cross-posted from: https://rss.ponder.cat/post/116914

He dreamed of a cycling revolution. Then an SUV crushed him

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.crimedad.work/post/542998

"It does suck, because everybody kind of makes fun of the Cybertruck. To the outside person, it's kind of weird, it's ugly, whatever. Once you actually get in it, drive it, you realize it's pretty frickin' cool," he says. "It's kind of been sad, because I've been trying to prove to people that it's a really awesome truck that's not falling apart, and then mine starts to fall apart, so it's just... Yeah, it's kind of unfortunate and sad."

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/25858499

Summary

NYC's congestion pricing program, launched Jan 5 after Biden administration approval, faces new threats from the Trump administration.

Governor Kathy Hochul vows to keep the toll scanners active, deeming Trump's effort and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy's order an attack on the city.

The MTA swiftly filed a legal complaint to uphold the $9 toll, citing reduced traffic and critical funding for mass transit.

Legal experts warn the Trump administration faces an uphill legal battle.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/25804020

https://nitter.net/WhiteHouse/status/1892295984928993698#m

*Nitter mirror. Don't link directly to that shit stain of a site

Are you kidding me?

President Donald Trump’s administration on Wednesday ordered a halt to New York City’s congestion pricing system, which thins traffic and funds mass transit by imposing high tolls on drivers entering some parts of Manhattan.

Launched on Jan. 5, the city’s system uses license plate readers to impose a $9 toll on most passenger cars entering Manhattan neighborhoods south of Central Park. In its early days, transit officials say the toll has brought modest but measurable traffic reductions.

When the dummy was dressed in the reflective jacket, the CR-V didn’t slow in any of the trials, regardless of additional roadway lighting.

You can't win. Wear all black to be "seen" by cars, or high-visibility to be seen by drivers and ignored by cars. 🤞

What would a TV ad promoting alternatives to driving look like? What if people who love cycling and progressive transportation reclaimed ideas like freedom, independence and even patriotism? We decided to give it a shot. Check out our new video, "America, It's Just Like Riding a Bike."

Found on war on cars mastodon: https://mastodon.social/@TheWarOnCars/114026724784302292

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ml/post/25961823

It's probably time we admit cars that are a bit too useful as weapons to continue affording them the vast uncritical access they currently enjoy in our built environments.

What if we handle road safety as general safety?

The hierarchy hazard controls is a de facto standard for determining which measures to take in the presence of risks. The principles can be (and I would argue that they should be) applied to road safety.

From the most effective to the least effective measure, we have:

• Elimination: Avoid road trips. Of course it is rarely possible.

• Substitution: Replace dangerous vehicles with non-hazardous vehicles. That is, cars should be limited

• Engineering controls: people are isolated from risks: cycle paths, sidewalks everywhere, speed bumps, raised crossings, narrowing of the roads

• Administrative controls: speed limits, 30 km/h cities, speed cameras, training courses.

And last and most definitely least:

• personal protective equipment: they are the least effective, to be used only if there is no possibility of applying other measures: helmets.

Those who push for certain measures do not understand anything about safety, and thus would start from the bottom of the hierarchy.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hierarchy_of_hazard_controls

crossposted from: https://mastodon.uno/users/rivoluzioneurbanamobilita/statuses/113978193983638459

It's well-known that the US used to have a highly functional public transportation network that was dismantled for the car, but I'm really curious on the details of how that happened. Obviously there was National City Lines who dismantled streetcars and replaced them with buses, as well as interstate highway construction gutting cities, but I feel like there's a lot more detail and nuance that's missing.

Does anyone know of any books or other reading material that goes into the details of the decline? I'm hoping for something in-depth, think comparisons of big events vs ridership numbers vs average public transit speed, public opinion, ideally a case study on some actual cities. When the streetcars were ripped out, did the buses still provide adequate service, or was there a large decrease in frequency/quality? Were there frequency cuts later on? What happened when the private bus company inevitably went bankrupt? Did people without cars protest as service was cut, or were they left behind as people and jobs moved to suburbs, where service didn't exist to begin with? What did people in small towns without cars do?

This post is inspired by me seeing an ambulance in the bike lane by the apartment building opposite of mine.

By this point, I'm sure we've all had just about enough of anti-urbanists and NIMBYs claiming in bad faith that bike lanes and bus lanes will be obstructive for emergency vehicles, and as such cannot be built.

You're probably well aware that exactly the opposite is the case - cars are the principal obstruction for emergency vehicles, and emergency vehicles can actually make very efficient use of bike and bus lanes to shorten response times.

I propose that we flip the argument on its head by rebranding bike and bus lanes as Emergency Vehicle-lanes, which just so happen to afford permission to buses and bikes when not in active use by emergency vehicles (which is of course already the case, everyone is required to yield any space to emergency vehicles, at least where I live).

This way, we kill this particular argument against bike and bus lanes in its crib, and expose the opposition as being actually against emergency vehicle mobility, in favour of having more lanes to drive their cars on.

Let me know what you think!

cross-posted from: https://ani.social/post/9236075

San Mateo remains driving dependent city.

Related article: https://www.smdailyjournal.com/news/local/bike-lanes-in-north-central-still-an-issue/article_f46e2466-b773-11ef-afd7-6371db19869b.html

This is maybe more like 'wtf cars'.