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“Autocism” – a modern pathology
Hans Noeldner, Madison Peak Oil
Hans Noeldner offers “autocism” as a new term in our vocabulary:
Autocism – the belief that motorists have greater transportation rights than pedestrians, bicyclists, mass transit users, equestrians, teamsters, and other non-motorists.
Autocism is the policy basis for funding, constructing, and policing transportation infrastructure that is usually separate and highly unequal. For example, most public highways and roads are open to non-motorists in principle. Given their special rights and sheer numbers, however, motorists endanger and intimidate potential users of other transportation modes to such an extent that few venture to try. Moreover, by designing thoroughfares primarily for the convenience of motorists, planners and transportation engineers thereby catalyze surrounding low-density development that is spatially impractical for non-motoring modes. Thus most of our “public” highways and roads, and many of our streets, have been rendered the near-exclusive segregated domain of motorists.
DISCLAIMER: Hans Noeldner is a Trustee in the Village of Oregon, Wisconsin. The views herein do not necessarily represent those of the Oregon Village Board.
(23 Aug 2006)
Roadway Deaths Rise to Highest Level in 15 Years
Sholnn Freeman, Washington Post
The number of people killed on U.S. roadways in 2005 climbed to the highest level in 15 years, an increase tied to rising deaths among motorcyclists and pedestrians, the federal government reported yesterday.
A total of 43,443 people died in traffic accidents last year, up 1.4 percent from the previous year, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said. The agency said the motorcycle death toll rose for the eighth consecutive year. Last year, 4,553 motorcyclists died on the roadways, up 13 percent from the previous year. The agency said 4,881 pedestrians were killed last year, up 4.4 percent.
“The traffic environment is getting more dangerous,” said Adrian Lund, president of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. “People are driving a lot faster. We’ve lost momentum in reducing alcohol-impaired driving and unprotected road users, like pedestrians, and to some extent motorcyclists are going to suffer from that.”
(23 Aug 2006)
Put a Plug in It:
On electric cars
Umbra Fisk, Grist
…Right now, the electric car might not be The Answer, despite what rabid fans say. Besides the likelihood of fueling with dirty power, some of the current models have a relatively limited range — depends on the length of the cord. But as the Tesla people show, there are brains out there working on improving this scheme. Someday we will all be zooming silently around. (You know I was kidding about the cord length, right?)
(23 Aug 2006)
Carless in California:
Living in California without owning a car (MP3 Audio)
Michael Krasny (host), KQED
Guests:
- Chris Balish, journalist and author of “How to Live Well Without Owning a Car: Save Money, Breathe Easier, and Get More Mileage Out of Life”
- James Corless, senior planner for the Metropolitan Transportation Commission
- Liz Elliott, co-director of Cyclists Inciting Change through Live Exchange (CICLE), an advocacy organization for bicyclists
(24 Aug 2006)
The original listing has links for listening to a RealMedia stream, or Downloading the MP3. “KQED’s live call-in program presents wide-ranging discussions of local, state, national and international issues, as well as in-depth interviews.”
