David Bickford

Ozempic Is Shrinking Appetites. Restaurants Are Shrinking the Food.

Would it be too much to ask for more restaurants to serve portions halfway between the Olive Garden and Ozempic? Maybe a quarter-pound burger (a big deal when McDonald's introduced its version in the '70s) instead of a half-pound monstrosity or a two-ounce slider?

www.nytimes.com/2025/08/07/d...

Arizona Supreme Court ruling gives residents more power to block local projects | Arizona Capitol Times A small town fight in the Arizona Supreme Court has led to a new ruling making it easier for residents across the state to block locally approved projects.

This ruling concerns a specific project in the small town of Page near the Utah border, but there could be a statewide impact in terms of votes to second guess local government decisions. I can only hope that voters will support safer, more productive streets. azcapitoltimes.com/news/2025/08...

Public schools are closing as Arizona’s school voucher program soars Arizona, with a marketplace of school options and universal vouchers, offers a window into the GOP vision for K-12 education

Added problem: The toxic byproduct of school choice is the school commute, countless miles of additional driving because children are being chauffeured to distant schools instead of walking, biking, or riding buses. It's the first week of school, and traffic is already much heavier. wapo.st/45zmkbE

Gilbert Farmers Market is moving out of Gilbert The Gilbert Farmers Market is moving to Chandler-Gilbert Community College in Chandler later this year. Here's why.

I’ve never been a fan of Gilbert due to its anti-urban, anti-transit politics, but the town’s small walkable core has always been nice to visit. Moving the Gilbert Farmers Market out of that area is a mistake. The new location isn’t really walkable or bikeable from anywhere. ktar.com/arizona-busi...

I wonder how many of these people have also proclaimed that "Housing is a human right," with no cognitive dissonance whatsoever.

Screenshot of a defunct Twitter account: Vehicular Cycling @VehicularCyclin Hate bicycle lanes, hate shoulders, hate sidepaths and if we are discussing bicycle infrastructure on the internet.....then I hate you too.

That used to be a tongue-in cheek slogan of this defunct account back in the pre-Musk Twitter days:

Lego figures of people of bicycles pedaling past a Lego version of Chase Field in downtown Phoenix.

I visited Legoland at Arizona Mills yesterday. They have Lego versions of local landmarks, including this group of bicyclists pedaling by Chase Field on 3rd St. I wonder if someone at Lego is trying to shame #Phoenix into making the proposed 3rd St. bikeway happen by manifesting the plan in bricks.

There is no easy answer when my country has such a cumbersome name.

“America” has the issue of one nation vs. the Western Hemisphere.

“United States” has potential overlap with Mexico, Brazil, etc.

“United States of America” is too long.

“USA” is clear and brief but can sometimes be jingoistic.

It's the usual conservatarian claptrap that low-cost rideshare would be cheaper and greener than supporting public transit. Even in low density places like South County where she lives, on-demand transit programs generally haven't worked out well, but they're definitely not effective in metro areas.

Really weird that sometimes the most vocal advocates for parental rights are the worst role models for their children.

Phoenix is front door for buses, all doors for light rail and streetcar (pretty typical of U.S. cities in my experience).

That’s immediately evident to any U.S. urbanist or transit advocate who travels across the border. When I hear Canadian friends and allies complain about their own cities, I always remind myself they’re advocating from a higher baseline.

Riding the 0 bus from Sunnyslope to downtown #Phoenix for the first time since yesterday’s service changes. Nice to have it merged with the former 0A route in south Phoenix and operating with 15-minute headways. Both are good follow-ups to the June opening of the South Central light rail extension.

Returning to Phoenix after a long weekend in Prescott yesterday, I tried the new flex lanes on I-17. With signs and gates, they appear to manage asymmetric traffic effectively. They are much better than the reverse lanes on the 7s, which try unsuccessfully to apply a highway concept to city streets.

With incumbent Laura Pastor now in her third and final term on the #Phoenix City Council. I am pleased to support Ed Hermes’ campaign to become her successor in District 4. Ed’s been a consistent advocate for strong schools, safer streets, and multimodal transport. www.edhermes.com

We have finally learned the first name of Winnie the Pooh’s friend. It’s as big a revelation as Cosmo Kramer.

Terrible news. I had a delicious meal there during my most recent visit to Providence.

Try “Imperial,” especially if using it on icy terrain like the planet Hoth.

I took the first southbound train from the Downtown #Phoenix Hub to Baseline Road on June 7. Nice to see this video from the perspective of the first northbound train departing at the same time.

There’s no point to autonomous vehicles if safety drivers are required in perpetuity. Either allow them without safety drivers after a successful testing phase or don’t allow them at all.

If used for all trips, we might see adverse consequences, but that's unlikely given Waymo's fares, which are generally higher than Uber and Lyft. A more likely and less catastrophic scenario is occasional use in situations when walking, bicycling, transit, and rides from parents are not an option.

I remember that some RIPTA routes, including the only one at the time that went to T.F. Green Airport, did not have Sunday service when I lived there 40 years ago. I had to splurge on a taxi if I returned from a trip on that day. It would be a shame to see regression after so much progress.

Agreed. Restoration of service may have to wait until there is a restoration of sanity south of the border (actually north of it in the Detroit-Windsor area).

I learned about the burdens of both current Canadian and forthcoming U.S. requirements from the article I originally linked to. Previously, I had no idea they were an issue.

It seems like the forthcoming U.S. requirement for a passenger manifest submitted in advance will make service difficult for any operator. The current administration may be reluctant to fix that due to its antipathy towards both transit and Canada.

Amid Trump tariff war, Windsor eyes Aug. 31 as end date for tunnel bus to Detroit Windsor eyes Aug. 31 as end date for tunnel bus to Detroit. Cross-border public transit has been part of the tunnel since 1930.

Disappointed to learn that the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel Bus will cease operations soon after nearly a century of service. An international public transit route linking two countries via city bus is a rarity that I’ve found useful when visiting the region. windsorstar.com/news/local-n...

Lake Agnes Tea House, a nice place for refreshments on a beautiful hike: www.lakeagnesteahouse.com/index.php

That reminds me of the state of transit in Phoenix when I first moved here back in 1989. It’s been a struggle at times, but more than three decades later, we’re in a much better place, albeit with room for many more improvements. It takes perseverance and patience, but if we can do it, so can Boise.

Chalk writing on the sidewalk saying “Are we great yet? Cuz I just feel embarrassed.”

The wait on my bicycle to cross 16th Street seemed way too long this morning until I noticed this chalk writing next to me on the sidewalk.

The MTV Reality Star in Trump’s Cabinet Who Wants You to Have More Kids

Bad assumption here that everyone is going to the same place at the same time. In reality, the more children in a family, the more likely they are to have separate activities in different places at the same time. A multimodal approach gives children more independence.
www.nytimes.com/2025/06/23/u...