Warren Wells, AICP

If there's one corner I wouldn't want to cut, it's the brakes.

Definitely worth a couple hundred more in components for decent downhill stopping power. That's one of the ways in which RAD got in trouble.

I guess batteries too, crucially.

Because firefighters are entirely incapable of making the assessment, which is a complex research question.

I have heard folks speak not favorably about the quality of components on Virtue bikes. Though they do look really nice.

Obviously there is always going to be a tension between quality and cost, but I'm not sure what we think of Bengal brakes.

It's a huge problem that there are basically not any sub-$5k electric front loader bikes available to purchase.

Like, even getting selling one at $3k would be massively undercutting the market! And that would still be $1200 more than the cheapest longtails.

Wow, that is a very cool idea, pairing the pinion with the hub motor.

Assembly Bill 835 (Lee, Chapter 345, Statutes of 2023) directed the State Fire Marshal to research safety standards for single-exit, single stairway apartment houses, with more than two dwelling units, in buildings above three stories. The State Fire Marshal established the Single-Exit Stair Work Group with representation from the California Fire Service, building officials, local governments, labor, building industry, and housing advocates to compile relevant research standards related to fire and life safety performance, as well as emergency response operations. All work group meetings were open to the public. This report reviews the historical, technical, operational, and economic dimensions of the subject to provide legislators with information and perspectives for decision making. California currently does not allow single-stair, single-exit buildings that exceed three stories. The requirement for multiple exits within apartment buildings emerged from fires in the 19th and 20th centuries when inadequate egress routes led to loss of life. Over time, building codes across the country tightened, with California maintaining among some of the most comprehensive fire and life safety requirements in the United States. Some jurisdictions – such as New York City and Seattle – have single-exit provisions that have been closely tied to enhanced fire protection measures. From a fire safety standpoint, engineering safeguards such as comprehensive sprinkler systems, smoke detection, and passive smoke control strategies may reduce risks in single-exit designs. These measures, however, do not fully substitute for the redundancy of two independent stairways. The presence of an additional exit is important for maintaining safety in the face of unforeseen failures, fire spread, or structural compromise. Operational realities reinforce this as California’s fire departments, drawing on direct experience in emergency response, have expressed near-unanimous opposition to single-stair…

Here is the report's executive summary.

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

A friend had a aunt who lived in Manhattan high-rise, never owned a car, walked everywhere, and was doing her own shopping well into her 80s while maintaining a busy social calendar.

Density is inclusive (as long as you have elevators, curb cuts, and transit)!

Exactly.

We have made car ownership the price of civic/community participation.

People are justifiably unwilling to self-exile in the suburban homes they probably shouldn't have bought!

Yeah, I have to believe that the UC student mode share at Berkeley Trader Joes has to be like 100% walking/biking/transit.

There are times when the store is totally slammed but the (relatively small!) parking garage is half empty.

Redefine the "old town" neighborhood.

Yeah, 100%.

I bet that if you asked the average USian to guess the population of Berkeley, I bet most would be wrong by a factor of 2.

I mean, it's no Davis and it is way too auto-centric in parts, but it is absolutely in the top 5 bikeable cities in the Bay, and probably in the top 100 in the country.

Among other policies, we should probably build about 100 new The Villages across the country.

We may soon have 70 million boomers too old to drive, too car-dependent to stop. As the baby boomer bubble pushes into its eighties, we are driving into a demographic wall.

In the last 18 hours:

(1) I had a 70+ year old almost hit my kids in a stroller, and
(2) had an elderly oncoming driver drift into my lane, passing me as I dodged her seemingly unaware of my presence.

lloydalter.substack.com/p/we-may-soo...

Marin IJ editorial cartoon about MCBC revising the Alto Tunnel project

All press is good press, I guess?

*Some* US consumers.

The only appropriate use of this bumper sticker, imo.

An "I bought this before Elon went crazy" bumper sticker on a Prius

Well played, Prius driver.

What year was that??

Goodness, that's awful.

As a parent it became horrifyingly apparent that even while pushing a stroller, so many drivers either didn’t see us or didn’t care.

People speed and/or are distracted. If I had not been so aware of our surroundings and ready to move quickly or backwards, we would have been hit several times.

All the more reason to ride a bike

Thank you for your generosity, @rhparish.bsky.social!

I (and many other bike advocates) are working on exactly that issue here in California.

I'm glad to hear that an e-bike helped you keep riding - you're one of many, many people.

It's like, dude, I can't even be jealous. He *earned* that.

This is the most elaborate (and successful) mating ritual ever performed by a human male.

lol, I had the same thought, that this is the most elaborate (and apparently successful!) mating ritual ever performed by man.

Older lady on a tricycle on Milvia in Berkeley

Them: "Cycling is only for the athletic one percent!" 😡

Cyclists:

Alameda? It's crazy that I don't know, because multiple county supervisors in CA have been killed while walking.