Skip to Content
Streetsblog New York City home
Streetsblog New York City home
Log In
Car Culture

America to the Automobile: “It’s Over”

llgrab.jpg

In honor of this year's New York International Auto Show, which officially begins tomorrow, we present this very special announcement:

Ms. America to Announce “The End of the Affair” at the NY Auto Show

**Saturday, March 22**
10:30 a.m.
Jacob Javits Center 

 
After 100 years, Lady Liberty, the perennial Ms. America, is finally ending her
“spectacularly combustible love affair” with the automobile

New York, NY —  All things must come to an end, and so apparently it now is for America’s love affair with the automobile. Swept off her feet more than 100 years ago with promises of freedom, comfort and status, Ms. America has now had a change of heart. “The oil addiction, the misguided foreign affairs, the skyrocketing bills… it’s just gotten to be too much,” said Lady Liberty in a recent statement.
 
Lady Liberty will formally announce her break up -- and her big plans for the future -- at the NY International Auto Show on Friday, March 21st at 10:30 a.m. Reverend Billy will be present to both annul her current “dysfunctional” marriage, and will also be on hand to wed Ms. Liberty to not one but three suitors who have been vying for her affection for the past several decades: Walking, Bicycling and Mass Transit.
 
“I’m just ready for a change,” says Lady Liberty, "and frankly, this relationship has just gotten to be much more work than it's worth. My health, liberty and freedom have suffered greatly, and now I hope that my new relationships will finally give me security and happiness.”

CARtoon by Andy Singer, who recently paid a visit to the Minneapolis & St. Paul International Auto Show, along with "Roadkill Bill" Ken Avidor.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

Queens Pol Trolls Her Own Constituents From Her Ticket-Covered Lincoln As They March For Car-Free Parks

Queens Council Member Joann Ariola mocked her own constituents in an "adolescent" and "antagonistic" move just because some people want a car-free park.

February 9, 2026

Snow Problem: Can New York City Handle Big Winter Storms Anymore?

There are eight million people in the big city. And 32 million opinions on the Mamdani administration's response to its first snow crisis.

February 9, 2026

Video: Another Way The Snow Reveals Our Misallocation of Public Space

New Yorkers barely use their cars and, instead, use them to seize public space.

February 9, 2026

Monday’s Headlines: Bureaucratic Morass Edition

Restaurants hoping to set up in the city's open streets hit a bureaucratic snag — but DOT said a solution is coming. Plus more news.

February 9, 2026

Andy Byford’s ‘Trump Card’ On Penn Station Keeps Wrecking New York’s Infrastructure Projects

What will become of the Amtrak executive's plans for Penn Station under President Trump?

February 6, 2026

FLASHBACK: What Happened To Car-Free ‘Snow Routes’ — And Could They Have Helped City Clear the Streets?

Remember those bright red signs that banned parking from snow emergency routes? Here is the curious story of how New York City abandoned a key component of its snow removal system.

February 6, 2026
See all posts