How to boil a frog

Stop the beatings, make #publictransit fare-free

At what point @wmata, @ATULocal689, and @JackEvansWard2 does this have to escalate to for the three of you to sit down and realize this broken windows policing ain't working and is hurting? I'm waiting...🙄🤔 This woman had a one card. SHE HAD FARE! #DoBetterWMATA pic.twitter.com/gk0FzREt81

— Save Our System (@Save_metro) February 11, 2018

Germany to fight pollution with free public transportation

(Source: International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis/Modified by Gene Thorp for The Washington Post)

The Washington Post : "“We are considering public transport free of charge in order to reduce the number of private cars,” three German government ministers wrote in their recent letter to the E.U., according to AFP. “Effectively fighting air pollution without any further unnecessary delays is of the highest priority for Germany.”"

Oil trolls running federal government, hope to destroy public transportation

Senior federal rail official resigns over questions about ‘outside work,’ Transportation Department says - The Washington Post: "The Federal Railroad Administration has been helping investigate several high-profile crashes in recent months, including the Jan. 31 collision in Crozet, Va., of a truck and an Amtrak train carrying members of Congress. The agency has been without a permanent leader as the Trump administration and Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) have sparred over the funding and the future of a major rail improvement initiative known as the Gateway Program."

What went wrong in US MENA policy.

The US in 2014 underestimated ISIS. US people have no appetite for ground war. So the US turned to KRG. The KRG could not handle ISIS either, so US turned to Iran for help.

Then in 2016 the US underestimated Turkey and the US-backed coup in Turkey failed.

Left with no loyal boots on the ground, the US turned to the PKK.

Now the US is caught in no-man's land as Turkey. Russia, Iran, and even China fight for control over the last major reserve of conventional crude in Kirkuk.

Why we should not build rail on top of #autosprawl

An article about the Purple Line shows why rail is a bad idea now. This article shows the confusion and division created by rail projects. What we should do is make urban buses fare-free and respond to demand. Buses first.

govtech : "It could be that by 2040 Metro and the Purple Line system will have combined to spark thriving new development all along the new route. It’s also possible that by 2040 Metro will have fallen into disuse. But why stop there? Maybe by 2040 driverless cars will have pushed all forms of public transportation off the road. Maybe everyone will be teleporting to work. Maybe anything.

The point is that these things are not just uncertain, but unknowable. Predicting traffic patterns in Maryland in 2040 is about as valid as projecting the increase in horse manure in Manhattan between 1894 and 1930. Anybody who pretends to have precise information is either a fool or a self-interested charlatan."

APTA Strongly Opposes Public Transportation Cuts in House Budget Resolution

masstransitmag : "APTA Acting President and CEO Richard A White, expressed strong opposition to proposals to cut funding for key public transportation programs in the House Budget Committee's Budget Resolution for FY 2018. At risk is the Capital Investment Grant (CIG) program for new capacity and expansion public transit projects, the multimodal TIGER grant program, reduced support for Amtrak, and a prohibition of high-speed rail federal funding."