Dan Malouff
@beyonddc.bsky.social
Urbanism & transportation, WashDC.
Planner, professor, longtime GGWash.
Not here for the doom & dunks.
Planner, professor, longtime GGWash.
Not here for the doom & dunks.
Reposted by Dan Malouff
US government's policy toward the Big 3 automakers—encouraging them to invest in massive, US-only SUVs & trucks, now encouraging them to underinvest in EVs—has reinforced their global irrelevance.
Ford sold 33% fewer vehicles worldwide in 2024 than 2015! GM sold 40% fewer vehicles!
Ford sold 33% fewer vehicles worldwide in 2024 than 2015! GM sold 40% fewer vehicles!
January 15, 2026 at 8:03 PM
US government's policy toward the Big 3 automakers—encouraging them to invest in massive, US-only SUVs & trucks, now encouraging them to underinvest in EVs—has reinforced their global irrelevance.
Ford sold 33% fewer vehicles worldwide in 2024 than 2015! GM sold 40% fewer vehicles!
Ford sold 33% fewer vehicles worldwide in 2024 than 2015! GM sold 40% fewer vehicles!
Do any US cities have big urban windfarms like Antwerp here?
Not just 1 or 2 windmills, and not way out in the sticks or sea. Big windfarms with several, reasonably "in the city."
📸globalphotos.org
Not just 1 or 2 windmills, and not way out in the sticks or sea. Big windfarms with several, reasonably "in the city."
📸globalphotos.org
January 13, 2026 at 8:29 PM
Do any US cities have big urban windfarms like Antwerp here?
Not just 1 or 2 windmills, and not way out in the sticks or sea. Big windfarms with several, reasonably "in the city."
📸globalphotos.org
Not just 1 or 2 windmills, and not way out in the sticks or sea. Big windfarms with several, reasonably "in the city."
📸globalphotos.org
IDK man maybe we shouldn't've canceled the plan to give our existing rail line there a tramway, and then stopped running it entirely.
And maybe we shouldn't've canceled the plan to connect it with an awesome downtown transitway?
What will do here that we haven't already planned & then canceled?
And maybe we shouldn't've canceled the plan to connect it with an awesome downtown transitway?
What will do here that we haven't already planned & then canceled?
ICYMI: Last month, CM Allen chaired a hearing on the future of transit around the RFK stadium site — soon to be home to the Washington Commanders.
With the team aiming to break ground in ~14 months, the clock is ticking to plan how 65,000 people will move in and out of the area on game days.
(1/3)
With the team aiming to break ground in ~14 months, the clock is ticking to plan how 65,000 people will move in and out of the area on game days.
(1/3)
January 8, 2026 at 4:50 PM
IDK man maybe we shouldn't've canceled the plan to give our existing rail line there a tramway, and then stopped running it entirely.
And maybe we shouldn't've canceled the plan to connect it with an awesome downtown transitway?
What will do here that we haven't already planned & then canceled?
And maybe we shouldn't've canceled the plan to connect it with an awesome downtown transitway?
What will do here that we haven't already planned & then canceled?
Reposted by Dan Malouff
New Baltimore Metro railcars are in service!
January 7, 2026 at 9:12 PM
New Baltimore Metro railcars are in service!
Public rec centers should have indoor playgrounds. They don't need to be big. Some foam climbing equipment would be fine.
Outsourcing winter playgrounds to fast food & shopping malls is an unnecessary blind spot in our public infrastructure.
Outsourcing winter playgrounds to fast food & shopping malls is an unnecessary blind spot in our public infrastructure.
The one Arlington McDonald's with a PlayPlace has been "modernized" to not have a PlayPlace
January 6, 2026 at 4:25 PM
Public rec centers should have indoor playgrounds. They don't need to be big. Some foam climbing equipment would be fine.
Outsourcing winter playgrounds to fast food & shopping malls is an unnecessary blind spot in our public infrastructure.
Outsourcing winter playgrounds to fast food & shopping malls is an unnecessary blind spot in our public infrastructure.
Does anyone else get the thing where occasionally Google Maps decides Pigeon Forge is a major city?
January 6, 2026 at 1:38 AM
Does anyone else get the thing where occasionally Google Maps decides Pigeon Forge is a major city?
Oh, wow. NPS is fixing *several* broken DC fountains. Not just Meridian Park. Also Columbus Circle, Rawlins Park, Freedom Plaza... more
washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/202...
washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/202...
January 5, 2026 at 5:09 PM
Oh, wow. NPS is fixing *several* broken DC fountains. Not just Meridian Park. Also Columbus Circle, Rawlins Park, Freedom Plaza... more
washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/202...
washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/202...
When Faster Than Cars is Rule 1 of transit, you get lines that bypass dense communities to speed thru nowheres. The whole Obama streetcar era was a reaction to that exact failure.
Putting lines where riders want to go is Rule 1.
The mistake of the streetcar era was not keeping speed as Rule 2.
Putting lines where riders want to go is Rule 1.
The mistake of the streetcar era was not keeping speed as Rule 2.
If your service isn't reliably as fast or faster than driving, you're DOA in auto-dependent North America. There are exceptions to every rule, but transit planning would have had a far better last 30 years with that principle at its core.
The Finch LRT will hopefully force Toronto to reckon with two things: that street based transit will *almost* never compete with driving (especially in the burbs) and that people really care about speed. My new piece in the Toronto Star highlights that and makes the case for subways and railways.
January 2, 2026 at 7:11 PM
When Faster Than Cars is Rule 1 of transit, you get lines that bypass dense communities to speed thru nowheres. The whole Obama streetcar era was a reaction to that exact failure.
Putting lines where riders want to go is Rule 1.
The mistake of the streetcar era was not keeping speed as Rule 2.
Putting lines where riders want to go is Rule 1.
The mistake of the streetcar era was not keeping speed as Rule 2.
Post a transit selfie from 2025
(Hopping on board the "not actually a selfie train" and there's nothing you can do to stop me!)
(Hopping on board the "not actually a selfie train" and there's nothing you can do to stop me!)
January 1, 2026 at 3:14 AM
Post a transit selfie from 2025
(Hopping on board the "not actually a selfie train" and there's nothing you can do to stop me!)
(Hopping on board the "not actually a selfie train" and there's nothing you can do to stop me!)
Suburbs trying to make stroads work for people outside cars—without ever making drivers slow down—are yielding... let's say interesting experiments.
December 30, 2025 at 7:33 PM
Suburbs trying to make stroads work for people outside cars—without ever making drivers slow down—are yielding... let's say interesting experiments.
Reposted by Dan Malouff
Transit's main competition is cars. If you raise fares from $2.50 to $3, you're still way more affordable than driving. But if you cut the bus from every 15 to every 20, you're screwed because cars have infinity frequency and 24 hr service span.
I hate that we’re having to think in these terms, but the evidence seems to be bearing out that steep fare hikes are less damaging to ridership than service cuts.
2025 was brutal for US transit. Agencies faced budget deficits, flat ridership, and open hostility from the White House.
I wrote a series of stories outlining ways to help transit endure.
Lesson #1: Whatever you do, don’t cut service. Riders will leave – permanently.
Here are a few others 🧵
I wrote a series of stories outlining ways to help transit endure.
Lesson #1: Whatever you do, don’t cut service. Riders will leave – permanently.
Here are a few others 🧵
December 27, 2025 at 3:32 PM
Transit's main competition is cars. If you raise fares from $2.50 to $3, you're still way more affordable than driving. But if you cut the bus from every 15 to every 20, you're screwed because cars have infinity frequency and 24 hr service span.
"The Big Dig was finished when I was a baby" says adult, shooting an arrow into my aging torso.
December 24, 2025 at 1:50 AM
"The Big Dig was finished when I was a baby" says adult, shooting an arrow into my aging torso.
TIL there was almost a 2nd railroad bridge from DC to VA, near what's now Chain Bridge.
What would VRE look like today if it had happened?
ggwash.org/view/101896/...
What would VRE look like today if it had happened?
ggwash.org/view/101896/...
In the years after the Civil War, Washington became a junction between northern and southern railroads
Washingtonians in 1860 could take trains directly to Baltimore and from there to Philadelphia, Harrisburg, or the trans-Appalachian West. A journey from Alexandria to Richmond, however, required a 50-...
ggwash.org
December 23, 2025 at 5:35 PM
TIL there was almost a 2nd railroad bridge from DC to VA, near what's now Chain Bridge.
What would VRE look like today if it had happened?
ggwash.org/view/101896/...
What would VRE look like today if it had happened?
ggwash.org/view/101896/...
The promise of safe & law-abiding self-driving cars is rapidly proving to be a lie.
Waymos have adopted a dangerous habit of human drivers: swerving to get around stopped school buses. buff.ly/5zA0lX3
Tuesday's Headlines Let the Kids Cross — Streetsblog USA
Waymos have adopted a dangerous habit of human drivers: swerving to get around stopped school buses.
usa.streetsblog.org
December 23, 2025 at 2:32 PM
The promise of safe & law-abiding self-driving cars is rapidly proving to be a lie.
We literally had a project to do this too and the mayor & council killed it in 2023.
It was killed when it was light rail.
Then it was killed again when it was bus.
We spent a decade planning it and were ready to build so now we'll start over, I guess.
It was killed when it was light rail.
Then it was killed again when it was bus.
We spent a decade planning it and were ready to build so now we'll start over, I guess.
Clarke says a BRT line between Union Station and RFK could extend westward along K Street NW. Which again is what D.C. had long planned for the H Street streetcar, but it never came to pass.
Imagine if BRT had been proposed instead of the streetcar 10 years ago.
Imagine if BRT had been proposed instead of the streetcar 10 years ago.
December 18, 2025 at 9:08 PM
We literally had a project to do this too and the mayor & council killed it in 2023.
It was killed when it was light rail.
Then it was killed again when it was bus.
We spent a decade planning it and were ready to build so now we'll start over, I guess.
It was killed when it was light rail.
Then it was killed again when it was bus.
We spent a decade planning it and were ready to build so now we'll start over, I guess.
We literally had a project to give the streetcar & buses dedicated lanes, and mayor Bowser killed it to get cars to the stadium faster.
In testimony to D.C. Council, Metro General Manager Randy Clarke says a key to getting people to and from the new Commanders stadium at RFK will be bus rapid transit from Union Station. "It's critical... we need to be able to get a lot of people on the Red Line and take BRT to the site," he says.
December 18, 2025 at 9:04 PM
We literally had a project to give the streetcar & buses dedicated lanes, and mayor Bowser killed it to get cars to the stadium faster.
Reposted by Dan Malouff
'Tis the season for Junctions — one more before the holidays.
Play GGWash Junctions weekly word puzzle #28
View this post on ggwash.org
ggwash.org
December 18, 2025 at 5:32 PM
'Tis the season for Junctions — one more before the holidays.
Housing abundance sub-tweet.
this is it. this is the most bluesky post ever
December 18, 2025 at 5:06 PM
Housing abundance sub-tweet.
I genuinely think Esri intentionally makes each new GIS release less intuitive.
Before you scoff, consider that its planner user base establishes its professional legitimacy by gatekeeping "building a shed" into an arcane ritual requiring multiple levels of specialization.
Before you scoff, consider that its planner user base establishes its professional legitimacy by gatekeeping "building a shed" into an arcane ritual requiring multiple levels of specialization.
December 16, 2025 at 10:06 PM
I genuinely think Esri intentionally makes each new GIS release less intuitive.
Before you scoff, consider that its planner user base establishes its professional legitimacy by gatekeeping "building a shed" into an arcane ritual requiring multiple levels of specialization.
Before you scoff, consider that its planner user base establishes its professional legitimacy by gatekeeping "building a shed" into an arcane ritual requiring multiple levels of specialization.
Buffalo city hall's council chamber is, uh, pretty impressive.
www.flickr.com/photos/bpawl...
www.flickr.com/photos/bpawl...
Common Council Chamber
Buffalo City Hall, Buffalo, New York.
www.flickr.com
December 11, 2025 at 8:58 PM
Buffalo city hall's council chamber is, uh, pretty impressive.
www.flickr.com/photos/bpawl...
www.flickr.com/photos/bpawl...
VA's next Transportation Secretary!
Best possible choice. Unquestionable multimodal & Virginia legislative bona fides. Really great news
Best possible choice. Unquestionable multimodal & Virginia legislative bona fides. Really great news
Governor-Elect Spanberger Announces Nick M. Donohue as Her VA Secretary of Transportation Appointment; Calls Donohue a "champion of modernizing and expanding mobility options" bluevirginia.us/2025/12/gove...
Governor-Elect Spanberger Announces Nick M. Donohue as Her VA Secretary of Transportation Appointment
From Governor-elect Abigail Spanberger's office...just five more weeks and she'll be governor! Governor-Elect Spanberger Announces Secretary of Transportation Appointment Governor-Elect Spanberger: "V...
bluevirginia.us
December 9, 2025 at 8:25 PM
VA's next Transportation Secretary!
Best possible choice. Unquestionable multimodal & Virginia legislative bona fides. Really great news
Best possible choice. Unquestionable multimodal & Virginia legislative bona fides. Really great news
Reposted by Dan Malouff
Interesting: Urbanist group @ggwash.org is suing @ddotdc.bsky.social over its refusal/failure to release a study the city conducted on congestion pricing possibilities in downtown D.C. The study was finished in 2020, but has never been made public – even in response to FOIA requests.
December 9, 2025 at 7:42 PM
Interesting: Urbanist group @ggwash.org is suing @ddotdc.bsky.social over its refusal/failure to release a study the city conducted on congestion pricing possibilities in downtown D.C. The study was finished in 2020, but has never been made public – even in response to FOIA requests.
Reports of crashes all over the region right now, as snow comes down heavier than expected right at 8:00.
I don't know who needs to hear this, but you are allowed to just not take your kids to school right now, regardless of what @dcpublicschools.bsky.social failed to call.
I don't know who needs to hear this, but you are allowed to just not take your kids to school right now, regardless of what @dcpublicschools.bsky.social failed to call.
December 5, 2025 at 1:27 PM
Reports of crashes all over the region right now, as snow comes down heavier than expected right at 8:00.
I don't know who needs to hear this, but you are allowed to just not take your kids to school right now, regardless of what @dcpublicschools.bsky.social failed to call.
I don't know who needs to hear this, but you are allowed to just not take your kids to school right now, regardless of what @dcpublicschools.bsky.social failed to call.
Caroling at Court House Metro.
December 2, 2025 at 11:15 PM
Caroling at Court House Metro.
Spent Black Friday going to the park and looking at murals. Recommend.
November 28, 2025 at 11:42 PM
Spent Black Friday going to the park and looking at murals. Recommend.