@davidzipper@mastodon.social
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davidzipper

@davidzipper@mastodon.social

Senior Fellow at the MIT Mobility Initiative and Contributing Writer at Vox, focused on mobility, cities & tech. Words in CityLab, Slate, The Atlantic etc. Tweets: https://mastodon.social/@davidzipper #transportation #cities #innovation #technology #transit #cars #cycling #trafficsafety

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davidzipper, to Norway
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Visiting the Norwegian city of Bergen, I cycled along a stunning 3-km bike path blasted through a mountain.

It's the longest bike tunnel in the world -- and a centerpiece of Bergen's plans to reduce driving.

I wrote about it in Bloomberg CityLab.

#norway #bergen #bike #cycling

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2023-09-21/how-norway-built-the-world-s-coolest-bike-tunnel

davidzipper, to spain
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In Fast Company I wrote about Pontevedra, a Spanish city that has reduced car traffic 97% in its historic center (53% citywide).

Emissions are down 2/3, and Pontevedra has gone 12 years without a fatal crash.

https://www.fastcompany.com/90952175/this-spanish-city-has-been-restricting-cars-for-24-years-heres-what-we-can-learn-from-it

davidzipper, to random
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"We need a weight tax on vehicles, including one on electric vehicles, to encourage cars of all types to become lighter and less damaging to the environment, roads and pedestrians."

Agreed!

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/commentary/article-rolling-suv-fatsos-including-their-plumper-electric-versions-need-to/

davidzipper, to cars
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This is exactly right:

"The focus on young e-bike riders’ safety can obscure the bigger crisis: People driving cars and trucks are killing more people on our roads."

"If the goal is to understand what makes streets dangerous, we have to look at cars."

https://www.latimes.com/california/newsletter/2023-09-08/theres-a-car-sized-hole-in-e-bike-safety-concerns-essential-california

davidzipper, to Brussels
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Brussels shows how quickly an autocentric city can remake itself.

In less than two years:
🔹 Biking ⬆️ 36%
🔹 Motor vehicle traffic ⬇️ 27%

Car-choked cities are a policy choice -- not an inevitability.

https://tinyurl.com/2nubpz3c

davidzipper, to cars
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Due to a bus driver shortage, Philadelphia will pay parents $300/month to drive their child to school.

Wouldn't be an issue if more kids could bike or walk to school in one of the largest, densest American cities

https://whyy.org/articles/philly-school-bus-driver-shortage-parent-flate-rate-program/.

davidzipper, to Norway
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Norway has one of the lowest crash death rates in the world, with fatalities dropping ~50% in the last decade. I asked a senior Norwegian transportation official what role car technology has played enhancing safety.

“None,” she replied. “We focus on road design and enforcement."

davidzipper, to random
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Something I love about Oslo: This city is incredibly quiet.

Lots of people are walking/biking/scooting. And most vehicles are electric, while speed limits are typically 30 km/hr (19 mph), so engine/tire noise is negligible.

A reminder that cities aren't loud; cars are loud.

davidzipper, to random
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I'm now in Norway, a country with one of the lowest crash death rate in the world. During the 2010s crash fatalities fell almost 50%. (info: itf-oecd.org/sites/defaul...).

I see lots of bike lanes, car-free areas, and fast transit -- but not a single self-driving car. Baffling.

davidzipper, to random
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A new book argues that Uber’s arrival was an unmitigated disaster for cities like Washington DC.

My take in CityLab: Ridehail has worsened many urban problems, but let’s remember that it also forced taxis to improve their atrocious service.

https://t.co/OGimjGiKyW

#cities #transportation

davidzipper, to SanFrancisco
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In The Atlantic, I explained why I welcome the uproar over robotaxis in California.

Even if self-driving cars work flawlessly (which definitely isn't the case now), they could be a calamity for cities and the planet.

We should think long and hard before letting them scale.

THREAD

#AVs #sanfrancisco #transportation #cities

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2023/08/robotaxis-san-francisco-self-driving-car/674956/

davidzipper,
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Context:

A few hundred robotaxis from Cruise and Waymo now ply SanFrancisco streets, providing trips akin to driverless Ubers.

Robotaxis remain a work in progress: They’ve run over firehoses, entered construction zones, delayed transit, and (frequently) blocked traffic.

Source: https://t.co/rHiwDGEyPp

davidzipper,
@davidzipper@mastodon.social avatar

Despite myriad problems, Waymo/Cruise are asking the five members of the California Public Utilities Commission (one of whom is ex-Cruise) to let them operate unlimited robotaxis 24/7, citywide.

San Francisco public safety and transportation officials are adamantly opposed, as are grassroots activists who are freezing robotaxis with taxi cones.

https://abc7.com/san-francisco-driverless-car-cones-sf-robotaxi-waymo-cruise/13478843/

davidzipper,
@davidzipper@mastodon.social avatar

Much of the debate inCalifornia has revolved around robotaxi tech (which will improve) and safety impacts (which are unknown).

But bigger questions are atstake. Consider Cruise’s internal goal of deploying 1 million robotaxis by2032. How would that affect urban life?

davidzipper,
@davidzipper@mastodon.social avatar

We should recall what happened a century ago, when cars arrived en masse.

US streets were redesigned for vehicle speed. Pedestrian deaths skyrocketed, sidewalks were ripped up, jaywalking was invented, and transit service collapsed.

We still suffer from those decisions.

davidzipper,
@davidzipper@mastodon.social avatar

If self-driving tech works, it could bring equally far-reaching changes.

Researchers gave test subjects full-time chauffeurs, mimicking robotaxi access. Driving skyrocketed 80%+. (Source: https://t.co/D42ZF4CGbO)

At scale, that suggests a huge spike in urban congestion & sprawl.

It gets worse. As self-driving cars induce more driving, they would accelerate emissions (even if cars are electric).

Info: https://t.co/MID1jvkI63

davidzipper,
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It’s possible -- though not at all certain – that a city full of robotaxis would be safer.

But if that’s the goal, why not weigh robotaxis against other (cheaper, more reliable) tactics to improve road safety, like building slower streets?

t.co/RlgbkukC6T

davidzipper,
@davidzipper@mastodon.social avatar

Before robotaxis are allowed to scale, we should carefully consider whether and how they fit within dynamic cities.

Perhaps these vehicles are a net plus in a sprawled, autocentric region like Phoenix, but not in a dense, multimodal city like San Francisco.

davidzipper,
@davidzipper@mastodon.social avatar

What we should not do is open the barn door for an emergent technology whose potential downsides -- especially for cities -- are immense.

We did that a century ago. Let’s be smarter this time.

t.co/Fn3AMn0i0U

davidzipper, to SanFrancisco
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Scene: San Francisco, where a NBC Nightly News reporter and a driving instructor are taking a trip inside a Cruise robotaxi.

Reporter: "How does this compare to the worst driving student you've ever had?"

Instructor: "Oh, this is much worse."


https://www.nbcnews.com/nightly-news/video/are-driverless-cars-ready-to-hit-the-road-full-time-190390341514

davidzipper, to bicycling
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"Boston Mayor Wu Announces Free Citywide Bike Riding Lessons For Kids"

I love this. Fully stop.

https://t.co/4d969ZnG00

davidzipper, to transit
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My new one in CityLab:

Philadelphia's SEPTA now offers college students a dirt-cheap "all-you-can-ride" transit pass -- but only if their school buys one for ALL students. Swarthmore College is the first to sign on.

It's a model other schools and transit agencies should consider.

https://t.co/gK3Yq9v8uG

davidzipper, to cars
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I’ve spent much of this year examining car bloat, the process through which smaller vehicles are being replaced by increasingly massive SUVs and trucks.

What I’ve learned: Huge cars are terrible for society, often in ways that are hidden.

Some basic facts:
◆ >80% of US car sales are now trucks/SUVs.
◆ Models keep expanding. For example, the F-150 is now ~800 lbs heavier and 7 inches taller than in 1991.
◆ EVs can make the problem worse due to huge batteries.

Continued (THREAD)

#cars #climate

davidzipper,
@davidzipper@mastodon.social avatar

Even some automakers are recognizing the dangers of car bloat and calling for change.

Here is Stellantis' CTO in a recent interview.

https://t.co/4kA8qqYciQ

davidzipper,
@davidzipper@mastodon.social avatar

Some might say: “But people want big cars!”

Not necessarily. US automakers offer no alternative, and car bloat pushes buyers to upsize – if only to avoid being at a disadvantage on the road b/c others have big cars.

https://slate.com/business/2022/11/suv-size-truck-bloat-pedestrian-deaths.html

davidzipper,
@davidzipper@mastodon.social avatar

Summary: Car bloat is terrible – for road safety, for the planet, for equity, and for road maintenance.

But bigger cars are often more profitable, so automakers like making them.

The only way out: Government action. Examples:
🔹 Tax vehicles by weight.
🔹 Test vehicles for pedestrian and cyclist safety (still doesn’t happen in the US).
🔹 Require a CDL for the most gigantic vehicles.

Left alone, this problem will only worsen. Governments must step up.

https://slate.com/business/2023/01/electric-cars-hummer-ev-tax-fees-weight-joe-biden.html

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