Along for the Ride #262
the comeback and a slew of Tesla muck-ups
Heya friends, happy Friday!
[I tried three times to do my voiceover and it got erased each time :( so no voiceover this week as I cat-scream at my computer.]
It feels like I’ve been “away” from the newsletter forever (it’s been two weeks 😂), but I think it goes to show how comforting this newsletter has become for me, and I miss writing it when life’s other priorities take precedence. In this case it’s been a busy few weeks at work, a never ending news cycle, and allergies (!!) really getting the better of me. [Side note: it is so rude of Spring to have all this sunshine and beautiful smelling blooms, only for it whip out allergies?? What do you mean I can’t inhale all these good vibes without sneezing every seven minutes.] All that to say, I desperately needed to slow down and take a beat (nap), but I’m back. This week’s edition is mostly a recap of links (my least favourite way of communicating, as I much prefer droning on in the least concise way possible). Alas. There are actually only so many minutes and hours in a day.
I hope you are enjoying Spring wherever it has sprung for you (without allergies!!!), and that you’re able to soak up some good ju-ju because we need it. I want to write an entire newsletter about how fucked politics is right now (top of mind today is the university students being snatched by ICE and sent for deportation over protesting, in a way that can only be described as inspired by the KGB). All this to say, is if you’re drowning in politics woes, you don’t need to read further and there’s a picture of a dog in bits and bobs, and while dogs don’t fix the current political situation, they do help make the world feel a bit less shit. ❤️
P.S. If I owe you an email, I promise I am just starting to crawl through my inbox (slowly but surely). I haven’t forgotten about it! Life is just 🤪.
Paris votes to pedestrianize 500 streets across the city (Reuters)
Abu Dhabi is expanding their AV operations (Smart Cities World)
States are looking to find new ways to fund public transit, cycling and walking initiatives as the cheeto puff threatens to cut funding (Associated Press)
Shocking nobody.. bigger, heavier SUVs make traffic worse (Bloomberg)
The slow and steady advance of AVs (BBC)
Waymo sets their sights on DC (Reuters, Quartz)
Important to note, Waymo can only launch in DC if the regulatory changes in the city. Which it very well might given proximity to the cheeto puff.
Wayve launches GAIA 2.. a “scalable video generation for assisted and automated driving” programs (Wayve)
Tesla remains without approval to release “Full Self-Driving” in the UK, and the trial of the product (listed under a different name) ends in China after only one week (CleanTechnica)
Tesla also had to recall most cybertrucks due the trim detaching from the vehicle.. lol (Reuters)
Tesla’s FSD is …. a looney tune joke of depth perception (Fast Company)
Lyft announces plans to offer robotaxis in Atlanta alongside May Mobility (The Verge)
GM partners with Nvidia for AI chips (Reuters)
Zoox recalls ~250 vehicles over a brake issue (Reuters)
The social-ecological roots of motornormativity (Global Environmental Change)
“Motonormativity is a shared bias whereby people judge motorised mobility differently to other comparable topics.”
On the 15 minute city as a notion for sustainable urbanism (Cities)
Tactile wayfinding in transportation settings for travelers who are blind or visually impaired (TCRP)
Tesla’s problems run deeper than Elon Muck’s toxic personality (BBC)
How an ebike transformed a family’s life (The Atlantic)
Internships
Please send me any internships you know of! I am concerned about the youth and their ability to have meaningful and paid employment.
Full-time Jobs
Both jobs today came from folks at both organizations. If you’re looking for an intro, let me know!
[South Africa / UK - C40] Senior Manager, Public Transport [Jobshare]
[San Francisco, CA - Rebel] Sustainable Mobility Consultant
I’ve finally been back on my biking game which has been lovely (pending me not sneezing while biking which is currently a risk lol). Many of you know that I got into Strava almost two years ago after my friend Hansel passed away. They used Strava to log the most joyful bike rides to the grocery store, or bike shop, or just toodling around town. I try and evoke an ounce of their joy with mine, and you can follow me here.
Mahmoud Khalil, the Columbia student who is now based in an ICE detention centre in Louisiana wrote this piece for the ACLU: Who has the right to have rights?
Currently, I am reading a book about rejection. It’s a bit heavy. I need lighter reading (😂). I will let you know when the books I read start to take a more optimistic spin.
That’s all from me. Have a beautiful weekend friends.
Sarah
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