Skip to main content

Richard's Not-so-Scarry Car Culture

I explore in my most recent TEDx Talk how the paradigm shifted. How our perception of streets changed from being accepted as a human, democratic space for 7000 years to becoming perceived as the sole and exclusive domain of automobiles.

What is clear is that people generally have a problem seeing differently. You can present them with reams and reams of statistics and evidence that cars have a destructive influence on our societies and that there are too many in our cities but you still hear the same last-century perceptions about how things can't be changed and how nothing should change. It's mind-boggling how people will deftly dance around stats like 35,000 deaths a year on the roads of America alone - and 6 million injured annually - and still come out blind to the obvious danger that citizens are exposed to. "Dude... I still want to drive my car".

In cultures that have not been given the benefit of transport choice (Hi, America!) for a couple of generations, such perceptions are sometimes stronger.

I have a pile of books from my own childhood. Among them are a number of books by Richard Scarry. Scarry's influence on childrens books was - and still is - massive. I get all nostalgic when I see his distinct drawings and many of his books were about cities.

I'm not here to out Scarry as a pawn of the automobile industry... :-) but I've noticed a theme in many of his books, when reading them for my kids over the past couple of years.

Look at the illustrations in the graphic at the top. Crazy drivers causing many accidents. All innocent enough. Car crashes portrayed as innocent, oopsy daisy events that are a common occurance in cities. Nobody gets hurt. It's all silly.

Most of the illustrations above are from a 1973 book. It's perfectly okay to use telescopes and magnifying glasses whilst driving. Driving into the harbour is no cause for alarm. Crash into a picnic and you're just an "impossible driver". Cause havoc on the many street of a tiny town and it's all just okay.

There are a couple of bike examples. Cycling while telescoping and failing to ring your bell when cornering on the sidewalk. By and large, however, it is automobiles that Scarry draws most.

I am wondering, however, about the effect on society when books like Scarry's have, for a few generations, portrayed automobile accidents as comical, crazy things. A normal part of life. Nobody gets hurt, silly rabbit.

A culture that sees a distorted view of itself in the mirror of its art and literature will end up pulling a whole lot of wool over its eyes. Do that and you can't see the Bull in Society's China Shop.
Labels:

Popular posts from this blog

7550 New Bike Parking Spots at Copenhagen Central Station

For all of Copenhagen's badassness as a bicycle city, there remains one thing that the City still completely sucks at. Bicycle parking at train stations. At Copenhagen Central Station there are only about 1000 bike parking spots. Danish State Railways can't even tell us how many spots they have. They're not sure. Even in Basel they have 800+. In Antwerp they have this . Don't even get me started on the Dutch. 12,500 bike parking spots are on the way in some place called Utrecht . Amsterdam has a multi-story bike parking facility, floating bicycle barges round the back and are planning 7000 more spots underwater . Even at the nation's busiest train station, Nørreport, the recent and fancy redesign failed miserably in providing parking that is adequate for the demand . Architects once again failing to respond to actual urban needs. It is time to remedy that. Here is my design for 7550 bike parking spots behind Copenhagen Central Station. Steve C. Montebello i...
Read more

Traffic Safety Orgs Speak for Themselves - Not the Rest of Us

Classic traffic safety organisation narrative. "Stop cycling". By Stephanie Patterson With Mikael Colville-Andersen In the diverse world of traffic planning, advocacy and various movements for liveable cities, there is an odd group of outliers who broadcast conflicting messages. While “traffic safety” organisations seem like a natural part of the gallery and of the narrative, upon closer inspection they exist in a communication vacuum populated exclusively by like-minded organisations. There is little correlation with those organisations who advocate cycling, pedestrianism or safer streets. The traffic safety crowd are in a world unto themselves, with little or no accountability for the campaigns they develop or the messaging they broadcast. They are often allied with insurance companies who clearly take comfort in working with others who embrace scaring the population at large through constructed fear . In many ways, they are a classic subculture, with strong hints...
Read more

Cycling with Disabilities and Injuries

I haven't been on a bicycle for 7 days. The reason? A couple of cracked ribs. I've tried each and every day to cycle, but it hasn't been possible. When a simple cough is enough to bring tears to your eyes, riding a bicycle is a long shot. A serious blow to my pride but hey, at least I can walk around the neighbourhood. Which is nice. Many Danish cities have small cars like these to measure the level of comfort on the bicycle infrastructure . I have a better, cheaper idea. The city should just give citizens with broken or cracked ribs a smartphone, with activated GPS and a live line to a person at the Bicycle Office. Then they just ride around the city. Every time an OWWWW! or groan is heard, the GPS location is registered. That way the city will be able to map the spots that need maintenence. Now broken ribs are one thing, but what of citizens with more serious injuries or disabilities? So I thought I'd whips together this article with photos of Copenhageners an...
Read more