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Kevin Leyden

@kleyden.bsky.social
127 followers 67 following 65 posts

It's all about urban liveability.

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Reposted by Kevin Leyden
The Journal @thejournal.ie · 16/09/2026
The National Transport Authority has confirmed that bus and train fare hikes will lead to fewer people using public transport. An Oireachtas committee was told that for every 10% fare increase, passenger numbers fall 3%. jrnl.ie/7164363
jrnl.ie
NTA confirms that bus and train fare hikes will lead to fewer people using public transport
The NTA said for every 10% fare increase, passenger numbers fall 3%.
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Reposted by Kevin Leyden
An Taisce @antaisce.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
RIP Frank McDonald "Over a reporting career lasting some 50 years, he campaigned for better urban planning and design, and against the sort of corruption that can attend the nexus where swashbuckling construction comes into contact with politics and public administration."
irishtimes.com
Frank McDonald obituary: campaigning journalist changed how we think about urban planning
His reporting was relentless and led to the publication in January 1985 of his ground-breaking book The Destruction of Dublin
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Cosáin Climate @cosaingalway.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
Frank McDonald (1950-2026) was a tireless champion for good urban planning, a stalwart advocate for sustainable public policy and a relentless critic of corruption and incompetence in Ireland's body politic.
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Kevin Leyden @kleyden.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
irishcycle.com/2026/07/29/c...
irishcycle.com
Car adman turned road safety and sustainability advocate Tom Flood to speak in Dublin
Tom Flood — whose work used to include car advertising but who turned his skills to promoting road safety and mobility beyond cars — is to speak at an event in Dublin on September 22nd.…
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Reposted by Kevin Leyden
The War on Cars @thewaroncars.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
RIP, Dolly Parton.
Dolly Parton in a grey jumpsuit standing on a bicycle
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Kevin Leyden @kleyden.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
What We Lost When We Lost the Veranda | Psychology Today www.psychologytoday.com/ie/blog/non-...
psychologytoday.com
What We Lost When We Lost the Veranda
Modern architecture may be unintentionally making us feel more isolated.
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derek guy @dieworkwear.bsky.social · 07/01/2026
A Washington Post article suggests that, beyond a certain threshold, larger homes don't make people happier. Instead, well-being is correlated with affordable housing in walkable neighborhoods where they feel socially connected. www.washingtonpost.com/climate-envi...
Excerpt reads: "Prioritize your neighborhood
Neighborhoods drive our happiness (or unhappiness) more than we think.

When Lina Martinez, director of POLIS, the Center for Wellbeing Studies at Universidad Icesi in Colombia, studied the happiness of households in the city of Cali, she couldn’t find much difference between poorer and richer areas. “Their happiness is pretty much the same,” she said. But that changed when she isolated neighborhood conditions, such as access to transit, health care and parks. “The conditions of the neighborhood affect happiness,” she said. “I can’t link that to the space where [people] live.”

That aligns with findings from a 2023 study of the Vancouver metro area: Researchers found no significant differences in well-being between people living in single detached homes, duplexes, townhouses, laneway houses and apartment buildings (basement units smaller than 300 square feet were the only negative exception). What did people say they missed most in their neighborhood? Affordability, proximity to family and friends, and a sense of community. Home design was eighth on the list."
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Galway Advertiser @galwayadvertiser.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
The award-winning Climate Inspirations Festival 2026, a landmark celebration of creativity, innovation, and community action in response to the climate crisis, will take place from 24-28 June 2026 in various venues throughout Galway City www.advertiser.ie/galway/artic...
advertiser.ie
Galway Climate Inspirations Festival official launch
The award-winning Climate Inspirations Festival 2026, a landmark celebration of creativity, innovation, and community action in response to the climate crisis, will take place from 24-28 June 2026 in…
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Kevin Leyden @kleyden.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
Bigger cars are costing Irish motorists parking spaces and threatening lives, study finds www.irishtimes.com/ireland/2026...
irishtimes.com
Bigger cars are costing Irish motorists parking spaces and threatening lives, study finds
Research shows 14% of on-street car parking spaces will be erased by ever bigger cars
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Kevin Leyden @kleyden.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
Too many people are dying on Irish roads. Road deaths are not inevitable. Stop referring to them as ‘accidents’ www.irishtimes.com/opinion/2026...
irishtimes.com
Opinion: Road deaths are not inevitable. Stop referring to them as ‘accidents’
We should be furious that road safety campaigns focus on high-vis clothing while our streets become increasingly dangerous
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Reposted by Kevin Leyden
Tom Flood @tomflood.bsky.social · 11/06/2026
Not complicated
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Kevin Leyden @kleyden.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
Galway, Ireland had a streetcar over 100 years ago. An early version of the proposed Gluas Light Rail?
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Urban Truth Collective @urbantruth.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
READ THIS: “The Highway Lobby has been shaping transportation policy conversations for decades in its interests.” And they spend MILLIONS buying car dependency, to make sure all of us have to spend BILLIONS. #UrbanTruth Via the Union of Concerned Scientists @ucs.org. blog.ucs.org/kshen/the-hi...
Image of highway filled with cars stuck in car congestion. Text reads “The highway lobby spends millions to make sure we spend billions.“ Via the Union of Concerned Scientists. Lower text reads “Their profit, your cost.“ By the Urban Truth Collective. #CarDependency #1HourCityConspiracy
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Reposted by Kevin Leyden
Brent Toderian @brenttoderian.bsky.social · 24/05/2026
IMPORTANT: The Dutch invested €595 million annually on urban biking, resulting in €19 BILLION saved in public health care costs alone. That’s how smart governments do the math on investing in better mobility. Let’s be clear— it WASTES public money to NOT do it. #CityMakingMath HT @modacitylife.com
Examples of striking Dutch bike-lane and urban biking infrastructure via Modacity Life.
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Kevin Leyden @kleyden.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
Galway's very latest contribution to the public realm. All of a sudden! What shall we name it?
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Reposted by Kevin Leyden
Urban Truth Collective @urbantruth.bsky.social · 02/06/2026
ICYMI: The One-Hour City Conspiracy! “Here's the REAL conspiracy: Too many people forced into car-dependent lives, with more health harms, crashes, noise, air pollution, social isolation —and less space for everything our streets should be giving us.” Thanks @usa.streetsblog.org #1HourCityConspiracy
usa.streetsblog.org
Urban Truth Collective: The One-Hour City Conspiracy — Streetsblog USA
Here's the real conspiracy: Too many people are forced into car-dependent lives, with more health harms, more crashes, more noise, more air pollution, more social isolation — and less space for everyt...
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Reposted by Kevin Leyden
Annemarie Dooley @annemariedooley.bsky.social · 18/04/2026
Every day I surprise my patients. By telling them their disease is not from poor personal choices, but rather from poor land-use decisions by their city. No access to safe walking & biking, more diabetes and kidney disease. They get it. @urbantruth.bsky.social #UrbanTruth
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Brent Toderian @brenttoderian.bsky.social · 31/05/2026
Safe, protected bike-lanes are: Better for business Better for emissions Better for air quality Better for space Better for public health Better for noise Better for equity Better for affordability Better for public costs Better for safety for EVERYONE Better for oil independence Better.
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Urban Truth Collective @urbantruth.bsky.social · 31/05/2026
STUDY: “We found that the way neighborhoods are planned and maintained mattered for happiness, health, and trust. Our findings suggest that mixed-use neighborhood designs that enable residents to shop and socialize within walking distance to their homes have direct & indirect effects on happiness.”
tandfonline.com
Walkable Neighborhoods
We examined whether living in a walkable neighborhood influenced the happiness of younger and older city residents. The data for this study came from a comprehensive household population survey of ...
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Reposted by Kevin Leyden
Urban Truth Collective @urbantruth.bsky.social · 08/03/2026
“…persons living in walkable, mixed-use neighborhoods have higher levels of social capital compared with those living in car-oriented suburbs. Respondents living in walkable neighborhoods were more likely to know their neighbors, participate politically, trust others, and be socially engaged.”
pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Social Capital and the Built Environment: The Importance of Walkable Neighborhoods
Objectives. I sought to examine whether pedestrian-oriented, mixed-use neighborhoods encourage enhanced levels of social and community engagement (i.e., social capital). Methods. The study investigated the relationship between neighborhood design ...
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Reposted by Kevin Leyden
Aoḋán Ó Conġaile @tinydonkey.bsky.social · 06/05/2026
"be safe, be seen" as a national strategy for road safety is an absolute joke
Garda Galvin said Brett was wearing a high-vis jacket and helmet. It was a dry day, the road conditions were good and there were no obstructions.
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Reposted by Kevin Leyden
Tom Flood @tomflood.bsky.social · 27/04/2026
Finding out I was considered "radical" for wanting kids to be able to get school safely and independently was shocking and what motivated me to try and help change that perspective. Culture Shift developed with @thebikinglawyer.bsky.social
culture shift

Normal
Accepting road violence
Accepting road fatalities
Accepting pedestrian fatalities
Accepting cyclist fatalities
Accepting excessive speeds
Accepting unsafe streets
Accepting pollution
Accepting gridlock
Accepting the loss of youth mobility
Accepting the loss of senior mobility

Radical
Wanting to prevent road violence
Wanting to prevent road fatalities
Wanting to prevent pedestrian fatalities
Wanting to prevent cyclist fatalities
Wanting slower speeds
Wanting safe streets
Wanting less pollution
Wanting less gridlock
Wanting youth mobility
Wanting senior mobility
It's time to rethink what's considered normal on our streets
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Brent Toderian @brenttoderian.bsky.social · 28/04/2026
“A newly released manifesto from the @ecf.com European Cyclists Federation & its partners lays out a 10-point plan to dramatically scale up cycling across the continent—positioning it not as a niche lifestyle choice but as critical infrastructure in a time of crisis.” momentummag.com/the-energy-c...
People riding bikes in Copenhagen in a protected bike-lane
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Daniel Moser @dmoser.bsky.social · 27/04/2026
Pollution levels in Paris after 10 years of advancing sustainable transport.
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Pr Carlos Moreno - IAE Paris1 Sorbonne University @carlosmorenofr.bsky.social · 28/04/2026
Amazing job by www.urbantruthcollective.com 🙌 👍🏼 The real “urban conspiracy” isn’t proximity, it’s distance. The “One-Hour City” traps millions in long commutes, car dependence and lost time. We need cities of proximity, time, and quality of life 🙏🏻 @brenttoderian.bsky.social @urbantruth.bsky.social
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Brent Toderian @brenttoderian.bsky.social · 26/04/2026
Every year, billions of vehicles worldwide shed an estimated 6 million tonnes of tire fragments. These tiny flakes of plastic, generated by normal driving, account for 28% of microplastics entering the environment globally. Heavy vehicles eg SUVs/EVs especially. Via @us.theconversation.com
theconversation.com
Car tyres shed a quarter of all microplastics in the environment – urgent action is needed
Tiny flakes of plastic, generated by the wear and tear of normal driving, eventually accumulate in the soil, in rivers and lakes, and even in our food.
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David Zipper @davidzipper.bsky.social · 23/04/2026
"Waymo has told advocates that expecting it to respect bike lanes is 'too high a bar' because customers expect to be dropped off in them." To be crystal clear, it's illegal for a car to be in a bike lane. It doesn't matter what Waymo's customers expect; the company shouldn't be doing it.
nyc.streetsblog.org
Waymo Is Not In The 'Vision Zero' Toolbox: Data - Streetsblog New York City
At least two of the cities where Waymo operates have not experienced declines in traffic-related injuries and deaths.
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Kevin Leyden @kleyden.bsky.social · 23/04/2026
"What robot cars are promising is the next generation of car dependency." Excellent read here! www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
bloomberg.com
Why Cities Shouldn’t Fall For the Robotaxi Hype
Transportation historian Peter Norton sees a pattern in the promises that autonomous vehicle companies make as they push self-driving cars into cities.
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Kevin Leyden @kleyden.bsky.social · 14/04/2026
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
bloomberg.com
Searching for the ‘Smoking Gun’ in US Pedestrian Deaths
Why did American streets get so deadly for those on foot or bikes? A leading transportation safety researcher sees some surprising factors behind the crisis.
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Reposted by Kevin Leyden
Cllr.Alan Curran @alancurran.bsky.social · 09/04/2026
Seeing as we're back to discussing the ringroad, I wrote a blog about my own thoughts on this, and other planned projects in the city a few months back. I remain of the opinion that the road will not make a significant impact on congestion. open.substack.com/pub/cllralan...
open.substack.com
Galway Traffic
Are all our eggs in one basket?
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Kevin Leyden @kleyden.bsky.social · 07/04/2026
My thoughts about how the Galway Ring Road will affect Galway's future, and how we might grow as a city. With John Morley at GalwayTalks. Playing from 1:32:09 open.spotify.com/episode/6Qw1...
open.spotify.com
Galway Talks with John Morley Wednesday February 11
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Brent Toderian @brenttoderian.bsky.social · 08/04/2026
“The majority of Americans are open to living car-free even after decades of car-centric planning, a new survey finds…A stunning 18% of car-owning U.S. residents indicated that they were ‘strongly interested’ in living car-free, and another 40% said that they were ‘open’ to it.” @usa.streetsblog.org
usa.streetsblog.org
Survey: Most Americans Are Open To Ditching Their Cars — Streetsblog USA
Automakers have spent a century and countless trillions of dollars making car-dependent living the American norm. But U.S. resident still aren't sold, a new survey suggests.
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Brent Toderian @brenttoderian.bsky.social · 08/04/2026
“The term ‘third place’ was coined by sociologist Ray Oldenburg in his book The Great Good Place, which explored the role of places like cafes, parks, & libraries in societies. He argued such places were not only important for mental health, but were essential to democracy & a sense of community.”
abc.net.au
'Elevates the mood': Third places providing a space away from work and home
In an increasingly digital world, Brisbane residents are still heading out to enjoy third places to take a break, enjoy life, and expose themselves to new ideas.
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Council for Canadian Urbanism @canurbanism.bsky.social · 08/04/2026
“Even as the cost of infrastructure for active transportation is being used as a reason for inaction, evidence is accumulating that when the full economic cost is considered, driving costs society more, while cycling and other forms of active transportation save society money.”— @sflkirk.bsky.social
halifaxexaminer.ca
Bike lanes don’t cause congestion, cars do - Halifax Examiner
If our premier and HRM mayor truly want to demonstrate fiscal responsibility they’d build those bike lanes faster, because the cost of car-centric infrastructure is unsustainable.
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Kevin Leyden @kleyden.bsky.social · 07/04/2026
My thoughts about how the Galway Ring Road will affect Galway's future, and how we might grow as a city. With John Morley at GalwayTalks. Playing from 1:32:09 open.spotify.com/episode/6Qw1...
open.spotify.com
Galway Talks with John Morley Wednesday February 11
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Brent Toderian @brenttoderian.bsky.social · 06/04/2026
Never forget, a 13-year study found that protected bike-lanes led to a drastic decline in fatalities for all road users. ALL ROAD USERS. What about painted bike-lanes? No safety improvement at all. For sharrows, it’s actually safer to NOT have them. Via @usa.streetsblog.org @nyc.streetsblog.org
usa.streetsblog.org
Separated Bike Lanes Means Safer Streets, Study Says — Streetsblog USA
Cities that build protected lanes for cyclists end up with safer roads for people on bikes and people in cars and on foot, a new study of 12 large metropolises revealed Wednesday.
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Frank McDonald @frankmcdonald60.bsky.social · 28/03/2026
In this weekend's @irishtimes.com, I've written about the incredible plan by Dublin City Council to relocate from Wood Quay to Lower Kevin Street, demolishing the purpose-built Civic Offices that they fought so hard to build and replacing them with social and "affordable cost-rental" apartments ...
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David Zipper @davidzipper.bsky.social · 27/03/2026
NYT editorial board issues a full-throated endorsement of congestion pricing: "Over its first 14 months, the [NYC] congestion pricing system has exceeded even the high hopes of many supporters. It has reduced traffic, improved the quality of life and even provided a boost for businesses."
nytimes.com
Opinion | Americans Spend Too Much Time Stuck in Traffic. There’s a Way to Get It Back.
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Urban Truth Collective @urbantruth.bsky.social · 17/03/2026
When it comes to the likelihood of car crashes, or the deadly consequences of car crashes, speed is ALWAYS a factor. Speed kills. #UrbanTruth
Graphic of car crash wreckage. Text over top says “Speed wasn’t a factor” referencing what’s usually said by police and the media. They mean the speed limit might not have been exceeded. But the speed limit was probably too high, and speed is always a factor.
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Kevin Leyden @kleyden.bsky.social · 12/03/2026
"...nearly 40,000 people killed on US roads in 2024 works out to almost 12 roadway deaths for every 100,000 inhabitants, more than twice as many as peer nations including Australia, the Czech Republic, Israel and South Korea." www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
bloomberg.com
The US Is Counting Traffic Deaths Wrong
By emphasizing the number of people killed per mile rather than deaths per capita, traffic safety groups risk normalizing the factors that make American roads so deadly.
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Kevin Leyden @kleyden.bsky.social · 10/03/2026
"In order to reduce climate emissions to meet a 1.5°C warming scenario, cities need to focus on increasing urban density, mass transit, cycling, and walking, while also encouraging electric vehicle use. itdp.org/2021/12/09/w...
itdp.org
To Combat Climate Change, Electrification needs Compact Cities for Full Impact
The research is clear: without aggressively tackling rising global temperatures, there will be catastrophic global consequences within the coming decades. This year, reports have indicated that to kee...
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Kevin Leyden @kleyden.bsky.social · 07/03/2026
"A federal court shot down President Trump’s attempt to kill New York City’s congestion pricing program on Tuesday, allowing the city’s $9 toll on cars entering downtown Manhattan during peak hours to remain in effect." heatmap.news/sparks/conge...
heatmap.news
Judge to Trump on Congestion Pricing: Get Outta Here
“It is difficult to imagine more arbitrary and capricious decisionmaking than that at issue here.”
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Kevin Leyden @kleyden.bsky.social · 06/03/2026
The American planning system has created a society that requires most people to own a car. And for most people those cars are becoming unaffordable! #UrbanTruth @urbantruth.blsy.social www.nytimes.com/2026/03/05/b...
nytimes.com
How $800 Monthly Car Payments Are Hurting Car Sales
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Kevin Leyden @kleyden.bsky.social · 05/03/2026
Fascinating work from Rafael Prieto-Curiel and Juan P. Ospina
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Hackney Cyclist @hackneycyclist.bsky.social · 26/02/2026
Halvemaansteeg & Rembrandtplein, Amsterdam in 1979 and today. From car-choked streets with little space for people to a lively car-free area with only trams, pedestrians & bikes permitted. Cafes and outdoor seating dominate the area. A reminder to politicians: design streets for the city you want.
image showing Halvemaansteeg, Amsterdam, then and now. Top: black-and-white photo from 1979 with cars and a taxi dominating a narrow street, people squeezed onto small pavements. Bottom: modern colour photo of the same street, now car-free with a child cycling on the cycleway
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Urban Truth Collective @urbantruth.bsky.social · 27/02/2026
They really want us to love cars. But why would we love being car dependent? Dependency is never freedom. Mobility freedom comes from mobility choices. #UrbanTruth
Image of car dependency with a line crossed through it. The tagline says “mobility freedom comes from mobility choices.” At the bottom, it says “urban truth collective.”
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Kevin Leyden @kleyden.bsky.social · 27/02/2026
Feels tacky. We can do better. @galwaycity.ie @cosaingalway.bsky.social
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Urban Truth Collective @urbantruth.bsky.social · 26/02/2026
Suburban Sprawl may seem cheap, but even the costs we CAN count are far too high, and we ALL pay them. HT Smart Prosperity Institute #UrbanTruth institute.smartprosperity.ca/library/publ...
Graphic showing all the many costs of suburban brawl, explaining how many costs are hidden and indirect costs, and sharing stats and data. Prepared by the Sustainable Prosperity Institute.
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Kevin Leyden @kleyden.bsky.social · 26/02/2026
New York City is a city of walkers. More trips are made on foot than by car (41% versus 28%)... MIT researchers just mapped New York City foot traffic for the first time ever
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Kevin Leyden @kleyden.bsky.social · 26/02/2026
This park and ride appears to have very little to do with getting people out of their cars. How much will this additional car park for the park cost? Why are families not walking to the park? Is it possible? Is it safe from cars?
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