Bicycle Austin forum / Cars / Parking / Danger from / Gas+Energy

Tow truck parks on Austin sidewalk

dummy@example.com (MichaelBluejay) — Mon, 04 May 2026 03:55:14 +0000

There's irony for ya.

https://nextdoor.com/p/_JpS-X9m7Qyp?post=467790663

Do global overlords run car-free cities?

dummy@example.com (MichaelBluejay) — Sat, 07 Mar 2026 23:41:17 +0000

Tempe has a car-free community, and the right-wing is against it.

The Daily Show explores this like only The Daily Show can.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cu6ozB7mKDQ

Reddit has an anti-car subreddit

dummy@example.com (MichaelBluejay) — Sun, 01 Mar 2026 19:16:34 +0000

Reddit has had an anti-car subreddit for 10 years now. Man, I'm behind the times.

Safety features are now standard

dummy@example.com (MichaelBluejay) — Thu, 05 Feb 2026 20:13:19 +0000

I'm not in the habit of buying cars, so I didn't know that modern cars now come with a plethora of safety features for no extra money.

10-15 years ago, advanced safety features didn’t exist

5-10 years ago they existed, but only at the higher trims, or with an add-on ($$$) package

Most safety features are now standard. Even the lowest Prius trims come with:

• Backup camera
• Rear cross-traffic alert
• Blind spot monitor
• Safe Exit Assist
• Pre-Collision System w/Pedestrian Detection
• Lane Departure Alert w/Steering Assist
• Lane Tracing Assist
• Dynamic Radar Cruise Control
• Road sign assist
• Automatic High Beams
• Proactive Driving Assist

The only safety feature that's standard on the highest Prius trim (Limited) that’s not on the LE is parking assist, which is arguably not really a safety feature anyway.

Most of these features aren't mandated. Here are the mandates and when they took effect:

• 2018: backup camera
• 2009-11: Electronic Stability Control (ESC)
• 2005-07: Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS)
• 1998: Airbags
• 1990s-2000s: Anti-lock brakes (ABS)
• 1960s: seat belts (thank u Ralph Nader)

City to deputize citizens to police parking in disabled spaces

dummy@example.com (dougmc) — Sun, 12 Oct 2025 00:02:02 +0000

They've been doing this (or something similar) for a long time now.

2021 recruitment video.

News article from 2014 about a limited program to do approximately

archive.org shows the current web page describing the program going back to August of 2020.

I'm pretty sure that JasonATXBS on this forum did their training and joined this program around 2021, so he'd know more if he's watching.

Added later 25 min 06 s:
Oh, and as recently as last year there was serious talk of doing something similar for bike lanes, but of course it never actually happened.

So ... maybe someday. The fact that they banned parking in bike lanes by default recently is huge, so at least that's a step in the right direction.

"How extreme car dependency is driving Americans to unhappiness"

dummy@example.com (MichaelBluejay) — Wed, 08 Jan 2025 08:33:43 +0000

Skimming it, seems to say that having a car increases satisfaction, but overuse does the opposite. It's supposedly not the ownership, it's the excessive use that's the problem.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/202 … -americans

Parisians Vote to Triple Parking Fees for Big SUVs and Cars

dummy@example.com (MichaelBluejay) — Sun, 11 Feb 2024 03:04:36 +0000

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/05/worl … rking.html

This is what I'm talking about when I refer to differences in culture.

Can you imagine that happening here? Cue Americans whining about their "freedom". As though driving an obscenely large vehicle is a "right".

Go car-free and save $1.5 million

dummy@example.com (MichaelBluejay) — Sun, 24 Dec 2023 06:54:36 +0000

The financial case for going car-free has gotten even stronger. AAA reports that the cost of car ownership went up a whopping 14% from 2022 to 2023, now $12,182 on average, or more than $1000 a month.

BTW, I know the calculator no longer works. I sold the Bicycle Universe site a few years ago (to buy a Pac-Man machine). The calculator worked at first after migrating to the new owner's host but now it's not for some reason.

U.S. considers making automakers install anti-drunk-checking devices

dummy@example.com (MichaelBluejay) — Sat, 16 Dec 2023 05:00:13 +0000

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/202 … ars-safety

What if people were just decent and didn't drive drunk?

Austin City Council eliminates parking requirements

dummy@example.com (MichaelBluejay) — Thu, 23 Nov 2023 17:35:37 +0000

Council will no longer require a minimum amount of parking for new projects (except for ADA parking).

https://www.austinchronicle.com/news/20 … ent-rules/

Discuss.

Austin high school seniors call for congestion pricing

dummy@example.com (MichaelBluejay) — Thu, 23 Nov 2023 02:39:17 +0000

Two high school seniors (!) have a column in the Austin Chronicle saying that transit alone won't fix our traffic woes (true) and calling for congestion pricing, as is done in some other major cities.

First, it's refreshing when car critics acknowledge that transit doesn't solve traffic problems. If it did, we'd expect building new traffic lanes to do the same thing, but we know they don't. Many car critics are quick to point out that extra highway capacity doesn't work while at the same time claiming that transit "takes X cars off the roads". We can't have it both ways, and these young columnists get that.

Second, it seems like the next generation might really be on the ball. Happy to see this.

Car licensing costs $76,000 in Singapore

dummy@example.com (MichaelBluejay) — Sat, 21 Oct 2023 13:55:58 +0000

It's good for ten years, but still....

https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2023/10/05/asia … index.html

Worst Drivers in US? We're No. 1!

dummy@example.com (MichaelBluejay) — Sat, 21 Oct 2023 13:54:50 +0000

That can't be. On the Nextdoor forum, members are certain that the real scourge on the roads is bicyclists.

"How to quit cars" - New Yorker

dummy@example.com (MichaelBluejay) — Fri, 19 May 2023 19:36:09 +0000

It’s a clickbait title, it doesn’t actually offer solutions. In fact, halfway through, it confesses, "No remedy seems possible." Rather, it highlights some of the main problems with car culture, and reviews two new books on the subject, one of them specific to the problems with parking.

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2023 … nry-grabar

Bill would allow Texas cities to more easily lower speed limits

dummy@example.com (MichaelBluejay) — Sat, 22 Apr 2023 08:06:33 +0000

https://www.axios.com/local/houston/202 … mits-texas