Category Archives: Automobiles

Affluenza or Autoimmune Disease?

Posted on December 13, 2013 by Evan Jenkins

The lack of justice in cases of automobile violence has long gone unnoticed, but a recent case has finally provoked widespread outrage. 16-year-old Ethan Couch got loaded, got into a car, killed four people, and got off with a slap … Continue reading →

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The Golden Compromise

Posted on October 5, 2013 by Evan Jenkins

Let’s face it: compromise is rarely good. Whether it’s Congresspersons trying to agree on a “grand bargain” to restart the government, or an incompatible couple trying so hard to make things work between them, compromising tends to end up as … Continue reading →

Posted in Automobiles, Small Streets | 3 Comments

The Big Transportation Disaster You’re Not Hearing About

Posted on July 9, 2013 by Evan Jenkins

CNN.com’s front page is abuzz with the latest gruesome details and tearful stories of the “death train” and the “haunting” plane crash. But the biggest transportation disaster story is the one they’re not telling. The Fourth of July is the … Continue reading →

Posted in Automobiles | 1 Comment

Will Wilkinson on Climate Change

Posted on June 20, 2013 by Evan Jenkins

The Economist’s Will Wilkinson has written what is sure to be a controversial blog post on climate change. He argues for taking a wait-and-see approach, citing both a great deal of uncertainty in the actual economic costs of climate change … Continue reading →

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An Open Letter to Senator Durbin

Posted on June 18, 2013 by Evan Jenkins

The United States Senate will soon hold a vote to confirm Charlotte Mayor Anthony Foxx as Secretary of Transportation. As with past transportation secretaries, his nomination is not a controversial one. Since I have huge moral qualms with our government’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Automobiles | 1 Comment

Let’s End Our Nation’s Reliance on the Automobile

Posted on June 16, 2013 by Evan Jenkins

On a bit of a whim, I created a White House petition to urge the Obama administration to end our nation’s reliance on the automobile. Here is the text of the petition: In 1964, the Surgeon General released a report … Continue reading →

Posted in Automobiles | 2 Comments

Fantasy vs. Reality

Posted on March 23, 2013 by Evan Jenkins

This morning’s episode of This American Life was rather coincidentally timed for me. It focuses on a county in Alabama in which a quarter of adults receive disability benefits and features an interview with a sympathetic town doctor who views … Continue reading →

Posted in Automobiles, Walkability | 5 Comments

How Wide the Streets

Posted on November 25, 2012 by Evan Jenkins

Somewhere there’s planning Show me the deets Somewhere there’s drafting How wide the streets —Folk song of unknown origin I’ve previously discussed street width primarily in the context of the Midway Village project, where the streets are designed for people … Continue reading →

Posted in Automobiles, Bicycles, Small Streets | Leave a comment

The Automobile

Posted on May 3, 2012 by Evan Jenkins

In my last post, I explained the ways in which small streets urban design improves walkability by making walking easier. On the other hand, such a design necessarily makes driving harder by making streets narrower, intersections more frequent, and parking … Continue reading →

Posted in Automobiles | 5 Comments