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Franklin Tang

@27a01.bsky.social
197 followers 751 following 185 posts
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Franklin Tang @27a01.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
The Canadian Parliamentary Budget Office hased released a preliminary cost-estimate study for the Alto HSR Project with Transit Cost Project's HSR costs dataset, amongst many other professional and academic studies on the topic. www.pbo-dpb.ca/en/publicati...
pbo-dpb.ca
Canada’s Eastern Corridor High-Speed Rail: A Cost Analysis using Global Data
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Nolan Hicks @ndhapple.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
This thread has the video of the MTA rolling stock group chief's presentation to the MTA board; plus the slides as presented to the board; plus the letter from the Governor to the feds asking for a tariff exemption for Made in America (Buy America compliant) buses and trains.
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Franklin Tang @27a01.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Delta's A220-100 has its row 29 on the back the plane with extremely limited recline and results in every regular main deat in front of it having less than ideal seat pitch. Who are these seats for? Overbookes unfortunate Pax or the flight crew?
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Franklin Tang @27a01.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
The Aldani Case Study
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Ryan Packer @typewriteralley.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
So, the Amtrak Cascades folks tried to get me to take down my post because I stepped on their rollout.
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Franklin Tang @27a01.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Thread: Some recent fun stuff about the Beijing Subway. Quirky Translations galore.
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Franklin Tang @27a01.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
Some small snippets I decided to record in my latest trip. Img 1. Shanghai Metro finally supports Tap to Ride with foreign credit cards. Img 2. Shanghai Metro Line 2's 2001 rolling stock is a far cry i. terms of internal design from the R143s of NYCT. The NTTs really got the design feel right.
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Eric Goldwyn @egoldwyn.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
Who wants to do A Better Billion: Los Angeles?!?! Ht: @27a01.bsky.social
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Nolan Hicks @ndhapple.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
Promises made/promises kept: Please meet the 1966 report that would determine the next 60 years of how LIRR would be powered: the third rail. If all the work on platforms and dwells by Ronan & Co. was planning that was way ahead of its time that got things very right, this is the opposite.
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Franklin Tang @27a01.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
@ndhapple.bsky.social Your prayers have been asnwered here
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Franklin Tang @27a01.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
Long time coming.
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Franklin Tang @27a01.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
Also very telling that there is no track on the head/name or signifying the head. Tracks to nowhere...?
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Franklin Tang @27a01.bsky.social · 23/06/2026
: C Seen at Jackson Heights-Roosevelt Av station
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Franklin Tang @27a01.bsky.social · 12/06/2026
Deciding how to spend money is almost always harder than asking for said money
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Franklin Tang @27a01.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
"IBO’s primary estimate for the annual cost of fare-free bus service for 2027 is just over $1.1 billion [...] a figure that is informed by the weekday ridership increase (net of systemwide ridership growth) from the MTA’s fare-free bus pilot." www.ibo.nyc.gov/content/publ...
ibo.nyc.gov
Independent Budget Office
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Andrew Lynch | vanshnookenraggen @vanshnookenraggen.com · 29/05/2026
NYC Parks, Queensway, & TfPL don't want a train here. The plan from day 1 was to use the entire ROW for park space and intentionally design the Queensway in a way that would require demolishing the entire park to add trains later. Anyone claiming this won't preclude transit is lying or an idiot.
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Franklin Tang @27a01.bsky.social · 29/05/2026
"Mayor Mamdani is going full speed ahead with his predecessor’s plans to build the QueensWay park over abandoned train tracks in Central Queens" nyc.streetsblog.org/2026/05/29/m...
nyc.streetsblog.org
Mamdani Officially Buries The QueensLink - Streetsblog New York City
The Mamdani administration told QueensLink advocates they won't change course on plans to fund the QueensWay.
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Miser @misernyc.bsky.social · 18/05/2026
If nothing else, NYC may get another graphic reminder that cars don't scale out of this LIRR strike. There's currently a 23 mile traffic jam building as rush hour beings...
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Effective Transit Alliance @etany.org · 04/05/2026
NY's Penn Station is clogged by trains. Thankfully, there's a solution that does not involve costly reconstruction: through-running. In a newly public report, ETA illustrates how the region can use Metro-North Penn Access to build a truly regional rail network. www.etany.org/reports/thro...
etany.org
Through-Running: First Connections — Effective Transit Alliance New York
A phased plan for through-running service at Penn Station using Metro-North's Penn Station Access as a launching pad. Prepared in 2025.
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Marco Chitti @chittimarco.bsky.social · 04/05/2026
It's happening. On Friday, 5/15, we are soft-launching our Transit Priority Atlas 1.0 website. Come join us in person at 370 Jay Street to explore this knowledge-sharing tool and get lost in circulation planning layouts and intersection management strategies for better on-street transit.
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Franklin Tang @27a01.bsky.social · 30/04/2026
The land use rethink in this small parcel of a University campus exemplifies how massively inefficient roads are at utilizing available land for human flow.
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Reinvent Albany @reinventalbany.bsky.social · 27/04/2026
View our group memo of opposition with @cbcny.bsky.social, @etany.org, @partnership4nyc.bsky.social, @rpa.org, and Transits Cost Project on a bill that would require two-person crews on every NYC subway train reinventalbany.org/2026/04/grou...
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Yonah Freemark @yonahfreemark.com · 20/04/2026
Transit construction costs in the US keep rising, and projects keep taking longer and longer to build. One possible explanation? Ineffective, inefficient community engagement processes, we argue @urbaninstitute.bsky.social ⏬
urban.org
The US Spends More Time and Money Building Transit Than Most Countries. Inefficient Community Engagement May Help Explain Why.
Public participation remains essential, and policymakers can take steps to ensure engagement processes reflect the entire community’s needs without increasin…
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Franklin Tang @27a01.bsky.social · 08/04/2026
The event is accessible by subway from the W 4th St-Wash Sq station. Come chat and enjoy some cookies : D
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Rachel Cole @rmartincole.bsky.social · 08/04/2026
I'm beyond thrilled to see Watermelon Truck in the @chicagotribune.com. Thanks @ninametz.bsky.social for highlighting this really special part of our collection. www.chicagotribune.com/2026/04/08/t...
chicagotribune.com
At Northwestern, a flashback to a time when government reports were works of art
The Transportation Library at Northwestern is a repository of old state and federal reports with creative graphic art on their covers.
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Franklin Tang @27a01.bsky.social · 01/04/2026
“...Reinvent Albany, the Partnership for New York, the Regional Plan Association, the Citizens Budget Commission, the Effective Transit Alliance and NYU’s Marron Institute voiced their opposition to a pair of bills working their way through Albany." www.nydailynews.com/2026/04/01/g...
nydailynews.com
Groups urge Albany to reject NYC transit union’s 2-person subway crew push
An alliance of business groups, government watchdogs and transit advocates is calling on state lawmakers to reject the Transport Workers Union’s renewed push to enshrine two-person subway crews in sta...
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QueensLink @queenslink.org · 26/03/2026
Happy Open Data Week! Our latest report was built on Open Data, and the data says NYC has WAYYY too much to lose if QueensWay is built. Tell Mayor Mamdani, Listen to the Data: NO WAY to QueensWAY! actionnetwork.org/letters/it-a...
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QueensLink @queenslink.org · 26/03/2026
Thank you, Janno, for the recognition of QueensLink's Initial Business Case and Ridership Report! We look forward to the MTA's review of our findings on this transformative project. #BuildtheQueensLink
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Transportation Alternatives @transalt.org · 26/03/2026
QueensWay should not come at the expense of QueensLink. For those who haven't been following this years-long debate, a translation: A linear park is great — but not if it blocks future public transit on a rare existing right-of-way. Queens needs both rails and trails!
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QueensLink @queenslink.org · 25/03/2026
QueensLink Fast Facts 🚈💨 - 75,000 daily riders, or nearly double the ridership-per-mile of IBX - 50% more service on Queens Boulevard and 165% more through-service to the Rockaways - 60-70% faster travel through Queens and into Brooklyn resulting in $4.9 billion in time savings for New Yorkers
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City Limits News @citylimitsnews.bsky.social · 24/03/2026
"Since the goal is to deliver housing as soon as possible, the city should start with something smaller, faster, and more achievable, built literally on more solid ground." citylimits.org/opinion-turn...
citylimits.org
Opinion: Turning Headlines Into Housing at Sunnyside Yard - City Limits
"By focusing on two key areas within the Yard, a significant part of the benefit can be achieved without the same level of complication and cost."
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Franklin Tang @27a01.bsky.social · 14/03/2026
Reposting for the weekend crowds :7
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Nolan Hicks @ndhapple.bsky.social · 14/03/2026
This is not serious stuff. We haven’t had an infrastructure bill with a pay-for in ~50 years.
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Second Ave. Sagas @2avesag.as · 13/03/2026
LMAO The Portal Bridge going out as a total dumpster fire. You gotta salute it. 🫡
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Franklin Tang @27a01.bsky.social · 12/03/2026
If you are interested in learning more about the technics and behind the scenes on how we have produced our transit housing expansion report, A Better Billion, then I have an event that might interest you very soon. 1/🧵
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Christof Spieler @christofspieler.bsky.social · 12/03/2026
The proofs are in and the publication date is set! “Transportation and the Shape of Cities” will be available this August from @islandpress.bsky.social, an imprint of . @princetonupress.bsky.social. press.princeton.edu/books/paperb...
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Marco Chitti @chittimarco.bsky.social · 12/03/2026
US-based researcher: does a study, use some obscure US place as a study case, generalizes the finding as universally relevant. Reviewers: ✅️ -- Non US researcher: does a study, use non US place as a study case, present findings as context-bound. Reviewers: HoW iS tHis RelEVaNT for tHE DeBATe?
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Matt Elliott @graphicmatt.com · 11/03/2026
50+ TTC streetcars sitting unused in a yard each day seems like a huge missed opportunity. (And should probably really annoy the federal and provincial govs who helped pay for them?) stevemunro.ca/2026/03/06/t...
Table from URL showing scheduled streetcars in service versus the total fleet size.
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Andrew Lynch | vanshnookenraggen @vanshnookenraggen.com · 07/03/2026
"When this is built, I want New Yorkers to take it for granted” Thank you to @thecity.nyc @amysohn.bsky.social and Harry Siegel for having my on the podcast to discuss QueensLink! www.thecity.nyc/2026/03/07/q...
thecity.nyc
LISTEN: Reviving the Missing Link in Queens
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Nolan Hicks @ndhapple.bsky.social · 06/03/2026
We've posted the slides and a printer-friendly version of our subway expansion report, A Better Billion! Slides: transitcosts.com/ABB_Presenta... Printer-friendly PDF: transitcosts.com/A_Better_Bil... NYT write-up: www.nytimes.com/2026/01/30/n... The OG interactive: transitcosts.com/a-better-bil...
transitcosts.com
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Franklin Tang @27a01.bsky.social · 23/02/2026
We at the Transit Cost Project are hosting an event on our most recent report, "A Better Billion", at 370 Jay St in Brooklyn on March 4th. If you are interested in hearing about the planning proposal in person and ask your burning questions on the report, RSVP on Luma here: luma.com/ub7q20a6
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Franklin Tang @27a01.bsky.social · 19/02/2026
Now I want a (12) train shirt to go with this.
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Greg Shill @gregshill.com · 11/02/2026
✨ introducing… ✨ 🌇 Transportation for the Abundant Society 🚅 "Abundance" says our problem is artificial scarcity—especially housing. But you can’t build your way out if transportation policy still treats traffic flow as sacred. Transportation is the binding constraint. ssrn.com/abstract=538...
Abstract for Transportation for the Abundant Society:

A growing chorus known as the abundance movement seeks to overcome artificial scarcity in the built environment—especially housing. Yet this movement’s signature goal of increasing housing production collides with a central driver of scarcity: development restrictions rooted in traffic concerns. Advocates often assume that building more housing will generate support for needed transportation reform. Experience suggests otherwise. In auto-dependent regions, adding housing without reconfiguring transportation tends to reinforce the logic of restriction. Unlocking abundance’s promised feedback loops requires re-grounding transportation policy in its relationship to land use.

This Article makes two contributions. First, it introduces into legal analysis a core urban-planning framework: transportation accessibility, which evaluates system performance by users’ ability to reach destinations. Though facially modest, anchoring policy in accessibility would depart sharply from a century of practice, with significant implications across state and local government law.

Second, drawing on 13 original interviews with current and former transportation officials, the Article develops a novel account of institutional barriers to reform. Far from the marble corridors and mahogany courtrooms where law is articulated, transportation policy is functionally made in the unglamorous offices of state and local government. We call this institutional crucible—shaped by agency culture and industry convention as well as hard law—“transportation policy linoleum.” It helps explain why proven, seemingly unobjectionable reforms routinely wither. The Article closes with a policy playbook designed to help accessibility break through the linoleum and deliver abundance.Table of Contents

CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION	3
I.  ABUNDANCE AND TRANSPORTATION POLICY	6
A. The Rise of Abundance	7
B. Transportation as a Binding Constraint	10
II. THE PURPOSE OF TRANSPORTATION POLICY	17
A. What Counts as Success?	18
B. From Mobility to Access	20
C. Transportation Policy Spillovers	24
1.	Housing affordability	24
2.	Climate mitigation	28
3.	Roadway safety	29
III. OPERATIONAL BARRIERS TO REFORM	32
A. Network Effects and System Interdependence	33
B. Operational Complexity and Risk	34
IV. LEGAL BARRIERS TO REFORM	36
A. NEPA and the Dawn of Conservation Primacy	36
B. Judges as Planners: California’s CEQA Regime	40
C. Judges as Planners Around the Country	44
1.	Minnesota and comprehensive planning	44
2.	Washington, D.C. and density review	46
3.	Montana and constitutional penumbra	46
V. TRANSPORTATION POLICY LINOLEUM	48
A. Policy “In Books” and “In Action”: 13 Interviews	48
B. Fragmentation and Coordination Failures	49
C. Path Dependence and Institutional Lock-In	53
D. Legal Risk and Defensive Administration	55
VI. A POLICY PLAYBOOK FOR ACCESS	57
A. Behavioral Data as Participation	57
1.	Ex ante participation	58
2.	Ex post participation	59
B. Realistic Alternatives Modeling	59
C. A More Honest Cost-Benefit Analysis	60
1.	Requiring cost-benefit discipline	61
2.	Accounting for opportunity costs and externalities	63
CONCLUSION	64

ToC continued, plus first bit of text from article:

A central claim of the emerging “abundance agenda” is that in the physical world, more is more: more housing, more clean energy, and more infrastructure to support both. Abundance brings the American promise of plenty into policy, arguing that government should expand capacity—so that individuals can access the good life and society can advance climate goals, scientific discovery, and prosperity. In both its academic and popular expressions, the ideologically diverse movement  contends that law has created artificial scarcity  and that the remedy is to loosen outdated constraints and rebuild state capacity  so government can build and approve major projects—housing, transportation, energy, health—more quickly and reliably.
Abundance draws on a substantial literature diagnosing law-made supply constraints in American public policy. Its core question is pragmatic: how to clear regulatory blockages to enable more building. Scholars have long identified such blockages at the intersection of land use and transportation, from highways to high-speed rail. Yet even improved megaprojects would not meet most Americans’ daily transportation needs. And the connection between transportation policy and abundance remains underdeveloped, even as political interest grows.
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Christof Spieler @christofspieler.bsky.social · 08/02/2026
Some questions I ask whenever I see a crayon like this:
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Franklin Tang @27a01.bsky.social · 03/02/2026
I don't think we wrote it to be synergistic in the first place.
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Franklin Tang @27a01.bsky.social · 03/02/2026
Hi Zohran, we at the Transit Cost Project just published a report planning for how the New York City can build affordable housing and good transit together - all year long, for 40 years. Let's plan a city that plans for the future, together. transitcosts.com/a-better-bil...
transitcosts.com
A Better Billion
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Franklin Tang @27a01.bsky.social · 02/02/2026
No notes. Love the header image @davecolon.bsky.social nyc.streetsblog.org/2026/02/02/f...
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Nolan Hicks @ndhapple.bsky.social · 30/01/2026
I am now off the clock, so I am officially, formally, incredibly thrilled that 'A Better Billion' is now in the world. And it's absolutely surreal to help with something that ends up with a feature in The New York Times. -- transitcosts.com/a-better-bil...
transitcosts.com
A Better Billion
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Franklin Tang @27a01.bsky.social · 30/01/2026
It has been fun working on the A Better Billion project over the last couple of months. You can check out the full StoryMap here: transitcosts.com/a-better-bil... Also the gift article link to the NYT coverage of our plan; www.nytimes.com/2026/01/30/n...
nytimes.com
Free Buses? How About Expanding the Subway by 41 Miles Instead?
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Franklin Tang @27a01.bsky.social · 27/01/2026
This "beigeness"accompanied me through high school 🙃
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