Car culture
Basics
Was 2020 The Year Driverless Cars Became Inevitable?
It may not immediately look like it, but 2020 may have been the year when autonomous vehicles became inevitable. An overview.
December 15, 2020
Four Ways Cars Pollute Our Lives — Besides the Tailpipe
Even if we electrified our entire vehicle fleet overnight, car pollution would still make us and the planet sick — and policymakers should start pushing for strong policy to mitigate the impacts of non-tailpipe emissions now, a new study finds.
December 14, 2020
‘A City is a Series of Choices Over Time’: Roman Mars Reveals the Secret Histories That Shape Our Streets
Roman Mars's new book builds on the universe of fascinating stories he explores in the "99 Percent Invisible" podcast, and reveals a range of dazzling histories hidden in our streets and roads.
December 11, 2020
Can COVID-19 Finally Kill the Highway Boondoggle?
America was already faced with the need to make critical transportation investments. And then COVID-19 hit, upending travel patterns and undercutting the traditional sources of government transportation revenue.
December 11, 2020
Why Highway Teardowns Make Great Infrastructure (and Equity) Investments
Progressive advocates are making the case that new infrastructure money would actually be best spent tearing urban highways down — and reinvesting in the Black and brown communities that those bad road projects tore apart decades ago.
December 10, 2020
Memo to Feds: To Keep Seniors Safe on Our Roads, End Car Dependence
America's top federal safety agency is raising awareness this week about safety for older drivers, but largely ignoring how car dependence often forces seniors to take the wheel even when they can no longer do so safely.
December 8, 2020
Phoenix Leaders Are Climate Hypocrites — And They’re Not Alone
Phoenix says it’s going to reduce greenhouse gases 90 percent by 2050, but the city’s transportation greenhouse gases have risen 1,000 pounds per person since 2014, and it’s planning to spend hundreds of millions widening freeways.
December 4, 2020
The Real Reason Why Drivers Are Convinced They Can’t Do Without Cars
Drivers value their access to a private vehicle more than three times as much during the pandemic as they did before COVID-19. But we can change that.
December 3, 2020
Distracted Driving Skyrocketing During the Pandemic
A new study finds that a shocking 27 percent of all drivers were using their cell phones within 60 seconds of impact — and transportation safety leaders are doing almost nothing to stop it, despite a preponderance of proven strategies.
December 3, 2020
KOMANOFF: Takeaways from America’s Diesel Pickup Pollution Disaster
December 1, 2020
