Car as Weapon

Today I saw two instances of people being threatened by drivers.  One was a cyclist who had to take the lane to pass a parked truck and some major potholes.  The driver tailgated him while laying on the horn.  The second was when a woman walking a dog was still in the crosswalk as the signal changed to green for the cross street. The driver accelerated hard across the intersection, stopped just short of the crosswalk, and of course layed on the horn.

We desperately need to have transportation options other than driving, if only because a lot of people don't have either the intelligence or temperament to do it responsibly.

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Permalink Reply by Adam Herstein on November 19, 2013 at 4:32am

Don't forget that the government highly encouraged development of the suburbs in the years following WWII though tax incentives, highway building and other programs; while simultaneously ignoring inner cities. This was not just a product of the free market, as many claim.

David P. said:

You seem to be confusing "car culture" with "commuting culture"; the first has many, many varieties and has nothing at all to do with the second. As for the romanticization of the car, certainly autmakers encouraged that and facilitated it with their advertising campaigns, but the American public has been all too happy to romanticize it itself over much of the 20th century. I love car cultures but hate commuting culture, which is why I still have three cars (two of which are hobby/project cars) yet want to (and do) live in an environment where I do not have to drive if I don't want to. The auto dominance of American cities and suburbs has been the product of many factors, but could not have happened to the degree with it did without the assent of so many Americans, even granted the effect of urban-planning decisions that foreclosed certain options from public consideration in the first place.



Steve Courtright said:

I agree with you both, Skip and Michelle. 

But in addition to the slow desensitization regarding the dangers of driving autos, there has been a concerted effort by the car manufacturers in romanticizing car culture.  This has resulted in a culture where the auto is dominant.  There are several generations of folks who have only romanticized ideas about automobiles.  That seems to be changing among the "millennials" many of whom will be making less money than their parents and have reduced expectations regarding stable jobs and single path careers.  Cars are now viewed by some as a serious liability in the cities with respect to high cost, serious health consequences and lack of convenience compared to bikes.

(http://www.amazon.com/The-Geography-Nowhere-Americas-Landscape/dp/0...)

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