@notjustbikes@notjustbikes.comMy latest video is live on Patreon and Nebula!
https://nebula.tv/videos/notjustbikes-how-american-fire-departments-are-getting-people-killed
One of the things that really pissed me off when I was an advocate was when a plan that was designed to make the streets safer was vetoed by the Fire Department. And that was it: whatever the Fire Department said was what we did, because nobody can question the Fire Department.
But when firefighting is objectively done better in other countries that have safer streets, there comes a time when we need to push back a little.
@NBAnthony2k@mastodo.neoliber.al@notjustbikes earlier this year, Los Angeles Fire department did a political campaign against the Safe Streets Ballot initiative(even though the safe streets redesign includes dedicated lanes for emergency vehicles)
Someone on the Los Angeles subreddit did some digging and 75% of LAFD responses are to automobiles. They're barely even fire fighters anymore.
Luckily voters didn't listen and passed it.
@notjustbikes@notjustbikes.com@NBAnthony2k I am convinced that many fire marshalls do this just because they're car-loving suburbanites who don't want to see cars limited in any way, so they use their status as the fire department to get these initiatives cancelled.
Like when business owners say that removing car parking would run them out of business ... and then it's found that actually, the owner and their employees use the parking spots all day every day, not the customers.
@NBAnthony2k @notjustbikes “75% of LAFD responses are to automobiles” isn't that also where those in LA spend most of their time? Don’t know LA, have never been there, but have the feeling I know it more than enough. I just drove around there in streetview briefly. Yikes.
@NBAnthony2k @notjustbikes in streetview I was trying to find the town's square, as European. Would that be Pershing Square on Olive street and 6th? Or is that just a decorated rooftop of a parking?
@NBAnthony2k@rrustema020 @notjustbikes We have no town square in LA.
Pershing Square is probably the closest but its not anything like what you're thinking of as a proper 'town square'. There are a few isolated pedestrianized areas but its pretty sad and dispersed.
And yes, driving is the most dangerous thing we do here. And we do a lot of it.
@NBAnthony2k @notjustbikes That was exactly my fear based on popular culture... thank you for taking the effort to confirm it to an outsider.
@NBAnthony2k @notjustbikes This was a major screwup that someone answered for, right? This would be like if the entire military budget was accidentally added to the list of environmental preserve expenditures, because some military bases have preserves on them
@NBAnthony2k@odd @notjustbikes Well no one was punished, but it was clear to voters that the costs the. city estimated were wildly off.