Car Culture

Is ‘Protected Bike Lane’ an Oxymoron?
Some research suggests that separated and even ‘protected’ bike lanes actually increase the likelihood of car-bike collisions.

Want to Drive a Big Pickup Truck in D.C.? It’s About to Get (Even More) Expensive
D.C. is considering a $500 vehicle license fee for private vehicles over 6,000 pounds.

Traffic Fatalities Set Records as Pandemic-Era Road Carnage Shows No Signs of Stopping
An estimated 42,915 people died in automobile crashes in 2021, according to recent federal data. The increasing fatalities continue a trend that began with the outset of the pandemic.

Planning for Congestion Relief
The third and final installment of Planetizen's examination of the role of the planning profession in both perpetuating and solving traffic congestion.

How Planning Fails to Solve Congestion
Solutions for congestion are never as simple and easy as armchair planners and engineers would like you to believe—especially those who suggest that congestion can be solved by forever building more roadway capacity.

Planning and the Complicated Causes and Effects of Congestion
What do planners know about congestion, and what can they do about it? Explanations and solutions are less obvious than they seem (part one of a three-part series).

Repeat Reckless Drivers Could Lose Their Vehicles in Milwaukee
An ordinance declaring repeat reckless driving a public nuisance has been delayed by the City Attorney's Office. The novel ordinance has support from the city's police and the Milwaukee Common Council.

Car Commutes and Congestion Are Back in D.C.
Low transit ridership and a more dispersed daytime workforce are creating new headaches for car commuters in the D.C. area—in a story likely to be repeated all over the country as work returns to the office.

Friday Funny? Cartoon Lampoons the Growing Size of Trucks and SUVs
The Nib takes on the latest trend in car culture: massive vehicles.

U.S. Auto Loan Debt Balloons to $1.4 Trillion, Study Says
Consumer Reports published findings of an investigation of U.S. auto loan debt, finding that debt is increasing at increasingly fast rates alongside the cost of cars over the past decade.

The Central Myths of U.S. Car Culture
Five myths about highways that ensure a culture of car dependence.

Jaywalking, Idaho Stop Bills Vetoed by California's Governor
Faced with the opportunity to redefine the traffic safety regime in one of the nation's most progressive states, Governor Gavin Newsom flinched.

Vote for 'America's Most Toxic Car Commercial'
From the same website that brought us the "Parking Crater Award" and the "Sorriest Bus Stops in America."

As Trucks Grow in Size, So Do the Safety Risks
Consumer Reports might be a surprising media outlet for an expose on the dangers of large personal vehicles—the kinds of trucks and SUVs growing in popularity and filling up U.S. roads.

Oklahoma House Approves Protections for Drivers Who Hit Protestors
A heated debate and a party line vote in Oklahoma.

Cultivating a Culture of Transit
How Detroit, historical home of the U.S. automotive industry, can create a culture of transit and the equitable transportation system its residents need.

Cars, Covid, and California
Pultizer-winning science journalist and global health expert Laurie Garrett, an Angeleno, points to the Golden State's auto culture during an interview on MSNBC as one reason why the state is now the epicenter of the pandemic in the U.S.

The Onion: SUV Drivers Buy Into 'Them Versus Us' Mentality at All Costs
The headline of the latest foray of The Onion into the tragic world of traffic safety: "Conscientious SUV Shopper Just Wants Something That Will Kill Family In Other Car In Case Of Accident".

Investment in Public Transit Could Reduce the Need for Police Traffic Enforcement
In Nick Demarsh and Rick Banks' opinion, defunding the police requires cities to reconsider car culture.

The Future of the Typical, Solo Car Commute
A study finds that a third of workers would prefer to work remotely every day of the workweek, potentially removing nearly 50 million cars from U.S. roadways.
Pagination
Town of Reading
Meridian Consultants
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Harvard GSD Executive Education
City of Piedmont, CA
City of Morganton
St. Louis County, MO
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.