Skip to Content
Streetsblog USA home
Log In
Streetsblog.net

Danger: Journalist With Windshield Perspective Ahead

10:20 AM EDT on April 24, 2009

Today's featured post from the Streetsblog Network comes from member blog Greater Greater Washington. David Alpert has identified an all-too-common strain of a problem familiar to our readers, Entitled Driver Syndrome. A particularly dangerous variant of this common affliction, writes Alpert, is Entitled Driving Journalist Syndrome, or EDJS:

231502.jpgPhoto by PDXdj.

This week, epidemiologists discovered a particularly virulent caseof EDJS in WTOP's Adam Tuss, who penned a series of columns which hitthe double whammy of capitalizing on motorist frustration and financialinsecurity at the same time. Each starts out by saying, "Money issomething everyone is trying to hold onto right now, so why does itseem like local governments are trying to pick your pocket? This weekWTOP takes a look at some of the tricky ways drivers are falling victimto revenue generators around the region."

These poor victimized drivers have to contend with such "tricky" things as being ticketed for parking illegally or paying something slightly closer to a market rate for parking.The parking meter column, for example, exposes the absolute outragethat, as DC raises parking meter fares, some of the blocks still havethe old rate, and sometimes the rates on a block change from the oldrate to the new in a single day when DDOT gets the chance to updatethem. What a travesty. Government can't move fast enough, so they'removing too fast.

So far, none of Tuss's columns have cited "swiping yourSmarTrip on the Metro" as one of the ways government "picks yourpocket." One of the symptoms of EDJS is "transit blindness": theafflicted individual seems to see anything that hinders theunrestricted, cost-free movement of automobiles (tolls, gas taxes,parking fees, buildings that are in the way of more lanes, sidewalks,rivers, etc.) as an unwarranted government intrusion, but that costssuch as transit fares are just "paying your share."

Got any examples of EDJS you'd like to alert us to? Hit us in the comments.

Other stories from around the network: Sustainable Savannah wonders why bicyclists and pedestrians have to advocate for infrastructure while motorists can just sit back and enjoy the ride; WorldChanging examines a plan to revitalize Toronto's modernist highrises; and Trains for America has a video on how high-speed rail could rejuvenate the country's economy.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog USA

To Help Save the Planet, Take the ‘Week Without Driving’ Challenge

Former Sierra Club President Ramón Cruz is urging Americans to give up driving for seven days — and support policies to make it optional for everyone.

September 29, 2023

Labor Gains: NYC Judge Tosses App Giants’ Suit to Stop Deliverista Minimum Wage

Justice Nicholas Moyne cleared the way for a long-delayed wage hike for workers who brave dangerous roads to bring food directly to New Yorkers.

September 29, 2023

Friday’s Headlines Are Charged Up

Expect a lot fewer ordinary gas stations and a few more Buc-ee's in your area as the electric vehicle transition continues.

September 29, 2023

Commentary: Let’s Talk About the Real “Fatal Flaw” on Valencia

How many people have to die before professional advocates stop endorsing the Valencia Street "experiment" on people?

September 28, 2023

Talking Headways Podcast: Beyond Greenways

This week we’re joined by Bob Searns to talk about his new book and grand ideas for walking trails that circle whole regions and more local routes that make up a new mode of green infrastructure in cities.

September 28, 2023
See all posts