Holy shit.

I love this! Our transit agencies could all use a bit of whimsy.

Block Club Chicago@blockclubchi.bsky.social · 16h ago

The CTA has unveiled a 1950s neon-style sign at a revamped Blue Line stop. buff.ly/5Ifslf9

The real question is how this Permitting Reform bill expands global emissions. Most of the fossil infrastructure that will get built without review will be used for methane-gas exports. Advocates’ claim that US emissions will go down is like the three card monte of the campaign for this bill.

Ketan Joshi@ketanjoshi.co · 2d ago

In a situation of massive demand growth, you can have lots of renewable energy but still also see rising emissions on the power grid So this permitting bill could do everything promised: enable huge amounts of renewables but the broader question of how that actually impacts US emissions isn't clear

I don’t understand: 1. the seemingly vibes-based opposition to center-running lanes, 2. how curbside lanes are now good enough, 3. what Mayor Wu is about anymore, 4. what Boston’s transpo plan is.

Boston, T scrap plans to extend region’s first-ever center-running bus lane on Columbus Avenue - The Boston Globe

The Wu administration and the T altered the latest design for Columbus Avenue to instead include side-running bus lanes in both directions between Jackson Square and Ruggles.

bostonglobe.com

A goal of this administration being achieved: “American pre-tax corporate earnings have grown by $1.2trn, or 30%. … And yet taxes on corporate profits have collapsed.” www.economist.com/finance-and-... h/t @talsmith.bsky.social

A really nice overview of the challenges and potential for investment in publicly led housing in New York ⬇️

Thomas Silverstein@tsilverstein.bsky.social · yesterday

Social and Anti-Social Housing www.nplusonemag.com/online-only/...

The future of local public transit is on the ballot all over the country this fall. Key elections include ballot measures in Pierce County, Washington, in Lawrence, Kansas, in Charleston, South Carolina, and in many Bay Area counties.

Your Cheat Sheet to the 2026 General Elections - Bolts

Congressional races will take center stage on Nov. 3, but they’re just the tip of what to watch. Prosecutors and governors, attorneys general and sheriffs, school boards and mayors, utility... Read More

boltsmag.org

It’s crazy, but after the passage of the 2021 federal infrastructure law—designed to be the biggest infusion of funds into transit in US history—spending on rail transit….dropped.

Federal Infrastructure Spending on Transportation, Four Years after the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is up for reauthorization in 2026. New analysis shows that the act increased spending on transportation infrastructure, but…

urban.org

Joey Politano🏳️‍🌈@josephpolitano.bsky.social · 3d ago

Sort of insane fact about how broken US urban planning is—America now spends more building *just the lights for roads and highways* than on all subways & ground mass transit combined Spending on roadway *pavement* is 18x transit spending

Also in September: 42% of new car sales in France were fully electric.

Simon Evans@drsimevans.carbonbrief.org · 4d ago

Electric cars just had their best month ever in the UK Nearly 100,000 new BEVs sold, +36% year-on-year (Data from SMMT, which continues to lobby for weaker EV targets)

In two years we've gone from a standard where the President's budget proposal was a set of suggestions Congress would ignore to where Congressional appropriations are now a set of suggestions the President ignores.

Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com · 4d ago

Russ Vought: "We fund what we need to fund. I'm not at all shy about we want to spend billions of dollars on a new shipyard. We're up there defending the $1.5t that the Department of War needs. But it's also coming at a ton of reduction on the non-defense side"

This remains the fundamental (and correct) diagnosis of Abundance, fwiw. These various requirements and procedures all add time, and require specific attention.

Yonah Freemark@yonahfreemark.com · 4d ago

Why has this taken so long? —Intense federal processes that require repeated approvals from Washington —Trump Admin froze federal dollars for 6 months, killed unallocated funds —Requirements for buy America have made projects more difficult —State of Oregon had a funding crisis, inhibiting staffing

The very slow speed of federal grant funding: —Nov 21: Congress enacts IIJA; includes $5 b for EV chargers —States take 2 years to plan —Oct 23: Oregon completes 1st step of solicitation process —Dec 24: Station finalists selected —Aug 25: Money obligated —Late 26: Maybe first chargers will open?

OPB@opb.org · 4d ago

Two years after announcing the first round of grantees, Oregon has yet to build any federally funded electric vehicle fast-charging stations along the state’s most-driven highways.

According to the International Energy Agency, total global investment in solar energy (including both rooftop solar and utility-scale projects) was less than half of this figure, despite our dire ecological situation

Carl Quintanilla@carlquintanilla.bsky.social · 4d ago

Global fuel subsidies may top $1 trillion this year — amid $100 crude, elevated borrowing costs and strained budgets. “.. we don’t see a very clear pathway out of the three-pronged crisis,” he said. @bloomberg.com www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Montreal’s automated metro REM is considerably surpassing ridership expectations this fall, with average daily ridership settling in at 130,000, even before the opening of the airport branch, expected next year.

Réseau express métropolitain | L’achalandage du REM bondit

Loin d’être en retard, l’achalandage quotidien du Réseau express métropolitain (REM) a bondi de plus de 60 % durant l’été, au point où il est dorénavant bien au-delà de ses cibles, selon La Caisse, qu...

lapresse.ca

Transportation issues have, indeed, become more differentiated by partisanship. In 2000, the counties with the least transit use voted 39% Democratic vs. 47% for the counties with the most transit use. By 2024, that difference had climbed to 25% vs. 49%! www.thetransportpolitic.com/databook/pol...

David Zipper@davidzipper.bsky.social · 5d ago

From electric vehicles to “DEI bike lanes,” transportation has become a partisan battleground. But 50 years ago, Washington came together to save transit systems, address deadly car designs, and reduce vehicle pollution. Much has changed—and it’s not just MAGA. My exploration (gift link) 🧵

There are a massive number of elections in the US this November. Use the @boltsmag.org guide for key races, including much more than just the US House & Senate, such as: —Housing referendums in CA, MA, NC —Transport referendums in CA, KS, NC, SC, WA —Climate referendums in CA, CO, FL, MA, MI, TX, VA

Your Cheat Sheet to the 2026 General Elections - Bolts

Congressional races will take center stage on Nov. 3, but they’re just the tip of what to watch. Prosecutors and governors, attorneys general and sheriffs, school boards and mayors, utility... Read Mo...

boltsmag.org

Seattle opened an infill station on its Link light rail system today, at Pinehurst. Unfortunately, the station is just adjacent to a giant golf course, limiting TOD potential. But it’s another step forward for the nation’s most-ridden light rail network.

Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal@jayapal.house.gov · 5d ago

So delighted to be part of the opening of Pinehurst Station in North Seattle! Thank you to the Pinehurst community for the collaborative work to get this station done and Romson Bustillo for the beautiful public art. Public transit for the win! 💜

Wednesday's Most Read # 2 - Rising Gas Prices Are Punishing Household Finances. Policymakers Should Invest in Transit to Reduce Household Costs. link.theoverheadwire.com/mvjfu Urban Institute @yonahfreemark.com

Rising Gas Prices Are Punishing Household Finances. Policymakers Should Invest in Transit to Reduce Household Costs.

Amid months of rising gas prices, a typical driver now spends $65 more on fuel each month today than they did a year ago.

link.theoverheadwire.com

*27.9%*

Evan Simko-Bednarski@simko-bednarski.bsky.social · 5d ago

Trump’s “high and unpredictable tariff rates” on specialized components that have to be imported to the U.S. have driven up the cost of building a subway car by 27.9% since August 2025, according to Jesse Lazarus, head of the MTA’s rolling stock program.

And now its public! www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news...

Chicago to install dedicated bus lane on northbound Michigan Avenue downtown

Seeking to reduce delays for CTA riders in downtown Chicago, officials plan to install a new dedicated bus lane on Michigan Avenue.

cbsnews.com

Michael McLean@michaelmclean.me · 4mo ago

I'm hearing positive things about michigan ave bus lanes rn

The average driver is now spending $65 more on gas monthly than they did last year.

Rising Gas Prices Are Punishing Household Finances. Policymakers Should Invest in Transit to Reduce Household Costs.

Amid months of rising gas prices, a typical driver now spends $65 more on fuel each month today than they did a year ago.

urban.org

Patrick De Haan@gasbuddyguy.bsky.social · 5d ago

BREAKING: live fuel clock showing that Americans have now collectively spent over $75 billion more on gasoline since March 1, as compared to same period a year ago. today's addition is ~$468 million. Average prices are down 7c/gal in the last week. (link to clock in bio)

I've added a new feature to Transit Explorer—the database of the world's fixed-guideway transit systems: The ability to compare cities, side by side, at the same scale. Here, for example, is Washington vs. Chicago, and Singapore vs. London! Play around: www.thetransportpolitic.com/transitexplo...

The MTA—the nation's largest transit agency—wants to spend $23 billion on new trains and buses in the coming years. But the Trump Administration's tariffs could cost the agency $1 billion. That would mean either (a) the agency could buy fewer vehicles; or (b) it would have to spend more money.

MTA Seeks to End $1 Billion of Tariffs on Subway Cars, Buses

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority wants the Trump administration to exempt New York City’s purchases of new subway cars and buses from tariffs to avoid $1 billion in added fees on the nation’s...

bloomberg.com

I've added a new feature to Transit Explorer—the database of the world's fixed-guideway transit systems: The ability to compare cities, side by side, at the same scale. Here, for example, is Washington vs. Chicago, and Singapore vs. London! Play around: www.thetransportpolitic.com/transitexplo...

There are essentially 0 electrified freight trucks on the road in the US right now

John Hanger@jrfhanger.bsky.social · 6d ago

Good morning with good news: Sales of EV trucks in China skyrocket 80% in H1 2026! BNEF says EV trucks will be 33% of truck sales in 2026. But Sinopec Research Institute says EV trucks will be ~50% of sales in 2026! EV truck exports more than double! www.bloomberg.com/news/feature... #energysky

there's a thing in moderate democratic politics where it is considered fundamentally illegitimate to deliver results to your own voters; instead, you must propose a better way to implement your adversaries' entire ideological program

The Atlantic@theatlantic.com · last wk.

"Making day care free, while offering nothing to stay-at-home parents, appeals to the educated, urban, affluent voters who have come to make up the Democratic base, but not to the electorate at large," Marc Novicoff argues:

Fund 1,000,000 social housing units Build and operate BRT lines in every city E-bikes on separated bikeways for all Massive development on public land around every rail station

Sahil Kapur@sahilkapur.bsky.social · 6d ago

With the election forecast trending blue, I asked Chuck Schumer what his agenda will be next year if Democrats win the Senate. “Well, stay tuned. And one thing — what we're going to do is lower costs, end all this rampant corruption, and end the chaos. Plain and simple.”

617 days into his 2nd term, Trump's Department of Transportation has *still* not approved a single new transit project for full funding. The problems I highlighted in March—how this lack of funding only makes projects cost more & delays completion—have only worsened www.urban.org/urban-wire/r...

The Trump administration's policies have resulted in the average driver spending $65 more per month on gas than they did a year ago www.urban.org/urban-wire/r... The administration's changes to fuel efficiency policies will make this problem even worse, not more affordable.

Secretary Sean Duffy (mirror)@secduffy.bsky.social · 6d ago

FREEDOM MEANS AFFORDABLE CARS 🚘 Biden and Buttigieg’s ILLEGAL mandates took away YOUR RIGHT to choose what you drive 🫵 @POTUS ended that and is bringing affordability back to Americans 🇺🇸 Quoting Congressman Andy Barr

617 days into his 2nd term, Trump's Department of Transportation has *still* not approved a single new transit project for full funding. The problems I highlighted in March—how this lack of funding only makes projects cost more & delays completion—have only worsened www.urban.org/urban-wire/r...