Welcome to The Weekly Journey - your two-minute journey through the world of mobility and beyond. Use it to stay informed, find a new go-to source, or just have a peek inside how we think. Brought to you by the team at Journey.
Sophie Blumenstein joins Journey. 👋
We are excited to announce that Sophie Blumenstein has joined Journey as a Planner in our Chicago office! She brings experience in Transportation Demand Management (TDM) strategies, curbside analysis, and emissions modeling. A Madison, WI native and Brown graduate, Sophie will be supporting our TDM and parking work throughout the country, including Transit-Oriented Communities technical assistance in the Bay Area, TDM planning for LA2028, and projects in Chicago, Austin, and Seattle.
A few interesting things. 🧠
🎉 Chicago Transit Service Crisis Averted: Generational Reform Moment: "A Halloween miracle," state legislators finally approved a long-awaited transit funding package alongside ambitious governance reform. A new governing body (Northern Illinois Transit Authority), lowering the farebox recovery ratio, TOD policy including removal of parking minimums in transit-oriented areas, and much more. Stay tuned for more updates.
🧑💻Transit Tech: Check out this new NYC transit accessibility app - Jonathan Internicola shared some background.
🔗Better Connections: The MBTA recently released their 2025 Mobility Integration Plan, which outlines their framework for increasing physical and digital connectivity between transportation options. Lots of great ideas in the final report applicable to agencies throughout the country!
🌉Neighborhood Mobility Pilot: The DC Mobility Innovation District shares findings from their community rideshare pilot in Southwest DC.
❓How to Ask Questions: An in-depth review of travel barrier questionnaires, along with some recommended best practices, from Paromita Nakshi, Matthew Palm, and Karen Lucas.
💬 Messaging: Kelsie Ralph shares insights on how messaging influences support for automated speeding enforcement.
💰Own-Source Revenue: NJ Transit Released a new report (PDF link) focused on opportunities for generating additional own-source revenue, with a strong focus on TOD.
💡Customer Experience: TransLink reports back on the first phase of their Bus Stop Lighting program.
🚅High Speed Rail: The Transit Cost Project released their report on how to construct high speed rail on the Northeast Corridor.
Upcoming events. 📅
Lauren hosts the Association for Commuter Transportation Book Club. Join us on December 10 at 3 p.m. eastern to discuss Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In by Roger Fisher and William L. Ury. We will be joined by Meg Merritt of Movitas, a dynamic mobility expert who has used principles from the book to lead complex projects with confidence. Earn 1 TDM-CP credit for attending.
Lauren co-hosts the Chicago City Builders Book Club with our friends at Arup. The book club is diving into the Chicago classic, Nature’s Metropolis by William Cronon, across their next three meetings. Join them at Arup’s office in the Loop:
Thursday, January 22 at 6 PM
Wednesday, March 4 at 6 PM
Wednesday, April 15 at 6 PM