Martin Scopes
@martinscopes.bsky.social
Reposted by Martin Scopes
Local media is calling it: Katie Wilson will be the next mayor of Seattle.
Wilson ousts Mayor Bruce Harrell after running as a progressive challenger.
Her win is a west coast companion to Mamdani’s as a statement victory for the left.
Wilson ousts Mayor Bruce Harrell after running as a progressive challenger.
Her win is a west coast companion to Mamdani’s as a statement victory for the left.
November 13, 2025 at 12:12 AM
Local media is calling it: Katie Wilson will be the next mayor of Seattle.
Wilson ousts Mayor Bruce Harrell after running as a progressive challenger.
Her win is a west coast companion to Mamdani’s as a statement victory for the left.
Wilson ousts Mayor Bruce Harrell after running as a progressive challenger.
Her win is a west coast companion to Mamdani’s as a statement victory for the left.
First time closely following a Seattle election and man this is terrifying and unending!
Small uptick in the # of outstanding ballots in Seattle (=mail ballots still count if they're postmarked by Election Day).
Math is that Katie Wilson must win what's left by 9.4% (down from 9.6% before this update). That'd be better than what she got yesterday, let alone before. Decisive drop today.
Math is that Katie Wilson must win what's left by 9.4% (down from 9.6% before this update). That'd be better than what she got yesterday, let alone before. Decisive drop today.
As of 8:00am today, King County Elections is reporting that turnout in the City of Seattle has reached 55.19% with 278,906 ballots received.
November 7, 2025 at 7:00 PM
First time closely following a Seattle election and man this is terrifying and unending!
Reposted by Martin Scopes
Why do we prevent cities from being cities? This shit is maddening.
One correction on corner stores: the Comp Plan legislation does allow "restaurants" (now on all parts of a block not just literal corners!), just not "drinking establishments." CM Rinck's amendment would have allowed the broader category which includes both. See: library.municode.com/wa/seattle/c...
September 24, 2025 at 11:24 PM
Why do we prevent cities from being cities? This shit is maddening.
Reposted by Martin Scopes
Update: Work on 31st St. bike lane has been temporarily halted by the courts. This is why there is NO POINT in DOT trying to listen to or work with Car Karens.
August 11, 2025 at 7:48 PM
Update: Work on 31st St. bike lane has been temporarily halted by the courts. This is why there is NO POINT in DOT trying to listen to or work with Car Karens.
So glad Zohran won. Adrienne Adams is as much to blame for this as Eric.
Every neighborhood in NYC should have multiple options for outdoor dining. The fact that it now appears to be the near-exclusive province of wealthier neighborhoods in Manhattan and Brooklyn is a huge failing of the administration and City Council. hellgatenyc.com/outdoor-dini...
Thanks to New Rules, Outdoor Dining Is Mostly for Rich Neighborhoods Again
New data shows that with the elimination of year-round outdoor dining, just 2.2 percent of restaurants with roadway dining are in neighborhoods with median incomes of $60,000 or less.
hellgatenyc.com
August 1, 2025 at 12:08 AM
So glad Zohran won. Adrienne Adams is as much to blame for this as Eric.
This really does seem to be the political divide in this city. Conservatives don’t even pretend to like NYC anymore. Why on earth should we let them lead it?
The real problem conservatives are going to have is that there isn't a single person in the city on the center or right who seems like they actually like it here
July 11, 2025 at 7:39 PM
This really does seem to be the political divide in this city. Conservatives don’t even pretend to like NYC anymore. Why on earth should we let them lead it?
Reposted by Martin Scopes
Lander: "This much is clear. We are sending Andrew Cuomo back to the suburbs."
June 25, 2025 at 2:08 AM
Lander: "This much is clear. We are sending Andrew Cuomo back to the suburbs."
Reposted by Martin Scopes
A 'War on Pedestrians'?
Most public street space in American cities is handed over to single occupancy cars for private use at unsafe speeds. Not everyone is happy about it.
Most public street space in American cities is handed over to single occupancy cars for private use at unsafe speeds. Not everyone is happy about it.
May 30, 2025 at 1:12 AM
A 'War on Pedestrians'?
Most public street space in American cities is handed over to single occupancy cars for private use at unsafe speeds. Not everyone is happy about it.
Most public street space in American cities is handed over to single occupancy cars for private use at unsafe speeds. Not everyone is happy about it.
Reposted by Martin Scopes
Auto drivers are licensed; you let them walk away from serious/fatal crashes with no charges. I could provide a list of suspects who you allowed to lie to escape consequences
So which is it? There should be consequences for imagined harm but not real harm, or there should be no consequences?
So which is it? There should be consequences for imagined harm but not real harm, or there should be no consequences?
NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch doubles down on her cycling criminalization campaign, saying e-bike licensing is the only other option.
Tisch Reveals Real Reason for Her E-Bike Crackdown: E-Bike Licensing - Streetsblog New York City
NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch doubles down on her cycling criminalization campaign, saying e-bike licensing is the only other option.
nyc.streetsblog.org
May 30, 2025 at 12:36 PM
Auto drivers are licensed; you let them walk away from serious/fatal crashes with no charges. I could provide a list of suspects who you allowed to lie to escape consequences
So which is it? There should be consequences for imagined harm but not real harm, or there should be no consequences?
So which is it? There should be consequences for imagined harm but not real harm, or there should be no consequences?
Reposted by Martin Scopes
who will win? nyc emergency vehicles vs a lane of illegally parked cars
May 25, 2025 at 9:08 PM
who will win? nyc emergency vehicles vs a lane of illegally parked cars
Reposted by Martin Scopes
huge own goal by Hochul to delay it
The wording of the question has changed, but congestion pricing is now at -2 statewide; +10 in NYC in this month's Siena poll. That's a 20 point swing from -22 statewide shortly before launch in December.
December poll: scri.siena.edu/wp-content/u...
May poll: scri.siena.edu/wp-content/u...
December poll: scri.siena.edu/wp-content/u...
May poll: scri.siena.edu/wp-content/u...
May 20, 2025 at 4:13 PM
huge own goal by Hochul to delay it
Reposted by Martin Scopes
The wording of the question has changed, but congestion pricing is now at -2 statewide; +10 in NYC in this month's Siena poll. That's a 20 point swing from -22 statewide shortly before launch in December.
December poll: scri.siena.edu/wp-content/u...
May poll: scri.siena.edu/wp-content/u...
December poll: scri.siena.edu/wp-content/u...
May poll: scri.siena.edu/wp-content/u...
May 20, 2025 at 2:01 PM
The wording of the question has changed, but congestion pricing is now at -2 statewide; +10 in NYC in this month's Siena poll. That's a 20 point swing from -22 statewide shortly before launch in December.
December poll: scri.siena.edu/wp-content/u...
May poll: scri.siena.edu/wp-content/u...
December poll: scri.siena.edu/wp-content/u...
May poll: scri.siena.edu/wp-content/u...
The governor who won’t stop crying about congestion pricing isn’t doing anything to stop this.
“I’m stuck, I need to go to Trenton,” the 63-year-old construction worker told the Daily News.
“I went to the Amtrak to try to see if I can get it to get to work,” he added. “But when I went to the ticket booth, the guy told me that the ticket was $108 — and I only have $70 in my wallet.”
“I went to the Amtrak to try to see if I can get it to get to work,” he added. “But when I went to the ticket booth, the guy told me that the ticket was $108 — and I only have $70 in my wallet.”
NJ Transit engineers strike leaves Penn Station quiet, NYC commuters in limbo
New Yorkers looking to make a reverse commute into the Garden State were flummoxed on Friday, hours after NJ Transit’s 450 engineers went on strike in the early morning hours over a long-runn…
www.nydailynews.com
May 16, 2025 at 2:52 PM
The governor who won’t stop crying about congestion pricing isn’t doing anything to stop this.
Reposted by Martin Scopes
Technically on an hourly basis, given there are 10+ car crashes on average every hour in NYC
So cyclists in NYC are being fucked because this rabid oligarch, Merryl Tisch, owns the police through her daughter. Meanwhile car drivers violate red lights and other traffic laws with devastating consequences to others and none to themselves, on a daily basis.
"What are you doing to slow the bikes down? What are you doing to cause compliance with law for the bikes?" said the NYPD Commissioner's mother at a Public Design Commission hearing — the same day that her daughter quietly began a new cyclist criminalization policy.
May 16, 2025 at 2:32 PM
Technically on an hourly basis, given there are 10+ car crashes on average every hour in NYC
Reposted by Martin Scopes
This absolutely should not be a decision left to the judges. Go park in the garage at the hotel across the street.
Park by Brooklyn Borough Hall could get big upgrades if judges give up parking spots https://gothamist.com/news/park-by-brooklyn-borough-hall-could-get-big-upgrades-if-judges-give-up-parking-spots
Park by Brooklyn Borough Hall could get big upgrades if judges give up parking spots
The area around Brooklyn Borough Hall would be overhauled under a new proposal.
A new skatepark, green space and pavilion are part of the proposal for Cadman Plaza and Columbus Park. [ more › ]
gothamist.com
May 15, 2025 at 7:11 PM
This absolutely should not be a decision left to the judges. Go park in the garage at the hotel across the street.
When people fight against street redesigns, they are admitting they care more about space for cars than they do the well being of their neighbors.
nyc.streetsblog.org/2025/02/19/s...
nyc.streetsblog.org/2025/02/19/s...
Safety First on Third: DOT Numbers Show a Roadway Safer for All Users - Streetsblog New York City
Say it again: Bike lanes make roadways safer for all users.
nyc.streetsblog.org
February 19, 2025 at 12:19 PM
When people fight against street redesigns, they are admitting they care more about space for cars than they do the well being of their neighbors.
nyc.streetsblog.org/2025/02/19/s...
nyc.streetsblog.org/2025/02/19/s...
NYC drivers just want to break the law with no repercussions ever. Least serious group in the city.
pretty interesting how all the “law and order” conservatives think they should be able to break any traffic laws they want
January 16, 2025 at 10:23 PM
NYC drivers just want to break the law with no repercussions ever. Least serious group in the city.
It’s early but it’s wild how well even this watered down congestion pricing is working. We really need to triple down on good policy.
January 9, 2025 at 5:41 PM
It’s early but it’s wild how well even this watered down congestion pricing is working. We really need to triple down on good policy.
Reposted by Martin Scopes
In 2019 I was pitted against David Weprin on the radio and he couldn't come up with any way to fund the MTA beside CP.
Tolling car trips in a city w/ ample mass transit simply makes sense: Too many cars slows the economy down. That's why we have the mass transit!
www.wbur.org/onpoint/2019...
Tolling car trips in a city w/ ample mass transit simply makes sense: Too many cars slows the economy down. That's why we have the mass transit!
www.wbur.org/onpoint/2019...
What's Better Than Sitting In NYC Traffic? Paying To Sit In NYC Traffic
New York and congestion pricing. To reduce traffic and air pollution, motorists will have to pay more to drive in the city’s congested areas. Has it worked in other international cities?
www.wbur.org
January 4, 2025 at 9:41 PM
In 2019 I was pitted against David Weprin on the radio and he couldn't come up with any way to fund the MTA beside CP.
Tolling car trips in a city w/ ample mass transit simply makes sense: Too many cars slows the economy down. That's why we have the mass transit!
www.wbur.org/onpoint/2019...
Tolling car trips in a city w/ ample mass transit simply makes sense: Too many cars slows the economy down. That's why we have the mass transit!
www.wbur.org/onpoint/2019...
Reposted by Martin Scopes
New Jersey transit riders (and drivers) should be livid about this. Your governor does not want to help you.
John Richman, a lawyer for pro-congestion pricing amici clients in New York and New Jersey is criticizing Gov. Phil Murphy for rejecting New York’s purported nine-figure settlement offer on this case
January 4, 2025 at 2:19 AM
New Jersey transit riders (and drivers) should be livid about this. Your governor does not want to help you.
Reposted by Martin Scopes
As Hour 5 of this circus begins, a thought: If New York State doesn’t begin to sue New Jersey every time they raise turnpike tolls or the NJ Transit fare at this point, the charade today will be a win for the Garden State trying to assert itself into management of New York streets.
January 4, 2025 at 12:02 AM
As Hour 5 of this circus begins, a thought: If New York State doesn’t begin to sue New Jersey every time they raise turnpike tolls or the NJ Transit fare at this point, the charade today will be a win for the Garden State trying to assert itself into management of New York streets.
Oh my god thank goodness. What a rollercoaster
Just in: New Jersey’s request for a TRO has been denied. Congestion pricing goes live in 27 hours and 36 minutes.
January 4, 2025 at 1:37 AM
Oh my god thank goodness. What a rollercoaster
Reposted by Martin Scopes
Just in: New Jersey’s request for a TRO has been denied. Congestion pricing goes live in 27 hours and 36 minutes.
January 4, 2025 at 1:34 AM
Just in: New Jersey’s request for a TRO has been denied. Congestion pricing goes live in 27 hours and 36 minutes.
Reposted by Martin Scopes
donuts in Times Square - and lack of enforcement is equally normalized.
January 3, 2025 at 11:10 PM
donuts in Times Square - and lack of enforcement is equally normalized.