MyWHaT

James at The Urban Country blog gets to the root of the matter of accountability and responsibility for our actions in the shared space of the streets. Ending with, “I once heard someone say that drivers should drive as though their car is covered with bombs and the car would blow up on contact with any other object. It’s hard to go wrong with that mentality.“

Earlier this week, I asked MyWHaT readers to take this simple pledge:

“I solemnly pledge to behave as considerately as possible no matter how I get around.”

It won’t hurt to do so. TAKE THE PLEDGE.

_

 Weekly Chatter

• As the less-developed countries move towards cars, where will they all go? (Freakanomics)

• Here at home, early consequences of higher gas prices: pump price’s up, driving down (appeal-democrat)

“For five consecutive weeks, Americans have bought less gas than they did a year earlier, according to MasterCard Spending Pulse, which tracks the volume of gas sold at 140,000 service stations nationwide.“

• Considering cycle-commute? How safe is it? Comparatively–amazingly safe, more so than walking, ouch… (Copenhagenize)        –>  –>

• “Cycle tracks will abound in Utopia” (BikeHub-UK)

• Commuters Bikes Too Expensive to Ride…(Bike Commuters)

• Transportation4Michigan: a coalition is launched (PNews)

• Imagine that! Times Square’s air quality improves with no cars there (NYC.Gov)

• If kids are on the street, it’s a good sign (Psychology Today)

“A community’s resilience is its social capital, which includes the physical infrastructure, and culturally embedded patterns of interdependence that keep people connected.”

Twitterville

• RT (GreatLakesGuy) Lighter, quicker and cheaper on the Buffalo waterfront
• RT (stevemouzon) The Department of Transportation, in its single-minded pursuit of traffic flow, has destroyed more American towns than Sherman ~Andrés Duany
  
• RT (liveablelondon ) Quote 1 “If grown men feel the need for helmets and cameras then what hope is there for a child who wants to cycle to school?”#streettalks
• RT (nitramluap )I’m a driver; a cyclist; and a doctor. I sometimes run red lights on my#bicycle (never in a car) – Fact: it is sometimes safer to do so.
• RT (tomvanderbilt ) ’You start out a Wunderkind, then you find out you’re just a goddam punk.’ James M. Cain, Mildred Pierce.

To Wrap

CicLAvia: Los Angeles Goes Carfree (for a day), and it went “just fine.” (Auto World) and is just another sign that cycling is becoming really cool (Gas 2.0).

A video glimpse of the action by Nicholas Dahmann

(Technically difficulties-video player may not show-CicLAvia video here)

Have a Weekend.