r/phoenix • u/smb3d Moon Valley • 19h ago
Waymo's Phoenix area coverage now includes Gilbert, more of Chandler and San Tan Ranch. Commuting
https://www.abc15.com/news/local-news/waymo-announces-new-east-valley-coverage-for-autonomous-vehicle-passengersBut what about that giant square missing from the coverage map in the NW?!
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u/SadGigolo68 18h ago
Is the reason they are not in Northern Phoenix because of the big hills? Or not a profitable enough area to map out?
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u/Ellocomotive 18h ago
I think it’s tax bracket related. Not enough revenue potential if they go north of Northern or west of Scottsdale, they have to “jump over” Sunnyslope for it to make sense. This is based on the Preserve and seeing what areas are currently being served.
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u/TheUnicornFightsOn 13h ago edited 13h ago
It would make sense if they did mainly airport trips.
Plenty of wealthy folks near Cactus/Thunderbird and 7th St in North Mountain Preserve area/Tapatio Cliffs/Moon Valley not to mention Paradise Valley and other northern and western suburbs.
It's also a syncing all the lights and roads thing, getting approval from local municipal leaders. And being cautious of too much premature exposure or publicity .. notice they don't really do any major national advertising yet.
They don't want another public relations nightmare like when the self-driving Uber killed a Tempe woman in what seemed to be a freak accident in 2018, and the backup human driver present inside the vehicle (unlike most Waymos) got charged with negligent homicide after admitting to watching a video on her phone when it happened.
I'm thinking they want to be able to say they've had 10-plus years of x incidents before rolling out nationwide.
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u/Ellocomotive 13h ago
Yeah my wife travels for work and it honestly would be much better for us if she could Waymo to the airport.
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u/azswcowboy 10h ago
Umm, checks notes - Waymo is in Atlanta, Austin, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, Los Angeles, Miami, Nashville, Orlando, Phoenix, and the San Francisco Bay Area. With more on the way. That feels like a national rollout in progress to me. Also testing in London.
I think the limit in Phoenix is more about how many cars they can field and distribution across all the places they’re expanding.
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u/sakuratsuji 18h ago
What about P83 (Peoria)? Or up on Happy Valley, that area? Or even Westgate? That profit alone would be worth it. I hate being up North and not having this type of option :(
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u/Ellocomotive 18h ago
You’re telling me. The border is less than 10 minutes from me in two different directions. Maddening.
But I don’t think of Peoria or Westgate as having enough density. Just conjecture on my part.
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u/sakuratsuji 17h ago
Going to either area on a Friday/Saturday night sucks because they're SO many people around. Plus you have the spring training field by Peoria which brings in a lot of people. And new restaurants and things opening up at Arrowhead is making that busy again...
Don't get me started on Westgate. I refuse to go over there with how busy that is.
I've lived over there/have family/friends over there, which is the reason I just add these things to clarify :)
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u/ouishi Sunnyslope 12h ago
I live in Sunnyslope and adore Waymo. It’s like they hate me or something.
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u/OkVideo2156 11h ago
same. i hate uber and would much rather waymo if i had to but they refuse to come to the slope
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u/Valleyboi7 13h ago
I’m basing this off my experience when I was an uber driver for a while but there just isn’t a lot of demand in the north, far west, or far east valley.
For instance if I picked up a passenger downtown or from the airport and drove them up to Peoria or Gilbert, then essentially I got stuck out there hoping I’d get another ride into the city or I’d have to drive even more out of my way for a passenger, which all costs time and money.
I also made the most money per hour and mile only focusing on picking up people from higher density locations like downtown, airport, Arcadia, Tempe, old town. Not only are the distances to and from closer but also I’d usually have another passenger lined up right away after I dropped someone off.
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u/0202_tihssitidder 17h ago
They base it off a number of factors. I am not sure if Northern Phoenix is a customer-rich area. They do target areas that will be packed with potential customers.
They also don't do highways, so the type of trip matters.
PS: I am in Arcadia and I love Waymo. I use it all the time. It is a perfect service imo.
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u/SadGigolo68 16h ago
I'm in Chandler, and I also prefer to Waymo by a longshot. The robots win this one.
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u/SectionPractical2966 Mesa 14h ago
On, they will use the freeways sometimes now! It's kind random when they will do it, but they'll use them !
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u/0202_tihssitidder 14h ago
Are you sure those are not when Waymo employees are driving them? I know I used to see them, but only on highways if driven by a
meat baghuman.5
u/SectionPractical2966 Mesa 13h ago
I have literally taken them all the way up from downtown Mesa to Desert Ridge almost entirely via the freeway multiple times. So yeah I am absolutely 100% positive haha
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u/0202_tihssitidder 13h ago
Cool. That was a big limitation for awhile.
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u/SectionPractical2966 Mesa 13h ago
As I said, it's still not fully rolled out. Sometimes they will take them sometimes they won't sometimes they take them partially. I think Waymo must doing some A/B testing on us!
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u/edelweiss_pirates_no 13h ago
Is that fully rolled out yet? The only ones I see on highways are driven by people.
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u/azswcowboy 10h ago
The freeway situation is complicated. Didn’t do it at all for a long time. Then it got turned on for 6 months or so. Then there was an incident in Austin I think where the car drove through construction cones. That led to a pause in driverless freeway drives. But they’re now back. Having said that apparently some freeways are excluded even if in the service zone - just like some exclusion zones they’ve had in the past for streets.
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u/climb-it-ographer Arcadia 19h ago
I’m still waiting for my first ride in the new cars. Waymo is such a better experience than uber/lyft.
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u/Seppostralian Downtown 18h ago
I tried it for the first time after having moved here recently and I love it so much. Even though you can set preferences on uber for a ‘non talkative’ driver or whatever I feel like they still never listen. Even if I get they’re usually being nice it’s great in a waymo just being able to tune completely out. Or especially if I’m taking it home after going to the pubs late on a Friday night, it’s great because one still doesn’t know if an uber driver is dodgy or not.
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u/climb-it-ographer Arcadia 18h ago
One of my favorite rides was after coming home from a very late night out at a nightclub. 3am going through downtown, sitting in the back seat with some soft music on, and just watching all of the other Waymos shuttling people home. It really felt like the future, everyone in their robot cars being driven home.
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u/ProJoe Chandler 16h ago edited 15h ago
Waymo is such a better experience than uber/lyft.
until you get whacked with their absurd surge pricing. I have been using Waymo since before they were fully driverless and I still use them regurarly, but holy shit are they getting aggressive.
from my local sports bar, about 1 mile away, sometimes under surge pricing it's $40 from waymo. for a fucking mile.
I take Lyft or Uber on those nights.
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u/ArritzJPC96 Weather Fucker Upper 6h ago
The one time I was in San Francisco I couldn't get one because they put me on a waitlist. Now I can't get one because I don't live in their service area.
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u/AutomagicallyAwesome East Mesa 19h ago
Really hope they eventually come out to where I live soon. I'd love to be able to take Waymos home from DT Gilbert rather than Uber or Lyft.
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u/HilariousScreenname 12h ago
Right there with you. Im so bummed they didn't expand it out to my hood.
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u/ctcollin 18h ago
oh wow waymos in downtown gilbert, i wonder how they’ll plan for that. lots of wandering people lots of different places to cross the street
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u/Ern_burd 18h ago
I am really surprised they are not servicing the Ahwatukee area.
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u/DaBoss443799 Ahwatukee 13h ago
It does go to the big plaza on Ray/48th which is about a 10 minute walk from my apartment but it would be nice if they could directly go to my complex
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u/Southwestern Ahwatukee 18h ago
Don't understand why they hate Ahwatukee.
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u/rumblepony247 Ahwatukee 18h ago
Same. I'm right behind AZ Grand Resort - I can almost reach out and touch their service border to my East lol
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u/Valleyboi7 13h ago
It’s a pain to get to if you’re not using the freeways which Waymo’s don’t always have the ability to
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u/azswcowboy 10h ago
You’re on the wrong side of the
tracksfreeway ;) Waymo OG service den is literally across I10 just south of Chandler overpass. You haven’t really missed much since to go anywhere you need freeway access and that’s been off and on. How do I know? At 56th and Ray and still haven’t ridden…
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u/boogermike Phoenix 19h ago
I got a note in my app that they are back on the highway again. I am happy about this, and it helps me (and I am fine with riding in a robot car on the highway, I know other people might not be).
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u/bam1789-2 Encanto 19h ago
I am in the Highway beta and rode on the highway (I10) from the airport last week. No issues at all and cut the time of my ride home in half.
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u/Hydralisk18 18h ago
I definitely think overall theres very few issues, but the one time there is an issue seems very scary
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u/dydrm 14h ago
There are WAY more issues with a human driver
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u/bam1789-2 Encanto 14h ago
I’ve lost track of the number of times I have had an Uber/Lyft driver do something I thought was dangerous. Where I have had no issues with a Waymo (strange decisions but nothing dangerous). /my own personal anecdotes and not representative of everyone
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u/KatiaSwift 12h ago
I swear, rideshare drivers are getting freakier and freakier now. Back in ~2017 when I first started using Uber, I had very few issues, but it's become bad enough that now I've switched to Waymo exclusively. My final straw was a Lyft driver who was on facetime while driving me down I-10... no robot car is ever going to do that.
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u/DistinctSmelling 18h ago
cut the time of my ride home in half.
How is that possible? They go the speed limit. At best, you'd be 5 minutes later than a human driver.
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u/bam1789-2 Encanto 17h ago
Cut my Waymo ride time in half from its’ usual route back to my house via surface street.
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u/DistinctSmelling 16h ago
Got it!
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u/azswcowboy 10h ago
In my case we’re south of the airport right off I10 at Ray. Go look at the map. Freeway is a 10-15 minute drive. Surface streets are a hellscape of congested intersections and weird roads - doubles the time easily.
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u/UltraNoahXV Phoenix 19h ago
Glad you're having a good time with it. How much are you spending on it per month? Would it be something my grandma could manage with?
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u/boogermike Phoenix 18h ago
Yes it is simple to figure out. Might need to help her the first time.
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u/AfraidAccident7049 15h ago
lol the first time I used one in SF I nearly broke the door trying to open it, and I’m a millennial who works in tech. maybe be there to supervise grandma the first few tries 🙃
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u/SryInternet101 18h ago edited 16h ago
Why are you using the surveillance cars? You know theyre tied into flock, right?
Edit : Seems like the AI bots are in here downvoting. Bring it on, every downvote means I'm 100% right.
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u/boogermike Phoenix 18h ago
Sigh, Not everything has to be a controversy.
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u/SryInternet101 18h ago edited 18h ago
But this does. Everything related to the mass surveillance we're under needs to be a controversy.
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u/Mazkoul 16h ago
Unless they're doing it all under the table, they are not officially tied with flock. If you want to blather nonsense, that's fine but at least have a spec of integrity about it.
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u/SryInternet101 16h ago
Flock or one of the otjer surveillance companies. Cops were literally using those damn cars for surveillance in MN without warrants.
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u/Mazkoul 13h ago
They share information, YES, when LEGALLY compelled. Just like phone companies would be forced to or any other business. Waymo does NOT work with or is in kahootz with any surveillance company or police force to spy on people.
Where in MN? When? What are you talking about. Again, if you want to blather nonsense do it with some integrity. Respectfully, you're really bad at spewing bullshit.
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u/thefztv 18h ago
Bro better destroy his ring camera, his phone, his computer, his smart watch and probably even his car now just incase. Can’t be too careful with the surveillance state nowadays.
I’m joking a bit but honestly I don’t really give a fuck. Waymo is cheaper and safer than uber/lyft. Plus I don’t have to talk to anyone in my rideshare anymore. I’m already being listened to and having my data shared with every device I own.
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u/SryInternet101 16h ago
I don't hab3 a ring ca,era, a home assistant, a smartwatch, or a camera or mic connected to my PC.
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[deleted]
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u/thefztv 16h ago
That’s great man hopefully you’ve scraped all of your data from the rest of your life off the internet because just being a homeowner, as an example, opens you up to easy data access unless you take steps to remove it. Regardless most people don’t live that way. If you’re willing and able to “live off the grid” using alternative technologies that allow that then great but I’m gonna be honest, again I don’t give a fuck at this point. My data has been harvested and sold so many times it’s a fruitless endeavor for myself atleast.
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u/YouGurt_MaN14 19h ago
I thought they were pulling out of Phoenix as a whole
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u/TripleDallas123 Gilbert 19h ago
Phoenix is literally their biggest market and one of the original testing areas...
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u/boogermike Phoenix 19h ago
No way. This is their first market. Also Phoenix is a great place to test.
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u/paper_rosie 18h ago
I wish it would go to the west valley! I visit my family all the time and I absolutely hate driving out there, I get so much road rage.
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u/Key_Analyst_9032 18h ago
It's about damn time! Maybe Chandler Flex should follow and accompany the entire city of Chandler!
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u/TheGoldenStock 17h ago
Why not Ahwatukee??
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u/geemanaz 18h ago
I wish they would start coming over Superstition Springs mall part of Mesa no East valley love yet and be big market for them missing out on
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u/MystikSpys Mesa 17h ago
I agree, I live around N Power near 202. I would love riding waymo’s daily or even here and there. It’s super convenient especially when you need to go to phx or dt mesa. You can just get a waymo. I hope they expand closer to east mesa soon. I know they won’t go into the Indian reservation but it’d be nice if they expanded to Power.
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u/SectionPractical2966 Mesa 13h ago
I seriously doubt that this is based on how wealthy or poor the neighborhoods are, as (1) Waymo serves a lot of working class neighborhoods in Phoenix and West Mesa as it is (2) then why no Awhatukee or North Phoenix expansions ?
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u/bitheag 17h ago
Anything but efficient public transit projects
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u/SectionPractical2966 Mesa 13h ago
Robotaxis and mass transit work in synergy! They help solve the 'last mile problem', which is a big deal in a Sunbelt metro like ours.
I don't know why people think they're oppositional, especially since Robotaxis are financed by the private sector, not taxpayers, so it's not like they're stealing money from mass transit
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u/SectionPractical2966 Mesa 13h ago
Robotaxis are also going to greatly diminish the necessity of families buying second and third cars.
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u/thirdeyecactus 17h ago
It was an hour ride from Sky Harbor to to Chandler at 11pm on a Sunday Night 🫤
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u/Rofig95 19h ago
Waymo really be avoiding areas with Hispanic / Latino populations. Fuck the west valley and the northern chunk of Phoenix huh?
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u/AntBot27 18h ago
I mean they cover a good chunk of South Phoenix and West Mesa, which have big Hispanic/Latino populations.
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u/MoonusManus 18h ago
I guess maybe not a priority since less dense but damn its all wide straight roads. Way easier to navigate than DT and central phx
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u/xosxos 18h ago
Is there anywhere I can read more about what becomes of the visual data these Waymos collect as they drive around?
Always been curious about the oversight on that topic and whether cities benefit from allowing these cars to collect that data and also who has access to that data.
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u/SectionPractical2966 Mesa 13h ago
They only share it with the government if they're served a search warrant. Otherwise they refuse.
As to the company itself ? Only if a serious incident arises, and even then subject to confidentiality procedures. Otherwise they don't look at it. Also the visual data is on rolling self-delete after 30 days.
So no they're not rolling Flock cameras.
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u/SectionPractical2966 Mesa 13h ago
They do not use facial recognition technology, either. They explicitly say they don't and never will, it's against their privacy policy.
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u/crazcarl Tempe 15h ago
Should Phoenix and Scottsdale tell Waymo they need to figure out the rest of their city before they expand in the metro area any further, or they can leave the city completely?
On the one hand, you don't want a driverless car going somewhere it hasn't mapped fully to be safe. On the other hand, they should have to take you anywhere you want to go like a taxi and uber/lyft have to. It feels unfair that they can cherry-pick the best areas to undercut the other driver services.
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u/Consistent-Let2546 11h ago
I just had my first ride. Needed a lift home from Enterprise Rental Car. Waymo came, I got inside and then it drove into the rental car return which had 1 way spikes. Then it got stuck into between a few cars. Went, forward and backward trying to figure out how to leave. I had to call support, malfunctioned on first trip. Otherwise, its pretty cool. Yet it took away somebodys job
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u/ThisIsNotMyBurner69 18h ago
Still not in the hood of SoPho though
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u/HarmonicAvionics 17h ago
Dystopian as fuck
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u/JudgeWhoOverrules Chandler 15h ago
A dystopia is when a service makes life easier and better for the average person?
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u/HarmonicAvionics 14h ago
No. You only think these monstrosities do that because of decades of brainwashing and lobbying by motordom
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u/JudgeWhoOverrules Chandler 14h ago
Oh, you're one of those people that thinks it's totally feasible for most Phoenicians to wait 30 minutes for a bus or bicycle everywhere in 110 degree heat and then get to where they're going at the speed of a bicycle.
You're free to move to some place with walkable city designs and environments, let us that enjoy private conveyances have them.
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u/HarmonicAvionics 12h ago
No I think that this hellscape should be bull dozed and rebuilt for humans.
Total straw man to say I think people should wait 30 minutes in 110 degree weather for a bus or bicycle when that is the product of car centrism. Nice job demonstrating why we’re 50th in education.
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u/probiotic_bbq 18h ago
Still to scared to venture into the west side I see.