Sandy Johnston
@sandypsj.bsky.social
3.4K followers 670 following 1.8K posts
Transit geek. Planner. Cat dad. Cubs fan. Deputy Director of Regional Transit Planning at MBTA. Blogging much less than I'd like at www.itineranturbanist.wordpress.com. Opinions my own.
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Reposted by Sandy Johnston
resnikoff.bsky.social
UPDATE: Newsom has signed SB 79 into law!!

This is a great day for anyone who cares about ending California's housing and homelessness crisis, getting the state to net zero emissions, and recovering American democracy.
resnikoff.bsky.social
If you live in California, please call @gavinnewsom.bsky.social at (916) 445-2841 and urge him to sign SB 79. Here's my post about why the bill is so important: publiccomment.blog/p/newsom-s-f...
Newsom's Fateful Choice
Why the governor needs to sign SB 79
publiccomment.blog
sandypsj.bsky.social
That first really cold morning in the sukkah hits different
sandypsj.bsky.social
Highly recommend listening with sound on to get that throaty Alco throttling up sound
sandypsj.bsky.social
Big, big Alco power for the layout: finally swapped a DCC/sound chassis under one of the custom-made high-nose C-628 shells I picked up a while back. CNW quickly found out these ex-N&W brutes were too heavy for Midwestern branch lines and put them into iron ore service.
Reposted by Sandy Johnston
stephenjacobsmith.com
I can't stop thinking about this. We're pursuing zero fire risk in multifam, while tolerating much more in single-fam. People respond by building and living in single-fam, where they're exposed to not only one of the highest fire death risks in the developed world, but also TONS more car crash risk
ebwhamilton.bsky.social
Love this new report on buildings' relative fire safety from @alexhrwtz.bsky.social and Pew colleagues.

www.pew.org/en/research-...
Reposted by Sandy Johnston
ndhapple.bsky.social
Here are the Subway/Metro Station design guidelines that were compiled by UMTA/USDOT in the 1970s in an attempt to prevent WMATA-style cost overruns again.

It got shelved when everyone at UMTA got laid off and we forgot it. But it's prescient about cost drivers -- rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/11352
DOT ROSA P
ROSA P serves as an archival repository of USDOT-published products including scientific findings, journal articles, guidelines, recommendations, or other information authored or co-authored by USDOT ...
rosap.ntl.bts.gov
Reposted by Sandy Johnston
transportenvironment.org
🚛 The Netherlands is seeing a major shift in urban freight thanks to zero-emission zones for freight in 18 of its cities.

By early 2025, 78% of new vans were electric -- compared to just 9% across the EU.

📑 New @cleancitiescampaign.org briefing: bit.ly/431I7al
Clean Cities Campaign graph with the title: Dutch municipalities with zero-emission zones for freight have a higher share of electric vans.
Reposted by Sandy Johnston
jasonthorne.bsky.social
The Venn diagram of urban density and average household GHG emissions is pretty much a circle. Interesting study on “Mapping household GHG emissions in the Greater Golden Horseshoe” from the University of Toronto School of Cities schoolofcities.utoronto.ca/mapping-hous...
sandypsj.bsky.social
It's a little bit different because I don't imagine there's pressure w/in military units for high performers to Go Elsewhere, whereas in liberal shuls more observant folks often feel marginalized+pushed out by other people's insecurities+unwillingness to step up to participate. But really parallel.
sandypsj.bsky.social
Granted that "segregating into a 'serious' minyan" is something I have been guilty of myself
sandypsj.bsky.social
Totally random connection, but this is shockingly similar to the effect in left-of-Orthodox American Judaism where a huge % of people who're remotely interested in serious practice/learning gets pressured into being a rabbi or Jewish educator--& many others self-segregate into "serious" minyanim.
sandypsj.bsky.social
Happy "Jews build huts and start a million text chains about upcoming meals" day
sandypsj.bsky.social
Now that's a railroad I have never heard of!
sandypsj.bsky.social
My little end-of-Yom Kippur miracle was that game being delayed enough that I got to listen to the end #FlytheW
a man holds up a white banner with a blue w on it
ALT: a man holds up a white banner with a blue w on it
media.tenor.com
Reposted by Sandy Johnston
dave.bzky.team
There is exactly one way to rapidly cut pollution at scale, save money both at the govt and household level, and do it without federal help.

The best fastest thing to do on climate is to just make cities safer for walking and biking. That's it.

Every climate person should be working on this.
josiah.writes.news
City Hall: Experts at King’s College London estimated that, from when the Mayor came into office in 2016, without additional action it would take 193 years for London to meet legal limits. It has been achieved in nine years.
sandypsj.bsky.social
#FlytheW!

Guess digging out this ancient Cubs kippah worked
sandypsj.bsky.social
I've got one Wabash geep! Might swap the DCC-equipped chassis to something I'll run more often though.
sandypsj.bsky.social
uh, let's just say it wouldn't fit in one screenshot these days
sandypsj.bsky.social
Fun, pretty new layout additions that wouldn't have run together in real life: a C&NW FP-9 and a Milwaukee Road Super Dome