Carfree USA Blog

Climate Talk on a Train from Chicago to San Francisco

2009-11-20T15:06:00.001-08:00

From the always fantastic, On The Level

Developers Including too Much Parking Nationwide

2009-11-19T16:31:00.001-08:00

And they are taking a bath.

Washington, DC

Portland, OR

Time to rethink parking minimums.

Bicycle Production as Green Economy Indicator

2009-11-11T15:03:00.000-08:00

The world produced an estimated 130 million bicycles in 2007—more than twice the 52 million cars produced. Bicycle and car production tracked each other closely in the mid-to-late 1960s, but bike output separated sharply from that of cars in 1970, beginning its steep climb to 105 million in 1988. Following a slowdown between 1989 and 2001, bike production has regained steam, increasing in each of the last six years. Much of the recent growth has been driven by the rise in electric, or “e-bike” production, which has doubled since 2004 to 21 million units in 2007. Overall, since 1970, bicycle output has nearly quadrupled, while car production has roughly doubled.
Earth Policy Institute

The Death of Exurbia

2009-11-10T11:42:00.001-08:00

new study out.

Scraper Bikes 101

2009-11-09T17:53:00.000-08:00

Video here.

h/t Oakland North

Should Women Embrace or Reject Chic Cycling?

2009-11-06T08:01:00.000-08:00

Carfree USA is fascinated by the discussion going on between women in our community.

The conversation has two very distinct arguments.

Biker Chicks of West Chester argues... "all those Bike Chic websites, do us all a favor and show some real women exercising."

In response, Change Your Life, Ride a Bike responds "I do not feel exploited, I am not objectifying myself and I am fully aware that I am the equal of any person out there."

Where do you stand on this issue?

Are Carfree Cities even possible?

2009-11-04T10:15:00.000-08:00

Great discussion going on over at MetaFilter.

Boris Johnson, Tory Cyclist to the Rescue!

2009-11-03T14:56:00.000-08:00

Well played, mate.

Verdict - Guilty: "Assault with a deadly weapon"

2009-11-02T16:30:00.000-08:00

A physician accused of deliberately injuring two cyclists by slamming on his car’s brakes on a narrow Brentwood road last year was convicted Monday of assault with a deadly weapon, mayhem and other serious criminal charges.

LA Times

Parking in Bike Lanes

2009-11-02T14:34:00.000-08:00

TV News in Philly takes on the bad guys.

Major Breakthrough in DC

2009-11-02T14:26:00.000-08:00

STATEMENT OF THE HONORABLE RAY LAHOOD
SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATION
BEFORE THE COMMITTEE ON ENVIRONMENT AND PUBLIC WORKS
U.S. SENATE HEARING ON CLEAN ENERGY JOBS AND AMERICAN POWER ACT OF 2009
OCTOBER 27, 2009

DOT, HUD, and EPA are working together to support the building of more livable neighborhoods with “complete” streets that increase safety and mobility for all users by giving Americans –whether they live in urban, suburban or rural communities--the choice of walking, biking, or riding transit instead of driving motor vehicles. If the presence of these alternatives promotes less driving, then that will reduce road congestion, reduce pollutants and greenhouse gases, and use land more efficiently.

Full Testimony here

European Commission on Streets and Cities

2009-10-30T13:11:00.000-07:00

Reclaiming city streets for people - Chaos or quality of life?

There are many traffic management techniques and approaches and any given city will probably need to develop a package of measures to manage traffic effectively. This new handbook sets out some case studies where road space has been reallocated for other uses. New, attractive and popular public areas can be created on sites that were once blocked by regular traffic jams. If these are properly planned, they need not result in road traffic chaos, contrary to what might be expected.

Great stuff.

Critical Mass San Francisco - New Website

2009-10-30T12:42:00.000-07:00

The granddaddy of all Critical Masses in the world has launched a new website.

Car-free cities: an idea with legs

2009-10-30T12:35:00.000-07:00

A quarter of households in Britain – more in the larger cities, and a majority in some inner cities – live without a car. Imagine how quality of life would improve for cyclists and everyone else if traffic were removed from areas where people could practically choose to live without cars. Does this sound unrealistic, utopian? Did you know many European cities are already doing it?

Guardian UK

Well done Steve and Carfree UK!

How to Live Well without Owning a Car

2009-10-27T10:17:00.000-07:00

WikiHow has a nice plan that covers the basics.

DWI in a La-Z-Boy

2009-10-23T15:45:00.000-07:00

A Minnesota man has pleaded guilty to driving his motorized La-Z-Boy chair while drunk. A criminal complaint says 62-year-old Dennis LeRoy Anderson told police he left a bar in the northern Minnesota town of Proctor on his chair after drinking eight or nine beers.

AP

Editor: At least he was car-free.

Granny Pedestrian Shows Who is Boss

2009-10-09T11:17:00.000-07:00

Happy Walk and Bike to School Day!

2009-10-07T16:54:00.000-07:00

By far, the cutest day of the year.

(h/t elly blue)

October 1 is "Replace the Batteries in Your Blinkies Day!"

2009-09-30T17:10:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone.

Don't forget, Thursday is "Replace the Batteries in Your Blinkies Day!"

Let's stay safe and well-lit as we prepare for carfree life during the cold and dark months.

*In the Southern Hemisphere, October 1st is "Get Out Your Riding Sandals Day!" Have a great summer you all.

Feds Subsidize Parking Six Times as Much as Transit

2009-09-29T11:58:00.000-07:00

Streetsblog reports.

Yes, She's 49

2009-09-24T15:12:00.000-07:00

Janette Sadik-Khan gets the recognition she deserves at Forbes.

Hummer Owners Claim High Moral Ground

2009-09-24T14:49:00.000-07:00

Hummer drivers believe they are defending America's frontier lifestyle against anti-American critics, according to a new study in the Journal of Consumer Research, which researched attitudes toward owning and driving Hummers, which have become symbols to many of American greed and wastefulness.

ENN (h/t The Ecologist)

related: FUH2

[Post-Gazette] Pittsburgh a rust-belt Venice?

2009-09-24T13:01:00.000-07:00

While the G-20 is convening in Pittsburgh, the City assured pedestrians and cyclists that they are welcome downtown... Except that they blocked the way.

photo by Timothy McNulty

Jym says: This is part of my bike route downtown from the North Shore and North Boroughs....

And the local paper published the following Open Letter:
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: Open Letters A car-free zone
...Downtown Pittsburgh should become pedestrian-only -- free of cars. We are blessed with a Downtown that is a perfectly walkable size. So draw a line north to south from river to river through the new hockey arena, and from there to the Point is our car-free zone. We'd be a wonder! It would be glorious! Parking could be across shore and people would ferry over or walk across the pedestrian bridges.
...
JASON KOTTLER
Mount Oliver

[Detroit Blog] Car Capital of the World loves bikes

2009-09-24T12:49:00.000-07:00

Detroit Blog: Taking back the streets one bicycle at a time by Karen Dybis
...“Bikes are all about freedom. It's about access. And that's what makes a city great,” Clein said.

Detroit has the room for cyclists, Clein argues. Its major roads, like Michigan Avenue, have a stunning nine lanes. That is because the city once had cable cars and modes of transportation that needed space. Plus, Detroit used to have more than 2 million residents filling its 140 square miles.

Today, the population is around 900,000....

Fake NYP on Climate Change

2009-09-22T18:37:00.000-07:00

"SPECIAL EDITION" NEW YORK POST from The Yes Men on Vimeo.