Scott Atwood @scott-roy-atwood.bsky.social · 23/08/2026Four years ago we moved to downtown SJ. I got an e-bike and told my wife we didn’t need the older 2nd car. She said let’s just keep and it see how often we need it. Turns out, we only needed it a few times per year. Today, we passed the second car to my nephew and became a one car household! 150
Scott Atwood @scott-roy-atwood.bsky.social · 25/07/2026I just arrived in Vancouver BC, and I’m delighted to find what seems to be quite a well developed network of connected, protected cycleways and intersections in and around downtown! 020
Scott Atwood @scott-roy-atwood.bsky.social · 02/07/2026“All worthy things that are in peril as the world now stands, these are my care. And for my part, I shall not wholly fail of my task, though Gondor should perish, if anything passes through this night that can still grow fair or bear fruit and flower again in days to come. For I also am a steward.” 010
Scott Atwood @scott-roy-atwood.bsky.social · 02/07/2026“I wish it need not have happened in my time,” said Frodo. “So do I,” said Gandalf, “and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.” 010
Scott Atwood @scott-roy-atwood.bsky.social · 01/06/2026Bike lane stencils have a unique design near SAP Center in San Jose, home arena of the San Jose Sharks NHL team! 1131
Scott Atwood @scott-roy-atwood.bsky.social · 01/06/2026In Kim Stanley Robinson’s novel, Ministry for the Future, in the very near future, a massive heatwave kills millions and galvanizes the world to finally grapple with the reality of climate change. The novel weaves many real world organizations and ideas into the adaptations of the next few decades. 130
Scott Atwood @scott-roy-atwood.bsky.social · 30/05/2026The San Jose airport has remarkably good access for pedestrians and cyclists, with a direct connection from the Guadalupe River Trail at Airport Pkwy. The airport is right next to downtown and close to light trail and Caltrain commuter rail, so this access is more useful than it might seem. 130
Scott Atwood @scott-roy-atwood.bsky.social · 30/05/2026Women, parents with children, and cargo bikes are all good “indicator species” that your city is doing the right things to build a network that makes people feel safe getting around on a bike. Bravo to San Jose for continuing to execute on the Better Bike Plan 2025! 2689
Scott Atwood @scott-roy-atwood.bsky.social · 29/05/2026EDC items for dealing with the distressingly common reality of US public toilets that are poorly maintained or non-functional. The kit includes hand soap strips, a hand towel, and disposable wet napkins. I really wish I didn’t have to use these as often as I do. 000
Scott Atwood @scott-roy-atwood.bsky.social · 29/05/2026Like many Americans, I first really experienced car free living in college. And I mainlined on world class urbanism and car free live when I spent six months in Berlin during my junior year. 110
Scott Atwood @scott-roy-atwood.bsky.social · 28/05/2026Is textualism just justices interpretating the law like a fairy tale genie? “I know what you meant, but you wrote what you wrote, so I’ve got to go with the literal words on the page!” 020
Scott Atwood @scott-roy-atwood.bsky.social · 27/05/2026And now San Jose is upgrading the flex post protected cycleway on 4th Street to a fully curb protected bike lane with curb protected intersections! This is really first class bike infrastructure! 1028737
Scott Atwood @scott-roy-atwood.bsky.social · 27/05/2026Humans have a remarkably stable subconscious “travel budget” of about 78 minutes per day, regardless of wealth or location. This has fascinating implications for government policies around land use and transportation.phys.orgHumanity travels an average of 78 minutes per day—regardless of living standards, finds studyPeople travel for many reasons—commuting, as part of their job, or to go shopping—and the time spent traveling differs from day to day, from person to person. But remarkably, populations tend to trave... 130
Scott Atwood @scott-roy-atwood.bsky.social · 27/05/2026I am constantly delighted by San Jose’s rhythm of continuous incremental improvement in cycling conditions! Just recently, they opened the newest stretch of curb protected bike lanes on 3rd Street in downtown! 1446446
Scott Atwood @scott-roy-atwood.bsky.social · 26/05/2026Normally I commute by e-bike, but it’s in the shop for annual maintenance and waiting for a part. So this week, I’m taking my alternative commute: Caltrain with a Brompton folding bike for last mile connectivity and no risk of getting bumped due to filled bike capacity! 242
Scott Atwood @scott-roy-atwood.bsky.social · 26/05/2026In the Bay Area, if you are able to combine cycling with transit with bicycles, e-bikes, and/or bike share, it can surprisingly easy to get around without a car. BART and Caltrain are geographically sparse, but bikes REALLY expand the range of convenient destinations reachable from each station. 293
Scott Atwood @scott-roy-atwood.bsky.social · 23/05/2026I was delighted to see that San Jose recently opened a new stretch of Coyote Creek Trail, linking BART to Empire Street bike lane. This is a more direct route, almost entirely away from cars, bypassing busy Taylor/Maybury and providing a much more pleasant crossing of 101. 041
Scott Atwood @scott-roy-atwood.bsky.social · 14/05/2026If you used to be a regular BART rider, but you fell out of the habit due to the pandemic and its immediate aftermath, it’s time to get BART a new try! Or if you live and visit places where BART could be a useful part of your journey, it’s perhaps time to give it a try for the first time! 130
Scott Atwood @scott-roy-atwood.bsky.social · 12/05/2026Bay Area Bike to Wherever Day is this Thursday, May 14! The weather will be great. There will be Energizer Stations dotted throughout the region. And there will be many other people on bikes to keep you company! I’ll see you on the roads and trails this Thursday! www.bayareabiketowork.combayareabiketowork.comBay Area Bike To Wherever DaysResources to help people bike to work in the Bay Area 021
Scott Atwood @scott-roy-atwood.bsky.social · 04/05/2026If you live in California, and you think that e-bikes should be part of our urban transportation system, but are concerned about the risks posed by high speed e-motos, I urge you to contact your state representative and state senator and ask the to support SB 1167 and to oppose AB 1942 and AB 1557. 2101
Scott Atwood @scott-roy-atwood.bsky.social · 17/04/2026The best description I have heard of Prop 13: The simplest, worst solution to a real crisis. 010
Scott Atwood @scott-roy-atwood.bsky.social · 14/04/2026In 2024, Caltrain launched a new electrified service, which enabled faster and more frequent trains, a simplified schedule, as well as a more comfortable, modern riding experience the rivals the onboard experience of passenger trains in Europe or Asia. 110
Scott Atwood @scott-roy-atwood.bsky.social · 07/04/2026I’m meeting friends for dinner in the South Bay. It’s only 14 miles, a short trip within this region. Yet have to allow for nearly an hour of travel time if I drive. Transit and cycling are worse, and even using an e-bike or combining cycling with transit can’t beat driving. 😭 230
Scott Atwood @scott-roy-atwood.bsky.social · 21/03/2026Transitioning our economy from fossil fuels to renewable energy means: 100
Scott Atwood @scott-roy-atwood.bsky.social · 18/01/2026Please enjoy this macro photo of my dog’s adorable nose! 260
Scott Atwood @scott-roy-atwood.bsky.social · 14/01/2026Commuting by bicycle on a chilly winter day is very comfortable when you wear the right clothing! 020
Scott Atwood @scott-roy-atwood.bsky.social · 14/01/2026It feels like rapid acceleration & higher top speeds should result in faster trip times. But at least in an urban street network, intersection capacity is a limiting factor, and no matter what speed you reach mid-block, you end up spending a lot of time waiting at stop signs and stop lights. 110
Scott Atwood @scott-roy-atwood.bsky.social · 14/01/2026An unfortunate truth I am forced to accept about human psychology is that emotions good stories work far better than facts and rationality to sway people’s optinions. 030
Scott Atwood @scott-roy-atwood.bsky.social · 11/01/2026The unfortunate truth is that to get better at something—running faster, lifting heavier weights, playing music, learning a language—challenge and struggle are essential to the process of getting better. If you simply do what is easy and comfortable and no more, you are not going to improve. 020
Reposted by Scott AtwoodJon Orcutt @jonorcutt.bsky.social · 05/01/2026Great overview of how it's going: $ for transit Manhattan economy thriving Less pollution Some 🚛 traffic pushed to nights Fewer injuries 13611
Scott Atwood @scott-roy-atwood.bsky.social · 07/01/2026When I commute by car, I feel so stressed and trapped in rush hour congestion. Do others feel this way too? Do others realize how joyful and free it feels to fly past lines of stressed out drivers when you commute by bicycle, train, or express bus? 040
Scott Atwood @scott-roy-atwood.bsky.social · 31/12/2025I love that the Portland Airport includes a bike assembly area near baggage claim for people traveling with a bicycle and leaving the airport on two wheels, as well as a transit station right at the terminal. It’s a rare delight to have such excellent accommodations for non-car airport travel! 0131
Scott Atwood @scott-roy-atwood.bsky.social · 31/12/2025My morning marathon training run along the Columbia River, with Mt Hood in the distance. 040
Scott Atwood @scott-roy-atwood.bsky.social · 31/12/2025Our urban populations face a poly crisis: climate change, local air pollution, noise pollution, poor health from sedentary lifestyles, traffic congestion, increasingly unaffordable cars. In many ways, bicycles are a poly-solution. Local policy makers can meaningfully improve life with bicycles! 040
Scott Atwood @scott-roy-atwood.bsky.social · 29/12/2025One of the nice features of the St John bicycle boulevard in downtown San Jose are the periodic modal filters that directing through car traffic to parallel streets, letting bicycles enjoy a low traffic through route. #DTSJ 030
Scott Atwood @scott-roy-atwood.bsky.social · 29/12/2025Cars vs bikes is not an all or nothing, mutually exclusive choice. You can use bicycle, e-bike, or cargo bike when it makes sense to do so, and use a car for trips where a car is a better option. 3100
Scott Atwood @scott-roy-atwood.bsky.social · 29/12/2025I love where we live near downtown San Jose, so close to both BART and Caltrain. It means my wife and I can have plans together in SF or Oakland in the evening, but have different plans in the afternoon or late night and only need a single car, because I can take a train for one leg of the trip! 140
Scott Atwood @scott-roy-atwood.bsky.social · 27/12/2025According to a recent study in Germany, cyclists (and pedestrians) are more interested in the common good than motorists. Perhaps it is because getting around on a bicycle requires you to engage with your environment and the people in it, while driving a car isolates you from all of that.jalopnik.comStudy Finds Cyclists Are Better People Than Drivers - JalopnikWell, the comments section on this one should be fun: Cyclists are more interested in the common good than drivers are, a study published in the Journal of Environmental Psychology found. The study us... 050
Scott Atwood @scott-roy-atwood.bsky.social · 25/12/2025Downtown San Jose has pretty good urbanism, but things like this are a stark reminder of how far we have to go: right across the street from the University is a 7-11 on a corner lot with a 9 stall surface lot occupying the corner and an entrance that faces the lot and not the sidewalk. #DTSJ 020
Scott Atwood @scott-roy-atwood.bsky.social · 17/12/2025The science is settled: rapid global warming is real and caused by human activities, and whatever else we do to mitigate it, we must end the burning of fossil fuels and dumping the CO₂ into the atmosphere and to do so as rapidly as possible. 110
Scott Atwood @scott-roy-atwood.bsky.social · 17/12/2025Quite a lovely sunset view over one of the salt ponds on the bike commute home tonight! 062
Scott Atwood @scott-roy-atwood.bsky.social · 15/12/2025As a longtime Disney Parks fan, I am deeply unhappy with the change from free FastPass to paid Lightning Lane. I rarely if ever pay for LL. Instead, I arrive early when lines are shortest, take advantage of single rider lines, and use other tricks of seasoned visitors. 010
Scott Atwood @scott-roy-atwood.bsky.social · 15/12/2025You can’t justify the need for a bridge by the number of people swimming across a river. And you can’t justify the need for sidewalks and protected bike lanes based on the number of people willing to brave streets designed solely for cars and not people. 06710
Scott Atwood @scott-roy-atwood.bsky.social · 04/12/2025I haven’t had a daily car commute since November 2019. First I spent 3 months living in Tokyo with a 10 minute walk to work. I returned to the US in March ‘20 and worked from home for a couple of years. By the time I returned to the office in 2023, I had an e-bike and no desire to drive to work. 020
Scott Atwood @scott-roy-atwood.bsky.social · 03/12/2025What a delightful sight to see in the bike locker at work this morning: not one, not two, but three electric cargo bikes! 2475
Scott Atwood @scott-roy-atwood.bsky.social · 29/11/2025sustainabilitybynumbers.comEliminating contrails from flying could be incredibly cheapCould we halve aviation's climate impact at a fraction of the cost of sustainable aviation fuels? 051
Scott Atwood @scott-roy-atwood.bsky.social · 26/11/2025Wow! San Jose made honorable mention in a CityNerd urbanism top ten list! We have had a substantial increase in percentage of low car households, those with access to zero or one car, increasing from 17% to 23% between 2010 and 2025.youtu.beTop 10 US Cities That Are Becoming More City-LikeYouTube video by Ray Delahanty | CityNerd 270
Scott Atwood @scott-roy-atwood.bsky.social · 25/11/2025Reminder to car drivers in California: As of January 1, 2024, bicycles are legally allowed to go with the pedestrian walk signal, even when the main signal is red. This post brought to you by the driver who decided to stop, roll down his window, and yell at me about running a red light. 360