Transit Tangents

Chris and Louis respond to viewer requests by ranking the eight city tours they've featured on the show. The rankings are based on the quality of public transit, highlighting the strengths and weaknesses of each system, as well as their experiences in each city. 

The cities being ranked: 

• Austin, TX
• Dallas, TX
• San Antonio, TX
• Houston, TX
• New Orleans, LA
• Washington, D.C.
• Salt Lake City, UT
• Kansas City, MO

Let us know how you would rank these cities. 

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Columbus, Ohio is undertaking an ambitious $8 billion transit plan known as LinkUS that will transform mobility across the region through 2050. We explore this voter-approved initiative that focuses on BRT corridors, active transportation, and transit-oriented development rather than light rail.

• Three major BRT corridors forming the backbone of the system with plans for more
• Most corridors will feature dedicated bus lanes, off-board fare payment, and signal priority
• 500+ miles of new sidewalks and bikeways planned throughout Columbus
• Focus on transit-oriented development and creating more walkable neighborhoods
• Strong emphasis on equity, with corridors connecting neighborhoods in persistent poverty to essential services
• West Broad Street corridor serves 7 grocery stores, 12 pharmacies, 9 schools, 20 daycares, and 4 hospitals
• East Main Street corridor has 11 of 13 miles in dedicated busways
• All three initial corridors expected to be operational by the early 2030's
• Construction beginning as early as 2026 on the first corridor

If you're in Columbus, visit the LinkUS website to learn more about upcoming public meetings and provide feedback on the plans. You can even experience augmented reality visualizations of the proposed corridors.

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Louis and Chris dive into seven American highways that should be removed to improve city life and reconnect communities divided by urban renewal projects of the past.

• Kansas City's North Loop divides downtown from the historic River Market area, destroyed hundreds of homes and businesses
• Syracuse's I-81 removal project is moving forward with plans to replace the downtown viaduct with a boulevard
• New Orleans' Claiborne Expressway displaced 1,500 people and continues to harm adjacent neighborhoods
• Baltimore's "Highway to Nowhere" spans just 14 city blocks but demolished 900 homes and serves no transportation purpose
• Portland Maine's I-295 occupies valuable waterfront property that could be reclaimed for public use and housing
• Oakland's 980 freeway runs through downtown at below capacity and sits on land that could address the housing crisis
• Milwaukee's I-794 removal proposal has state support and would reconnect neighborhoods to downtown and the waterfront

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Transit projects across the country are making measurable progress despite earlier funding and political challenges. We revisit four transit initiatives from previous episodes to highlight the positive developments that show momentum for public transportation investments.

• SunRail expansion in Orlando has secured the full $6 million needed for project development and environmental studies, with Universal contributing $2 million
• Dynamic testing has begun on Maryland's Purple Line, which is now 76% complete with a projected opening in winter 2027
• Dallas Area Transit Alliance (DATA) successfully fought against legislative attempts to cut DART's budget by 25%
• Austin City Council approved support columns for future I-35 caps downtown and stitches near Airport Boulevard, adopting a phased approach to urban reconnection
• These projects demonstrate the importance of public-private partnerships, grassroots advocacy, and strategic compromise in advancing transit

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Transit Tangents explores Kansas City's public transportation system in a day-long adventure testing buses, bikes, and the streetcar across both Kansas City, Missouri and Kansas City, Kansas. We discover a surprising transit network with remarkable architectural treasures and vibrant neighborhoods connected by a completely fare-free system.

• Kansas City operates the largest fare-free transit system in the United States, generating fair ridership but facing funding challenges
• Historic Union Station serves as a magnificent transit hub that narrowly escaped demolition in the city's past
• The Kansas City Streetcar shows consistently strong ridership even before its northern and southern extensions are completed
• MAX bus routes provide relatively reliable service at 20-minute frequencies, while other routes run much less frequently
• The city once had an extensive streetcar network until 1956, with the Country Club line now converted to a linear park
• Multiple areas along transit routes showcase impressive development, from the Spanish-inspired Plaza to the Brookside neighborhood
• Electric bikeshare provides a convenient alternative for short trips between transit routes
• Weather conditions dramatically impact the transit experience, particularly at bus stops with limited shelter
• Highway removal proposals for the North Loop present opportunities to reconnect downtown neighborhoods
• Transit infrastructure crosses state lines with KCATA serving both the Missouri and Kansas sides of the metropolitan area

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The Research Triangle area of North Carolina keeps trying—and failing—to develop effective transit solutions despite strong voter support for improvements. After a promising light rail project was derailed by Duke University in 2019, the region has pivoted to Bus Rapid Transit projects with mixed success.

• Voters approved a half-cent sales tax in 2011-2012 specifically for transit improvements including the 17.7-mile Durham Orange Light Rail
• Duke University refused to sign necessary agreements in 2019, effectively killing the light rail project that would have connected three universities
• Raleigh has developed plans for four BRT lines extending from downtown in all directions
• Despite a groundbreaking ceremony in 2023, Raleigh's BRT project has faced two failed contractor selection attempts and completion is now projected for 2030
• Durham is pursuing its own BRT plans but remains in earlier planning stages
• A proposed 43-mile commuter rail connecting West Durham through Raleigh to Clayton lost federal funding support in 2023
• The Triangle region already has Amtrak service with about five daily trains between towns, but frequency and reliability need improvement

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Louis announces his move to Germany for two years, as the Transit Tangents Pod plans to continue with a mix of European and American content.

• Germany's Deutschland ticket offers access to the entire country's public transit for a monthly fee
• German transit operates on multiple tiers: ICE (high-speed), IC (intercity), RE/RB (regional), plus local networks
• High-speed ICE trains connect major cities at 250 km/h but face punctuality issues at 66% on-time performance
• German cities feature integrated U-Bahn (subway), S-Bahn (commuter rail), and Straßenbahn (tram) systems
• Small 120,000-person city of Jena has 5 tram lines and 13 bus routes serving nearly as many daily passengers as all of Austin
• Texas is geographically twice the size of Germany yet lacks comprehensive transit connections between cities
• Frankfurt metro (2.7M people) has extensive transit comparable to similarly sized US cities like Austin, Charlotte, Denver

The hosts are planning a special Northeast Corridor Acela tour from Boston to Baltimore in June – stay tuned and support via Patreon if you want to help make trips like this happen.

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The traffic management centers across the United States are mission control for our highway systems, working 24/7 to detect incidents and coordinate emergency responses to keep traffic flowing.

• Behind-the-scenes look at a Traffic Management Center (TMC) that monitors interstate highways with 300+ cameras
• Overview of how TMCs detect traffic incidents using radar and probe-based data from cell phones
• Insight into the emergency response process when incidents are identified
• Discussion of technology innovations like JAWS (Julie's Automated Waste Removal System) that uses snowplows to clear debris safely
• Explanation of how TMCs coordinate with multiple agencies for weather events and major gatherings
• Details on how Waze reports are automatically integrated into DOT maintenance systems
• Discussion of connected vehicle technology that alerts drivers to emergency vehicles ahead
• Ride-along experience with an emergency responder assisting stranded motorists

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Transit advocates are watching with concern as several high-profile transit projects across America face uncertain futures under the Trump administration, from New York's congestion pricing to California's high-speed rail.

• NYC's congestion pricing has shown remarkable early success with 70% fewer honking complaints, 50% fewer traffic injuries, and increased transit ridership
• The MTA's $500 million annual revenue from congestion pricing funds critical improvements to accessibility, bus frequency, and subway infrastructure
• California High-Speed Rail construction continues despite funding threats, with $14 billion already invested and 15,000 jobs created
• San Antonio's Green Line BRT project would deliver vital 10-15 minute frequency service along a 12-mile corridor in America's largest city without rail
• Virginia's railway expansion includes crucial bottleneck improvements to the Long Bridge, which operates at 95% capacity
• Austin's highway cap project faces uncertainty with rising costs reaching $1.4 billion while the underlying I-35 expansion proceeds unimpeded
• Projects across the country face delays and funding challenges as previously awarded grants undergo review

Share your thoughts on which transit projects in your area might be at risk and which projects you think should be prioritized! We'd love to hear from you in the comments.

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The saga of high-speed rail in Texas takes another dramatic turn as the Trump administration revokes $60 million in funding previously allocated to Amtrak for the Texas Central project. Despite this setback, we explore why the Dallas-Houston line might actually be closer to reality than ever before.

• Texas high-speed rail initiatives date back to the 1990s when Southwest Airlines played a significant role in derailing early efforts
• Texas Central, the current iteration of the project, would connect Dallas to Houston in 90 minutes using trains capable of 205 mph
• After years of lawsuits, Texas Central gained crucial eminent domain authority by being classified as a utility
• Amtrak briefly took over the project in 2024 before Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy pulled federal funding
• A private investment firm, Kleinheinz Capital Partners, has stepped in as lead investor just one day after federal funding was withdrawn
• The project could potentially be finalized by year-end with construction taking approximately 80-86 months
• Despite organized opposition groups like "Texans Against High Speed Rail," the project now has all legal frameworks in place

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