Auto-Free World

A Giant Sucking Sound
TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO: Over the last 60 years this two-island nation has been sinking into the Caribbean Sea. Extraction of underground oil for export has caused land to subside, so the country is literally sucking itself into the sea
-People Power Update.

Car Potatoes
BERKELEY, CA: According to UC Berkeley. "The increase in obesity is more a result of the availability of gasoline than the availability of fast food"
-People Power Update

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Ethical Laps
PORTLAND, OR: Former Oregon Senator Bob Packwood explained that he altered his diaries not to deceive his colleagues on the Ethics Committee, but out of fear of leaks by "copiers and secretaries, and people on bikes."
-Bicycle Transportation Alliance

Roads Attract Cars
LONDON: In London, the average speed of vehicles is the same as it was when the horse and carriage ruled. A 1994 British government report admitted that new roads attract more cars and cause traffic jams. Britons may be famous for their good manners, but London motorists often get out of their cars in the middle of a traffic jam to abuse other drivers. The Polite Society recently called for a "day of politeness" on the road to reverse declining standards of behavior.

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Don't Try This In New York
OLYMPIA, WA: Not that judges recommend it, but the Washington State Court of Appeals has ruled there's no law against riding a bike while intoxicated. "Because bicycles do not have the force and speed of cars, a drunk bicyclist is not capable of causing the tremendous "carnage and slaughter associated with drunk driving," -wrote Judge Edward Fleisher.

NYC Behind The Curve
Many public bus fleets in major cities across the country are on the way to converting from polluting diesel fuel to natural gas. Most have made more progress than New York:
Sacramento 45%
Long Island 43%
Austin 35%
Los Angeles 30%
Dallas 17%
Cleveland 12%
Atlanta 11%
Phoenix 11%
NYC 3%
-National Resources Defense Council

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What It Takes To Get A Driver's license In Germany
1. Fill out a registration form at your state-licensed driving school: $260.
2. Two passport-size pictures and a "certiflcate of good vision" issued by an optometrist $1O-$20.
3. Registration fee: $55.
4. Study materials to practice for the final written test: $10-$50.
5. A class in life-saving methods in various accident situations: $20-$50.
6. Ten behind-the-wheel trips with an instructor, including five cross-country, three on the Autobahn, and two at night under adverse weather conditions: $600.
7. Another 20 to 30 hours of driving in a variety of difficult traffic situations: $800-$1200.
8. You are now ready for the official test $170.
TOTAL COST: $1925-$2405

Whitman On Wheels
TRENTON: New Jersey Governor Christine Whitman rode 60 miles from the Delaware River to the Jersey Shore on a hot August day. "It's a great way to get out and see things. she said. " When you drive past things, you get one vision of them. You bike past them, and it's another.

Smart Swiss
BASEL, SWITZERLAND: The Swiss chemical conglomerate Ciba-Geigy provides its employees with 1600 free bicycles to ride around its sprawling offices. Employees also enjoy 3500 bike parking spaces (90% of them under cover), compared with only 3250 spots to park cars.
-European Federation for Transport and the Environment