Category Archives: media

by | April 27, 2017 · 8:00 am

We’re Coming Back! Curbing Cars Returns With Our Newsletter And More

Curbing Cars is getting back on the road. Beginning Monday, May 1, we’ll publish a weekly newsletter with original journalism about the future of transportation. We pick up where the internal combustion engine leaves off — unless that engine is in a self-driving vehicle.

Sign up for the Curbing Cars Newsletter now so you won’t miss anything. Email us with tips or ideas at curbingcars@gmail.com.

We especially want to hear personal stories about the way you’re using all types of transportation. And, tell us if there’s a transportation debate going on where you live. We may come and cover it!

We’d also love it if you’d follow us on Twitter @curbingcars and on Facebook at Curbing Cars.

We recently completed our second successful Kickstarter. But, we’d welcome your contributions. They all go to support our independent journalism. See the donation link in the sidebar.

Be sure to check our site often for updated information and resources about all the ways we get around. And come back Monday to see us get back on the road.

Comments Off on We’re Coming Back! Curbing Cars Returns With Our Newsletter And More

Filed under Kickstarter, media

Tagged as ,

by | July 16, 2014 · 12:57 pm

A Look At The Future Of Transportation With Bob Brinker On MoneyTalk

Curbing Cars editor Micheline Maynard spent time on MoneyTalk with Bob Brinker this week, discussing General Motors, driverless cars, Detroit bankruptcy and the journalism industry. Listen to the radio segment here (the interview begins at about 9:15):

Micheline Maynard On Moneytalk

 

Comments Off on A Look At The Future Of Transportation With Bob Brinker On MoneyTalk

Filed under book, car sharing, Driving, media, public transportation

Tagged as , ,

by | November 4, 2013 · 9:00 am

Sinking Your Teeth Into The Transportation Beat

Andy Riga of the Montreal Gazette is a role model for transportation reporters. You read about him in the Columbia Journalism Review cover story. Today, we’re pleased to offer his guest post on how to cover the transportation beat.

Andy Riga

Andy Riga

 By Andy Riga

“How many times can I write about traffic jams and late buses?”

The question crossed my mind when my editor asked me if I wanted to be The Montreal Gazette’s first transportation reporter in 2009.

Despite misgivings, I accepted. Pretty soon it dawned on me that transport has the makings of the perfect beat.

It affects everyone — we all drive or take transit or cycle or walk or do all of the above. And everybody has opinions (and questions) about how we get around, the future of cars, improving transit, encouraging human-powered transport.

Want to be a transport reporter? Here’s my road map to a fulfilling (and fun) beat.

1) Make it practical. Help people get around, whatever their preferred mode. Major roadwork, transit interruptions, bike-path obstructions. I write ‘em up for the paper, online and/or Twitter and Facebook. I also write a weekly piece about traffic disruptions that affect drivers, transit users and cyclists. Continue reading →

Comments Off on Sinking Your Teeth Into The Transportation Beat

Filed under media

Tagged as , ,

by | November 3, 2013 · 9:00 am

It’s Not Car Culture Any More, It’s Phone Culture

By Micheline Maynard

The Columbia Journalism Review gave us a forum this month to talk about Curbing Cars. Its editors also weighed in on the way mainstream media covers the transportation story.

Curbing Cars is featured in the November/December issue of Columbia Journalism Review

Curbing Cars is featured in the November/December issue of Columbia Journalism Review

It notes that the automobile industry spends $14.8 billion (yes, with a “b”) on advertising last year, making it the second biggest category behind technology and communications. Cars are the single-biggest television category.

Given that, it’s no wonder that newspapers, magazines and TV networks lavish coverage on the car companies. But that’s happening at a time when the public is turning away from automobiles as a preoccupation to many other activities.

“Much of transportation coverage, meanwhile, remains stalled in the 20th century,” CJR writes in this editorial.

“We cover Detroit as though it were 1993, not 2013. A story about transportation infrastructure typically means the sorry condition of bridges and roadways. In 2011, Businessjournalism.org published a “How-to” column about covering transportation that could have been written 30 years ago.” Continue reading →

Comments Off on It’s Not Car Culture Any More, It’s Phone Culture

Filed under media

Tagged as , ,

by | November 1, 2013 · 1:47 pm

Curbing Cars Featured On The Cover Of Columbia Journalism Review

Curbing Cars is featured in the November/December issue of Columbia Journalism Review

Curbing Cars is featured in the November/December issue of Columbia Journalism Review

By Micheline Maynard

We all know rock stars want to be on the cover of Rolling Stone. But for journalists, the equivalent is to be on the cover of the Columbia Journalism Review.

Well, here we are. Curbing Cars is featured in the November/December issue of CJR, which is arriving with subscribers and appearing on newstands now.

Here’s how it came about, This summer, while Curbing Cars was in the middle of our Kickstarter campaign, I got a call from an editor at CJR. Would I be interested in writing a cover story for the magazine on the thesis behind our project, he asked?

The article  lays out the reasons I became interested in writing about why people are rethinking the way they get around. It also talks about how the story isn’t being covered in a comprehensive way by most mainstream media, although there are plenty of places to find information on the Web and from some smart journalists.

Think of this as the Curbing Cars Manifesto, a term I’m borrowing from my friend Barry Sorkin at Smoque BBQ in Chicago. (Barry’s uncle and Smoque partner Al Sherman was actually one of the first people to back our Kickstarter.) It touches on many of the topics we’ll be exploring in-depth in our upcoming eBook.

I’d love to get your thoughts about the cover, the ideas behind our project, and whether you’re rethinking the use of your car. Even if you still are a fan of automobiles, and can’t imagine your life without one, your ideas are most welcome, too. And if you’re so moved, click on the “Donate” button on the right side of our site and help us keep up our work.

You can read the cover story here.

Comments Off on Curbing Cars Featured On The Cover Of Columbia Journalism Review

Filed under media

Tagged as , ,

by | August 18, 2013 · 10:08 pm

Teens: What Would Get You Interested In Driving?

By Micheline Maynard

Driving is down five percent nationwide since 2004, and one of the biggest reasons is a significant drop in teens on the road. Only about 28 percent of 16-year-olds get their licenses, as we’ve told you before, and teens just don’t have the lust for automobiles that their parents and grandparents had.

The NPR logo

On Sunday afternoon, I talked about the quandary this poses for the carmakers on NPR’s Weekend All Things Considered. You can listen to the show here.

There are a lot of reasons why teens are getting licenses, but we’d like to hear from our young audience. Is there anything that would make you more interested in driving? Or is it just not on your radar?

One of my Twitter followers suggested that mobile phones fill the role that cars once did. True? And if we have any car buffs, we’d be happy to hear from you. Why do cars make your heart pound?

 

Comments Off on Teens: What Would Get You Interested In Driving?

Filed under Driving, media

Tagged as , ,