Parking Wars

BOULDER, Colo. - It wasn't exactly pistols at 30 paces, but police say a security company supervisor and a restaurateur shot each other with Tasers in a "bonehead" confrontation over parking.

AP

Stranded in Suburbia

Krugman visits a modern nation and likes what he sees.

To see what I’m talking about, consider where I am at the moment: in a pleasant, middle-class neighborhood consisting mainly of four- or five-story apartment buildings, with easy access to public transit and plenty of local shopping.

It’s the kind of neighborhood in which people don’t have to drive a lot, but it’s also a kind of neighborhood that barely exists in America, even in big metropolitan areas. Greater Atlanta has roughly the same population as Greater Berlin — but Berlin is a city of trains, buses and bikes, while Atlanta is a city of cars, cars and cars.

NYT

Most Polluted Cities 2008 - American Lung Association

Top Ten most polluted cities for 2008.

#1 Los Angeles
#2 Bakersfield
#3 Visalia
#4 Houston
#5 Fresno
#6 Sacramento
#7 Dallas
#8 New York City
#9 D.C./Baltimore
#10 Baton Rouge

What's the state of your air?

Oil @ $128

The beat goes on.

New Bikes Double New Cars

The world produced an estimated 130 million bicycles in 2007—more than twice the 52 million cars produced. Bicycle and car production tracked each other closely in the mid-to-late 1960s, but bike output separated sharply from that of cars in 1970, beginning its steep climb to 105 million in 1988.

Earth Policy Institute

Senate rejects GOP oil drilling plan

The Senate has rejected a Republican energy plan that calls for opening an Alaska wildlife refuge and some offshore waters to oil development. Supporters of the measure couldn't get the needed 60 votes to overcome a Democratic-led filibuster threat.

"The answer to our oil addiction is not to search for a bigger fix."
- Carl Pope, Sierra Club

AP

EPA takes the Car-Free Challenge

A welcome turn of events.

Conservative Boost for Congestion Pricing

Trying out congestion pricing makes sense because it simultaneously gives commuting drivers both a carrot and a stick for either switching to public transit or working flextime hours. Both alternatives would reduce the steadily worsening gridlock on Bay Area roadways during rush hours, and The Examiner strongly supports testing congestion pricing locally soon.

San Francisco Examiner

Oil Price increases Bike Sales

BISMARCK, N.D. - Four-dollar-a-gallon gas is good for business — if you run a bike shop. Commuters around the country are dusting off their old two-wheelers — or buying new ones — to cope with rising fuel prices, bicycle dealers say.

"Everyone that comes in the shop is talking about the gas prices," said Barry Dahl, who opened Barry's Bikes in Bismarck in April. He sold more than 50 bicycles in the first month, double the projections in his business plan.

AP

Welcome new bike commuters!

When you cancel your auto insurance and gym membership you will finally feel the liberation of carfree life.

Housing Downturn Hits Sprawl Hardest

SF Chronicle

May is National Bike Month

Bike Month
Bike-to-Work Week is May 12-16, and Bike-to-Work Day Thursday, May 15.

Chicago to Launch BRT... and increase on-street parking fees

CTA ANNOUNCES EXPRESS BUS PLAN
Express buses with exclusive lanes and fare payment before you board the bus will make it faster to ride transit into downtown Chicago. Meanwhile, parking meters will be privatized, and fees vary based on the time of day. A federal grant makes this possible.