BREAKING: #NYC was about to lead the US out of the urban dark ages by forcing drivers to pay a fair price for the pollution + congestion they inflict on the city.
But NY's governor just pulled this:
Hochul Halts Congestion Pricing in Stunning 11th-Hour Shift
"I happened to be cycling when I realized that my presence aroused a sort of hysteria in bystanders or people passing in cars. They shouted abuse...they threw things..."
—Paul Theroux on how drivers react to cyclists and walkers in the US.
🧵
More from his essay "Moving Target":
"I asked around...I was not alone. Most cyclists have stories of this kind, and joggers had much worse ones, and women joggers the worst persecution stories..."
"The response is so lacking in tolerance that I cannot help but think that at its source is a wild anger, a fear and frustration, at being faced by a free spirit, someone who cannot be controlled."
I rode the newest-born of #London’s underground lines, the Elizabeth this morning. Impressively modern design, wide, comfortable cars, automatic operation, and fast—about 25 minutes from Paddington to Heathrow…🧵
I took a ride on the Mail Rail in #London. An alternative electric Underground that carried packages + letters through 9 miles of tunnels beneath the streets, from 1926 to 2003… 🧵
Here in #Wales, TfW will give you compensation if your train is more than 15 minutes late. In Canada and the US, ViaRail and Amtrak won’t give you more than a shrug. (Their “margin of error” is more in the half hour zone.)
Rather surprised to hear Sir David King, in convo with Ed Milliband (onscreen) at Hay-on-Wye festival proposing Arctic and Antarctic geo-engineering (massive conversion of seawater into ice and cloud) as the way forward in climate emergency.
The press is dying in #Canada (pop. 40 million+) and the US (pop 330M +). Here are the daily papers on the newsstands in #Ireland (pop. 5 million). Irish, English, etc. Dead jealous!
One of a wandering #straphanger’s great pleasures: nabbing the front seat of the upper level of a (non-tourist) double-decker bus—the 77A, direction Pearse DART station, #Dublin. Putting my Leap farecard to good use!
Now riding the DART (#Dublin Area Rapid Transit) out to Howth. The city’s electrified commuter rail network, serving 53 stations. A bit like #Berlin’s S-Bahn, mash-up of commuter rail and urban service. 10 mn headways, though 35 mn this Sunday.
Ok, this is mad. You have to tap your Leap card before you get on the train, but also when you get out of the DART train. But at the Howth terminus, there’s only one card reader. So 100s of passengers jostle to tap out. At least put out more readers! Grumble grumble.
This is brilliant: #Dublin has “fare capping” on its public transport. When you buy a LEAP farecard, you get charged a max. of €8 a day, or €32 / wk, no matter how many rides you take on commuter rail/DART/trams/buses. More here: