Maris Zivarts
@emveezee.bsky.social
Transit and safe streets advocate, dad, Seattle School Traffic Safety Committee, biker and fixer of bikes, working for the labor movement since a long time ago.
Reposted by Maris Zivarts
Why do cyclists get so triggered by the word smug?
Because of 50 years of being told we don't need bike lanes but should instead just ride defensively in the road as if we were a car only to have it constantly turned around on us that riding defensively makes us "smug" "entitled" or "aggressive"
Because of 50 years of being told we don't need bike lanes but should instead just ride defensively in the road as if we were a car only to have it constantly turned around on us that riding defensively makes us "smug" "entitled" or "aggressive"
This week I wrote about the rise of the e-bike dad - this piece was originally going to run alongside the story I did in September about the bike boom in general, and we didn't have space in print, but here it is:
www.economist.com/united-state...
www.economist.com/united-state...
Parents on e-bikes are transforming the school run
They’re smug, snug and often faster than drivers
www.economist.com
November 13, 2025 at 4:32 PM
Why do cyclists get so triggered by the word smug?
Because of 50 years of being told we don't need bike lanes but should instead just ride defensively in the road as if we were a car only to have it constantly turned around on us that riding defensively makes us "smug" "entitled" or "aggressive"
Because of 50 years of being told we don't need bike lanes but should instead just ride defensively in the road as if we were a car only to have it constantly turned around on us that riding defensively makes us "smug" "entitled" or "aggressive"
Danny Driver, constitutional scholar: “It may appear that my brake lights are not working, but brake lights are an invasion of privacy. Also, signaling, or not signaling braking, is speech and 1st amendment protected activity.”
November 13, 2025 at 2:01 PM
Danny Driver, constitutional scholar: “It may appear that my brake lights are not working, but brake lights are an invasion of privacy. Also, signaling, or not signaling braking, is speech and 1st amendment protected activity.”
Danny Driver, constitutional scholar, probably: “I was standing up to tyranny. Traffic signals, especially when red, infringe on my freedom to travel.”
Good morning to everyone except the driver of the Chevy with a “practice kindness” bumper sticker who blew a red light in Georgetown.
November 13, 2025 at 1:43 PM
Danny Driver, constitutional scholar, probably: “I was standing up to tyranny. Traffic signals, especially when red, infringe on my freedom to travel.”
The good news is my doctor remarked how young I looked for being [redacted] years of age. The bad news is I was at the doctor mostly because I’m [redacted] years of age.
November 13, 2025 at 12:04 AM
The good news is my doctor remarked how young I looked for being [redacted] years of age. The bad news is I was at the doctor mostly because I’m [redacted] years of age.
Good morning to everyone except the driver of the Chevy with a “practice kindness” bumper sticker who blew a red light in Georgetown.
November 12, 2025 at 5:38 PM
Good morning to everyone except the driver of the Chevy with a “practice kindness” bumper sticker who blew a red light in Georgetown.
Reposted by Maris Zivarts
Many people lack the critical thinking to unpack what's going on subsidy-wise if an hour-long flight is cheaper than a 3 or 4 hour Amtrak ride.
November 9, 2025 at 1:49 PM
Many people lack the critical thinking to unpack what's going on subsidy-wise if an hour-long flight is cheaper than a 3 or 4 hour Amtrak ride.
Didn’t realize until I was past, but I think I biked by Councilmember elect @linforseattle.bsky.social out walking on Dawson Street yesterday. If that was you, 👋.
November 8, 2025 at 3:16 PM
Didn’t realize until I was past, but I think I biked by Councilmember elect @linforseattle.bsky.social out walking on Dawson Street yesterday. If that was you, 👋.
Reposted by Maris Zivarts
Most kids don’t need another iPad. They need a bike lane so they don’t have relay on racing in a virtual environment but can cycle alongside each other.
November 7, 2025 at 9:58 PM
Most kids don’t need another iPad. They need a bike lane so they don’t have relay on racing in a virtual environment but can cycle alongside each other.
How the Trump Administration Is Giving Even More Tax Breaks to the Wealthy
www.nytimes.com
November 8, 2025 at 2:21 PM
Reposted by Maris Zivarts
We asked bus operators from the Chicago Avenue garage which route takes the most skill to drive, and which route is their favorite.
Here’s what they had to say 💬
Here’s what they had to say 💬
November 7, 2025 at 2:44 AM
We asked bus operators from the Chicago Avenue garage which route takes the most skill to drive, and which route is their favorite.
Here’s what they had to say 💬
Here’s what they had to say 💬
Reposted by Maris Zivarts
If you’re wondering whether we still need these changes, a driver hit Rob’s ghost bike THIS MORNING
November 7, 2025 at 3:38 PM
If you’re wondering whether we still need these changes, a driver hit Rob’s ghost bike THIS MORNING
It was a beautiful morning to be out on a bike. No big pickup trucks ran into the barrier while I was there, so it must be a good day👍
November 7, 2025 at 9:37 PM
It was a beautiful morning to be out on a bike. No big pickup trucks ran into the barrier while I was there, so it must be a good day👍
Blinking bike lights are fine, get over it.
November 7, 2025 at 2:18 PM
Blinking bike lights are fine, get over it.
Reposted by Maris Zivarts
This article is a really, really stunning example of how wind power is received in Norway.
A proposed wind farm site right next to a massive highway and industrial area is being opposed on the grounds that it 'destroys nature' and is too noisy
🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔
A proposed wind farm site right next to a massive highway and industrial area is being opposed on the grounds that it 'destroys nature' and is too noisy
🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔
Mener vindkraft er verre enn motorvei og industri
Vindkraftmotstandere i Grimstad foretrekker både E18 og industriområder fremfor vindkraft. Forsker mener vindturbiner har blitt et symbol på en feilslått energipolitikk.
www.nrk.no
November 6, 2025 at 9:50 AM
This article is a really, really stunning example of how wind power is received in Norway.
A proposed wind farm site right next to a massive highway and industrial area is being opposed on the grounds that it 'destroys nature' and is too noisy
🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔
A proposed wind farm site right next to a massive highway and industrial area is being opposed on the grounds that it 'destroys nature' and is too noisy
🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔
Reposted by Maris Zivarts
This person took this when they called the race
November 5, 2025 at 6:07 AM
This person took this when they called the race
Reposted by Maris Zivarts
In air pollution hotspots in England & Wales, half the population are people of colour, 48% are on the lowest incomes, and 60% don’t drive
Pollution is being unfairly imposed on them, principally by those who drive through their area
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Pollution is being unfairly imposed on them, principally by those who drive through their area
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Low-income areas in England and Wales face worst air pollution, analysis finds
Exclusive: Experts say impact on people of colour and those who do not drive is ‘grave environmental injustice’
www.theguardian.com
November 5, 2025 at 7:13 AM
In air pollution hotspots in England & Wales, half the population are people of colour, 48% are on the lowest incomes, and 60% don’t drive
Pollution is being unfairly imposed on them, principally by those who drive through their area
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Pollution is being unfairly imposed on them, principally by those who drive through their area
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Reposted by Maris Zivarts
Reposted by Maris Zivarts
New York City – Mayoral Results (9:03PM):
🔵 Mamdani: 51.5%
🟢 Cuomo: 39.7%
🔴 Sliwa: 8%
- 36% Reporting -
🔵 Mamdani: 51.5%
🟢 Cuomo: 39.7%
🔴 Sliwa: 8%
- 36% Reporting -
November 5, 2025 at 2:03 AM
New York City – Mayoral Results (9:03PM):
🔵 Mamdani: 51.5%
🟢 Cuomo: 39.7%
🔴 Sliwa: 8%
- 36% Reporting -
🔵 Mamdani: 51.5%
🟢 Cuomo: 39.7%
🔴 Sliwa: 8%
- 36% Reporting -
Driving a 5,000 lb machine to get coffee is more of a "commercial activity" than having a cafe that people can walk to.
"Neighbourhood interiors were never intended for commercial activity", says one letter writer. To be fair, this is true, if you toss the entirety of human history and modern day Earth outside North America in the trash, and think that urban planning less than a century old is ironclad natural law.
No corner coffee shops: Toronto committee waters down neighbourhood retail plan
It’s the second time in less than a year councillors balked at allowing certain businesses to open on some residential streets
www.torontotoday.ca
November 4, 2025 at 9:22 PM
Driving a 5,000 lb machine to get coffee is more of a "commercial activity" than having a cafe that people can walk to.
Reposted by Maris Zivarts
In Minnesota, drivers are required to stop for pedestrians at BOTH marked and unmarked crosswalks. Here I am at one of my least favorite streets, 50th, at one of my least favorite intersections, 50th and Aldrich. Let's see how long it takes for someone to follow the law.
November 3, 2025 at 10:41 PM
In Minnesota, drivers are required to stop for pedestrians at BOTH marked and unmarked crosswalks. Here I am at one of my least favorite streets, 50th, at one of my least favorite intersections, 50th and Aldrich. Let's see how long it takes for someone to follow the law.
Reposted by Maris Zivarts
The leaves on Rainier Ave are making a pretty convincing argument that the center turn lanes don't get much use -- lots of excess road space that could be protected bike infrastructure.
November 4, 2025 at 2:01 AM
The leaves on Rainier Ave are making a pretty convincing argument that the center turn lanes don't get much use -- lots of excess road space that could be protected bike infrastructure.
Reposted by Maris Zivarts
"If Mamdani's elected I'm leaving NYC"
1) lol bitch as if you would ever, but also
2) Your terms are acceptable.
1) lol bitch as if you would ever, but also
2) Your terms are acceptable.
November 3, 2025 at 1:11 PM
"If Mamdani's elected I'm leaving NYC"
1) lol bitch as if you would ever, but also
2) Your terms are acceptable.
1) lol bitch as if you would ever, but also
2) Your terms are acceptable.
Reposted by Maris Zivarts
One bicycle rider, one wheelchair user, and one walker killed in separate incidents in places notorious for dangerous driving and with a long history of serious crashes.
bikeportland.org/2025/10/30/t...
bikeportland.org/2025/10/30/t...
Three people killed by drivers last night in Hazelwood Neighborhood
All happened within one mile of each other.
bikeportland.org
October 30, 2025 at 5:09 PM
One bicycle rider, one wheelchair user, and one walker killed in separate incidents in places notorious for dangerous driving and with a long history of serious crashes.
bikeportland.org/2025/10/30/t...
bikeportland.org/2025/10/30/t...
Reposted by Maris Zivarts
Halloween logicals, still the best 10/31 venn
October 31, 2025 at 10:52 PM
Halloween logicals, still the best 10/31 venn
Power to the parents tonight.
November 1, 2025 at 12:58 AM
Power to the parents tonight.