Nostr notes by David Zipper

In the new Look Both Ways episode, Wes and I talked about cars ...

2026-07-10T11:50:35Z

In the new Look Both Ways episode, Wes and I talked about cars stopping in bike lanes "for just a minute."

It's a bigger problem than many many realize. Beyond being dangerous, blocking bike lanes deters people (esp women) from biking in the first place.

Full episode: https://www.lookbothwayspodcast.com/how-stressful-is-your-bike-ride-bike-lane-camera-enforcement/

#bike #biking #cycling #urbanism

In Bloomberg, I explained why autonomous vehicles that are ...

2026-06-01T12:22:29Z

In Bloomberg, I explained why autonomous vehicles that are owned—not shared—would be very bad news for cities, the environment, and anyone in a human-driven car (or bus).

#AVs #selfdriving #autonomousvehicles

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-06-01/think-robotaxis-are-disruptive-wait-until-everyone-buys-their-own-avs?embedded-checkout=true

Transportation historian Peter Norton doesn't buy into the ...

2026-04-22T14:19:14Z

Transportation historian Peter Norton doesn't buy into the hype around autonomous vehicles.

"What robot cars are promising is the next generation of car dependency."

Our lengthy conversation, in Bloomberg

#avs #selfdriving #cities #history

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-04-22/nyc-s-waymo-pause-sends-message-to-other-cities-on-autonomous-vehicles

Americans drive a lot more than people in other rich countries. ...

2026-03-11T12:25:57Z

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

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-03-10/how-deadly-are-us-roads-it-depends-on-how-you-count-traffic-fatalities

#safety #policy #crashes

Hey guys, I’m writing a book! THE PRICE OF TRAFFIC will tell ...

2026-02-19T13:32:52Z

Hey guys, I’m writing a book!

THE PRICE OF TRAFFIC will tell the story of congestion pricing, one of the best – and most controversial—policy ideas of the last half century. It will be published with MIT Press in partnership with Penguin Random House.

Know a great story about congestion pricing that needs to be told? An illuminating study that deserves more attention? A person with an inside angle on what went down in Singapore, London, Milan or NYC? Message me!

#books #urban #transportation

In the Financial Times I asked why, exactly, Europe wants ...

2026-01-07T13:52:55Z

In the Financial Times I asked why, exactly, Europe wants robotaxis. I don’t see any need – but I do see lots of risk.

https://www.ft.com/content/781c88b6-ec6a-4eda-8963-654391aa914c?accessToken=zwAGR74s4d0wkc94HIi27GpO2tOJY2VDkaqRTA.MEYCIQCe9tPJfjQadbNcDEqGM-LigxRDcYj3jT-9yC1xqAa_MAIhALSI3YEutb_SMJRkvKzbvu6ruhn6o6hLqDSwTeLMRDWE&sharetype=gift&token=14256e23-0255-4de7-8f35-696af5b854c2

#europe #london #robotaxis #autonomous #transportation

My latest, in Bloomberg: There’s a widespread myth that ...

2025-08-28T13:15:43Z

My latest, in Bloomberg:

There’s a widespread myth that Americans hate traffic cameras. It’s simply not true.

On the contrary, researchers have consistently found that Americans broadly support using automatic enforcement to curb crashes. And for good reason: It works.

#transportation #safety #traffic

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-08-28/automated-traffic-enforcement-is-more-popular-than-you-think

I recently biked along the Baltic Sea in Poland, from Gdansk to ...

2025-07-30T12:16:51Z

I recently biked along the Baltic Sea in Poland, from Gdansk to Sopot. It was one of the most sublime rides of my life.

I wondered: Why are there so few places in North America where people can cycle along the coast, separated from cars?

My exploration, in Bloomberg

#poland #biking #tourism

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-07-30/the-us-needs-more-european-style-oceanfront-bike-paths?srnd=phx-citylab-transportation

For decades, the US was the gold standard for car safety regs. ...

2025-06-03T14:35:30Z

For decades, the US was the gold standard for car safety regs. Not anymore -- that title now belongs to Europe.

In Bloomberg, global auto reg exec David Ward and I discussed why cars have grown safer around the world – but not in the US.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-06-03/how-did-cars-around-the-world-get-safer-credit-the-crash-test?srnd=undefined

My latest in Bloomberg CityLab: Applying "abundance" to ...

2025-04-03T14:41:58Z

My latest in Bloomberg CityLab: Applying "abundance" to transportation requires considering the kind of infrastructure that gets built, not just the quantity.

More trains and bike lanes would be great -- more highways and robotaxis not so much.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-04-03/when-the-abundance-movement-talks-about-transportation

#cars #abundance #policy

Seventy years ago, the writer Lewis Mumford warned that urban ...

2025-03-14T13:03:33Z

Seventy years ago, the writer Lewis Mumford warned that urban highways would be a disaster:

“This is pyramid building with a vengeance, a tomb of concrete roads and ramps covering the dead corpse of a city.”

He was right. We just didn’t listen.

My homage, in Bloomberg CityLab:
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-03-14/in-1955-lewis-mumford-saw-nyc-s-congestion-battle-coming?srnd=phx-citylab

#cities #history #highways

Because of tariffs and recession fears, Americans are more likely ...

2025-03-13T12:43:29Z

Because of tariffs and recession fears, Americans are more likely to buy a sedan instead of a pricey SUV or truck.

But Detroit doesn’t offer any sedans. Foreign automakers do.

In Fast Company, I explained why car bloat leaves the Big Three uniquely vulnerable to Trump’s economic chaos.

https://www.fastcompany.com/91296810/detroit-killed-the-sedan-trumps-trade-war-will-make-them-wish-they-hadnt

#cars #trump #detroit #trade

In Bloomberg CityLab, I argued that "shrinking" mass ...

2025-01-07T12:47:14Z

In Bloomberg CityLab, I argued that "shrinking" mass transit -- replacing buses and trains with pods or shuttles -- is a fool's errand.

Small transit vehicles cannot scale w/o massive subsidies. It's a problem that cripples PRT, the Vegas Loop, and microtransit alike.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-01-06/why-personal-rapid-transit-can-t-compete-with-regular-old-buses

#transit #transportation

In Slate, I explained why a newborn, job change, or closed ...

2024-12-03T13:30:24Z

In Slate, I explained why a newborn, job change, or closed highway can disrupt our travel habits, prompting us to form new ones -- and perhaps leave the car at home.

It's a lesson with huge implications for policy.

https://slate.com/technology/2024/12/car-commute-public-transit-behavioral-science.html

#cities #urbanplanning #policy

My latest in Fast Company: We need to stop saying “road safety ...

2024-11-21T13:20:00Z

My latest in Fast Company:

We need to stop saying “road safety is a shared responsibility.”

Road engineers, automakers, and policymakers have the power to reduce the sky-high number of US crash deaths. Individual road users don't.

https://www.fastcompany.com/91233037/whos-really-to-blame-and-who-isnt-for-americas-traffic-death-epidemic

#crash #safety

The Fast Company story draws from a new research brief I produced ...

2024-11-14T14:12:11Z

In reply to nevent1q…dljt
_________________________

The Fast Company story draws from a new research brief I produced for the MIT Mobility Initiative, where I'm a Senior Fellow.

I examined the EV quality metrics shared in carmaker marketing, which plays an outsized role shaping consumer preferences. What I found concerns me.

https://www.mmi.mit.edu/evmarketing

In a new Fast Company story, I argued that focusing on range and ...

2024-11-14T14:10:18Z

In a new Fast Company story, I argued that focusing on range and acceleration -- the most popular metrics for EV quality -- will lead to confused customers, wasted resources, and needless road deaths.

https://www.fastcompany.com/91227386/forget-about-ev-range-and-focus-on-this-instead

#electricvehicles #cars #climate #climatechange

In US cities, ~2/3 of crash deaths occur on streets owned by the ...

2024-11-13T15:45:28Z

In US cities, ~2/3 of crash deaths occur on streets owned by the state – not local gov.

Outdated, deadly state roads are preventing cities from building the safe, comfortable, and transit-friendly streets that residents want.

My deep dive, in Vox.

https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/384562/state-highways-dots-car-crashes-pedestrian

#transportation #cities #states #visionzero

Me, in Bloomberg CityLab: Robotaxi companies are presenting ...

2024-10-24T15:06:18Z

Me, in Bloomberg CityLab:

Robotaxi companies are presenting themselves as transit’s new best friend.

Don't fall for it. Cities full of robotaxis would be a disaster for public transportation.

#AVs #selfdriving #cities #transit

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-10-24/robotaxis-aren-t-going-to-help-save-public-transportation

On NPR 's On Point, I discussed the feds' proposal to ...

2024-10-08T17:47:25Z

On NPR 's On Point, I discussed the feds' proposal to restrain car bloat:

"It's a watershed moment for NHTSA, [proposing] not a suggestion, but a rule within the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards to protect pedestrian safety."

Recording/transcript: https://www.wbur.org/onpoint/2024/10/07/truck-suv-safety-design-government-pedestrian-death

The only way to avoid crash deaths from oversized SUVs & ...

2024-10-02T13:02:45Z

The only way to avoid crash deaths from oversized SUVs & pickups is to reduce car bloat.

Technology alone won’t do it – even if automakers claim otherwise.

Me, in Slate

https://slate.com/business/2024/10/cars-suvs-pedestrian-deaths-traffic-safety-lidar-computer-vision.html

#cars #safety

Want cheaper housing? Better transit service? More restaurants ...

2024-09-23T13:14:56Z

Want cheaper housing? Better transit service? More restaurants within walking distance?

Zoning rules can make it easier – or impossible.

In CityLab, I spoke with Sara Bronin about her new book, Key to the City, and zoning's hidden powers.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2024-09-23/zoning-s-hidden-power-is-the-key-to-understanding-cities?srnd=citylab-housing

#cities #zoning #housing #books

My initial reaction: This is a huge step in the right direction ...

2024-09-09T20:21:15Z

My initial reaction:

This is a huge step in the right direction — and long overdue. The Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards have real teeth. If this proposal comes into effect, carmakers will finally have to address how car bloat endangers pedestrians.

https://apnews.com/article/us-pedestrian-safety-rule-suvs-pickup-trucks-8ab66c3416dcb91484ec502d6e114ad1

This week’s Economist cover story is brought to you by US ...

2024-09-06T14:32:16Z

This week’s Economist cover story is brought to you by US automakers and the federal government, both of which have been ignoring car bloat for decades.

In The Verge, I explained why self-driving cars could be a ...

2024-09-02T14:40:16Z

In The Verge, I explained why self-driving cars could be a disaster for climate change and road safety -- even if they work perfectly.

The answer lies in the Jevons paradox, a classic 19th century economic theory.

https://www.theverge.com/2024/9/2/24232386/self-driving-car-jevons-paradox-robotaxi-waymo-cruise

#climate #climatechange #cars

The Economist has published a deeply-researched story about car ...

2024-09-01T15:51:56Z

The Economist has published a deeply-researched story about car bloat -- and it's very, very damning.

"For every life that the heaviest 1% of SUVs and trucks save, there are more than a dozen lives lost in other vehicles."

Well worth your time: https://www.economist.com/interactive/united-states/2024/08/31/americans-love-affair-with-big-cars-is-killing-them

On NPR's Morning Edition, I sounded off about car bloat: ...

2024-08-24T11:46:43Z

On NPR's Morning Edition, I sounded off about car bloat:

Oversized trucks and SUVs "create danger for everybody else on the street because of their mass and because of their height, whether you're walking or biking or inside a smaller car."

https://www.npr.org/2024/08/23/nx-s1-5084276/pedestrian-protection-bill-bigger-cars-trucks

#cars #bike #walk

It really says something about the USA that a miniature kei car ...

2024-08-21T19:50:28Z

It really says something about the USA that a miniature kei car is "too dangerous" for public roads, but a lifted 8,000-lb pickup is just fine.

https://arstechnica.com/cars/2024/08/states-keep-banning-cheap-little-kei-cars-for-fear-theyre-deathtraps/

#cars #safety #policy

As Minnesota governor, Tim Walz signed the most impressive state ...

2024-08-11T20:22:52Z

As Minnesota governor, Tim Walz signed the most impressive state transportation reform bill in the US, including:
- Transit funding
- Train service btw Twin Cities & Duluth
- E-bike rebates
- Requirement that MnDOT offset highway expansion with projects to reduce driving and emissions (important!)

Even much bluer states haven 't passed a bill like this. And Walz signed it into law.

https://www.startribune.com/minnesota-legislature-set-to-approve-1-3b-transportation-deal-with-gas-tax-hike-delivery-fee-roads/600276657

#HarrisWalz #harris2024 #minnesota #transportation

The biggest source of urban noise? Motor vehicles. In Bloomberg ...

2024-07-31T12:12:31Z

The biggest source of urban noise? Motor vehicles.

In Bloomberg CityLab , I explained why car-free neighborhoods are magically quiet – and healthier, too.

#cities #urbanism

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-07-31/the-quiet-power-of-car-free-neighborhoods?srnd=citylab

Would be nice if NHTSA spoke about road safety as clearly as ...

2024-07-30T18:57:59Z

Would be nice if NHTSA spoke about road safety as clearly as Jalopnik.

https://jalopnik.com/these-are-the-unbreakable-rules-of-driving-1851608168/slides/8