Car Culture ← The Urban Country ← Page 2

Free Parking? At What Cost?

Jan

2013

Car parking lot – Photo courtesy of Zachary Korb In most suburban areas, and some urban areas, big box stores are surrounded by expansive parking lots where motorists can park their cars for free. But the significant costs to buy the land and pay to build and maintain these parking lots are built into the ...

Roundabouts Gone Wrong 2

Jan

2013

Australia Roundabout Sign – Photo Courtesy of John Jack Rice We recently posted an article discussing the benefits of roundabouts. Roundabouts are an inexpensive and effective way to increase traffic flow, calm traffic, and improve safety while reducing the environmental impact of motor vehicles. We wrote: “When there is enough space to construct them, roundabouts ...

Roundabout Junctions: Efficient, Inexpensive 19

Jan

2013

Collingwood, Ontario roundabout design – Photo courtesy of the Town of Collingwood We have all dealt with “stop and go” traffic. Drivers accelerate quickly, then slam on their brakes when they hit a red light. Then accelerate quickly again, and repeat. This harmful style of driving wastes gas, creates unnecessary pollution, and creates unsafe conditions ...

Beijing Woman Dies Because Ambulance Stuck in Traffic 1

Dec

2012

Beijing Traffic – Photo by Safia Osman Unlike in North America, when the siren from an ambulance is wailing, drivers in China do not move over to let the ambulance past. Ambulances literally sit in traffic with everybody else – with their sirens on and lights flashing. I had witnessed this countless times while living ...

Ignoring Careless, Dangerous Driving 6

Dec

2012

Pedestrian Crossing Lights – Photo courtesy of Dave Delaney On Monday morning, nine pedestrians were hit by cars in Toronto in under an hour – between 6:41AM and 7:24AM, according to the Toronto Star. These incidents triggered an infuriating PR campaign by Constable Client Stibbe on Twitter where he tore the victims a new one ...

Russia’s 200KM, 3-day Traffic Jam

Dec

2012

Photo from video provided by 3news.co.nz In Russia, a 200KM mega traffic jam has stranded drivers for several days. The backlog on this highway that runs between Moscow and St. Petersberg was intensified by heavy snow last week. From Time.com: “A 125-mile long queue of vehicles spanned the roadway, which connects Moscow and St. Petersburg. ...

China Building New Eco City 14

Nov

2012

Photo courtesy of Business Insider Imagine a city of 80,000 people where the nearest park is only a two minute walk from every home in the city. A city where public transit is only a few steps away, bicycling is convenient and comfortable, and where urban sprawl is against the law. Where cars are allowed, ...

Cause of Road Congestion: Too Many Cars 15

Oct

2012

Infographic from a large US auto insurance company I never cease to be amused by otherwise intelligent people coming up with lists of the causes of traffic congestion, but whom always seem to miss the most obvious cause of traffic congestion: too many bloody cars. In Beijing, by the end of 2010 there were almost ...

My 32 Minutes 17

Oct

2012

The Greater Toronto CivicAction - a Toronto-based advocacy organization – has launched a campaign to bring attention to the issue of growing traffic congestion and lack of transit funding in the Greater Toronto area. The campaign is called the “32 Campaign” and asks what you would do with an extra 32 minutes each day. Instead ...

My Ideal World…

Sep

2012

Photo courtesy of YouTube video by James Schwartz / The Urban Country In this short film, James Schwartz of The Urban Country discusses urban design, parenthood, car culture, bicycles and asks, “What is your ideal world?”. James D. Schwartz is a Transportation Pragmatist and the Editor of The Urban Country. You can contact James at ...