Recent posts by Active Transportation Advocates on Bluesky

Welcome April.

LBJ's Humpday Podcast Picks for Apr 1st Indigenous housing innovation, a complicated Canadian historical story, and the origins of April Fool’s Day. h/t @plannersean.bsky.social @npr.org @stateofthecity.bsky.social @planetmoney.bsky.social @angelabarnes.bsky.social medium.com/@lanrickbenn...

"En repositionnant la proximité comme levier de solidarité, de résilience, d'attractivité, Carlos Moreno signe un manifeste à la fois visionnaire et pragmatique qui invite à repenser l'acte d'habiter." Merci à Marc Ezrati pour cette chronique immo sur mon livre "La ville du soin" Ed. L'Observatoire

We're excited to share that Melissa is bringing the book tour for 𝐖𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐂𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬 to Brussels for an evening co-hosted with our friends at the @ecf.com and featuring two amazing women highlighted in the book! Event detail and registration here: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/women-chan...

Eating his favorite cheese.

I keep thinking about how unflappable Mayor Katie Wilson was at Friday's town hall on surveillance, even in the face of an extremely homogenous crowd of opponents. (I don't support police cameras either but the in-person crowd was not broadly representative of Seattle.)

“BRUSSELS— The European Commission has urged people to work from home, drive and fly less, and for EU countries to urgently roll out renewables, as it warned of a prolonged energy crisis as a result of the conflict in the Gulf.” Caused by Trump. European nations are better at learning from crisis.

Chris had an incredible @dutchcycling.nl tour of Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Xiamen and Chengdu. What stood out most was the consistency of the message. In every city, there was a strategic pivot: away from decades of car-driven hyper-growth, and toward a future centred on health, happiness, and humanity.

“When mayors in other cities ask me how #Copenhagen afforded to invest in its cycling networks, I ask them how on earth they have been able to afford highway projects. We invested in bike lanes because that was the cheapest option.” What the world can learn from Copenhagen’s cycling revolution.

rewatching breaking bad and man Ted Beneke is the ultimate Trump swing voter: a very stupid man who thinks he is smart a very lucky man who thinks that means consequences are fake and everything will magically work out a criminal who refuses to take any sort of responsibility

In this short, Ross Chapin and I discuss how the hardware, our built environment, either supports or twarts our sociability and connectedness. youtube.com/shorts/uzoxB...

Think of the street widths…

In case you missed it, Utrecht, Netherlands has begun building the largest Dutch “car-free” neighbourhood. 12K people 6K homes 1.8K social rental homes 1.5 mid-range rental & affordable owner-occupied homes 21.5K bike parking spaces 250 shared cars 2 parcel hubs Parking structures on the edge.

During his first term, Trump suggested that people should inject bleach to prevent Covid. I get that we need as many people speaking out as possible right now, but a lot of them could have spoken out earlier.

New extension to Chicago’s commuter rail network opened today, into Indiana.

Doesn’t even mention pardons for cash. #Corruption

A “long tradition” of banning people who are Asian, Black or less wealthy. vancouversun.com/opinion/colu...

I for one think positivity of others opinions is always a great and valuable thing.

I don’t personally see this very often, possibly because I will block people mercilessly for being rude or personal, or for “straw man” or bad faith attacks. But I agree with the message to those that are doing it to any others here, that they should stop. We should all want this place to succeed.

Apparently I've been living under a rock (or spending too much time looking for them 😄), I didn't know there is a Masters of the Universe movie coming out. The casting is 🤩👏. Little 80s me would be so excited about this.

Please consider following @urbantruth.bsky.social. #UrbanTruth

The concept of texting your therapist is deranged to me

You don’t have to be a Jeopardy champ to know that a lot more housing, and in particular affordable housing, needs to be build. But it doesn’t hurt to be a Jeopardy champ.

Love it when he just stands in the park looking at me like he's Damien in The Omen.

Hannah Sabio-Howell Says It's Time to Replace Longtime Legislator Jamie Pedersen The 29-year-old first-time candidate says the progressive 43rd District wants a leader who will prioritize the needs of working people and renters. publicola.com/2026/03/31/h...

the thing about writing in depth about classical music vs just vibing the fuck out is that the time per paragraph ratio is totally hosed. it took me half a day to write the passages included in this thread bc tenor clef is demonic

Toronto Hydro butchering the tree canopy in the Trinity-Bellwoods neighbourhood. Toronto spends $90-million a year on urban forestry but its own staff do huge damage for no good reason. Each is now seriously injured and/or unstable, likely to become dangerous and to be cut down at serious cost

Translink continues to absolutely blow other North American transit agencies out of the water. This is stuff you usually only see in Asia and Europe.

Maybe it would be comforting to have a little Vonnegut doll in these times. thebookmarkpr.com/products/kur...

Do any of the services that interview a software engineer and go find them jobs still exist?

The Internet can't phase me today. I just got screamed at by a newborn for multiple minutes and didn't break a sweat.

We have lost a giant, and a hero to countless social justice activists across Canada and around the world. My thoughts & memories on the passing of Stephen Lewis: www.nationalobserver.com/2026/03/31/o...

That’s crazy! Montreal’s bike counter dashboard (based on Eco-Counter) is not being updated due to a lack of funding from the city. Not sure if temporary or permanent. This data is used by the cycling community, academics, planners, and your favourite data-oriented cycling YouTubers.

We need better governance. Feels like the most fundamental thing.

“Axe the tracks.” (I can’t take credit for that.)

It’s good to take an interest in other countries.

instantly wrecked by this six bars of music every time

Love this! Let’s go!

instagram. it's evil, and also the only way I find out about anything good.

Every city that provides public money to build a sports stadium should demand that the building be named for the city or the team in perpetuity. It’s ridiculous that some corporation that provides MUCH less money for “naming rights” than the public has put up gets their dumb name on the building.

I couldn't see this post and not go looking www.instagram.com/p/DPchi-OEnu...

I’m concerned about AI. Read my latest article: open.substack.com/pub/cinqpers...

Ummm, what happened to Gravel Influencer?

So you paid too much for an excessively big vehicle that costs far too much to run, even though it’s heavily subsidized by all taxpayers, and then when gas prices, which should always be recognized as unpredictable at best, spike because of Trump’s illegal war, you want your country to lower taxes?

When cars kill, it's just the cost of doing business. When e-bikes get popular, suddenly we need strict ordinances to stop "accidents".

Random post: My favorite language to listen to is Dutch. Second is probably Danish, followed by French.

A big problem with Alto seems to be that they've identified decisions made in CAHSR as problematic, not the entirety of how the Anglosphere and noveau Canada approach transit builds.

wikipedia page of the day en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enron

If you work at SDOT and think the statement in this thread is extreme or unrealistic, please get in contact. I want to know why.

We can tackle the food desert problem in Seattle. rondezvouswa.com/p/seattle-s-...

Uh I don't think "you need to change your clothes" is the same thing as a strip search but these are professional victims who lie like breathing

Building high-speed rail was in the Conservative Party platform. Pandering to rural base, the desperate Pierre Poilievre, more unpopular than ever, comes out against the Alto project. Not to worry: after his love-fest with Joe Rogan and vacay in the US, Canadians no longer take him seriously.

The state budget is due TOMORROW, and we need Albany to include Stop Super Speeders. Call Speaker Heastie: 518-455-3791 Call Majority Leader Stewart-Cousins: 518-455-2715 Call Governor Hochul: 518-474-8390

Now I've experimented with the settings and got it to 75 frames per second, a 5-second video is now 2.1 GB... With the right settings this thing is rated to over 100 fps, but I don't think my hard disk is going to be happy

In my work with cities around the world, I find that a BIG difference between cities doing remarkable things, and cities that are floundering and failing, is having a culture of energy or a culture of excuse. Either of those cultures are chosen, and built. Either can be deliberately changed.

Some flights we’ve been looking at have surprisingly remained at the same price over the past few weeks. That seems... unlikely to continue, right?

cope and seethe

Learn the details about how rent control works in Berkeley with this thread about the Rent Ceiling 🏠🏠🏠

Ottawa is going forward with a pilot project for bus lanes on Bank Street. Mostly rush-hour only, with a few 24-hour sections. Businesses complaining about parking. But arterials are for moving people, and there’s far more space to park on the side streets. People are allergic to a short walk?

Household electrical safety tip: when it comes to extension cords, male-to-female or female-to-male only. Happy Trans Day of Visibility! 🏠🏳️‍⚧️

I recall a lot of NIMBY opposition to a new parole center in Gowanus back in 2014. They sued and lost, I believed. Well, the parole center is there and you don't hear about any problems at all. People need to get over themselves.

At the Housing Development Consortium's annual event, Mayor Katie Wilson just announced that the city will "revisit the original phases three and four" of the comprehensive plan "to be far more aggressive with our timeline and scope."

Complete with the requisite "We are not against homeless people, but..." It's NIMBY Mad-Libs.

King County housing levy could be on deck...

READ: “Ottawa’s relationship with cars — and with convenience — is shaping what we tolerate, what we normalize, and what we quietly accept as the cost of doing business. And I’m angry about it. I hope some of you are, too.” Via @seandevine9.bsky.social Well said. www.seandevine.ca/march_31_202...

solti/vienna walkure might be up there as one of my least favorites. james king has no business singing siegmund. he gets absolutely mogged by regine crespin as sieglinde at any given opportunity

Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre has come out against Canada’s Alto high-speed rail project. “The Liberals want to blow $90 billion on another Liberal illusion that will come late, go over budget and leave taxpayers stuck with the bill, if it even gets built at all.”

The Planning Alumni Community, @utoronto.ca and Department of Geography and Planning asks the question: How can we grow roots in urban planning, roots that draw new nutrients to grow our cities in the next 30 years? April 29 w/ @uytaelee.bsky.social www.geography.utoronto.ca/events/2026-...

Seattle's $2 billion convention center remains cavernous and empty save for the weird dim ballroom at the top of the endless escalators

Just realizing I have to fly home to Seattle from a conference in Italy right before a Seattle World Cup game. And Italy is a few minutes away from qualifying to play in that game. And I don't have my plane tickets yet.

"To women around the world on women’s month Those who are thriving and those who are merely surviving Those who are tired and those who run carefree You are seen." Melissa takes one last moment to honour the visibile and invisible actions of women everywhere. modacitycreative.com/2026/03/31/y...

Glad to see PCC teachers got a tentative deal #unionstrong Also hot take but the main PCC campus should be downtown

love to learn from other media that I was not invited to a press conference held by an elected official about the specific issues my coverage focuses on

I'm very excited to get to Montreal. One of my favorite cities anywhere. We expect this one to sell out, so act fast.

love to learn from other media that an elected official has excluded me from their press list lol

One of the best to ever do it

I'm working on a video about highways, and this project "fact sheet" in Miami had me cracking up.

I've just bought a specialised, extremely high frame-rate video camera designed to be jammed into a telescope in the hope of catching occasional short instants where the air is still Holy Moly this thing is a monster - I just recorded a 5-second test video and it's a ONE-GIGABYTE file

YouTube pro tip: You can pin hostile comments to the top of the comments section for everyone to see.

Dutch cities are beautifully colorful. From red asphalt bike lanes to textured pavers and greenspace, it’s a total departure from the grey, sterilizing blanket of North American infrastructure. Car culture demands a sea of grey asphalt, but human-scale design thrives on color.

A fool and their money are easily parted when convinced that their self worth can be derived from the car they purchase.

Washington DC's little H Street streetcar makes its last run today. Here's my take on what went wrong, and what we can learn from it. humantransit.org/2025/05/what...

We’re making progress!

LAST CALL: Studded tires must be removed by March 31 in Washington. Keep them on past the deadline and risk a $137 fine from Washington State Patrol. Plan ahead, tire shops get busy. If winter makes a comeback, use approved traction tires or carry chains.

Chicago friends, is there a physical CTA store or is it only online?

“It stings because we failed the streetcar as much as the streetcar failed us. DC was simply not ready to do this… the DC Streetcar… taught us that if we want strong transit, we must care enough to actually make transit strong. We are still here, dreaming.”

i don't think that after all we've been through in the world we should have to put up with april fools social media content, it's all so terrible - thank you for your time.

Why #China is so enthusiastic about electrifying its vehicle fleet (according to Dan Wang, in his book Breakneck): “It would rather burn domestic coal than Mideast Oil to power its cars.” With Strait of Hormuz oil shock, electrifying transport (trains, metros, too) pays off.

Paris transit operator RATP is testing autonomous buses on one of its BRT routes, line 393

The New York State budget is due tomorrow, April 1. That means this is the most critical moment to pass Stop Super Speeders. Albany must slow down the most dangerous drivers and save lives. We went on @spectrumnewsny1.bsky.social to talk about it:

#TorontoDanforth #TOpoli

Seattle City Councilmember Maritza Rivera just called for an "audit" of all Human Services Department contracts, based on a county review of its unrelated human services contracts. I look through city contracts recreationally, and many of the most 🧐 contracts are SPD— trainings, massages, etc.

Rick Steves is a very good human being.

The person delivering your Grubhub order may not have actually been working for Grubhub. Streetsblog found that Grubhub subcontracted to another app called Relay to skirt paying NYC's delivery minimum wage to those workers. Here's @sophlebo.bsky.social with more: youtube.com/shorts/Tom5V...

pov: you are a stupid fucking robot

We are never going to get high speed rail in Canada if we can't rationally weigh the enormous quantity of urban dwellers who will (largely, but not only) benefit against the small number of rural NIMBYs.

It'll be painful if a small number of rural folks who do not want to see a train successfully derail hsr in Canada, and somehow it is feeling more and more likely

claude is lowkey amazing if you want to make a website unfortunately

My question was meant to be a softball lobbed across the plate—an opportunity for SDOT to express its stated values. So, here’s a thread demonstrating how they could have responded if they wanted to. 🧵

tried to link a tweet by far-right activist and prison-sandals connoisseur Jonathan Choe screaming "I'M A JOURNALIST, GUYS" at the cops who are arresting him for acting like a shithead at a protest, but X The Everything Site wouldn't let me so you'll just have to trust me that it's fucking hilarious