Heather’s Reviews > Life After Cars: Freeing Ourselves from the Tyranny of the Automobile > Status Update

Parking cars on the street overnight was prohibited in New York City until 1950!!

“Building our cities and towns to accommodate cars first and people as an afterthought, if at all, has created a world in which many of us never have to think about what anyone else needs or wants.”

Donald Appleyard, author of 1981 book, LIVABLE STREETS, was killed by a speed drunk driver the next year.

“…previous studies suggesting that increased access to transit may increase physical activity among transit users and may lead to decreased healthcare’s expenditures.”

“America is famous for its ‘rugged individualism,’ a cowboy-tough attitude that puts responsibility on each of us to take care of ourselves, rather than acknowledging that people need help from each other to live happy, safe, and productive lives.”

“The researchers said that while such behavior is technically illegal, ‘most bicyclists can generally be described as rational individuals trying to function safely and efficiently given the context and norms of where they live and the transportation system in front of them.’”

Moral panic = a majoritarian backlash to social progress that benefits minority groups.

“It’s simple to say cyclists should obey traffic laws just like‘everyone else,’ but it’s sometimes hard to notice that nobody else obeys traffic laws.”