PhoebeRock
@phoeberock.bsky.social
Bikes, transportation, urbanism, San Francisco, freight. Mostly lurk, maybe will post more here
Reposted by PhoebeRock
Finally put all of my microblogged thoughts into one place! Why groceries in NYC are so expensive and low-quality, and what can be done to fix it...
Why are supermarket prices actually so high in New York City? The great @stephenjacobsmith.com does a deep dive into the real-world forces that keep many grocery stores out. We promise you'll learn a thing or two or five.
www.vitalcitynyc.org/articles/nyc...
www.vitalcitynyc.org/articles/nyc...
Vital City | The Real Reasons New Yorkers’ Groceries Cost So Much
Mamdani’s public supermarket proposal is a distraction. To get cheaper apples, the Big Apple must correctly diagnose why prices are high.
www.vitalcitynyc.org
January 14, 2026 at 6:21 PM
Finally put all of my microblogged thoughts into one place! Why groceries in NYC are so expensive and low-quality, and what can be done to fix it...
Reposted by PhoebeRock
The story of GTFS is so cool, it really captures the vibe and hope around tech in late 2000s/10s
A public servant notices how hard it is to navigate transit in new cities, finds a couple peers who still get Fridays for side projects at Google, and they create a data standard that 100+ countries use
A public servant notices how hard it is to navigate transit in new cities, finds a couple peers who still get Fridays for side projects at Google, and they create a data standard that 100+ countries use
for anyone interested, here is one accessible intro to the history of GTFS: beyondtransparency.org/part-2/pione...
January 2, 2026 at 3:13 PM
The story of GTFS is so cool, it really captures the vibe and hope around tech in late 2000s/10s
A public servant notices how hard it is to navigate transit in new cities, finds a couple peers who still get Fridays for side projects at Google, and they create a data standard that 100+ countries use
A public servant notices how hard it is to navigate transit in new cities, finds a couple peers who still get Fridays for side projects at Google, and they create a data standard that 100+ countries use
Let’s go! There is no harder working and persistent legislator than Weiner. Will be sad to lose him at the state level, but if anyone can make effective lawmaking possible in congress again, it might be Scott Weiner.
It’s official: I’m running for Congress to represent San Francisco!
I’ll fight for our city – against Trump’s takeover, for our values, & for real progress. I’ve delivered on housing, healthcare, clean energy, & civil rights – & I’ll do it again.
Let’s build the future our city & country deserve.
I’ll fight for our city – against Trump’s takeover, for our values, & for real progress. I’ve delivered on housing, healthcare, clean energy, & civil rights – & I’ll do it again.
Let’s build the future our city & country deserve.
October 22, 2025 at 6:28 PM
Let’s go! There is no harder working and persistent legislator than Weiner. Will be sad to lose him at the state level, but if anyone can make effective lawmaking possible in congress again, it might be Scott Weiner.
Reposted by PhoebeRock
"Over half of the e-cargo bike mileage ridden during trials substituted for car use."
doi.org/10.1016/j.jc...
doi.org/10.1016/j.jc...
October 4, 2025 at 3:33 PM
"Over half of the e-cargo bike mileage ridden during trials substituted for car use."
doi.org/10.1016/j.jc...
doi.org/10.1016/j.jc...
Reposted by PhoebeRock
Good morning.
Immigration is good. Trade is good.
There are nuances but they are narrow enough that free and open movement of people and goods should be the default.
Immigration is good. Trade is good.
There are nuances but they are narrow enough that free and open movement of people and goods should be the default.
September 22, 2025 at 11:15 AM
Good morning.
Immigration is good. Trade is good.
There are nuances but they are narrow enough that free and open movement of people and goods should be the default.
Immigration is good. Trade is good.
There are nuances but they are narrow enough that free and open movement of people and goods should be the default.
San Francisco politics is consumed all careful negotiations between ethic voter blocks to ensure every public investment benefits the right group. It is still a mark against Caltrain in funding applications that ridership has higher median income than other services!
When I commuted from San Francisco to study at Stanford in the late 1980s, the San Francisco peninsula rail line @caltrain.com was a primary limiting factor on my education. It ran every two hours and stopped at 10 PM.
Why? 🧵 1/
Why? 🧵 1/
July 15, 2025 at 2:24 AM
San Francisco politics is consumed all careful negotiations between ethic voter blocks to ensure every public investment benefits the right group. It is still a mark against Caltrain in funding applications that ridership has higher median income than other services!
Doesn’t it always seem to go
Don’t know what you got until it’s gone
Don’t know what you got until it’s gone
A majority of Americans (55%) now say the United States should pursue a policy of global free trade, up from 35% in June 2024.
More new data on trade from @global-affairs.bsky.social / @ipsosus.bsky.social : : brnw.ch/21wSqeN
More new data on trade from @global-affairs.bsky.social / @ipsosus.bsky.social : : brnw.ch/21wSqeN
May 5, 2025 at 5:36 PM
Doesn’t it always seem to go
Don’t know what you got until it’s gone
Don’t know what you got until it’s gone
For no reason at all, some of my favorite imported items.
Riese and Muller electric cargo bike. Import cost assuming a standard 40% retail cogs margin: $6000. Now subject to 20% tariffs for coming from Germany, $1200.
Riese and Muller electric cargo bike. Import cost assuming a standard 40% retail cogs margin: $6000. Now subject to 20% tariffs for coming from Germany, $1200.
April 3, 2025 at 8:09 AM
For no reason at all, some of my favorite imported items.
Riese and Muller electric cargo bike. Import cost assuming a standard 40% retail cogs margin: $6000. Now subject to 20% tariffs for coming from Germany, $1200.
Riese and Muller electric cargo bike. Import cost assuming a standard 40% retail cogs margin: $6000. Now subject to 20% tariffs for coming from Germany, $1200.
I love taxes. I encourage others to love taxes (because after all, you don’t pay taxes if you don’t have money! And money is good!). But systematic misuse of our tax data, abusing voluntary compliance, reducing willingness to pay all cut at the heart of our civilized existence. It’s just so dumb.
To review what we from @washingtonpost.com are reporting out of the IRS today:
- Projected tax revenue this year is down 10% ($500 billion) as Trump's downsizing is emboldening tax cheats
- IRS is nearing an agreement with ICE to assist on mass deportations
- Projected tax revenue this year is down 10% ($500 billion) as Trump's downsizing is emboldening tax cheats
- IRS is nearing an agreement with ICE to assist on mass deportations
March 23, 2025 at 12:57 AM
I love taxes. I encourage others to love taxes (because after all, you don’t pay taxes if you don’t have money! And money is good!). But systematic misuse of our tax data, abusing voluntary compliance, reducing willingness to pay all cut at the heart of our civilized existence. It’s just so dumb.
This is how we get West Side BBART for less than $22bn
State capacity is when you have an entire, publicly available set of manuals and standard design solutions for tunnels (and every other component of railways), and the relative reference cost library, also publicly available and updated yearly.
March 21, 2025 at 10:25 PM
This is how we get West Side BBART for less than $22bn
It’s disappointing that @sfchronicle.com spent 1500 words on young people leaving SF and avoided mentioning Prop 13 at all. SF problems are housing problems; CA housing problems are Prop 13 problems.
Front page! Thank you to Connor Letourneau for including me in this @sfchronicle.com housing story.
The Bay Area will always be my home but I will be moving to LA full-time.
www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/s...
The Bay Area will always be my home but I will be moving to LA full-time.
www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/s...
Why 20-somethings are abandoning San Francisco — even when they can afford it
San Francisco’s 20-year-olds are abandoning the city, even when they can afford it. Some say it’s crushing the soul of the city.
www.sfchronicle.com
March 8, 2025 at 9:26 PM
It’s disappointing that @sfchronicle.com spent 1500 words on young people leaving SF and avoided mentioning Prop 13 at all. SF problems are housing problems; CA housing problems are Prop 13 problems.
Reposted by PhoebeRock
Some thoughts on Chinese subways after a bit of riding
1. The platform seems defined by a standard rectangular box with platform screen doors, no obstructing pillars and a combo of escalator and fixed stair. It’s a very attractive product and worthy of emulation.
1. The platform seems defined by a standard rectangular box with platform screen doors, no obstructing pillars and a combo of escalator and fixed stair. It’s a very attractive product and worthy of emulation.
January 25, 2025 at 10:13 AM
Some thoughts on Chinese subways after a bit of riding
1. The platform seems defined by a standard rectangular box with platform screen doors, no obstructing pillars and a combo of escalator and fixed stair. It’s a very attractive product and worthy of emulation.
1. The platform seems defined by a standard rectangular box with platform screen doors, no obstructing pillars and a combo of escalator and fixed stair. It’s a very attractive product and worthy of emulation.
Reposted by PhoebeRock
Reflecting the windshield bias of many in the media, you never see these kinds of stories about people who ride the bus. As in: "Pre-K music teacher says NYC's congestion costs her hours out of every week, eating into her salary."
This article’s got it all! “Working-class” Lower East Side woman with three masters degrees teaching “trauma-informed” music classes at “nearly three dozen Pre-K” classes across the Bronx five days a week says $9 toll will eat up one-sixth of her income www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news...
Pre-K music teacher says NYC's congestion pricing plan will cost her 2 months of her salary
Congestion pricing is set to start in New York City on Jan. 5. One woman who lives in Manhattan's Central Business District says she is one of the working class people it will hurt.
www.cbsnews.com
December 4, 2024 at 7:42 PM
Reflecting the windshield bias of many in the media, you never see these kinds of stories about people who ride the bus. As in: "Pre-K music teacher says NYC's congestion costs her hours out of every week, eating into her salary."
Reposted by PhoebeRock
In one of the strangest chapters of my life, I spent several months in the trenches of Big Headlight, looking to understand just how and why headlights became brighter than the sun. Answers, graphs, penis sketches—it's all here, on the brand new Ringer site:
www.theringer.com/2024/12/03/t...
www.theringer.com/2024/12/03/t...
Asleep at the Wheel in the Headlight Brightness Wars
The crusade against bright headlights has picked up speed in recent years, in large part due to a couple of Reddit nerds. Could they know what’s best for the auto industry better than the auto industr...
www.theringer.com
December 3, 2024 at 6:37 PM
In one of the strangest chapters of my life, I spent several months in the trenches of Big Headlight, looking to understand just how and why headlights became brighter than the sun. Answers, graphs, penis sketches—it's all here, on the brand new Ringer site:
www.theringer.com/2024/12/03/t...
www.theringer.com/2024/12/03/t...
Reposted by PhoebeRock
We all think plastic pollution is a problem, and it is. In the nearly 70 years between 1950 and 2019, the world produced a total of ~9.5 billion tonnes of plastic.
But all the plastic we have EVER produced weighs as much as CO₂ we emitted into the atmosphere during the first three months of 2024!
But all the plastic we have EVER produced weighs as much as CO₂ we emitted into the atmosphere during the first three months of 2024!
November 29, 2024 at 6:44 PM
We all think plastic pollution is a problem, and it is. In the nearly 70 years between 1950 and 2019, the world produced a total of ~9.5 billion tonnes of plastic.
But all the plastic we have EVER produced weighs as much as CO₂ we emitted into the atmosphere during the first three months of 2024!
But all the plastic we have EVER produced weighs as much as CO₂ we emitted into the atmosphere during the first three months of 2024!
Reposted by PhoebeRock
Very few people support or oppose all immigration, no matter what. Most have "conditional preferences," so their opinions depend on the nuanced details of how demonstrably good specific policies are for their countries.
More amazing Dutch coverage of my book by Jesse Frederik on Thanksgiving:
More amazing Dutch coverage of my book by Jesse Frederik on Thanksgiving:
November 28, 2024 at 5:32 PM
Very few people support or oppose all immigration, no matter what. Most have "conditional preferences," so their opinions depend on the nuanced details of how demonstrably good specific policies are for their countries.
More amazing Dutch coverage of my book by Jesse Frederik on Thanksgiving:
More amazing Dutch coverage of my book by Jesse Frederik on Thanksgiving:
Reposted by PhoebeRock
It is very hard to escape the conclusion that the entire Housing Element update process, which is supposed to force cities to find ways to accommodate new housing, is a massive waste of time and resources; and that the state should just objectively upzone.
In LA's Rezoning Sites Inventory, this parcel in Palms has a "realistic capacity" to build 28 units.
In fact, it's designated as a Lower Income Rezoning Site
Somehow they missed that it has a brand-new fucking apartment building on it
In fact, it's designated as a Lower Income Rezoning Site
Somehow they missed that it has a brand-new fucking apartment building on it
November 23, 2024 at 2:00 PM
It is very hard to escape the conclusion that the entire Housing Element update process, which is supposed to force cities to find ways to accommodate new housing, is a massive waste of time and resources; and that the state should just objectively upzone.
Reposted by PhoebeRock
My biggest pet peeve about public transit policy is when its only purpose is seen as commuting to work.
A good transit system is there to support all kinds of trips at all times of the day, not only office commutes. Groceries, football games, coffee shop trips, concerts, etc.
A good transit system is there to support all kinds of trips at all times of the day, not only office commutes. Groceries, football games, coffee shop trips, concerts, etc.
November 20, 2024 at 3:44 PM
My biggest pet peeve about public transit policy is when its only purpose is seen as commuting to work.
A good transit system is there to support all kinds of trips at all times of the day, not only office commutes. Groceries, football games, coffee shop trips, concerts, etc.
A good transit system is there to support all kinds of trips at all times of the day, not only office commutes. Groceries, football games, coffee shop trips, concerts, etc.
Reposted by PhoebeRock
Robert Bechtle, "34th Avenue" (in San Francisco's Richmond district), 1987. Color soft ground etching with aquatint, DeYoung Museum, San Francisco.
November 20, 2024 at 12:40 AM
Robert Bechtle, "34th Avenue" (in San Francisco's Richmond district), 1987. Color soft ground etching with aquatint, DeYoung Museum, San Francisco.
Reposted by PhoebeRock
Knoxville approved building code language to allow single-stair buildings up to six stories. Formally takes effect on Jan. 1, 2025. Boom – first US jurisdiction to get to the finish law since @holz-bau.bsky.social and I started making a fuss about this www.centerforbuilding.org/singlestair-...
November 19, 2024 at 7:04 PM
Knoxville approved building code language to allow single-stair buildings up to six stories. Formally takes effect on Jan. 1, 2025. Boom – first US jurisdiction to get to the finish law since @holz-bau.bsky.social and I started making a fuss about this www.centerforbuilding.org/singlestair-...
I read Emily Henry’s book, Book Lovers this week (great book - recommend for the snappy dialogue and reinterpretation of romance tropes).
But apparently I’m just way too much of a city + transportation person to ignore its gaping world building hole… why didn’t Nora and Libby rent a car??
But apparently I’m just way too much of a city + transportation person to ignore its gaping world building hole… why didn’t Nora and Libby rent a car??
November 11, 2024 at 5:28 PM
I read Emily Henry’s book, Book Lovers this week (great book - recommend for the snappy dialogue and reinterpretation of romance tropes).
But apparently I’m just way too much of a city + transportation person to ignore its gaping world building hole… why didn’t Nora and Libby rent a car??
But apparently I’m just way too much of a city + transportation person to ignore its gaping world building hole… why didn’t Nora and Libby rent a car??
Just signed up the nearly 6yo to Wheel Kids camp for Thanksgiving break. Fingers crossed it lives up to my hopes (and returns the kid to me totally exhausted).
October 14, 2024 at 4:36 AM
Just signed up the nearly 6yo to Wheel Kids camp for Thanksgiving break. Fingers crossed it lives up to my hopes (and returns the kid to me totally exhausted).