Cars
Basics
Refereeing the Raging Debate Over the “Specialness” of Cyclists
There’s a tussle going on right now about how cyclists should ride on city streets. Yesterday's Streetsblog Network post took a snapshot of this debate, excerpting the WashCycle’s response to a Sarah Goodyear piece in Atlantic Cities.
May 15, 2013
Millennials Will Drive More As They Age, But Still Less Than Their Parents
At some point over the past few years, a lot of my friends started moving to Silver Spring and Takoma Park and Falls Church. These inner-ring, transit-connected suburbs of DC are still far less compact and walkable than the neighborhoods my friends moved from. So they bought cars.
May 14, 2013
U.S. PIRG: The Driving Boom Is Over But the Road-Building Binge Continues
The driving boom is over.
May 14, 2013
How Green Is Grocery Delivery in Cities?
In a recent study out of Seattle, researchers Erica Wygonik and Anne Goodchild found that having groceries delivered by truck can cut mileage by up to 85 or 95 percent compared to driving a car. "It's like a bus for groceries," Goodchild told NPR. "Overwhelmingly, it's more efficient to be sharing a vehicle, even if it's a little larger."
May 10, 2013
Surviving a War Abroad Only to Die Back Home Behind the Wheel
For many troops who have served in U.S. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, combat is just one of many dangers they face. Upon returning home, they have higher rates of suicide, homelessness, and mental illness. Now we can add another threat to the list: Car crashes.
May 6, 2013
As Youth Driver Licensing Dips Again, A Focus on the Millennials
Tony Dutzik is senior policy analyst with Frontier Group, a non-profit public policy think tank.
March 15, 2013
Did Barack Obama’s Election Change the Way Washington Commutes?
Barack Obama has been as supportive of transit, biking, and walking as any president, but one of his most transformative actions may not have been any law or funding measure so much as simply getting elected. There's a compelling case to be made that Obama's election in 2008 led to significant changes in how people commute in the greater D.C. area.
January 22, 2013
Will Driverless Cars Add Another Color to Australia’s Heat Maps?
Here's the big news of the day: Autonomous cars are making a big splash at the Consumer Electronics Show right now. Audi is testing its self-driving cars on Nevada roads. Google's already done it in California. Toyota and Lexus are getting ready too.
January 10, 2013
Here It Is: The Ultimate Absurdity in American Transportation
We really have to give Jeff Speck credit. In his new book, Walkable City, he amasses a wealth of evidence that skillfully reveals just how absurd American attitudes toward transportation and cities have become. We interviewed Speck about his book last month, and we can't help returning to it to highlight this little factoid. If it isn't the ultimate sign of everything that's wrong with American transportation policy, well, we'd like to see what is.
January 4, 2013