iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

David Zipper @davidzipper.bsky.social · 8h

Austria has banned mopeds and e-mopeds from using bike lanes. Makes sense. It's not safe for families with children to share bike lane with couriers traveling at speeds 5x faster. www.bmimi.gv.at/en/service/p...

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David Zipper @davidzipper.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

"E-bike adopters reduced travel costs by 12% and increased physical activity by 14%." doi.org/10.1016/j.ur...

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David Zipper @davidzipper.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Translation: Georgians who use a car little or not at all will subsidize heavy drivers even more than they already are.

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David Zipper @davidzipper.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

I often see misleading stuff like this (from LinkedIn). Reminder: The price of a robotaxi trip reveals nothing about efficiciency or economics. It's hugely subsidized. Remember how cheap Uber and Lyft were a decade ago, back when they were private companies spending investor dollars?

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David Zipper @davidzipper.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Hyper-fast acceleration is dangerous as well as pointless. As I wrote in 2024, the 0-to-60 metric is outdated and needs to die. No driver on a public road needs to go from 0 to 60 mph in under 8 seconds. Even the slowest car on the market is more than quick enough.

fastcompany.com

How fast can a car go from 0 to 60? It really doesn't matter

The auto industry has pushed this metric for decades. But cars—especially EVs—are so fast that comparing the decimals is pointless and dangerous.

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David Zipper @davidzipper.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Is Waymo really the "missing middle" of urban transportation? Or is that just Climate Week greenwashing? Looking forward to discussing with @wesmars.bsky.social

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David Zipper @davidzipper.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

I'm getting ready to visit London for the first time in a decade. Anything I should be sure to see/do/eat?

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David Zipper @davidzipper.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Irony alert: NYC Climate Week features a session about "Reducing Driving As Climate Action" that's sponsored by Waymo, a company poised to massively expand car use luma.com/parking-70cz...

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David Zipper @davidzipper.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Waymo is all over NYC Climate Week, sponsoring a slew of events. I just watched Adam Lenz, Waymo's sustainability head, field softball questions from Heatmap's CEO (nothing re: added VMT). Waymo clearly hopes to piggyback on YIMBYism. Lenz described Waymo as the "missing middle" of city mobility.

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David Zipper @davidzipper.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Remember the hype 15 years ago about ridehail being transit's first mile/last mile savior—which turned out be completely untrue? Waymo is dusting off the playbook. This is a PR move, nothing more.

theverge.com

Waymo is offering transit discounts again, this time with Visa

Waymo is doing transit discounts again.

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David Zipper @davidzipper.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

This story is from a couple weeks ago, but it could just as easily be from 2012

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David Zipper @davidzipper.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

Seems like a great reason to buy a brand new minicar or e-bike instead: From 2019 to 2026 “in the $15,000-$20,000 price range the average [used] vehicle age has climbed from 3.4 years to 6 years, while the average mileage has climbed from 41,851 to 71,192.”

edmunds.com

The Vanishing Affordable Used Car: 3-Year-Old Used Vehicle Prices Top $32K Average in Q2

Edmunds' Q2 2026 Used Vehicle Market Report finds that the average price of a 3-year-old used vehicle reached a record $32,461, while affordable used cars continue to disappear. Vehicles priced under ...

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David Zipper @davidzipper.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

Cathie Wood predicts robotaxis "are going to destroy the auto market." I doubt it. Surveys show that most people want to own an AV, not hail rides through a fleet. That makes sense: A robotaxi can't store your stuff for a few days or reinforce your identity with its design/color/stickers/etc.

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David Zipper @davidzipper.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

Headed to NYC for Climate Week? Join me at one of the only transportation sessions that *isn't* sponsored by Waymo! On Wed @3p, @jeffreytumlin.bsky.social, RPA's Rachel Weinberger, Swyft Cities' Jeral Poskey and I will discuss what AVs mean for climate. Hint: It's not great. Free to register ⤵️

luma.com

Will Autonomous Vehicles Improve the Environment? A Skeptical Conversation: Climate Week NYC · Luma

As cities rethink transportation in the face of climate change, autonomous vehicles are often presented as a promising part of the solution. But do they…

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David Zipper @davidzipper.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

A nightmare indeed. History shows that when transmit agencies slash service, riders leave—often for good. So many other US cities face similar catastrophes: Cleveland, Portland, Providence, Milwaukee…

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Jeffrey Tumlin 🏳️‍🌈 🌁 @jeffreytumlin.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

Join us at NYC Climate Week on Wed 9/23. AVs could be part of climate solution, but industry and regulators aren't yet pointed in that direction

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Look Both Ways with David & Wes @lookbothwayspod.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

New episode is live! 🔹 Which car ads do David & Wes like or loathe? 🔹 Why did both of them change their minds about the value of speed limits? 🔹 Can—let alone should— autonomous vehicles always obey traffic laws? All that and more. Have a listen ⤵️

lookbothwayspodcast.com

Episode 30: Speed Limits + Should Robotaxis Have to Follow the L…

Speed Limits - David & Wes talk about speed limits: what they can do, what they can’t do, and the surprisingly complicated question of how robotaxis should handle t…

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Look Both Ways with David & Wes @lookbothwayspod.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Can lowering speed limits — and doing nothing else — actually reduce extreme speeding? @wesmars.bsky.social says yes.

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David Zipper @davidzipper.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

In this week's @lookbothwayspod.bsky.social, Wes asked which car ad I loathe most. Tough competition. I went with the Dodge Charger's salute to urban speeding, from the 2018 Super Bowl.

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Look Both Ways with David & Wes @lookbothwayspod.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

Human drivers constantly make context-specific choices when deciding whether to obey traffic laws like speed limits. But can an autonomous vehicle grasp the difference between heading to a friend's house and rushing to the hospital? From the new episode

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Marco Chitti @chittimarco.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

This incapacity to perceive vehicular travel demand as elastic, especially within the North American traffic planning practice, is reflected in the technical tools used to measure project impact: intesection-based LOS where the input level of traffic is a given rather than variable.

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David Zipper @davidzipper.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Yet again, traffic engineers are gobsmacked that a road closure didn't create crippling gridlock: "You’d never know that a massive highway project, ominously dubbed 'carmageddon,' was underway seven miles away...cars [were] speeding across the Interstate Bridge at their usual clip."

opb.org

Vancouver traffic largely unaffected by start of I-5 Rose Quarter project

Washington transportation officials warn commute time could increase in the coming days.

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David Zipper @davidzipper.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

I have no sympathy for this guy, who is complaining about paying an extra $3 per toll b/c his Cybertruck weighs >8,000 lbs (and is therefore more damaging to asphalt). Plenty of EVs are smaller, lighter, and safer for other road users. No one made him buy a rolling behemoth.

rhodeislandcurrent.com

Cybertruck owners take a heavy toll on the Pell Bridge. And pay one too. • Rhode Island Current

A Cybertruck’s weight comes with a price on the Pell Bridge. One North Kingstown owner says he’s paying $4 per trip and wants Rhode Island to rethink how it tolls heavy electric vehicles.

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Lewis Lehe @lewislehe.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

I think more and more that @davidzipper.bsky.social got this exactly right. many counties experiencing population decline have high elderly populations. getting people to walmart or a small airport would be a big deal. www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

bloomberg.com

Robotaxis Aren’t Going Where They Are Needed Most

Waymo, Zoox and Tesla are clamoring to bring autonomous ride-hailing to cities like New York and Boston. But it’s small towns and rural areas that could see the biggest upside from AVs.

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Ken McLeod @kenmcld.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

Delay to pedestrian Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) rule is now moving forward through the White House www.politico.com/newsletters/... Pedestrian AEB deployment was mentioned as a lifesaving technology in the admin's National Roadway Safety Strategy last month

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David Zipper @davidzipper.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

Me, in @bloomberg.com : In Singapore, residents need to bid $100k+ for a 10-year "right" to own a car. Draconian? Maybe. But the country's Vehicle Quota System has ensured that transit—not cars— is the top travel mode. Gift link: www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

bloomberg.com

The Right To Buy a Car? In Singapore, It Will Cost You.

The city-state’s unique vehicle quota system has made it one of the world’s most expensive places to buy a new car. Here’s how it works — and why it’s unlikely to succeed elsewhere.

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David Zipper @davidzipper.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

This isn’t tough-on-crime; it’s stupid

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David Zipper @davidzipper.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

PSA: An original penny farthing is on display at the MLK Library in downtown DC

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David Zipper @davidzipper.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

After 9/11, many Americans opted to drive instead of fly. But because plane travel is much safer than car travel, the shift led to a surge in crash deaths. Researchers have found that the number of lives lost (2,000+) is comparable to those killed on 9/11. www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1...

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David Zipper @davidzipper.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

Looking forward to this "skeptical conversation" about AVs + the environment during Climate Week NYC (9.23). I'll be a panelist alongside @jeffreytumlin.bsky.social, Rachel Weinberger (RPA), and Jeral Poskey (Swyft Cities). Free to attend if you register ⤵️

luma.com

Will Autonomous Vehicles Improve the Environment? A Skeptical Conversation: Climate Week NYC · Luma

As cities rethink transportation in the face of climate change, autonomous vehicles are often presented as a promising part of the solution. But do they…

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David Zipper @davidzipper.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

When Democrats reclaim power, they need to bring the hammer down—hard—on Tesla. We can't afford to normalize behavior like this. From Junko Yoshida's newsletter: junkoyoshidaparis.substack.com/p/nhtsa-scra...

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David Zipper @davidzipper.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

Looking forward to this tonight in downtown DC. I'm told it's sold out, but if you ask nicely they might be able to squeeze you in.

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David Zipper @davidzipper.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

New study finds the social cost of driving a car 1 km—including pollution, crashes, infrastructure, and noise—is more than *triple* the private cost paid by the car owner. doi.org/10.1016/j.tr...

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David Zipper @davidzipper.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

Hint: Autonomous vehicles have literally nothing to do with it

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David Zipper @davidzipper.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

About to hit send on a new edition of my occasional newsletter, Paved with Good Intentions. Free to sign up: www.davidzipper.com/newsletter

davidzipper.com

Paved with Good Intentions — David Zipper

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David Zipper @davidzipper.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

Getting mixed signals about taking a Great American Road Trip

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David Zipper @davidzipper.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

Agree, and it’s not just Citi Bike. Every other mode is already subsidized. Why are we making bikeshare the exception?

fastcompany.com

Undoing bikeshare’s original sin

Bikeshare has been a godsend. Why not subsidize it?

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David Zipper @davidzipper.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

For the unfamiliar, Hains Point is is a picturesque waterfront park where residents cycle, jog, fish, or just hang out (years ago, I taught someone to ride a bike there). Now Trump wants to convert it into an expansive golf course. It's infuriating what he is doing to this city.

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jamelle @jamellebouie.net · 07/09/2026

anyway i think DC statehood is a non negotiable. only way to give DC residents the tools to protect themselves.

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Theo Gordon @theogordon.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

We call this, "going the full Robert Reich"

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David Zipper @davidzipper.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

Fresh evidence that car touchscreens are a giant step backwards for road safety: "For all tasks, the touchscreen was associated with increased visual distraction." doi.org/10.1016/j.tr...

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David Zipper @davidzipper.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

Many such cases. This person mentions the climate crisis in her bio.

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