Matthew Lewis -- living in the era of cults and consequences's Avatar

Matthew Lewis -- living in the era of cults and consequences

@mateosfo.bsky.social

I make things, including bike rides, state housing laws, bread, and trouble. Quality varies with rainfall, political winds, and tire pressure. Run comms at @cayimby for the love of cities.

2,722 Followers  |  816 Following  |  4,129 Posts  |  Joined: 27.11.2024
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Posts by Matthew Lewis -- living in the era of cults and consequences (@mateosfo.bsky.social)

It is at this point far safer to assume that Christofascists are, themselves, the monsters they keep warning us about.

I can't think of a single example to the contrary.

04.03.2026 10:37 β€” πŸ‘ 19    πŸ” 4    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Republicans control the Congress and can stop any of this on any day of the week.

They don't do that though, because Trump is the apotheosis of modern Republicanism.

04.03.2026 10:00 β€” πŸ‘ 6    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Dawg it really feels like baby boomers are metaphorically locking us in the house with them, burning down the house, and shooting at the fire fighters

03.03.2026 22:01 β€” πŸ‘ 389    πŸ” 35    πŸ’¬ 7    πŸ“Œ 1
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Quantifying the Cost of Sprawl In infrastructure, service delivery and tax receipts.

ICYMI: Suburban development costs 38% more in upfront public costs & 10% more in ongoing costs than compact development, PLUS has only 1/10th the tax revenue per acre, confirms report summarizing 17 studies. Via @smartgrowthusa.bsky.social

The blunt truth? Sprawl is heavily subsidized by ALL of us.

03.03.2026 18:22 β€” πŸ‘ 120    πŸ” 58    πŸ’¬ 2    πŸ“Œ 9

I still don't think people have grokked that 77% of Republican voters is enough to control 100% of vote outcomes in the United States Senate.

03.03.2026 23:11 β€” πŸ‘ 5    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

"More than three-quarters of Republican respondents, 77%, approved of the attack on Iran; 83% of Republicans said Trump has a clear plan for handling the attacks on Iran."

They not like us. They not like us. They not like us.

03.03.2026 22:51 β€” πŸ‘ 8    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0
Suburbia is Subsidized: Here's the Math [ST07]
YouTube video by Not Just Bikes Suburbia is Subsidized: Here's the Math [ST07]

WATCH: If you STILL don’t understand how car-dependent suburbia is HEAVILY SUBSIDIZED by downtown and all the urban parts of your city, watch this EXCELLENT video by #NotJustBikes with #Urban3 & @strongtowns.bsky.social. And PLEASE SHARE it as much as possible.

I’ve sent it to a LOT of politicians.

03.03.2026 21:13 β€” πŸ‘ 267    πŸ” 118    πŸ’¬ 10    πŸ“Œ 15
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A Bonanza of School Streets Resources for you to use! β€” Streetfilms As you know we are big on wanting school streets in every city, all over the world. We have also done the most ambitious documenting with many popular films that are used worldwide to advocate for the...

School streets need to be a major initiative in the @mayor.nyc.gov Mamdani Administration. @nyc-dot.bsky.social

So my latest blog post has for the very 1st time EVERY Streetfilm on school streets embedded in one place! PLUS: bonus photos. It's a great resource.

www.streetfilms.org/featured/sch...

16.01.2026 16:41 β€” πŸ‘ 23    πŸ” 4    πŸ’¬ 2    πŸ“Œ 2

Pretty wild that US automakers effectively derailed electric cars so they could keep churning out gas-guzzling trucks/SUVs just in time for the Administration they backed to the hilt to launch an illegal war that will radically drive up oil/gasoline prices.

We live in exceptionally stupid times.

03.03.2026 19:32 β€” πŸ‘ 14    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Shocked, shocked! to find that when drivers are asked to pay the cost of driving, they stop driving.

03.03.2026 19:26 β€” πŸ‘ 16    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Congestion charges have been enacted in quite small cities in the UK, notably Durham (population 50,000) and Oxford (population 165,000). The assumption that congestion charges are only for cities on a New York / San Francisco / Philadelphia scale is not necessarily correct.

03.03.2026 14:26 β€” πŸ‘ 224    πŸ” 50    πŸ’¬ 8    πŸ“Œ 2
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Bill seeks to cut $25 million from Safe Routes and bike path program to balance ODOT budget Taking from safety near schools and off-street paths to pay for highway maintenance. Ouch.

The bill, SB 1601 (-3), has passed committee 9-0. It reallocates funding from popular ODOT programs to backfill ODOT operations and maintenance budget.

Here's more background
bikeportland.org/2026/03/02/b...

03.03.2026 19:15 β€” πŸ‘ 19    πŸ” 5    πŸ’¬ 2    πŸ“Œ 4

cults and consequences

03.03.2026 14:05 β€” πŸ‘ 3    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

ugh

03.03.2026 01:08 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

This just in: firefighters still hate the idea of single stair apartment buildings.

02.03.2026 22:22 β€” πŸ‘ 36    πŸ” 3    πŸ’¬ 5    πŸ“Œ 0

dark

02.03.2026 21:51 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

oh yea, by hundreds of thousands/millions per incident. But not to worry! You pay for it through medicare/social security deductions & health insurance premiums.

Lots of people blame the insurance industry for problems that are actually the fault of our insane drivers and transportation planners.

02.03.2026 20:11 β€” πŸ‘ 4    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Just as insurers can no longer cover the cost of homes built in car-sprawl fire and flood hazard zones, insurers can't cover the cost of the extreme amount of death and destruction caused by American drivers.

So, they're now gonna start charging for it.

Zoom zoom.

02.03.2026 20:09 β€” πŸ‘ 6    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 1

In three of four largest states in the US -- California, Texas, and Florida -- drivers are the leading cause of violent death/injury, a leading cause of catastrophic property damage/loss, and by far the leading cause of lost productivity.

We all pay for it. But it's never been enough.

02.03.2026 20:09 β€” πŸ‘ 8    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

I think drivers are going to truly hate paying the cost of driving, but also, it was inevitable.

Socialism only works until the money runs out, and car culture -- it is deep, deep, deep in the red.

02.03.2026 20:06 β€” πŸ‘ 23    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 2    πŸ“Œ 0

Car insurance rates are skyrocketing in California. Here’s why:

02.03.2026 17:22 β€” πŸ‘ 23    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 5    πŸ“Œ 0
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Road transport CO2 emissions in the European Union could peak in 2025 - International Council on Clean Transportation Recent regulations, including the CO2 standards for cars and vans, and its homologue legislation for trucks and buses, have put Europe on track for an early emissions peak. Berlin, 14 January – In the...

”In the European Union, transport remains the only major economic sector where carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions have risen since 1990.”

#EU27 should not ease the regulations.

theicct.org/pr-road-tran...

26.02.2026 14:16 β€” πŸ‘ 33    πŸ” 23    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

That color scheme. This looks like a screenshot from that alternate history Wolfenstein game where Nazis win WW2 and take over the USA.

01.03.2026 15:25 β€” πŸ‘ 893    πŸ” 38    πŸ’¬ 5    πŸ“Œ 0
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Got a cab near the Department of Education. Hadn’t seen the Charlie Kirk banner before.

01.03.2026 15:15 β€” πŸ‘ 2292    πŸ” 619    πŸ’¬ 435    πŸ“Œ 536
Adam Savage Rebuilds His Stolen Bicycle!
YouTube video by Adam Savage’s Tested Adam Savage Rebuilds His Stolen Bicycle!

Highly recommend Adam Savage’s latest video!

He spent years using a bike as his primary transit in NYC and understands the freedom it brings. Nice to see a prominent voice validating that we don't need 4,000lb boxes just to navigate a city.

27.02.2026 16:18 β€” πŸ‘ 191    πŸ” 35    πŸ’¬ 9    πŸ“Œ 2

When homes are built in extreme hazard zones, and local jurisdictions gave them the building permits, and so electric utilities are required *by law* to build power lines to serve those newly-permitted high-risk homes (which is most new homes in the US) ...

Who's gonna pay?

All of us. That's who.

28.02.2026 01:47 β€” πŸ‘ 10    πŸ” 3    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

From California to Texas, electric utilities are struggling to manage mounting fire risk in a warming climate. They are spending more than ever before on lawsuits and settlements, as well as on preventative measures, such as undergrounding lines. 1/5

27.02.2026 17:44 β€” πŸ‘ 28    πŸ” 10    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 2
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a man in a suit says let them fight in front of a group of soldiers ALT: a man in a suit says let them fight in front of a group of soldiers
27.02.2026 22:37 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
27.02.2026 22:36 β€” πŸ‘ 2    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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Cars are essential in most of the U.S. They're also increasingly unaffordable The average new car costs $50,000. The average used car is $25,000. Insurance, repairs and maintenance are soaring. But America's car-centric habits also cost us in more subtle ways.

I know there's little chance of getting normal people to think about how ubiquitous government regulations mandating car ownership and driving are one of two leading cause of financial struggles in the US.

But at least the data is there. We really don't want to see it. www.npr.org/2025/10/29/n...

27.02.2026 19:05 β€” πŸ‘ 5    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0