Help keep our community safe now! Next Saturday, January 31st, 10 am-12 pm join Yakima Indivisible and Yakima Immigrant Response Network to assemble whistle packets to warn neighbors that ICE is in the area! There’s room for about 75 people to assemble packets, so be sure to sign up.

Eagerly awaited by transit riders, the full Link 2 Line connection will finally bridge Seattle and the Eastside, bringing expanded train service all the way from Redmond to Lynnwood. The expansion also adds stations at Judkins Park and Mercer Island. Story: www.theurbanist.org/2026/01/23/s...

‘I Would Never Live in That Hellhole City,’ Says Man Already Living in Moses Lake: tinyurl.com/3ybb7ztv

NEW STORY // State Lawmakers Move to Regulate License Plate Readers, Fearing ICE Misuse Story by Amy Sundberg via @theurbanist.org // 🔗 www.theurbanist.org/2026/01/19/s...

Can't make this up @bikelaneuprising.bsky.social What kind of message does this send to other drivers? @cmwhitburnd3.bsky.social #sandiego #safestreets #bikesky

The shelter-in-place order went into effect around noon at Aki Kurose Middle School in Hillman City and was expected to last until the end of the day, a school official said.

The Eastside's largest city could ultimately go much further than a new statewide baseline in providing flexibility for builders when it comes to costly off-street parking. Recent elections in Bellevue have likely changed the conversation that's ahead. Story: www.theurbanist.org/2026/01/20/b...

if you think that's bad ...

“It will be hard to kill the congestion fee now because it’s been a striking success. Traffic speeds are up. Pollution is down. The fee is generating high revenue for the city’s transit system. And predictions that it would be bad for business have proved completely wrong.” Via @pkrugman.bsky.social

For comparison, from Seattle’s downtown to the newly opened Federal Way station via Link Light Rail takes roughly the same amount of time but covers 3x the distance

"We don't check and see if people have insurance. We're not asking for financial levels," said Executive Director Hannah Wilson. "I assume that if you wait in line to be seen in a free clinic, then you probably need to be seen." Coverage from Alexander Banks at the Yakima Herald-Republic.

The Futurewise team is hiring! Taking applications now for a nonprofit fundraiser who's got a love for Washington's land, waters, and communities. Bonus points if you're a bit of a land-use nerd. Learn more about what it's like working with us, and how to apply: futurewise.org/were-hiring-...

Our new study provides rare causal evidence about NYC’s speed camera program. We find large reductions in collisions (30%) and injuries (16%) near intersections with cameras. www.pnas.org/doi/abs/10.1... @astagoff.bsky.social ky.social @brendenbeck.bsky.social nbeck.bsky.social 🧪

E-bikes comprise around two-thirds of vehicles in New York City's protected bike lanes — far more than the Department of Transportation is counting, a new study found.

‼️‼️ "Over the year, bike and scooter share carried about 60% as many trips as the state’s $2.15 billion SR-99 highway tunnel under downtown Seattle. During summer months, that number may have been more like 80%."

“Some people here have gotten mad at me for calling it that because apparently it already had a name—Big Ben or something if I’m pronouncing that correct—but that’s just what the natives who have lived here for thousands of years call it."

“We acknowledge today that we are inside the unceded one-bedroom rental of tenants who previously leased this unit until they were evicted when they couldn’t afford the skyrocketing rent.”

A low-hanging fruit for @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social and the new City Council in their first 100 days would be to approve legislation making outdoor dining year round and have it go into effect immediately. Given all the existing design regulations it should be easy to flip the switch on this.

When I saw Seattle treasure Nathan Vass was reading tonight at Folio, one of my favorite literary venues, I knew I had to be there. If you don't have Nathan's book yet...get on it!

Follow local urbanist celebrity Ray Delahanty for 20 minutes rolling around downtown PDX w B-Line cargo bike delivery, past farmers markets, downtown protected bike lanes and a city on fire (not). Plus 🍂🍁 filled bike lanes & the abomination of a local #ICE headquarters. @nerd4cities.bsky.social

The policy of subsidizing suburban development has gone on so long that it's fully entrenched with most in power. My local gov is almost entirely made up of GenX/Boomer suburban homeowners who struggle to comprehend another way. It's generational. It'll take at least another generation to dislodge.

I hate to even weigh in on this, but citing the fact that the proportion of people living in suburbs has grown faster than the proportion of people living in core cities as evidence that “people prefer suburban living” is…well, I barely know where to start

Yakima's comp plan update survey is posted on the city web site, for those interested! Not quite "on display in the bottom of a locked filing cabinet stuck in a disused lavatory with a sign on the door saying ‘Beware of the Leopard'" a la Douglas Adams, but the outreach could be better.

Something beautiful for this day: Honeybee on butterfly weed, Yakima, Washington (August 2024). #bees #wildflowers

Sharing this again just because I love it so much. #justaminute Car drivers who block cycle lanes for “just a minute” force people on bikes into car traffic. It’s dangerous, it’s selfish, it’s illegal (NZ) and it deserves the mocking it gets in this protest action.

Free parking for 2 cars or supporting a beloved local business and community gathering spot? Whose side are you on @mayorkwilson.bsky.social? Streets are for people.

I'm kind of baffled how the "moderates" have apparently all decided to turn against climate policy at once, just as China reaches green electrostate liftoff mode. I thought these people were all about National Greatness and making Hard Choices

my most woke opinion is that any truck/SUV over 4,000 pounds should require a commercial drivers license, increased insurance/registration, more expensive parking, and higher punishments for traffic violations

🤝 #thisisyourcity

seen at Pine & 12th

My grocery store charges for paper bags, but car parking is "free" (aka priced in to everything on the shelves).

And how much Transportation is hidden in the other categories? What portion of Housing costs is the garage under your apartment building? What portion of Food is the sea of parking surrounding the supermarket? What portion of Healthcare is car-related injury and respiratory disease?

My most woke opinion is that cities should completely ignore suburban commuters and design the city we aspire to be. They’ll either begrudgingly commute in by car, mode shift, or be replaced by others in foot traffic

Yakima Planning Commission member Shelley White spent several weeks this year going before her own commission and the city council to spout this racist rhetoric on the public record.

Beautiful fall day mushroom hunting around Mt. Rainier! #StratovolcanoSunday

Leading pedestrian intervals at intersections is one of the more basic safety improvements out there, but they’re not common in Yakima so this is kind of big for us! More of these, please!

I mean, just look at this insane map! Caltrans is literally referring to a 7.5 mile paving project (50 acres of pavement!) as if the whole thing is the I-280 Pedestrian Overcrossing project. Come on, man!

New Amtrak Cascades Trainset #1 Goes to Philly! The second round of testing begins soon on the east coast. Thank you to www.youtube.com/@Bronson3333 for the video. 💚🤎🤍

every time.

Good time to remind everyone that Musk's wealth in X, SpaceX, and xAI is completely illiquid, and that the valuations of those private companies are highly speculative. xAI is certainly not profitable. It's doubtful X is profitable. SpaceX might be marginally profitable, but is failing in Artemis.

“Now Scientific American has updated and re-released what it calls the “classic graphic” that shows that a human on a bicycle—able to coast, or freewheel, without pedaling—remains the world’s most energy effecient traveler.” @carltonreid.com on the re-release of the iconic graph in @forbes.com.

WE DON'T DO KINGS HERE, and we’re coming together to prove it! Are you ready? Will you be standing with us? Have you signed up? How many friends are you bringing with you? Can you bring some food donations? #nokingsyakima, #yakimaindivisible, #unitingfordemocracy, @indivisible.org, #dueprocessforall

¡Estamos a 6 días de que no haya reyes! ¡AQUÍ NO HACEMOS REYES, y nos unimos para demostrarlo! ¿Listos? ¿Nos acompañarán? ¿Ya se inscribieron? ¿Cuántos amigos traerán? ¿Pueden donar comida? #nokingsyakima, #yakimaindivisible, #unitingfordemocracy, @indivisible.org #immigrantsmakeamericagreat

Imagine if this got knocked into the vehicle lane. My guess is it would be fixed in 2 hours

Go #Mariners! Boo ads that interrupt my baseball. Fuck #ChatGPT!

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

It’s like it was never there!

It's a rainy weekday in October and Pike Place is as busy as any sunny summer weekend. I think the disappearance of non-essential car traffic is a huge help. This setup should be made permanent.