Ashton
@ashtonindc.bsky.social
Urban planner and car-free PhD candidate researching the conflict system of vehicular violence, the ideology of car supremacy, and the care of mobility. Read more at http://peaceandplanning.com.
Hard to pick a favorite. I wonder if Helsinki named them the car-free "crown bridges" because they make people walking, rolling, and taking the tram feel like royalty? Meanwhile, Oodi the library's "Citizen's Balcony" was built at the same level across from parliament to symbolize equality.
Left White River Junction VT on an Amtrak train at 11:47a and targeting a 10:54p arrival to Union Station, which means I'm currently in a race with the posting of DC primary results (polls have an advantage given a 48-minute Amtrak delay)...which will arrive first?! Let's goooo DC!
The thing about what I call the conflict system of vehicular violence is that it's all around us, all the time. And we are at least bystanders of - if not actors in - that conflict system, both as regular people moving about the world, and as planners shaping communities *and* community engagement.
Active Towns@activetowns.bsky.social · 3mo agoIn this excerpt from Ep 340 The Peace and Conflict Field of Study Slams into Car Supremacy, @ashtonindc.bsky.social discusses the connections between the urban planning field, peace & conflict studies, and vehicular violence. youtube.com/shorts/gDYVy...
An appalling meta example of what I explored in my paper on what I call the conflict system of vehicular violence. Media narratives (cultural violence) justifying automotive assault (direct violence) encouraged by non-existent legal protections and insufficient infrastructure (structural violence).
The War on Cars@thewaroncars.bsky.social · 3mo agoOn one side you have drivers purposely running over cyclists, shooting them, and operating their vehicles while fatigued, under the influence, or distracted by their phones. On the other side you have one "extreme" example of a guy throwing his bike at a car. But "Road rage can go both ways."
It's not often you get an hour (plus!) to talk about the thing that gets you out of bed every morning with someone who asks thoughtful questions about your research. I don't ever take for granted I get to do this work, and am grateful for those like @activetowns.bsky.social who support it.
Active Towns@activetowns.bsky.social · 3mo agoICYMI: Episode 340 of the Active Towns Podcast, featuring @ashtonindc.bsky.social about her research on the ideology of car supremacy and on reimagining streets as sites of care and community, is now available in both audio-only and video formats: www.activetowns.org/2026/05/24/p...
It's a fun game to count ideology of car supremacy beliefs/rhetorical devices in coverage like this. This is at least 2 for 3: ✅ Blame inversion (car congestion caused by...not cars?) ✅ Nefarious minority (that bike lobby!) Static scarcity isn't prominent, but my guess is moto monoculture lurks!
Liora Halperin@lioracle.bsky.social · 3mo ago“What some will surely call the latest onslaught in a war on cars, and others will view as a long-awaited remedy to a dangerous and auto-dominated transportation system, is all taking place on one of the few streets in Seattle owned by Parks and Recreation.” @thewaroncars.bsky.social
I wonder how many cities have stakeholder engagement practices that both treat mode use as a distinct identity and within that identity, from an intersectional perspective - or even facilitate sessions to build understanding between drivers and marginalized road users with varied lived experiences.
BikeLoudPDX@bikeloudpdx.bsky.social · 3mo agoDo you struggle to advocate for safe streets? Read a fresh take. 𝙒𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙬𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙡𝙚𝙜𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙙𝙚𝙘𝙞𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣-𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤 𝙥𝙚𝙤𝙥𝙡𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙙𝙚𝙘𝙞𝙙𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙤𝙨𝙚 𝙡𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙨 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙝 𝙫𝙖𝙡𝙪𝙞𝙣𝙜, 𝙄 𝙙𝙤𝙣’𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙠 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙩 𝙖𝙨 ‘𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙪𝙡𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙢𝙪𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙮' @ashtonindc.bsky.social @usa.streetsblog.org usa.streetsblog.org/2026/05/06/m...
![screenshot of StreetsBlog article that says "Meet the NIMBY’s Toxic Cousin: the NOMS (Not On My Street)
Are neighborhood "car supremacists" taking over our community meetings — and what do we do about it?
By Kea Wilson
Rohmer says community meetings, where motorists often disparage and intimidate their non-driving neighbors, provide a startling illustration of car culture’s corrosive impact.
In the D.C. testimonies she studied, many residents pointed to low bike ridership as evidence that cyclists constituted a “nefarious minority” hellbent on making life harder for their neighbors — rather than average people who just want to survive their ride home. Some even accused bikers, without evidence, of being paid actors or bribing politicians to enact their unwanted “agenda.”
“There’s no recognition that people who ride bikes or busses or [who use] sidewalks could possibly be members of the community,” Rohmer continued. “They’re always cast as outsiders … What these arguments are saying is that [non-drivers] shouldn’t have access to safe streets — like your life matters less.”
While her sample focused on D.C., Rohmer says car-supremacist arguments and attitudes turn up in conservative and liberal places alike because they’re fundamentally about power, not partisan politics.
“If we use our community engagement practices to enable someone who thinks that it is okay not to make our streets safe for everyone who uses them, that is a failure of community engagement,” she said. “When we relegate decision-making to people who have these ideas about whose lives are worth valuing, I don’t think that that should count as ‘consulting the community.'”](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:tihggv2lcgqpw5fu4ilri5cq/bafkreifldqy3ytp5u7w56lxnngcxkesmxcig57tuc75cogvvbxftfsxdki)
YAY! IT’S PREMIERE DAY: Please tune in today, Friday, May 22nd, at 2 pm Eastern for a fascinating conversation with @ashtonindc.bsky.social about her research on the ideology of car supremacy and on reimagining streets as sites of care and community. youtu.be/Z8AarCS6hHg
Peace and Conflict Resolution meets Car Supremacy
YouTube video by Active Towns
youtu.be
What a privilege to now be part of the @activetowns.bsky.social alumni family 🎙️ 🙏 I so enjoyed talking with John about my research on the ideology of car supremacy and reimagining streets as sites of care and community 🚸 Hope to see you 5/21 at 2p ET on YouTube - I'll be answering questions live! 🤓
Active Towns@activetowns.bsky.social · 3mo agoPREMIERE ALERT: Please tune in tomorrow, Friday, May 22nd, at 2 pm Eastern for a fascinating conversation with Ashton Rohmer about the connections she’s discovering in her Peace & Conflict Resolution studies with Vehicular Violence and Car Supremacy youtu.be/Z8AarCS6hHg
Join us tomorrow (May 20, 6:30pm, Freedom Plaza) for the Ride of Silence to remember the Allie and the many other cyclists who have been injured or killed doing what we all try to do every day - just get around safely. Details here: ggwash.org/calendar/eve...
J. I. Swiderski, MURP@swiderski.bsky.social · 3mo agoThe Ride of Silence is 2 weeks away. As we spend #BikeMonth celebrating, shaking off winter hibernation, and/or welcoming new riders to the roads, save a moment to remember those we have lost to traffic violence. DC: ggwash.org/calendar/eve... Elsewhere: www.rideofsilence.org/locations-do...
![DC Ride of Silence: May 20, 2026
Meet 6:30pm, roll 7pm
Start: Freedom Plaza (1350 Penn Ave NW)
End: Canal Park (250 M St SE)
No bike? Bikeshare! Docks at start (14th & D, 15th & E) and end (3rd & M, M & NJ Ave) of ride.
[a QR code links to the GGWash Calendar listing]](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:7d72iwjdb256lo4mgvk3wfqk/bafkreidgx4cs4z3zldciedbuefgbfrikfjkzkfa3sfcj6zmsa6znodeare)
Pop-quiz: what's higher in DC today...the temperature or the amount of time a pedestrian must wait in the sun to cross South Capitol at I St? (and cross only on one side because there isn't a crosswalk on both sides of the intersection 🤔)
While I appreciate the good work of folks who enforce parking laws, curious minds wonder...why is a van necessary?
I did a thing (w/ a lot of help)! The joy, play, & connection that came from this pop-up traffic garden installation I led last weekend was easily a highlight of my professional career - bucket list item ✅ So grateful for the opportunity to partner w/ the SWBID on this! If only it were permanent...
Was pleasantly surprised to see this while checking in for a doctor's appointment recently...though curious what they'll do with the data? There were no follow-up questions, unfortunately.
I've long admired @keawilson.bsky.social so it was not only a treat to talk w/ her about my new @urbanstudiesjournal.com article on the ideology of car supremacy but humbling for her to write about it so thoughtfully in @usa.streetsblog.org. What do y'all think - is there a better acronym than NOMS?
Karthik@balasubramanian.us · 4mo agoGreat article by @usa.streetsblog.org on @ashtonindc.bsky.social's work on car supremacy usa.streetsblog.org/2026/05/06/m...
As I headed to a meeting with the "real feel" temp at 98 degrees today, I was reminded of a testimony I analyzed when developing the ideology of car supremacy framework. The modal marginalization belief is often enacted through a rhetorical device I call the "nefarious minority":
This week on the Car Blanche blog, I discuss my experience at TCamp (iykyk)...which was really just an excuse to rant about the value I think we use most uncritically when we talk about transportation: freedom. Read more: peaceandplanning.com/2026/01/13/o...
On freedom
Coincidentally, I rode past this on my way to TCamp – the last line, “how much freedom should we give up for relationships?” was as good a way as any to sum up my ponderings on th…
peaceandplanning.com
Alright, folks...I'm hesitant to be on another platform but trying out Bluesky because I've heard there are some cool kids who hang out here. Will mostly be sharing blog posts (would love your thoughts!) and looking forward to connecting with like-hearted urbanists. May the experiment begin!
“A vehicle could fail the pedestrian crash-worthiness test and still receive 5 stars,” he said. A voluntary evaluation isn’t enough for Jessica Hart, whose 5-year-old daughter Allie was struck and killed in 2021. Her petition on Change.org has collected more than 28,000 signatures.
New cars are supposed to be getting safer. So why are fatalities on the rise?
Government test data shows new passenger vehicles in the U.S. are extremely safe, but roadway deaths are steadily rising.
apnews.com
