Carfree USA Blog

The Coolest Bus Ad Ever (Denmark)

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Smith) — Wed, 15 May 2013 19:30:00 +0000

The Economic Impact of BikeShare in NYC

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Smith) — Fri, 03 May 2013 18:36:00 +0000

"The bike share program will generate $36 million in economic activity and create 170 new jobs, the city Department of Transportation said. But no start date has been announced." Crain's New York Business

Sprawl, parking lots, and the floods in the Midwest

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Smith) — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 20:48:00 +0000

When it rains, the water needs somewhere to go. Ideally, that someplace is a forest or meadow, which filters and absorbs the water into the ground. But when, instead of natural vegetation, we have rooftops and pavement, the natural process is broken and the water runs off, gaining volume and velocity.

Atlantic Cities

"Street Fight" New Book Takes a Deep Dive into the Politics of Mobility

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Smith) — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 22:37:00 +0000

Faced with intolerable congestion and noxious pollution, cities around the world are rethinking their reliance on automobiles. In the United States a loosely organized livability movement seeks to reduce car use by reconfiguring urban space into denser, transit-oriented, walkable forms, a development pattern also associated with smart growth and new urbanism. Through a detailed case study of San Francisco, Jason Henderson examines how this is not just a struggle over what type of transportation is best for the city, but a series of ideologically charged political fights over issues of street space, public policy, and social justice.

Professor's "Street Fight" takes on the politics of transportation

Order the book here

Portland Businesses Flock to Bike Streets

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Smith) — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 20:55:00 +0000

"All the bike traffic is part of the reason I chose the place, and I am definitely paying a premium for this spot," said Shana Lane-Block, whose 30-seat farm-to-table cafe and bakery Compote opened in 2011 on Portland's Clinton Street bike boulevard. "In the nice weather, it is astonishing to me how many bicycles go by."

Subway Attendants Make Life Great in Toronto

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Smith) — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 20:42:00 +0000

God Created Transit

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Smith) — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 00:52:00 +0000

Bikes and Buses Save Mexico City

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Smith) — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 18:08:00 +0000

Bicycles, pedestrian-friendly plazas and walkways, new bus lines, and parking meters are combining to transform parts of Mexico City from a traffic nightmare to a commuter's paradise. The Mexican capital, one of the world's most populated urban areas, has captured this year's Sustainable Transport Award, the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP) announced Tuesday. National Geographic

Austin's Cycle Track

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Smith) — Mon, 14 Jan 2013 22:06:00 +0000

The city’s goal is to have cyclists make up 5 percent of commuters by 2020. Thus the cycle tracks. statesman.com

Portland Experiments with Car-free Weekends in Old Town

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Smith) — Thu, 03 Jan 2013 20:51:00 +0000

A portion of Portland's Old Town went car-free Friday night as a three month pilot program got underway in an effort to improve safety. Fox12

Car Pool

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Smith) — Wed, 31 Oct 2012 20:22:00 +0000

Car Pool #sandy

San Francisco Approves Parking-Free Housing/Retail Development

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Smith) — Fri, 07 Sep 2012 22:20:00 +0000

“There’s certainly demand for car-free apartments from plain folks,” said Livable City Director Tom Radulovich, who lives in the Mission. “We see this in the census — the number of car-free households has increased in the past decade. SF Streetsblog

Chinese city, overwhelmed by cars, takes action

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Smith) — Wed, 05 Sep 2012 17:34:00 +0000

The crackdown by China’s third-largest city is the most restrictive in a series of moves by big Chinese cities that are putting quality-of-life issues ahead of short-term economic growth, something the central government has struggled to do on a national scale. NY Times

Critical Mass Turns 20 on Friday Sept. 28th, 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Smith) — Thu, 23 Aug 2012 21:27:00 +0000

Many international guests expected for the 20th Anniversary of Critical Mass. Check here for updates.

Young People Are Driving Less—And Not Just Because They're Broke

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Smith) — Mon, 11 Jun 2012 18:47:00 +0000

Perhaps Millennials have soured not only on the price of cars, gasoline, and upkeep—but also on the hassles of parking, the drudgery of traffic, and the negative effect cars have on urban life, air quality, and personal wellbeing. GOOD

The Health Impacts of Long Car Commutes

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Smith) — Tue, 08 May 2012 18:40:00 +0000

According to a new study in three car-centric Texan cities, the longer your daily commute, the more likely you are to have high blood pressure, an oversized waistline, and other health problems that increase your risk for chronic diseases. TIME

7 Reasons Not To Own A Car

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Smith) — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 18:14:00 +0000

I've found, opting out of the spurious mobility offered by car-ownership can take you some pretty interesting places. Taras Grescoe @ HuffPost

San Francisco

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Smith) — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 19:52:00 +0000

Praying mantis on a bike

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Smith) — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 18:13:00 +0000

Transportation and the New Generation

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Smith) — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 20:08:00 +0000

Thursday, April 5, 2012

A new report released today by the U.S. Public Interest Research Group Education Fund and the Frontier Group demonstrates that Americans have been driving less since the middle of last decade. The report, Transportation and the New Generation: Why Young People are Driving Less and What it Means for Transportation Policy, shows that young people in particular are decreasing the amount they drive and increasing their use of transportation alternatives.

“For the first time in two generations, there has been a significant shift in how many miles Americans are driving each year,” said Phineas Baxandall, Senior Transportation Analyst for U.S.PIRG Education Fund and a co-author of the report. “America needs to understand these trends when deciding how to focus our future transportation investments, especially when transportation dollars are so scarce.”

Transportation and the New Generation reveals that for the first time since World War II, Americans are driving less. The report shows that by 2011, the average American was driving 6 percent fewer miles per year than in 2004.

This trend away from driving is even more pronounced among young people. The average young person (age 16-34) drove 23 percent fewer miles in 2009 than the average young person in 2001. The report also notes that a growing number of young Americans do not have driver’s licenses; from 2000 to 2010, the share of 14 to 34-year-olds without a license increased from 21 percent to 26 percent.

According to the report, between 2001 and 2009, the annual number of miles traveled by 16 to 34 year olds on public transit such as trains and buses increased by 40 percent.

“America's transportation preferences appear to be changing. Our elected officials need to make transportation decisions based on the real needs of Americans in the 21st century,” concluded Baxandall.

US Public Interest Research Group

Cyclists are an Economic Positive

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Smith) — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 19:52:00 +0000

One mile on a bike is a $.42 economic gain to society, one mile driving is a $.20 loss

Grist

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Smith) — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 17:42:00 +0000

Why Don't Young Americans Buy Cars?

Kids these days. They don't get married. They don't buy homes. And, much to the dismay of the world's auto makers, they apparently don't feel a deep and abiding urge to own a car.

The Atlantic

Melbourne Australia Moving Towards Carfree CBD

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Smith) — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 22:55:00 +0000

The council document also warns that while on-street parking is the most convenient, spaces would decrease as higher efficiency road uses such as wider pavements, cycle lanes and tram stops were installed.

Public Transport Users Association president Daniel Bowen said more public transport services would be needed if there were fewer long-term parking spaces for commuters.

"From a long-term strategy point of view it does make sense to encourage more people out of their cars on to public transport," he said.

Herald Sun

American Kids Need Bike Buses!

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Smith) — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 23:52:00 +0000

Treehugger

The Future of Cars

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Smith) — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 18:51:00 +0000

@ Treehugger