Warren Wells, AICP
@warrenjwells.bsky.social
Policy & Planning Dir. @marinbike.org • UCLA Urban Planning • AICP Planner • Baltimore ➡️ LA ➡️ East Bay • 🚫🚗Car-free commuting since 2015 • Missing middle renter.
📍Berkeley, CA
📍Berkeley, CA
Pinned
We've spent a ton of time talking about teens getting injured on e-bikes (or illegal e-motos).
We've heard that crash rates are skyrocketing. Marin County Dept of Health even set up a dashboard to see how many e-bike/e-moto crashes are happening.
But how many kids are getting hurt *in cars*?
🧵
We've heard that crash rates are skyrocketing. Marin County Dept of Health even set up a dashboard to see how many e-bike/e-moto crashes are happening.
But how many kids are getting hurt *in cars*?
🧵
A propos of nothing, I realized that today was the 10th anniversary of Antonin Scalia's death.
Kind of the beginning of the end, in a real way.
Kind of the beginning of the end, in a real way.
February 14, 2026 at 5:28 AM
A propos of nothing, I realized that today was the 10th anniversary of Antonin Scalia's death.
Kind of the beginning of the end, in a real way.
Kind of the beginning of the end, in a real way.
100% my experience. I would go again in a heartbeat.
February 14, 2026 at 4:17 AM
100% my experience. I would go again in a heartbeat.
Before having kids, I liked to challenge myself by doing stupid, long bike rides.
Now I find other challenges, like taking both kids to a friend's house on the bus!
Now I find other challenges, like taking both kids to a friend's house on the bus!
February 14, 2026 at 1:20 AM
Before having kids, I liked to challenge myself by doing stupid, long bike rides.
Now I find other challenges, like taking both kids to a friend's house on the bus!
Now I find other challenges, like taking both kids to a friend's house on the bus!
Reposted by Warren Wells, AICP
In El Cerrito I’d estimate it’s at least 50% of morning traffic. Streets are nearly empty of cars during school breaks, like next week.
If we could shift even 10% to walking or biking it would have a huge impact. (Unfortunately buses aren’t an option for most as there’s so little bus service here.)
If we could shift even 10% to walking or biking it would have a huge impact. (Unfortunately buses aren’t an option for most as there’s so little bus service here.)
They say that school drop-off accounts for 25% of morning traffic.
Every time I bike my kid to preschool on a city schools holiday, it becomes clear that 100% of the stressed out, inconsiderate, texting drivers we encounter on a daily basis our fellow parents.
Every time I bike my kid to preschool on a city schools holiday, it becomes clear that 100% of the stressed out, inconsiderate, texting drivers we encounter on a daily basis our fellow parents.
February 14, 2026 at 12:49 AM
In El Cerrito I’d estimate it’s at least 50% of morning traffic. Streets are nearly empty of cars during school breaks, like next week.
If we could shift even 10% to walking or biking it would have a huge impact. (Unfortunately buses aren’t an option for most as there’s so little bus service here.)
If we could shift even 10% to walking or biking it would have a huge impact. (Unfortunately buses aren’t an option for most as there’s so little bus service here.)
Reposted by Warren Wells, AICP
"you're gonna get in trouble for that"
*stone-faced*
"okay"
goddamn son
*stone-faced*
"okay"
goddamn son
February 13, 2026 at 10:55 PM
"you're gonna get in trouble for that"
*stone-faced*
"okay"
goddamn son
*stone-faced*
"okay"
goddamn son
Every time our neighbors inexplicably leave their car idling for 20 minutes, part of me wants to hop in and move it 5 ft down the street just to see if they'd notice.
February 13, 2026 at 9:41 PM
Every time our neighbors inexplicably leave their car idling for 20 minutes, part of me wants to hop in and move it 5 ft down the street just to see if they'd notice.
It's a shame that Hollywood doesn't make comedies anymore, since this is actually a fun movie idea.
I mean, a goofy, raunchy comedy movie along these lines just writes itself. Like, some horny idiots make up a fake sport to con their way into the Olympic village so they can try (and fail) to hook up with athletes way out of their league, only to learn an important message about sportsmanship.
February 13, 2026 at 9:08 PM
It's a shame that Hollywood doesn't make comedies anymore, since this is actually a fun movie idea.
Reposted by Warren Wells, AICP
This is great! For the Great Hauntway, we rent in wildly expensive high capacity batteries because we really hate generators that much, but making outlets or cheaper batteries available would go a long way in getting gas generators out of parks
This is a small thing, but I kind of love it.
Piper Park in Larkspur, CA sees 120 bounce house rentals a year, all powered by gas generators.
They recently installed electrical hookups at the park and are working with the local vendor to let people power the bounce houses with those hookups.
Piper Park in Larkspur, CA sees 120 bounce house rentals a year, all powered by gas generators.
They recently installed electrical hookups at the park and are working with the local vendor to let people power the bounce houses with those hookups.
February 13, 2026 at 8:35 PM
This is great! For the Great Hauntway, we rent in wildly expensive high capacity batteries because we really hate generators that much, but making outlets or cheaper batteries available would go a long way in getting gas generators out of parks
Reposted by Warren Wells, AICP
In 2022 I inquired w San Ramon staff wrt protected bikeway upgrades via upcoming paving, per their 2018 bike plan, on Dougherty Rd where NFL coach Greg Knapp was killed while biking in 2021 by a driver who drifted into the painted bike lane. I received no reply & the bike lane is still paint-only.
February 13, 2026 at 5:06 PM
In 2022 I inquired w San Ramon staff wrt protected bikeway upgrades via upcoming paving, per their 2018 bike plan, on Dougherty Rd where NFL coach Greg Knapp was killed while biking in 2021 by a driver who drifted into the painted bike lane. I received no reply & the bike lane is still paint-only.
Reposted by Warren Wells, AICP
Wow, I'm impressed. Bloomberg has the best article on the Sepulveda Line I've seen. No errors, very detailed, pushed back on nimby talking points, centered voices like Matute, Schneider, and Raman, and even mentions an EIFD! Full marks.
A Tunnel to Transform Los Angeles
The ambitious Sepulveda Transit Corridor project — an automated subway line underneath Bel Air — aims to do something rare in LA: Get people out of their cars.
www.bloomberg.com
February 13, 2026 at 6:26 PM
Wow, I'm impressed. Bloomberg has the best article on the Sepulveda Line I've seen. No errors, very detailed, pushed back on nimby talking points, centered voices like Matute, Schneider, and Raman, and even mentions an EIFD! Full marks.
They say that school drop-off accounts for 25% of morning traffic.
Every time I bike my kid to preschool on a city schools holiday, it becomes clear that 100% of the stressed out, inconsiderate, texting drivers we encounter on a daily basis our fellow parents.
Every time I bike my kid to preschool on a city schools holiday, it becomes clear that 100% of the stressed out, inconsiderate, texting drivers we encounter on a daily basis our fellow parents.
February 13, 2026 at 4:22 PM
They say that school drop-off accounts for 25% of morning traffic.
Every time I bike my kid to preschool on a city schools holiday, it becomes clear that 100% of the stressed out, inconsiderate, texting drivers we encounter on a daily basis our fellow parents.
Every time I bike my kid to preschool on a city schools holiday, it becomes clear that 100% of the stressed out, inconsiderate, texting drivers we encounter on a daily basis our fellow parents.
The real story here isn't Olympians being too horny.
It's that the condom allotment was only two per athlete for the whole two weeks!! By comparison, athletes in Paris in 2024 were given 60!
Since when did the Italians become such prudes??
It's that the condom allotment was only two per athlete for the whole two weeks!! By comparison, athletes in Paris in 2024 were given 60!
Since when did the Italians become such prudes??
They’re just out there setting records at everything.
Love in a cold climate: Winter Olympic village runs out of condoms after three days
Free condoms for competitors at the Winter Olympics have run out within a record-breaking three days
www.theguardian.com
February 13, 2026 at 4:19 PM
The real story here isn't Olympians being too horny.
It's that the condom allotment was only two per athlete for the whole two weeks!! By comparison, athletes in Paris in 2024 were given 60!
Since when did the Italians become such prudes??
It's that the condom allotment was only two per athlete for the whole two weeks!! By comparison, athletes in Paris in 2024 were given 60!
Since when did the Italians become such prudes??
Reposted by Warren Wells, AICP
Here are the completed protected bikeway project tallies for jurisdictions around the East Bay. Among the worst are most of the jurisdictions in @bauerkahan.bsky.social's AD16. These are also among the wealthiest districts in the East Bay, some in the whole state, so they have no excuse.
February 13, 2026 at 3:33 AM
Here are the completed protected bikeway project tallies for jurisdictions around the East Bay. Among the worst are most of the jurisdictions in @bauerkahan.bsky.social's AD16. These are also among the wealthiest districts in the East Bay, some in the whole state, so they have no excuse.
Reposted by Warren Wells, AICP
After housing, this is the next big zoning reform: the right to do business. Always found it odd that the USA, supposedly the land of the free market, makes it the hard if not outright illegal to open a business in most places.
Like many other planning failures, this one's also rooted in racism.
Like many other planning failures, this one's also rooted in racism.
The al pastor taco truck at sleepy North Berkeley BART is booming every night with neighbors, cyclists and families. Imagine what we could do with fully legalized street vending citywide.
February 13, 2026 at 2:52 AM
After housing, this is the next big zoning reform: the right to do business. Always found it odd that the USA, supposedly the land of the free market, makes it the hard if not outright illegal to open a business in most places.
Like many other planning failures, this one's also rooted in racism.
Like many other planning failures, this one's also rooted in racism.
The people cry out for neighborhood commercial!
The alternatives are a 15 minute walk to the bougie options on Hopkins or a 10 minute walk to traffic-clogged University and its vacant storefronts.
The alternatives are a 15 minute walk to the bougie options on Hopkins or a 10 minute walk to traffic-clogged University and its vacant storefronts.
The al pastor taco truck at sleepy North Berkeley BART is booming every night with neighbors, cyclists and families. Imagine what we could do with fully legalized street vending citywide.
February 13, 2026 at 2:52 AM
The people cry out for neighborhood commercial!
The alternatives are a 15 minute walk to the bougie options on Hopkins or a 10 minute walk to traffic-clogged University and its vacant storefronts.
The alternatives are a 15 minute walk to the bougie options on Hopkins or a 10 minute walk to traffic-clogged University and its vacant storefronts.
Reposted by Warren Wells, AICP
@sfrecpark.bsky.social can we get this in Precita Park pretty please
This is a small thing, but I kind of love it.
Piper Park in Larkspur, CA sees 120 bounce house rentals a year, all powered by gas generators.
They recently installed electrical hookups at the park and are working with the local vendor to let people power the bounce houses with those hookups.
Piper Park in Larkspur, CA sees 120 bounce house rentals a year, all powered by gas generators.
They recently installed electrical hookups at the park and are working with the local vendor to let people power the bounce houses with those hookups.
February 12, 2026 at 11:09 PM
@sfrecpark.bsky.social can we get this in Precita Park pretty please
This is a small thing, but I kind of love it.
Piper Park in Larkspur, CA sees 120 bounce house rentals a year, all powered by gas generators.
They recently installed electrical hookups at the park and are working with the local vendor to let people power the bounce houses with those hookups.
Piper Park in Larkspur, CA sees 120 bounce house rentals a year, all powered by gas generators.
They recently installed electrical hookups at the park and are working with the local vendor to let people power the bounce houses with those hookups.
February 12, 2026 at 10:54 PM
This is a small thing, but I kind of love it.
Piper Park in Larkspur, CA sees 120 bounce house rentals a year, all powered by gas generators.
They recently installed electrical hookups at the park and are working with the local vendor to let people power the bounce houses with those hookups.
Piper Park in Larkspur, CA sees 120 bounce house rentals a year, all powered by gas generators.
They recently installed electrical hookups at the park and are working with the local vendor to let people power the bounce houses with those hookups.
Whenever I see speed skating it makes me want to rewatch The Incredibles (2004).
February 12, 2026 at 10:16 PM
Whenever I see speed skating it makes me want to rewatch The Incredibles (2004).
Protected bike lanes reduce the frequency of car crashes as well!
This isn't a zero-sum question of selfish bicyclists vs beleaguered commuters. These projects are typically a win-win-win for drivers, bicyclists, and pedestrians.
This isn't a zero-sum question of selfish bicyclists vs beleaguered commuters. These projects are typically a win-win-win for drivers, bicyclists, and pedestrians.
“Car infrastructure first” has failed—loud, polluted, and dangerous streets are the result. Build people infrastructure (sidewalks, protected lanes, safer crossings, transit priority) and we get calmer traffic and healthier communities. Newton is the latest proof.
Traffic Analysis Shows Newton Bikeway Project Reduced Car Traffic, Speeding, and Crashes - Streetsblog Massachusetts
"Vehicle volumes on the corridor have decreased without evidence of cut throughs on local roads, speeds within the pilot area have reduced, and bicycle activity has increased," according to a City of ...
mass.streetsblog.org
February 12, 2026 at 10:00 PM
Protected bike lanes reduce the frequency of car crashes as well!
This isn't a zero-sum question of selfish bicyclists vs beleaguered commuters. These projects are typically a win-win-win for drivers, bicyclists, and pedestrians.
This isn't a zero-sum question of selfish bicyclists vs beleaguered commuters. These projects are typically a win-win-win for drivers, bicyclists, and pedestrians.
My wife often wonders why I am The Way I Am, and it's because I grew up obsessed with Calvin and Hobbes strips like this.
February 12, 2026 at 7:24 PM
My wife often wonders why I am The Way I Am, and it's because I grew up obsessed with Calvin and Hobbes strips like this.
"Historic preservationists" are a menace and we should remove their power to shape public policy.
They don't care about history, but rather maintaining a narrow image of the past that aligns with their particular aesthetic sensibilities, which they then impose on others using the tools of govt.
They don't care about history, but rather maintaining a narrow image of the past that aligns with their particular aesthetic sensibilities, which they then impose on others using the tools of govt.
In recent years, Seattle historic preservation groups have:
🪜 blocked removing ladders at Gasworks where 3 have died
🅿️ blocked housing to keep a historic parking garage in Pioneer Square
🏠 blocked housing in wealthy neighborhoods because of "historic" Craftsmans
🚙 tried to keep cars in Pike Place
🪜 blocked removing ladders at Gasworks where 3 have died
🅿️ blocked housing to keep a historic parking garage in Pioneer Square
🏠 blocked housing in wealthy neighborhoods because of "historic" Craftsmans
🚙 tried to keep cars in Pike Place
February 12, 2026 at 6:13 PM
"Historic preservationists" are a menace and we should remove their power to shape public policy.
They don't care about history, but rather maintaining a narrow image of the past that aligns with their particular aesthetic sensibilities, which they then impose on others using the tools of govt.
They don't care about history, but rather maintaining a narrow image of the past that aligns with their particular aesthetic sensibilities, which they then impose on others using the tools of govt.
Imagining if Caltrans treated drivers the way our transit agencies treat their riders. 💯
If Caltrans wanted to punish drivers like BART punished riders that would mean adding gates to the toll plaza that require holding a credit card for seconds to open, with only one gate wide enough for vehicles larger than a compact, and if you fail to move faster enough the gate crushes your car
February 12, 2026 at 5:03 PM
Imagining if Caltrans treated drivers the way our transit agencies treat their riders. 💯
"It was the best of panels, it was the worst of panels."
February 12, 2026 at 12:36 AM
"It was the best of panels, it was the worst of panels."
Reposted by Warren Wells, AICP
Alameda wins the award for the first East Bay separated bikeway completion of 2026, so far, with 0.7 mi on Aughinbaugh Way via routine paving. This is the first ever separated bikeway on Bay Farm island. (thanks for the photo @bikewalkalameda.bsky.social !)
February 11, 2026 at 11:59 PM
Alameda wins the award for the first East Bay separated bikeway completion of 2026, so far, with 0.7 mi on Aughinbaugh Way via routine paving. This is the first ever separated bikeway on Bay Farm island. (thanks for the photo @bikewalkalameda.bsky.social !)
Reposted by Warren Wells, AICP
I don’t know how many people join Bluesky each day, but my sense is that more & more people are discovering the outstanding community/conversation here (best on social media) about better cities. I still think STARTER PACKS are a superpower. I’ve made many, but here’s my first again. Please share.
February 11, 2026 at 7:39 PM
I don’t know how many people join Bluesky each day, but my sense is that more & more people are discovering the outstanding community/conversation here (best on social media) about better cities. I still think STARTER PACKS are a superpower. I’ve made many, but here’s my first again. Please share.