Tab Combs
@drtcombs.bsky.social
Transport-Equity-Resilience PhD.
Road Harm Reducer.
Villagist.
She/hers. Occasional outbursts about dogs, kids, Davidson hoops, & gardening. My opinions are mine.
Please read pinned post before following.
Road Harm Reducer.
Villagist.
She/hers. Occasional outbursts about dogs, kids, Davidson hoops, & gardening. My opinions are mine.
Please read pinned post before following.
Pinned
Tab Combs
@drtcombs.bsky.social
· Feb 19
You may be a very nice person but if you have no profile description, no posts, no profile pic (doesn't even have to be of you!), and follow a bazillion accounts, please don't follow me.
"Safety" means one of 3 things in most of transportation policy:
1. Ignorance: Reducing congestion and thinking it makes streets safer
2. Cover story: Doing something unpopular but calling it safety so ppl can't oppose it
3. Gaslighting: Refusing to take responsibility for making things unsafe
1. Ignorance: Reducing congestion and thinking it makes streets safer
2. Cover story: Doing something unpopular but calling it safety so ppl can't oppose it
3. Gaslighting: Refusing to take responsibility for making things unsafe
NEW: Sean Duffy frequently calls safety his “top priority” as transportation secretary. But I spent months wading through regulatory notices and found something far different: that USDOT has been delaying, weakening and killing dozens of safety rules, many opposed by the transportation industry.🧵
November 21, 2025 at 4:22 PM
"Safety" means one of 3 things in most of transportation policy:
1. Ignorance: Reducing congestion and thinking it makes streets safer
2. Cover story: Doing something unpopular but calling it safety so ppl can't oppose it
3. Gaslighting: Refusing to take responsibility for making things unsafe
1. Ignorance: Reducing congestion and thinking it makes streets safer
2. Cover story: Doing something unpopular but calling it safety so ppl can't oppose it
3. Gaslighting: Refusing to take responsibility for making things unsafe
it takes real skill to get covered in poison ivy in late november, but evidently i was up for the challenge
daaaaaaang
daaaaaaang
November 19, 2025 at 8:05 PM
it takes real skill to get covered in poison ivy in late november, but evidently i was up for the challenge
daaaaaaang
daaaaaaang
there's a petition going around to get #ChapelHillNC to go back to picking up leaves that people have blown into the street for free...and...what?
If you have trees on your private property, then that means you are privileged enough to have private property...
If you have trees on your private property, then that means you are privileged enough to have private property...
November 19, 2025 at 4:09 PM
there's a petition going around to get #ChapelHillNC to go back to picking up leaves that people have blown into the street for free...and...what?
If you have trees on your private property, then that means you are privileged enough to have private property...
If you have trees on your private property, then that means you are privileged enough to have private property...
Reposted by Tab Combs
We're at the next stag of the authors' lawsuit against Anthropic.
Check the link below to see which of your books they raided and then click through to file a claim.
Four of mine were in there.
Check the link below to see which of your books they raided and then click through to file a claim.
Four of mine were in there.
November 18, 2025 at 7:54 PM
We're at the next stag of the authors' lawsuit against Anthropic.
Check the link below to see which of your books they raided and then click through to file a claim.
Four of mine were in there.
Check the link below to see which of your books they raided and then click through to file a claim.
Four of mine were in there.
as a cishet straight person who has repeatedly been told to change my name to something less confusing, I can only imagine how frustrating and traumatizing it must be to be deadnamed in school, at work, or by family
November 17, 2025 at 4:14 PM
as a cishet straight person who has repeatedly been told to change my name to something less confusing, I can only imagine how frustrating and traumatizing it must be to be deadnamed in school, at work, or by family
why people would sooner cut down their trees than buy a mulching mower, start a compost pile, or watch a single youtube on soil ecology blows my mind
#LeaveYourLeaves
#LeaveYourLeaves
November 17, 2025 at 2:23 PM
why people would sooner cut down their trees than buy a mulching mower, start a compost pile, or watch a single youtube on soil ecology blows my mind
#LeaveYourLeaves
#LeaveYourLeaves
Reposted by Tab Combs
I hate that every time we have a conversation about this we have to carefully insert “I’m sure there are some good uses of it”. None of which are embedded in our databases, email, or curricula!
November 17, 2025 at 11:25 AM
I hate that every time we have a conversation about this we have to carefully insert “I’m sure there are some good uses of it”. None of which are embedded in our databases, email, or curricula!
Reposted by Tab Combs
Even just trying to avoid it as an ethical participant in higher education is taking work, time, and professional risks, all of which are worth it not to contribute to this very real problem, but are a real waste.
“While the AI industry claims its models can “think,” “reason,” and “learn,” their supposed achievements rest on marketing hype and stolen intellectual labor. In reality, AI erodes academic freedom, weakens critical reading, and subordinates the pursuit of knowledge to corporate interests.”
AI Is Hollowing Out Higher Education
Olivia Guest & Iris van Rooij urge teachers and scholars to reject tools that commodify learning, deskill students, and promote illiteracy.
www.project-syndicate.org
November 17, 2025 at 11:17 AM
Even just trying to avoid it as an ethical participant in higher education is taking work, time, and professional risks, all of which are worth it not to contribute to this very real problem, but are a real waste.
As a human person with ears, one of the best things about #ChapelHillNC cutting free leaf collection is the marked, substantial drop in leafblowers use all day long
#LeaveYourLeaves
#LeaveYourLeaves
November 16, 2025 at 11:26 PM
As a human person with ears, one of the best things about #ChapelHillNC cutting free leaf collection is the marked, substantial drop in leafblowers use all day long
#LeaveYourLeaves
#LeaveYourLeaves
periodic reminder that the main outcome of the trolley problem is normalizing the loss of life for "the greater good"
November 16, 2025 at 11:28 AM
periodic reminder that the main outcome of the trolley problem is normalizing the loss of life for "the greater good"
This greenway has been open for less than a week and there's already been 3 "unwanted touchings" but tell me again how women have ruined the workplace
content.govdelivery.com/accounts/NCC...
content.govdelivery.com/accounts/NCC...
Police Increase Patrols Following Unwanted Touching, Suspicious Person Reports
content.govdelivery.com
November 14, 2025 at 9:25 PM
This greenway has been open for less than a week and there's already been 3 "unwanted touchings" but tell me again how women have ruined the workplace
content.govdelivery.com/accounts/NCC...
content.govdelivery.com/accounts/NCC...
Was just sent a poster that reads: "Safe streets starts with safe drivers"
I appreciate the intent but it's factually incorrect.
Safe streets starts with holding transportation professionals accountable for not designing safe streets. And then with holding elected officials accountable...
I appreciate the intent but it's factually incorrect.
Safe streets starts with holding transportation professionals accountable for not designing safe streets. And then with holding elected officials accountable...
November 14, 2025 at 6:44 PM
Was just sent a poster that reads: "Safe streets starts with safe drivers"
I appreciate the intent but it's factually incorrect.
Safe streets starts with holding transportation professionals accountable for not designing safe streets. And then with holding elected officials accountable...
I appreciate the intent but it's factually incorrect.
Safe streets starts with holding transportation professionals accountable for not designing safe streets. And then with holding elected officials accountable...
Happy Birthday, old friend. www.pbs.org/wnet/america...
Aaron Copland ~ Aaron Copland Biography | American Masters | PBS
Aaron Copland was one of the most respected American classical composers of the twentieth century.
www.pbs.org
November 14, 2025 at 11:17 AM
Happy Birthday, old friend. www.pbs.org/wnet/america...
Reposted by Tab Combs
"Beyond the numbers, there’s a simple truth that emerges from both the research and the riders: e-cargo bikes are fun. They turn errands into adventures, draw smiles from strangers, and make cities feel friendlier."
Cycling has come a long way.
And with cargo bikes offering more transport capability plus the option of extra power from electric batteries, the fun and benefits are great
Matthew O'Connor Lomas tells all...
And with cargo bikes offering more transport capability plus the option of extra power from electric batteries, the fun and benefits are great
Matthew O'Connor Lomas tells all...
From cars to cargo bikes: How families found freedom
A new study shows that households using cargo bikes can halve their car miles – and a scheme is helping Norwich residents make the shift
eastangliabylines.co.uk
November 14, 2025 at 8:41 AM
"Beyond the numbers, there’s a simple truth that emerges from both the research and the riders: e-cargo bikes are fun. They turn errands into adventures, draw smiles from strangers, and make cities feel friendlier."
A few nights ago my sleeping brain made a joke in a dream and this afternoon my awake brain just got it
And then I instantly forgot both the joke and the punchline
Brains are so weird
And then I instantly forgot both the joke and the punchline
Brains are so weird
November 14, 2025 at 1:37 AM
A few nights ago my sleeping brain made a joke in a dream and this afternoon my awake brain just got it
And then I instantly forgot both the joke and the punchline
Brains are so weird
And then I instantly forgot both the joke and the punchline
Brains are so weird
Reposted by Tab Combs
I’m really tired of the Waymo policy machine, and how it’s bought up bike/ped/disability advocacy.
Great, your robot cars will do some of the basics that human drivers won’t do, like use turn signals and pay attention. In return, we can’t regulate you, and our transit systems will die.
We give up.
Great, your robot cars will do some of the basics that human drivers won’t do, like use turn signals and pay attention. In return, we can’t regulate you, and our transit systems will die.
We give up.
November 13, 2025 at 6:03 PM
I’m really tired of the Waymo policy machine, and how it’s bought up bike/ped/disability advocacy.
Great, your robot cars will do some of the basics that human drivers won’t do, like use turn signals and pay attention. In return, we can’t regulate you, and our transit systems will die.
We give up.
Great, your robot cars will do some of the basics that human drivers won’t do, like use turn signals and pay attention. In return, we can’t regulate you, and our transit systems will die.
We give up.
Do your eyes, like mine, FREAK OUT when confronted with yellow highlighting on a web page?
If so: there's a chrome plugin called 'colorblindly' which simulates different types of color vision anamolies...with the side effect of letting you de-yellow any web page with single click!
You're welcome 😘
If so: there's a chrome plugin called 'colorblindly' which simulates different types of color vision anamolies...with the side effect of letting you de-yellow any web page with single click!
You're welcome 😘
November 13, 2025 at 8:49 PM
Do your eyes, like mine, FREAK OUT when confronted with yellow highlighting on a web page?
If so: there's a chrome plugin called 'colorblindly' which simulates different types of color vision anamolies...with the side effect of letting you de-yellow any web page with single click!
You're welcome 😘
If so: there's a chrome plugin called 'colorblindly' which simulates different types of color vision anamolies...with the side effect of letting you de-yellow any web page with single click!
You're welcome 😘
Reposted by Tab Combs
"In 2025, 40% of women aged 15 to 44 say they would move abroad permanently if they had the opportunity. The current figure is four times higher than the 10% who shared this desire in 2014, when it was generally in line with other age and gender groups."
Record Numbers of Younger Women Want to Leave the U.S.
The percentage of younger women in the U.S. who express a desire to migrate permanently has surged in the past decade.
news.gallup.com
November 13, 2025 at 3:10 PM
"In 2025, 40% of women aged 15 to 44 say they would move abroad permanently if they had the opportunity. The current figure is four times higher than the 10% who shared this desire in 2014, when it was generally in line with other age and gender groups."
Reposted by Tab Combs
Call for Papers: *Special Issue on #AI and the Evolving Dynamics of Transportation and Land Use*
jtlu.org/index.php/jt...
We welcome submissions on: 1) Embedded intelligence in transport and land use systems, or 2) algorithmic AI for modeling and planning urban mobility and land use.
(1/3)
jtlu.org/index.php/jt...
We welcome submissions on: 1) Embedded intelligence in transport and land use systems, or 2) algorithmic AI for modeling and planning urban mobility and land use.
(1/3)
Call for Papers: Special Issue on AI and the Evolving Dynamics of Transportation and Land Use
| Journal of Transport and Land Use
<p>The Journal of Transport and Land Use is the leading international journal that publishes original interdisciplinary papers on the interaction of transport and land use. The Editors welcome origina...
jtlu.org
October 31, 2025 at 2:07 PM
Call for Papers: *Special Issue on #AI and the Evolving Dynamics of Transportation and Land Use*
jtlu.org/index.php/jt...
We welcome submissions on: 1) Embedded intelligence in transport and land use systems, or 2) algorithmic AI for modeling and planning urban mobility and land use.
(1/3)
jtlu.org/index.php/jt...
We welcome submissions on: 1) Embedded intelligence in transport and land use systems, or 2) algorithmic AI for modeling and planning urban mobility and land use.
(1/3)
Reposted by Tab Combs
New #research in JTLU: "Three-dimensional #walking accessibility to multi-type public open spaces: Spatial equality and #planning implications" by Anqi Wang, Yepeng Yao, Bingyan Jiang, and Edwin HW Chan.
jtlu.org/index.php/jt...
#OpenAccess #UrbanPlanning #OpenSpace
(1/2)
jtlu.org/index.php/jt...
#OpenAccess #UrbanPlanning #OpenSpace
(1/2)
November 12, 2025 at 5:10 PM
New #research in JTLU: "Three-dimensional #walking accessibility to multi-type public open spaces: Spatial equality and #planning implications" by Anqi Wang, Yepeng Yao, Bingyan Jiang, and Edwin HW Chan.
jtlu.org/index.php/jt...
#OpenAccess #UrbanPlanning #OpenSpace
(1/2)
jtlu.org/index.php/jt...
#OpenAccess #UrbanPlanning #OpenSpace
(1/2)
Reposted by Tab Combs
New #research in JTLU: “The application of rational inattention theory in modelling residential location choices: A cross-sectional investigation using a stated preference dataset” by Saeed Shakib & Khandker Habib
www.jtlu.org/index.php/jt...
#ResidentialLocation #RationalInattention (1/2)
www.jtlu.org/index.php/jt...
#ResidentialLocation #RationalInattention (1/2)
November 12, 2025 at 5:15 PM
New #research in JTLU: “The application of rational inattention theory in modelling residential location choices: A cross-sectional investigation using a stated preference dataset” by Saeed Shakib & Khandker Habib
www.jtlu.org/index.php/jt...
#ResidentialLocation #RationalInattention (1/2)
www.jtlu.org/index.php/jt...
#ResidentialLocation #RationalInattention (1/2)
I know this is supposed to be about deer but last Christmas we were 3 miles into a 500-mile drive when the dashboard lit up like a Christmas tree and the car just...stopped...because a squirrel had chewed through the transmission wiring harness. Again.
I was cycling once and got clotheslined by a fucking turkey, wiped out on a gravel road, I still have scars where my sister had to pick gravel out of my leg with tweezers
My ex step-cousin was riding his bike to school in Utah, and a deer bolted out of a bush and leveled him. Pancaked. Istg
November 10, 2025 at 6:55 PM
I know this is supposed to be about deer but last Christmas we were 3 miles into a 500-mile drive when the dashboard lit up like a Christmas tree and the car just...stopped...because a squirrel had chewed through the transmission wiring harness. Again.
Reposted by Tab Combs
There are so many hyperlocal AI slop journalism sites popping up in news deserts and there are few, if any, local media reporters helping people make sense of them.
November 9, 2025 at 9:37 PM
There are so many hyperlocal AI slop journalism sites popping up in news deserts and there are few, if any, local media reporters helping people make sense of them.