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Aaron

@aaronznj.bsky.social
460 followers 308 following 2.8K posts

Official home of the dork who decided to use my Urban Planning Master's Degree for the primary purpose of "make an alternate-history N Scale NJ Transit layout." All opinions are mine (and you can't have them!), and they’re all wrong or your money back!

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Aaron @aaronznj.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
The funny part is that out in the country/suburbs this had a much smaller impact and yet people went more mad than in the cities it seems. My wife and I were basically just hitting nature trails every other afternoon in 2020. Or staying afternoons at a grandparent’s farmhouse.
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Reposted by Aaron
Conrad Poppenhusen @poppenhusen.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
Let your haters become your conveyors when you sit down at the water table of success.
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Aaron @aaronznj.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
Eat shit Russ Vought.
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Aaron @aaronznj.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
Sorta funny they’re even bothering with this policy considering that they are basically not awarding grants in the first place. “FTA will cover an extra share of nothing if you hit these demographic things.”
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Aaron @aaronznj.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
As I see it, it’s an immaterial question. There is nothing particular about subway trains as compared to any other public space. Should restaurants and parks have manned security gates too?
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Aaron @aaronznj.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Faregates aren’t really the issue. Someone with untreated mental illness probably has access to enough money to pay for subway fares. This is about mental health treatment options which jfc the Trump Admin literally a few days ago got a ruling in Texas to undercut.
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Aaron @aaronznj.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
It’s important to recognize that every 1% in theory would be representative of about 1.5-2 million people. So like, “Trump’s approval dropped 2%” sounds small, but that’s literally “statistically, 4-6 million people that used to like Trump no longer like Trump”.
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Aaron @aaronznj.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
In any case, you seem to have some sort of chip on your shoulder - that "cool? cool." at the end of your reply and some other stuff. I'd suggest taking a walk and clearing your mind as to what or who is really upsetting you because I'm probably not it.
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Aaron @aaronznj.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
The inescapable conclusion is that in the intervening period of time Zohran Mamdani's position on the matter evolved, and the only plausible alternative is, what, that he cynically floated free buses as a crowd-pleaser that he knew was bad policy? That'd be very uncharacteristic of him.
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Aaron @aaronznj.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Contrary to what seems to be your claim, Zohran Mamdani was not, in fact, the first person to work in a state government. He isn't an expert on transportation policy, he's an elected official. The only data point here is Mamdani included free buses on his campaign then hasn't pressed MTA on it.
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Aaron @aaronznj.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
If Mamdani learned more and decided that Free Buses was actually kind of clunky as a policy, that’s a good thing it’d be a level of introspection and ability to course correct that we don’t always see from politicians.
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Aaron @aaronznj.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
To be clear, I *like* Zohran Mamdani. I am also fine if he drops “free buses” because it’s actually pretty bad policy in the case of NYC outside of a very specific (and short) list of bus routes in the peripheral part of the city.
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Aaron @aaronznj.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
We don’t know the inner policy workings of Mamdani’s Mayoral administration, but I suspect that “free buses” running into such strong headwinds from MTA probably did kill it. He can say the idea is just on hold but that’s really about optics. MTA isn’t going to be radically different in a year.
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Aaron @aaronznj.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Can I get on my Offensive Pass Interference soapbox? I’m getting on it. If DPI is the spot where the penalty occurred, OPI being a flat 10 yards is hugely asymmetrical. It should *at a minimum* also carry loss of down like intentional grounding.
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Aaron @aaronznj.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
The paragraph you quoted was from SEPTA’s report? If so pretty sure they’re trying to not so subtly say “yeah we will look at this idea…very briefly and against our will, and with a very predictable outcome.”
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Aaron @aaronznj.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
It’s funny that back in September or October of last year he started saying that “ended 8 wars” line but he’s never updated it since. So he I guess ended all these wars and then decided “nope, not solving any more wars just got in eight, that’s all!”
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Aaron @aaronznj.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
It’d be the only remotely sane play because he will absolutely flatline in the primary. Which also undercuts the “angle for a cabinet spot” thing because he won’t have any chips to bargain with.
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Aaron @aaronznj.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
“Remember that time when I helped Democrats win an incredibly winnable election 20 years ago? Look at how involved I am now in similar circumstances being a person who is saying words right now.” - Rahm Emanuel
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Aaron @aaronznj.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
ffs of course they want to actually have a real Galt's Gulch why the fuck not. Let them fuck off to Uraguay, wish 'em luck and let them know not to let the door hit them on the way out.
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Aaron @aaronznj.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Really says something that Joni Ernst announced she would not run for re-election pretty much the day after it got signed into law. I think a lot of these guys knew that the best case for OBBB was “people forget it even exists.”
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Aaron @aaronznj.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
I feel pretty good right now even if it’s a bit cloudy, and I like this picture.
Spruce Run Reservoir.
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Aaron @aaronznj.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
These are suburbs in which one must drive to get anywhere, that are designed to be actively hostile to cars. They're a contradiction in terms. New Urbanist developments frequently hide parking out of shame and I appreciate OP's example in its honesty to what it is.
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Aaron @aaronznj.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
Here's a good example from the Glen. Sure, there's tree-lined streets, parallel parking as traffic calming, close house spacing, etc. etc.. But it's still in an area whose sole transit is a couple of hourly bus routes and a commuter rail line into downtown Chicago. The cars have to go somewhere!
streetscape from the Glen in Glenview Illinois.
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Aaron @aaronznj.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
Lots of pretty famous New Urbanist developments - think Kentlands, Celebration, the Glen, etc. - all face this similar problem that while they take on the *appearance* of older suburban/urban environments, they are simply masking a car-dependent environment in often impractical ways.
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Aaron @aaronznj.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
In many respects I see this as the final form of New Urbanism. The aesthetics of traditional cities (closely-spaced buildings, gridded streets, etc.) but because the New Urbanists are content to build wherever rather than in proximity to, say, transit, they still need massive amounts of parking.
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Aaron @aaronznj.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
it's...beautiful 🥲.
Bears 59
Panthers 37
Scorigami.
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Aaron @aaronznj.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
Yeah ok sure another Republican that’s a barely-closeted Nazi whatever that’s basically a weekly thing now not news at this point. Wtf is on the “Tales from Rhodesia” playlist that has to be the most rancid playlist ever created by anyone ever.
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Aaron @aaronznj.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
that's right. The really funny part is the fastest princeton expresses run a hotter schedule than MARC's fastest trains even though they rather famously had a bunch of their cars certified for 125mph for a while while NJT "only" got 100.
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Aaron @aaronznj.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
If memory serves, the moral was don’t get haircuts.
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Aaron @aaronznj.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
Except on the Atlantic City Line which uses North/South. And since cardinality switches first to E/W at Shore then to N/W at Penn North, every AC Line train technically is both a northbound and southbound at some point.
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Aaron @aaronznj.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
Actually the cardinality is east-west from Philadelphia to Boston, but it’s north/south from Philly to WUS. The dividing line is through somewhere in Penn North Interlocking, if memory serves.
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Aaron @aaronznj.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
So not even full-time G. Exactly my point on TWU being unserious. Where’s the threat? They’re just staking out a maximalist position for the sake of being militant.
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Aaron @aaronznj.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
If TWU were serious they’d recognize that none of this OPTO stuff resembles anything close to an imminent threat. It’s still only in place on…what, the G and the Shuttles? It’s a non-threat.
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Aaron @aaronznj.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
So they're just going to try and push the "ban MTA modernization that they were barely even doing anyways but it could become kind of a threat in idk 20 or 30 years?" bill every year now?
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Aaron @aaronznj.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Gee I wonder why Gottheimer ate absolute shit in the Governor Primary last year. Had this absurdly large war chest that he rode all the way to finishing behind not only *both* progressives but also the replacement-level Dem from the District next-door to his (i.e. Sherrill).
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Aaron @aaronznj.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
And featuring mountains and the Amtrak logo, no less!
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Aaron @aaronznj.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Nothing is going to make places like Vineland etc. into major destinations. Atlantic City is cooked. Cape May and Wildwood are seasonal resort towns (and I was just in Cape May for the first time recently it’s really nice!). These aren’t exactly the types of place where transit thrives…
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Aaron @aaronznj.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
The fundamental problem is the density and the development and the everything just isn’t there in South Jersey, but we have to maintain this idea of being “Statewide” so stuff like ACRL, River Line, etc. just soldier on.
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Aaron @aaronznj.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
"Moving Parts is bad, fewer moving parts is good".
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Aaron @aaronznj.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
said guy is too busy chasing after moonshots at ... a particular busy train station we're not going to be talking about in this thread...
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Aaron @aaronznj.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
Some nonsense about “safety” 🙄.
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Aaron @aaronznj.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
The irony being that on similar math I end up with a minimum 45-seconds for a moderately busy station because newer equipment takes much longer to actually button up once a door close command is sent.
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Aaron @aaronznj.bsky.social · 30/08/2026
They have to attack whatever is popular specifically because it is popular. By what other means could they hope to “win the culture war”? Every attempt at creating a competing “right-wing culture” has been a dismal embarrassing failure. Their biggest success story is, what, Black Rifle Coffee?
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Aaron @aaronznj.bsky.social · 30/08/2026
Downgrade a movie Apollo 18
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Aaron @aaronznj.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
“Over a parking lot” is also a good one, and boy do we have too many parking lots.
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Aaron @aaronznj.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
also apparently MacArthur was simultaneously a Corporal and Brigadier General while Patton was in the Red army because reasons.
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Aaron @aaronznj.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
Precisely. And this forms one of the biggest contradictions around Airport Transit. Elected officials (Mayors, congressmen, state leaders, etc.) are preoccupied with “prestige” and air travelers, but in practice airport employees are actually the back-bone user base.
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Aaron @aaronznj.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
The reality is he’s probably the only guy in the Trump admin who returned Jeffries’ calls. Everybody else in the Administration’s game plan for a Democratic House/Senate Majority is either Denial or Two Year Government Shutdown out of spite.
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Aaron @aaronznj.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
The only conceivable reason to do this is “we’re about to have a Majority in the House and probably Senate, so we need to figure out how we’ll ‘keep the lights on’ and get basic stuff like budgets passed.” But even then Kushner is not the guy to meet with cuz he’s a weird Shadow Secretary of State.
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Aaron @aaronznj.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
I mean, the only real surprise is they took this long to get around to it. Don’t anyone think for a second that you didn’t know this was coming.
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