AAA Spokesman: Leading DC Urbanist “Retarded” and “Like the Klan”
Just a month ago, AAA released a heartwarming PSA reminding drivers that cyclists are people, before a crowd of hundreds of bike advocates at the National Bike Summit.
At the time, we wondered whether AAA was simply embarking on a PR campaign, or if the nation's largest automotive club had really changed its ways. Would its regional branches back off campaigns against parking reform in Washington, DC, or three-foot passing laws in California?
Well, I think we have our answer now. In a recent article in the Washington City Paper, AAA Mid-Atlantic spokesman John Townsend attacks David Alpert, founder of Greater Greater Washington, in unbelievable fashion. Network blog Beyond DC has this report:
AAA’s official company spokesman John Townsend says GGW’s David Alpert is a “nerd,” a “ninny,” is “developmentally retarded,” and is “like the Klan.”
If AAA thinks it’s good business practice for its spokespeople to make offensive personal attacks, then AAA isn’t a company I will ever have anything to do with. I don’t currently own a car, but someday I probably will. AAA won’t be my insurance partner when that day comes.
And in the mean time, if this is how AAA thinks and represents itself, guess how seriously I take their positions on transportation issues.
Will AAA stand behind Townsend and his childish behavior?
Keep in mind, Alpert is a guy who founded a tremendously successful local news site as a volunteer project and now contributes editorials semi-regularly at the Washington Post. One of these two men looks pretty foolish and it's not David Alpert.
In a recent post on GGW, the editorial team urged readers to move their business to the Better World Club, a Portland-based roadside support provider, which in the words of GGW writers "offers many of the same benefits as AAA, but without the disdain."
Elsewhere on the Network today: Global Site Plans outlines Miami 21, the city of Miami's plan to use form-based code to make the city more walkable and sustainable. The League of American Bicyclists explains how one member's suggestion helped launch the Bike-Friendly Communities program. And Human Transit says the way seats are configured in subway cars isn't just a matter of preference, it has real impacts on capacity and service quality.
Stay in touch
Sign up for our free newsletter
More from Streetsblog USA
Tuesday’s Headlines Are Trending Down
An estimated 19,515 people died in car crashes during the first half of 2023, which is down 3.3 percent but still 19,515 too many.
What Do ‘Livable’ Streets Look Like in an Era of Driverless Cars?
Does a world of autonomous cars really have to make our streets less human?
Why Chicago Advocates Are Providing Bikes to Migrants
Unless funds are freed up from a larger entity, bike distribution to asylum seekers is going to stay in crisis mode indefinitely.
Monday’s Headlines Are Open for Business
Monday will be just another Monday for federal employees, as Congress avoided a government shutdown. Plus, declining gas tax revenue provides an opportunity to rethink transportation funding.
