US public transit advocates: don't just envy Europe. Start by envying Canada. www.mironline.ca/how-canada-i...

Sound Transit's board and CEO Dow Constantine have drafted new performance goals that place a welcome emphasis on 2026 reliability gains, an angle often short-shrifted in past CEO goals. From this week's motion:

Toronto has the slowest streetcars in the world. Here’s a sensible short-term plan to speed them up. fast-track.to/wp-content/u...

Name streets after animals and plants and landscapes. Or take a tip from Bogotá and Salt Lake: just give all the streets sequential numbers so people will always know where they are. Sooner or later, most human heroes will disappoint you. sfstandard.com/2026/03/18/c...

Looks like Ferguson and Kotek will be announcing the prioritization of a "core set of projects" that includes replacing the twin spans and building light rail, but doesn't include I-5 widening or new interchanges. They still have a funding gap of $1.2 to $2.2 billion on that.

A conclusion to an earlier news story, in Halifax, NS. H/t @kwilsonhfx.bsky.social

Have you ever gone through a turnstile inside a city bus when you pay your fare? It's unthinkable in the US and most of Europe, but routine in middle-wealth countries like Colombia. To keep the service running, every peso matters.

Omg it's happening

If you've been noticing 1 and 2 Line trains slowing down between International District and Symphony, it's because of a newly identified defect in the embedded rail at Pioneer Square. It's set to be repaired just before the Crosslake Connection opens, during the March 21-22 DSTT closure.

I don't want to be a vulnerable road user. I just want to get around.

Hong Kong real estate and housing, h/t @econreporter.bsky.social

FATAL CRASH: Woman trapped under car after hit by driver at Pine and Bellevue -- UPDATE: 2nd rescue reported on Broadway. Report by @jseattle.bsky.social: www.capitolhillseattle.com/2026/02/vict...

NEW STORY // Vehicle Barrier Plan for Pike Place Market Comes Into View By Ryan Packer via @urbanistorg.bsky.social www.theurbanist.org/2026/02/13/v...

The $5.6+ billion light rail line between South Kirkland and Issaquah is planned to open by 2044 but could see delays. Newly elected Mayor Mark Mullet wants the project to serve as an example of how to get creative in response to funding shortfalls. Story: www.theurbanist.org/2026/02/11/i...

The whole world except the United States knows about how to put crucial government services where everyone can get to them. The crucial service marooned on an inaccessible hilltop culdesac, reachable only by car, is a uniquely USA idea. (Chattanooga, TN, USA)

You've heard about "12 as 1." Today @soundtransit announced their "2 as 1" plan between Feb. 14 and March 27. www.soundtransit.org/blog/platfor...

In what is arguably the World's Best News, it looks like India is going to spend much less time in the "fossil fuel detour" than the US or China. It is moving much more directly to clean electrification. ember-energy.org/latest-insig...

2014: Seattle was PACKED after the Seahawks won their first championship. We're expecting at 750,000+ visitors during tomorrow's Victory Parade. We urge you: walk, bike, bus, take the Sounder or light rail if you're coming to celebrate. Travel will be challenging, but worth it!

Post Apocalypse

A useful guide by @nickdeshais.bsky.social: www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...

Not too bad for Seattle, but there’s some real jealousy here of DC ridership growth!

Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, is accused of opening fire on Sarah Beckstrom, 20, and Andrew Wolfe, 24, in November of last year.

Canada invoking its version of the 2nd Amendment, only for international relations.

From the weekend: Seattle's shiny new convention center has basically no reserves, a very precarious place to be for a $3 billion campus. Attendance is up, but the cost of operating the new building means profits haven't followed. www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...

Construction will soon stop on the Gateway tunnel—the new intercity rail link between Manhattan and New Jersey—unless the Trump admin restores funding for the project. The president paused federal funding several months ago because he claimed its contracting was too DEI. (Gift link)

Light rail service from between Seattle and Bellevue will start in March, a long-overdue connection to the Eastside that will provide congestion-free rides across Lake Washington. via @mclindblom.bsky.social www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...

Trains across Lake Washington. A four-car demonstration train cruised at 55 mph over floating sections of the former Interstate 90 express lanes Wednesday, with no shimmy and barely perceptible vibration. www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...

Coming in March, a new route. Reporter @nickdeshais.bsky.social has the latest: www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...

Just so my American friends and followers get an idea of what the official mood of Canada - L'ambience officielle du Canada - is at the present moment.

Well the pathway lights to school lasted less than a week

Big day! CBC News will add 33 local journalists and create 11 new bureaus this year, adding to last year's expansion of 30 journalists in 22 communities across Canada. Many of the new positions are based in Central and Western Canada. My editor's blog: www.cbc.ca/news/editors...

I'm sorry but this is not a good design for 16th in White Center Is it better? Sure, but I still will never ride my bike here with paint being my only protection and cars being encouraged to cut over the bike lane to park

From the inbox: @soundtransit will do its signal work in downtown Seattle before noon Saturday and Sunday, thereby restoring all light rail stations well before the 5 p.m. Saturday @seahawksofficial.com game.

Rider feedback → real changes. 2,300+ passengers helped inform our decision to replace cloth seats with vinyl on Link trains—rated higher for cleanliness, comfort, and satisfaction. More vinyl seats are rolling out over the coming months. 🚆 Read more: https://ow.ly/cr9B50XWgB4

Video message from Federal Reserve Chair Jerome H. Powell: www.youtube.com/watch?v=KckG... www.federalreserve.gov/newsevents/s...

Washington state treasurer, who presides over the state's AA+ credit rating, declares Pres. Trump's meddling with the Federal Reserve threatens to cause "bananafication" of U.S. finances. tre.wa.gov/Federal_Rese...

Broken roads, old ferries and devastation left by December’s storms are top of mind for the Democratic and Republican leaders on the Legislature’s transportation committees. That’s where the agreement ends. www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...

Life choices, 2026 style:

Katie Wilson was sworn in as Seattle mayor Friday, becoming the youngest mayor in a generation.

From the inbox: @usdot.bsky.social, in partnership with the Department of War, announced +$25m to provide local paramedics incl Vancouver Wash. area, with roadside blood transfusion programs. www.newswise.com/articles/uni...

Ending the year with a quick getaway to Tacoma, a truly top notch city that deserves more love.

Spotted today: A bike-lane road sweeper is cleaning SW Avalon Way this morning.

Transit crime soars during the 2020s in peaceful Canada (but says about the same in Vancouver).

Reminder: 1 Line announcement On Sunday, Nov. 16, shuttle buses are replacing 1 Line service between Capitol Hill and Stadium stations. This all-day shutdown is for scheduled maintenance on the tracks.

Another story of on-demand transit (or "microtransit") hype. The cute and responsive technology works in a tiny rural town, so they propose to do it in the big city, where it will be overwhelmed. Big cities need big transit, not these distractions. www.thestar.com/news/gta/thi...

Analysis: King County executive transition team inflation 2009-2025. www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...

Stoners Seattle voters 🤝 Waiting for 4:20