Yonah Freemark @yonahfreemark.com · 54mSeattle opened an infill station on its Link light rail system today, at Pinehurst. Unfortunately, the station is just adjacent to a giant golf course, limiting TOD potential. But it’s another step forward for the nation’s most-ridden light rail network. 2200
Reposted by Yonah FreemarkThe Overhead Wire @theoverheadwire.com · 4hWednesday's Most Read # 2 - Rising Gas Prices Are Punishing Household Finances. Policymakers Should Invest in Transit to Reduce Household Costs. link.theoverheadwire.com/mvjfu Urban Institute @yonahfreemark.comlink.theoverheadwire.comRising Gas Prices Are Punishing Household Finances. Policymakers Should Invest in Transit to Reduce Household Costs.Amid months of rising gas prices, a typical driver now spends $65 more on fuel each month today than they did a year ago. 0122
Reposted by Yonah FreemarkMichael McLean @michaelmclean.me · 7hAnd now its public! www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news...cbsnews.comChicago to install dedicated bus lane on northbound Michigan Avenue downtownSeeking to reduce delays for CTA riders in downtown Chicago, officials plan to install a new dedicated bus lane on Michigan Avenue. 613518
Yonah Freemark @yonahfreemark.com · 9hThe average driver is now spending $65 more on gas monthly than they did last year.urban.orgRising Gas Prices Are Punishing Household Finances. Policymakers Should Invest in Transit to Reduce Household Costs.Amid months of rising gas prices, a typical driver now spends $65 more on fuel each month today than they did a year ago. 0223
Reposted by Yonah FreemarkYonah Freemark @yonahfreemark.com · 14hI've added a new feature to Transit Explorer—the database of the world's fixed-guideway transit systems: The ability to compare cities, side by side, at the same scale. Here, for example, is Washington vs. Chicago, and Singapore vs. London! Play around: www.thetransportpolitic.com/transitexplo... 316437
Yonah Freemark @yonahfreemark.com · 11hThe MTA—the nation's largest transit agency—wants to spend $23 billion on new trains and buses in the coming years. But the Trump Administration's tariffs could cost the agency $1 billion. That would mean either (a) the agency could buy fewer vehicles; or (b) it would have to spend more money.bloomberg.comMTA Seeks to End $1 Billion of Tariffs on Subway Cars, BusesThe Metropolitan Transportation Authority wants the Trump administration to exempt New York City’s purchases of new subway cars and buses from tariffs to avoid $1 billion in added fees on the nation’s... 1304
Yonah Freemark @yonahfreemark.com · 14hI've added a new feature to Transit Explorer—the database of the world's fixed-guideway transit systems: The ability to compare cities, side by side, at the same scale. Here, for example, is Washington vs. Chicago, and Singapore vs. London! Play around: www.thetransportpolitic.com/transitexplo... 316437
Yonah Freemark @yonahfreemark.com · 15hThere are essentially 0 electrified freight trucks on the road in the US right now 2425
Reposted by Yonah Freemarkrev. howard arson @theophite.bsky.social · 29/09/2026there's a thing in moderate democratic politics where it is considered fundamentally illegitimate to deliver results to your own voters; instead, you must propose a better way to implement your adversaries' entire ideological program 421613276
Yonah Freemark @yonahfreemark.com · 30/09/2026Fund 1,000,000 social housing units Build and operate BRT lines in every city E-bikes on separated bikeways for all Massive development on public land around every rail station 413317
Reposted by Yonah FreemarkYonah Freemark @yonahfreemark.com · 29/09/2026617 days into his 2nd term, Trump's Department of Transportation has *still* not approved a single new transit project for full funding. The problems I highlighted in March—how this lack of funding only makes projects cost more & delays completion—have only worsened www.urban.org/urban-wire/r... 623398
Yonah Freemark @yonahfreemark.com · 29/09/2026The Trump administration's policies have resulted in the average driver spending $65 more per month on gas than they did a year ago www.urban.org/urban-wire/r... The administration's changes to fuel efficiency policies will make this problem even worse, not more affordable. 2194
Yonah Freemark @yonahfreemark.com · 29/09/2026617 days into his 2nd term, Trump's Department of Transportation has *still* not approved a single new transit project for full funding. The problems I highlighted in March—how this lack of funding only makes projects cost more & delays completion—have only worsened www.urban.org/urban-wire/r... 623398
Reposted by Yonah FreemarkYonah Freemark @yonahfreemark.com · 29/09/2026Gas prices have risen dramatically this year. For the typical driver, that's $65 more spent on gas monthly. If you're a typical F-150 driver in states like Alabama, Kansas, Mississippi, or Missouri, you're spending >$350 a month on gas now. We've got to give people other options.urban.orgRising Gas Prices Are Punishing Household Finances. Policymakers Should Invest in Transit to Reduce Household Costs.Amid months of rising gas prices, a typical driver now spends $65 more on fuel each month today than they did a year ago. 811925
Yonah Freemark @yonahfreemark.com · 29/09/2026Gas prices have risen dramatically this year. For the typical driver, that's $65 more spent on gas monthly. If you're a typical F-150 driver in states like Alabama, Kansas, Mississippi, or Missouri, you're spending >$350 a month on gas now. We've got to give people other options.urban.orgRising Gas Prices Are Punishing Household Finances. Policymakers Should Invest in Transit to Reduce Household Costs.Amid months of rising gas prices, a typical driver now spends $65 more on fuel each month today than they did a year ago. 811925
Yonah Freemark @yonahfreemark.com · 28/09/2026You can demolish a rapid transit branch with just a day’s notice, but it takes 20 years to build a new one, if you’re lucky 19917
Reposted by Yonah FreemarkNolan Hicks @ndhapple.bsky.social · 28/09/2026“USDOT said the regulation will reduce manufacturers' average cost per vehicle to comply by $1,289 but increase fuel costs by more than $1,600 over the life of the vehicles.” 🤌🤌🤌 www.reuters.com/business/aut...reuters.comUS finalizes new lower fuel economy standards in boost for gas-powered vehiclesThe U.S. Transportation Department on Monday finalized sharply lower vehicle fuel economy standards, President Donald Trump's latest effort to encourage sales of gasoline-powered vehicles and reverse... 1513664
Yonah Freemark @yonahfreemark.com · 28/09/2026Jersey City reveals plans for the redevelopment of the Holland Gardens public housing, taking a moderate density, monofuctional, 192-unit complex and replacing it with a high-density, 753-unit project with commercial space, a community center, & a public library! newyorkyimby.com/2026/09/plan... 211015
Yonah Freemark @yonahfreemark.com · 27/09/2026Great policy idea to weaken fuel economy standards exactly when gas prices are highest, really chef’s kissnytimes.comTrump Administration Plans to Gut Clean Car Rules (Gift Article)New fuel-economy standards, which President Trump said he finalized Saturday, would kill a federal effort to speed the transition to electric vehicles. 0465
Reposted by Yonah FreemarkSylvia Chi 齊思涵 @sylviachi.bsky.social · 26/09/2026I'm old enough to remember the federal government prosecuting Aaron Swartz for downloading articles from JSTOR. Now the heads of prolific hacking and plagiarizing cartels are dining with dictators at the White House. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/25/t...nytimes.comOpenAI’s A.I. Went Rogue and Meddled With U.S. Government Websites (Gift Article)The company did not learn until recently that its technology had meddled with websites for the Education and Commerce Departments and the Securities and Exchange Commission. 04515
Yonah Freemark @yonahfreemark.com · 26/09/2026Just want to give a Friday-night shoutout to NY Review of Architecture, which is, if insidery, nonetheless a consistently delightful, skeptical, witty, and playful read—truly the opposite of AD—that you should check out every month or so it comes out, and, of course, subscribe tonyra.nycHomeNew York Review of Architecture reviews architecture, in New York. 0141
Yonah Freemark @yonahfreemark.com · 25/09/2026I didn’t attend climate week but: 1—US is falling way behind on electrification 2—even if US electrified, electricity generation isn’t decarbonizing fast enough 3—public incentives & land use policy are still vastly weighted toward inefficient cars & trucks 4—transit ridership remains in crisis 426843
Yonah Freemark @yonahfreemark.com · 25/09/2026Brightline has filed for bankruptcy, hoping to slash $6 billion in debt. This is not expected to affect day-to-day operations.ft.comPrivate equity-backed Florida railway company Brightline files for bankruptcyOrlando-to-Miami route seeking to popularise high-speed rail in US has filed for Chapter 11 to cut nearly $6bn in debt 03010
Yonah Freemark @yonahfreemark.com · 25/09/2026If you're in the DC region, join me and Coalition for Smarter Growth on October 21! 061
Yonah Freemark @yonahfreemark.com · 25/09/2026The share of renters reporting problems paying rent is increasing, up from 15% in 2022 to 20% in 2025. These challenges are particularly concentrated among middle-income renters. www.urban.org/research/pub... 0164
Yonah Freemark @yonahfreemark.com · 25/09/2026Several of Paris Metro’s new lines (Grand Paris Express) will have openings delayed, after years of delays. New schedule: —Dec 2026: M18 part 1 —2027: M15 part 1, M18 part 2 —2028: M16/M17 part 1 —2029: M16/M17 part 2 —2030: M17 part 3/M18 part 3 —2031: M15 part 2 www.lefigaro.fr/conjoncture/... 1325
Yonah Freemark @yonahfreemark.com · 25/09/2026London—which has contracted out service provision for buses to private companies* for decades—is moving back toward a public operator. * many of these are subsidiaries of publicly owned transit companies from other countries, like RATP or MTR 2423
Reposted by Yonah FreemarkJohn Hanger @jrfhanger.bsky.social · 25/09/2026Good morning with good news: Full-electric vehicles were 51% of Uruguay's auto sales in August, with EV sales up 171%, compared to August 2025! Plug-in hybrids were 5% of sales, so EVs were 56% of auto sales. EVs surged from 5% to 50% in just 2.5 years! cleantechnica.com/2026/09/24/u... #energysky 39219
Yonah Freemark @yonahfreemark.com · 24/09/2026Americans may not be able to afford to buy a home, but at least they also can’t afford gas or groceriesnytimes.comMortgage Rates Hit 7% as Iran War Fallout Crushes a Weak Housing Market (Gift Article)The average rate on a 30-year mortgage in the United States jumped to 7.03 percent, putting pressure on housing affordability. 310523
Yonah Freemark @yonahfreemark.com · 24/09/2026You should not, in fact, be spending $1 billion per mile to extend your metro line if you’re going to surround the last station on the line with a surface parking lot www.transitchicago.com/rle/renderin... 823020
Reposted by Yonah FreemarkJoe Cohen @cohenhouse.bsky.social · 24/09/2026Another dumb American code requirement! basin.la/articles/nin... 822844
Yonah Freemark @yonahfreemark.com · 23/09/2026This merger between agencies seems like a big improvement for riders in the suburbs north of Seattle, both in terms of improving service but also increasing legibility. Right now, Everett Transit and Community Transit have multiple overlapping routes. 3555
Yonah Freemark @yonahfreemark.com · 23/09/2026Given past experience with Lyft/Uber, I'm skeptical, but Waymo is launching a program in the Bay Area where, if you take a transit trip within 2 hours of your Waymo trip (using the same Visa card), Waymo will give you $2.85 back for additional Waymo trips. So it's an incentive to be multimodal.waymo.comIntroducing transit rewardsToday, Waymo is excited to announce our transit rewards program, which we will initially offer in the San Francisco Bay Area, with future cities to follow. This first-of-its-kind initiative rewards ri... 5272
Yonah Freemark @yonahfreemark.com · 23/09/2026This is the same railroad that is supposedly going to open the US's first high-speed line, between Las Vegas and Southern California in 2029.... 56512
Yonah Freemark @yonahfreemark.com · 23/09/20264000 housing units—including 1000 that are permanently affordable—spearheaded by the NYC government on the site of an aging city owned building just adjacent to the Brooklyn Bridge. www.nyc.gov/mayors-offic... 2417
Reposted by Yonah Freemarkryan cooper @ryanlcooper.com · 22/09/2026yep www.hamiltonnolan.com/p/private-sc...hamiltonnolan.comPrivate Schools Are Bad for SocietyThe starting point for any honest discussion. 15781131
Reposted by Yonah FreemarkJim Aloisi @jimaloisi.bsky.social · 22/09/2026Stupid. Pandering. Self-destructive. The #mapoli governor who thinks disinvesting is the answer to the spike in gas prices. Suspend the gas tax, make it easier to drive more, is neither sustainable nor sensible. www.nbcboston.com/news/local/g...nbcboston.com‘We're in a crisis': Gov. Healey filing legislation to suspend Mass. gas taxGov. Maura Healey announced Monday she is filing legislation to suspend the Massachusetts gas tax for two months, cutting the price of gasoline by 24 cents a gallon. 65919
Yonah Freemark @yonahfreemark.com · 22/09/2026Nice transit ridership story in Chicago, where weekend levels are now back to pre-pandemic norms. But the region still has quite a hill to climb, notably because rail ridership remains far below what it was www.thetransportpolitic.com/databook/us-... 0193
Reposted by Yonah FreemarkTaniel @taniel.bsky.social · 22/09/2026In Maryland, just fifty miles from DC, a sheriff has targeted and attacked local immigrants for over twenty years. The harm to those communities is breathtaking. a NEW must-read, just weeks from his latest reelection race... (in a county that Harris won over Trump).boltsmag.org“We're Afraid on a Daily Basis”: How a Maryland Sheriff Targeted Immigrants Long Before ICE Raids Spiked - BoltsFrederick County’s sheriff turned his office into a force multiplier for ICE before such collaboration became commonplace. As he again faces voters this year, the harm to immigrant communities is impo... 16577285
Reposted by Yonah FreemarkYonah Freemark @yonahfreemark.com · 20/09/2026the next president will announce a massive investment in social housing by claiming every building will have drones on top, i’m sure the supreme court will approvenytimes.comTrump Says His D.C. Arch Would Be a ‘Military Complex’ Housing Drones and Snipers (Gift Article)The president’s announcement on Sunday echoed his justification for the White House ballroom: that the project was necessary for national security. 4808
Yonah Freemark @yonahfreemark.com · 20/09/2026Berlin could be controlled by a coalition of left parties after this election, replacing the current CDU-SPD coalition government elected in 2023. 0180
Yonah Freemark @yonahfreemark.com · 20/09/2026the next president will announce a massive investment in social housing by claiming every building will have drones on top, i’m sure the supreme court will approvenytimes.comTrump Says His D.C. Arch Would Be a ‘Military Complex’ Housing Drones and Snipers (Gift Article)The president’s announcement on Sunday echoed his justification for the White House ballroom: that the project was necessary for national security. 4808
Reposted by Yonah Freemarkpatrick.kennedy @thedotcity.bsky.social · 19/09/2026Should the Kennedy Center be torn down? Obviously not. But you know what should? 1435942
Yonah Freemark @yonahfreemark.com · 18/09/2026With a $50,000 downpayment, a year ago it would have cost you $2,774 monthly to pay back principal and interest on the mortgage for a $500,000 house. Today, it would cost you $2,979 monthly. That's $200 dollars a month going down the drain because of rising mortgage rates. 1224
Reposted by Yonah FreemarkThomas Silverstein @tsilverstein.bsky.social · 18/09/2026To the PHAs out there, if you sign up for the "Work & Dignity Coalition" (all of the scare quotes), you are signing up to being used by the most banal, bad faith opponents of our social safety net as cover for draconian - and racist - policies like work requirements.aei.org 092
Yonah Freemark @yonahfreemark.com · 18/09/2026gas prices up more than 30% over last year, definitely a good time to kill your transit system 15010
Reposted by Yonah FreemarkYonah Freemark @yonahfreemark.com · 18/09/2026Jacksonville’s transit ridership is already 3rd worst in the country among large metro areas. www.thetransportpolitic.com/databook/us-... Will anyone ride transit in Jacksonville now? 6405
Yonah Freemark @yonahfreemark.com · 18/09/2026Jacksonville’s transit ridership is already 3rd worst in the country among large metro areas. www.thetransportpolitic.com/databook/us-... Will anyone ride transit in Jacksonville now? 6405
Yonah Freemark @yonahfreemark.com · 18/09/2026Jacksonville Florida, the nation’s 11th largest city, has approved 22% transit cuts. It’s a nightmare: —Most bus service will operate on Sat schedule —The city’s automated rail service will simply not run —A “Navi” automated bus service will become manual because they can’t afford the softwarenews4jax.comJTA planning additional layoffs as it works to cut $39 million from FY 2027 budget, suspend Skyway service in NovemberThe Jacksonville Transportation Authority will reduce its Fiscal Year 2027 budget by $39 million, suspend passenger service on the Skyway and pause Navi service as it works to balance revenue and expe... 2325180