by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 01. 4.11
The phrase "war on the car" was common in Toronto, Canada whenever a bike lane was installed or new dedicated streetcar lanes proposed. The war quieted down for a while, until the new Mayor rode the meme to victory over bike-riding pinko kooks. Eric De Place at Sightline Daily traces the etymology of the phrase, and found references going back to 1998, but notes that it has generally been limited in use to Toronto and Seattle. But, as in Toronto, it seems to be gaining strength again in Seattle and even nationally. Now it has jumped the Atlantic to the UK, where it is called the War on the Motorist. De Place writes: On September 29, almost as if on cue, conservative blogger Stefan Sharkansky wrote a short post about Seattle's new mayor called "Mike McGinn's War On Cars" and dyspeptic radio host Ken Schram aired a segment about "the war on cars."...By mid-October, Fox News had jumped into the fray. Seattle-based reporter Dan Springer led the charge with the language, generating both local and national versions of the same story, "Seattle's War On Cars," on October 13. Now it has jumped the Atlantic to the UK, as the War on the Motorist. George Monbiot writes in the Guardian about recent government moves that he considers to be a war on pedestrians and cyclists. The two men who have just announced that they will "end the war on the motorist" - Philip Hammond, the transport secretary, and Eric Pickles, the communities secretary - are living in a dream world. Or, perhaps more accurately, a media world, in which the fantasies of the rightwing tabloids are treated as if they were reality...... If "the war on the motorist" means the puny and half-hearted measures designed to ensure that drivers couldn't push everyone else out of the way, the government announcement that it has come to an end means that we will lose any hope of ensuring that transport is built around the needs of society. Instead, all other human life will have to make way for the car. More in the Guardian
What makes you think cycling isn't conservative? Of course it is! It conserves energy, it's individualistic, and it's anything but new-fangled. So they should be receptive. He suggests avoiding anti-car arguments: Face it: cars exist and most Americans love them. You'll get nowhere with a conservative if your explicit agenda (or suspected hidden agenda) is an attack on American "car culture." Don't talk about Copenhagen or Amsterdam: Refrain from gushing praise of European cycling culture, e.g. the Dutch, the Danes, or whoever. Conservatives are not inclined to emulate pre-colonial imperialist has-beens - at least not consciously. He concludes: So. Bottom line (and that is what conservatives like to think they are all about): Cycling saves money, saves lives and makes us stronger as individuals and as a nation. Spending money to support cycling is like putting money in the bank-it pays big dividends at low risk. It's as all American as Mom's apple pie. How much more conservative can you get? More in Commute by Bike.
James Schwartz of the Urban Country is a little bit more tongue in cheek as he suggests that motorists should thank cyclists
for being on the road. But if one loses the snark, there are some good
points to be made in promoting cycling to those who do not.
More at the urban country.
More on the War on the Car: Source: Treehugger.com Related articles: Bike2Work Calculator מזכיר התחבורה האמריקאי: תמה התקופה בה היתה העדפה לכלי רכב ממונעים |
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