Menin declared victory right before Thanksgiving - earlier than any speaker candidate in New York history - but with weeks to go before the actual vote there is still time for Council members to reconsider. The "vote pledges" that Menin has in her pocket are worth only a little bit more than the press release they're printed on, and as one reporter once said about the shifting sands of these alliances, " politics ain't beanbag."
Regular people make political transportation decisions all the time without realizing it. For example, when a person in a car-dependent place decides to go anywhere, they may not feel like they are making a transportation choice, and they may not be aware of how their choice affects others. From their perspective, they are not choosing to drive to a destination; they are just choosing to go there, and they may feel like a car is their only option.
"Cars ruin everything." That's the bold opening line of Life After Cars, the new book by celebrated transportation media figures Sarah Goodyear, Doug Gordon, and Aaron Naparstek. The writers make a case for that initial assertion, detailing the various ways cars-or, more specifically, car culture as we currently know it-ruin childhoods, destroy wildlife, perpetuate societal injustices, and kill people, to name a few particularly negative effects.
Car-centric planning has hollowed out our cities. Zoning regulations, freeways, and cheap fuel gave rise to sprawling suburbs and isolated communities, dependent on personal vehicles for even the most basic tasks. It's a system that punishes the poor, marginalizes the elderly and disabled, and makes public life thinner and more precarious. The car promised freedom, and delivered debt, pollution, and dependence.
Deutsch-Gross has been Transform's Policy Director since 2022. During that time, he has spearheaded campaigns that led to major advocacy wins, forged powerful coalitions, and helped craft a bold vision for a more just, sustainable, and connected California. His leadership has played a central role in ongoing discussions about regional and statewide policies to preserve funding for affordable housing, save Bay Area transit from fiscal collapse, and move our state transportation policy beyond highway widening.
"Despite decades of harm, the Department of Transportation is pushing a plan to widen the Cross Bronx by adding another highway structure over the Bronx River and Starlight Park."