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Jim Mayer 🇨🇦

@pentastich.bsky.social
819 followers 812 following 2.5K posts

Urbanism, utility cycling, rowing, food, vintage cocktails, and city living. Victoria, BC, Canada. He/him. Blog: www.boomin-in-victoria.ca Mastodon (rarely) urbanists.social/@pentastich Formerly @pentastich on Birdland

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Reposted by Jim Mayer 🇨🇦
Lesli Boldt @lesliboldt.bsky.social · 15h
Victoria fire chief flags concerns with union’s civic election campaign www.ctvnews.ca/vancouver/va...
ctvnews.ca
Victoria fire chief flags concerns with union’s civic election campaign
The chief of the Victoria Fire Department is dispelling apparent “myths or rumours” from a civic election campaign, which he worries could mislead voters about public safety.
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Reposted by Jim Mayer 🇨🇦
Dave Thompson 🇨🇦 @davethompsonvic.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
Recycling! We are keeping signs out of the landfill, saving some money, and reusing my old 2022 election signs. Before and after photos - gotta cover up that old 2022 date! Watch for these to start appearing tomorrow morning! #yyj
Old election signElection sign with old date covered up
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Reposted by Jim Mayer 🇨🇦
Sarah Starkweather for Oak Bay @starkweatherforob.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
In terms of total emissions reductions: - Oak Bay had a 17% reduction between 2007 and 2022. - Saanich: 17% reduction from 2007 to 2023. - Victoria: 28% reduction from 2007 to 2023. So it looks like we’re doing ok, I guess? Lagging behind Victoria, but respectable.
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Jim Mayer 🇨🇦 @pentastich.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
1/2 Good grief. Stephen Andrew has discovered how to create and post AI images on Facebook. I suspect that he and I are both boomers and I'm embarrassed. He should know better. #yyjpoli
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Jim Mayer 🇨🇦 @pentastich.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
1/ The new Galloping Goose detour by Viaduct park started today. It even made the CBC! The construction feel endless, but I'm looking forward to people walking there getting their open, separated, pathway. #yyjbike #yyj www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
cbc.ca
New closure, detours, coming along the Galloping Goose Trail in Victoria | CBC News
Galloping Goose trail users will be following new detours in Victoria until at least the spring of 2027. Beginning Sept. 23, the closure along Viaduct Park will be extended to Dupplin Road, causing a ...
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Carolina Ibarra @lacaroibarra.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
The $1 million earmarked by the City of Victoria will go towards upgrades to deteriorating affordable housing. @pacificahousing.bsky.social is one recipient and the grant will help upgrade failing windows and sliding doors in a deeply subsidized townhouse complex where many single mothers reside.
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Jim Mayer 🇨🇦 @pentastich.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Somehow this makes me very, very, nervous. I've seen too much from groups that are happy to use democratic tools and institutions, but don't respect those institutions, or the opinions and rights of people who disagree. www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
cbc.ca
'Never giving up': Alberta separatist leaders say referendum vote won't end their fight | CBC News
Premier Danielle Smith and her government expect next month's separation referendum to be the last word on the subject — but those fighting for an independent Alberta say no matter the outcome, the fi...
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Jim Mayer 🇨🇦 @pentastich.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Photos from tonight's walk in Vic West. It was a beautiful evening. Fujifilm X-Pro3 and a cheap, crappy, and fun TTArtisan 50mm F1.2 lens. #yyj
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Sarah Starkweather for Oak Bay @starkweatherforob.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
I’m running for Council for lots of reasons. Here’s are my top three.
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Jim Mayer 🇨🇦 @pentastich.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
This and the one after are really good questions from Counselor Coleman. I often disagree with him, but he thinks things through, and I wish he was running for reelection. He's not an ideologue, he doesn't play populist games, and I don't need to always agree with people who act in good faith. #yyj
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Jim Mayer 🇨🇦 @pentastich.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
This gets lost in the pearl clutching around the Broughton street project that would replace a deteriorating PRIVATELY OWNED parkade with rental homes, street level retail, and a public plaza. Thank you @jeremycaradonnayyj.bsky.social and @susankimyyj.bsky.social for asking good questions! #yyj
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Jim Mayer 🇨🇦 @pentastich.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
1/ Interesting article on the Canadian packaging industry's response to the trade war. I wonder if there's an opportunity for some federal infrastructure dollars with a sustainability twist (think hemp). @wgreaves.bsky.social #CanadaStrong #cdnpoli #bcpoli www.ctvnews.ca/world/trumps...
ctvnews.ca
‘The answer was overwhelmingly ‘yes’: Canadian packaging industry teams up in tariff fight
A B.C. packaging company says the trade war with the United States is creating an unexpected opportunity for Canadian manufacturers and prompting rival companies to collaborate rather than compete.
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Jimmy Thomson @jameswsthomson.com · 04/09/2026
This story is a big deal. Please give it a read, even if you need to sign up for a one-dollar subscription. This tactic — manipulating chatbots as a backdoor to human beings — is only going to get worse, and Alberta separatism appears to be just a testing ground for these people.
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Daniel Loxton 🇨🇦 @danielloxton.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
One of the things I enjoy about Victoria, BC’s expanding bike lane infrastructure is that it makes it less stressful to go places in my car. Sharing car lanes with vulnerable cyclists was one of things that used to cause me a lot of anxiety when driving in town
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Jim Mayer 🇨🇦 @pentastich.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
1/ I'm involved with the Gorge Narrows Rowing Club here in Victoria, BC. Each fall the club participates in the Greater Victoria High School Rowing League. This year, Lambrick Park Secondary School has lost their rowing team's teacher/parent sponsor, and needs to find a new one ASAP. Without… #yyj
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Jim Mayer 🇨🇦 @pentastich.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
1/ I saw a post on the Oak Bay Local Facebook group go by with an excerpt from the Summer 2026 Oak Bay Police newsletter. For e-bikes, the "How fast can I go?" column says 26 km/h. This is incorrect. The next posts include the correct information and links. #oakbay #yyj #yyjbike
Part of the Summer 2026 Oak Bay newsletter on micromobility. The chart says that e-bikes can go 26 km/h in BC. The chart appears on page 5 of the newsletter: https://oakbaypolice.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Summer-2026-OBPD-News.pdf
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Jim Mayer 🇨🇦 @pentastich.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
This is a pretty good article on Victoria's bike-share rollout. Typical rides were about 2 km & 11 minutes. At that length, a 30 minute pass at $3.99 gets you two rides without any long term commitment, and is way cheaper than the base rate. #yyj #yyjbike
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Madi Carlson @familyride.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
Just spent a week e-biking around Victoria on Vancouver Island, a city I haven’t visited in 10 years and WOW there is separated bike infrastructure everywhere now!!
Bidirectional separated bike lanesBidirectional separated bike lanesCrossing a green bike lane to enter ChinatownBidirectional separated bike lanes alongside the ocean
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Jim Mayer 🇨🇦 @pentastich.bsky.social · 30/08/2026
1/ Friday, August 21, kicked off the City of Victoria BC's new bike share system. It's proven to be a "popular" topic online, with all the subtlety you'd expect in a local election year, so I thought I'd do a deep… #yyjbike #yyj #BikeShare #MicroMobility www.boomin-in-victoria.ca/2026/08/jim-...
boomin-in-victoria.ca
Jim Takes a Bike Share
Friday, August 21 was the official kickoff day for the the City of Victoria's new E-Bike Share system. Victoria has a municipal election com...
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Jim Mayer 🇨🇦 @pentastich.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
1) Good commentary from @lacaroibarra.bsky.social of Pacifica Housing. If I could add anything, it's that we also need to double down on new housing of all types, and definitely including new subsidised housing. Ms. Ibarra is rightfully focused on… #yyj #housing www.timescolonist.com/opinion/comm...
timescolonist.com
Comment: Pandora can be solved through collaboration
Without renewal of key funding set to expire by the B.C. government, a long-term solution could be unattainable.
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Jim Mayer 🇨🇦 @pentastich.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
I can hardly think of a better way to eat local. Anyone for a delicious Vancouver Island invasive green crab curry? #yyj www.ctvnews.ca/climate-and-...
ctvnews.ca
Invasive green crabs are bad for the environment, so New Englanders are starting to eat more of them
s a morning fog lifted over Maine’s York River, Mike Masi and his two interns stood on a dock sorting through a mound of one of the region’s most despised crabs and hoped to find a few that would end ...
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Jim Mayer 🇨🇦 @pentastich.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
Smart @victoria.ca move to make it easier for people to report beach fires on Dallas Road and to reduce sign clutter. If I could wish for one change, it would be to add a QR code to each sign to "future proof" the system, but these are cool as they stand. #yyj vicnews.com/2026/08/20/f...
vicnews.com
Fire response key reason behind new access numbers along Dallas Road in Victoria - Victoria News
Open fires are not permitted in Victoria with fines ranging from $350 to $10,000
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Jim Mayer 🇨🇦 @pentastich.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
Lime bikes are appearing on prep for tomorrow's official opening. I met two people just back from their first ride! Looking forward to this. Bike shares are a great addition to my mobility toolkit. #yyjbike
New Lime bike-share bikes staged for tomorrow's official opening.
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Reposted by Jim Mayer 🇨🇦
Urban Truth Collective @urbantruth.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
“After analyzing crash data over a 13-year period in areas with separated bike lanes on city streets, researchers estimated that having a protected bike facility in a city would result in 44% fewer deaths and 50% fewer serous injuries than an average city.” Safer for ALL. Via @usa.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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Jim Mayer 🇨🇦 @pentastich.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
Interesting video about clothes, gender, and how close people driving cars pass people riding bicycles. The answer is not obvious! #yyjbike #cycling youtu.be/M5i8HsMJzeo
youtu.be
Drivers See You As Less Human (I'm a Lawyer)
YouTube video by The Bike Lawyer
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Reposted by Jim Mayer 🇨🇦
Dave Thompson 🇨🇦 @davethompsonvic.bsky.social · 15/08/2026
Fleeing by car after a disaster is a bad idea: www.timescolonist.com/opinion/comm... #yyj #safety
timescolonist.com
Comment: Fleeing by car after a disaster is a bad idea
Rather than make assumptions about how to respond in an emergency and risk making the situation worse for yourself and others, ­familiarize yourselves with the excellent resources prepared by the City...
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Jim Mayer 🇨🇦 @pentastich.bsky.social · 15/08/2026
The TC published Irene's commentary about the folly of fleeing by car after a disaster. I've turned it into a blog post (which also links to the article). The post includes a picture and links to references. #yyj www.boomin-in-victoria.ca/2026/08/flee...
boomin-in-victoria.ca
Fleeing by car after disasters—a bad idea
[The Times Colonist published the following commentary by my wife, Irene. With her permission, I've included it here, with the picture and ...
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Steffani Cameron 🇨🇦 @snarkysteff.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
THESE ARE NOT THE SAME, CHEK. Point Ellice is defunded by the Province of British Columbia. Crystal Pool IS TO BE A NEW FACILITY by the City of Victoria. The latter ALSO HAS a backup location in place, and I, for one, am EXCITED ABOUT IT, because it's CLOSER to me. The outcry is bullshit.
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Jim Mayer 🇨🇦 @pentastich.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
Hey, @aurahack.ca, Victoria is getting Lime e-bikes, not scooters, and it was done because they won a public bidding process with Evolve. The idea that the city is doing scooters is misinformation. I would have just replied, but you don't allow that. engage.victoria.ca/bikeshare/wi...
engage.victoria.ca
FAQs | Bike Share Parking Zones | Have Your Say
This engagement is now closed. Thank you for taking the time to have your say on bike share parking zones in Victoria. To see a summary of engagement results, click here. What’s Happening A new e-bike...
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Brent Toderian @brenttoderian.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
Biking “culture” in a city isn’t static. It has a funny way of growing as you actually build safe, CONNECTED bike infrastructure. And when you do, it make EVERYONE safer and mobility work better for EVERYONE, not just for people on bikes. If your leaders don’t understand that, pick new leaders.
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Dave Thompson 🇨🇦 @davethompsonvic.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
Many people cannot drive. A third are nondrivers. I'm looking into this book. Anyone know others on this topic? annazivarts.com #urbanism #transit #yyj
Image of book cover from link providedImage of website from link provided
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Jim Mayer 🇨🇦 @pentastich.bsky.social · 09/08/2026
From my condo's patio in the urban hellscape of Victoria, BC! #yyj #invert #insects #wildlifephotography
A head on view of a dragonfly hoovering.
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Jim Mayer 🇨🇦 @pentastich.bsky.social · 08/08/2026
Cool thread!
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Jim Mayer 🇨🇦 @pentastich.bsky.social · 08/08/2026
1/ I rarely complain about people driving in Victoria because almost all of the interactions I have with them while walking or biking are courteous and 100% fine. Sure, every month or two I run into someone who isn't, but that's how people are. My… #yyj #yyjbike
An aerial view of the intersection of Bay and Tyee. There is a red arrow indicating my left turn headed west. There is a green arrow indicating where the driver was going heading south.
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Urban Truth Collective @urbantruth.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
“Flood unapologetically uses the directness seen in advertising messaging to try to disrupt the dominant car-focused narrative. Often using quotes, phrases and concepts over and over again — like advertising does to get through to people.” Our own @tomflood.bsky.social. #UrbanTruth
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 Jim Mayer 🇨🇦
Urban Truth Collective @urbantruth.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
“3/4ths of disabled people don’t drive. Stop using us as an excuse for car dependency.” — @nondriver.bsky.social in collaboration with @urbantruth.bsky.social. #UrbanTruth Worth repeating. #UrbanTruth
Same quote as in post. Tagline is “Mobility freedom comes from mobility choices.”
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Jim Mayer 🇨🇦 @pentastich.bsky.social · 08/08/2026
Keep this in mind when Boomers like me say stuff like "everything was better before the bike lanes" www.nytimes.com/2021/04/02/s...
nytimes.com
Why We Romanticize the Past (Gift Article)
Ah, the good old days. Were they really that good?
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Better Transit YYJ @bettertransityyj.ca · 07/08/2026
Our friend Charlie ND made a video about the bus lane project on the highway. #yyj youtu.be/QZ2cYBoQXAw
youtu.be
More bus lanes coming soon!
YouTube video by Better Transit YYJ
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Ryan Nicoll @ryannicoll.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
Yes! It's incredible to see so many people getting around #yyj with cycling and active transportation. And so important to have facilities to manage so many bikes at an event like this like the valet.
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Jim Mayer 🇨🇦 @pentastich.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
More fun with my Tameron 150-500 mm zoom on my Fuji APS-C camera. These are modest crops of the same image. I got to watch the dragonfly for some time as she went about her business! They're fascinating insects! #insects #wildlifephotography #invert
A photograph of a dragonfly laying eggs. The photo is cropped closely to the body of the insect.A photograph of a dragonfly laying eggs. The photograph is in portrait orientation, vertically centred on the dragonfly. Below the dragonfly you can see the reed and the dragonfly's wings reflected in the water.
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Brent Toderian @brenttoderian.bsky.social · 25/07/2026
“We know what prevents deaths of people cycling, it’s the same thing that will shift people from ‘interested but concerned’ to choose cycling: high-quality cycling infrastructure like protected bike lanes. The only thing standing in the way of us having that is political will…” Via @cyclehalifax.ca
thecoast.ca
Cycling infrastructure saves lives - The Coast | News, events, restaurants, concerts and Burger Week for Halifax, Nova Scotia
When I opened Instagram on Monday night and saw the screenshot saying that a person cycling had been killed in Halifax, I felt deeply sad, but I was also angry. Many people I know and care about have ...
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Jim Mayer 🇨🇦 @pentastich.bsky.social · 25/07/2026
This @theglobeandmail.com opinion police is spot on, and completely relevant in #yyj. Should it really be controversial for a city to make it possible for people to shop for groceries without risking their lives? #yyjpoli www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/arti...
theglobeandmail.com
Opinion: Alberta’s bike lanes aren’t a problem to be solved – they’re how people get around
I bike most days in Calgary, often with my two children
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Josh Crough @smokeycrow.bsky.social · 25/07/2026
I really appreciate the fact at how grocery shopping by bicycle is so normalized in Victoria. #yyj #yyjbike
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Oh The Urbanity! @ohtheurbanity.bsky.social · 25/07/2026
Car-brain is the idea that building bike lanes means “abolishing” cars. It’s the inability to conceive of a city where people get around in multiple ways. It’s the wild perception that no one in Toronto or Vancouver (or… Calgary?) ever drives.
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Jim Mayer 🇨🇦 @pentastich.bsky.social · 25/07/2026
1/ This Times Colonist letter is sadly typical of the uninformed nonsense that too many people seem to believe. Beyond the ignorance (nobody on Council has EVER suggested to "abolish street parking"), it denotes a kind of all-or-nothing reasoning that makes no sense to me. #yyj
A screenshot. It reads: 

The age of automobile is not over yet

Victoria city council would like to abolish street parking. Council wants fewer cars on the streets of Victoria. Their reasoning does not make sense.

They compare Victoria with cities such as Vancouver, Calgary and Toronto, which have light rail transit.

These modes of transportation move people from airports, train stations and outlying areas quickly, therefore no need for a lot of cars. Victoria is a tourist city, people come from all over the Island and the world. How do these people get around from one place to another?

Sure, there are buses and bicycles, but you can’t expect elderly or disabled persons to bike ride.

If tourists want to visit other places on the Island, they will need a car.

We need to accommodate or lose local businesses due to the loss of tourists.

Barbara J. Desmond
Victoria
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Jim Mayer 🇨🇦 @pentastich.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
This is somehow wildly funny, terrifying, and… improbably… not produced by the Beaverton. fortune.com/2026/07/21/o...
fortune.com
OpenAI says its AI models escaped from a secure test environment and hacked into AI company Hugging Face in order to cheat on an evaluation | Fortune
The first-of-its-kind incident involved OpenAI's GPT-5.6 Sol and another unreleased model
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Oh The Urbanity! @ohtheurbanity.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
New US tariffs target British Columbia, Quebec, and Ontario. Very little on Alberta.
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Max Dubler 🏳️‍🌈 @maxdubler.com · 21/07/2026
New market rate housing helps poor people by keeping rich people from outbidding them for existing housing. Further, the past 50 years of CA housing policy show us that *not* building enough new market rate homes is TERRIBLE for the poorest, who are forced into overcrowded housing or homelessness.
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Vision Zero Vancouver @visionzerovancouver.ca · 21/07/2026
“Speed kills. Signage and posted regulations can keep honest people honest. But physical traffic calming, meaning designing streets that are relatively narrow and cannot be driven comfortably fast … those are the things that are moving the needle.” www.governing.com/infrastructu...
governing.com
This New England City Hasn't Had a Traffic Death in Three Years
Somerville, Mass., officials say their success is rooted in tried-and-true best practices for traffic safety.
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