Most transport technology hype inadvertently advertises what a tiny number of passengers will be served. It wants you to imagine that you will get this convenience, but if everyone uses it, it won’t be like this at all. Nothing is more old-fashioned than transport tech hype.

Many cities, including Atlanta, still don't understand that if you want great public transit, you can't shut it down just to have a party.

That feeling when a reply saying that technology will free us from having to think has a profile image of people being thrown out of a helicopter.

You can drive from Troy to Ithaca in just over three hours, and a detour via Sicily is only 7 minutes longer.

Recorded two podcasts (as a guest) recently and am thinking of seeking more. If you know my work on public transit, what podcasters do you think I should be pitching to?

Part of my job is to get politicians and advocates to think about physical reality. This quotation from Hannah Arendt really nails the problem.

The easiest path from Troy to Ithaca, with an optional Sicilian detour. #TheOdyssey

Something is happening at Alaska Airlines but I'm not sure what. Seems bad for business though. @alaskaairlines.bsky.social

As a tourist, I'm supposed to enjoy this view of the river in downtown Milwaukee, but as a transport planner, I compare the height of the yacht to the height of the bridges, and ... 1/

To cultivate a more civilized and compassionate America, we are going to need more statues of animals. "Rosie" by Gwendolyn Gillen, on the Riverwalk in Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Normally, I would never stop for coffee outside of security in an airport. But the magnificent architecture of Portland's makes it worthwhile.

Among the transformations explored in the great Terra Ignota novels of @adapalmer.bsky.social is the evolution of "Europe" into something that retains a unifying idea but is no longer bounded by a continent. Start with "Too Like the Lightning".

Unpopular opinion: If two stations are in the same place, they should have the same name. That makes it easy to know you can make connections there. I once wasted too much time in Madrid due to the non-difference between "Atocha" and "Puerta de Atocha."

For decades, Reagan's comment "Mistakes were made," about the Iran-contra scandal, was one of the best examples of the moral perils of the passive voice. But now we have this.

Never, ever refer to the average density of anything bigger than a square mile! Even comparing the average density of cities is silly, because it's mostly about how much open space they have. Comparing the average density of two countries boils down to which one has Alaska.

This, dear reader, is Douglas fir. Impossible to confuse with a pine.

Before you decide that you can trust Claude on matters of fact, please note that it just told me that this is a Douglas fir. It's quite sure in fact, and seems rather excited about its certainty.

It's been a generation since Boulder, Colorado replaced its bus route numbers with cute names like JUMP and SKIP. How do we feel about this now?

Do not trust a public transit planning consultant who doesn't spend an occasional Saturday out exploring the network, just for fun.

If you build apartments in a cul-de-sac where public transit can't get to them, you should be held responsible for increasing traffic congestion. That's what high density without non-car options ALWAYS means.

Nice Denver sunset.

There's a lot to think about in this map of which US states require front license plates, by @brilliantmaps.bsky.social. Link in thread below. 1/ thread

That feeling when a Park-and-Ride has two cars and you wonder about their story.

Land waves, Wyoming.

You can see it in action here, starting at 0:20. San Gerardo de Dota, Costa Rica.

The @nytimes.com is whitewashing mass murder again. "An SUV drove into the crowd." No, the SUV didn't drive. Someone drove it. And don't get me started about the journalistic abuse of the word "tragedy." That word had a meaning once. @nateschweber.bsky.social

My idea of a pleasant Saturday afternoon: reading three translations of Homer, from three different generations, side-by-side. (Fitzgerald, Fagles, and Mendelsohn)

Getting reports of standing loads on the transit line between Willows and Chico, California. There seems to be more and more demand for rural intertown service.

The City of Burbank wants this new rapid transit line to be stuck in traffic as it crosses their city. This reduces the line’s usefulness, undermining an investment being made by the region and the nation. Imagine if we had planned the Interstate Highway System this way.

Switching from almond milk to coconut milk was our family's big virtue signal of 2022. Except I forgot to actually signal until now.