Debunking the notion of the personal automobile as liberator.

In a piece for Strong Towns, Tiffany Owens Reed pushes back on the common—false—rhetoric that transit activists and leftist politicians are trying to “take away cars” and “force” a reliance on public transit.
For Owens Reed, this clouds the debate. “What should be a conversation about wise public investment and stewardship can quickly become a debate about private property and free choice,” Owens Reed notes.
Debunking the car’s role as liberator while acknowledging that, in many U.S. cities, we’ve constructed our built environment so that cars are a necessary part of life, Owens Reed writes that many of the most vulnerable people in our society—“Seniors. Children. People with disabilities. The poor.”—“are the ones who are the most vulnerable yet seem to be considered last, if at all, in the way our cities are designed.” For Owens Reed, “Cars and car-oriented design give everyone an element of freedom except for them.”
Equitable, accessible transportation isn’t about taking cars away from those who have them. It’s about providing more choices, and safer transportation networks, for everyone. “Truly equitable transportation reform would take this kind of monopoly seriously and seek to make the joy of movement available to everyone, no matter if they could afford a car or not.”
FULL STORY: Don’t Ban Cars; Ban the Car Monopoly

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

Chicago’s Ghost Rails
Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail
The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.

Ohio Forces Data Centers to Prepay for Power
Utilities are calling on states to hold data center operators responsible for new energy demands to prevent leaving consumers on the hook for their bills.

MARTA CEO Steps Down Amid Citizenship Concerns
MARTA’s board announced Thursday that its chief, who is from Canada, is resigning due to questions about his immigration status.

Silicon Valley ‘Bike Superhighway’ Awarded $14M State Grant
A Caltrans grant brings the 10-mile Central Bikeway project connecting Santa Clara and East San Jose closer to fruition.
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