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A. Zivarts

@nondriver.bsky.social

13K followers 340 following 1.4K posts

Author, When Driving Isn't An Option: Steering Away from Car Dependency (Island Press, 2024). Disabled mom with #nystagmus. Launched #WeekWithoutDriving annazivarts.com

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A. Zivarts @nondriver.bsky.social · 37m

context: I have very short, almost buzzed hair, wear dude clothes and had top surgery. I'm also in my 40s-entering the age of invisibility for women. Despite all this, I still deal with harassment. It's much worse for others. I often wonder how much of my chosen presentation is actually a response.

A. Zivarts @nondriver.bsky.social · 43m

Different finding from this program cleantechnica.com/2025/10/06/e...

E-Bikes Are Good For You & Lower Transportation Emissions Too! - CleanTechnica

Local and state rebate programs have helped more people afford e-bikes, which has lowered carbon emissions significantly.

cleantechnica.com

A. Zivarts @nondriver.bsky.social · 45m

As a parent of a small kid on Metro, he (who often was assumed to be a girl) was the focus of a lot of unwanted attention. It wouldnt happen when my (male)partner was with him. Once we were on the same bus but separated by a few people & he witnessed it and was like woah, thats normal for you?

A. Zivarts @nondriver.bsky.social · 48m

Yep. Totally

A. Zivarts @nondriver.bsky.social · 1h

It was the first time I'm flown with my Brompton G. No problem gate checking on Alaska/Skywest. Wouldn't fit thru the TSA machines but the TSA workers were great and took it to scan for me thru the larger baggage scanners.

A. Zivarts @nondriver.bsky.social · 1h

Was in a rush so I decided to bike to the PDX airport instead of taking light rail, but feel like I took a much less nice route that previous attempts. What's the best way now, coming from downtown?
@bikeloudpdx.bsky.social
@bikeportland.org

A. Zivarts @nondriver.bsky.social · 5h

Here's David's Vox article on how cities can respond 👇

A self-driving car traffic jam is coming for US cities

A century ago, cars remade America. Autonomous vehicles could do it again.

A. Zivarts @nondriver.bsky.social · 5h

Seattle, if you want to spy our Waymo fleet, they're parked next to the Northgate light rail station (which says volumes about our failed TOD if we have way too much underused parking next to our high frequency transit)

Waymo cars

A. Zivarts @nondriver.bsky.social · 5h

I agree with a lot of what David is saying - because the robotaxi experience is generally so good for riders, the problem is what happens when robotaxies take over our cities in the way cars took over a century ago.

I Tried to Hate-Ride a Waymo. Turns Out, I Loved It — Streetsblog USA

And therein lies the problem with the autonomous vehicle revolution.

usa.streetsblog.org

A. Zivarts @nondriver.bsky.social · 5h

Listening to @davidzipper.bsky.social on how cities can prepare for robotaxies at the PacTrans conference in Portland...

David on stage

A. Zivarts @nondriver.bsky.social · 7h

I have a lot of thoughts on this -- I'd say it suggests that we should be focused on nondrivers in our transportation climate work -- improving access for nondrivers is how we get mode shift, creating the political will for less car dependent communities.

A. Zivarts @nondriver.bsky.social · 7h

Higher percentage of folks with no car access (nondrivers) applied and recived rebates than the general WA state population. But even among folks with car access, did not reduce VMT.

A. Zivarts @nondriver.bsky.social · 7h

Found that ebike rebates did not reduce VMT (driving trips).
But did improve access...as in respondents reported being able to go places to go before.

A. Zivarts @nondriver.bsky.social · 7h

There are some awesome folks here at this conference. Listening to a presentation now on an evaluation of the WSDOT ebike rebate program: Evaluating the Impact of E-Bike Purchase Incentives on Vehicle Travel via a Randomized Rebate Program.
Here's the policy brief:
wsdot.wa.gov/sites/defaul...

A. Zivarts @nondriver.bsky.social · 7h

...change your experience of our streets and public transit. It's sad to me we don't have more of those experiences, those expertises, in these rooms.

A. Zivarts @nondriver.bsky.social · 7h

A friend told me she catcalled a dude back then the day, and I've seen the tiktok videos. I still haven't had the nerve.
And harrassment is just one aspect of gendered experience of public space. To say nothing about how race, income, immigration status, age, caregiving responsibilities, disability

A. Zivarts @nondriver.bsky.social · 7h

And it definitely wasn't safe to run the light, but as I realized traffic was starting to move, I almost considered plowing ahead through that intersection just to get away from the dudes on the corner...

A. Zivarts @nondriver.bsky.social · 7h

Like how many people at this conference have experienced being catcalled and harassed on the street? Just this morning, I got catcalled while passing a group of dudes, and it flustered me to the point that I accidentally almost ran a red light trying to get away from them. It was a busy street...

A. Zivarts @nondriver.bsky.social · 8h

At a transportation research conference that is still probably about 90% dudes. We miss so much in planning and engineering our communities when everyone in the room has similar experiences of how people interact with you in public space.

A. Zivarts @nondriver.bsky.social · 8h

That's awesome!

A. Zivarts @nondriver.bsky.social · 8h

So I was so happy to find my former coworker and now planning masters student Abby. I can't wait for the future when she's running a DOT.

Abby, Vancouver

YouTube video by Disability Mobility Initiative

A. Zivarts @nondriver.bsky.social · 8h

At a transportation research conference that is still probably about 90% dudes. We miss so much in planning and engineering our communities when everyone in the room has similar experiences of how people interact with you in public space.

A. Zivarts @nondriver.bsky.social · 1d

Got to tour the Portland OHSU tram today and learn a little about the history/politics of its construction. Loved the bike valet and bike repair at the base offered for OHSU employees! (the initial space for 20 bikes at the base was woefully inadequate)

Bike valet

Group on tram

View from tram

A. Zivarts @nondriver.bsky.social · 2d

not right now, sorry!

A. Zivarts @nondriver.bsky.social · 2d

Here's the Portland event next Thursday!
events.aarp.org/event/608479...

flyer for event.

A. Zivarts @nondriver.bsky.social · 2d

Nondrivers Alliance will also support grassroots organizing of transit riders in WA State, particularly those who live in the 20 communities that have the opportunity to appoint transit riders to transit boards, thanks to the new transit rider representation legislation that goes into effect Jan 1.