Recent Streetsblog SF posts about Car Culture

LaHood: “If You Don’t Want an Automobile, You Don’t Have to Have One”

By Elana Schor | Oct 5, 2009 | 3 Comments

The White House’s effort to promote sustainable communities has prompted serious (and inadvertently humorous) hand-wringing from conservative pundits who fear the concept of livability will translate into governmental edicts on lifestyle choices. What’s the best way to counter such tactics? Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood (Photo: Zimbio.com) The administration’s approach, it seems, is to define its […]

The New White House Fuel Efficiency Rule: Count the Loopholes

By Elana Schor | Sep 15, 2009 | No Comments

The final fuel-efficiency rule released by the Obama administration this morning includes what some lobbyists have nicknamed "the German provision," giving automakers that sell less than 400,000 vehicles in the U.S. an exemption for 25 percent of their fleet. GM CEO Fritz Henderson’s company can earn fuel-efficiency "credits" for its Chevy Volt. (Photo: IB Times) […]

Santa Cruz Non-Profit Now Offers Ride Insurance to Car-Free Commuters

By Elana Schor | Sep 14, 2009 | 3 Comments

Transit and bike commuters in many cities are able to rush home quickly if an emergency strikes — but for commuters looking to give up their cars in less dense areas, an emergency often means a pricey cab ride. One California county that falls in the latter camp, Santa Cruz, has come up with a […]

What Should We Learn From Moses and Jacobs?

By Ryan Avent | Sep 9, 2009 | 3 Comments

There is probably no more beloved figure in urbanism than Jane Jacobs, who fought to preserve some of New York City’s most treasured neighborhoods and who gave urbanists some of the field’s fundamental texts. As Ed Glaeser notes in the New Republic this week, Jacobs died in 2006 “a cherished, almost saintly figure,” while her […]

‘Clunkers’ Consequences: GM Sales Down, Ford Gas-Guzzlers Up

By Elana Schor | Sep 1, 2009 | 2 Comments

When Congress tripled the size of the "cash for clunkers" program in July, both Congress and the White House billed the $3 billion program as a boon for struggling domestic automakers. But when those Detroit car companies released sales figures today, the numbers didn’t quite match up to the hype. (Photo: AFP/Getty) General Motors and […]

Ad Nauseam: Jay Leno Plays Vehicular Manslaughter for Laughs

By Brad Aaron | Aug 21, 2009 | 1 Comment

According to Movieline (via New York Mag), Jay Leno’s new prime time show, set to debut on NBC in September, hasn’t exactly been generating a lot of buzz. But since nothing says funny like a grisly hit-and-run, this promo, co-starring Fred Armisen of "Saturday Night Live," should turn things around. Though I’m pretty sure Leno […]

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