Bella Chu
@isabellachu.bsky.social
John Snow and safe street stan. Lover of 17th to 19th century cities but with more trees and less cholera. Not official record.
There are so few places in the United States, even in older cities well served by transit, where it is possible to walk without continual exposure to noise, pollution and risk of blunt force trauma from automobiles.
Pedestrian/bike only infrastructure is the best way to protect people from cars.
Pedestrian/bike only infrastructure is the best way to protect people from cars.
August 8, 2025 at 1:48 PM
There are so few places in the United States, even in older cities well served by transit, where it is possible to walk without continual exposure to noise, pollution and risk of blunt force trauma from automobiles.
Pedestrian/bike only infrastructure is the best way to protect people from cars.
Pedestrian/bike only infrastructure is the best way to protect people from cars.
A frequent reason given whey we can’t have infrastructure for walking, wheelchairs, bicycles and scooters is funding: “it’s expensive.” NYC has created safe pedestrian spaces all over the city with large rocks. Rocks are cheap.
June 26, 2025 at 3:51 PM
A frequent reason given whey we can’t have infrastructure for walking, wheelchairs, bicycles and scooters is funding: “it’s expensive.” NYC has created safe pedestrian spaces all over the city with large rocks. Rocks are cheap.
Its possible to design far less lethal transportation system. Injury and death is *literally baked into* US traffic engineering standards. I am unaware of any other type of engineering *particularly civil engineering* with a design tolerance of 5 deaths/node/year.
June 20, 2025 at 2:42 PM
Its possible to design far less lethal transportation system. Injury and death is *literally baked into* US traffic engineering standards. I am unaware of any other type of engineering *particularly civil engineering* with a design tolerance of 5 deaths/node/year.
When discussing traffic violence it’s important to distinguish between imposing costs, risks, harms and bearing those harms. Between hurting or killing someone and *being* hurt and killed.
Virtually *all* the costs, pollution and lethal force in our transportation system comes from one mode: cars.
Virtually *all* the costs, pollution and lethal force in our transportation system comes from one mode: cars.
June 1, 2025 at 4:00 PM
When discussing traffic violence it’s important to distinguish between imposing costs, risks, harms and bearing those harms. Between hurting or killing someone and *being* hurt and killed.
Virtually *all* the costs, pollution and lethal force in our transportation system comes from one mode: cars.
Virtually *all* the costs, pollution and lethal force in our transportation system comes from one mode: cars.
I have so many friends whose little ones HATE the car seat. They have to be strapped in like they’re being shot into space and cars *still* manage to be the leading cause of child traumatic injury and a leading cause of death for young children.
June 1, 2025 at 3:57 PM
I have so many friends whose little ones HATE the car seat. They have to be strapped in like they’re being shot into space and cars *still* manage to be the leading cause of child traumatic injury and a leading cause of death for young children.
The headways at Millbrae *the* major station between San Francisco and Silicon Valley and BART connection is 30 minutes at 7:50 on a Saturday night. The next train isn’t until 8:16.
Our region has wealth, stated progressive values and perfect weather. There is no good reason we are so car centric.
Our region has wealth, stated progressive values and perfect weather. There is no good reason we are so car centric.
June 1, 2025 at 3:06 AM
The headways at Millbrae *the* major station between San Francisco and Silicon Valley and BART connection is 30 minutes at 7:50 on a Saturday night. The next train isn’t until 8:16.
Our region has wealth, stated progressive values and perfect weather. There is no good reason we are so car centric.
Our region has wealth, stated progressive values and perfect weather. There is no good reason we are so car centric.
“The best indicator of the quality of public spaces is the age of children who are free to roam around on their own.” - Eva Kail (Vienna urbanist) @nacto.bsky.social
This is a good rubric for evaluating subjective and objective safety: “Would I let a beloved child walk or play alone here?”
This is a good rubric for evaluating subjective and objective safety: “Would I let a beloved child walk or play alone here?”
May 29, 2025 at 6:23 PM
“The best indicator of the quality of public spaces is the age of children who are free to roam around on their own.” - Eva Kail (Vienna urbanist) @nacto.bsky.social
This is a good rubric for evaluating subjective and objective safety: “Would I let a beloved child walk or play alone here?”
This is a good rubric for evaluating subjective and objective safety: “Would I let a beloved child walk or play alone here?”
“Time is the most valuable thing we have…Every day we do something well, we improve people’s lives.” - @wmatagm.bsky.social
Transit doesn’t just improve lives. It saves them. It is 30-70 times safer than driving and among the most important public health interventions available to us.
Transit doesn’t just improve lives. It saves them. It is 30-70 times safer than driving and among the most important public health interventions available to us.
May 29, 2025 at 12:51 PM
“Time is the most valuable thing we have…Every day we do something well, we improve people’s lives.” - @wmatagm.bsky.social
Transit doesn’t just improve lives. It saves them. It is 30-70 times safer than driving and among the most important public health interventions available to us.
Transit doesn’t just improve lives. It saves them. It is 30-70 times safer than driving and among the most important public health interventions available to us.
I’m so grateful to be able to attend the 2025 @nacto.bsky.social conference. This is a group of amazing people who want our cities to be great and for everyone to get where they need to go joyfully and safely.
May 28, 2025 at 5:39 PM
I’m so grateful to be able to attend the 2025 @nacto.bsky.social conference. This is a group of amazing people who want our cities to be great and for everyone to get where they need to go joyfully and safely.
The public sphere used to be glorious. Now so much of it is neglected, degraded and defunded. I wish we could get that part of American greatness back.
May 27, 2025 at 11:06 PM
The public sphere used to be glorious. Now so much of it is neglected, degraded and defunded. I wish we could get that part of American greatness back.
“Transportation corridors” is a rebranding of urban highways: those big, ugly, traffic clogged roads that cut through every city. They are invariably high noise and air pollution, injury and fatality corridors. Setting housing back protects people from these exposures. @completedstreets.bsky.social
May 21, 2025 at 2:08 PM
“Transportation corridors” is a rebranding of urban highways: those big, ugly, traffic clogged roads that cut through every city. They are invariably high noise and air pollution, injury and fatality corridors. Setting housing back protects people from these exposures. @completedstreets.bsky.social
Americans accept tens of thousands of deaths and *millions* of injuries every year of disproportionately young, healthy people as the reasonable cost of riding around cities in motorized easy chairs and if you say that’s an unacceptable and insane price to pay you sound like a crazy person.
May 21, 2025 at 4:48 AM
Americans accept tens of thousands of deaths and *millions* of injuries every year of disproportionately young, healthy people as the reasonable cost of riding around cities in motorized easy chairs and if you say that’s an unacceptable and insane price to pay you sound like a crazy person.
Public health, public policy and elected service should all have the same goal: advance the health, safety and flourishing of human life and ensure that those benefits are available to *all* members of our society. I love to see this all come together. Abundance @siepr.bsky.social
May 15, 2025 at 5:13 PM
Public health, public policy and elected service should all have the same goal: advance the health, safety and flourishing of human life and ensure that those benefits are available to *all* members of our society. I love to see this all come together. Abundance @siepr.bsky.social
Today I saw our season’s first teddy bear bee. For some reason the other bees are *always* picking on these sweet little guys. They NEVER fight back. They’re so gentle. Unfortunately bees are difficult to discipline.
May 11, 2025 at 4:12 AM
Today I saw our season’s first teddy bear bee. For some reason the other bees are *always* picking on these sweet little guys. They NEVER fight back. They’re so gentle. Unfortunately bees are difficult to discipline.
The intern cohort for the San Mateo API Caucus intern class has gone from 8 to a cap of 20. Kids are hungry to make a difference.
May 10, 2025 at 2:58 AM
The intern cohort for the San Mateo API Caucus intern class has gone from 8 to a cap of 20. Kids are hungry to make a difference.
I’m headed to the city council meeting on one of the many @samtrans.com buses from my neighborhood: clean, convenient and friendly.
There is amazing transit for RWC District 3!
There is amazing transit for RWC District 3!
April 29, 2025 at 12:40 AM
I’m headed to the city council meeting on one of the many @samtrans.com buses from my neighborhood: clean, convenient and friendly.
There is amazing transit for RWC District 3!
There is amazing transit for RWC District 3!
Guns are the number one cause of child death, but automobile crash deaths are not far behind, have been #1 for decades and crash injuries outnumber gun injuries 24:1. These are the real problems HHS should be focused on.
April 23, 2025 at 7:16 PM
Guns are the number one cause of child death, but automobile crash deaths are not far behind, have been #1 for decades and crash injuries outnumber gun injuries 24:1. These are the real problems HHS should be focused on.
Is there anything better than trains?
April 23, 2025 at 5:34 PM
Is there anything better than trains?
I had occasion to use a @thronebathrooms.bsky.social facility at the Sunnyvale station. They have cracked the code of providing clean, high quality public restrooms. Absolutely outstanding work. It was sparking clean, fully stocked and even played nice music while in use for auditory privacy. 🥇🚽🥇
April 23, 2025 at 3:22 PM
I had occasion to use a @thronebathrooms.bsky.social facility at the Sunnyvale station. They have cracked the code of providing clean, high quality public restrooms. Absolutely outstanding work. It was sparking clean, fully stocked and even played nice music while in use for auditory privacy. 🥇🚽🥇
Musk:
1. Declares himself Dark MAGA
2. Spends hundreds of millions to buy a “co-presidency.”
3. Uses the power he bought to destroy everything progressives hold dear, including democracy itself.
4. Expresses shock that the people he declared war on will not buy his products anymore.
1. Declares himself Dark MAGA
2. Spends hundreds of millions to buy a “co-presidency.”
3. Uses the power he bought to destroy everything progressives hold dear, including democracy itself.
4. Expresses shock that the people he declared war on will not buy his products anymore.
April 23, 2025 at 2:47 PM
Musk:
1. Declares himself Dark MAGA
2. Spends hundreds of millions to buy a “co-presidency.”
3. Uses the power he bought to destroy everything progressives hold dear, including democracy itself.
4. Expresses shock that the people he declared war on will not buy his products anymore.
1. Declares himself Dark MAGA
2. Spends hundreds of millions to buy a “co-presidency.”
3. Uses the power he bought to destroy everything progressives hold dear, including democracy itself.
4. Expresses shock that the people he declared war on will not buy his products anymore.
Eh, they kind of do. This guy seems like a wonderful, upstanding, hardworking, responsible young man.
April 18, 2025 at 5:06 PM
Eh, they kind of do. This guy seems like a wonderful, upstanding, hardworking, responsible young man.
I asked once why @scottwiener.bsky.social is so effective and so popular. They said "He is relentless in his pursuit of what is right, regardless of whether it's politically popular."
People admire courage, conviction and moral excellence. Good leaders are not thermometers. They're thermostats.
People admire courage, conviction and moral excellence. Good leaders are not thermometers. They're thermostats.
April 18, 2025 at 4:50 PM
I asked once why @scottwiener.bsky.social is so effective and so popular. They said "He is relentless in his pursuit of what is right, regardless of whether it's politically popular."
People admire courage, conviction and moral excellence. Good leaders are not thermometers. They're thermostats.
People admire courage, conviction and moral excellence. Good leaders are not thermometers. They're thermostats.
America’s auto arms race which results in ever bigger, heavier cars has enormous economic, climate and health costs. These cars have poor sight lines and result in much higher lethality when they are involved in a crash. We could save so many lives and so much money with smaller, lighter cars.
April 15, 2025 at 3:14 PM
America’s auto arms race which results in ever bigger, heavier cars has enormous economic, climate and health costs. These cars have poor sight lines and result in much higher lethality when they are involved in a crash. We could save so many lives and so much money with smaller, lighter cars.