Anna Zivarts
@nondriver.bsky.social
Author, When Driving Is Not an Option: Steering Away from Car Dependency
Creator, #WeekWithoutDriving
Organizer, Nondrivers Alliance, nondrivers.org
Disabled parent (#nystagmus), bus lover, bike rider.
Creator, #WeekWithoutDriving
Organizer, Nondrivers Alliance, nondrivers.org
Disabled parent (#nystagmus), bus lover, bike rider.
All the cool kids are building bike lanes.
Seattle, let's fix Rainier!
Seattle, let's fix Rainier!
On a Brooklyn Boulevard, Mamdani Revives a Project Hampered by Scandal
www.nytimes.com
January 4, 2026 at 4:08 AM
All the cool kids are building bike lanes.
Seattle, let's fix Rainier!
Seattle, let's fix Rainier!
I'll be at #TranspoCamp next Saturday, presenting Wednesday at #TRBAM Lecture Session 4050 (Travel Behavior and Mobility in Aging Populations), and Thursday, speaking on the closing plenary of #Crossroads. If you're in DC and want to meet up, let me know!
Crossroads: A Transportation Equity and Justice Convening
Join the Union of Concerned Scientists and our transportation partners for a one-day event to discuss transportation equity and justice. Thursday, January 15, 2026, 8:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. ET, at the Ma...
secure.ucs.org
January 3, 2026 at 11:47 PM
I'll be at #TranspoCamp next Saturday, presenting Wednesday at #TRBAM Lecture Session 4050 (Travel Behavior and Mobility in Aging Populations), and Thursday, speaking on the closing plenary of #Crossroads. If you're in DC and want to meet up, let me know!
I am so grateful in 2025 to have been invited to many wonderful communities to talk about the power of building a nondriver movement! Thank you to all the advocates, public agency staff and volunteers hosted me for book talks and lectures.
January 3, 2026 at 11:47 PM
I am so grateful in 2025 to have been invited to many wonderful communities to talk about the power of building a nondriver movement! Thank you to all the advocates, public agency staff and volunteers hosted me for book talks and lectures.
Reposted by Anna Zivarts
"When Driving Is Not An Option" by @nondriver.bsky.social. She was a keynote speaker at @envirocentre.bsky.social's transit symposium. Her perspective has really changed my thinking about mobility and transit. Highly recommended.
2/
2/
December 30, 2025 at 4:43 PM
"When Driving Is Not An Option" by @nondriver.bsky.social. She was a keynote speaker at @envirocentre.bsky.social's transit symposium. Her perspective has really changed my thinking about mobility and transit. Highly recommended.
2/
2/
Reposted by Anna Zivarts
Wrapping up 2025 with my top reads!
Without a doubt the main themes are dealing with change & understanding humans, nature, tech and their intersections.
@nondriver.bsky.social @naomiaklein.bsky.social @drkatemarvel.bsky.social @amalelmohtar.com @veronicaodavis.bsky.social @peterbrownstudio.com
Without a doubt the main themes are dealing with change & understanding humans, nature, tech and their intersections.
@nondriver.bsky.social @naomiaklein.bsky.social @drkatemarvel.bsky.social @amalelmohtar.com @veronicaodavis.bsky.social @peterbrownstudio.com
January 1, 2026 at 3:07 PM
Wrapping up 2025 with my top reads!
Without a doubt the main themes are dealing with change & understanding humans, nature, tech and their intersections.
@nondriver.bsky.social @naomiaklein.bsky.social @drkatemarvel.bsky.social @amalelmohtar.com @veronicaodavis.bsky.social @peterbrownstudio.com
Without a doubt the main themes are dealing with change & understanding humans, nature, tech and their intersections.
@nondriver.bsky.social @naomiaklein.bsky.social @drkatemarvel.bsky.social @amalelmohtar.com @veronicaodavis.bsky.social @peterbrownstudio.com
Lots of Lime scooters in Stocholm & they seem to have much better parking etiquette (as in not activity blocking the sidewalks than Seattle).
Is it because there's more bike parking? Being a pedestrian is more normalized? Or does Lime do something better with enforcement?
Is it because there's more bike parking? Being a pedestrian is more normalized? Or does Lime do something better with enforcement?
December 21, 2025 at 4:55 PM
Lots of Lime scooters in Stocholm & they seem to have much better parking etiquette (as in not activity blocking the sidewalks than Seattle).
Is it because there's more bike parking? Being a pedestrian is more normalized? Or does Lime do something better with enforcement?
Is it because there's more bike parking? Being a pedestrian is more normalized? Or does Lime do something better with enforcement?
Today!!!
YAY! IT’S PREMIERE DAY: Please tune in today, Friday, December 19th, at 2 pm EST, for a conversation with Anna Zivarts aka @nondriver.bsky.social about her new venture, along with Ruth Rosas, the Non-Drivers Alliance, and for a recap of the 2025 Week Without Driving Challenge
youtu.be/5fcBpdyrS0c
youtu.be/5fcBpdyrS0c
EPISODE 321 ANNA ZIVARTS: Week Without Driving Challenge Recap (2025)
YouTube video by Active Towns
youtu.be
December 19, 2025 at 4:46 PM
Today!!!
Reposted by Anna Zivarts
When you hold press events that reporters can only get to via cars, you get the types of questions asked by reporters who get to places via a car.
December 18, 2025 at 11:17 PM
When you hold press events that reporters can only get to via cars, you get the types of questions asked by reporters who get to places via a car.
Instead of our usual route on back streets avoiding arterials without bike infrastructure, rode the sidewalks on MLK today and saved 20 minutes of travel time. If there was bike infrastructure in Rainier Valley, I'd probably save an hour every trip away from home.
December 18, 2025 at 9:52 PM
Instead of our usual route on back streets avoiding arterials without bike infrastructure, rode the sidewalks on MLK today and saved 20 minutes of travel time. If there was bike infrastructure in Rainier Valley, I'd probably save an hour every trip away from home.
Reposted by Anna Zivarts
Los Angeles: where the palm trees are lit better than the bus shelters 🫠
December 18, 2025 at 1:51 PM
Los Angeles: where the palm trees are lit better than the bus shelters 🫠
Reposted by Anna Zivarts
New York’s affordability crisis flows from a deeper problem: essential systems — groceries, energy, Internet, banking, healthcare — have consolidated in the hands of distant corporations. Today, ILSR sent the Mamdani team a memo laying out policies to reclaim local control. ilsr.org/articles/mem...
December 18, 2025 at 1:49 PM
New York’s affordability crisis flows from a deeper problem: essential systems — groceries, energy, Internet, banking, healthcare — have consolidated in the hands of distant corporations. Today, ILSR sent the Mamdani team a memo laying out policies to reclaim local control. ilsr.org/articles/mem...
Reposted by Anna Zivarts
Paradise Valley, Detroit, seen on a John Lee Hooker album cover that captures the neighborhood before it was demolished for construction of the Chrysler Freeway and “urban renewal” in the 1960s. More info: www.segregationbydesign.com/detroit/hast...
December 17, 2025 at 10:33 AM
Paradise Valley, Detroit, seen on a John Lee Hooker album cover that captures the neighborhood before it was demolished for construction of the Chrysler Freeway and “urban renewal” in the 1960s. More info: www.segregationbydesign.com/detroit/hast...
Working to change that.
A few thoughts on why the latent popularity of car-free living hasn’t translated to the funding changes necessary to make it possible:
The millions of people who would like to drive less aren’t organized, so elected officials rarely hear from them, allowing the car-dominated status quo to fester.
The millions of people who would like to drive less aren’t organized, so elected officials rarely hear from them, allowing the car-dominated status quo to fester.
An astonishing percentage of Americans are open to car-free living.
The problem isn't attitudes. The problem is the failure to invest in viable options.
humantransit.org/2025/12/many...
The problem isn't attitudes. The problem is the failure to invest in viable options.
humantransit.org/2025/12/many...
December 17, 2025 at 3:30 PM
Working to change that.
Started taking the 7 bus downtown to transfer to the 594 before I realized I can actually just ride the light rail south to Federal Way now and take the 574 to Tacoma, saving myself an hour+ of travel time! Yay new light rail stations!
December 17, 2025 at 3:23 PM
Started taking the 7 bus downtown to transfer to the 594 before I realized I can actually just ride the light rail south to Federal Way now and take the 574 to Tacoma, saving myself an hour+ of travel time! Yay new light rail stations!
explains a lot when the status quo is working pretty darn well for homeowners 👇
"As of October, the median Seattle-area home had jumped roughly 81% in value since the property was last sold, per Zillow's data."
www.axios.com/local/seattl...
"As of October, the median Seattle-area home had jumped roughly 81% in value since the property was last sold, per Zillow's data."
www.axios.com/local/seattl...
December 17, 2025 at 2:46 PM
explains a lot when the status quo is working pretty darn well for homeowners 👇
"As of October, the median Seattle-area home had jumped roughly 81% in value since the property was last sold, per Zillow's data."
www.axios.com/local/seattl...
"As of October, the median Seattle-area home had jumped roughly 81% in value since the property was last sold, per Zillow's data."
www.axios.com/local/seattl...
Maybe WSDOT should read this as demand for more active transportation infrastructure where none exists...
These WSDOT photos show why U.S. 2 through the Cascades is closed — yes, even to cyclists and pedestrians
Road closed signs mean the road is closed, period. Read this important public service announcement from the Washington State Department of Transportation.
Road closed signs mean the road is closed, period. Read this important public service announcement from the Washington State Department of Transportation.
These WSDOT photos show why U.S. 2 through the Cascades is closed — yes, even to cyclists and pedestrians
Road closed signs mean the road is closed, period. Read this important public service announcement from the Washington State Department of Transportation.
www.nwprogressive.org
December 17, 2025 at 1:02 PM
Maybe WSDOT should read this as demand for more active transportation infrastructure where none exists...
👇
An illustration of how L.A. City Public Works so-called "Large Asphalt Repair" works (or really *doesn't work*). Today Bureau of Street Services left an un-resurfaced ~4-ft-wide strip on a 30-ft-wide part of Hoover... in order to avoid triggering curb ramps for wheelchair access
December 17, 2025 at 2:46 AM
👇
With all the road washouts, the state transportation budget is going to be a mess. Maybe it's time we started looking at cutting projects that increase highway capacity and induce more sprawl.
Here's $86 million we don't need to spend.
Here's $86 million we don't need to spend.
I-5 - 179th St. Interchange - Interchange Improvements | WSDOT
This project aims to improve mobility for travelers who use the I-5 - Northeast 179th Street interchange. Signalized intersections will be removed and replaced with roundabouts at the on- and off-ramp...
wsdot.wa.gov
December 17, 2025 at 1:10 AM
With all the road washouts, the state transportation budget is going to be a mess. Maybe it's time we started looking at cutting projects that increase highway capacity and induce more sprawl.
Here's $86 million we don't need to spend.
Here's $86 million we don't need to spend.
Reposted by Anna Zivarts
Every evening I look south down Rainier Avenue, standing at Massachusetts waiting for the crosswalk, I see the endless, blinding LEDs staring back at me. Motionless. They're in another traffic jam. Always. The status quo simply doesn't work. And yet our traffic engineers want to further entrench it.
December 16, 2025 at 11:06 PM
Every evening I look south down Rainier Avenue, standing at Massachusetts waiting for the crosswalk, I see the endless, blinding LEDs staring back at me. Motionless. They're in another traffic jam. Always. The status quo simply doesn't work. And yet our traffic engineers want to further entrench it.
Not discussed, but should be: a lot of stores in Seattle only offer paper bags, and with our rainy climate, it's almost impossible to carry groceries walking or on transit using paper bags.
I firmly believe thin plastic bags should be available to anyone who arrives not in a car.
I firmly believe thin plastic bags should be available to anyone who arrives not in a car.
Why plastic waste didn't drop despite Washington's bag ban
A WSU study shows thicker shopping bags are being reused too little to reduce plastic use overall.
www.axios.com
December 16, 2025 at 11:04 PM
Not discussed, but should be: a lot of stores in Seattle only offer paper bags, and with our rainy climate, it's almost impossible to carry groceries walking or on transit using paper bags.
I firmly believe thin plastic bags should be available to anyone who arrives not in a car.
I firmly believe thin plastic bags should be available to anyone who arrives not in a car.
I feel sorry for people who bought Rad Bikes, but I'm honestly not surprised by the way the company is acting. Back in 2021 they threatened to sue me and my employer for something I tweeted that wasn't flattering.
Customers set to be screwed as Rad Power Bikes files for bankruptcy + Former St. Paul Councilmember says a Rad battery fire destroyed his house
#SEAbikes #Seattle
#SEAbikes #Seattle
Customers set to be screwed as Rad Power Bikes files for bankruptcy + Former St. Paul Councilmember says a Rad battery fire destroyed his house
From the Minnesota Star Tribune. Seattle-based Rad Power Bikes filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy Monday, three weeks after the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission ("CPSC") issued a product safety warning urging anyone with certain models of Rad Power e-bike batteries to immediately cease using them and take them to a hazardous waste collection center. The agency was aware of 31 reports of the batteries catching fire, including instances in which the batteries ignited when not in use or being charged.
www.seattlebikeblog.com
December 16, 2025 at 10:52 PM
I feel sorry for people who bought Rad Bikes, but I'm honestly not surprised by the way the company is acting. Back in 2021 they threatened to sue me and my employer for something I tweeted that wasn't flattering.
"Tweaking conventional models around the edges won’t get us there fast enough. Experience shows we need to be clearer about the outcomes we’re aiming for." - @chrismccahill.bsky.social
December 16, 2025 at 4:29 AM
"Tweaking conventional models around the edges won’t get us there fast enough. Experience shows we need to be clearer about the outcomes we’re aiming for." - @chrismccahill.bsky.social
Reposted by Anna Zivarts
A growing Rainier Valley is incompatible with continued car-centric infrastructure. Our geography stresses this point. If our Electeds are serious about substantially improving life in this city, there is no better place to start than fixing Rainier Avenue for daily life.
NEW STORY // Op-Ed: It’s Time to Imagine a Safer, More Connected Rainier Avenue
Op-Ed by Anna Zivarts (@nondriver.bsky.social) via @theurbanist.org // 🔗 www.theurbanist.org/2025/12/14/o...
Op-Ed by Anna Zivarts (@nondriver.bsky.social) via @theurbanist.org // 🔗 www.theurbanist.org/2025/12/14/o...
Op-Ed: It’s Time to Imagine a Safer, More Connected Rainier Avenue » The Urbanist
# Rainier Avenue has too many cars traveling at dangerous speeds, but conventional planning practices make it hard to change that and design a future where Rainier Avenue thrives. Let's stop making ha...
www.theurbanist.org
December 16, 2025 at 3:33 AM
A growing Rainier Valley is incompatible with continued car-centric infrastructure. Our geography stresses this point. If our Electeds are serious about substantially improving life in this city, there is no better place to start than fixing Rainier Avenue for daily life.
If we want to create a more affordable, livable Seattle, we need to design for *reducing* car volumes. This is the only way to meet our climate, public health, vision zero, accessibility and housing goals. Our fight to design highway on-ramps with LESS capacity epitomizes why it's still hard.
Op-Ed: It’s Time to Imagine a Safer, More Connected Rainier Avenue » The Urbanist
# Rainier Avenue has too many cars traveling at dangerous speeds, but conventional planning practices make it hard to change that and design a future where Rainier Avenue thrives. Let's stop making ha...
www.theurbanist.org
December 16, 2025 at 1:31 AM
If we want to create a more affordable, livable Seattle, we need to design for *reducing* car volumes. This is the only way to meet our climate, public health, vision zero, accessibility and housing goals. Our fight to design highway on-ramps with LESS capacity epitomizes why it's still hard.