Toronto. Vancouver. Safe streets. Strong towns. Next-generation cities and mobility. Progressive politics. Craft beer. Co-founder of betternorthshore.ca. Work: martynschmoll.com
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Some news: This winter Team Oonee is launching NYC's first Dutch-Style🚲 parking hub in Brooklyn's Sunset Park. The Hub will provide free parking for 100+ bikes/scooters, and will include safe charging, and appt based repairs + lite service. This will make history in several ways. More deets in 🧵👇🏾
This is around St George and 8th. The Prince Edward route runs south from 14th.
Awesome new bikeway on St George Street in #Vancouver, flanked by pollinator gardens and bioswales. This is how you do it.
“Calls are increasing for more to be done to reduce the number of SUVs in London, with campaigners arguing that drivers of these cars should pay more to park and use the roads in the capital.” www.bbc.com/news/article...
“By signing up to mutual recognition of vehicle standards with the United States, the European Union has waved the white flag on road safety. This is not a technical detail – it is a political choice that puts trade convenience ahead of saving lives.” etsc.eu/etsc-mutual-...
The future North Shore Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) service will span 21 km with 16-17 stations, connecting the North Shore, Vancouver, and Burnaby. This rapid transit service will be fast, reliable, and comfortable. Take the survey now: https://translinklistens.ca/bus-rapid-transit-program
Brilliant evening for the Vancouver Big Tent Urbanist meetup. Always so much positivity and great ideas to take away from these conversations. Thanks to everyone who helped make it happen.
Looking forward to seeing old friends and making new ones tonight at the Vancouver Big Tent Urbanist event. Weather’s looking great! 🌞
Sure. My real point is that cities need to provide a protected bike network so that even people who aren’t comfortable riding in traffic have a way to get around.
Just holding my iPhone.
I often get folks showing up in my timeline insisting that riding a bike on the road is perfectly fine - even safer - than riding in protected bike lanes. Yeah, no. Protected bike lanes enable families on the go. This is the Beach Avenue bikeway in Vancouver.
Chasing the sun in Vancouver.
Indeed there is.
You can't police your way to mobility justice. You have to do something harder: redistribute public space.
This is how you keep cities moving. Give people safe, convenient options for getting around, whether by car, bike, scooter, or on foot. This is Hornby Street in Vancouver.
I agree with everything here except the idea that rapid transit has to be in the form of light rail (LRT). Bus rapid transit (BRT) is cheaper than light rail and could be implemented more quickly, often with existing livery, on roads we already have. www.nsnews.com/opinion/opin...
You love to see these modal filters - redirecting motoring through-traffic and providing a convenient connection for people on bikes makes streets quieter and safer for the people that live there. This one is in Vancouver’s oldest neighbourhood, Strathcona.
Union Market v2 #Vancouver
Yes, indeed.
vancouversun.com/news/new-van...
yle.fi/a/74-20174831
Very bad news for safe streets in Europe. Trump’s trade deal makes massive American cars and trucks more competitive there. podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/t...
One of the most unheralded parts of making streets safer for children is the amount of time it frees up for parents.
Some automakers are bringing back physical controls in cars and NCAP in Europe is factoring haptic controls in their highest safety ratings. Touchscreens have proven deadly, contributing to more than 40,000 fatalities/year in the U.S. alone. www.instagram.com/reel/DJRdEE9...
www.nsnews.com/local-news/n...
“The best way to avoid being physically inactive is not join to a gym, but to begin with the radical act of walking. The good news is a well-designed city can give us all the regular physical activity we need, without access to expensive equipment and trainers. It’s all about the built environment.”
It wasn’t disconnected exactly, riders just had to continue along Beach to a block-long steep climb up Thurlow to pick up the bike lane to the bridge. This straightens and flattens it out.
This new protected bike lane on Pacific Street, connecting the Beach Avenue bikeway with the Burrard Street bridge, is brilliant. The city just had to remove a bunch of on-street parking spaces to make it happen. Great work.
www.cnv.org/City-Hall/Ne... #NorthVan
PARIS CITY HALL EXHIBITION TO OPEN JUNE 21st! I’m proud to join Paris Mayor @annehidalgo.bsky.social, iconic artist Shepard Fairey @obeygiant.bsky.social & local leaders next week to open this conversation-changing EXHIBITION on city leadership in climate action! www.paris.fr/evenements/d...
Short video here from the District of North Vancouver about how they’re addressing infrastructure challenges posed by the province’s new housing mandates. www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwWT...
The City of Toronto’s planning department is now posting on BlueSky! Give us a follow and stay on top of what’s happening across the city (and please re-post and spread the word … and maybe we’ll get a few more planning departments on here!).
Great vibe for #CriticalMass in #Vancouver tonight. Thanks to all the drivers for their patience, and love to all the folks who danced and cheered as we passed.
NYC Congestion Toll Brings In $216 Million in First Four Months www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
“In central London, the survey shows, bikes have overtaken cars to become the most common vehicle. On current trends, they will outnumber all motor vehicles—cars, buses, motorbikes, vans and lorries—within two years.” www.economist.com/britain/2025...
Really appreciating Vancouver’s Hornby Street bike lane on this sunny Saturday afternoon.
ICBC just spent $410 million on rebates that could've been used to fund transportation solutions that benefit everyone, not just drivers. Imagine if those funds were invested instead in public transit and active transportation infrastructure. Sign the HUB petition: bikehub.ca/about-us/new...
Oh, and please give us a follow at @betternorthshore.bsky.social
We have a bunch of new articles up this month. If you like what you see, please join our mailing list. We don’t barrage you with emails - we send out a newsletter once a month. That’s it. www.betternorthshore.ca/newsletter-s...
Last year a few of us started a non-partisan society to galvanize support for positive change across Vancouver’s North Shore. We focus on housing, transportation, and climate change. My latest post is about organizing locally ahead of municipal elections. www.betternorthshore.ca/blog/avoy4wi...
City Debate #19: High rises are more sociable than low rises. June 2, 2025. urbanarium.org/city-debate-...
You don’t need to be a political junkie to create real change. With our municipal elections coming up in fall 2026, now’s the perfect time to get involved in your community—on your terms. #BetterNorthShore www.betternorthshore.ca/blog/avoy4widpuhsj5je3q15liffmqssle
If we support councils that bring forward zoning to embrace smaller mixed-use developments throughout all neighbourhoods, we could spread the burden of growth and reduce traffic congestion. #BetterNorthShore www.betternorthshore.ca/blog/living-...
Everything you ever wanted to know about signalised pedestrian crossings. www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1VB...
A guy who I think is super underrated as a creative force is Peter Gabriel. Dude did prog rock, ballads, pop songs, and didn’t just do them but made some of the best versions of them ever
And then there’s the activism… petergabriel.com/focus/witness/
I like Gabriel’s “pop” stuff much better than Collins’.
When he paired up with Chester Thompson on drums, live, they were a thunderous force. Unbelievable.
Selling England (1974) is probably my favourite record of all time. The young Peter Gabriel on Trespass is a delight hinting at a brilliant future, and Foxtrot and Nursery Cryme are epic explorations of long-form prog rock. The Lamb is a disjointed but brilliant final gasp.
Walked around Lynn Valley town centre a little bit yesterday. Some nice work here with the floating bus stop design on 27th. #BetterNorthShore
Duffy: "Some of the requirements in the last administration was, are you adding bike lanes & walking paths to your construction project? That's what they wanted to see. There's some places across this country where we don't need bike lanes. Why are we adding them to what should be just roadways?"
New Finnish research: “Commuters who cycle to work are less likely to get sick than those who are inactive. Those who bike at least 61 km a week have 5.3 fewer annual sick days than those who don't. In a company of 50 people, this means 265 fewer days of sick leave.” www.julkari.fi/bitstream/ha...
No. I just fantasize about Nuremberg-style criminal trials for these people after this is all over. RFK, Bondi, Noem, Leavitt, Miller, Bessent, every single one of these clowns.
No traffic, best parking spots and just plain fun. E-Bikes are the future. If you're E-Bikes curious @betternorthshore.bsky.social has a guide for you. www.betternorthshore.ca/blog/so-your...
Note the divisive construction of the story narrative here - “cyclists” and “residents” are separated as if they’re distinct groups. Instead, the writer should be acknowledging them correctly as residents who ride bikes and residents who drive cars. #media www.fox5ny.com/news/traffic...
I wonder if this story will finally shine the light on ICBC’s horrible policy. Vulnerable road users have been royally screwed for years since BC NDP changed the model.
“Victims of last week’s deadly vehicle-ramming incident at Vancouver’s Lapu Lapu Festival will face significant challenges to fair compensation because of the no-fault insurance legislation introduced by the BC NDP government in 2021.” #BCpoli www.biv.com/news/icbcs-n...
“Over the past 20 years, Paris has undergone a major transformation, trading automotive arteries for bike lanes, adding green spaces and eliminating 50,000 parking spaces … levels of fine particulate matter have decreased 55% while nitrogen dioxide levels have fallen 50%.” archive.ph/2025.04.16-1...
Another amazing turnout for #JanesWalk #Vancouver today. Navigating Vancouver’s Gaps, noticing the city’s in-between spaces.
Think you're a fast walker? Prove your speed & agility at our Mansions-Only walking tour in Shaughnessy! SATURDAY @ 4 (Note: you can also just come for a nice, easy stroll) www.abundanthousingv...
“By easing building code req’ts for small apartment buildings, the city’s opened the door for a long-overlooked genre of housing: the kind that’s affordable to build and fast to construct. And it could help fill the gap of 4 million units in America's housing supply.” www.realtor.com/advice/rent/...
Businesses can be community builders. In North Van, Reckless Bikes Shipyards is one of those. Tonight, for the third year in a row, they brought their customers together for a night of socializing, food, and music. And that’s our very own DNV councillor Jordan Back on guitar.
Great turnout for the first #JanesWalk of 2025 today. Dunbar neighbourhood, Vancouver.
In this Bike Sense episode, @peterladner.bsky.social talks to our own Duncan Wilcock about a cargo e-bike library that's transforming the way families think about transportation. Don't miss this inspiring story of local innovation and low-barrier access to active travel! bccycling.ca/podcast?ss_s...
it really is astounding that a presidential administration crashed the growth trajectory of the wealthiest country on the planet in basically two months
“A new measure under consideration in New York City could really clamp down on repeat speeders with [mandatory] accelerator-restrictor technology ... particularly focusing on speeders cited on surface streets and in school zones.“ That’s how you do it. www.tmz.com/2025/04/28/n...
Democratic members of Congress should probably be made to understand that unless they throw everything they have at this, they are next.
In case you missed it, this was my starter pack for voices and organizations in Canadian Urbanism specifically. I’ve been adding to it over time, so even if you explored it before, you might want to see who’s been added. And sharing it would be much appreciated! #UrbanistShoutOut go.bsky.app/QWdmJjk
Make this legal everywhere. nyc.streetsblog.org/2025/04/25/y...
Thanks to everyone who came out last night. I think we’re onto something. #BetterNorthShore
As always, Uytae is a gem, making approachable videos that help explain some of the causes of the housing crisis. Highly recommend to watch if you haven’t yet! Let’s talk a bit more about development costs, Vancouver in particular. Because we do some things right, and other things horribly wrong.
We asked three questions - about the wastewater treatment plant overruns, the carbon tax, and transportation - to all federal candidates in North Vancouver’s two electoral districts: Burnaby North-Seymour and North Vancouver-Capilano. Here’s what they said: www.betternorthshore.ca/blog/federal...
Japan’s best-selling EV is the Sakura, a kei car with bidirectional charging and 112 miles of range. Its cost: $17k. The Sakura is an ideal urban car, but sclerotic federal regs block Americans from getting one.
“The changes are intended to increase turnover in coveted street parking spots and encourage people to make better use of underground parking which goes underused even at times of peak demand.” www.nsnews.com/local-news/p...
This month’s newsletter celebrates our natural heritage and Earth Day with a look at trees and how each municipality protects them, old growth ecosystems and pollinators as well as the proposal for paid parking in the City of North Vancouver. #BetterNorthShore www.betternorthshore.ca/newsletter/m...
Even with super-expensive stormwater management projects culverts still overflow, flooding homes and businesses. It’s a battle we’re losing with traditional engineering tactics. Rain gardens offer a natural way to mitigate runoff problems. #BetterNorthShore www.betternorthshore.ca/blog/depaved...
How Well Is Congestion Pricing Doing? Very. www.curbed.com/article/100-...
NYC’s congestion pricing is doing numbers. Big numbers.
“Transit ridership is off the charts in Brampton, Ontario, despite its typical low-density suburban layout. Here’s how the city got residents to get on the bus.” www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Paris Proves the Power of Pedals: How Cycling Helped Cut Pollution in Half. momentummag.com/paris-proves...
Dropped into my local Elections Canada office and voted today. The young staffer who assisted me said it’s been a busy day! Great to hear!
Bring back *everyone* who was sent from the U.S. to CECOT in El Salvador. *No one* should be sent there. ALL their rights were violated. ALL of them should come home.
Sociopathic
This is a criminal administration whose leaders need to be removed from office and tried for their crimes.
And the final results are in. Orr and Maloney in a blowout, with Orr on more than half the ballots cast — an impressive result on a crowded ballot, even in a byelection context. ABC gets around 13% of the vote, slightly ahead of how Vision did in the 2017 byelection when they were in power.
Seeing basically the same number of votes for Lucy and Sean is pretty wild.
“Left-leaning economic populism does appear to be the way forward for Democrats. But it can’t be right that this diminishes the case for a full-throated party-wide indictment of Trump’s abuses of power and efforts to dismantle the rule of law.” newrepublic.com/article/1936...
True. Nothing to write home about here with this biking “infrastructure” but with fewer and smaller, slower vehicles and less aggressive driving, it seemed to work OK. I saw a lot of regular-looking folks riding on these kinds of streets.
Last day. #Tokyo
This part of #Tokyo is just really impressive. Elevated tracks moving trains and beautiful plazas everywhere.
Honestly, I can’t get enough of these modern, elevated plazas in #Tokyo.
Caught a rare glimpse of the yellow Shinkansen today. Doctor Yellow is equipped with advanced monitoring equipment to check tracks, overhead wires, and signals at high speeds. It doesn’t run on a fixed schedule and many people believe that spotting it brings good fortune.
The ubiquitous vending machine. #Tokyo
#Tokyo
Massive bike parking facility at Sumida Park. Motion sensor activates that thin strip of conveyor belt to assist getting the bike up the incline. #Tokyo
