Cyrus Hall
@cyrushall.bsky.social
Mass car use is geometrically incompatible with great cities. Transit & bikes are the future. Tech things sometimes.
Reposted by Cyrus Hall
Relatedly, high quality public transit is necessary for our community to engage in protest like this, both wrt travel to the event as well as the assembly space itself.
Volunteer & donate to the #ConnectBayArea ballot measure to save Bay Area transit this year: connectbayarea.com
Volunteer & donate to the #ConnectBayArea ballot measure to save Bay Area transit this year: connectbayarea.com
January 31, 2026 at 10:00 PM
Relatedly, high quality public transit is necessary for our community to engage in protest like this, both wrt travel to the event as well as the assembly space itself.
Volunteer & donate to the #ConnectBayArea ballot measure to save Bay Area transit this year: connectbayarea.com
Volunteer & donate to the #ConnectBayArea ballot measure to save Bay Area transit this year: connectbayarea.com
Reposted by Cyrus Hall
Really bad news for wildfire, hydro output and electricity prices later this year.
The western U.S. faces its lowest snowpack on record despite average or above-average rainfall. Warmer temperatures mean more precipitation falls as rain rather than snow, and will worsen droughts in areas like the Pacific Northwest and the Colorado River Basin.
science.nasa.gov/earth/earth-...
science.nasa.gov/earth/earth-...
February 3, 2026 at 6:45 AM
Really bad news for wildfire, hydro output and electricity prices later this year.
It's very hard to imagine this wasn't a policy decision - both to start enforcing and then to stop.
The agency says it's hard to cite drivers parking in the bike lane, but did it suddenly become harder in March 2025? No.
www.sfchronicle.com/totalsf/arti...
The agency says it's hard to cite drivers parking in the bike lane, but did it suddenly become harder in March 2025? No.
www.sfchronicle.com/totalsf/arti...
February 3, 2026 at 3:55 PM
It's very hard to imagine this wasn't a policy decision - both to start enforcing and then to stop.
The agency says it's hard to cite drivers parking in the bike lane, but did it suddenly become harder in March 2025? No.
www.sfchronicle.com/totalsf/arti...
The agency says it's hard to cite drivers parking in the bike lane, but did it suddenly become harder in March 2025? No.
www.sfchronicle.com/totalsf/arti...
A huge amount of quiet, inside work went into making sure this happened, and deserves massive praise. 🥳
I am concerned that the final number is less than needed and requires the regional measure money to come in without delay after passage. Looking for agency updates with this new, smaller number.
I am concerned that the final number is less than needed and requires the regional measure money to come in without delay after passage. Looking for agency updates with this new, smaller number.
Last night Gov. Newsom and MTC agreed on a $590 million loan for Bay Area transit! This move averts major service cuts at AC Transit, BART, Caltrain and SF Muni in the next year. mtc.ca.gov/news/agreeme...
February 2, 2026 at 4:17 PM
A huge amount of quiet, inside work went into making sure this happened, and deserves massive praise. 🥳
I am concerned that the final number is less than needed and requires the regional measure money to come in without delay after passage. Looking for agency updates with this new, smaller number.
I am concerned that the final number is less than needed and requires the regional measure money to come in without delay after passage. Looking for agency updates with this new, smaller number.
Reposted by Cyrus Hall
A fundamental tension:
Robotaxi services can make the most money in dense urban neighborhoods—which are precisely the places that need them least.
Robotaxi services can make the most money in dense urban neighborhoods—which are precisely the places that need them least.
Robotaxi companies are scrambling to expand in cities, but they’re ignoring rural America. They shouldn’t.
AVs could do a world of good in the countryside (and unlike in dense cities, they’d fit well into existing transport networks).
My guest essay in The Driverless Digest. 🧵
AVs could do a world of good in the countryside (and unlike in dense cities, they’d fit well into existing transport networks).
My guest essay in The Driverless Digest. 🧵
AV companies are ignoring rural America. That's a shame.
Today’s post comes from David Zipper, a Senior Fellow at the MIT Mobility Initiative known for his writing on transportation policy, technology, and urban planning.
www.thedriverlessdigest.com
February 2, 2026 at 3:44 PM
A fundamental tension:
Robotaxi services can make the most money in dense urban neighborhoods—which are precisely the places that need them least.
Robotaxi services can make the most money in dense urban neighborhoods—which are precisely the places that need them least.
San Ramon having a morning.
February 2, 2026 at 3:22 PM
San Ramon having a morning.
March 5/6th, Tigran will be at the Great American Music Hall.
No idea what this new project will be like, but it will for sure be some sort mix of jazz metal and folk music.
No idea what this new project will be like, but it will for sure be some sort mix of jazz metal and folk music.
Tigran Hamasyan - The Court Jester (Berklee Middle Eastern Festival)
YouTube video by Berklee College of Music
www.youtube.com
February 2, 2026 at 4:47 AM
March 5/6th, Tigran will be at the Great American Music Hall.
No idea what this new project will be like, but it will for sure be some sort mix of jazz metal and folk music.
No idea what this new project will be like, but it will for sure be some sort mix of jazz metal and folk music.
We're at the part of the resistance where we build roundabouts. Good traffic engineering 🤝 defeating fascism.
These blockades are a beautiful experiment in improvised community defense. They are easy to start with just a couple friends, and whatever you have lying around.
Let's make the Twin Cities impassible to ICE and all supporting forces.
Let's make the Twin Cities impassible to ICE and all supporting forces.
February 2, 2026 at 2:21 AM
We're at the part of the resistance where we build roundabouts. Good traffic engineering 🤝 defeating fascism.
Reposted by Cyrus Hall
There's a reasonable case to be made that American law enforcement has abused chemical irritants for far too long and should be banned from having them nationwide
ICE agents just seem to consider pepper spraying people in the face to be an appropriate casual greeting. www.noozhawk.com/federal-ice-...
Federal ICE Agent Pepper Sprays Person in Face in Santa Barbara Eastside Incident
A masked federal agent wearing a vest labeled “police” pepper sprayed a person in the face at close range Wednesday morning on Santa Barbara’s Eastside.
www.noozhawk.com
January 28, 2026 at 10:40 PM
There's a reasonable case to be made that American law enforcement has abused chemical irritants for far too long and should be banned from having them nationwide
Reposted by Cyrus Hall
Much of the U.S. is not prepared for the influx of people getting older, living longer but aging out of driving. We need to enact policies that make our communities less dependent on people driving themselves around to simply live.
usa.streetsblog.org/2026/01/15/a...
usa.streetsblog.org/2026/01/15/a...
A 'Demographic Time Bomb' Is About To Go Off — And the Transportation Sector Isn't Ready — Streetsblog USA
A top firm is warning that the "silver tsunami" will have big implications for the climate, unless U.S. communities act fast.
usa.streetsblog.org
February 1, 2026 at 2:30 PM
Much of the U.S. is not prepared for the influx of people getting older, living longer but aging out of driving. We need to enact policies that make our communities less dependent on people driving themselves around to simply live.
usa.streetsblog.org/2026/01/15/a...
usa.streetsblog.org/2026/01/15/a...
Reposted by Cyrus Hall
Thank you to everyone who came out for the #AlexPretti memorial ride in Oakland today. It was a huge turnout, even more than shown here at Lake Merritt, as some people peeled off since the start at Rockridge BART. @bikeeastbay.bsky.social @ebbp.bsky.social
January 31, 2026 at 8:32 PM
Thank you to everyone who came out for the #AlexPretti memorial ride in Oakland today. It was a huge turnout, even more than shown here at Lake Merritt, as some people peeled off since the start at Rockridge BART. @bikeeastbay.bsky.social @ebbp.bsky.social
This video ends up interviewing George Bliss, and now I want to know a lot more about George Bliss and what he does.
What happens when small businesses stop using delivery vans?
YouTube video by Propel
www.youtube.com
January 31, 2026 at 8:24 PM
This video ends up interviewing George Bliss, and now I want to know a lot more about George Bliss and what he does.
Reposted by Cyrus Hall
Yesterday I got a preview of the possible cuts Muni would have to make without new funding sources. It's bad. 20 lines gone, only OWL service after 9pm, half the frequency on all remaining routes. No F or cable cars. Ridership numbers would plummet, and our streets would be gridlocked.
What S.F. looks like with Muni cuts: Traffic nightmares and no buses after 9 p.m.
San Francisco’s financially strapped transit agency has released its first detailed scenarios of how it could cut service if ballot initiatives fail. It would include suspended cable cars.
www.sfchronicle.com
January 30, 2026 at 3:53 PM
Yesterday I got a preview of the possible cuts Muni would have to make without new funding sources. It's bad. 20 lines gone, only OWL service after 9pm, half the frequency on all remaining routes. No F or cable cars. Ridership numbers would plummet, and our streets would be gridlocked.
Reposted by Cyrus Hall
The best first mile / last mile transit technology even invented is a good sidewalk. That’s how all the world’s successful transit systems work.
Recent Danish paper suggests that transit's first-mile/last-mile discourse is overblown.
Pretty much any FM/LM "solution" fails to improve total welfare for distances <1km.
A big reason: Walking is really healthy!
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Pretty much any FM/LM "solution" fails to improve total welfare for distances <1km.
A big reason: Walking is really healthy!
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
January 31, 2026 at 2:30 PM
The best first mile / last mile transit technology even invented is a good sidewalk. That’s how all the world’s successful transit systems work.
Reposted by Cyrus Hall
this is so bad! owl service starting at 9 is wild but no f market or cable cars is just crushing the soul of the city
Yesterday I got a preview of the possible cuts Muni would have to make without new funding sources. It's bad. 20 lines gone, only OWL service after 9pm, half the frequency on all remaining routes. No F or cable cars. Ridership numbers would plummet, and our streets would be gridlocked.
What S.F. looks like with Muni cuts: Traffic nightmares and no buses after 9 p.m.
San Francisco’s financially strapped transit agency has released its first detailed scenarios of how it could cut service if ballot initiatives fail. It would include suspended cable cars.
www.sfchronicle.com
January 30, 2026 at 4:19 PM
this is so bad! owl service starting at 9 is wild but no f market or cable cars is just crushing the soul of the city
Yesterday I got a preview of the possible cuts Muni would have to make without new funding sources. It's bad. 20 lines gone, only OWL service after 9pm, half the frequency on all remaining routes. No F or cable cars. Ridership numbers would plummet, and our streets would be gridlocked.
What S.F. looks like with Muni cuts: Traffic nightmares and no buses after 9 p.m.
San Francisco’s financially strapped transit agency has released its first detailed scenarios of how it could cut service if ballot initiatives fail. It would include suspended cable cars.
www.sfchronicle.com
January 30, 2026 at 3:53 PM
Yesterday I got a preview of the possible cuts Muni would have to make without new funding sources. It's bad. 20 lines gone, only OWL service after 9pm, half the frequency on all remaining routes. No F or cable cars. Ridership numbers would plummet, and our streets would be gridlocked.
Reposted by Cyrus Hall
Minnesota based Independent Journalist GEORGIA FORT has been arrested for filming a protest of the church pastor that works as an ICE manager. SPREAD THE WORD! Georgia has been doing outstanding reporting from ground zero!
January 30, 2026 at 1:23 PM
Minnesota based Independent Journalist GEORGIA FORT has been arrested for filming a protest of the church pastor that works as an ICE manager. SPREAD THE WORD! Georgia has been doing outstanding reporting from ground zero!
Reposted by Cyrus Hall
I know we’re so far past even considering the possibility that Republicans ever actually believed in the Constitution, but it’s a useful thought experiment to read this article as if it was about Biden using technology developed by a billionaire donor to surveil anti-abortion and 2A activists.
A Minnesota woman observing ICE agents in her car was cornered on one-way streets. An agent approached, called her by name—citing facial recognition. Days later, her Global Entry and TSA privileges were revoked, with no explanation.
How ICE Already Knows Who Minneapolis Protesters Are
www.nytimes.com
January 30, 2026 at 2:35 PM
I know we’re so far past even considering the possibility that Republicans ever actually believed in the Constitution, but it’s a useful thought experiment to read this article as if it was about Biden using technology developed by a billionaire donor to surveil anti-abortion and 2A activists.
Neoliberalism in government has been a giant drain on government capacity and efficiency. It's a major contributor to governments' inability to address pressing problems. It's based on the fantasy that companies extracting maximal profit will somehow be cheaper than managing large programs directly.
New at Can We Still Govern: Here is one thing I wish more people understood about government. There is a lot of rent-seeking by private vendors in our social safety net. Trump's policies will make this worse.
@lukef.bsky.social breaks it down. 🧵
donmoynihan.substack.com/p/the-means-...
@lukef.bsky.social breaks it down. 🧵
donmoynihan.substack.com/p/the-means-...
The Means-Testing Industrial Complex
The vendors getting rich from putting administrative burdens on the poor
donmoynihan.substack.com
January 29, 2026 at 5:05 PM
Neoliberalism in government has been a giant drain on government capacity and efficiency. It's a major contributor to governments' inability to address pressing problems. It's based on the fantasy that companies extracting maximal profit will somehow be cheaper than managing large programs directly.
Reposted by Cyrus Hall
👇
New at Can We Still Govern: Here is one thing I wish more people understood about government. There is a lot of rent-seeking by private vendors in our social safety net. Trump's policies will make this worse.
@lukef.bsky.social breaks it down. 🧵
donmoynihan.substack.com/p/the-means-...
@lukef.bsky.social breaks it down. 🧵
donmoynihan.substack.com/p/the-means-...
The Means-Testing Industrial Complex
The vendors getting rich from putting administrative burdens on the poor
donmoynihan.substack.com
January 29, 2026 at 4:12 PM
👇
For a bunch of self-declared isolationists, they sure do seem like a bunch of colonialists. Color me surprised.
Rubio Says Venezuela Will Submit Monthly Budget to White House
www.nytimes.com
January 29, 2026 at 3:57 AM
For a bunch of self-declared isolationists, they sure do seem like a bunch of colonialists. Color me surprised.
Reposted by Cyrus Hall
If advocates gather 186,000 signatures across the Bay Area, a half-cent sales tax proposal will appear on the November ballot. Passage would mean an infusion of cash for BART, AC Transit, and other mass transit agencies.
Signature gathering begins in Oakland for multi-billion-dollar transit measure
If advocates gather 186,000 signatures across the Bay Area, a half-cent sales tax proposal will appear on the November ballot. Passage would mean an infusion of cash for BART, AC Transit, and other mass transit agencies.
oaklandside.org
January 29, 2026 at 1:11 AM
If advocates gather 186,000 signatures across the Bay Area, a half-cent sales tax proposal will appear on the November ballot. Passage would mean an infusion of cash for BART, AC Transit, and other mass transit agencies.
Reposted by Cyrus Hall
Finished my first packet of signatures for the regional Bay Area transit funding measure! 🫡✨🚎
January 29, 2026 at 12:20 AM
Finished my first packet of signatures for the regional Bay Area transit funding measure! 🫡✨🚎
Reposted by Cyrus Hall
Peer review science relies, more than we care to admit, on what @zey.bsky.social calls "load bearing frictions" that make it difficult to fake good science, and on trust that most ppl also value science itself & won't cheat just for personal gain. This creates the wrong environment for that to hold.
OpenAI just released Prism, a LaTeX editor with embedded ChatGPT for free.
Writing a paper has never been easier.
Clogging the scientific publishing pipeline has never been easier.
It took me 54 seconds to write up an experiment I did not actually conduct.
prism.openai.com
Writing a paper has never been easier.
Clogging the scientific publishing pipeline has never been easier.
It took me 54 seconds to write up an experiment I did not actually conduct.
prism.openai.com
January 28, 2026 at 6:10 AM
Peer review science relies, more than we care to admit, on what @zey.bsky.social calls "load bearing frictions" that make it difficult to fake good science, and on trust that most ppl also value science itself & won't cheat just for personal gain. This creates the wrong environment for that to hold.
Reposted by Cyrus Hall
Public transit doesn’t move faster when we just talk about fixing it. It moves faster when we actually cut the red tape holding back the fixes. I’ve led the fight in California to streamline transit projects, get bus and bike lanes added and improved, and save communities time and money.
January 28, 2026 at 7:01 PM
Public transit doesn’t move faster when we just talk about fixing it. It moves faster when we actually cut the red tape holding back the fixes. I’ve led the fight in California to streamline transit projects, get bus and bike lanes added and improved, and save communities time and money.