I’ve written before on this blog about cycling as the latest sign of maturity and the trend towards eco-friendly cars. (Pay no attention to that runaway Prius behind the curtain…)
Several trends now point to the beginning of the end of car culture in the United States. But are Americans seriously ready to embrace alternatives to automobiles?
Today I’m over on PoliticsDaily.com talking about the end of America’s romance with cars and what it might portend. Have a look…
March 12, 2010, 7:38 pm
Just read the article. It’s such an interesting topic. While I don’t think car culture is ending here in America, I do thing it’s changing… slowly. More people are concerned about gas mileage, more people want to have a hybrid or electric or clean diesel option; more people would love to have access to efficient public transportation, and certainly more people are riding bicycles.
Unfortunately, in America, anyway, our infrastructure isn’t yet set up for people to ride bikes SAFELY, and in the few places where the infrastructure is there, many bike riders don’t tend to be respectful of traffic rules or of the many-ton vehicles surrounding them on the road. I was in New York a few weeks ago, and was terrified for the bike riders, and here in L.A. I’m constantly astonished by the people trucking down the middle of Sunset Blvd. (despite the bike lane) with no helmet. Ugh.
March 14, 2010, 8:59 am
yeah, i hear you. but it’s all part of the same problem. we don’t take cycling seriously so we don’t invest in the proper infrastructure, etc. thx for dropping by!
March 12, 2010, 10:12 pm
Yes , the regulate-car -advertising thought is a good one, but the most important advance would be to just up the price of gasoline to where it ought to be, given its horrid hidden costs. $5. per gallon (as in Europe) — would $10 be too much to hope for? All the increased cost to be taxes to finance better public transport? But let us not hang by our thumbs waiting for that happy day.