japanese schools do not allow children to be dropped off by car.
– Worldchanging has a nice post about how walking and walkability can save the world — and our health and sanity.
– A New York Times contributor opines on the resilience of the pedestrian — foot traffic makes up 2/3 of trips on NYC streets — despite the incursion of skyscrapers, streets, and cars into public walking space. He calls on New York’s leaders to
…acknowledge, now and forever, that the city’s quality of life improves only when changes enhance the experience of all who share the street. Walking is not anti-car, but pro-New York.
[As a commenter points out below, this was written in 1998 — it’s been making the rounds again this week and remains relevant.]