Category Archives: Curbing Cars

by | August 21, 2013 · 9:00 am

My Transportation Diary: A Detailed Commute In Queens

By Micheline Maynard

Some people grow up driving, and find they change their ways once they move to the big city. Jason Reese, the director of strategic media at ArkNet Media in Garden City, New York, is one of them.

Here’s his contribution to My Transportation Diary. Check out his great photos and be sure to read all the way through for his detailed account.

Jason writes, “I am originally from rural eastern Tennessee, where the only way to reliably get anywhere is by car. Two years ago, I moved to Nassau County, Long Island to pursue graduate school. The town of Hempstead and its surrounding suburbs fall just outside of the borough of Queens and as such the NYC subway system.

The only reliable public transit option for local travel is the N.I.C.E. bus system, which is generally not so nice. As such, I kept my car for regular commutes to work and school, but often took the Long Island Railroad (LIRR) for trips into Manhattan.

Last week, I moved to Forest Hills in Queens, where I have a plethora of transit options available. Three blocks from my apartment are the E/F/M/R subway lines and a LIRR stop for Forest Hills, as well as several MTA bus connections. I still have my car, but to park in the garage around the block would be $300/month.

Parking around my apartment is metered 25 cents per 15 min from 9am-7pm and is very competitive outside those times, so I park free in a residential area about five blocks away.  Continue reading →

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by | August 17, 2013 · 3:36 pm

10 Big Transportation Ideas: An Old Idea Returns

Did you know New York City once had streetcars? Now, other cities are getting them.

Did you know New York City once had streetcars? Now, other cities are getting them.

By Micheline Maynard

I am a streetcar geek. I’m pretty sure my love of streetcars stems from my first visit to Boston, when I was seven. We stayed a bit away from downtown, and to my delight, the T ran above ground right near the apartment hotel my dad booked for us.

Not long after, I discovered the streetcars in Toronto and from then on, I was a certified streetcar fanatic. I make it a point to ride the streetcar in any city I visit that has them. I’ve learned to navigate driving across streetcar tracks, just as these cyclists in Zurich manage to maneuver around the tracks there.

So I was delighted to learn that streetcars are making a comeback.

Minneapolis is the latest place where local officials have approved a streetcar project. It joins at least a dozen cities that are launching new streetcar lines, or expanding lines already in place. They include Atlanta, Tucson, New Orleans and Los Angeles, where streetcars will return after more than half a century away. Continue reading →

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by | August 13, 2013 · 9:32 am

The Happiest Photo We Can Imagine

KickstarterBy Micheline Maynard

Thank you. And now, the journey continues.

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by | August 12, 2013 · 9:00 am

10 Big Transportation Ideas: Why Own When You Can Rent?

In 2008, Zipcar had 200,000 members. This year, it has more than four times that many as car sharing catches on.

In 2008, Zipcar had 200,000 members. This year, it has more than four times that many as car sharing catches on.

By Micheline Maynard

Back in 2009, just before General Motors filed for bankruptcy, I wrote a story for The New York Times called, “Industry Fears Americans May Quit New Car Habit.”

This was a very real concern for the Obama administration, which was in the midst of investing $82 billion in reviving two car companies and restructuring other parts of the auto industry.

The story included an interview with Scott Griffith, the CEO of a fledgling company called Zipcar, which rented cars to customers by the hour. In 2008, Zipcar had signed up 200,000 members. In 2009, the company was aiming for 300,000.

Flash forward to 2013. Zipcar was sold this spring to the Avis Budget Group for $500 million. Zipcar now has 810,000 members. And the opportunities for expanding its network seem boundless.

But Zipcar is far from the only car sharing company out there. As you can see from our car resources page, there are all manner of places, both for-profit and non-profit, allowing people to use a car for short periods of time. Continue reading →

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by | August 10, 2013 · 5:23 pm

My Transportation Diary — Your Contribution To Curbing Cars

Send us your contributions to My Transportation Diary

Send us your contributions to My Transportation Diary

By Claudia Payne

Curbing Cars has made its Kickstarter goal. Now it’s time to get to work and we want your help with a new feature we’re calling My Transportation Diary.

Would you share with us your stories of how you get around this coming week?

What transportation choices were available to you? What combination could you choose from (car, bus, taxi, bike share, hourly rental, etc)? How did you make use of them and how did they work out?

And how did you feel about it all?

At Curbing Cars, we’ve been compiling data on the rapidly expanding networking of sharing programs, for bikes, rides and cars. In some places, public transportation has adapted. In others, it’s a weak link.

With the help of such innovations as deft new apps and collapsible bicycles, we know that people are customizing their strategies. You’re no longer just tied to a car, or limited to taking the subway. Transportation has become a portfolio. Continue reading →

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by | August 8, 2013 · 6:43 pm

She’s The Best In The West — And Now Part Of Curbing Cars

Respected journalism educator Donica Mensing has joined the Curbing Cars advisory board.

Respected journalism educator Donica Mensing has joined the Curbing Cars advisory board.

By Micheline Maynard

Journalism students at the University of Nevada, Reno, agree on one thing: they all respect and admire Donica Mensing.

She’s a savvy educator who figured out the importance of multi-media early in her academic career. She’s led scores of students to achieve terrific things on campus, and to standout professional careers.

And now, she’s part of the Curbing Cars journalism project. Donica is joining the Curbing Cars advisory board, which also includes Claudia Payne, a 30-year veteran of the New York Times.

(You have until Monday to support our Kickstarter. Click here.)

Donica will help us track trends, strategize our crowd sourcing, and incorporate student voices into Curbing Cars. She’ll be a wonderful help as we set down the journalism standards that our project will follow.

Here’s why Donica decided to join us.

“Curbing Cars represents an ongoing story unfolding at a local, regional, national and international scale,” she says “Its potential as an Ebook, as well as a continuing project illustrates the best type of in-depth journalism, incorporating careful analysis on a topic of great significance, intuitive data visualizations and interactivity.” Continue reading →

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by | August 6, 2013 · 12:09 am

From The New York Times To Curbing Cars: Our New Teammate

By Micheline Maynard

Claudia Payne, a veteran editor at The New York Times, is joining Curbing Cars.

Claudia Payne, a veteran editor at The New York Times, is joining Curbing Cars.

Claudia Payne, a veteran journalist with more than 30 years experience at The New York Times, is joining the Curbing Cars journalism project. Claudia will serve as senior editor and become the first member of the Curbing Cars advisory board. We hope to announce more board members soon.

Rick Meier and I expect that Claudia will help in many ways, leading our brainstorming sessions, providing an editor’s skilled input, helping us find story ideas and essentially providing the kind of critical help that every journalist values.

Claudia has a great reputation as an entrepreneurial journalist. She was part of the team that produced the Times‘ series on global terrorism, which won a Pulitzer Prize for explanatory reporting in 2002.

She also created special recurring sections for the emerging subjects of personal technology, the new wealth and philanthropy, and energy. Working together, she and I developed the Business Travel section and produced the annual Cars section.

(It was this story that I wrote for Claudia that inspired the Curbing Cars project, so you could say we owe it all to her!) Continue reading →

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by | August 4, 2013 · 11:19 am

10 Big Transportation Ideas: Why Teens Are Driving Less

My nephew, Parker J. Maynard, a 2013 graduate of Novi High School in Michigan.

My nephew, Parker J. Maynard, a 2013 graduate of Novi High School in Michigan.

By Micheline Maynard

I got my license the fall that I turned 16. I took driver’s ed from my high school during the summer, practiced a bit with my family, and then went down for my driving test. Voila! I was licensed to drive.

That was back in the 20th century, and getting a license isn’t that easy for many teens. For one thing, schools are by and large out of the driver’s ed business. And, many teens aren’t motivated to get their licenses, at least not the moment they are eligible. That’s one of the 10 big ideas we’re exploring at Curbing Cars. (See our previous story here.)

The latest statistics show that only 28 percent of 16-year-olds have their licenses. That’s down from 46 percent in 1983, according to federal state and an analysis by the University of Michigan.

The numbers go up after high school graduation. About 70 percent of 19-year-olds have their licenses. But that’s still down from 87 percent in 1983.

This is a factor in why driving is down for the overall population, one of the major issues we are studying at Curbing Cars.

Continue reading →

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by | July 29, 2013 · 9:05 am

Curbing Cars: As Seen In Monday’s New York Times

By Micheline Maynard

You’ve come to the right place. This is the Curbing Cars project that was mentioned in Monday’s New York Times Wheels blog.

Jim Motavalli looks at the University of Michigan study that says driving has been declining in the United States since 2004. There are a number of reasons, which make up what we’re studying at Curbing Cars, and Jim called to ask me about it.

Here’s some of what I had to say:

In an interview, Micheline Maynard, former Detroit bureau chief for The New York Times and author of a coming book called “Curbing Cars: Rethinking How We Get Around,” said, “Driving is definitely down, though I would certainly not say the auto industry is going away. I think it can maintain 15-million annual sales years in the United States for some time to come, although some people were predicting we’d be at 20 million vehicles by now.”

If you’re interested in this all-important subject, please support our Kickstarter, which is providing seed money for our ebook and research. We’d also love to hear your personal stories about driving less. And thanks.

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by | July 28, 2013 · 3:38 pm

10 Big Transportation Ideas We’re Exploring At Curbing Cars

Photo courtesy of The Hubway.

Photo courtesy of The Hubway.

By Micheline Maynard

The Curbing Cars project is looking at one of the biggest changes in North American society in the past century: rethinking our use of automobiles.

We’re starting with an ebook. You can help by making a pledge to our Kickstarter. We’ve already heard from almost 50 people who believe in what we’re doing.

But maybe you aren’t familiar with what’s happening beyond your community. You’ve never rented a Zipcar, or taken a ride on a Citi Bike. As for walking to the office, that’s not going to happen.

Over the next few days, we’ll talk about the 10 Big Transportation Ideas we’re exploring at Curbing Cars. That will help you get a handle on our work, and understand how significantly things are changing.

1) People are driving less.
According to a new University of Michigan study, the number of miles driven in the United States is down 5 percent since it peaked in 2006. The average miles driven per driver, the average distance, and the number of vehicle driven per vehicle are all down. Continue reading →

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