tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28189019.post4167085798987056209..comments2023-11-03T11:37:04.473+00:00Comments on nothing new under the sun: Worship of a pedestrian god: seven reasons to ditch the carbyron smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17938334606675769903noreply@blogger.comBlogger29125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28189019.post-14723309709695930762016-04-27T16:43:09.790+01:002016-04-27T16:43:09.790+01:00Bicycles are instantaneous teleportation devices.
...<a href="http://www.peopleforbikes.org/blog/entry/bicycles-are-instantaneous-teleportation-devices-says-science" rel="nofollow">Bicycles are instantaneous teleportation devices</a>.<br /><br />The idea is that (on average) each extra minute spent cycling adds one minute to your life, meaning that time spent cycling is given back to you later in life.byron smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17938334606675769903noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28189019.post-2116291744895076002016-04-15T04:49:15.449+01:002016-04-15T04:49:15.449+01:00The Atlantic: The absurd primacy of the car in Ame...The Atlantic: <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2016/04/absurd-primacy-of-the-car-in-american-life/476346/" rel="nofollow">The absurd primacy of the car in American life</a>.byron smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17938334606675769903noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28189019.post-16287624083713165072015-10-13T02:41:39.208+01:002015-10-13T02:41:39.208+01:00Adam Ruins Everything: How Cars Took Over the Stre...Adam Ruins Everything: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-AFn7MiJz_s&ab_channel=truTV" rel="nofollow">How Cars Took Over the Streets</a> and what jaywalking really means and why it is illegal and why car companies are evil (once more).byron smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17938334606675769903noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28189019.post-56165418430750469272015-05-05T00:41:55.863+01:002015-05-05T00:41:55.863+01:00Guardian: End of the car age - how cities outgrew ...Guardian: <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/cities/2015/apr/28/end-of-the-car-age-how-cities-outgrew-the-automobile?CMP=soc_567" rel="nofollow">End of the car age - how cities outgrew the automobile</a>. A long read with many interesting stats and a number of case studies of cities that are deliberating moving beyond "peak car".byron smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17938334606675769903noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28189019.post-50146679496900283862015-04-04T13:13:34.537+01:002015-04-04T13:13:34.537+01:00Moving Forward: The true cost of your commute.
Pu...Moving Forward: <a href="http://movingforward.discoursemedia.org/costofcommute/" rel="nofollow">The true cost of your commute</a>.<br /><br />Putting figures on different modes of transport in Vancouver. Pretty sure the basic conclusions are likely to hold for other cities, even if the numbers change somewhat.byron smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17938334606675769903noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28189019.post-84336886815808098052015-01-30T06:24:03.279+00:002015-01-30T06:24:03.279+00:00The Conversation: A brief history of the victory (...The Conversation: <a href="https://theconversation.com/wide-open-road-how-did-australia-plan-pedestrians-cyclists-and-transit-out-of-its-cities-3944" rel="nofollow">A brief history of the victory (and demise?) of cars on the road in Australia</a>.byron smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17938334606675769903noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28189019.post-85839148245005341672015-01-30T06:23:00.082+00:002015-01-30T06:23:00.082+00:00WaPo: Debunking the myth of the US love affair wit...WaPo: <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2015/01/27/debunking-the-myth-of-the-american-love-affair-with-cars/" rel="nofollow">Debunking the myth of the US love affair with cars</a>.<br /><br />"This conclusion conflates preferences with constrained options. “I actually drive most of the way to work,” Norton admits. “I do it because the choices stink.” To extract from byron smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17938334606675769903noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28189019.post-55426878812572928912013-11-26T12:15:17.785+00:002013-11-26T12:15:17.785+00:00Girst: Father arrested for picking up child on foo...Girst: <a href="http://grist.org/list/dad-arrested-after-trying-to-pick-kids-up-from-school-on-foot-instead-of-in-a-car/" rel="nofollow">Father arrested for picking up child on foot, rather than in a car</a>.byron smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17938334606675769903noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28189019.post-18725522232510680332013-07-12T14:56:21.437+01:002013-07-12T14:56:21.437+01:00The Atlantic: Our sedentary lifestyles are turning...The Atlantic: <a href="http://www.theatlanticcities.com/commute/2013/07/our-sedentary-lifestyle-turning-us-nervous-wrecks/6145/#.Ud1jUwimeKI.facebook" rel="nofollow">Our sedentary lifestyles are turning us into nervous wrecks</a>. Links between inactivity and anxiety.byron smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17938334606675769903noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28189019.post-91775940581127355962012-12-15T00:12:27.445+00:002012-12-15T00:12:27.445+00:00Guardian: China and cars - a love story.Guardian: <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/dec/14/china-worlds-biggest-new-car-market" rel="nofollow">China and cars - a love story</a>.byron smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17938334606675769903noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28189019.post-36242146717006488212012-11-28T12:08:36.720+00:002012-11-28T12:08:36.720+00:00Guardian: Invisible health costs of inactivity as ...Guardian: <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2012/nov/28/cycle-walk-maintain-health-advises-nice" rel="nofollow">Invisible health costs of inactivity as great as public health burden of smoking</a>.byron smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17938334606675769903noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28189019.post-32569562099880600152012-11-02T16:22:44.638+00:002012-11-02T16:22:44.638+00:00Guardian: The case for 20mph speed limits.
Some i...Guardian: <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/blog/2012/nov/01/pedestrians-reclaim-streets" rel="nofollow">The case for 20mph speed limits</a>.<br /><br />Some interesting <a href="https://adrianfitch.wordpress.com/2009/02/03/are-cyclists-a-bigger-threat-to-pedestrians-than-motor-vehicles/" rel="nofollow">stats</a> in the comments. As a pedestrian you are something like 272 times more byron smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17938334606675769903noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28189019.post-68162975658483277962012-10-08T09:38:50.732+01:002012-10-08T09:38:50.732+01:00Turning drivers into victims, an analysis of car-l...<a href="http://rdrf.org.uk/2011/11/self-pity-language-and-the-great-british-motorist/" rel="nofollow">Turning drivers into victims</a>, an analysis of car-lobby language.byron smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17938334606675769903noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28189019.post-39100407405463411562012-06-25T16:20:23.410+01:002012-06-25T16:20:23.410+01:00CD: US love affair with automobiles is in decline....CD: <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/headline/2012/06/12-8" rel="nofollow">US love affair with automobiles is in decline</a>.byron smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17938334606675769903noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28189019.post-5456341656152889662012-04-13T02:12:55.686+01:002012-04-13T02:12:55.686+01:00Grist: China is ditching the bike.
"In 1986,...Grist: <a href="http://grist.org/list/everyone-in-beijing-is-ditching-bikes-except-for-the-foreigners/" rel="nofollow">China is ditching the bike</a>.<br /><br />"In 1986, 60 percent of the citizens of Beijing rode bikes; now 17 percent do."<br /><br />On a similar theme: <a href="http://grist.org/list/car-centric-neighborhoods-linked-to-childhood-obesity-finger-wagging/" rel="nofollow"byron smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17938334606675769903noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28189019.post-12317950100049881612011-10-17T11:09:58.164+01:002011-10-17T11:09:58.164+01:00The Conversation: Why aren't more kids cycling...The Conversation: <a href="http://theconversation.edu.au/why-arent-more-kids-cycling-to-school-3531" rel="nofollow">Why aren't more kids cycling to school?</a> Some stats and analysis of a declining Australian trend.byron smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17938334606675769903noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28189019.post-27390197331602055242011-10-13T20:29:45.923+01:002011-10-13T20:29:45.923+01:00HI Byron,
On offense, I think we should be more c...HI Byron,<br /><br />On offense, I think we should be more comfortable offending people - not insult, but disrupt the assumed. <br /><br />However, I am sorry to say that I have just purchased a second-hand car (the first car I have owned). The clincher for me was realizing that the average low temperature in State College from Dec to Mar is below zero, in Jan it is -7.6. <br /><br />Buses aren&#Christopherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02031551405442888131noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28189019.post-22168350099689832192011-10-11T22:58:22.737+01:002011-10-11T22:58:22.737+01:00I'm a proud pedestrian myself and love how you...I'm a proud pedestrian myself and love how you've summed up the good things about a car-free (or light) existence. Walking gets us off our butts and help us stay healthier by squeezing some cardio into our day. But it also helps balance out how sedentary we've become in all aspects of our lives. We all need to move around a little more (and not by car)!Lily Mhttp://www.thestreetlawfirm.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28189019.post-39154152048830127062011-10-10T15:50:09.665+01:002011-10-10T15:50:09.665+01:00Moderation is on for articles more than a few days...Moderation is on for articles more than a few days old, since I've had spam bots turn up and try to post the same comment on every single post (>1,000 of them).<br /><br />Sounds like a very interesting post-doc!<br /><br />You may well be right about the potential for offense caused by non-car use in certain social circumstances, but perhaps it could in certain situations be an offense byron smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17938334606675769903noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28189019.post-63425065102505757142011-10-06T01:49:14.921+01:002011-10-06T01:49:14.921+01:00Btw is the owner approval new? I don't remembe...Btw is the owner approval new? I don't remember it on other comments - you don't need to approve this :)Christopherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02031551405442888131noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28189019.post-50395583053249130742011-10-06T01:48:25.175+01:002011-10-06T01:48:25.175+01:00Hi Byron,
We (or at least I am at the moment, Eve...Hi Byron,<br /><br />We (or at least I am at the moment, Eve arrives in 11days) are in State College, Pennsylvania. I was fortunate enough to get a Post-Doc at Penn State, working on Food Ethics. We (although it was organized before I arrived) are running a lecture series that you may be interested in, you can stream the lectures http://php.scripts.psu.edu/dept/rockethics/bioethics/events/Christopherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02031551405442888131noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28189019.post-47892823577530302762011-10-04T12:46:25.289+01:002011-10-04T12:46:25.289+01:00Annette - Interesting observation about the differ...Annette - Interesting observation about the difference between shorter and longer trips.<br /><br />"Re. sprawl i can think of about 8 brand new housing estates being built down the road off the top of my head."<br />I realise at the moment I can easily feel like I'm spitting into the wind here, but I do think that there will be some very serious re-thinking of urban design over thebyron smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17938334606675769903noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28189019.post-18892465014881320842011-10-04T12:12:37.635+01:002011-10-04T12:12:37.635+01:00Hi Christopher - I didn't realise you guys wer...Hi Christopher - I didn't realise you guys were in the US now. Which part are you in? Obviously somewhere within walking distance of work and shops, which is nice (and all too rare, as I understand it). Snow can be a pain (although begins as a beautiful novelty for an Aussie), and hospitality is also excellent to give and receive. Can you explain a little more how having a car would enable itbyron smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17938334606675769903noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28189019.post-10380351998841570682011-10-02T23:43:24.284+01:002011-10-02T23:43:24.284+01:00Last night I saw a three Hasidic Jews (a father an...Last night I saw a three Hasidic Jews (a father and his two sons) walking down my street in the cold rain. The father was telling the boys a story and acting something out. Against the backdrop of idyllic suburban American - green lawns, double garages, two cars, double story houses - they looked very much out of place; and I am sure their destination was to a double story house, twin garage homeChristopherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02031551405442888131noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28189019.post-79169680234759135622011-09-30T03:52:53.653+01:002011-09-30T03:52:53.653+01:00oh my that sprawl video is sad! hmm i often think ...oh my that sprawl video is sad! hmm i often think those ad campaigns that tell u to leave the car for short trips end up the opposite in the suburbs - now neither of us drive to work we aren't using much petrol at all but u always seem to need a car for all the short trips (10-15mins everywhere) whereas it's the longer trips u can catch public transport for. Re. sprawl i can think of Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com