Kevin Leyden
@kleyden.bsky.social
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It's all about urban liveability.
pinned post!
The researchers call for an “evaluation of the way our urban and suburban neighborhoods are planned, designed, and developed so that people can live in walkable places that better enable health and wellbeing.” @uniofgalway @Galway_Research @GalwaySocAndPol
doi.org/10.1080/0194...
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Walkable Neighborhoods
We examined whether living in a walkable neighborhood influenced the happiness of younger and older city residents. The data for this study came from a comprehensive household population survey of ...
https://doi.org/10.1080/01944363.2022.2123382
about 1 year ago
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Kevin Leyden
Frank McDonald
5 days ago
In this weekend's
@irishtimes.com
, I've written about the incredible plan by Dublin City Council to relocate from Wood Quay to Lower Kevin Street, demolishing the purpose-built Civic Offices that they fought so hard to build and replacing them with social and "affordable cost-rental" apartments ...
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Kevin Leyden
David Zipper
6 days ago
NYT editorial board issues a full-throated endorsement of congestion pricing: "Over its first 14 months, the [NYC] congestion pricing system has exceeded even the high hopes of many supporters. It has reduced traffic, improved the quality of life and even provided a boost for businesses."
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Opinion | Americans Spend Too Much Time Stuck in Traffic. There’s a Way to Get It Back.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/27/opinion/congestion-pricing-traffic-new-york.html
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Kevin Leyden
Urban Truth Collective
17 days ago
When it comes to the likelihood of car crashes, or the deadly consequences of car crashes, speed is ALWAYS a factor. Speed kills.
#UrbanTruth
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"...nearly 40,000 people killed on US roads in 2024 works out to almost 12 roadway deaths for every 100,000 inhabitants, more than twice as many as peer nations including Australia, the Czech Republic, Israel and South Korea."
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
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The US Is Counting Traffic Deaths Wrong
By emphasizing the number of people killed per mile rather than deaths per capita, traffic safety groups risk normalizing the factors that make American roads so deadly.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-03-10/how-deadly-are-us-roads-it-depends-on-how-you-count-traffic-fatalities
21 days ago
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"In order to reduce climate emissions to meet a 1.5°C warming scenario, cities need to focus on increasing urban density, mass transit, cycling, and walking, while also encouraging electric vehicle use.
itdp.org/2021/12/09/w...
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To Combat Climate Change, Electrification needs Compact Cities for Full Impact
The research is clear: without aggressively tackling rising global temperatures, there will be catastrophic global consequences within the coming decades. This year, reports have indicated that to kee...
https://itdp.org/2021/12/09/why-electric-vehicles-are-not-a-climate-change-silver-bullet/
23 days ago
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"A federal court shot down President Trump’s attempt to kill New York City’s congestion pricing program on Tuesday, allowing the city’s $9 toll on cars entering downtown Manhattan during peak hours to remain in effect."
heatmap.news/sparks/conge...
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Judge to Trump on Congestion Pricing: Get Outta Here
“It is difficult to imagine more arbitrary and capricious decisionmaking than that at issue here.”
https://heatmap.news/sparks/congestion-pricing-lawsuit-dead?_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9K9w-8HkhXDy_gt91HRYIbci5BhY9RTCKp8rkgEW6v4FxAYduDGvosJKiv4FuunilrlC1w7vs5Df10TKb4edseK0a9BA&_hsmi=407010422
26 days ago
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The American planning system has created a society that requires most people to own a car. And for most people those cars are becoming unaffordable!
#UrbanTruth
@urbantruth.blsy.social
www.nytimes.com/2026/03/05/b...
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How $800 Monthly Car Payments Are Hurting Car Sales
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/05/business/new-car-sales-payments-affordability.html
27 days ago
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Fascinating work from Rafael Prieto-Curiel and Juan P. Ospina
add a skeleton here at some point
28 days ago
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Kevin Leyden
Hackney Cyclist
about 1 month ago
Halvemaansteeg & Rembrandtplein, Amsterdam in 1979 and today. From car-choked streets with little space for people to a lively car-free area with only trams, pedestrians & bikes permitted. Cafes and outdoor seating dominate the area. A reminder to politicians: design streets for the city you want.
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Kevin Leyden
Urban Truth Collective
about 1 month ago
They really want us to love cars. But why would we love being car dependent? Dependency is never freedom. Mobility freedom comes from mobility choices.
#UrbanTruth
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Feels tacky. We can do better.
@galwaycity.ie
@cosaingalway.bsky.social
about 1 month ago
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Kevin Leyden
Urban Truth Collective
about 1 month ago
Suburban Sprawl may seem cheap, but even the costs we CAN count are far too high, and we ALL pay them. HT Smart Prosperity Institute
#UrbanTruth
institute.smartprosperity.ca/library/publ...
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New York City is a city of walkers. More trips are made on foot than by car (41% versus 28%)... MIT researchers just mapped New York City foot traffic for the first time ever
about 1 month ago
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This park and ride appears to have very little to do with getting people out of their cars. How much will this additional car park for the park cost? Why are families not walking to the park? Is it possible? Is it safe from cars?
add a skeleton here at some point
about 1 month ago
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Learning from Vienna.
commonedge.org/a-radical-an...
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A Radical (and Totally Practical) Rethinking of U.S. Housing Construction
Vienna and Paris demonstrate that there are easier, less-expensive ways to build homes.
https://commonedge.org/a-radical-and-totally-practical-rethinking-of-u-s-housing-construction/
about 1 month ago
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Kevin Leyden
Cosáin Climate
about 1 month ago
Galway City Council approved a €45.5m loan in 2022 to buy Crown Square, with the public being informed just three days before the vote. Months later, it emerged that extra borrowing was needed for fit-out works. The final cost of all this is still to be determined.
connachttribune.ie/media-minist...
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https://connachttribune.ie/media-minister-calls-out-city-council-over-crown-square/�
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Kevin Leyden
Cosáin Climate
about 1 month ago
Speaking of "narcissistic dipshittery", the RSA has been asked more than once for evidence that high vis, or its promotion, has made the roads safer. They acknowledged that they had no such information in their possession. On one occasion they offered the "if it saves one life" justification.
add a skeleton here at some point
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So Ireland doesn't even know how many houses are being built? The numbers are unreliable, apparently. If 36,000 new houses were built last year, why were only 58 sold to buyers in Dublin?
www.irishtimes.com/opinion/2026...
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Lorcan Sirr: If 36,000 new houses were built last year, why were only 58 sold to buyers in Dublin?
In reality, we don’t actually know for certain how many houses we’re building
https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/2026/02/21/lorcan-sirr-if-36000-new-houses-were-built-last-year-why-were-only-58-sold-to-buyers-in-dublin/
about 1 month ago
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Excellent news! @GalwayCityCo The EU grant will help revitalise the city's historic canals as a source of clean energy and better public engagement for pedestrians and cyclists.
www.rte.ie/news/regiona...
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Galway city secures €3.36m EU grant to revitalise canals
Galway City Council has secured a €3.36 million EU grant to deliver an innovative project called WATERWAY.
https://www.rte.ie/news/regional/2026/0216/1558815-galway-eu-canals/
about 1 month ago
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www.nytimes.com/2026/02/12/c...
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Trump Administration Erases the Government’s Power to Fight Climate Change
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/12/climate/trump-epa-greenhouse-gases-climate-change.html
about 2 months ago
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www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
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The Best Tactics for Tackling Speeders
Drivers who exceed speed limits are the cause of about one-third of all crash deaths in the US. To slow them down and save lives, cities have several effective tools.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-02-10/how-cities-can-win-the-war-on-speeding-drivers?taid=698bb890b4aec00001b88485
about 2 months ago
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Coolglass wind-farm ruling puts every public servant in Ireland on notice
www.irishtimes.com/opinion/2026...
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Eamon Ryan: Coolglass wind farm ruling puts every public servant in Ireland on notice
Supreme Court judgment makes it clear we can’t shirk climate responsibilities
https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/2026/02/10/eamon-ryan-coolglass-wind-farm-ruling-puts-every-public-servant-in-ireland-on-notice/
about 2 months ago
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They might park but what will they ride? Putting the car before the improved bus service?
www.galwaybayfm.ie/galway-bay-f...
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Plans lodged for first ever Park and Ride facility in Galway City | GalwayBayFM
The 176 car development, overseen by the National Transport Authority, would be based at Cappagh Road in Knocknacarra.
https://www.galwaybayfm.ie/galway-bay-fm-news-desk/plans-lodged-for-first-ever-park-and-ride-facility-in-galway-city-213420
about 2 months ago
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Trump actively rolling back all efforts to fight climate change. Trump Allies Near ‘Total Victory’ in Wiping Out U.S. Climate Regulation
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/09/c...
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Trump Allies Near ‘Total Victory’ in Wiping Out U.S. Climate Regulation
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/09/climate/endangerment-finding.html?smid=nytcore-android-share
about 2 months ago
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Kevin Leyden
David Zipper
about 2 months ago
New research finds negligible benefit from "minimum passing distance" laws requiring drivers to give cyclists space when overtaking them. Protected bike lanes are far more effective.
doi.org/10.1016/j.jc...
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Kevin Leyden
Brent Toderian
about 2 months ago
“It's not my duty as Mayor to make sure you have a parking spot. For me it's the same as if you bought a cow, or a refrigerator, and then asked me where you're going to put them.” — Mayor of Pontevedra, Spain (re-elected 6 times)
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Kevin Leyden
Carlton Reid
about 2 months ago
Driverless cars, hey? Since the dawn of motoring it has always been possible, for a fee, to be taken somewhere in a car without having to drive it. The technology is called “taxi cabs”. (Try getting a robot taxi to help a disabled/infirm passenger from their front door to inside the cab.)
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Galway City Council's mystery move to "Crown Square" set to cause a significant increase in traffic congestion.
@galwaycitycouncil.bsky.social
add a skeleton here at some point
about 2 months ago
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Kevin Leyden
The Journal
2 months ago
Cameras to detect speeding, running red lights, and use of bus lanes are set to be rolled out, as the first National Safety Camera Strategy is on track to be approved early this year
jrnl.ie/6937859
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Cameras to detect speeding, running red lights, and use of bus lanes to be rolled out
Fine Gael TD Naoise Ó Muirí said the first National Safety Camera Strategy will be completed early this year.
http://jrnl.ie/6937859t
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reposted by
Kevin Leyden
Dutch Cycling Embassy
2 months ago
What would your street look like with great cycling infrastructure? Email your photo to Marco Mulder (
[email protected]
). One condition: it must be a photo of a street—nothing more. International examples are more than welcome! Marco will get back to you as soon as possible.
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Kevin Leyden
IrishCycle.com
3 months ago
Judge who said cyclists a “nightmare” pleaded guilty to failing to take breathalyser test A Dublin-based Circuit Court judge who said that "Cyclists have become a nightmare in Dublin" pleaded guilty in 2012 to failing to comply with a request by a garda to use a breathalyser in Connemara.…
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Judge who said cyclists a “nightmare” pleaded guilty to failing to take breathalyser test
A Dublin-based Circuit Court judge who said that "Cyclists have become a nightmare in Dublin" pleaded guilty in 2012 to failing to comply with a request by a garda to use a breathalyser in Connemara. According to court reports yesterday, Judge O’Donohoe said in the Circuit Civil Court said: “You never know with cyclists what they are going to do or anticipate what they are going to do...
https://irishcycle.com/2026/01/13/judge-who-said-cyclists-a-nightmare-pleaded-guilty-to-failing-to-take-breathalyser-test/?utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=jetpack_social
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Kevin Leyden
Cosáin Climate
4 months ago
Four pedestrian desire lines. One zebra crossing. 👇 Why do you suppose Galway City Council is so uninterested in enabling foot traffic,
@illanwall.bsky.social
@kleyden.bsky.social
? They have an Active Travel team, with a bunch of "strategies" lining their shelves. What's their problem?
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From 2019-2024, road deaths in Ireland rose by 22 per cent whereas the EU average dropped 12 per cent.
www.irishtimes.com/opinion/2025...
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Sinéad O'Sullivan: PR campaigns not enough to stop people dying on our roads. Here’s what we need to do
Ireland is one of few European countries where road deaths are rising consistently, yet no one is responsible
https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/2025/12/03/sinead-osullivan-pr-safety-campaigns-ireland-road-deaths-what-we-must-do/
4 months ago
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Kevin Leyden
Fietser
4 months ago
Since 2010, pedestrian deaths in the US 🇺🇸 have increased by 80%. During that same time, pedestrian deaths in the EU 🇪🇺 have dropped by 37%, but that stat could be about to change. A new video by NJB. 👇
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Keep these Stupid American Trucks out of Europe
YouTube video by Not Just Bikes
https://youtu.be/--832LV9a3I
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Kevin Leyden
Brent Toderian
4 months ago
“One mile on a bike is a $.42 economic gain to society, one mile driving is a $.20 loss.” “Which means that Copenhagen, a city of 1.2 million people, saves $357 million a year on health costs because something like 80% of its population commutes by bike.”
#CityMakingMath
Some costs aren’t costs.
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One mile on a bike is a $.42 economic gain to society, one mile driving is a $.20 loss
Copenhagen, the bicycle-friendliest place on the planet, publishes a biannual Bicycle Account, and buried in its pages is a rather astonishing fact.
https://grist.org/biking/one-mile-on-a-bike-is-a-42-economic-gain-to-society-one-mile-driving-is-a-20-loss/
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Kevin Leyden
Aaron Rupar
5 months ago
Mamdani: "We can respond to oligarchy and authoritarianism with the strength it fears, not the appeasement it craves. After all, if anyone can show a nation betrayed by Donald Trump how to defeat him, it is the city that gave rise to him."
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Kevin Leyden
Brent Toderian
6 months ago
“If you get hit by a car travelling at 50km/h, you’ve only got a 1.5-in-10 chance of surviving. If it’s going 30km/h you’ve got a nine-in-10 chance.” “But it was not enough to put up a sign that says 30km/h…there also needed to be design changes to slow down traffic.” Speed is always a factor.
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Switching 50km/h speed limits to 30km/h would protect cyclists while barely affecting commutes, research finds
One expert says a cyclist hit by a car travelling 50km/h has about a one-in-10 chance of surviving, while at 30km/h it is a nine-in-10 chance
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/oct/15/switching-50kmh-speed-limits-to-30kmh-would-protect-cyclists-while-barely-affecting-commutes-research-finds
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reposted by
Kevin Leyden
Brent Toderian
6 months ago
How microplastics may be reshaping our bodies and minds. “The particles are in our blood, brains and guts – and scientists are only beginning to learn what they do.” Microplastics like those from car tires. The bigger and heavier the vehicle, the more microplastics shed.
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The plastic inside us: how microplastics may be reshaping our bodies and minds
The particles are in our blood, brains and guts – and scientists are only beginning to learn what they do
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/oct/12/plastic-inside-us-microplastics-reshaping-bodies-minds
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Kevin Leyden
Brent Toderian
6 months ago
“In London cyclists now outnumber cars in the City by 2 to 1. Paris, where they now outnumber motorists across the whole city, is catching up with Europe’s traditional bike capitals, Amsterdam & Copenhagen…In Copenhagen, bikes account for almost half of commuter trips to work/school.”
@economist.com
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Forget EVs. Cycling is revolutionising transport
Pedal power is booming, spinning up a new culture war
https://www.economist.com/international/2025/10/09/forget-evs-cycling-is-revolutionising-transport
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"Nothing works like negative campaigning," according to Ivan Yeats. His suggestion that Humphreys should create fear during the election campaign is right out of the Trump handbook.
#aras25
add a skeleton here at some point
6 months ago
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Thank you Galway West TD John Connolly for supporting additional bus services in Galway!
m.independent.ie/regionals/ga...
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Calls for additional Galway service for morning commuters – ‘If you start work at 8:00am the bus arrives too late’
Bus commuters travelling from Oughterard into Galway are calling for a second morning service on the 419 routes, with Galway West TD John Connolly pressing the National Transport Authority (NTA) to ad...
https://m.independent.ie/regionals/galway/news/calls-for-additional-galway-service-for-morning-commuters-if-you-start-work-at-800am-the-bus-arrives-too-late/a684209078.html
6 months ago
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Kevin Leyden
Irish Cycling Campaign
6 months ago
'The real scandal here is not “bike shed groundhog day.” It’s the groundhog day of car dependency, subsidised at vast public expense, locking us into congestion, pollution, poor health and missed climate targets.' Great piece from
@ciarancannon.bsky.social
www.thejournal.ie/readme/bike-...
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Opinion: Those outraged by a €100k bike shed should look at the annual cost of renting out car park spaces
We have completely normalised investment in congestion, pollution and the continuation of car-first planning, writes Ciarán Cannon.
https://www.thejournal.ie/readme/bike-shed-outrage-car-parks-hypocrisy-cycling-6832794-Oct2025/
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Kevin Leyden
Brent Toderian
6 months ago
“The e-bike market is skyrocketing — and, according to some studies, outpacing electric cars…The question now is: Do officials double down on deadly car-centric urban design, or do they rethink cities to encourage people to ditch four wheels for two?” Via
@grist.org
grist.org/transportati...
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E-bikes could cut carbon, congestion, and costs — if cities take them seriously
E-bike sales are booming, providing a clean form of transportation that also improves public health. Yet cities remain committed to cars.
https://grist.org/transportation/e-bikes-could-cut-carbon-congestion-and-costs-if-cities-take-them-seriously/
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Promising innovation from the
@dubcitycouncil.bsky.social
6 months ago
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Kevin Leyden
Cosáin Climate
6 months ago
@tinydbass.bsky.social
@irishdocsenv.bsky.social
@olaln.bsky.social
@fhmediastuff.bsky.social
@kleyden.bsky.social
👇
add a skeleton here at some point
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reposted by
Kevin Leyden
Brent Toderian
6 months ago
“In 2023, cars and their drivers killed 8,820 American pedestrians and bicyclists — 7,314 pedestrians and 1,166 cyclists. They injured another 136,281, an increase of over 5,300 injuries from 2022.” Put the responsibility where it belongs. Via
@jalopnik.bsky.social
www.jalopnik.com/1979666/defe...
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No, Defensive Walking Isn't The Solution For Road Deaths - Jalopnik
It's victim-blaming, it's bull, and it's not the solution we need.
https://www.jalopnik.com/1979666/defensive-walking-no-solution-road-deaths/
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reposted by
Kevin Leyden
Brent Toderian
7 months ago
Every year, billions of vehicles worldwide shed an estimated 6 million tonnes of tire fragments. These tiny flakes of plastic, generated by normal driving, account for 28% of microplastics entering the environment globally. Heavy vehicles eg SUVs/EVs especially. Via
@us.theconversation.com
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Car tyres shed a quarter of all microplastics in the environment – urgent action is needed
Tiny flakes of plastic, generated by the wear and tear of normal driving, eventually accumulate in the soil, in rivers and lakes, and even in our food.
https://theconversation.com/car-tyres-shed-a-quarter-of-all-microplastics-in-the-environment-urgent-action-is-needed-244132
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Speaking yesterday about the current extreme divisiveness in America, Obama said "at moments like this, when tensions are high, then part of the job of the president is to pull people together.” It is what American presidents do.
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/17/u...
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After Kirk’s Killing, Obama Says the Nation Is in a ‘Political Crisis’
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/17/us/politics/obama-trump-kirk-unity.html
7 months ago
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reposted by
Kevin Leyden
Brent Toderian
7 months ago
IMPORTANT: The Dutch invest €595 million annually on urban biking, resulting in €19 BILLION saved in public health care costs alone. That’s how smart govts do the math on investing in better mobility. Let’s be clear— it wastes public money to NOT do it.
#CityMakingMath
HT @modacitylife.bsky.social
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Kevin Leyden
Sam Wakeling
7 months ago
Congestion charging in London caused an average of 7% drop in car ownership in affected areas (outer London near the charging boundary). If we want fewer cars in our streets, and all the benefits that brings, this is one of the tools that we know works.
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
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The impact of congestion charging on car ownership: Evidence from a quasi-natural experiment
Urban Vehicle Access Regulations are experiencing a resurgence in interest as practitioners grapple with prominent challenges, such as traffic safety,…
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0967070X24003317
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