Steven Higashide
@stevenhigashide.com
Fighting for clean transportation at @ucsusa.bsky.social. Author, BETTER BUSES, BETTER CITIES + JUSTICE AND THE INTERSTATES. Posts my own opinion.
The trucking industry contributes $60 billion to surface transportation every year. A fair share would be closer to $150 billion.
Important fact to keep in mind as Congress debates a new transportation bill and the trucking industry lobbies for lower taxes.
Important fact to keep in mind as Congress debates a new transportation bill and the trucking industry lobbies for lower taxes.
The trucking industry keeps our economy moving—but that doesn’t give it a free pass for its negative impacts. From pollution in frontline communities to heat-trapping emissions and damaged roads and bridges, this fossil-fueled sector must pay its fair share.
Trucks Cause the Lion’s Share of Road Damage—and Their Industry Wants You to Keep Paying for It
There is no reason for US taxpayers to foot the bill for a trillion-dollar per year industry.
blog.ucs.org
November 3, 2025 at 5:30 PM
The trucking industry contributes $60 billion to surface transportation every year. A fair share would be closer to $150 billion.
Important fact to keep in mind as Congress debates a new transportation bill and the trucking industry lobbies for lower taxes.
Important fact to keep in mind as Congress debates a new transportation bill and the trucking industry lobbies for lower taxes.
Was glad to see this. As @davereichmuth.bsky.social wrote for @ucs.org, Toyota has called for the end of EV tax credits; it even asked its employees to lobby Congress to kill California's clean car rules blog.ucs.org/dave-reichmu....
October 27, 2025 at 5:53 PM
Was glad to see this. As @davereichmuth.bsky.social wrote for @ucs.org, Toyota has called for the end of EV tax credits; it even asked its employees to lobby Congress to kill California's clean car rules blog.ucs.org/dave-reichmu....
Last summer, I took a road trip through the Adirondacks in an electric car. It was drama-free - as I wrote for @ucs.org - largely because of a recently added fast charger near "Frontier Town," a convenience store that sells camping supplies and Pakistani food blog.ucs.org/steven-higas...
My Drama-Free EV Road Trip Through New York’s Wild North
The key to the trip was a recently-built charging station in rural Upstate.
blog.ucs.org
October 24, 2025 at 1:32 PM
Last summer, I took a road trip through the Adirondacks in an electric car. It was drama-free - as I wrote for @ucs.org - largely because of a recently added fast charger near "Frontier Town," a convenience store that sells camping supplies and Pakistani food blog.ucs.org/steven-higas...
Reposted by Steven Higashide
It's a sad day when our leaders turn their back on long established science to try and roll back public health protections while the dangers of climate change are palpable on a daily basis. We cannot let this stand. www.ucs.org/about/news/t...
Trump Administration Launches Broadside Attack on Science-Backed Endangerment Finding, Public Health Protections
Trump Administration Launches Broadside Attack on Science-Backed Endangerment Finding, Climate and Public Health Protections
www.ucs.org
July 29, 2025 at 6:50 PM
It's a sad day when our leaders turn their back on long established science to try and roll back public health protections while the dangers of climate change are palpable on a daily basis. We cannot let this stand. www.ucs.org/about/news/t...
Reposted by Steven Higashide
TONIGHT tune in to learn how to make your city's bus system better as we host a book talk with the author of "Better Buses, Better Cities" @stevenhigashide.com
actionnetwork.org/events/bette...
actionnetwork.org/events/bette...
"Better Buses, Better Cities" Book Talk with author Steven Higashide and Transbay Coalition
Join Transbay Coalition's book club for a talk with the author of "Better Buses, Better Cities: How to Plan, Run, and Win the Fight for Effective Transit" Steven Higashide! The virtual event is open t...
actionnetwork.org
July 16, 2025 at 4:40 PM
TONIGHT tune in to learn how to make your city's bus system better as we host a book talk with the author of "Better Buses, Better Cities" @stevenhigashide.com
actionnetwork.org/events/bette...
actionnetwork.org/events/bette...
Reposted by Steven Higashide
Excited to host a virtual book talk with the author of "Better Buses, Better Cities: How to Plan, Run, and Win the Fight for Effective Transit" @stevenhigashide.com. Register today! actionnetwork.org/events/bette...
Get your book through @islandpress.bsky.social at islandpress.org/books/better...
Get your book through @islandpress.bsky.social at islandpress.org/books/better...
actionnetwork.org
June 30, 2025 at 6:16 PM
Excited to host a virtual book talk with the author of "Better Buses, Better Cities: How to Plan, Run, and Win the Fight for Effective Transit" @stevenhigashide.com. Register today! actionnetwork.org/events/bette...
Get your book through @islandpress.bsky.social at islandpress.org/books/better...
Get your book through @islandpress.bsky.social at islandpress.org/books/better...
Reposted by Steven Higashide
useful piece for people who might be wavering on Zohran. from the outside he seems like a smart guy who is willing to build alliances with more experienced folks like Lander, I think that is key
Here it is: my urbanist NYC voter guide. While Zellnor Myrie and Brad Lander are (by far) the best candidates, you’re going to have to rank either Zohran or Cuomo if you want your vote to count.
I dove deep into this decision and came to the conclusion that Zohran is the superior choice.
I dove deep into this decision and came to the conclusion that Zohran is the superior choice.
An Urbanist NYC Voter Guide
And the pragmatic case for Zohran Mamdani over Andrew Cuomo
bettercities.substack.com
June 18, 2025 at 1:28 PM
useful piece for people who might be wavering on Zohran. from the outside he seems like a smart guy who is willing to build alliances with more experienced folks like Lander, I think that is key
Reposted by Steven Higashide
"The Elizabeth Line in London is used by more than twice as many people as expected, for example. For some reason, this is not being treated as a massive embarrassment, nearly as bad as a 100% cost overrun." backofmind.substack.com/p/department...
department of what now?
voices from the beehive, part 4
backofmind.substack.com
June 6, 2025 at 3:14 PM
"The Elizabeth Line in London is used by more than twice as many people as expected, for example. For some reason, this is not being treated as a massive embarrassment, nearly as bad as a 100% cost overrun." backofmind.substack.com/p/department...
Reposted by Steven Higashide
Cuts have consequences, illustrated. As seen on TV 📺
June 3, 2025 at 12:45 AM
Cuts have consequences, illustrated. As seen on TV 📺
“Everybody will say, ‘Silicon Valley’s reinventing the bus again.' But it’s more like they’re reinventing a worse bus”: @kevshen.bsky.social in @grist.org grist.org/transportati...
Uber's new shuttles look suspiciously familiar to anyone who's taken a bus
Beyond the jokes about Uber inventing bus lines are serious questions about what its shuttle service will mean for struggling transit systems, air quality, and congestion.
grist.org
June 4, 2025 at 1:40 PM
“Everybody will say, ‘Silicon Valley’s reinventing the bus again.' But it’s more like they’re reinventing a worse bus”: @kevshen.bsky.social in @grist.org grist.org/transportati...
Reposted by Steven Higashide
Powerful non-partisan moment on the Weather & Climate Livestream as fired NOAA employees address the popular belief that voters in red states should "get what they voted for."
wclivestream.com/watch/
wclivestream.com/watch/
May 30, 2025 at 5:52 AM
Powerful non-partisan moment on the Weather & Climate Livestream as fired NOAA employees address the popular belief that voters in red states should "get what they voted for."
wclivestream.com/watch/
wclivestream.com/watch/
For decades, U.S. residents have had the experience of traveling, riding public transportation networks that blow ours out of the water, and asking "Why can't we have that here?" Would be ironic to see the same thing happen to the experience of driving!
“In just a few years, U.S. consumers may go on vacation abroad and discover that their rental car or taxi is running on a technology that looks different and is in many ways more attractive than what is available at home.” www.csis.org/analysis/wha...
What’s Missing from the U.S. Debate on Electric Vehicles
Proposed policies by Congress and the administration aimed at slowing the EV industry would have negative implications for innovation in the United States and the development of local EV value chains.
www.csis.org
May 30, 2025 at 2:06 PM
For decades, U.S. residents have had the experience of traveling, riding public transportation networks that blow ours out of the water, and asking "Why can't we have that here?" Would be ironic to see the same thing happen to the experience of driving!
Some toplines:
🔌EV brake wear PM 83% lower than combustion vehicles; tire wear PM ~20% higher due to higher weight
☁️40% of brake PM goes airborne compared to 1-5% of tire PM
🚇Model: 5x reduction of non-exhaust emissions (in London) from shifting trips to public transit vs. faster electrification
🔌EV brake wear PM 83% lower than combustion vehicles; tire wear PM ~20% higher due to higher weight
☁️40% of brake PM goes airborne compared to 1-5% of tire PM
🚇Model: 5x reduction of non-exhaust emissions (in London) from shifting trips to public transit vs. faster electrification
🚨 New study: with exhaust emissions down, brake, tyre & road wear are now the dominant source of PM emitted by vehicles in cities. Electrifying fleets helps—but shifting from cars to public transport cuts PM up to 5x more.
Released today at #ITF2025 👉 www.eiturbanmobility.eu/knowledge-hu...
Released today at #ITF2025 👉 www.eiturbanmobility.eu/knowledge-hu...
May 29, 2025 at 2:13 PM
Some toplines:
🔌EV brake wear PM 83% lower than combustion vehicles; tire wear PM ~20% higher due to higher weight
☁️40% of brake PM goes airborne compared to 1-5% of tire PM
🚇Model: 5x reduction of non-exhaust emissions (in London) from shifting trips to public transit vs. faster electrification
🔌EV brake wear PM 83% lower than combustion vehicles; tire wear PM ~20% higher due to higher weight
☁️40% of brake PM goes airborne compared to 1-5% of tire PM
🚇Model: 5x reduction of non-exhaust emissions (in London) from shifting trips to public transit vs. faster electrification
Reposted by Steven Higashide
Actual quotes from the Dallas Fed's monthly manufacturing report:
"Business sucks"
"DOGE has killed us. Our customers are fighting tariff increases and dramatic funding cuts from USDA and USAID."
"We have a large order delayed until 2026."
www.dallasfed.org/research/sur...
"Business sucks"
"DOGE has killed us. Our customers are fighting tariff increases and dramatic funding cuts from USDA and USAID."
"We have a large order delayed until 2026."
www.dallasfed.org/research/sur...
Texas manufacturing production flat, new orders fall
Texas factory activity held steady in May, according to business executives responding to the Texas Manufacturing Outlook Survey. The production index, a key measure of state manufacturing conditions,...
www.dallasfed.org
May 28, 2025 at 1:44 PM
Actual quotes from the Dallas Fed's monthly manufacturing report:
"Business sucks"
"DOGE has killed us. Our customers are fighting tariff increases and dramatic funding cuts from USDA and USAID."
"We have a large order delayed until 2026."
www.dallasfed.org/research/sur...
"Business sucks"
"DOGE has killed us. Our customers are fighting tariff increases and dramatic funding cuts from USDA and USAID."
"We have a large order delayed until 2026."
www.dallasfed.org/research/sur...
Reposted by Steven Higashide
For reference, this show is taped 4 blocks from a train station in Hollywood, one of the places in LA with excellent transit connectivity!
I bet at rush hour, @awalkerinla.bsky.social could easily get to the show faster than other guests driving there!
I bet at rush hour, @awalkerinla.bsky.social could easily get to the show faster than other guests driving there!
Huge kudos to @awalkerinla.bsky.social for all she’s done to champion and normalize transit use in LA!
We’re working towards a world where nobody’s mind will be blown if you tell them you took transit to get where you were going.
We’re working towards a world where nobody’s mind will be blown if you tell them you took transit to get where you were going.
May 22, 2025 at 6:46 PM
For reference, this show is taped 4 blocks from a train station in Hollywood, one of the places in LA with excellent transit connectivity!
I bet at rush hour, @awalkerinla.bsky.social could easily get to the show faster than other guests driving there!
I bet at rush hour, @awalkerinla.bsky.social could easily get to the show faster than other guests driving there!
Reposted by Steven Higashide
Demand for transportation options is growing - people are increasingly choosing transit 🚌🚇. But still over half of the country’s population does not live near any transit whatsoever. Meanwhile, agencies' hard-earned recovery faces the threat of fiscal cliffs.
Read more: blog.ucs.org/kshen/how-mu...
Read more: blog.ucs.org/kshen/how-mu...
How Much Transit Investment Is Needed to Get Back to “Normal”?
Transit is essential for the climate, our health, and our pocketbooks, but was never set up for success in transportation policy. While transit agencies in the United States have made slight increases...
blog.ucs.org
May 22, 2025 at 1:35 PM
Demand for transportation options is growing - people are increasingly choosing transit 🚌🚇. But still over half of the country’s population does not live near any transit whatsoever. Meanwhile, agencies' hard-earned recovery faces the threat of fiscal cliffs.
Read more: blog.ucs.org/kshen/how-mu...
Read more: blog.ucs.org/kshen/how-mu...
“This could be the start of a new kind of freight system. One that’s better for our health, as well as delivering significant operational savings to fleets. So, let's not undercut this remarkable advance in technology at this critical moment.” www.govtech.com/transportati...
Transportation, Energy Leaders Urge Congress to Save Incentives
Proposed legislation would gut key components of the Inflation Reduction Act and potentially sideline the nation’s innovation growth in energy and transportation. On Thursday, executives in these sect...
www.govtech.com
May 20, 2025 at 7:42 PM
“This could be the start of a new kind of freight system. One that’s better for our health, as well as delivering significant operational savings to fleets. So, let's not undercut this remarkable advance in technology at this critical moment.” www.govtech.com/transportati...
The Prius has given #Toyota a pro-environment reputation that covers up the fact that the company does more than any other automaker to fight climate solutions.
Toyota is even asking its own employees to lobby Congress to kill California's clean vehicle rules.
Toyota is even asking its own employees to lobby Congress to kill California's clean vehicle rules.
California can’t clean its air or slow climate change without switching from gasoline to electricity. But there’s a roadblock: the biggest car seller in the state is one of the most vocal opponents to a transition away from fossil fuels. blog.ucs.org/dave-reichmu...
Why Does Toyota Oppose Clean Air?
There is no way to protect our health and our climate by simply making better gasoline cars.
blog.ucs.org
May 14, 2025 at 3:25 PM
The Prius has given #Toyota a pro-environment reputation that covers up the fact that the company does more than any other automaker to fight climate solutions.
Toyota is even asking its own employees to lobby Congress to kill California's clean vehicle rules.
Toyota is even asking its own employees to lobby Congress to kill California's clean vehicle rules.
Reposted by Steven Higashide
Last week I received notice that FHWA’s INVEST tool—a resource launched in 2012 to help transportation agencies evaluate the sustainability of their programs and projects—will no longer be available starting this June. www.sustainablehighways.org
Welcome to INVEST Version 1.3! | INVEST - Sustainable Highways Self-Evaluation Tool | Federal Highway Administration
www.sustainablehighways.org
May 9, 2025 at 5:08 PM
Last week I received notice that FHWA’s INVEST tool—a resource launched in 2012 to help transportation agencies evaluate the sustainability of their programs and projects—will no longer be available starting this June. www.sustainablehighways.org
100 days of this administration, over 200 separate documented attacks on science (as tracked by @ucsusa.bsky.social - blog.ucs.org/jules-barbat...)
savesciencenow.org
savesciencenow.org
www.youtube.com
April 30, 2025 at 3:07 PM
100 days of this administration, over 200 separate documented attacks on science (as tracked by @ucsusa.bsky.social - blog.ucs.org/jules-barbat...)
savesciencenow.org
savesciencenow.org
The US declared the interstate highway system complete in 1992 and last raised federal fuel taxes in 1993.
Since then, the US has continued to massively expand roads, and the cost of building those roads has increased. Three decades of expanding the road network while keeping the gas tax unchanged.
Since then, the US has continued to massively expand roads, and the cost of building those roads has increased. Three decades of expanding the road network while keeping the gas tax unchanged.
House T&I is talking Highway Trust Fund right now, but they're missing the big point: it's not just what we're paying into the fund that's causing it to go bankrupt, but our insatiable desire for more, and evermore expensive, roads. blog.ucs.org/dave-cooke/t...
The Truth Is Out There: The Cost of Roads Is Bankrupting the Highway Trust Fund, Not Electric Vehicles
The continued build out of the freeway system creates an ever-increasing cost spiral for infrastructure built.
blog.ucs.org
April 30, 2025 at 1:52 PM
The US declared the interstate highway system complete in 1992 and last raised federal fuel taxes in 1993.
Since then, the US has continued to massively expand roads, and the cost of building those roads has increased. Three decades of expanding the road network while keeping the gas tax unchanged.
Since then, the US has continued to massively expand roads, and the cost of building those roads has increased. Three decades of expanding the road network while keeping the gas tax unchanged.
Reposted by Steven Higashide
Most rail services in the US still use polluting diesel locomotives. Recently, our commuter rail system in San Francisco, @caltrain.com, was electrified.
Good news: we found DRAMATIC air quality improvements once the electric trains replaced the diesels.
pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...
Good news: we found DRAMATIC air quality improvements once the electric trains replaced the diesels.
pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...
Dramatic Air Quality Improvements after the Complete Electrification of a Commuter Rail System
To limit the impact of climate change, there is an urgent requirement for infrastructure decarbonization and a transition to lower-emission energy systems. This is expected to result in local air qual...
pubs.acs.org
April 16, 2025 at 4:15 PM
Most rail services in the US still use polluting diesel locomotives. Recently, our commuter rail system in San Francisco, @caltrain.com, was electrified.
Good news: we found DRAMATIC air quality improvements once the electric trains replaced the diesels.
pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...
Good news: we found DRAMATIC air quality improvements once the electric trains replaced the diesels.
pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...
Reposted by Steven Higashide
People might think this is an exaggeration but it’s a literal description of what happened in New York, where Cuomo partnered with a small group of turncoat democrats to hand control of the NY Senate to Republicans
April 15, 2025 at 3:28 AM
People might think this is an exaggeration but it’s a literal description of what happened in New York, where Cuomo partnered with a small group of turncoat democrats to hand control of the NY Senate to Republicans
Reposted by Steven Higashide
There's lots of uncertainty surrounding EV policy right now.
However, it's important to remember what we can be certain of: EVs are a critical technology for reducing pollution from transportation.
blog.ucs.org/dave-reichmu...
However, it's important to remember what we can be certain of: EVs are a critical technology for reducing pollution from transportation.
blog.ucs.org/dave-reichmu...
Electric Vehicles Help Combat Climate Change, Here’s Why.
97 percent of the country lives where the average EV is better than the most efficient gasoline vehicle
blog.ucs.org
April 15, 2025 at 4:27 PM
There's lots of uncertainty surrounding EV policy right now.
However, it's important to remember what we can be certain of: EVs are a critical technology for reducing pollution from transportation.
blog.ucs.org/dave-reichmu...
However, it's important to remember what we can be certain of: EVs are a critical technology for reducing pollution from transportation.
blog.ucs.org/dave-reichmu...
Reposted by Steven Higashide
we live in an extraordinarily wealthier society than our parents and grandparents. our problem is that we have not invested enough of that wealth in social goods, but i don’t think anyone actually wants to return to a time when even a “good” factory job was backbreaking labor
April 8, 2025 at 12:45 PM
we live in an extraordinarily wealthier society than our parents and grandparents. our problem is that we have not invested enough of that wealth in social goods, but i don’t think anyone actually wants to return to a time when even a “good” factory job was backbreaking labor