Safe streets are not a minority preference

Advocates for safer streets are sometimes dismissed as a loud minority. I wrote Safe streets are not a minority preference about why I think this framing is terrible. If driving is convenient while you either wait for an hour to take a bus or you need to risk your life biking, the fact that most people drive tells us nothing about what they prefer as a transportation option. Current travel patterns reflect the existing street design and we can't treat them as a vote against changing those streets.

Also, many people are either not aware or not actively thinking about consequences of street design. Consider two following questions with very different frames & data:

"Would you support installing speed humps that slow down cars?"

vs.

"On this school route, would you support traffic calming that slows cars, makes walking and biking safer, with roughly 50% fewer children killed or seriously injured and generally modest effects on travel time?"

I doubt the answer would look like a minority preference if we provide more contexts.

Most people are not "cyclists" or "drivers"; they simply choose the safe and convenient options

A 2016 survey of 3,000 adults across the 50 largest US metropolitan areas found that about half were "interested but concerned" about biking. Traffic and too few bike lanes or trails were among the barriers they reported. That is a lot of potential riders to leave out when we count only the people willing to ride today.

Nor are "drivers" and "cyclists" fixed identities. I usually ride an e-bike, but I also drive, walk, or take the bus depending on what works. Making another mode practical gives the same person another choice.

Let's make the trip to school safer

That is also the motivation behind the Safe School Streets page for Charlottesville. I've put together a two-page flyer to print or share with other families.

The goal is simple: children should be able to walk or bike to school, and parents should be able to trust that they'll get there safely. That means looking at the whole route. One dangerous crossing can make an otherwise comfortable walk or ride impossible for a family.

In a previous email, I wrote about the evidence for traffic calming and my letter asking Charlottesville to make it the default. I'd like to help turn that into improvements along school routes.

Charlottesville Safe School Streets is an email discussion group for families to share concerns and work together. We can start with a difficult crossing, walk the route with school leadership, and ask the City's Safe Routes to School coordinator to help identify improvements and next steps.

You can also report a problem through MyCville. Include the location, what happens during arrival or dismissal, and what you'd like the City to assess. Keep the request number so we can follow up together.

If you're in Charlottesville, please join or pass the flyer along! Everyone is welcome, however your family gets to school. If you have trouble joining the group, or would like to help organize, email me.

Week Without Driving: October 1–8

How would you get to work or buy groceries if you couldn't drive? Week Without Driving runs October 1–8, 2026, inviting us to try everyday trips by walking, rolling, biking, taking transit, or asking for a ride. You can participate for a trip, a day, or the whole week.

Avon Street hearing: October 22

Weigh in on the Avon Street multimodal improvements on 10/22!

• Thursday, October 22, 2026, 5–7 p.m. at Monticello High School (1400 Independence Way).

If you can't attend, email comments to [email protected] with "Avon Street multimodal improvements" in the subject line. Comments must be submitted or postmarked by November 2; the project page has the plans and mailing details.

One leaf blower versus 300 F-150s

Imagine 300 Ford F-150 Raptors circling around your house. Now imagine one gardener using a gas leaf blower for the same amount of time.

In an Edmunds laboratory test, a two-stroke leaf blower emitted nearly 300 times as much non-methane hydrocarbon per minute as a Ford F-150 Raptor. Although this was a comparison of specific machines and pollutants, it seems to be well-known than small two-stroke engines (often used in small equipments) are terribly polluting. My Leaf blower pollution page contains more information about the test and why these small engines are so dirty.

So I was glad to see Charlottesville's August 24 announcement that the Downtown Mall custodial crew had switched entirely to electric leaf blowers. Staff reported comparable power and performance, with almost no remaining complaints about blower noise.

I sent an email to the city leadership and staffs, encouraging them to create more incentives for nudging small businesses to transition to electric equipment. So it was great to hear that the city has started an electric landscaping rebate program!

yy

Know someone who'd find it informative? Please forward it along! ;)

Did someone forward you this? You can subscribe here.