Parker Welch
@parkerwelch.bsky.social
Transportation engineer, urbanist, Austinite, liberal patriot Board Secretary @aura-atx.org Poems & Essays: https://thisfaintfire.substack.com/
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dereksagehorn.bsky.social@dereksagehorn.bsky.social · yesterdayComing up on 9/10 at 12n - @seamlessbayareaca.bsky.social is hosting a webinar about programmatically implementing transit priority policies in the Bay Area. Featuring planning staff from MTC and Dr. Marco Chitti actionnetwork.org/events/trans...
Vending machines that fill old newstand slots are coming to the NYC subway. Seems like a very good thing for riders. www.fastcompany.com/91597330/nyc...
These automated vending machines are moving into NYC's subway newsstands
They're a more financially sustainable way to dispense the grab-and-go items commuters rely on.
fastcompany.com
Because his government will violate judicial orders, as we've seen again & again, this lawlessness will not stop until Trump is removed from office. There are no less serious interventions that can halt it.
Jonathan Ladd@jonathanmladd.com · 4d agoIn violation of the First Amendment and a direct court order, the secret police at ICE spied on at least 5 Lutheran, Baptist, and Unitarian Churches, in an attempt to crush religious protests against them in the Upper Midwest. religionnews.com/2026/08/19/d...
Kid desperately pretending they saw the movie energy
Michael@bravesandbirds.bsky.social · 5d agoJust a complete and absolute lack of ball knowledge on the Right.
Texas’ new grade separation program invests 4-6x compared to California’s Section 190 program ($15m annually not adjusted for inflation since early 1990s). Texas funded projects range between $30-75m; California $50-500m. www.enr.com/articles/635...
Less Than Half of FRA's $5.3B Rail Awards Fund Construction
Grade separations, bridge work and track upgrades dominate FRA’s infrastructure selections, but project readiness varies across the agency’s nationwide rail investment program.
enr.com
“I’ll never be on a watchlist, that would only happen to people who deserve it. I just run red lights sometimes, like good, decent folk”
Parker@parkersewell.bsky.social · 6d agoIt’s funny that Texas banned red light cameras - which actively capture someone breaking the law while driving - on the basis of CAR = FREEDOM yet rapidly deployed Flock which just… tracks your every move
New Hampshire Republicans winning veto-proof legislative supermajorities in 2010 and narrowly for governor in 2016 enabled a self-perpetuating cycle of gerrymandering and voting restrictions—and capturing the state Supreme Court so it wouldn’t overturn those power grabs
Stephen Wolf@stephenwolf.bsky.social · 6d agoNew Hampshire’s GOP also won gerrymandered legislative majorities despite Dems winning more votes in 2022, giving them unified govt, and NH’s Senate in 2014, blocking unified Dem govt. They also won majorities in 2016 and 2020 despite a basically tied vote, giving the GOP control of redistricting
Banning state-level gerrymandering has got to be in the new Voting Rights Act if Democrats win a trifecta No matter what we do to combat an authoritarian federal government, it will be impossible to secure the gains if we allow the state governments to be captured
Stephen Wolf@stephenwolf.bsky.social · 6d agoNew Hampshire’s GOP also won gerrymandered legislative majorities despite Dems winning more votes in 2022, giving them unified govt, and NH’s Senate in 2014, blocking unified Dem govt. They also won majorities in 2016 and 2020 despite a basically tied vote, giving the GOP control of redistricting
They sent me a notice to confirm even though I had not moved and voted in the primary this year. Gave me thirty days to confirm or have my registration cancelled. Even worse, my neighbor’s notice was stuck to the back of mine!
Chad Loder@chadloder.dev · 7d agoTexas has suspended over 1.2 million voter registrations. Many valid voters in Texas have found their voter registrations were somehow canceled when they checked. Check your registration here and fix it immediately - Texas doesn't always honor provisional ballots cast on election day.
Very cool - switching from gas to electric induction cuts kitchen temperatures by 10 degrees, cuts hob cleaning times from 24mins to 21 seconds, cuts energy use by 2/3rds (a 9k saving in one pub) and yes - wok hei is still possible www.theguardian.com/environment/...
The chefs turning down the heat by switching from gas to electric
As well as being quieter, cheaper to run and easier to clean, induction cookers can cut kitchen temperatures by up to 10C
theguardian.com
Live report from the Minnesota State Fair, located in the heart of American democracy, where there’s an ICE Out adaptation of Picasso’s Guernica made entirely from crops
No parking in most buildings, no trash rooms (containers on the street), all single stair buildings, which eliminates a lot of wasted space.
Very little limited car traffic here overall with some car free streets.
I decided to go explore the densest square kilometer in Europe located just outside of Barcelona. This area in L'Hospitalet de Llobregat somehow houses over 53k people/km2 without almost no +10 story buildings.
In the Westm. Catechism, when asked what is required by the 6th commandment (thou shalt not kill) most of the list is stuff like cheerfulness of spirit, mild speech, charitable thoughts, readiness to reconcile, comforting the distressed Dolly gave a good example of how those things might save lives
Tom Kopacz@tomkopacz.bsky.social · last wk.You’d think that somebody in power would look at how a public starved for decency, kindness and civility are smiling through their tears to praise the late Dolly Parton and take it as an object lesson. People ache for that. Maybe those in power should try it.
The AAUP & AFT condemn the recent directive from the War Dept that publicly places 30 universities under suspicion & gives them 2 weeks to investigate years of academic activity. The directive represents another threat of funding-based coercion that undermines scientific research & innovation.
Department of War Directive Undermines Scientific Innovation. It Should Be Rescinded.
aaup.org
“Zoning is an important planning tool that benefits communities economically and socially”
patrick.kennedy@thedotcity.bsky.social · last wk.It appears Paris, FR storefront map is a bit different than Paris, TX ;)
23% drop in student visas to US in 2025 57% drop from India alone catastrophic for research and learning, here and abroad www.insidehighered.com/news/global/...
Without exaggeration, this 21 second stretch would have taken 5-7 minutes before this week. Multiply that by thousands of daily riders. Just amazing work!
Qagggy!@qagggy.bsky.social · last wk.Holy shit we’re flying like a bat out of hell. #Acceler8
Upzoning works, if you have the courage to do it
Stephen Jacob Smith@stephenjacobsmith.com · 2w ago“After an intense building flurry, Auckland’s housing stock is now 618,849 units, which is 101,000 more than a decade ago…Meanwhile Auckland house prices, with a median value of just over NZ$1mn (US$587,000), have lost a quarter of their value in that timeframe.” giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...
We pedestrianized 4th St last night for Pride. We should do this all year long.
It's absolutely what you would expect, down to the amazing preserved potatoes in little coffins with examples of different pathogens.
“AI estimates this will cost approximately $1.50/sqft for materials…” Part of why it would be great for building codes to be written by HUD, or by the NIST, is that federal civil servants usually have some self-respect
Markus Johnson@markusja.bsky.social · 2w agoCatching up on some WA building code council work sessions after the public comment period for draft code amendments. I don't think this ended up being a heavy decider for adding sound transmission language to IRC multiplex, but sorta wild cost citation right there. youtu.be/pDcayMIZzzo?...
Restrictive covenants, contracts that carry on with the property long after the first buyer & seller are gone, remind me a lot of fee tail—basically, wills that forbid heirs from ever selling an estate or choosing who can inherit it next. Abolished in almost all states during/after the revolution.
M. Nolan Gray 🥑@mnolangray.bsky.social · 2w agoWhy are dead malls a thing? Why do they sit blighted for so long? And why can you still walk around inside them? It's more complicated than you might think. In my latest blog post, I explain the private thicket of rules and constraints blocking redevelopment: mnolangray.substack.com/p/why-are-de...
We can have (more) normal transit costs in America, if we want to. A better world is possible!
Effective Transit Alliance@etany.org · 2w agoThis is a great change, if confirmed. Riders won't have to go all the way down just to go back up again. They'll be able to take a short escalator ride to a shallow station. Moreover, the mezzanine is small, not full-length, saving money and minimizing surface disruption.
According to a CB10 presentation in June, it appears the @mta.info may have reverted its plans to make 116 St on Phase 2 of the Second Avenue Subway an elevator-only station with a below-platform mezzanine. It now appears to be a standard above-platform mezzanine with escalators.
