AltWeeklies Wire
Is Toronto's 'Bike War' Really a Class War?new
In the wake of Darcy Allan Sheppard's death, the debate has raged about whether the bike and the car can get along on the road. But what's really at stake are competing visions of the future of cities and democracy itself.
NOW Magazine |
Andrew Cash |
09-14-2009 |
Transportation
Cash for Clunkers: Buckets of Bolts for the Low, Low Price of $1 Billionnew
Theoretically the Car Allowance Rebate System (CARS) -- aka "Cash For Clunkers" -- sounds like a swell idea. But it's also pretty pie-in-the-sky. I'm not the first to notice that this bill assumes that there are lots of people driving around a car that is worth less than $4,500 and can actually afford a new car.
Pasadena Weekly |
Jennifer Hadley |
07-13-2009 |
Economy
In San Francisco, Parking is Quietly Becoming the Year's Big Issuenew
Through an unusual confluence of policy initiatives that have been moving forward for several years, the city is finally about to have a serious discussion about the automobile and its impacts. And parking policies are being used as the main tool to reduce traffic congestion, better set development impact fees, increase city revenue, and promote alternatives to the automobile.
San Francisco Bay Guardian |
Steven T. Jones |
07-01-2009 |
Transportation
Global-E Revs Up an Alternative Auto Empirenew

The Progressive Automotive X-Prize is a multimillion-dollar competition to design, build and race the next generation of fuel-efficient vehicles. Global-E believes its 110-mpg hybrid gas-electric vehicle design is a top contender.
Gambit |
Alex Woodward |
05-27-2009 |
Environment
Who's Killing the Plug-In Hybrid?new

The same California agency that drove the electric car off a cliff is now poised to wreck a new Berkeley company that triples the gas mileage of a Toyota Prius.
East Bay Express |
Robert Gammon |
01-14-2009 |
Transportation
Will San Francisco Be the First U.S. City to Implement Congestion Pricing?new
The city could raise $35 million to $65 million for public transit improvements annually by charging drivers $3 to cross specific downtown zones during peak travel hours, according to a San Francisco County Transportation Authority study. But the plan requires approval from both local officials as well and the state legislature.
San Francisco Bay Guardian |
Sarah Phelan |
12-04-2008 |
Transportation
California Regulators Admit 'Shredder Waste' from Junked Cars is Unsafenew

In September, regulators wrote to auto recyclers saying that the state's 1988 policy on shredder-waste handling would be rescinded. This policy shift largely went unnoticed by the public, but it was momentous.
SF Weekly |
Matt Smith |
12-03-2008 |
Environment
Car Recycling is a Huge Generator of Hazardous Wastenew
Donating your old car to charity may make you feel good, but it doesn't necessarily create a net benefit for the environment.
SF Weekly |
Matt Smith |
12-03-2008 |
Environment
Are We Really Ready for Life Without American Cars?new

Here's the thing about the American public: we never learn. We squeezed into the backseats of our moms' Pintos in the 1970s, then grew up to fill vast suburban parking lots with Expeditions and Yukons and Escalades. Then we freak out when gas hits $4 a gallon and blame U.S. automakers.
Carpooling's Popularity is on the Rise in Arkansasnew
If you want a real-world example of how $4 a gallon gas began reweaving the fabric of what it is to be American -- or at least what we're willing to put up with -- surf over to one of the numerous online carpool-partner-matching websites.
Arkansas Times |
David Koon |
10-31-2008 |
Transportation
The Road to Sustainability Has Lanes for More Than Just Carsnew
The Bay Area's unsustainable transportation system is the biggest cause of global warming and one of the biggest recipients of taxpayer money. And right now, most of those public funds are going to expand and maintain freeway systems, a priority that exacerbates our problems and delays the inevitable day of reckoning.
San Francisco Bay Guardian |
Steven T. Jones |
10-23-2008 |
Transportation
Why's it So Hard to be a Cyclist in Charlottesville?new

Naturally, a place like Charlottesville, with its LEED-certified Transit Center and focus on promoting car-free living in the heart of the city, could be expected to be an early adopter in promoting and supporting two-wheel living. Well, it is and it isn't.
C-Ville Weekly |
Chiara Canzi |
09-10-2008 |
Transportation
Reclaiming San Francisco -- From Carsnew
The city's first ciclovia will open a car-free Embarcadero to cyclists this weekend.
San Francisco Bay Guardian |
Janna Brancolini |
08-28-2008 |
Transportation
The International Towards Carfree Conference Didn't Just Spin its Wheelsnew

Many attendees noted that global warming, high gasoline prices (and the specter of Peak Oil), worsening public health, and persistent traffic congestion have made many big city leaders more open to carfree concepts than they're ever been.
San Francisco Bay Guardian |
Steven T. Jones |
07-02-2008 |
Transportation
Web of Hummer Hatred: The Monster Truck Wars are Over, and the Greens Wonnew

By almost any measure, the Hummer haters have won. These behemoths are languishing on the sales floor. General Motors, which owns the Humvee brand, says sales in the first half of 2008 were about half of what they were at the 2006 peak of 71,524.
New Haven Advocate |
Adam Bulger |
07-01-2008 |
Transportation