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David Zipper

@davidzipper.bsky.social

23K followers 350 following 10K posts

Senior Fellow @ MIT Mobility Initiative & Contributing Writer @ Vox, focused on transport, cities and tech. Words in Atlantic, CityLab, WaPo, etc. https://linktr.ee/davidzipper Newsletter, speaking and advisory work: http://davidzipper.com

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David Zipper @davidzipper.bsky.social · Jul 15

A bit of news:

@wesmars.bsky.social & I are launching Look Both Ways, a new podcast where we’ll debate everything transportation – from street design to robotaxis to fare-free transit.

First episode will be recorded live on Thurs, July 17th at 6p ET.

Join us then (and subscribe) ⤵️

🧵

Look Both Ways Podcast: Episode 1

YouTube video by Look Both Ways with David & Wes

www.youtube.com

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David Zipper @davidzipper.bsky.social · 8h

Encourage reading the whole post, which is admirably measured.

TL;DR: We don’t fully understand what’s behind the jump in US pedestrian deaths, but car bloat seems to be an important factor.

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David Zipper @davidzipper.bsky.social · 9h

Deep dive into the surge in US pedestrian deaths:

"It’s not that more pedestrians are getting hit by vehicles; it’s that the ones that are getting hit are more likely to die."

"[That] seems like fairly strong evidence for the theory that the rise in large SUVs is behind the uptick in ped deaths."

Why Are So Many Pedestrians Killed by Cars in the US?

It’s unfortunately not uncommon for pedestrians to be killed by cars in the US.

www.construction-physics.com

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Reposted by David Zipper

Active Towns @activetowns.bsky.social · 1d

"Untethering society from the automobile will be a Herculean task.
"Cars ruin everything,” warns a section of Life After Cars. If so, the first step toward reversing the damage is getting more people to recognize the problem." 👇

David Zipper @davidzipper.bsky.social · 1d

Three newly published books argue that cars are destroying society as well as the planet.

Is the world finally ready to rein in the automobile?

My essay, in @bloomberg.com (gift link below)

‘Car Brain’ Is Making the US Unhealthy and Dangerous. EVs Won’t Fix It.

A trio of new books argue that we need to confront the full range of costs that car-based living has imposed on our cities, our health and our society.

www.bloomberg.com

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David Zipper @davidzipper.bsky.social · 1d

Yes, I do think e-bikes (and perhaps golf carts) are a big part of the answer

David Zipper @davidzipper.bsky.social · 1d

An anti-car movement limited to cities can only do so much.

“Even the cleverest tactical urbanism projects cannot shift national policy.”

A critical question: How do car skeptics win over the suburbs?

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David Zipper @davidzipper.bsky.social · 1d

Wes and I will discuss these new books -- and where the anti-car movement could go from here -- in the next episode of
@lookbothwayspod.bsky.social. Coming soon.

Subscribe/listen/watch: lookbothwayspod.podbean.com

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Reposted by David Zipper

Edward Taylor @equilibrium.bike · 1d

*walks into Waterstones* Where's your Motonormativity section?

David Zipper @davidzipper.bsky.social · 1d

Three newly published books argue that cars are destroying society as well as the planet.

Is the world finally ready to rein in the automobile?

My essay, in @bloomberg.com (gift link below)

‘Car Brain’ Is Making the US Unhealthy and Dangerous. EVs Won’t Fix It.

A trio of new books argue that we need to confront the full range of costs that car-based living has imposed on our cities, our health and our society.

www.bloomberg.com

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David Zipper @davidzipper.bsky.social · 1d

If you only read one of this trio, make it Life After Cars by @brooklynspoke.bsky.social & @sgoodyear.bsky.social.

It’s the most accessible and informative, as well as the most practical.

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David Zipper @davidzipper.bsky.social · 1d

Are more people recognizing the harms that cars create?
Yes, absolutely.

Does the average American sees cars as a societal problem?
I don't think so -- at least not yet.

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David Zipper @davidzipper.bsky.social · 1d

Three newly published books argue that cars are destroying society as well as the planet.

Is the world finally ready to rein in the automobile?

My essay, in @bloomberg.com (gift link below)

‘Car Brain’ Is Making the US Unhealthy and Dangerous. EVs Won’t Fix It.

A trio of new books argue that we need to confront the full range of costs that car-based living has imposed on our cities, our health and our society.

www.bloomberg.com

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David Zipper @davidzipper.bsky.social · 1d

"Though robotaxis have notched up impressive growth, they look ploddingly pedestrian compared with far zippier pedal-powered rivals. [Waymo] proudly proclaims that its cars do around 250k trips a week. Yet in NYC alone that number of trips is made every three days using the city’s bikeshare scheme."

Forget EVs. Cycling is revolutionising transport

Pedal power is booming, spinning up a new culture war

www.economist.com

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David Zipper @davidzipper.bsky.social · 2d

A heartwarming story about the lengths New Yorkers will go to store their private property for free on jam-packed public streets

www.nytimes.com/2025/10/09/n...

In New York, Free Street Parking Comes at a Cost

www.nytimes.com

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David Zipper @davidzipper.bsky.social · 2d

I’m in Portland right now. Coffee is amazing, people are friendly, and I just bought a great book (in a store).

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 3d

Trump: "I don't know what could be worse than Portland. You don't even have stores anymore. They don't even put glass up. They put plywood on their windows."

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David Zipper @davidzipper.bsky.social · 2d

Feels fitting that my first-ever bike ride in Portland, OR is to grab coffee with former Rep. Earl Blumenauer, founder of the Congressional Bike Caucus

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alex block @alexblock.bsky.social · 2d

“I live my life without a transit schedule, and I like it.”

That’s a great, succinct statement about the benefits of frequent service.

David Zipper @davidzipper.bsky.social · 2d

The #1 piece of advice that TransLink's CEO offers other North American transit agencies:

Provide frequent service

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Blair Lorenzo / The Fox and the City @thefoxandthecity.com · 2d

Really good interview from @davidzipper.bsky.social.

The keys? Frequency and transit-oriented development.

I would emphasize frequency. Running the bus every 30 minutes isn’t going to cut it if you want to grow ridership. With 30-minute service, if one bus doesn’t show up it’s now 60-minute service. Folks aren’t going to rely on that.

In Vancouver, we have lots of buses run with headways of five minutes or less. The SkyTrain is running every three or four minutes, and because it’s driverless, we have the capacity to run even more. That was extremely helpful when Taylor Swift completed her Eras Tour here last year, and we were able to empty out a 55,000-person stadium in 45 minutes because the SkyTrain came every 90 seconds.

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Jeffrey Tumlin 🏳️‍🌈 🌁 @jeffreytumlin.bsky.social · 2d

Vancouver's secret for transit success: frequency + land use

David Zipper @davidzipper.bsky.social · 2d

Vancouver's TransLink is a rare success story in North American transit, with ridership almost matching pre-Covid levels. It might be the only big 🇺🇸/🇨🇦 agency that has *expanded* total bus service since 2019.

I spoke w/CEO Kevin Quinn about lessons from TransLink's rapid recovery. 🧵

The Secret to Vancouver’s Public Transit Ridership Recovery

The Canadian city’s transit agency, TransLink, bounced back from Covid even as other North American systems have struggled. Its leader explains why riders returned.

www.bloomberg.com

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David Zipper @davidzipper.bsky.social · 2d

BTW, Quinn, TransLink’s CEO, is American.

He had an interesting explanation for Canada's apparent disinterest in fare-free transit when compared to the US.

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David Zipper @davidzipper.bsky.social · 2d

The #1 piece of advice that TransLink's CEO offers other North American transit agencies:

Provide frequent service

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David Zipper @davidzipper.bsky.social · 2d

Why is Vancouver’s transit system doing so well?

🔹 Growing population and dense development due to barriers to the N (mountains) S (US border) and W (ocean)

🔹 Lots of transit-oriented land use – esp in the suburbs, where ridership is soaring

🔹 Frequent service, often with headways <5 min

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David Zipper @davidzipper.bsky.social · 2d

The Secret to Vancouver’s Public Transit Ridership Recovery

The Canadian city’s transit agency, TransLink, bounced back from Covid even as other North American systems have struggled. Its leader explains why riders returned.

www.bloomberg.com

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Reposted by David Zipper

Wes Marshall @wesmars.bsky.social · 2d

Terrible story but great reporting by Laura Penington of the Denver Post:
- "A man died... after being hit by the driver of a van while riding his bike"
- "the driver struck him from behind"

And some extra context that you rarely ever see:
- "There are no bike lanes along that stretch of road"

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David Zipper @davidzipper.bsky.social · 3d

In theory, sure. But moped networks won’t be available anytime soon.

The solution can’t be “well, until we have dedicated motorcycle space, parents biking with their kids will have to deal with mopeds zooming past them.”

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David Zipper @davidzipper.bsky.social · 3d

I'm not sure protecting people riding in bike lanes would invite American fascism.

David Zipper @davidzipper.bsky.social · 3d

I know. It's the enforcement aspect that seems to be preventing some folks (more in the urbanist world than specifically the bike world) from speaking about what is becoming a serious problem.

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