Cars Make Us Fat

A recent article by No Impact Man reiterates what is perhaps the environmentalist’s most persuasive argument: What’s good for the planet is good for us. This is as true in our diet decisions (natural, wholesome foods versus packaged, processed, nutrient-stripped crap) as it is in our transportation selections.

Ditching the Car for a Motorboard in L.A.

We at Carectomy are always pleased to come across news of people making the car-free plunge. But when the news comes from Los Angeles, the quintessential car-centric, freeway-laden American city, there’s an extra degree of joy. Kathryn Pope’s surgical tools for her carectomy: public transportation, car-sharing for “special occasions” via Flexcar, and a motorboard for local scurries.

Bike-Sharing Programs Coming Our Way

Lyon and Paris, France, offer the successful bike-sharing models that other cities are scrambling to copy. Their Velo'v and Vélib programs, respectively, offer thousands of bikes available for checkout at automated stations all over the city. Here’s a partial recap of some of the U.S. bike-sharing initiatives underway.

Oregon's Bike-Friendly License Plates

So, partial carectomy patients in Oregon: Now when you’re out driving your cars, you can still help to be part of the solution.

Cars Contribute to Polar Bears' Demise

What, you may ask, do polar bears have to do with carectomies? One of the many negatives of our car-driving is the associated contributions to global warming – both directly from the tailpipes as well as through other factors like the paved world we’ve created.

Lose the Traffic Lights to Improve Our Streets?

Traffic lights are an integral part of how pedestrians, bicycles, and vehicles interact and how traffic flows in a somewhat orderly fashion. According to organizations like Shared Space, along with prevailing street design philosophy, they’re also to blame for man’s isolation and alienation from one another. Interpersonal interactions and relations are replaced by red, yellow, and green.

Bikes Outsell Cars in Oz

2007 marks the eighth consecutive year that bicycle sales have trumped the car market in Australia, with 1.47 million bicycles sold.

“Soaring petrol prices, concern over climate change, crippling traffic congestion and the desire to lead healthier lifestyles all contributed to the record breaking year” said Elliot Fishman, Policy Advisor at the Cycling Promotion Fund.

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