There are 5 people at this coffee shop reading books, folks are sitting outside under the trees on a nice summer day, a farmers market wraps up down the street, occasionally a couple folks biking go by quietly in the bike lane Urban dream stuff right here

NITA branding just dropped

Maybe it’s because I’ve worked in a few different cities, but a big challenge here in Chicago is just how much schedule interlining there is (when a bus completes a trip on one route then a different route) On a good day it’s really efficient, but it makes service management much more complicated

Chicago 🏳️‍⚧️🌱@chicagotrans-plant.bsky.social · 3w ago

Eg, compare his #1 "solution" on bus bunching (ensure proper headway will be achievable between a bus and the bus ahead of it when it leaves by holding it) vs the CTA pilot team @laurie-merrell.bsky.social shared a while back trying to deal with missing buses (tell buses to leave a bit early)

I think like half of Chicago is outside right now, just a perfect summer day

I had yet another coworker today say she could tell I was from DC, and while I obviously am (okay I grew up just outside the border), I’m still curious as to what gives off the vibe At least she was nice enough say that I had that “DC Swag”

Having worked through fiscal cliffs at three different agencies in my career (thankfully all where the agencies averted catastrophe), just going through the act of creating service cut plans is incredibly demoralizing for staff Even if you don’t ultimately cut service, it sticks with you

Jarrett Walker@humantransit.bsky.social · last mo.

This year our firm is working on several transit plans that involve cutting service. So I know we’ll again get framed as service cut advocates. That’s not how it works. We work with the client’s financial situation. Advocate transit funding, so we don’t have to do this. We want more transit too

Feels Like Home

Hmm, something looks a bit different about this JCDecaux Shelter

In some personal news, I’ve started a new role as the Manager, Regional Coordination at the RTA/NITA! I’ll be working on Interagency Wayfinding, Digital Customer Info, regional planning/service standards and more Very excited to help deliver on the vision for one-network, one-timetable, one-ticket

Some hot spicy soup really hits on a grey rainy day

Catching the Pink Line home on a beautiful night after watching Mexico beat South Korea in the World Cup is just a perfect little Chicago evening

CDOT's updated Complete Streets Design Guide is now live. Want to know the minimum street width that can support protected bike lanes while maintaining parking? Bus lane design standards? Neighborhood greenway treatments? It's all in here 🚲🚌🚶 api.chicago.gov/filenet5/ser...

I was lucky enough to work with Riley on an interagency working group to improve transit and streets for folks with disabilities In every interaction we had, he was an incredibly kind and thoughtful person who just wanted to make Chicago a better place My heart goes out to his CDOT team and family

David Powe@davidpowe.bsky.social · 3mo ago

CDOT lost the best of our team yesterday. We're heartbroken. In memory of Riley O'Neil, please refer to these bike racks as "Riley Racks". He led Chicago's bike parking program for several years. Our hearts are broken, but we want to make sure his legacy lives on 💙🚲 Please spread the word

The Do Division street festival was definitely a hit, so many people out and about in a space that’s normally just a handful of car lanes

Coffee shops hidden in nooks between high rises really are magical

How much are you spending at the pump? 🚗⛽️ We crunched the numbers to determine the monthly cost comparison between taking Metro or driving from West Falls Church to Washington, D.C. Here are the monthly expense totals we found: 🚗 $1,100 for car, 🚇🚌 $236 for Metro. More below. ⬇️

Oh heyy

Random driver: *honks at a pedestrian in the crosswalk* 40 year old bearded bald dude walking his dog: “hey calm down now, this isn’t New York! Fucking jag-off” Love Chicago

I’m currently picking up my mom from her 60th high school reunion and she’s running late because she’s having fun with her old friends That said, I have no qualms, I did this too her so many times when I was in high school

I think I spent at least 10 hours outside this weekend, absolutely glorious

Had the original idea of trying to have a drink or a bite to eat outside when I got home, only to find that 100% of patio tables in my neighborhood are occupied Definitely time to take some space back from cars

Washington Metro @wmata.com board this morning unanimously approved the agency's $913 million plan to automate the Red Line, which will also include platform screen doors at 20 of 27 stations. Automation could come online by 2032 at the earliest. The plan needs federal funding support.

Metro board greenlights moving forward with Red Line train automation, platform doors

WMATA Board of Directors is scheduled to vote on a proposed budget that would allocate more than $900 million toward modernizing the Red Line.

wjla.com

As always, thank you to the CTA for getting me home

I seem to have somehow found myself at Howl at the Moon

This is so silly, but why did they have to build the Dearborn Station clock tower off-center from Dearborn Street

First day back climbing after a few months off with an injury, and I really did not expect how many tourists would still be here from the St Paddy’s celebrations A group of like twelve 24 year old dudes walked wearing green

What an absolutely glorious day for a bike ride

A woman on my bus is passionately defending opera to her friends and going on a full rant against Timothy Chalumet for hating on opera and being pro-AI I’m so here for it, go off queen

Congrats to Rep. @katiejonesmpls.bsky.social and family, who biked to the hospital last week and came back with baby Hans. Here's what she told me about the ride:

It’s so corny, but I always love when a night out starts with a train ride