Today was a sad day in Seattle journalism. As someone who read and followed Cascade PBS's work every day (for my job), they produced unique and compelling work week in and week out. This will be a big loss...

You guys, the proposed Metro budget invests in TROLLEYBUSES!

It's all about the ridership and 1,400 isn't good. Minneapolis:

Seattle is the #8 U.S. transit market by monthly ridership, and after that, it really drops off.

Great to see scholars digging into the high cost of purchasing public transit buses in the US. www.brookings.edu/articles/pay...

Enumclaw and Buckley residents take to their feet and bikes to cross a new trail bridge, while their White River highway bridge is broken. Traffic Lab reporter @nickdeshais.bsky.social finds people trying creative workarounds. www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...

Andrew @nwprogressive.org went out late to take video and pictures of Sound Transit running I-90 test trains with all four railcars. Check this out: www.nwprogressive.org/weblog/2025/...

Sound Transit committee in session. Michael Morgan, leader of ST2 capital division, says *no stray current* appeared during this week's overnight test runs for Link on I-90. He's aiming for four-car tests soon.

The first East Link train under its own power on the floating bridge!

Working from home seems to reduce emissions in the US: "We find that a 1% increase in WFH corresponds to a 0.17 kilogram or 1.8% reduction of daily average transportation emissions per capita." arxiv.org/abs/2503.00422

Doug Trumm's analysis is worthwhile for anybody who seeks to understand @soundtransit board's culture, as they tackle (or maybe don't) the unaffordability of voter-approved ST3 lines. www.theurbanist.org/2025/09/04/t...

SPS has updated its Option A "test fit" drawing to preserve the BMX dirt jumps at Woodland Park. Some parking would be removed instead. SPS: "Thank you to the many community members who provided insight into the importance of maintaining these jumps." www.seattleschools.org/departments/...

A tragic funicular crash in Lisbon, Portugal: www.seattletimes.com/nation-world...

Rob Saka, who has been unable to hide the fact that he wants to serve on the Sound Transit board, just suggested that Seattle should have three representatives on the board during this pivotal time for ST3.

One Hundred Eighty Five Billion 185,000,000,000 Let this number sink in.

This sort of imagery is something I've seen in Beijing, to promote Communist Party leaders and slogans.

Federal transpo secretary Duffy orders WA, CA, and NM to enforce English-proficiency requirements for truckers, following a deadly FL crash where driver had WA and CA certifications. www.fmcsa.dot.gov/newsroom/tru...

Wanted: crossover tracks! Ryan @theurbanist.org takes a deep dive into the potential for bottlenecks after the 2 Line reaches Seattle and Lynnwood.

Driverless shuttle carts make their debut between Sound Transit's SeaTac/Airport Station and the SEA airport terminal. www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...

Throughout history, the shape and size of cities has been defined by travel time. Nice overview of "Marchetti's constant". www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...

States question the "85th percentile" tradition that encourages driver speeding. apnews.com/article/spee...

Citing service delays, SF Muni cracks down on bus-driver breaks, limited to 15m and no cellphone use. (Auditors urged KC Metro to tighten in 2008 but union/agency balked.) My impression is KC Metro drivers adhere to proper breaks and keep schedule. What's your take? sfstandard.com/2025/08/20/s...

A man rescued a skunk using a skateboard and leash after the animal got stuck in a skate bowl in Reading, Pennsylvania. Once the skunk returned to ground level, it was seen walking away with the leash.

Annals of language: This feature in The Nation about Seattle mayoral candidate Katie Wilson mentions the "precariat," a word new to me which captures the spirit of 2025.

Kansas City, MO and the return of transit fares

Woodworkers at Washington State Ferries rehab the old Colman Dock clock, which once fell into Puget Sound. Story by @nickdeshais.bsky.social: www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...

Sound Transit system expansion committee now in session. No big revelations, but one unsettling stat appears. West Seattle/Ballard projects are only at "12%" in design phase, nine years after voter approval.

Alex Tsimerman is back testifying @soundtransit after a "three-year trespass." He did refrain from calling the board Nazis and Gestapos, to focus on the agency's massive spending, and conclude with a shoutout to President Trump.

An editorial writer finds people acting more agreeably on transit this year. www.seattletimes.com/opinion/edit...

The Stranger's experiment finds that .08 BAC, Washington state's legal limit to drive, is a lot drunker than they expected. www.thestranger.com/transit-issu...

Sound Transit committee in session. The latest "Transit Development Plan" includes ridership, which is the most valuable reason to operate transit.

The @soundtransit board's "Enterprise Initiative" principles are now published, as they start reckoning with catastrophic cost increases. TL;DR it contains nine words that matter: "Completing the regional spine is central to that vision..." www.soundtransit.org/st_sharepoin...

According to this @seattletimes-rss.bsky.social story, 46% of property taxes for democracy vouchers have gone toward administration. www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...

Seattle Times opinion board endorses cognitive testing for Congress members, as proposed by @gluesenkampperez.house.gov www.seattletimes.com/opinion/edit...

The @wmata.com CEO gets stuck in his own subway's electrical flareup, which is good news. #dogfooding.

Sea lions were spotted diving into water for safety off of Russia's Antsiferov Island after an 8.8-magnitude earthquake struck. Read live updates: wapo.st/45cBXo2

Earlier this month, Flint, Michigan finished replacing its lead pipes to ensure clean drinking water for the community. Congratulations to the residents, activists, and public servants who made this happen. www.nrdc.org/press-releas...

Kitsap Transit's Bremerton passenger ferry gets state funding to continue through summer 2026. www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...

So far today, reader comments and e-mails are mostly opposed to allowing dogs on Sound Transit trains. www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...

As @soundtransit writes a new pro-dog policy for light rail, what about llamas? www.oregonlive.com/commuting/20...

Hard to overstate how much help Sound Transit would be providing tourists by labeling light rail platforms "northbound" and "southbound."

Speeding epidemic in Edmonton:

From the inbox: @seattledot.bsky.social is spraying water on steel drawbridges today, so they won't excessively expand in the heat and get stuck.

Why you should be listening to jazz pianist Bill Evans this year. Reflections by @mudede.bsky.social: www.thestranger.com/news/2025/07...

Seattle's best pedestrian street is unfortunately its one least used by the public

From the inbox: SDOT is giving away $25 free transit fare for people who pledge to reduce driving during the big "Revive I-5" multi-lane closure starting in seven days. www.seattletraffic.org/en/

From the inbox: former Seattle City Council member Debora Juarez is among 22 qualified applicants for the District 5 (North Seattle) seat where she formerly served. council.seattle.gov/wp-content/u...

Transit ridership in major French urban areas is now substantially higher than it was in 2015—while in the US, it's still way down. No major US urban area has higher per-capita ridership than it had a decade ago. On this metric, the US is headed in the wrong direction. www.urban.org/urban-wire/t...

The crowd that has shown up today to race the Route 8 is huge. Turns out there's a lot of interest and excitement around fixing this bus!