Asbury Park Complete Streets Coalition
Transportation Equity in Our City
The automotive industry has co-opted our language and we’re just becoming aware of the calculated plan. We’re people driving vehicles, and we’re also people riding bikes, and walking – and yes, riding scooters too. But guess who gets the benefit of language that absolves them of responsibility in injuries and fatalities? It’s NOT an accident. …
Continue reading “The Auto Industry Has Co-Opted Our Language”
What the heck is the 85th Percentile Rule? We recently had a meeting in Asbury Park about the problem of speeding, and slowing drivers on our streets, a proposed traffic calming measure, specifically mini roundabouts, and how speed limits are determined. Our Transportation Manager attempted to explain to the attendees what the 85th Percentile Rule is as …
APCSC Founder Polli Schildge was honored and delighted to work with students earning an M.A. In Communication Idm (Interactive Digital Media) in November 2021 along with Professor Amanda Stojanov. MONMOUTH UNIVERSITY INTERACTIVE DIGITAL MEDIA STUDIO X APCSC GRADUATE COURSE With the guidance of Professor Stojanov these creative digital design students gained understanding of the …
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Highlights from Pete Buttigieg’s Confirmation Hearing We love hearing Pete using Complete Streets language! League Of American Bicyclists tweeted “Pete Buttigieg called out “auto-centric” transportation, and notes the importance of street design that enables biking and walking and people to get around in other ways. He says funding should follow. We’ll certainly be following up …
Continue reading “Hoping For Change At US Department Of Transportation, And Locally Too”
The media routinely refers to a person riding a bike as a “cyclist”, especially when there’s a police report as a result of a crash. It is often unintentional on the part of the journalist, but that’s not an excuse. It’s a dehumanization of the person, taking the onus off the driver in a crash. The auto …
Continue reading “The Term “Cyclist” Is Dehumanizing, Especially Of Black People Who Ride Bikes”
The history of “jaywalking” – a calculated plan to make way for more cars by marginalizing all other road users. People walking across unmarked intersections or even walking across a street between blocks is not a crime (as long as the person does not literally block the flow of traffic) but it’s considered illegal almost …
Here’s fascinating history on how we’ve been brainwashed, explained in Peter Norton’s book, Fighting Traffic: The Dawn of the Motor Age in the American City. “In ad after ad during the Super Bowl, auto companies… have long promised us nirvana. And we’ve blindly shilled out our life savings” to buy, insure, maintain and park cars. The 1920s program …
Continue reading “A History Lesson: The Auto Industry Has Brainwashed Us”
The automotive industry has co-opted our language, and our brains. Cities all over the world are becoming aware of the damage of cars on human health and the environment, and we’re designing infrastructure to stem the horrific numbers of car crash deaths. Asbury Park is on it’s way to becoming a city where residents and visitors will be able to get …
This is one of the few PSAs we’ve seen that’s aimed at the DRIVER. Let’s get this message out loud and clear! In addition, they’ve addressed the use of the dehumanizing term “pedestrian”: “What do you think of when you hear that “…a pedestrian was hit?” Your best friend? A neighbor? Someone important in your life? Probably …
We’re happy to have discovered the website and program WalkSafe, the University of Miami pediatric injury prevention program. The blog is great, as evidenced in the piece linked below about the effects of words like “pedestrian” in reporting car crashes. As we have written before, the use of certain words can dehumanize people. Consider the terms, “pedestrian”, …