Sandy Wind Blows
The largest hurricane recorded is underway, and it’s hitting the US and Canada. Is it because of climate change? The short answer is, yes. If you’re asking that question because…
cars
Bike Lanes Save Lives and Lower Risk from Cars
It should come as no surprise that bike lanes are safer than merging bicycle traffic with heavy metal boxes on wheels. A new study from the University of British Columbia…
Martian Automobile Association
Years ago I created the Martian Automobile Association (MAA), and tried selling memberships on eBay. I forget if I managed to sell any membership cards, but remember creating at least…
Upcoming Scion FR-S, the sexy coupe that’s sleek on the pocketbook
The soon to hit production Scion FR-S, a twin of the Subaru BRZ, has to be the best value and best looking coupe hitting the streets in 2013. Not exactly…
Progress
In Grade 10 I read The Chrysalids, a John Wyndham science fiction that starts out describing an agrarian culture where they talk of God-like old people who could move the…
Bike Lanes Makes Road Safer for Everyone
The worst mayor in Canada hates people who don’t drive automobiles and thinks cyclists deserve to die. The mayor of Toronto wants to remove bike lanes (while every smart city…
What’s in a Lot?
Here’s a challenge from Eran Ben-Joseph: name a great parking lot. Couldn’t do it, could you? Neither could I, and neither could Ben-Joseph. In a new book ReThinking a Lot:…
Head-Free Driving
Hands-free exemptions in cell-phone driving laws are nonsensical. That much has been obvious to me and a lot of other people for years. The problem with phoning while driving isn’t…
Arguing Against Sustainability
On the weekend I had an argument with @unambig (Adrian), a former blogger turned journalist in BC, and @BSnowsell (Brandon) a Saskatoonian Conservative. They’ve said they are against government involvement…
Volkswagen bends to critique, pulls sexist ad
Still from the Volkswagen Passat television ad in question. Volkswagen Canada has pulled the 2011 Passat TV ad “It pretty much sells itself” from its official YouTube channel and from…
Why is CBC running sexist Volkswagen ads?
A sexist Volkswagen ad speaks to the dangers of North America’s corporate car culture. (Illustration by Coco Riot.) Over recent weeks, viewing news updates at CBC online has become increasingly…
Design Regina – Adapt Early
Our competitive advantage is that we’ve not yet adapted to large urban growth, but we have that opportunity now. Or we can be “a mid-size city with big city problems.”…
Parking at UofR
In 15 minutes, at 1:30, be at the Ad Hum Pit to hear concerns and solutions to the limited parking available at the UofR. Many people are displeased by the…
The Excitement of Parking
Not much is more thrilling that finding a parking spot. The only thing that is better is not having to look for one at all. I’m looking forward to the…
Transit Is For Suckers
If there’s one lesson Canadians can learn from the latest Stats Can study into public transit, it’s that losers take the bus. A whopping 82% of commuters know that the…
Bike Sharing in Canada
This Summer I had the pleasure of using bike sharing in Ottawa. Had I know how easy it was, I’d have used it in Toronto too, and possibly Montreal while…
Ontario
Flew to Toronto on Monday morning, and slept along the way, still only giving me a few hours of sleep, as I was wound up and doing chores I hadn’t…
Gas Prices Are Too Low
Everyone loves to talk about gas prices, but few can agree what to do about them. Pointless boycotts of local stations have no real impact on the price of gasoline…
In Winnipeg
It’s not often I have so many days go by without blogging, but it’s been a busy week. Along with buying a motorbike, we had a trip to Winnipeg for…