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Samuel Santaella

@samuelsantaella.bsky.social

420 followers 270 following 1.2K posts

Lifelong outer-borough #NYC resident. 10 years demanding better ways to not drive. Expect posts about NYC transit, modernizing regional rail, #bikeNYC, dangerous streets, undoing car supremacy, and climate change overall. 🌐 nycstreetsutures.wordpress.com

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Samuel Santaella @samuelsantaella.bsky.social · Dec 31

Utrecht

(Photo credit: @bicycledutch.bsky.social)

The intersection of Vredenburg, Lange Viestraat, and Sint Jacobsstraat in Utrecht, Netherlands. Many bicycle riders are waiting for their light on a very wide and separate bike lane, next to two buses also waiting for their light in a car-free busway.

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Samuel Santaella @samuelsantaella.bsky.social · 5h

This is the most out-of-touch bus comment I've ever seen

Reposted by Samuel Santaella

I CAN'T BELIEVE I HAVE TO DRIVE ALL THE WAY TO WORK @algoestowork.bsky.social · 19h

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QueensLink @queenslink.org · 1d

We can't let this valuable right-of-way go to waste! Tap the 🔗 in byo to tell our leaders to #BuildtheQueensLink now!! 🌳🚉 Queens deserves transit equity!!

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Reposted by Samuel Santaella

Transportation Alternatives @transalt.org · 1d

No new highways! This is a huge victory for our movement.

This structure would have increased toxic emissions for nearly 64,000 residents living along the project area.⁠ The South Bronx will have healthier air, thanks to your advocacy!

But the fight isn't over...

Streetsblog NYC @nyc.streetsblog.org · 2d

NEW: The NY State Dept. of Transportation announced that it would not build a "traffic diversion" structure — essentially a highway expansion, according to critics — when it repairs an elevated section of the Cross Bronx Expressway. buff.ly/hV6ujZf

State DOT Scraps Cross Bronx Expansion Road On Highway Repair Plan - Streetsblog New York City

The state Department of Transportation will not build a "traffic diversion" structure next to the Cross Bronx Expressway — a highway expansion project that Streetsblog exposed.

nyc.streetsblog.org

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Samuel Santaella @samuelsantaella.bsky.social · 3d

I'm really glad Streetsblog is exposing this

Streetsblog NYC @nyc.streetsblog.org · 3d

The MTA would have to spend at least $3 million in contracted union fees to provide the same special game-day service to Citi Field as Metro-North gives Yankee fans to go to the House that Ruth Built, data obtained by Streetsblog shows.

MONEY TRAIN: How LIRR Unions 'Game' The System - Streetsblog New York City

An old work rule means that the MTA would have to pay millions of dollars just to provide a little extra service after special events like Mets games or the Ryder Cup.

buff.ly

Reposted by Samuel Santaella

QueensLink @queenslink.org · 3d

Austin Street loves QueensLink! 💕 We recently tabled at the Forest Hills Chamber of Commerce Street Fair and met lots of enthusiastic residents! Let's #BuildtheQueensLink !!

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Reposted by Samuel Santaella

Transportation Alternatives @transalt.org · 5d

New Yorkers are craving secure bike parking: this one small station has had 2,000 unique users in just two years!

More of these units — and larger facilities — will mean that more New Yorkers will have the peace of mind to try biking, without having to worry about theft.

Shabazz Stuart @shabazzstuart.bsky.social · 5d

Last month we celebrated the two year anniversary of Oonee Hudson Square with local BID.

Personally, on this journey I am most proud of the way that NYC communities have embraced our initial bike parking stations-- hard 2 believe that ppl were once skeptical bc they were afraid of blowback.

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Reposted by Samuel Santaella

The LIRR Today @thelirrtoday.com · 5d

They do things like this at WTC all the time and it works out fine.

Blair Lorenzo / The Fox and the City @thefoxandthecity.com · 5d

"Oh no, we can't have any seats in the main concourse lest it mess up circulation"... but a piano is okay.

I'm not bitter.

A piano in Grand Central's Main Concourse behind ropes.

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Samuel Santaella @samuelsantaella.bsky.social · 8d

Doomscrolling isn't good for me. I need to do something about that long-term.

Every time I open any social media now, it's either doomer vibes or addictive brainrot. It's making me wanna delete everything.

I have an app blocker on my phone and a site blocker on my PC browser. It's been good for me

Samuel Santaella @samuelsantaella.bsky.social · 9d

The three-station pilot for platform screen doors, first announced in 2022, is nowhere to be seen.

A NotifyNYC alert that I received on my smartphone. It reads: "Due to a person struck by a train, L train service is suspended between Myrtle-Wyckoff Avs and Canarsie-Rockaway Pkwy. Consider alternate routes and allow for additional travel time."

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Reposted by Samuel Santaella

Effective Transit Alliance @etany.org · 10d

The region's commuter railroads should move towards a proof-of-payment fare system to reduce operating costs and thus allow more frequent service.

Without service improvements, however, customer-unfriendly ticket policies simply punish riders for an antiquated fare system.

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Reposted by Samuel Santaella

Effective Transit Alliance @etany.org · 10d

It is good that the MTA has reduced the proposed weekly fare cap to $35 instead of $36 and will make commuter railroad tickets expire at the end of the day instead of after four hours.

However, the MTA's current fare plans are far from ideal:

Metropolitan Transportation Authority @mta.info · 11d

Today, the MTA Board approved changes to fares, tolls, and ticketing policies, all to take effect in 2026.

Read all the fare and policy changes across the subway, buses, Access-A-Ride, @mtalirr.bsky.social, and @mtametronorth.bsky.social here: mta.info/fares2025

Changes to MTA fares and tolls in 2025

mta.info

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Reposted by Samuel Santaella

Transportation Alternatives @transalt.org · 9d

Can't find parking? Blame larger cars.

"Expanding the average car length from 5 meters (16.4 feet) to 5.5 meters (18 feet) decreases street parking spots by 9.3%... The growing share of larger vehicles has caused many on-street parking spots to effectively disappear."

Meet the Montreal Mayor Who Declared War on SUVs

Oversized vehicles are devouring street parking spaces in the Canadian city. So one borough’s mayor is fighting back with bigger fees for hefty trucks and SUVs.

www.bloomberg.com

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QueensLink @queenslink.org · 12d

✨ Excitement is in the air! ✨ This weekend, we tabled at the Richmond Hill Block Association Street Fair and met tons of enthusiastic residents! Let's #BuildtheQueensLink to give these neighborhoods #BetterTransit AND #BetterParks !! 🚉🌳

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Samuel Santaella @samuelsantaella.bsky.social · 13d

Bus riders still need #6MinuteService.

@ridersalliance.org @governor.ny.gov @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social

A countdown clock for the bus stop at Linden Boulevard and Farmers Boulevard. The next Q4 bus to Jamaica is 35 minutes away, and the next Q51 bus to Ozone Park is 31 minutes away. Photo taken on Sunday, September 28, 2025 at 3:54 PM.

Reposted by Samuel Santaella

Mary Gillis @marygillis.bsky.social · 14d

"People have the right to privacy when they're driving a 3,500 pound tank at twice the speed limit through a school zone" is just a strange privacy hill to die on.

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Reposted by Samuel Santaella

Mary Gillis @marygillis.bsky.social · 15d

Any driver who has a problem with traffic cameras wants to put other people in danger without having to suffer any monetary consequences for their recklessness. It's really that simple.

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Reposted by Samuel Santaella

Melissa & Chris Bruntlett @modacitylife.com · 14d

Setting 2037 as the target date, which will mark Midosuji’s 100th anniversary, the City of Osaka has revealed plans to fully pedestrianize its main arterial—shifting it from car-centric to a world-leading people-centric street that gives new space for residents to connect and create value together.🧵

Photos of an orange and white exhibition consisting of photos and Japanese characters, on the theme “Dutch Cycling Culture”, set up along a busy foot and cycle path in the centre of Osaka.

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Reposted by Samuel Santaella

kaptrice 🐦‍⬛ @kaptrice.bsky.social · Aug 30

APTA ridership data is out for Q2 2025, so here's commuter rail + BART!

GO patronage continues to climb and is now semi-consistently greater than that of San Francisco's BART and of New Jersey Transit's commuter rail system. MTA railroads up thanks to congestion pricing.

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Reposted by Samuel Santaella

sqddxjQ48j @sqddxjq48j.bsky.social · 14d

Nothing feels better than seeing TEA writing a ticket for an illegally parked car, thanking them, and pointing out more cars to ticket and they do it!

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Reposted by Samuel Santaella

I CAN'T BELIEVE I HAVE TO DRIVE ALL THE WAY TO WORK @algoestowork.bsky.social · 14d

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Jehiah @jehiah.cz · 14d

I strongly object to this use of the west side greenway.

There are six vehicle lanes, an access road/driveway, and a pedestrian promenade.

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Reposted by Samuel Santaella

Melissa & Chris Bruntlett @modacitylife.com · 16d

Nearly 90% of high school students in Matsuyama travel by bike each day, an astonishing rate that eclipses that of Amsterdam and Copenhagen. Despite a challenging terrain and climate, thanks to its strong cycling culture, riding for teens has become both a rite of passage and a practical necessity.🧵

Japanese teenagers wearing school uniforms, rain gear, and safety helmets ride upright bicycles in groups along dedicated cycling paths in Matsuyama, Ehime.

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Reposted by Samuel Santaella

Miser @misernyc.bsky.social · 15d

Horses will soon be out in Central Park, but we also need to make sure clueless politicians don't replace them with cars

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QueensLink @queenslink.org · 15d

🎉 We're moving full speed ahead with our economic study, and we've selected @steergroup.bsky.social to lead this pivotal report!! 🚉🌳 Steer has incredible expertise in the mass transit world and has produced countless other business case studies across North America! #BuildtheQueensLink

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