Dave Cooke
@ucsdave.bsky.social
Using my white male privilege to rabble rouse companies and govt agencies into doing more. Midwest-grown, California-schooled, Senator-less citizen of the Douglass Commonwealth.
This is a personal acct, but I'll still be mad about transportation issues.
This is a personal acct, but I'll still be mad about transportation issues.
OK, @mayorbowser.dc.gov , it's now on you to thwart this stupidity and protect the infrastructure investments made by @ddotdc.bsky.social under your watch. It's VISION ZERO, not VISION ZERO-TO-60. www.whitehouse.gov/fact-sheets/...
Fact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Celebrates American Greatness with the Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington, D.C.
CELEBRATING AMERICAN GREATNESS WITH AMERICAN MOTOR RACING: Today, President Donald J. Trump signed an Executive Order launching the Freedom 250 Grand Prix
www.whitehouse.gov
January 30, 2026 at 7:29 PM
OK, @mayorbowser.dc.gov , it's now on you to thwart this stupidity and protect the infrastructure investments made by @ddotdc.bsky.social under your watch. It's VISION ZERO, not VISION ZERO-TO-60. www.whitehouse.gov/fact-sheets/...
This would definitely explain the gigantic pile of excrement that NHTSA proposed in December repealing what were already baby-soft level fuel economy standards. The logic in that rule is inconsistent AF.
NEW: The Transportation Department, which oversees the safety of airplanes, cars and pipelines, plans to use Google Gemini to draft new regulations.
“We don’t need the perfect rule,” said DOT’s top lawyer. “We want good enough.”
By @jessecoburn.bsky.social
“We don’t need the perfect rule,” said DOT’s top lawyer. “We want good enough.”
By @jessecoburn.bsky.social
Government by AI? Trump Administration Plans to Write Regulations Using Artificial Intelligence
The Transportation Department, which oversees the safety of airplanes, cars and pipelines, plans to use Google Gemini to draft new regulations. “We don’t need the perfect rule,” said DOT’s top lawyer....
www.propublica.org
January 26, 2026 at 2:03 PM
This would definitely explain the gigantic pile of excrement that NHTSA proposed in December repealing what were already baby-soft level fuel economy standards. The logic in that rule is inconsistent AF.
US domestic auto manufacturing is just this meme now:
January 22, 2026 at 9:54 PM
US domestic auto manufacturing is just this meme now:
THIS IS WHAT DETROIT ASKED FOR.
JFC, ppl. This was not a surprise -- they were on Hill asking for these things. GM was mtg w/Congress to kill CAFE. Stellantis has been working w/UAW to kill CAFE fines since DURING Biden admin.
DETROIT lost Detroit $25 billion. (And obviously global leadership)
JFC, ppl. This was not a surprise -- they were on Hill asking for these things. GM was mtg w/Congress to kill CAFE. Stellantis has been working w/UAW to kill CAFE fines since DURING Biden admin.
DETROIT lost Detroit $25 billion. (And obviously global leadership)
"The vindictive, oil-loving Mr. T**, who equates green with woke and views climate change as heresy, has worked assiduously to undo it, working to cancel consumer tax incentives and billions in funds for E.V. charging and battery manufacturing projects." Gift article: www.nytimes.com/2026/01/14/o...
Opinion | $25 Billion. That’s What Trump Cost Detroit.
www.nytimes.com
January 14, 2026 at 1:22 PM
THIS IS WHAT DETROIT ASKED FOR.
JFC, ppl. This was not a surprise -- they were on Hill asking for these things. GM was mtg w/Congress to kill CAFE. Stellantis has been working w/UAW to kill CAFE fines since DURING Biden admin.
DETROIT lost Detroit $25 billion. (And obviously global leadership)
JFC, ppl. This was not a surprise -- they were on Hill asking for these things. GM was mtg w/Congress to kill CAFE. Stellantis has been working w/UAW to kill CAFE fines since DURING Biden admin.
DETROIT lost Detroit $25 billion. (And obviously global leadership)
Reposted by Dave Cooke
For those who work on equity issues in transportation, this was a disruptive year, but researchers and advocates aren't going anywhere. Tomorrow theyll prove it.
My new @usa.streetsblog.org piece reflecting on #TRBAM week and the present political moment.
usa.streetsblog.org/2026/01/14/o...
My new @usa.streetsblog.org piece reflecting on #TRBAM week and the present political moment.
usa.streetsblog.org/2026/01/14/o...
Opinion: Transportation Researchers Still Care About Equity. This Week They’re Proving It — Streetsblog USA
This Thursday, progressives in transportation will fight back against the Trump administration.
usa.streetsblog.org
January 14, 2026 at 12:49 PM
For those who work on equity issues in transportation, this was a disruptive year, but researchers and advocates aren't going anywhere. Tomorrow theyll prove it.
My new @usa.streetsblog.org piece reflecting on #TRBAM week and the present political moment.
usa.streetsblog.org/2026/01/14/o...
My new @usa.streetsblog.org piece reflecting on #TRBAM week and the present political moment.
usa.streetsblog.org/2026/01/14/o...
Reposted by Dave Cooke
Check out my latest blog, coauthored with my @ucs.org colleague Laura Peterson, on US imperialism and #BigOil in Venezuela. The Trump administration’s all-in position on oil is a losing bet, and this illegal imperial oil grab is yet another reason we must all rise up. blog.ucs.org/kathy-mulvey...
President Trump’s Imperial and Illegal Grab for Venezuelan Oil Is a Losing Bet
President Trump’s addiction to fossil fuels will not make people in the United States safer or richer. In fact, it will do the opposite by dragging us into a 19th-century-style imperial adventure that...
blog.ucs.org
January 13, 2026 at 3:16 PM
Check out my latest blog, coauthored with my @ucs.org colleague Laura Peterson, on US imperialism and #BigOil in Venezuela. The Trump administration’s all-in position on oil is a losing bet, and this illegal imperial oil grab is yet another reason we must all rise up. blog.ucs.org/kathy-mulvey...
Reposted by Dave Cooke
Don't let anyone claim this is what locals want.
Research shows that strong majorities of DC residents *and* suburbanites support the city's speed cameras.
76% support in DC: pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24471367/
62% support in Montgomery County: www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
Research shows that strong majorities of DC residents *and* suburbanites support the city's speed cameras.
76% support in DC: pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24471367/
62% support in Montgomery County: www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
DOT wants to put the brakes on DC traffic cameras
The Trump administration is proposing to eliminate automated traffic camera enforcement in the nation’s capital.
www.politico.com
January 8, 2026 at 1:23 PM
Don't let anyone claim this is what locals want.
Research shows that strong majorities of DC residents *and* suburbanites support the city's speed cameras.
76% support in DC: pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24471367/
62% support in Montgomery County: www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
Research shows that strong majorities of DC residents *and* suburbanites support the city's speed cameras.
76% support in DC: pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24471367/
62% support in Montgomery County: www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
Reposted by Dave Cooke
Quick Thought experiment / thread:
1. Think of something that was really popular in 2007 that has lost most of it's market share to competition. Blackberry phones. Cable TV. MySpace. I'm sure you can think of more.
1. Think of something that was really popular in 2007 that has lost most of it's market share to competition. Blackberry phones. Cable TV. MySpace. I'm sure you can think of more.
January 7, 2026 at 3:52 PM
Quick Thought experiment / thread:
1. Think of something that was really popular in 2007 that has lost most of it's market share to competition. Blackberry phones. Cable TV. MySpace. I'm sure you can think of more.
1. Think of something that was really popular in 2007 that has lost most of it's market share to competition. Blackberry phones. Cable TV. MySpace. I'm sure you can think of more.
Reposted by Dave Cooke
Only if Congress decides to assert its authority though. Otherwise Congress’s appropriations power is about as useful as Congress’s power to declare war seems to have become.
What has seemed to work, it seems, is pressure on Congress to reject the Trump administration's proposed cuts to science agencies.
Congress set to reject Trump’s major budget cuts to NSF, NASA, and energy science
Appropriators agree instead to keep this year’s spending nearly level
www.science.org
January 7, 2026 at 1:30 PM
Only if Congress decides to assert its authority though. Otherwise Congress’s appropriations power is about as useful as Congress’s power to declare war seems to have become.
This article from @nytimes.com about the #auto industry completely misses the fact that the rich have dominated the new car market for over a decade. Manufacturers recognized this ages ago, focusing on higher trim levels and higher profit-margin SUVs. www.nytimes.com/2026/01/05/b...
New Car Sales Are Rising Thanks to Purchases by the Well-Off
www.nytimes.com
January 6, 2026 at 2:37 PM
This article from @nytimes.com about the #auto industry completely misses the fact that the rich have dominated the new car market for over a decade. Manufacturers recognized this ages ago, focusing on higher trim levels and higher profit-margin SUVs. www.nytimes.com/2026/01/05/b...
Reposted by Dave Cooke
No. No. No.
Punitive processes make narrowly targeted programs *less* efficient and *more* costly. Because more scrutiny requires more bureaucracy.
Punitive processes also make it *less* likely that people will get aid for which they qualify. Because of the roadblocks and stigma scrutiny creates.
Punitive processes make narrowly targeted programs *less* efficient and *more* costly. Because more scrutiny requires more bureaucracy.
Punitive processes also make it *less* likely that people will get aid for which they qualify. Because of the roadblocks and stigma scrutiny creates.
January 4, 2026 at 8:48 PM
No. No. No.
Punitive processes make narrowly targeted programs *less* efficient and *more* costly. Because more scrutiny requires more bureaucracy.
Punitive processes also make it *less* likely that people will get aid for which they qualify. Because of the roadblocks and stigma scrutiny creates.
Punitive processes make narrowly targeted programs *less* efficient and *more* costly. Because more scrutiny requires more bureaucracy.
Punitive processes also make it *less* likely that people will get aid for which they qualify. Because of the roadblocks and stigma scrutiny creates.
Reposted by Dave Cooke
It's actually important that, to the extent you are able, you stop using oil
January 3, 2026 at 3:13 PM
It's actually important that, to the extent you are able, you stop using oil
Reposted by Dave Cooke
🎁 This holiday season, give the gift of connection. Share The 51st with someone who cares about D.C. — invite them to subscribe or gift them a membership. Together we’ll grow a community that keeps local journalism alive. 51st.news/gift-subscri...
Give a Gift Membership
Support local news AND show some love to your friends and family
51st.news
December 24, 2025 at 1:00 PM
🎁 This holiday season, give the gift of connection. Share The 51st with someone who cares about D.C. — invite them to subscribe or gift them a membership. Together we’ll grow a community that keeps local journalism alive. 51st.news/gift-subscri...
Reposted by Dave Cooke
Year 1 data on congestion pricing in Manhattan…
* Vehicle traffic: -11%
* Foot traffic: +3.4%
* Storefront vacancy: -0.9%
* Pollution: -22%
* Revenue for mass transit: $548M
So YES this has been a huge success.
* Vehicle traffic: -11%
* Foot traffic: +3.4%
* Storefront vacancy: -0.9%
* Pollution: -22%
* Revenue for mass transit: $548M
So YES this has been a huge success.
December 23, 2025 at 2:00 PM
Year 1 data on congestion pricing in Manhattan…
* Vehicle traffic: -11%
* Foot traffic: +3.4%
* Storefront vacancy: -0.9%
* Pollution: -22%
* Revenue for mass transit: $548M
So YES this has been a huge success.
* Vehicle traffic: -11%
* Foot traffic: +3.4%
* Storefront vacancy: -0.9%
* Pollution: -22%
* Revenue for mass transit: $548M
So YES this has been a huge success.
Reposted by Dave Cooke
The Trump admin intends to dismantle the National Science Foundation National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), one of the US' leading weather and climate research institutions.
We must urge Congress to halt this dangerous action immediately.
🔗Take action: act.ucsusa.org/4oWtCwz
We must urge Congress to halt this dangerous action immediately.
🔗Take action: act.ucsusa.org/4oWtCwz
December 17, 2025 at 8:54 PM
The Trump admin intends to dismantle the National Science Foundation National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), one of the US' leading weather and climate research institutions.
We must urge Congress to halt this dangerous action immediately.
🔗Take action: act.ucsusa.org/4oWtCwz
We must urge Congress to halt this dangerous action immediately.
🔗Take action: act.ucsusa.org/4oWtCwz
Absolutely LOVE to see the f'ing Automotive News blame automakers for policy whiplash. Never woulda believed it, but it's a spot-on criticism. Auto companies have asked for uncertainty because they will always choose less regulation over stability. www.autonews.com/opinion/colu...
Column: Feeling policy whiplash? Blame automakers
Automakers are calling for the dismantling of policies they used to support.
www.autonews.com
December 16, 2025 at 2:02 PM
Absolutely LOVE to see the f'ing Automotive News blame automakers for policy whiplash. Never woulda believed it, but it's a spot-on criticism. Auto companies have asked for uncertainty because they will always choose less regulation over stability. www.autonews.com/opinion/colu...
Reposted by Dave Cooke
We’re not running out of good ideas, but the tech fetishists who have no ideas other than “but I put a lot of money and emotion into this basket” always do, and their narcissism does not allow them to consider that their failed ideas suck, and the flop sweat is palpable.
December 16, 2025 at 2:49 AM
We’re not running out of good ideas, but the tech fetishists who have no ideas other than “but I put a lot of money and emotion into this basket” always do, and their narcissism does not allow them to consider that their failed ideas suck, and the flop sweat is palpable.
Great to see this @reuters.com article on how polluting the railroad industry is. Too often I hear people talk about rail as "efficient" because they ignore all the f'ing pollution. And the dirtiest locos are the ones in the railyards, which are in communities! www.reuters.com/sustainabili...
How the US freight rail industry got dirtier than coal power plants
U.S. freight railroads are a major source of pollution, chuffing out more nitrogen oxide than all the nation’s coal-fired power plants combined, according to a Reuters calculation.
www.reuters.com
December 15, 2025 at 4:01 PM
Great to see this @reuters.com article on how polluting the railroad industry is. Too often I hear people talk about rail as "efficient" because they ignore all the f'ing pollution. And the dirtiest locos are the ones in the railyards, which are in communities! www.reuters.com/sustainabili...
Reposted by Dave Cooke
Thank you to @vanhollen.senate.gov and @fetterman.senate.gov for reintroducing the Moving Transit Forward Act 🚌🚇, which would create a much needed federal program to fund increased transit service across the country. www.vanhollen.senate.gov/news/press-r...
December 12, 2025 at 5:12 PM
Thank you to @vanhollen.senate.gov and @fetterman.senate.gov for reintroducing the Moving Transit Forward Act 🚌🚇, which would create a much needed federal program to fund increased transit service across the country. www.vanhollen.senate.gov/news/press-r...
Reposted by Dave Cooke
This makes facially neutral policies--like poll taxes and literacy tests--that we know were adopted for discriminatory purposes legal. Organizations can now simply claim there was no discriminatory intent regardless of outcome. It's unconstrained institutionalized racism.
They're just taking an ax to the Civil Rights Act
Department of Justice Rule Restores Equal Protection for All in Civil Rights Enforcement
Today, the Justice Department issued a final rule updating its regulations under Title VI of the Civil Rights of 1964. This rule ensures that our nation’s federal civil rights laws are firmly grounded...
www.justice.gov
December 9, 2025 at 4:45 PM
This makes facially neutral policies--like poll taxes and literacy tests--that we know were adopted for discriminatory purposes legal. Organizations can now simply claim there was no discriminatory intent regardless of outcome. It's unconstrained institutionalized racism.
Reposted by Dave Cooke
Important, exciting research — air pollution dropped 22% in NYC's congestion relief zone within the first 6 months of #CongestionPricing (with reductions in the surrounding neighborhoods, too)
Cleaner air, better transit, great data — all thanks to #CongestionPricing!
Cleaner air, better transit, great data — all thanks to #CongestionPricing!
December 9, 2025 at 5:14 PM
Important, exciting research — air pollution dropped 22% in NYC's congestion relief zone within the first 6 months of #CongestionPricing (with reductions in the surrounding neighborhoods, too)
Cleaner air, better transit, great data — all thanks to #CongestionPricing!
Cleaner air, better transit, great data — all thanks to #CongestionPricing!
Reposted by Dave Cooke
Hello, world! We are DC's cargo bike lending library, a
@waba.org project inspired by @mplscargobikelibrary.com
and @communitypedalpower.org
Borrow a cargo bike - free! #bikedc
More information coming soon....
@waba.org project inspired by @mplscargobikelibrary.com
and @communitypedalpower.org
Borrow a cargo bike - free! #bikedc
More information coming soon....
December 5, 2025 at 10:08 PM
Hello, world! We are DC's cargo bike lending library, a
@waba.org project inspired by @mplscargobikelibrary.com
and @communitypedalpower.org
Borrow a cargo bike - free! #bikedc
More information coming soon....
@waba.org project inspired by @mplscargobikelibrary.com
and @communitypedalpower.org
Borrow a cargo bike - free! #bikedc
More information coming soon....
Reposted by Dave Cooke
Way to stand up to... *checks notes* 61-year-old recreational players. Good work, USTA. 🙃
December 4, 2025 at 12:46 AM
Way to stand up to... *checks notes* 61-year-old recreational players. Good work, USTA. 🙃
Reposted by Dave Cooke
Guys, whatever made Detroit's vehicles so expensive, it wasn't their strenuous efforts in fuel economy
@opinion.bloomberg.com
www.bloomberg.com/opinion/arti...
@opinion.bloomberg.com
www.bloomberg.com/opinion/arti...
December 4, 2025 at 1:14 PM
Guys, whatever made Detroit's vehicles so expensive, it wasn't their strenuous efforts in fuel economy
@opinion.bloomberg.com
www.bloomberg.com/opinion/arti...
@opinion.bloomberg.com
www.bloomberg.com/opinion/arti...
This is so dumb: I can't believe we're fighting this same stupid fight again just because automakers and oil companies like to f the American people. www.ucs.org/about/news/t...
December 3, 2025 at 9:55 PM
This is so dumb: I can't believe we're fighting this same stupid fight again just because automakers and oil companies like to f the American people. www.ucs.org/about/news/t...