Remember in 2016 when the McResistance told us that fighting for progressive causes was getting put on hold while all effort would be focused on blocking Trump? Then, predictably, Democrats ended up confirming virtually all of Trump’s nominations and cabinet picks. Alleged maverick and new liberal darling John McCain voted for every one of them,… Continue reading Our Cities Need Socialism
Tag: bicycle
The Debut of Open Streets Owosso: PHOTO ESSAY
This weekend saw the launch of yet another Open Streets event modeled on the successes of similar car-free street events in cities like Bogotá, Portland, Los Angeles, and Detroit. But what was slightly different this time was the size of the town involved. Owosso sits in the middle of Michigan agricultural land and has a… Continue reading The Debut of Open Streets Owosso: PHOTO ESSAY
Should City Driving Be Considered Terrorism?
[UPDATES: See below] When an allegedly intoxicated driver plowed into crowds of pedestrians in the heart of Times Square today, you’d be forgiven for thinking this isn’t something that happens all the time in New York. Alas, you’d be wrong. Even in the densest city in America cars are allowed to race around at lethal… Continue reading Should City Driving Be Considered Terrorism?
Car-Free Cities Need to be a Goal of Climate Justice
The prospect of car-free cities, or at the very least car-free streets in dense downtowns has been a goal of livable street advocates for decades. Their reasons revolve around safety and social connectivity, citing the envelope of harm and loss of humanity created in places overrun with automobile traffic. Rarely do such advocates talk about getting… Continue reading Car-Free Cities Need to be a Goal of Climate Justice
Why Do Bicyclists Fear Bicycle Enthusiasm?
“Don’t call me a cyclist!” How many times have you heard that demand from dudes who want utilitarian urban biking to share no similarity with bros in spandex zipping through stop lights? “We’re people on bikes, we’re NOT cyclists!” Okay, whatever. Recently I saw an even more confounding preamble in a StrongTowns article. The author declares, “I don’t ride a… Continue reading Why Do Bicyclists Fear Bicycle Enthusiasm?
Paul Kane Obviously Doesn’t Ride a Bike
Your first thought here is obviously: Who in fuck is Paul Kane? Basically he’s a Washington DC political reporter, a guy who covers the kind of insider capital hill political football that induces vomiting in most Americans. And Paul Kane very obviously does not ride a bike, at least not for anything besides recreation in the summer. I know this because… Continue reading Paul Kane Obviously Doesn’t Ride a Bike
94 Women, 99 Bicycles
There’ve been healthy volumes of words penned regarding how fewer women ride bicycles in the U.S. than do men. Strive as many might to be gender-inclusive in the perennially male-dominated multiverse of cycling, women comprise a minority fraction of the bicycling public. The theories hypothesized for this disparity are myriad. Regardless, the number of women riding… Continue reading 94 Women, 99 Bicycles
Would Space Aliens Think Cars Are the Dominant Species?
A colleague of mine recently asked me who came up with the line, “If aliens came to Earth, they’d probably think cars were the dominant life form.” I’d heard this line before, but had no clue who coined it. After about ten seconds of digging, I found this little gem of a remastered film from the… Continue reading Would Space Aliens Think Cars Are the Dominant Species?
It’s Time to Stop Sharing the Road
You’ve heard it ad nauseam: Share the Road – a mantra adopted much by cyclists and not at all by motorists. It’s become a passive petition: vulnerable bicyclists begging for enough street space to not be run over and killed from drivers largely indifferent due the empathy-crushing confines of the metal machines they drive. Even worse, groups like… Continue reading It’s Time to Stop Sharing the Road
‘Every Car a Murder, Every Bicycle a Love Affair’
There’s been no shortage of head scratching in the mainstream media over the death of America’s love affair with the automobile. Most coverage attempts to link the sharp decline in motor vehicle use with a faltering economy, or claim there is no single conclusive reason car sales have dipped a staggering 23% over the last decade… Continue reading ‘Every Car a Murder, Every Bicycle a Love Affair’