Dustin Black
@engineerdustin.bsky.social
Casually sharing two decades of city-building knowledge while trying to put the civil back in engineering.
Pinned
Welcome to all the new people joining! 👋 I’m a public transportation engineer who thinks critically about what car-centric public spaces really mean for our cities, our pocketbooks, and our planet. I regularly share articles about transportation urbanism and stories from my local advocacy work.
It’s 36F out and like any good Michigander I’m sitting in my driveway, drinking a Bell’s beer and smoking an entire deer leg.
December 24, 2025 at 9:42 PM
It’s 36F out and like any good Michigander I’m sitting in my driveway, drinking a Bell’s beer and smoking an entire deer leg.
Looking for gluten free vegan options within walking distance (for kids) of Campus Martius or along the Qline.
December 23, 2025 at 6:44 PM
Looking for gluten free vegan options within walking distance (for kids) of Campus Martius or along the Qline.
Reposted by Dustin Black
We all say we want the street on the left, but the street on the right is the receipt for our online shopping habits.
You can't have Amazon convenience and Main Street charm. Corporate convenience shopping will cannibalize small businesses commerce.
You can't have Amazon convenience and Main Street charm. Corporate convenience shopping will cannibalize small businesses commerce.
December 23, 2025 at 5:09 PM
We all say we want the street on the left, but the street on the right is the receipt for our online shopping habits.
You can't have Amazon convenience and Main Street charm. Corporate convenience shopping will cannibalize small businesses commerce.
You can't have Amazon convenience and Main Street charm. Corporate convenience shopping will cannibalize small businesses commerce.
Reposted by Dustin Black
Paradise Valley, Detroit, before-and-after highway construction and urban renewal (seen in a publicity photo of the Graf Zeppelin making its way back from the 1933 World's Fair in Chicago). More info and photos of the neighborhood here: segregationbydesign.com/detroit/hast...
December 22, 2025 at 11:31 AM
Paradise Valley, Detroit, before-and-after highway construction and urban renewal (seen in a publicity photo of the Graf Zeppelin making its way back from the 1933 World's Fair in Chicago). More info and photos of the neighborhood here: segregationbydesign.com/detroit/hast...
Who’s going to tell the Steelers mascot, Steely McBeam, that he’s actually been carrying around a prestressed concrete I-beam this whole time?
December 22, 2025 at 12:13 AM
Who’s going to tell the Steelers mascot, Steely McBeam, that he’s actually been carrying around a prestressed concrete I-beam this whole time?
Hey, that’s not MUTCD compliant!
December 21, 2025 at 11:33 PM
Hey, that’s not MUTCD compliant!
My toxic trait is constantly reminding you all that riding bikes for transportation is super fun. Even in winter.
December 20, 2025 at 3:10 PM
My toxic trait is constantly reminding you all that riding bikes for transportation is super fun. Even in winter.
What are the best urban greenways you’re aware of? I’m thinking of things like the Dequindre Cut and Joe Louis Greenway in Detroit. What others are done really well?
November 26, 2025 at 2:13 PM
What are the best urban greenways you’re aware of? I’m thinking of things like the Dequindre Cut and Joe Louis Greenway in Detroit. What others are done really well?
From my hometown of Alpena, MI. The old mill recently reopened as a the Alpena Flour Mill Coffee Shop for coffee and sweets.
November 10, 2025 at 12:45 PM
From my hometown of Alpena, MI. The old mill recently reopened as a the Alpena Flour Mill Coffee Shop for coffee and sweets.
I was more than eager to pick up our CSA share this morning after the sugar rush last night.
November 1, 2025 at 9:40 PM
I was more than eager to pick up our CSA share this morning after the sugar rush last night.
Reposted by Dustin Black
i think if you ride public transit enough you learn that most weird behavior is not dangerous, and conversely i think driving a car teaches you that everyone is trying to kill you at all times
October 29, 2025 at 4:49 PM
i think if you ride public transit enough you learn that most weird behavior is not dangerous, and conversely i think driving a car teaches you that everyone is trying to kill you at all times
Reposted by Dustin Black
People killed by some imaginary safety issue with rainbow crosswalks: 0
People killed trying to cross U.S. street (where unsafe conditions are the accepted norm): 7,148 last year alone.
Priorities!
People killed trying to cross U.S. street (where unsafe conditions are the accepted norm): 7,148 last year alone.
Priorities!
October 23, 2025 at 1:32 PM
People killed by some imaginary safety issue with rainbow crosswalks: 0
People killed trying to cross U.S. street (where unsafe conditions are the accepted norm): 7,148 last year alone.
Priorities!
People killed trying to cross U.S. street (where unsafe conditions are the accepted norm): 7,148 last year alone.
Priorities!
Bikey people are big mad about this post but it really does touch on something worth sitting with for a while.
I still think bike buses do more harm than good because of how they reinforce stereotypes about biking being an elite activity. In communities like the Seattle neighborhood I live in with big wealth and racial disparities it's only kids...
October 22, 2025 at 3:28 AM
Bikey people are big mad about this post but it really does touch on something worth sitting with for a while.
Pike Place Market enjoying four months of sales growth since pedestrianizing?!
If only there was some sort of lesson here that other cities could pull from…
If only there was some sort of lesson here that other cities could pull from…
Good news: Sales at Pike Place Market were up 9.7% in September! That's four months of solid data showing the pedestrianization pilot is good for business.
Add your ideas for how to keep the momentum going this fall and winter: actionnetwork.org/letters/pike...
Add your ideas for how to keep the momentum going this fall and winter: actionnetwork.org/letters/pike...
October 22, 2025 at 3:16 AM
Pike Place Market enjoying four months of sales growth since pedestrianizing?!
If only there was some sort of lesson here that other cities could pull from…
If only there was some sort of lesson here that other cities could pull from…
This is basically my politics.
October 22, 2025 at 3:08 AM
This is basically my politics.
The Lions really do have the most fun.
October 21, 2025 at 10:46 AM
The Lions really do have the most fun.
Sign o’ the times.
October 21, 2025 at 12:51 AM
Sign o’ the times.
Skateboarding is a public act of joy!
Skateboarding is giving some Ethiopian girls a way to express themselves and have fun with friends they wouldn’t have made otherwise. It’s also letting them redefine their identity. https://cnn.it/4oleOHW
October 20, 2025 at 11:43 AM
Skateboarding is a public act of joy!
Reposted by Dustin Black
The goal of good infrastructure is freedom from fear. At 6 months pregnant, my wife can ride because this physically separated path eliminates the threat of motorists.
This is what women in advocacy fight for, not just paint, but genuinely safe, forgiving spaces that enable true mobility choice.
This is what women in advocacy fight for, not just paint, but genuinely safe, forgiving spaces that enable true mobility choice.
October 19, 2025 at 1:31 PM
The goal of good infrastructure is freedom from fear. At 6 months pregnant, my wife can ride because this physically separated path eliminates the threat of motorists.
This is what women in advocacy fight for, not just paint, but genuinely safe, forgiving spaces that enable true mobility choice.
This is what women in advocacy fight for, not just paint, but genuinely safe, forgiving spaces that enable true mobility choice.
The silver lining of a rainy Sunday when the Lions aren’t playing is that I can get around to clearing off the work bench for some much needed bike maintenance.
October 19, 2025 at 4:01 PM
The silver lining of a rainy Sunday when the Lions aren’t playing is that I can get around to clearing off the work bench for some much needed bike maintenance.
Reposted by Dustin Black
High viz doesn't mean shit when people are staring at their phones.
October 17, 2025 at 1:15 AM
High viz doesn't mean shit when people are staring at their phones.
I’m bike curious….
Handsome Cycles out of Minneapolis, MN - yay or nay?
Handsome Cycles out of Minneapolis, MN - yay or nay?
October 16, 2025 at 11:25 AM
I’m bike curious….
Handsome Cycles out of Minneapolis, MN - yay or nay?
Handsome Cycles out of Minneapolis, MN - yay or nay?
🎯
I am becoming convinced that autonomous vehicles are designed to solve the problem of "I live in a wealthy suburb but have a horrible car commute and don't want to drive anymore but also hate trains and buses and refuse to ride a bike."
October 16, 2025 at 12:56 AM
🎯
Reposted by Dustin Black
The main reason city streets are dangerous for children isn’t because of crime.
It’s because of cars.
It’s because of cars.
October 12, 2025 at 7:38 PM
The main reason city streets are dangerous for children isn’t because of crime.
It’s because of cars.
It’s because of cars.