Yonah Freemark @yfreemark Twitter profile | Pikagi

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Yonah Freemark

@yfreemark

34,670

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809

Following

2,000

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33,308

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Transport / Housing / Land Use / Politics / @urbaninstitute / Le progrès ne vaut que s'il est partagé par tous / /

DC

https://t.co/1yoAHlP3LO

Joined June 2009

Don't wanna be here? Send us removal request.

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@yfreemark

Yonah Freemark

13 days

Is there a housing supply shortage in the US? In a new article in @HousPolDebate , I investigate this question, arguing that: —Increasing housing supply is a core path to improved housing conditions —More supply is associated with less housing cost growth

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What Is a Housing Shortage?

The United States has faced decades of increasing housing costs and declining construction. Many scholars and policymakers argue that additional supply is necessary to combat inadequate availabilit...

www.tandfonline.com

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@yfreemark

Yonah Freemark

3 years

We're frequently told that Americans drive so much because US cities were built differently, or later, or something, compared to cities elsewhere. Actually we drive so much because we systematically decimated neighborhoods that were walkable & replaced them with freeways.

@EngineerDustin

Dustin 🚌🚶‍♂️🚲

@EngineerDustin

3 years

Holy crap

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Yonah Freemark

5 years

Just reminded myself that the distance between NYC and Chicago is almost exactly that between Beijing and Shanghai, and that the 1st is served by 1 train/day that takes 19 hours, and the 2nd is served by 35 trains/day that take as few as 4.5 hours.

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Yonah Freemark

3 years

Amtrak's response to the Biden infra plan: Proposes: -30+ new routes -20+ enhanced existing routes -20m more annual riders -Better service to cities like HOU, ATL, Cincy -New service to unserved cities like Las Vegas, Nashville, Columbus, Phoenix

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@yfreemark

Yonah Freemark

1 year

just gotta say, we of transport twitter warned you all about elon musk years and years ago

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@yfreemark

Yonah Freemark

4 years

Median hourly wages: —Food preppers $10.22 —Food servers $10.43 —Home health aides $11.63 —Packagers $11.82 —Agricultural workers $11.89 —Ambulance drivers $12.38 —Janitors $12.55 —Funeral attendants $12.69 —Pharmacy aides $12.72 —Nursing aides $12.89 US living wage $16.07

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@yfreemark

Yonah Freemark

9 months

Just to be clear

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@yfreemark

Yonah Freemark

3 years

What Senate just passed: —$1400 checks for most —Hundreds of billions to rescue state & local public services —$30 b for transit + >$1 b for Amtrak + aid for airline/bus workers —$47 b in housing aid —More unemployment aid —Large child credits —Cheaper ACA health insurance Big.

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@yfreemark

Yonah Freemark

2 years

One of the most exciting bills in CA: SB 457. The bill would give households tax credits for *not* having cars. A two-adult household with no cars would get a $5,000 tax credit. If they had one car, they’d get $2,500. Two cars, $0.

@yfreemark

Yonah Freemark

2 years

So much good stuff going on in the California legislature right now!

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@yfreemark

Yonah Freemark

5 years

Want to know more about the US's abject failure to construct a modern inter-city transportation system?

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@yfreemark

Yonah Freemark

5 months

A new study from @IIHS_autosafety : "Vehicles with hoods more than 40 inches off the ground... were 44–45 percent more likely to cause pedestrian fatalities than those with... hood heights of 30 inches or less." SUVs & trucks are killing pedestrians.

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@yfreemark

Yonah Freemark

3 years

This technology should not be allowed on public streets--

@BesDMarx

Bes D. Marx🔻

3 years

ok i'm never getting into a self-driving tesla

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@yfreemark

Yonah Freemark

1 year

I suspect we're going to see a lot more of these in the coming years in DC—two massive office buildings slated for conversion into 502 apartments, just north of Dupont Circle

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@yfreemark

Yonah Freemark

2 years

Paris mayor announces that the city’s ring highway will transform a car lane to bus/carpool/taxi use in 2024. Highway will get 50,000 trees to reduce its air pollution effects. And 2030 plan is to eliminate a car lane in both directions.

@Anne_Hidalgo

Anne Hidalgo

2 years

Les Jeux Olympiques et Paralympiques de @Paris2024 accéléreront ces transformations. En 2024 et au-delà, une voie sera réservée au covoiturage, bus et taxis. D'ici cette date, nous remettrons aussi de la nature partout où cela est possible, en y plantant jusqu'à 50 000 arbres.

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Yonah Freemark

4 years

Paris mayor: -No more diesel cars allowed in city in 2024 -No more fossil fuel powered cars allowed in 2030 -Hopes to electrify taxi fleet soon

@Anne_Hidalgo

Anne Hidalgo

4 years

Face à la pollution atmosphérique et sonore, nous devons aller vers moins de véhicules individuels et la fin des véhicules thermiques. J’ai d’ailleurs proposé que le plan de relance intègre la transformation de la flotte des taxis parisiens. #LeGrandJury

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@yfreemark

Yonah Freemark

5 years

Lol @ americans’ views of what a French train looks like in 2019...

@FOXSoccer

FOX Soccer

5 years

The @uswnt is off to Lyon!🚆 The hosts? Left at the station.

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@yfreemark

Yonah Freemark

3 years

Paris' new 2021-26 cycle plan: -€250m in spending -Make permanent 52km of pandemic-era cycle tracks -Add 130km of new lanes -Add 130,000 bike parking spots -Ensure all elementary school students learn to bike -Assist businesses to use cargo bikes

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@yfreemark

Yonah Freemark

6 years

The thing I love about photographs like this is that they reaffirm the continued value people hold in their downtowns as places for spontaneous civic gathering. This country has done pretty much as much as possible to destroy its cities, but people keep coming back.

@LaurenYoung

Lauren Young

6 years

Broad Street from my BFFs window! #FlyEaglesFly

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@yfreemark

Yonah Freemark

2 years

Because Alabama DOT failed to provide any provisions for pedestrians on this "thrilling" new "diverging diamond," these are the walking directions to get from one side of the diamond to the other.

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@kevin_degood

Kevin DeGood

2 years

"thrilled with the success"

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@yfreemark

Yonah Freemark

5 years

This article, which is premised on the fact that bikers killed 7 pedestrians since 2011 on NYC streets, somehow neglects to mention that drivers killed ~1,110 pedestrians over the same period in NYC. Just FYI.

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@yfreemark

Yonah Freemark

4 years

What's unique about the US is not so much the Interstates—most developed countries have built national freeway systems—but rather the fact that we insisted on slamming the freeways through the middle of our cities. Look at Milan & Munich vs. Dallas & Detroit 👇

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@BeschlossDC

Michael Beschloss

4 years

President Eisenhower today 1956 signed act creating Interstate Highway System, called largest public works project in history:

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@yfreemark

Yonah Freemark

5 years

It's remarkable how cheap Musk's tunnel was to build... until you realize it only allows movement in one direction, it's 12 feet wide, it has no actual stations, and it doesn't include emergency exits. Details.

@elonmusk

Elon Musk

5 years

Perhaps lost in the transport debate is that @boringcompany built a 6000 ft tunnel in LA for ~$10M with V1 (Godot). Next tunnel will be made with V2 (Line-Storm). V3 (Prufrock), aspirationally 10X better, should be operational next year. For reference:

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Yonah Freemark

5 years

Also, the Beijing—Shanghai route carries about 180 million riders a year, about as many as rode on all of Delta Airlines' network in 2017,

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@yfreemark

Yonah Freemark

5 months

Paris's new pedestrian plan is out—& it's pretty amazing: —10 m sq ft of new pedestrian space —100 more "school streets" —Elimination of 7.5 miles of service lanes/parking on major avenues —Increased pedestrian cross times at busy intersections —Added landscaping throughout city

@David_Belliard

David Belliard

@David_Belliard

5 months

➕100 rues aux enfants ➕d’élargissement de trottoirs ➕de places piétonnes et un “cœur piéton” par arrondissement !

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@yfreemark

Yonah Freemark

7 months

Very worrying that a 6-mile subway with four stations is expected to cost $12.2 billion and take 13 years to complete. For comparison, the Toulouse C Line (17 mile, mostly subway, 21 stations—albeit shorter ones), is expected to cost €3.4 billion and take 6 years to build.

@mercnews

Mercury News

7 months

San Jose BART extension will be further delayed and cost more

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@yfreemark

Yonah Freemark

4 years

This is the real stunner: Americans who are 25 to 54 are significantly less wealthy than 25 to 54 year olds 30 years ago. The only age group that is significantly more wealthy are those 65 and up. Those also happen to be the people who vote and the people who run the country...

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@JStein_WaPo

Jeff Stein

4 years

A wow stat and chart from the great @andrewvandam : "The average millennial has experienced slower economic growth since entering the workforce than any other generation in U.S. history"

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@yfreemark

Yonah Freemark

3 years

The Biden campaign’s pledge to provide quality electrified transit service to all cities with >=100,000 residents has now made it to the transition page ->

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Yonah Freemark

2 years

Since Musk fantasized about hyperloop in 2012, >12,000 miles of high-speed rail opened in China >600 miles opened in Spain 371 miles opened in France 201 miles opened in Morocco 179 miles opened in Turkey 77 miles opened in Germany 0 miles of hyperloop passenger service opened

@ndhapple

Nolan Hicks

2 years

"As I’ve written in my book, Musk admitted to his biographer Ashlee Vance that Hyperloop was all about trying to get legislators to cancel plans for high-speed rail in California—even though he had no plans to build it." --

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Yonah Freemark

3 years

Biden infrastructure package would be a very big federal investment in the surface transport system: -$115b fix-it-1st roads -$85b transit -$80b intercity rail -$174b for electric vehicles Top line: The package takes climate change seriously & funds transit over road expansion.

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Yonah Freemark

6 months

Transformation of travel in Paris has been rapid: —Car traffic down 45% since 2001 —Bike use doubled since last year on major axes at peak hours —Bike use higher than car use on many roads This was enabled by massive installation of cycleways citywide

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Yonah Freemark

5 years

Study finds Uber and Lyft are causing an increase in miles traveled, gas consumption, congestion, and crashes. Ride-hailing services are substituting for transit in cities with higher transit use.

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@yfreemark

Yonah Freemark

4 years

In some ideal future in which we actually cared about reinvesting in the rust belt we'd have a high-speed rail line linking Detroit, Toledo, Cleveland, Youngstown, and Pittsburgh, connecting the 10 million people who live in those five metro areas in two hours flat.

@MollyNagle3

Molly Nagle

4 years

INBOX: Noted train enthusiast @JoeBiden will travel across eastern Ohio and western Pennsylvania during a train tour with his wife, @DrBiden , his campaign advises the day after the first presidential debate. Biden will focus on his economic message during the tour, per campaign

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@yfreemark

Yonah Freemark

4 years

Useful investigation on air movement in NYC Subway cars: - Air is replaced in cars ≥18 times/hour, far more than in offices/classrooms (helps explain why transit doesn't appear to be a vector of disease transmission). - Masks are *really* important.

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What Happens to Viral Particles on the Subway (Published 2020)

Many New Yorkers are avoiding the subway, fearful of jostling with strangers in crowded cars. Masks and social distancing are essential, but good air flow is also key to reducing the risk of exposure...

www.nytimes.com

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@yfreemark

Yonah Freemark

9 months

There's growing evidence that: 1—high US infrastructure costs are partly a product of understaffed public sector 2—public employment is increasingly uncompetitive with private jobs in terms of salaries 3—US public agencies are too reliant on consultants, not in-house expertise

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@yfreemark

Yonah Freemark

3 months

A wonderful achievement! Hoboken's street safety improvements have been simple but effective: —High-visibility crosswalks —Curb bulbouts —Lowered speed limits —Reduction in street widths —Creation of bikeways —Integration of pedestrian-focused improvements with repavings

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@kduggan16

Kevin Duggan

3 months

INBOX: City of Hoboken reaches new Vision Zero milestone: seven consecutive years without a traffic death

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@yfreemark

Yonah Freemark

4 years

Since *2014* Paris has reduced car traffic by 22% and reduced nitrogen dioxide emissions by 11%. Why? City's massive implementation of new bikeways, elimination of significant space previously used by cars, creation of pedestrian plazas, & major improvements in transit service.

@paris7encommun

Paris 7 en commun !

@paris7encommun

4 years

. @Anne_Hidalgo dit vrai sur la pollution et la circulation à Paris. Depuis 2014 : 📉 - 22% du trafic automobile 📉 - 11% de la pollution au dioxyde d’azote 👉 Allons encore plus loin demain avec @ParisEnCommun !

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@yfreemark

Yonah Freemark

5 years

As California appears to be putting brakes on high-speed rail project, a reminder: US is completely outside of the norm on intercity rail investment, & its transportation system is less effective, less convenient, & less ecologically sensitive as a result.

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@yfreemark

Yonah Freemark

1 year

Brandon Johnson, now ahead in Chicago mayor's race, supports: —Improved ped/bike infrastructure —Sidewalk and traffic-calming street improvements —Signal priority and "true BRT lines" —Free transit for students, seniors —Low-cost bike programs & expanded Divvy —Lower speed limits

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@yfreemark

Yonah Freemark

1 year

I love bike infrastructure, but is this really the best we can do

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@JWPascale

Jordan Pascale

1 year

Officials are cutting the ribbon on part of the new I-66 Parallel Trail today. The mile-plus stretch from Vienna to Cedar Lane will be open shortly as well as a few other segments. 18 miles of trail total.

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@yfreemark

Yonah Freemark

2 years

Everyone deserves good, reliable, convenient transit options. Everyone deserves a walkable, bikeable neighborhood. Everyone deserves clean air. We shouldn't need an equity analysis & constant public hearings to achieve those outcomes.

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@yfreemark

Yonah Freemark

4 years

Paris region will spend €300 million on a 650-kilometer secured cycle network, including temporary facilities beginning May 11 designed for post-virus life.

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@transportsidf

Le Parisien | transports

4 years

D‌éconfinement : l’lle-de-France investit 300 millions d’euros pour la réalisation du RER vélo

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@yfreemark

Yonah Freemark

1 year

Fascinating resource showing how car dependence has decimated many US downtowns. This is the ranking of downtowns by a score assessing land devoted to parking. Some of these downtowns aren't really downtowns so much as suburban office parks at this point.

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@henrygrabar

Henry Grabar

1 year

You ever see those color-coded maps of how much downtown land is devoted to car storage? @Parking_Reform has put them all in one place, and ranked 50+ U.S. cities by their parking land use

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Yonah Freemark

3 months

Paris votes to triple street parking fees for heavy vehicles like SUVs, 54.5% to 44.5%.

@LeParisien_75

Le Parisien | Paris

3 months

Votation sur les SUV : les Parisiens favorables à une taxation du stationnement pour les véhicules lourds ➡️

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@yfreemark

Yonah Freemark

2 years

Beautiful new public library in Brooklyn, at tower base. A cool deal: Old library was in disrepair. Developer buys site, nets library system $52m, builds new library in the tower. Meanwhile, 134 new homes are added on site + 114 affordable units off site.

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@yfreemark

Yonah Freemark

2 years

MTA study claims platform screen door installation on the New York Subway would cost an average of $55 million per station. Somehow FULL AUTOMATION of Paris Line 4, including platform doors at 29 stations & new signal system, only cost €9 million per station.

@danrivoli

Dan Rivoli

2 years

New docs obtained by NY1 show costs and challenges for subway platform doors and track intrusion technology I interviewed a man who says it's worth it - he survived falling into the tracks and being pinned under a train

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@yfreemark

Yonah Freemark

4 years

We're in 2020 and we're supposed to be excited about an underground car park with low-capacity car vehicles and poor ADA accessibility?

@elonmusk

Elon Musk

4 years

Coming soon

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@yfreemark

Yonah Freemark

2 years

Just spent six days in the Netherlands—by far the longest I’ve spent there. Just a phenomenal place (I know I’m not the 1st to realize this!)—very inspiring, with great lessons for creating walkable, bikeable, verdant neighborhoods & great infrastructure.

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@yfreemark

Yonah Freemark

11 months

If Northeast Corridor cities had the metro systems of the Yangtze River Delta

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@yfreemark

Yonah Freemark

6 months

Texas is about to begin construction on its $9 b highway expansion through Houston $9 b to tear down hundreds of homes $9 b to reinforce car dependence $9 b to spew massive amounts of carbon into the air $9 b to pollute the surrounding communities

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Controversial $9B project to widen I-45 is set to start, TxDOT says

After the project was stopped in 2021 over civil rights concerns, construction on the North Houston Highway Improvement Project will start soon. It'll be broken up into three segments.

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@yfreemark

Yonah Freemark

6 months

Federal government announces $16.4b in investments in the Northeast Corridor, the largest-ever investment in the Boston–DC route. Includes: —$4.7b for Douglass Tunnel (Baltimore) —$2.1b for Susquehanna River Bridge —$827m for Connecticut River Bridge

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Yonah Freemark

4 years

Climate change, as always, ignored

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@yfreemark

Yonah Freemark

9 months

Montréal's automated REM metro launches today for preview service from central station to the south shore. REM becomes 3rd North American automated metro, after Vancouver SkyTrain & Honolulu Skyline. Montréal already has 3rd-most-used metro on the continent after NYC & CDMX.

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@yfreemark

Yonah Freemark

3 years

Census data show New York City's population at 8.80 million, up from 8.18 million in 2010.

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@yfreemark

Yonah Freemark

2 months

Remarkable: DC's transit system is now leading post-pandemic ridership recovery compared to NYC Transit, Boston MBTA, Chicago CTA & SF BART. Despite fact that DC had the 2nd-biggest ridership drop-off at beginning of pandemic. What's worked? WMATA has really improved service.

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@wmata

Metro Forward

2 months

BREAKING NEWS 🗣️ February saw 771,000 weekday trips on Metrorail & Metrobus combined - a 20% increase from Feb ‘23. Plus, weekend ridership has FULLY recovered! See how we’re rolling full speed ahead in March with a record-breaking first week! 🚇🚍📈 #wmata

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@yfreemark

Yonah Freemark

6 years

To summarize Elon Musk's views on transit: It's terrible. You might be killed. Japanese trains are awful. Individualized transport for everyone! Congestion? Induced demand? Climate change impacts? Unwalkable streets? Who cares!

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@yfreemark

Yonah Freemark

2 years

Turns out there might be some flaws inherent in building a subway that has the capacity of a one-lane street and the labor costs of a personal driver.

@adamtranter

Adam Tranter

2 years

It turns out the congestion-busting “future of transport” is already experiencing congestion.

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@yfreemark

Yonah Freemark

1 year

Let's talk a little about free transit fares. Here's what I know: *Overall*, research suggests that free transit: a—increases ridership b—doesn't necessarily get people out of cars c—benefits youth, elderly, & low-income riders d—may or may not increase operational effectiveness

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@yfreemark

Yonah Freemark

2 years

A green transportation system is not just an electrified one: It is also one that reduces resource consumption.

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@yfreemark

Yonah Freemark

9 months

New York City dominates when it comes to carrying riders on its Subway system. But outside of NYC, the three top-ridership metro systems in the US & Canada are Montreal, Toronto, and Vancouver.

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@yfreemark

Yonah Freemark

3 years

My worry is that we're blasting ahead on a deal to vastly expand spending on highway expansion, do very little to encourage electrification, & reinforce all the worst elements of US transportation & land use patterns. All in the name of bipartisan compromise and "infrastructure."

@JStein_WaPo

Jeff Stein

3 years

Republicans I’ve talked to today are cautiously optimistic about bipartisan infrastructure deal with White House

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@yfreemark

Yonah Freemark

5 years

If you really must play the ridiculous game of pretending like land area is what matters when it comes to electing a president, can you at least remember to put Alaska at the right scale?

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@yfreemark

Yonah Freemark

2 years

So the USPS is hoping to spend $68,000 per truck on an insanely polluting gas-powered model. For comparison, the Ford Transit van costs $36,000 & makes 16 mpg on average. What am I missing here? Even if the USPS refuses to go all-electric, this deal seems off.

@jacobbogage

(((Jacob Bogage)))

2 years

USPS's new trucks from Oshkosh Defense: - get 8.6 mpg - use 110 million gallons of gasoline annually - are basically as polluting as USPS's current 30 year-old trucks EPA says USPS paid Oshkosh $482 million without doing any sort of analysis like this.

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@yfreemark

Yonah Freemark

2 years

There are more riders on the New York Subways each day than users of the entire US aviation system. It is extremely safe. And then you have a Supreme Court justice with opinions.

@mjs_DC

Mark Joseph Stern

2 years

In a colloquy with New York’s solicitor general, Justice Alito expresses empathy for working class New Yorkers forced to brave the city’s allegedly crime-infested subways on the way home from work, asking: Don’t they need to carry concealed guns to protect themselves?

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@yfreemark

Yonah Freemark

2 years

What we know about USPS fleet procurement: —USPS wants 165k 8.6 mpg vans from an arms manufacturer @ 2x cost of commercial vans —Said manufacturer shifted from union plant to non-union factory —Postal services globally shifting to EVs; USPS says only 10% of new trucks will be EV

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Yonah Freemark

4 years

This is both hilarious and 100% expected. Musk's car tunnel will only be able to carry 800 people/hour: way less than the convention center needs. Turns out that when you build a car tunnel, you get car-tunnel capacity. Turns out that there's a reason transit exists!

@meharris

Mark Harris 🇺🇦

4 years

Exclusive @TechCrunch : The @boringcompany Vegas Loop underground people mover might carry only a fraction of the passengers it promised, leaving the company millions out of pocket and the Convention Center frustrated

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@yfreemark

Yonah Freemark

9 months

Useful discussion of Amtrak’s ridership/coverage dilemma by @humantransit . Misreadings of Amtrak’s map as implying equivalent service nationwide led me to create this 2021 diagrammatic map, the likes of which, as Jarrett notes, Amtrak wouldn’t publish for political reasons.

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@humantransit

Jarrett Walker

9 months

Amtrak is proposing big expansions, but can't quite talk about them clearly. Here's why ...

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@yfreemark

Yonah Freemark

1 year

Two really important changes tonight: Maryland & Massachusetts are both headed to Dem trifecta status after 8 years of GOP governorships. Could have major implications for urban policy & transport systems in the Boston, Baltimore, & DC regions.

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@yfreemark

Yonah Freemark

5 years

@CamtrakAcela @2AvSagas I think you meant to write: the NYC and Shanghai urban areas are roughly the same in population size, and the Beijing urban area is about twice as big as Chicago. With regard to labor laws, I think you meant to link to this:

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China Law Blog Archive

harris-sliwoski.com

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@yfreemark

Yonah Freemark

3 years

So... it's just a one-way tunnel with lights and no guideway, forcing cars to travel slowly toward the terminus, an underground parking lot?

@mickakers

Mick Akers

3 years

Footage of what it looks like when a @Tesla is traveling through the @boringcompany ’s Convention Center Loop. #vegas #boringcompany

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@yfreemark

Yonah Freemark

7 months

Major proposed changes announced for NYC zoning today, including: —Citywide elimination of parking requirements —Allowances for ADUs —Easing small-scale apartment construction —20% density boost with housing affordability

@NYCPlanning

NYC Planning

7 months

@NYCMayor Next, we'll legalize modestly-sized apartment buildings that define so many of the neighborhoods that New Yorkers already love. We'll facilitate this "missing middle" by allowing apartments above ground-floor commercial uses, and near public transportation.

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@yfreemark

Yonah Freemark

11 months

SEPTA's parallel regional rail line, the Trenton Line, currently has service only every two hours during the midday on both weekends & weekdays. Not adequate to substitute for even a small share of displaced I-95 traffic. Can SEPTA expand service?

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@PhillyInquirer

The Philadelphia Inquirer

@PhillyInquirer

11 months

In a short briefing Sunday morning, officials urged drivers to avoid I-95 in Northeast Philadelphia. “I-95 will be impacted for a long time, for a long time,” said Philadelphia Managing Director Tumar Alexander.

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@yfreemark

Yonah Freemark

3 years

High construction costs in the US have a lot more to do with low public-sector capacity and limited supervision of private contractors than they do with the supposedly nefarious influence of public-sector unions, which, by the way, generally don't represent construction workers.

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@yfreemark

Yonah Freemark

1 year

DC, right now

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@RM_Transit

Reece 🚇

1 year

Transit will never recover they said, the 9-5 is dead they said.

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@yfreemark

Yonah Freemark

2 years

My immediate takeaway: While this bill could contribute a lot to reducing US emissions, it's going to help reinforce nation's automobile dependency. No support for transit, cycling, & just a tiny bit for a walkability program—but huge amounts for tax credits for EV purchasing.

@igorbobic

Igor Bobic

2 years

Text for the Inflation Reduction Act is out

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@yfreemark

Yonah Freemark

4 years

The urban/exurban divide is strong. Trump followers clearly believe they have the right to demonstrate violently in city centers (where they don’t live), even though we would never expect left/liberals to demonstrate violently in the exurbs. Odd contrast.

@ByMikeBaker

Mike Baker

4 years

Clashes. Trump people unload paintballs and pepper spray. They shot me too.

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Yonah Freemark

4 years

We can do a very minor, very inexpensive, very unobtrusive thing, and make a lot of peoples' days just a little bit happier.

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@yfreemark

Yonah Freemark

4 months

Pretty wild to me that this entirely elevated, 1.6-mile project, to be located entirely over the public right of way, is going to cost $2 b. The 8.7-mile Rennes, France Metro B, which opened last year & includes 15 stations—including 12 subway stations—cost €1.34 b.

@RailwayAge

Railway Age

4 months

FTA will invest more than $1B in the Inglewood Transit Connector Project, a planned 1.6-mile, three-station automated people mover between LACMTA’s K Line and the city of Inglewood’s housing, employment, sports and entertainment centers:

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@yfreemark

Yonah Freemark

2 years

But, in the great US tradition of ignoring what's happening everywhere else in the world, DC's future Metro trains will have no open gangways, even though open gangways add capacity and allow better distribution of people throughout trains.

@DMVFollowers

DC Maryland Virginia

2 years

The 8000 series Metro trains will have charging outlets, heated floors, WIFI, and HD security cameras. The fleet will be available in 2024-25.

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@yfreemark

Yonah Freemark

3 years

“Unfortunate,” maybe, but definitely the result of one party treating urban areas and the people who live in them as scum

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@yfreemark

Yonah Freemark

5 years

Paris mayor announcing free transit for kids, plus free subscription to bike share for everyone under 18.

@Anne_Hidalgo

Anne Hidalgo

5 years

J'annonce aujourd'hui de nouvelles mesures pour accélérer la transition écologique à #Paris tout en renforçant le pouvoir d'achat des familles : la gratuité des #transports en commun pour les enfants et des tarifs très réduits pour les jeunes.

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@yfreemark

Yonah Freemark

1 year

Full MTA planning study for IBX light rail project was released today. Estimates $5.5 billion construction cost (2027$) for a 14-mile project, 39-min runtime, with 19 stations, attracting 115,000 daily riders

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@MTA

MTA

1 year

Today, @GovKathyHochul announced that the transformative Interborough Express project will be moving forward using Light Rail. IBX will bring better access to jobs, education, and economic opportunities for some 900k New Yorkers in Brooklyn and Queens.

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@yfreemark

Yonah Freemark

3 months

I testified to Canada's House of Commons transportation committee today on the high-frequency rail project between Toronto & Quebec City. I put together some graphics illustrating how the corridor compares with other major rail routes around the world!

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@yfreemark

Yonah Freemark

8 months

I took London's Elizabeth Line for the 1st time. Beyond its beauty, speed, & technological prowess, I was struck by just how quiet it is—both in trains & on platforms. The trains enter stations at full speed, but you can hardly hear them, thanks to the full-height platform doors.

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@yfreemark

Yonah Freemark

4 years

Traffic deaths are not spiking "despite" fewer cars on the road--they are spiking BECAUSE of fewer cars on the road. The lack of congestion encourages reckless driving.

@nypost

New York Post

4 years

NYC traffic deaths spike in 2020 despite fewer cars on the road

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@yfreemark

Yonah Freemark

10 months

Woah. Imagine if we could commit to this kind of quick action to transit & non-motorized modes. We could have bus and bike lanes blanketing our cities in a matter of weeks.

@GovernorShapiro

Governor Josh Shapiro

@GovernorShapiro

10 months

Based on the tremendous progress these crews made over the weekend, I can now say: We will have I-95 back open this weekend. We have worked around the clock to get this done, and we’ve completed each phase safely and ahead of schedule.

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Yonah Freemark

4 years

Seoul is the heart of a vibrant democracy, has much higher population density than any large US city, has a subway that carries 70% more riders than NYC Subway & has a climate very similar to NYC's. Check your assumptions about what causes disease transmission & how to stop it.

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@yfreemark

Yonah Freemark

2 years

For those who claim platform barriers need automated train operation and a single train fleet per line with even door placement:

@AndyBTravels

AndyBTravels

2 years

Platform barriers Sofia style..

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@yfreemark

Yonah Freemark

5 months

In exchange for a federal grant, the Canadian government is asking Toronto to: —increase minimum height requirements near transit —streamline permitting —reduce parking minimums —add 4-story as-of-right zoning throughout the city

@alexbozikovic

Alex Bozikovic

5 months

Potentially very big news for Toronto: large-scale upzoning that could match the BC changes

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@yfreemark

Yonah Freemark

4 months

Beijing had no metro in 1970. Its subway system is now 5 times as long as Chicago's L

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@yfreemark

Yonah Freemark

1 year

On the other hand, Texas Department of Transportation is spending $9 billion for a massive highway expansion in Houston & $5 billion to expand I-35 to 20 lanes through central Austin. It's not that it's a build-nothing nation. It's a build-highways nation.

@DKThomp

Derek Thompson

1 year

In CA, high speed rail costs are ballooning and the project is languishing. Yesterday, NY Gov Hochul scrapped plans to build rail to LGA, bc costs 5X'd. Today, reporting that Atlanta is indefinitely delaying its public transit service expansion plans. Build-nothing nation.

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@yfreemark

Yonah Freemark

2 years

This would be the highest traffic crash number since 2005, and an enormous jump from the low of 32,479 in 2011. We are headed backwards on traffic safety in the US.

@ZekeJMiller

Zeke Miller

2 years

DETROIT (AP) — Nearly 43,000 people died in traffic crashes last year, a 10.5% jump from 2020 as traffic increased, federal data shows.

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@yfreemark

Yonah Freemark

7 years

This is great. We have drivers ed in high school. Why not, instead, have classes where kids learn how to ride bikes and get transit passes?

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@yfreemark

Yonah Freemark

6 years

In essence, if Uber/Lyft trips are replacing either transit or single-passenger auto trips, they're increasing total vehicle miles travelled. A good explanation for why many cities are seeing increasing traffic without much increased population.

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Yonah Freemark

4 years

Boston > Philly Paris > Lyon ~300 mi ~300 mi min 5 h on Amtrak <2 h on TGV $173+ for trip next Wed €22+ for trip next Wed Trains carry ~300 pax Trains carry ~1000 pax 21 trips/day 23 trips/day

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@yfreemark

Yonah Freemark

10 months

180 “school streets” are now open in Paris—of which 126 opened since 2020. These are school-fronting streets that have been transformed from prioritizing car traffic & largely asphalt surfaces to landscaped pedestrian-only or pedestrian-priority spaces.

@Paris

Paris

10 months

126 rues aux écoles ont été créées à Paris depuis l'été 2020 et il en existe 180 aujourd'hui. ➡ Objectifs : sécuriser le chemin maison-école pour les enfants et lutter contre la pollution.

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@yfreemark

Yonah Freemark

5 years

All of Paris is car free today.

@Paris

Paris

5 years

Paris entièrement réservée aux circulations non polluantes, c'est possible et c'est ce dimanche 22 septembre. Pour la 5ème édition de la #Journ éeSansVoiture, vélos, rollers, trottinettes et skateboards seront à l'honneur ! Toutes les infos :

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@yfreemark

Yonah Freemark

2 years

Unmentioned: —Public transportation —Climate change —Road safety —The many Americans who do not use cars but nonetheless also suffer from inflation-related cost increases

@JStein_WaPo

Jeff Stein

2 years

White House officials exploring sending Americans rebates cards to offset gas costs ran into another problem — the chips shortage, which meant US couldn’t physically produce enough cards to make the plan work even if lawmakers tried to do it, per sources

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@yfreemark

Yonah Freemark

6 years

Vancouver does not allow ride-hailing services like Uber or Lyft. British Columbia has a carbon tax. The Vancouver region has substantially improved bus and rail services recently. High transit ridership isn’t a coincidence.

@VancouverSun

The Vancouver Sun

6 years

Transit ridership hits a high in Metro Vancouver

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@yfreemark

Yonah Freemark

4 years

If a transit agency's response to its own ineffectiveness is to force the rider to do more work in order to board a train... it's got the equation entirely wrong.

@MarketUrbanism

Market Urbanism

@MarketUrbanism

4 years

The president of NYC Transit, everybody

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@yfreemark

Yonah Freemark

3 years

Passenger trains are only obsolete from the myopic perspective of someone who (a) has never traveled outside of the US; (b) doesn't understand how density works; (c) is constitutionally unable to recognize the truly disastrous results of a car-based society.

@samjmintz

Sam Mintz

3 years

Republican-invited witness at today's House hearing on passenger rail is Cato Institute fellow Randal O'Toole, who says that "the creation of Amtrak was a mistake" "Passenger trains are pretty, but they're an obsolete form of transportation."

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@yfreemark

Yonah Freemark

2 years

Amtrak tickets on the Northeast Corridor are unaffordable, especially at the last minute. The story is complicated: Amtrak makes money on the route, so it amps up prices to those people are willing to pay. It does so in the context of inadequate train capacity to meet demand.

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