Image by Mariano Mantel licensed under Creative Commons.

Paris is closing its streets to cars for a day to show what the city is like without them. Humorist and author David Sedaris writes about the things he's seen walking around different countries. What happens when transit agencies spy on their riders?

Paris will go car-free for a day: On October 16, Paris will close off its streets to cars. Auto usage in the city has dropped 45% since 1990 and diesel vehicles are already banned during the daytime, but this is a good way to show people what life would be like if there were no cars. (Adele Peters | Fast Company)

The things you see out on foot: As part of its series on walking, the Guardian had humorist David Sedaris write an essay about one of his favorite pastimes. In this piece, he discusses the things he's seen out walking in a number of different countries, from the vile and vulgar to the mundane. (David Sedaris | Guardian)

BART was spying on riders: For months, the Bay Area’s transit agency used automated license plate reader (ALPR) technology to collect and send license plate information to ICE. There's historical precedent for fears that this technology will be used to widely surveil vulnerable populations. (Tanvi Misra | CityLab)

From Motor City to walkable city?: Detroit's new transportation plan includes adding a network of protected bike lanes, lengthening intersection signals to give pedestrians more time to cross, and installing traffic calming measures. That's good news for a city with the highest pedestrian death rate and worst transit system in large US cities. (Angie Schmitt | Streetsblog USA)

A new data paradigm harvested: After ride-hailing companies entered the marketplace, cities weren't sure what to do with them. Now with scooters and other micromobility being all the rage, cities and companies are starting to figure out ways to make better use of the data they produce and to coordinate existing systems. (Aarian Marshall | Wired)

Quote of the Week

From a driver's point of view, pedestrians' behavior may appear erratic, lawless, and even suicidal. The solution, then, is to train pedestrians to do better, or to restrict them. In actuality, most pedestrians are much smarter than the dumb systems that are intended to control them—far smarter than signals, and even smarter than self-driving cars.”

Professor Peter Norton in Wired discussing why pedestrians should be first priority for self-driving car creators.

On the podcast, we talk with Chris and Melissa Bruntlett about thier book Building the Cycling City.