Along for the Ride #198
A dose of good news
Heya friends, happy Friday.
Last week I alluded to a personal tragedy: a close friend suddenly passed after what I can only describe as a heart-breaking accident when biking. It’s not my place to share the details of this story. Writing is typically how I process a lot of things, but this week I’ve been overwhelmed by the care shown by my community in San Francisco, my kind colleagues, sweet text messages from my mom, and the good wishes shown by many newsletter subscribers here. I appreciate them all, and I am sending each of you a big virtual hug. 🖤
This week is a week where I started a lot of meetings by forcing people to tell me a piece of good news, because I needed something to go right when everything feels pretty miserable. In extra bits and bots today, I’ll share some things that did bring me bits of joy this week. It’s something I think my friend would have loved, and I hope these glimpses of good news bring some semblance of positivity to you.
And before we dive into the news, I’ll note that I have another slimmed-down edition as writing still feels hard. Next week I’ll also be out as I’ll be in Los Angeles catching the finale of Taylor’s Eras tour in LA (more on this in bits and bobs 😂). OK time for the news!
Week of Cone is back in San Francisco, ahead of next week’s CUPC meeting (Safe Street Rebel)
AV legislation is still stuck in neutral in the US (The Verge)
How communities are fighting back against larger and larger vehicles (The Conversation)
How Boston’s bike mayor is making city streets safer (WGBH)
Cycling related fatalities are at a 30-year low point in the UK (Cycling UK)
Purposely not linking that NYT article about e-bikes.
The backup driver in Uber’s deadly AV collision from 2017 pleads guilty (The Guardian)
So many thoughts about the driver being held responsible. Hopefully more words to come at a later date.
Waymo plans to bring AVs to Austin, TX, following Cruise’s lead (The Verge)
Cruise plans launch in Nashville, TN (TechCrunch)
May Mobility is awarded a contract to bring autonomous shuttles people with disabilities and aging populations to Detroit (IoT World Today)
How street features shape pedestrians’ leisure walks in cities (Journal of Urban Design)
Beyond fare evasion: the everyday moralities of non-payment and underpayment on public transport (Mobilities)
The future of design is designing for accessibility (The Nation)
This week’s bits and bobs are dedicated to people, places, and things that have brought me joy recently. Hope you get a strong dose of joy today too.
My friend Rosie and I getting our first tattoos (ever!). Rosie made all of the artwork for this newsletter, and she drew my tattoo of a pain au chocolat.
Some barbies on the tube! Did my friends complain when I suggested we take the tube home from the barbie movie? Only a little bit. Did they humour me anyways? Also only a little bit.
Did you know I’m a Swiftie™️? Last week I went to the concert with some transit-loving friends, including my best friend’s dad who wore a homemade “Fuck the Patriarchy” t-shirt dosed in glitter. We took VTA and it was magical too. Excited to catch another round next week with my childhood best friend.
Dogs! Last week was a sad week. Thankfully I have friends who loan me their dog (Pax) for some much-needed cuddles. Look at his floof.
Go Slo Yo Run Club. I knew my friend who passed away through my run club (which is primarily composed of people riding bikes as all run clubs should be). This week we’ve spent a lot of time together in various states of grief. Sometimes the only thing that helps is a joint sob.
Our friend was big into Strava, and I have mostly avoided it because I am not Sporty™️. However, he would Strava in the cutest way: lots of joy, never about the speed or the metrics. So in his honour…. I am now on Strava. If you want to follow along for morning walks, my slow commute, and funny selfies, you can find me here. Bold of Strava to call me an “athlete”.
That’s all from me. Have a beautiful weekend friends.
Sarah
Love the point form, much easier to read!