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Warren Wells, AICP

@warrenjwells.bsky.social

9.7K followers 1.1K following 5.3K posts

Policy & Planning Dir. @marinbike.org • UCLA Urban Planning • AICP Planner • Baltimore ➡️ LA ➡️ East Bay • 🚫🚗Car-free commuting since 2015 • Missing middle renter. 📍Berkeley, CA

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Warren Wells, AICP @warrenjwells.bsky.social · 27d

Obviously I talk a lot about bike/ped safety.

But something that is really crazy is how much less safe you *in a car* since 2010.

In spite of all the additional safety technology, vehicle occupants are less safe today than they were 15 years ago.

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Warren Wells, AICP @warrenjwells.bsky.social · 6m

It has been 0 days since someone was hit by a car on a Berkeley Bike Boulevard.

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Warren Wells, AICP @warrenjwells.bsky.social · 7h

Despite the fact that I wish I could evict it!

Warren Wells, AICP @warrenjwells.bsky.social · 15h

Shout-out to the guy on BART who is 15 pages into Cormac McCarthy's "The Road."

Like, I guess as bad as it is, things could always get much worse!

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Warren Wells, AICP @warrenjwells.bsky.social · 19h

The arrival displays at @bart.gov's Embarcadero station have been reliable recently, but the time is about 4.5 hours off.

Warren Wells, AICP @warrenjwells.bsky.social · 19h

I save money by not actually owning a road bike, just two sets of wheels with gravel and road tires for my Trek Checkpoint.

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Warren Wells, AICP @warrenjwells.bsky.social · 19h

These days I ride mostly road, actually (it's way easier to fit in a short tunnel loop in than some gravel ramble).

But OP notwithstanding, my two bikes are both actually gravel bikes, so I will not be putting away either (only swapping out for the road wheel set on one of them).

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Warren Wells, AICP @warrenjwells.bsky.social · 19h

Interesting. I did not know the history here.

Warren Wells, AICP @warrenjwells.bsky.social · 19h

It's not incorrect. They just define it differently in NY that in most other states.

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Warren Wells, AICP @warrenjwells.bsky.social · 19h

Agreed. We should be more comfortable with throttles and have lower speed limiters (on e-bikes, but also in cars).

bsky.app/profile/warr...

Warren Wells, AICP @warrenjwells.bsky.social · Sep 3

Here's a thought experiment. Which bike would present a greater potential danger to riders and multiuse pathway users?

E-Bike A: Pedal-assist plus throttle. Maximum speed 8 mph.
E-Bike B: Pedal-assist only, no throttle. Maximum speed 40 mph.

This is a reductio, but it's obvious, right?

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Warren Wells, AICP @warrenjwells.bsky.social · 19h

Indeed, and I never ride our Class 2 bike over 18 mph. I definitely don't need another 10 mph of headroom.

Warren Wells, AICP @warrenjwells.bsky.social · 20h

I am on the record as thinking that Class 3 bikes are unnecessarily fast, but what I think of as closer to 80-90% of the issue *is not* legal Class 3 bikes, but illegal out-of-class throttle bikes.

These are the scofflaws marketed at e-bikes, but can throttle over 20 mph (in some cases 35+).

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Warren Wells, AICP @warrenjwells.bsky.social · 21h

Honestly, if I were designing e-bike policy, I would be more likely to do the exact opposite of this.

If you want to prohibit Class 3 e-bikes anywhere in New York State, it should probably be in New York City.

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Warren Wells, AICP @warrenjwells.bsky.social · 21h

TIL that New York State only allows Class 3 e-bikes in cities with a population of 1 million or greater.

This is a category of exactly one city, i.e. New York City.

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Warren Wells, AICP @warrenjwells.bsky.social · 21h

I agree, and I point that out in the thread.

I grew up in a 1970s, 2 DU/acre neighborhood where the trip to elementary school was a 2.5 mile drive along this road, which no sidewalk and very scary biking (I only biked here once in college).

SR2S is important, but cannot overcome the built env.

Reposted by Warren Wells, AICP

TrainsBikesBus 🚂 🚲 🚌 @trainsbikesbus.bsky.social · 1d

Think about this - Average size of a golf course is 200 acres. Can't be used late fall, winter, or early spring. TRUTH.

Ppl complain that bikes can't be used every season so why have bike lanes. FALSE. Bike lanes can be used EVERY season.

Why do we waste so much space on golf courses?

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Warren Wells, AICP @warrenjwells.bsky.social · 22h

Absolute legend. So many iconic works that are burned into my brain forever.

◥◤Kriston Capps @kristoncapps.bsky.social · 22h

Drew Struzan, the great Hollywood illustrator, master of the airbrush and font of cinematic magic, has died. AI could fcking never.

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Warren Wells, AICP @warrenjwells.bsky.social · 23h

We run the same programs in Novato, but see very different bike/walk rates (still double the national average, though!).

Note the following differences:
-Larger lot sizes (5 DU/acres)
-No bike infrastructure on nearby collectors or arterials, and no bike paths
-Disconnected street network

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Warren Wells, AICP @warrenjwells.bsky.social · 23h

Marin is what the suburbs could be.

That said, the fact that these cities are just a few miles from San Francisco means the density is far too low given the land prices.

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Warren Wells, AICP @warrenjwells.bsky.social · 23h

Several schools see a majority of students walking and rolling.

It's clear what those schools have in common:
-Nearby relatively dense housing (9+ DU/acre)
-Adjacent protected bike infrastructure
-Very little parking/auto circulation

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Warren Wells, AICP @warrenjwells.bsky.social · 23h

Thanks in large part to Safe Routes to School (a program created in Marin before it was rolled out nationwide), Marin County sees 3x the rate of kids walking or rolling to school.

Over the past 15 years we've gone from 1 in 4 kids to 1 in 3 kids. This compares to 1 in 9(!) nationally.

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Warren Wells, AICP @warrenjwells.bsky.social · 23h

Except for the dumb SR-37 environmental exception, Gov. Newsom did a good job signing the bills sent to him by the legislature.

The last couple years he has vetoed some critical bills, so I'm glad he was more liberal with his pen this session.

cal.streetsblog.org/2025/10/13/l...

Legislative Update : He Signed Everything - Streetsblog California

With just hours left to sign or veto, Governor Newsom signed all five pieces of legislation we've been waiting on. Full coverage coming tomorrow, but for now you can see the final status of all the le...

cal.streetsblog.org

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Warren Wells, AICP @warrenjwells.bsky.social · 23h

Putting away the gravel bike for the season. ☹️

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Warren Wells, AICP @warrenjwells.bsky.social · 1d

Ahh, someone who actually knows what they are talking about ☝🏻

(really enjoyed your books!)

Warren Wells, AICP @warrenjwells.bsky.social · 1d

I'm happy to have played on own small part in the pressure campaign to pass the bill with this op-ed I wrote last month.

bsky.app/profile/warr...

Warren Wells, AICP @warrenjwells.bsky.social · 22d

I just wrote an op-ed about how Governor Newsom should sign SB 720, which would reform California's red light camera law.

www.marinij.com/2025/09/22/m...

Marin Voice: Governor should sign red light camera law

“Get home safe!” It’s something we wish our friends, family and loved ones whenever we part ways. But what are we actually talking about? What threat do we worry lurks around the corner? Speaking p…

www.marinij.com

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Warren Wells, AICP @warrenjwells.bsky.social · 1d

My understanding (from talking to the bill's sponsors) is that police unions and someone carrying water from them in the governor's office was trying to kill the bill.

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