This is how I imagine the Caltrans Meeting with their contractor where they decided to eliminate several blocks of bike lane on Oak St. in downtown Oakland without notice.
Why not change their name to the California Dept of Enshitification.
The New Yorker
#BikeChi 🚲🚲🚲
@bikegridnow.org @chicagobikesox.com @bikelaneuprising.bsky.social @chicritmass.bsky.social
Americans drive a lot more than people in other rich countries.
If we didn’t drive so much, we wouldn’t die in so many crashes.
It’s a simple point, but one that NHTSA, traffic engineers, and many road safety org’s have yet to learn.
Me, in Bloomberg 🧵
Caltrans, Oak DOT, & Alameda County ignoring their own guidelines and just generally behaving badly. A bike line must be restored on Oak St between 2nd and 6th now, before a cyclist is injured or killed. It’s really that simple.
I see a similar reaction when I talk about pedestrian safety, bikes, transportation, climate change, and housing. For many, any encouragement toward self-reflection before making a choice = coming on too strong. 🤷
"To walk or take transit is a public act which makes street a safer component of community. To drive is a private act which turns the street into a utility."
—Peter Calthorpe
Fortunately this rule is only broken 139 times a day by American journalists.
Maybe a good moment to re-up my 2020 classic—Journalists: Here’s How to Produce Less Horrible Stories about Pedestrians and Cyclists Getting Killed"
medium.com/@peterflax/j...
Saw 3 e-motorcycles enter the SF Bay Trail near Richmond Pkwy & it occurred to me the current e-bike/e-motorcycle classifications aren’t that useful.
Pedal assist?
Throttle only?
Who cares?
What matters to a non-motorized trail user is the max speed & mutual respect for others on the trail.
A reminder that humans in cars - notably omitted from this thanks to motonormativity - kill 1.2m people every year
Hopkins Street is back, but the news isn’t good. A new proposal would pave the street without previously-approved bicycle and transit improvements.
Learn more at our Hopkins Teach-In on Monday, March 9 at 7-8pm (virtual).
Register: us02web.zoom.us/meeting/regi...
I've been using Cycliq front and rear for 10 years. Their products and their customer service have made great strides. I recommend their products.
The DOJ released evidence, which the FBI deemed credible, that the President of the United States sexually and physically assaulted a 13 year old girl AND she was afraid to talk about it because Trump would kill her—and it’s somehow not the biggest scandal in American history?
Home owners against … libraries? Just when you think you’ve see every possible NIMBY reaction, a new one surfaces.
Journey of a bike advocate. Goes on bike ride - smile emoji Experiences the danger - shocked emoji Approaches city council - straight face emoji nothing changes angry enoji person throwing a molotov cocktail Dreams of ending car culture
It all happened so fast.
@thebikinglawyer.bsky.social
Sounds scary!
Try consulting the NWS SF Bay Area Forecast Discussion. An excellent resource that provides insights into the forecasters' confidence, I read it at least once a day. The strong winds altitude were frequently discussed the last few days.
forecast.weather.gov/product.php?...
And use those tax dollars to improve public transit!
It doesn’t matter whether the rate of global warming is increasing. It’ll never cease to amaze me that people don’t care that it’s happening at all. It should be the most alarming thing ever.
Driver seen reversing down Kearny 30+MPH, hitting & killing a person on the sidewalk.
“They (SFPD) literally said the following to him (the driver): 'You're free to go, we appreciate your cooperation. Don't be too hard on yourself, it's an accident, it happens.'"
This should make your blood boil.
What I couldn't express in this survey is I think parking needs to be scarce & expensive whereas public transit needs to be frequent & cheap (even free) and walking & cycling needs to be SAFE. Anything else just maintains the current level of VMT in Berkeley.
🤦🏻
SHOULD THE U.S BLOT OUT THE SUN AND USHER IN AN AGE OF ETERNAL DARKNESS? - Gallup 2/20/26-3/5/26
NO - 41%
YES - 38%
UNSURE - 21%
A cartoon from the 1950’s that’s more relevant than ever 💔
Too often the response to these tragedies is just
"thoughts & prayers” and also, in this case, some fresh white paint being applied to the pavement after the fact.
WAIT THEY CAN FUCKING DRIVE NOW
New paper: When applied to a street with no bike lane, protected bike lanes "potentially result in an over 98 percent reduction in bicyclist crashes."
Separated bike lanes - 55-77%
Paint-only bike lanes - 38-67%
PBLs are much, much better than any other bike lane type.
doi.org/10.17226/28854.
The usual trying to cross Solano Ave w/ my dog.
Umbrella in hand, light rain, a line of drivers, speeding.
Not one driver would yield, including a City of Berkeley Parks pick-up & a FedEx van.
Then a driver in her 50’s in a Ford Focus aggro passes FedEx ON THE RIGHT.
Traffic enforcement?
None.
Just stating the obvious here, but we have to build a government that doesn't starve and bomb the planet for kicks.
Methinks the guy being interviewed is still on the "Hill of Hysteria."
A fascinating look into the research on why some people resist the very transportation changes that could actually improve their day-to-day lives. Also the idea that careless infra designs should be even bolder than they often are.
Check it out.
Light green 1980's Gitane tandem, seen from the front, leaning against a wall, glistening in the bright sunlight.
Light green 1980's Gitane tandem, seen from the left side, leaning against a wall, glistening in the bright sunlight.
Light green 1980's Gitane tandem, seen from the rear, leaning against a wall, glistening in the bright sunlight.
It's not important why I'm restoring TWO vintage French tandems, what's important is that tandem numéro deux est finis !
