@FatLegTed @DrCake When I went to driver’s ed, the instructors repeatedly reminded us that we had to be prepared to stop at any time because the driver in front of us could brake for a squirrel or encounter debris in the road or stop for any reason. Most drivers don’t seem to understand the basic physics that stopping distance increases with speed. A key feature of driver assistance systems should be speed-based tailgating prevention.

@scrubbles @mondoman712 Car company propaganda 100 years ago started these arguments. Prior to the invention of “jaywalking,” there was broad consensus that streets were public spaces for civic life including children’s play and motorists who barreled through them with entitlement to kill whatever got in their way were the bad guys.

@TheSambassador @FollyDolly He was never super liberal or conservative. He’s a centrist with strong views on individual issues. Those familiar with his work in PA knew him as willing to stand up and fight in a way that’s refreshing coming from a Democrat on certain issues (marijuana, LGBTQ+ rights) but deeply problematic on others (police, fracking). His overall politics have probably shifted a bit to the right since the stroke, but the change is more in people’s awareness of him.

@DrunkEngineer It’s a terrible example to the public and a potential conflict of interest. How is someone who’s used to getting away with driving like that (& having wide roads that allow him to) supposed to cast unbiased votes on transportation bills?

@DrunkEngineer 34 & “at least” 24 mph over the limit are some pretty serious speeding tickets, and the frequent reports of distracted driving are a serious problem too. Senators who support Vision Zero programs or care about traffic safety at all need to speak up about this and hold him and other negligently driving colleagues accountable. Especially after his stroke & related health problems, he should be extra careful, not distracted & 34 mph over the limit!

@henfredemars @buckykat Nope. Both homebuyers and apartment developers are willing to pay a premium for high quality transit access, especially rail. Unless the rail service is really inconvenient and unreliable, it would substantially raise their precious property values, should they want to sell and move further out in the exurbs because they’re afraid of people who aren’t encased in SUVs.

@mondoman712 Good thing we have these utopian “blue states” to flee to as the fascists consolidate power nationally.

@norimee @Gradually_Adjusting Another problem of the politics of austerity and obsession with low taxes at any cost. We’ve defunded water infrastructure almost as much as we’ve defunded public transit. There’s no excuse for a wealthy society to create an environment where many of its residents don’t feel safe drinking tap water and access to any tap water in major cities is periodically cut off by 100 year old pipes predictably breaking.

@usualsuspect191 @perviouslyiner Uh… people who eat fruit or vegetables or fresh baked goods?

It’s not that you get them every day, but that you have the ability to get them whenever you want them instead of having to plan an excursion.

@TheDeepState @veganpizza69 If there’s any justice she’ll turn blue from accidental inhalation of car & truck exhaust while giving a press conference near a clogged tunnel entrance.

@mojofrododojo @Lettuceeatlettuce I saw something really wild today. This dude had a Dodge Ram that was lifted… but the tires were small, probably smaller than the recommended size tire for the truck. He was vrooming through a downtown area rolling coal at people dining outside bars & restaurants. So cool. 🙄

@FLX @olutukko Yes. They’re afraid of damaging their cars on them because they insist on driving so fast they sometimes just randomly fly off the road.

@antlion If you’re taking criticism of your vehicle personally, there’s probably a reason you feel the need to be defensive about it. We all have room for personal improvement, but we won’t solve the problem at the personal level. We have to change the incentives to industry that are creating such unsustainable levels of consumption across the board. In the meantime anyone considering an SUV or multiple cars or a big house should think critically about it. @SpiceDealer

@lgsp @mondoman712 I remember my preschool having a big stack of cardboard bricks to build with. Maybe they still have those in toy stores?

@frankPodmore @vividspecter Since middle aged, middle to upper class white men are also most likely to drive monster trucks for everyday transportation & recreation, we could also argue that for the safety and comfort of all we should do everything possible to get that group onto bikes instead of trucks.

@Moneo @frankPodmore Avoid generalizations and stereotypes if you want to meaningfully analyze an issue. Women score higher than men on risk aversion *on average*. There’s no evidence of enough biological or socialized difference in risk taking to explain the entire difference in bicycling. Various other factors are in play, including childcare burden, street harassment, access to leisure time, social support for cycling by parents & peers, and gendered dress codes/norms at work & school.

@TangledHyphae @Nudding US voters have been very effectively conditioned to accept the two party system and to place outsized importance on the president and largely ignore the legislative and judicial branches of government. If you’re not happy, your only answer is to vote for the major party not occupying the White House, even if that party currently controls congress and offers even worse policies. Critical thinking is systematically squashed.

@regul @fireweed That’s how US government works. Democrats propose to do something moderate that would help a little bit but they already compromised on important details before they started, Republicans throw a tantrum, Democrats capitulate, billions more dollars get poured down the toilet (or into highways) with very few dollars going to something useful but the net effect being overwhelmingly bad.

@LibertyLizard @Zagorath Probably, and the public servants who leaked it are owed a debt of gratitude.

@lntl Politicians including those who claim to trust the science on climate change will still be shoveling money to the highway building contractors when the highways are catching fire and melting as soon as they’re built.