Transportation and its relationship to the economy have been headline media topics for most of 2008 as we have seen unprecedented swings in fuel prices and travelers responding with declines in vehicle miles of travel (VMT) and unprecedented slowing in new vehicle sales. Transit and Amtrak have seen noticeable ridership growth and there have been cutbacks in demand for and supply of airline capacity. What is increasingly looking like an historic recession combined with a plummeting of gas prices late in 2008 has confounded the diagnosis of energy price impacts on travel.
Cars
Cars, Kids, and a Safer Environment Through Planning
Urban areas are filled with cars, and this creates an unsafe environment for children. This commentary argues that officials need to regain their faith in the power of planning to address the issue.
Guardian
How the Light Pickup Became America's Best Seller
Eduardo Porter traces the American preference for light trucks back to a tariff against frozen chicken back in 1961.
The New York Times
Cars Left Behind in Most Trips to Vancouver's Core
A recent study shows that about 60% of all trips into the urban core of Vancouver are not by car.
The Vancouver Sun
California Thinks About Pay-As-You-Drive Insurance Plans
The State of California is considering a plan to allow pay-as-you-drive car insurance plans. Many hope the move will encourage less driving.
The Los Angeles Times
Colleges Discouraging Cars
Colleges across the country are trying new incentive programs to get students to leave their cars behind when school starts.
USA Today
Study Says That Highways Don't Pay for Themselves
How often does one hear that transit is somehow a less respectable form of transportation than driving because of the "massive subsidies" transit receives? Well, a new study by Texas DOT says that highways don't pay for themselves either.
la.streetsblog.org
Oklahoma's Car Culture Forced to Adapt
Oklahoma City residents used to 70-mile commutes are turning to carpooling as gas hovers at $4 a gallon. But with the largest land area of any U.S. city, providing public transit remains a major challenge.
CNNMoney.com
Sweden Creates Sewage-Powered Cars, But Auto Industry Lags Behind
Household sewage is currently fueling cars in Sweden, and has for years. But Swedish industry has given up on the idea, investing in ethanol-based gasoline.
International Herald Tribune
Americans Reluctantly Face Their Gasoline Habit
The New York Times looks across the nation and finds consumers reluctantly changing their habits to deal with rising gas prices.
The New York Times
Cars Don't Cause Traffic, Drivers Do
Some planners hope that driverless car technology can finally put an end to traffic jams.
The North County Times
Bike Production Dwarfs Car Production
Production of bicycles is more than double the production of cars worldwide -- and the gap between the two vehicles is widening. Many see this as an indicator of the global shift towards encouraging bicycle use as a viable transportation option.
Earth Policy Institute
Friday Funny: The End of America's Love Affair with the Car
Assuming everything is fine in its long-time relationship with America, the car comes home to an unhappy surprise in this cartoon from Streetsblog.
Streetsblog












