Yonah Freemark
@yonahfreemark.com
Transport / Housing / Land Use / Politics / @urbaninstitute.bsky.social / Le progrès ne vaut que s’il est partagé par tous / yonahfreemark.com / thetransportpolitic.com
In the US, zero emissions buses accounted for only 5.6% of total new bus registrations in recent data theicct.org/publication/... US is absolutely falling behind on this metric, and things seem to be getting worse in recent months.
Warspitefella 🇬🇧🇺🇦@warspitefella.bsky.social · 13h agoElectric Buses Point of no return - have gone from 12% to 56% of new city bus sales in Europe in just 6yrs Europe's 2035 target of 100% zero emission bus sales could be reached as early as 2028 Bravo Europe 🇪🇺!
was thinking this morning about how the US kinda gave up on solving problems, so we get a string of obvious cons that pretend to solve problems instead. carbon capture, hyperloop, moon factories, AGI, crypto, plastic recycling, widened highways
FinTwitter@fintwitter.bsky.social · 7h ago$SPCX - SPACEX PLANS MOON FACTORIES POWERED BY HUMANOID ROBOTS
Spokane’s transit referendum—which would fund operations and the city’s second BRT line—is narrowly ahead in the first round of counting.
@kxly.com · 16h agoProposition 1 is ahead by a slim margin — 31,153 to 30,686 — as Spokane counts ballots. The renewal would keep the STA sales tax at 0.8% (8¢ per $10) and is estimated to generate about $942 million over 20 years.
Big tax results out of Missouri tonight: Voters statewide rejected by an huge margin a GOP ballot measure to phase out the income tax. They also renewed a sales tax to keep state parks free. And Kansas City approved a package of $1.7 billion of bonds for infrastracture.
US Senate leaders want to pass a “clean extension” of transport funding through Dec 11. Unclear what happens after that; likely: 1–“Bipartisan” legislation meeting GOP priorities (~ House bill), or 2–Dems win congress & seek to hold off with another extension to Jan, at which point they lead bill.
POLITICO Pro: Senate unveils surface extension to run through Dec. 11
It is part of a short-term appropriations patch the Senate is set to vote on this week.
subscriber.politicopro.com
US Senate leaders want to pass a “clean extension” of transport funding through Dec 11. Unclear what happens after that; likely: 1–“Bipartisan” legislation meeting GOP priorities (~ House bill), or 2–Dems win congress & seek to hold off with another extension to Jan, at which point they lead bill.
POLITICO Pro: Senate unveils surface extension to run through Dec. 11
It is part of a short-term appropriations patch the Senate is set to vote on this week.
subscriber.politicopro.com
On Tuesday, Spokane County, WA voters will consider renewing a 0.2% sales tax to fund operations of Spokane Transit Authority for the next 20 years & also fund the city’s 2nd BRT line, on Division. On @boltsmag.org:
110 Elections to Watch This August - Bolts
A string of high-profile Senate and governor primaries will headline August and set the stage for November. They include the rushed special primary to replace the late Lindsey Graham in... Read More
boltsmag.org
In July, fully electric cars reached 35% of the French new car market www.lefigaro.fr/conjoncture/...
Yonah Freemark@yonahfreemark.com · last mo.In June 2026, fully electric cars reached 30% of the French new car market, a record, up from 17% in June 2025. In the 1st 6 months of 2026, only 17.6% of new car sales in France were fully gas/diesel. 50.9% were hybrids. pfa-auto.fr/2026/07/01/m...
“Trump has rejected disaster aid for Democratic-run states at the highest rate in the 47-year history of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.” Right now people in blue states are basically paying federal taxes as if they’re colonized territories of red states. www.politico.com/news/2026/03...
about half of centrists and the center-left for some reason concluded that climate change was passe hippie bullshit that doesn't matter, and we're about to learn how wrong that was, the hard way prospect.org/2026/07/28/c...
The Strongest El Niño in History Is Coming. Get Ready. - The American Prospect
Donald Trump has no ideas, but America is ready for a U-turn on climate change.
prospect.org
I can find no article published in the New York Times in recent years about whether there is Muslim representation on any commission, panel, or agency in NYC's government.
I am concerned that, as with many transit issues, the US deals with implementation challenges by avoiding them. NY's MTA has 60 electric buses (~1% of fleet) & they're failing. So it's reducing its order for more. Comparison: —London: ~33% —Paris: ~21% —Milan: ~21% —Hamburg: ~39% —Barcelona: ~20%
Battery Drain: MTA Trims New Flyer Electric Bus Order Amid Tech Growing Pains - Streetsblog New York City
The MTA will buy 85 fewer electric buses as its manufacturer tries to sort out a way to keep them in service without breaking down.
nyc.streetsblog.org
Wild to see US cities pursuing these huge redevelopment projects without effective transit plans. If this were a European or Asian city, 7200 future homes would mean a light rail branch at the minimum. Instead, because the US can't afford to build anything, the area might get some bus improvements.
The Wall Street Journal@wsj.com · last wk.Developer plans to break ground in September on a master-planned community to include 7,200 homes, offices and parks. on.wsj.com/4wr3Q8e
Just as new reporting shines a light on the extent that major transit projects are essentially being defunded by the Trump Administration, King County Metro is taking steps to detach Seattle's next RapidRide line from the federal funding queue. www.theurbanist.org/metro-set-to...
Metro Set to Go It Alone on RapidRide R Line, Won't Seek Federal Funding
The R Line is set to replace the Route 7 by 2032, with County Executive Girmay Zahilay promising to "fast track" the RapidRide project last year. But amid the bleak federal transit funding landscape, ...
theurbanist.org
this should be a much bigger story imo in normal times, this would result in a president literally being impeached for illegal impoundment of congressionally appropriated funds
Yonah Freemark@yonahfreemark.com · last wk.Congress appropriated billions of dollars for new transit projects. Why is the Trump administration spending none of it? Why are even transit projects in red states going unfounded? New reporting in @nytimes.com (gift link): www.nytimes.com/2026/07/27/u...
Congress appropriated billions of dollars for new transit projects. Why is the Trump administration spending none of it? Why are even transit projects in red states going unfounded? New reporting in @nytimes.com (gift link): www.nytimes.com/2026/07/27/u...
The Trump administration is sitting on more than $7 billion meant for big transit construction projects around the country: www.nytimes.com/2026/07/27/u...
Congress Budgeted Billions for Big Transit Projects. Trump Isn’t Spending It. (Gift Article)
“It’s hard to look at the last year and see anything other than a deliberate slowdown of these grants.”
nytimes.com
Did a double take at that chart:
Yonah Freemark@yonahfreemark.com · last wk.Congress appropriated billions of dollars for new transit projects. Why is the Trump administration spending none of it? Why are even transit projects in red states going unfounded? New reporting in @nytimes.com (gift link): www.nytimes.com/2026/07/27/u...
Oh but they're going to FIX Penn Station, everyone get on board!
Yonah Freemark@yonahfreemark.com · last wk.Congress appropriated billions of dollars for new transit projects. Why is the Trump administration spending none of it? Why are even transit projects in red states going unfounded? New reporting in @nytimes.com (gift link): www.nytimes.com/2026/07/27/u...
It all comes back to some permutation of impoundment.
Yonah Freemark@yonahfreemark.com · last wk.Congress appropriated billions of dollars for new transit projects. Why is the Trump administration spending none of it? Why are even transit projects in red states going unfounded? New reporting in @nytimes.com (gift link): www.nytimes.com/2026/07/27/u...
Congress appropriated billions of dollars for new transit projects. Why is the Trump administration spending none of it? Why are even transit projects in red states going unfounded? New reporting in @nytimes.com (gift link): www.nytimes.com/2026/07/27/u...
bloomberg has a fun article today arguing that the Cybertruck is the biggest flop in automotive history. it includes this glorious graph.
The US House’s proposed transportation legislation—sponsored by both Republicans & Democrats—would cut transit funding massively, affecting every state & congressional district. Instead, it focuses on highway building through blank checks to state DOTs
How Will Congress’s Proposed Cuts to Transit Funding Affect Your State and Congressional District?
The next transportation reauthorization law will reshape federal transportation spending for years to come.
urban.org
America Walks@americawalks.bsky.social · 2w agoBefore we build more roads, let's take care of the ones we already have. Across the country, roads, bridges, sidewalks, and transit systems need repairs. But this bill prioritizes highway expansion instead. ‼️Congress should fix what we have first. Tell them ➡️ buff.ly/JJBoCJH
Trump administration acknowledges in court documents that it terminated billions of dollars in grants not “based on any programmatic, statutory, cost-reduction or performance-based factor”—but because they were to entities in states that voted for Harris.
Trump Administration Admits Canceling Grants to States That Did Not Vote for Him
Federal officials said in court documents that they halted billions of dollars in funding for energy projects to states “based solely” on whether they backed President Trump in the 2024 election.
nytimes.com
PATH increased weekend frequency on May 14 and the effects were drastic and immediate. Run the service and they will come. bsky.app/profile/bett...
Better Blocks NJ@betterblocksnj.bsky.social · 2w agoPATH Weekend Ridership Smashes Modern-Era Records After Service Improvements Ridership surges 26% in June, after JC & Hoboken stations get 7-10 minute headways all day on weekends and direct Journal Sq-33 St service is reintroduced. betterblocksnj.org/2026/07/21/p...
Burnham’s instincts to turn to transport first are on the pulse of public opinion, the public service that people across the country seem most dissatisfied with
New UK prime minister Burnham caps nationwide bus fares at £2 in a cost of living effort (excluding London).
Burnham announces bus fares across England to be capped at £2
Measure to cost more than £500m, with money allocated to allow devolved nations to do the same
theguardian.com
US government has spent $37.5 billion in 5 months on Iran war, equivalent to amount of money it spends on housing vouchers annually. While one policy helps 5 million Americans afford decent homes, the other kills innocent bystanders, destroys essential infrastructure, & increases energy prices.
