Alina Rehkopf
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arehkopf.bsky.social
Alina Rehkopf
@arehkopf.bsky.social
2.1K followers 1.2K following 860 posts
Anti-capitalist leftist, powerlifter, environmentalist, recovering overachiever, ebike commuter, KI grad, trying to figure out how to apply urbanism in rural Ontario.

I stick needles in people for a living.

Ontario 🇨🇦
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arehkopf.bsky.social
Alina Rehkopf @arehkopf.bsky.social · Nov 13
New people, hi! ✧⁠\⁠(⁠>⁠o⁠<⁠)⁠ﾉ⁠✧

My day job is Acupuncturist + Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioner so feel free to ask questions abt acu, cupping, herbal meds, moxa, etc.

I train as a powerlifter + advocate for MOAR bike lanes, killing your lawn, and better housing policy too.
arehkopf.bsky.social
👏🏼 👏🏼 👏🏼 👏🏼 👏🏼

I love seeing numbers for this type of thing. It's so exciting.
holz-bau.bsky.social Mike Eliason @holz-bau.bsky.social · Oct 9
since denver launched its e-bike rebate program - the have sold 10,000 e-bikes and reduced an estimated 1,000,000 car trips - replacing millions of VMTs and reducing air pollution

there are no climate silver bullets... but damn - e-bikes and e-cargo bikes are close

denvergov.org/Government/A...
Denver Celebrates 10,000 E-Bike Rebates
Since its inception in April 2022, Denver has distributed over 10,000 electric bikes (e-bikes) to community members through its pioneering e-bike rebate program. As the first U.S. city to implement su...
denvergov.org
October 10, 2025 at 4:55 AM
arehkopf.bsky.social
That reminds me I need to put a bunch of stickers on mine. And maybe a sign... I did tell people I was going to add an "ask me about my e-bike" sign to it at some point.
joshlinden.bsky.social Josh Linden @joshlinden.bsky.social · Oct 9
One thing I absolutely love about riding a cargo bike around, is how often people will stop to talk to you about it. Especially if it's outfitted with lots of kid gear and associated stickers 😂

So many people are interested in accessible, non-car ways of getting around. It gives me so much hope
October 10, 2025 at 4:53 AM
Reposted by Alina Rehkopf
americanfietser.bsky.social
My "elitist" e-cargo bike, replaced nearly all mobility for localized living, allowing our 15 year old, paid for car to sit in the garage and only get minimal use.

Is it for everyone? No, but more can live this way than you might think possible. It's financially freeing.
October 9, 2025 at 10:51 PM
arehkopf.bsky.social
😂 love a "I'm going to vote against the thing I specifically wanted to" moment.
October 10, 2025 at 4:49 AM
Reposted by Alina Rehkopf
jasonthorne.bsky.social
The Venn diagram of urban density and average household GHG emissions is pretty much a circle. Interesting study on “Mapping household GHG emissions in the Greater Golden Horseshoe” from the University of Toronto School of Cities schoolofcities.utoronto.ca/mapping-hous...
October 6, 2025 at 11:09 AM
arehkopf.bsky.social
I don't think speed cameras are a money grab, but it's still useful to know where the money goes.

I would love to see more of it funding full road redesigns to improve safety and reduce speeds, but none of this seems that outlandish.

More clarity on what the province uses their 24% for would help.
graphicmatt.com Matt Elliott @graphicmatt.com · Oct 7
In a letter responding to a Councillor Holyday inquiry, City Manager Paul Johnson has provided a breakdown of revenue and expense numbers related to Toronto’s speed and red-light camera programs. Notably, about 24% of fine revenue goes to the provincial gov.
www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis... (PDF)
In 2024, the City collected $62.6 million in fine revenues, including $37.3 million from ASE and $25.3 million from RLC. In total, the 2024 net revenue associated with the POA regime was $48.2 million, which was leveraged to support the initiatives noted below. For 2025, assuming full operations throughout the year, the City projects to receive $64.6 million in ASE fine revenue and total associated fine revenue of $100.1 million when also including $35.5 million from RLC. Revenues collected, and specifically those collected through ASE violations, are generally allocated to three main purposes: 1. Provincial Remittances • When including the estimated $11 million associated with Victim Fine Surcharges (VFS) for 2025, approximately 24% of fine revenues are remitted annually to the Province, including a charge of $8.25 per infraction for Ministry of Transportation Ontario searches and varying VFS surcharges depending on the fine amount for victim services. 2. City of Toronto Related Administration Costs • It’s estimated that approximately 35% of fine revenues directly fund the City’s costs to administer the operation of ASE. 3. Vision Zero Initiatives • The remaining fine revenues, or approximately 41%, enables the City to invest in public safety and enforcement activities, including:  Toronto Police Service – Annual operating funding is directed to the Police Services Road Safety Program, funding 18 Officers (2 Sergeants and 16 PCs).  Transportation Services Operating – ASE revenue is leveraged to partially offset annual enhancements and inflationary increases to the School Crossing Guard Program and Education Campaign  Transportation Services Capital - ASE revenue is leveraged to offset debt servicing costs associated with Road Safety Initiatives included in the 10-Year
October 7, 2025 at 6:46 PM
Reposted by Alina Rehkopf
derek.bike
lots of people know Łink from what he did to promote alt text usage here. this tip about pretending you’re describing an image over the phone has been burned in my brain since i saw it
bluesky post from @knilirabaj.bsky.social that says It's pretty cool you're using that alt text accessibility feature. It's not cool that you're not really describing the image though. Nice and simple is a good start. Descriptive and accurate is the way to go. You'll get the hang of it. Try pretending you're describing the picture over the phone. July 1, 2023 at 10:33 PM Everybody can reply
October 6, 2025 at 8:35 PM
arehkopf.bsky.social
A cool (13°C), rainy, fall day in rural Ontario and biking to work is STILL more fun than driving.

I do need a different/proper rain coat for biking though... Drop your recs please! I'm strongly considering one from Rain Sisters but the price tag makes me hesitant.
A woman in a long, grey, wool coat, red scarf and matching red/orange toned sunglasses smiles at the camera as she stands in front of her e-bike. Everything is wet from the rain.
October 7, 2025 at 5:33 PM
arehkopf.bsky.social
We can't have it both ways. The cost of safety and more liveable communities is less and slower driving. And that's fine.
how-sen.com How-Sen Chong @how-sen.com · Sep 24
The problem is this:

Everyone wants traffic to be slow and safe in their own neighbourhood…
… but they also want to be able to drive as fast as they can through everyone else’s neighbourhood.

www.thestar.com/news/gta/dou...
Doug Ford’s speed camera plan sparks anger at Toronto city hall
The mayor and the councillors on Wednesday reacted to reports that the Ontario premier plans to get rid of automated speed cameras.
www.thestar.com
September 25, 2025 at 4:49 AM
Reposted by Alina Rehkopf
rzaichkowski.bsky.social
Thanks @ambermac.bsky.social & @brenttoderian.bsky.social for this insightful podcast discussing bike lanes, remote work, and other topics! Agreed it's not enough to rebuff anti bike lane arguments, but to also call out the political and media lies. #BikeTO #BikeSky #TOpoli #VisionZero
ambermac.bsky.social Amber Mac @ambermac.bsky.social · Sep 24
🚴‍♀️ Why is there so much hate for (and lies about) bike lanes in Toronto? I speak with @brenttoderian.bsky.social about how to design better cities. Here is a sneak peek from our chat.

🎙️ Listen to our full conversation on this week's The AmberMac Show podcast, just released today:
bio.site/ambermac
September 24, 2025 at 10:24 PM
Reposted by Alina Rehkopf
ffsafestreets.bsky.social
September 25, 2025 at 2:41 AM
arehkopf.bsky.social
How to out yourself as an absolutely horrible driver (and then go cry on the news about it):
graphicmatt.com Matt Elliott @graphicmatt.com · Sep 24
Driver who racks up between $300 and $400 a month in speeding and parking tickets feels like he’s "being bullied.” www.ctvnews.ca/toronto/arti...
Dasrath, who spends much of his time driving for work, said he regularly racks up $300 to $400 a month in parking and speeding tickets. “When you get the ticket in the mail about four to six weeks later, the first thing I felt is anger and rage… you feel like you’re being bullied.”
September 25, 2025 at 4:31 AM
arehkopf.bsky.social
For the first time in about 2.5 months I got soaked biking home from work today. It was actually kind of nice?
September 24, 2025 at 2:49 AM
Reposted by Alina Rehkopf
americanfietser.bsky.social
It's a good day to run errands by cargo bike, while leaving the car at home. This bike enables us to live locally with simplicity, keeping wear and tear off of our car, and saving us thousands every year from car payments, maintenance, fuel, and insurance.
September 8, 2025 at 1:55 PM
Reposted by Alina Rehkopf
annabandit.bsky.social
We spend so much more time together as a family now that we’ve embraced bicycles. My little cargo e-bike (radrunner 2!) makes it all feel approachable and lighthearted. It’s a real boon here in Colorado where we’ve got tons of hills and even more exceptionally fit, serious athletes.
Two bikes- a hybrid analog and small cargo electric- parked in front of a large children’s playground on a sunny day. Close up of a green e-bike with a full front basket and a child’s seat on the back
September 8, 2025 at 2:58 PM
arehkopf.bsky.social
The glee that I feel also cannot be overstated.
jm-mcgrath.bsky.social John Michael McGrath @jm-mcgrath.bsky.social · Jul 30
Really cannot overstate the extent to which the court was impatient with the total lack of evidence presented by the government.
July 30, 2025 at 6:27 PM
arehkopf.bsky.social
Love to see it. The safety that protected bike lanes provide is a crucial part of our transportation infrastructure.

With no evidence to back it's claims that "bike lanes cause congestion" the Ford govt will not be able to rip them out. ❤️
jm-mcgrath.bsky.social John Michael McGrath @jm-mcgrath.bsky.social · Jul 30
NEW: Looks like CycleToronto won in court. Justice Schabas finds Ontario's law (AND version 2) to remove bike lanes infringe S7 of the Charter and is not saved by S1, in large part because the govt had no evidence to back up its claims.
July 30, 2025 at 6:23 PM
arehkopf.bsky.social
Amazing news, I'm going to bask in how happy this makes me for the rest of the week.
Screen shot of a news article with the headline "Ontario Court strikes down Ford government's plan to remove Toronto bike lanes"
July 30, 2025 at 6:17 PM
arehkopf.bsky.social
Or by putting down decals telling people to walk their bikes on the sidewalk.
andrewlewisfc.bsky.social Andrew Lewis FC @andrewlewisfc.bsky.social · Jul 26
My son reports the Porsche driver ran a red light and was t-boned by the streetcar.

I expect the police will respond to this by ticketing cyclists in High Park.
July 30, 2025 at 2:38 AM
arehkopf.bsky.social
More unhinged educational materials for all!
sarahmackattack.bsky.social Sarah McAnulty, Ph.D. @sarahmackattack.bsky.social · Jul 29
I went into goblin mode last night and completed what is for sure the most unhinged zine I have produced to date.

I'll fold some up tonight and put them around and see how people react lol

If anyone is interested in printing one for your own enjoyment, here ya go drive.google.com/file/d/1eVEW...
caked up mother earth in her thigh high fishnets is stomping in her stripper heels looking back at it. The words say "Milfs for Mother Earth The earth is once again looking back at it in her fishnets but looks more coy in this one. The words say "Ok so climate change, a couple important things to note: 1) it's not too late to make a difference 2) Every 1/10th of a degree of warming matters 3) Governments need to do most of it 4) Acting as communities really matters. Here are some things we CAN do 1) Ditch cars, take transit 2) Switch to renewable energy 3) get solar for your roof 4)Share stuff, buy less 5) Don't use AI 6) talk to your friends and family about solutions. Details here (which points to a QR) Mother earth looks at you over her sunglasses over the words "Do something" repeated a bunch of times, then under her it says "Doing anything is better than nothing", "learn how" and a qr Mother earth is wearing a flower crown and peeking up from the bottom of the page. The words say "Biodiversity When it comes to protecting plants and animals, start by thinking local. Animals usually suffer most from habitat loss and climate change. Solving climate change is hard. Building habitat for wildlife is easier. Every action you take matters. Here's what we can do 1) Create good habitat by planting native plants 2) Stop using pesticides and get others to stop too 3) Kill your lawn, replace with useful plants 4) Fight to preserve wild spaces and to reclaim abandoned land 5) Encourage friends and family to do all this too"
July 30, 2025 at 2:23 AM
arehkopf.bsky.social
I hope @chrismoise.ca is working just as hard to provide safe bike lanes and other travel routes for people who use scooters and bikes so they don't have to choose between the sidewalk and the death trap that is many of the roads in Toronto. 👍🏼
Screenshot of a post that has all comments and quote posts disabled.
July 30, 2025 at 2:19 AM
arehkopf.bsky.social
Well this is deeply upsetting.

Doug Ford gives zero fu*ks about maintaining the beautiful natural resources that make places in Ontario worth visiting.

We could be creating dev plans that enhance/support the natural world while also providing more tourism resources but instead we get this.
pxtl.ca Martin Z @pxtl.ca · Jul 29
What's shocking is the map. It's literally just the beach, not some big area behind the beach. You can develop almost to the dunes. Can't they do tall beach-facing condos in the existing town of Wasaga Beach and have both conservation *and* development?

(yellow area shows land they want to develop)
July 29, 2025 at 6:33 PM
arehkopf.bsky.social
For the first time since I bought it (March 2024), my e-bike has a completely flat tire. 😭

Not bad for commuting almost everyday with it.

I have the protective foam inserts so I'm curious to see what managed to stab through that.... A project for this evening when I get home.
July 29, 2025 at 5:25 PM
arehkopf.bsky.social
This sounds absolutely insane.
adambunch.bsky.social Adam Bunch @adambunch.bsky.social · Jul 13
The Toronto Circus Riot broke out on this day 170 years ago — sparked by a brawl between angry clowns and firefighters at a Victorian brothel.

Here's my annual thread about one of the strangest stories in Canadian history...
A collage of four Victorian circus performers standing in front of a circus tent, with flames rising up in the foreground.
July 14, 2025 at 12:53 AM