Thomas Bamonte

techcrunch.comTesla turns to Turo to boost adoption of Full Self-Driving (Supervised) | TechCrunchEligible Turo hosts will also get a one-month free trial of Tesla's FSD software.

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This Turo/Tesla collaboration may be a way for Tesla owners to monetize their, ahem, Full Self Driving equipped vehicles. Elon Musk has long promised such. If and when do municipal rideshare and state AV laws come into play? techcrunch.com/2026/10/26/t...

usa.streetsblog.orgWhat 'Flying Cars' Could Mean For US Car Culture — Streetsblog USAWould fleets of flying cars be a dystopian nightmare, or a chance to create more walkable cities on the ground?

Well-sourced look at "flying cars" by @keawilson.bsky.social @usa.streetsblog.org. The policy issues echo those involved with the automation of surface transportation vehicles. usa.streetsblog.org/2026/10/22/w...

nctcog.orgAviationRegional planning for aviation facilities, including FAA’s Integrated Airport Systems.

The metropolitan planning organization for Dallas-Fort Worth, DFW's version of the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP), has established a vibrant Aviation Program that includes unmanned freight and passenger aviation vehicles. www.nctcog.org/trans/plan/a...

NCTCOG's aviation program is headed by a fellow who left Chicago's aviation sector to pursue aviation technology innovation in DFW/Texas. He has his hands full. www.nctcog.org/trans/about/...

nctcog.orgErnest Huffman

usa.streetsblog.orgWhat 'Flying Cars' Could Mean For US Car Culture — Streetsblog USAWould fleets of flying cars be a dystopian nightmare, or a chance to create more walkable cities on the ground?

uasweekly.comArcher Unveils Electric Air Taxi Networks for Houston, Dallas–Fort Worth and Austin - UASweekly.comArcher Aviation has announced plans to establish three electric air taxi networks across Texas, targeting Houston, Dallas–Fort Worth and Austin with proposed routes connecting major airports, business...

Just as it has been a leader in the development of surface vehicle automation, Texas has become a leader in the eVTOL sector. uasweekly.com/2026/10/26/a...

txdot.govAir-taxi testing taking flight in TexasFORT WORTH – Taxis are taking to the skies in Texas as the state launches test flights for a pilot program that’ll benefit the state economy and the nation.

TxDOT and USDOT are collaborating on eVTOL development. www.txdot.gov/about/newsro...

usa.streetsblog.orgWhat 'Flying Cars' Could Mean For US Car Culture — Streetsblog USAWould fleets of flying cars be a dystopian nightmare, or a chance to create more walkable cities on the ground?

jobyaviation.comJoby Launches eIPP Flights in Texas | Joby AviationJoby's electric air taxi prepares for vertical takeoff at Perot Field Fort Worth Alliance Airport (Photo: Joby Aviation) Week-long campaign demonstrates real-world routes, including connections to maj...

Just as Waymo, Tesla, Zoox, and others are rolling out surface vehicle automation technology, eVTOL companies like Joby Aviation are testing air taxis and taking the first steps towards building out air taxi networks. www.jobyaviation.com/news/joby-la...

trains.comFRA to conduct environmental review for planned Amtrak maintenance facility - TrainsCHICAGO — The Federal Railroad Administration will conduct a more complete environmental assessment of Amtrak’s proposed new Chicago-area maintenance facility, stepping back from an earlier decision excluding the project from review. Environmental concerns regarding the Canal Street site, a former Union Pacific intermodal yard, have been one facet of strong public opposition since the Midwest [...]Read More...

The Federal Railroad Administration will conduct a more complete environmental assessment of Amtrak’s proposed new Chicago-area maintenance facility, stepping back from an earlier decision excluding the project from review. 2 public hearings; end of year completion. www.trains.com/pro/passenge...

permits.performance.govpermits.performance.gov

Project website showing anticipated 12/31/26 completion date for the Environmental Assessment. www.permits.performance.gov/permitting-p...

chi.streetsblog.orgOp-ed: Will Illinois lawmakers let Waymo "Move fast and break things" in Chicago? - Streetsblog ChicagoAs Illinois considers autonomous-vehicle legislation, proposed protections for manufacturers raise questions about safety, privacy, and public consent.

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"Before authorizing driverless pilots, IL lawmakers should require transparent safety reporting, independent evaluation in winter conditions, enforceable privacy protections, clarity about public costs, and meaningful local control." --@ellensteinke.bsky.social chi.streetsblog.org/2026/10/23/o...

gwhatchet.comWMATA official details plan to fully automate Metro systemA Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority official detailed the agency's plan to modernize and automate the Metro system during an event hosted by GW’s Institute of Electrical and Electronics E...

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A Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority official discussed the agency’s plans to fully automate the Metro system. What priority, if any, should NITA place on automated transit vehicle operations? gwhatchet.com/2026/10/22/w...

chicago.suntimes.comNITA has unprecedented power to develop land near transit. How could this change your neighborhood?For years, transit agencies in other major American cities have had powers to develop underused transit-owned land. The Northern Illinois Transit Authority Act catches Chicago up to its peers. But it ...

Article @davidstruett.bsky.social examines the powers given the Northern Illinois Transit Authority (NITA) to spur development around transit assets. chicago.suntimes.com/transportati...

If municipalities balk at permitting high rises on land adjacent to transit stations the transit-oriented development law in British Columbia, which is spurring both housing development and more transit in suburban areas, is a model for the Illinois General Assembly. www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/...

NITA should exercise its powers to develop transit property and collaborate with developers and other public agencies on transit-supportive development near transit assets as if those powers are a core part of its mission...b/c they are. Low-density development near transit is a missed opportunity.

Article @davidstruett.bsky.social examines the powers given the Northern Illinois Transit Authority (NITA) to spur development around transit assets. chicago.suntimes.com/transportati...

NITA may be insufficiently ambitious re: housing near transit, stating that it has identified "91 [parcels] ripe for development. Most of them are in the suburbs. That’s enough land near transit to build 8,500 homes." That's less than 10 homes per parcel, suggesting low-rise development.

But building high-rise apartments near transit is good transit and climate policy. usa.streetsblog.org/2026/10/22/o...

Article @davidstruett.bsky.social examines the powers given the Northern Illinois Transit Authority (NITA) to spur development around transit assets. chicago.suntimes.com/transportati...

The NITA Act has many references to transit-supportive development as an integral part of NITA's mission to provide and support affordable transportation and housing. Section 2.43 of the NITA Act, 70 ILCS 3615/1.01 et seq., pasted in below, has the core provisions. www.ilga.gov/legislation/...

Section 2.44 requires NITA to develop an inventory of "all real property owned by the Authority or the Service Boards to identify all property that could allow for transit-supportive development without impeding the operations of the Authority or Service Boards," which NITA is working on now.

Article @davidstruett.bsky.social examines the powers given the Northern Illinois Transit Authority (NITA) to spur development around transit assets. chicago.suntimes.com/transportati...

The People Over Parking Act, 50 ILCS 845/5-1 et seq., abolishes arbitrary parking minimums around transit hubs and corridors with frequent bus service. This reduces the cost of housing. Less parking = better street environment for people walking/rolling to access transit. ilga.gov/Legislation/...

ilga.govilga.gov

share.googleIllinois HB4663: Self-Driving Transit Pilot Rules [2026]Illinois HB4663 proposes a self-driving transit pilot program. See what the bill requires, who it affects, and where it stands in 2026.

“Rather than asking whether driverless cars should exist, @ilstaterepbuckner.bsky.social is asking where they fit in a system built around trains and buses. That is a better question…, and it is one NITA can start answering without waiting for a [HB4663] vote.” share.google/0Dl8oSd7IY1F...

Thomas Bamonte reposted

Daniel Knowles

@dlknowles.bsky.social

Today marks five years that I have lived in Chicago. What that means, thanks to the vagaries of American immigration law, is that it is almost time to go home to London, where I will be covering Europe. It's been a time. I have learned a lot. I figured I'd write a bunch of it down:

share.googleMetra, UP respond to proposals for interim compensation in trackage rights case - TrainsWASHINGTON — How much money Metra must set aside to guarantee payment to Union Pacific while regulators decide what the Chicago-area commuter operator owes for using UP tracks is now a $569 million question. Filings with the Surface Transportation Board on Thursday, Oct. 22, are in response to earlier motions from each side regarding what [...]Read More...

How much money Metra must set aside to guarantee payment to Union Pacific while regulators decide what the Chicago-area commuter operator owes for using UP tracks is now a $569 million question. share.google/FzEcOIV5Erx5...

Thomas Bamonte reposted

Better Streets Chicago

@betterstreetschicago.org

We love to see it! Now let’s talk about that 8-lane highway roaring in the background, cutting off Chicago from it’s crown jewel.

Mayor Brandon Johnson@mayorofchicago.bsky.social

A friendly bike & pedestrian lane PSA from your mayor.

wral.comWRAL | News and Weather in Raleigh NCRaleigh breaking news and weather, Raleigh North Carolina news today, WRAL 7-day forecasts, NC lottery updates. WRAL news in Raleigh, NC.

Even as automated vehicles such as robotaxis grow more prevalent on U.S. streets almost every US mass transit system still requires a driver or operator on board. LA and DC are seeking to change that.

Thomas Bamonte reposted

Eric Lipton NYT

@ericlipton.nytimes.com

JUST POSTED: Today at The NYT we are publishing a major investigation into how President Trump used his executive powers to expose millions of Americans to greater cancer risks. A six month-long investigation built on more than 10,000 pages of FOIA records. Read it www.nytimes.com/2026/10/24/c...

nytimes.comHow Trump Gave the Worst Polluters a Free Pass (Gift Article)The president temporarily waived clean-air rules for industrial facilities that spew cancer-causing gases. Then his appointees worked to gut the regulations altogether.

media.amtrak.comAmtrak Opens New State-of-the-Art Train Maintenance Facility in Seattle - Amtrak MediaThe 100,000-square-foot building is the first facility of its kind for Amtrak, featuring three tracks for inspecting, servicing and performing heavy maintenance on a full trainset all under one roof.

What’s the risk, if any, that as a result of pushback against the move of @amtrak.com maintenance facility in Chicago that Amtrak relocates the maintenance facility and its skilled jobs elsewhere? media.amtrak.com/2026/10/amtr...

thetransitbrief.netA subway network for British Columbia’s new largest city.A win for BC, and a path forward for Surrey.

The densification of a Vancouver suburb (Surrey), which is now poised to eclipse Vancouver in population, and the arrival of a subway network may provide a template for @nitachicago.bsky.social and needed TOD in the vast swathes of current low-density suburbs. www.thetransitbrief.net/p/a-subway-n...

Fixed-rate tolls, like on the Illinois Tollway, would not fix congestion on the Kennedy or other expressways in Chicago's urban core. Dynamically priced expressways--or just express lanes--that use price to match traffic demand to available roadway supply to deliver reliable 50 mph+ speeds would.

Daniel Knowles@dlknowles.bsky.social

Tolls would fix this in days

While tempting to judge folks who choose to drive rather than to take transit in these urban expressway corridors, energy might be better spent on pushing IDOT/ILGA to price vehicles for the roadway space they consume and the externalities they cause--e.g., air and noise pollution, lost real estate.

Hoping that we can have both "free" expressways and reliable travel times at highway speeds on x-ways in Chicago's urban core is not a plausible planning strategy, it's magical thinking. Expressway traffic congestion is a choice that the General Assembly, IDOT, and the public (?) have embraced.

Daniel Knowles@dlknowles.bsky.social

Tolls would fix this in days

The Blue-Ribbon Commission Report @illinoisdot.bsky.social calls for IDOT to toll new expressway capacity and seek approval to toll existing capacity--e.g., currently untolled express lanes--to provide funding for highway upkeep and provide reliable travel times. idot.illinois.gov/programs-and...

It appears IDOT and the Illinois General Assembly have not taken up these recommendations. As a result, traffic congestion in Chicago's urban core continues to be high. Their unwillingness to do the political/legal heavy lifting means folks sit in traffic jams = lost productivity/quality of life.

Daniel Knowles@dlknowles.bsky.social

Tolls would fix this in days

texpresslanes.comLBJ, NTE & NTE 35W TEXpress LanesTEXpress Lanes are unique toll lanes that are built within an existing highway, offering drivers more choice, convenience, capacity and time.

Other metros use dynamically priced managed lanes to provide a reliable travel time alternative to drivers. E.g., Dallas-Fort Worth. While tarred as "Lexus Lanes," this alternative is typically used by drivers when travel time is an issue--e.g., catch a flight, do an extra job. www.texpresslanes.com

planetizen.comData reveals that NYC’s bet on congestion pricing has paid offAfter almost two years of the program, reports show positive impacts on traffic and air quality and no disruptions to parking.

A cordon congestion pricing program imposing a toll on those driving into Chicago's urban core, like programs in NYC, London, Singapore, et al.--would have a less direct but still beneficial impact on expressway traffic levels in Chicago's urban core. www.planetizen.com/features/138...

x.comTODNewsHub (@TODNewsHub) on XThe CTA Circle Line might be one of Chicago's biggest missed opportunities. A new rail line connecting neighborhoods and existing ‘L’ routes WITHOUT forcing everyone through downtown. The idea has b...

Chicago Circle Line shoutout @todnewshub.bsky.social . x.com/todnewshub/s...

capitolnewsillinois.comBill aims to study how self-driving vehicles can be integrated into Illinois transitIllinois lawmakers could revisit a bill to test self-driving vehicles and explore their role in public transit.

The current state of play with automated vehicle legislation proposed by @ilstaterepbuckner.bsky.social. capitolnewsillinois.com/news/bill-ai...

usa.streetsblog.orgOur Best Bet To Confront Climate Change in the Trump Era? Build More Apartments — Streetsblog USAMost climate strategies are hamstrung by Washington and culture wars across the country. But zoning reform may be the exception.

"In many cities, allowing more homes in built-up neighborhoods is the single most impactful emissions strategy that’s fully under local control, and new research shows liberalizing in-town homebuilding can bring climate benefits quickly." usa.streetsblog.org/2026/10/22/o...

"Apartments are a stealth climate solution that slash pollution on an epic scale. Emissions-wise, they are to detached houses what Chevy Bolts are to Cadillac Escalades — climate heroes hidden in plain sight."

justthenews.comGov Pritzker says housing supply, affordability plan for Illinois might be delayedThe plan is an extensive proposal that would make sweeping changes to zoning and regulations statewide, aimed at increasing supply, reducing overhead costs, and speeding up development timelines.

In Illinois zoning reform to accelerate housing production and higher density via @govpritzker.illinois.gov BUILD Act legislation has not advanced in significant part due to opposition from the Illinois Municipal League. justthenews.com/nation/state...

transitchicago.comCTA Invites Transit Riders to Share Feedback on How to Improve Bus ServiceCTA in partnership with NITA is hosting an online survey and series of community events to engage riders about the future of bus service in the Chicago region.

It’s early and @nitachicago.bsky.social folks are swamped with transition-related responsibilities, but is there a risk that transit service planning will continue to occur in service board silos rather than be integrated at the regional level? Exhibit 1: www.transitchicago.com/cta-invites-...

Likewise, @chicagocta.bsky.social says: “Beginning in 2027, NITA will lead regional service planning strategy in coordination with CTA, Metra, and Pace.”

We’ll see if NITA can transcend 40+ years of entrenched service board competition against each other, which led to conditions—e.g., uncoordinated schedules, no integrated fare system, lack of seamless Metra Electric/Red Line Extension transfer, declining ridership—that prompted ILGA intervention.

pacebus.comReVision: Pace's Network Restructuring Plan

Exhibit 2: www.pacebus.com/revision

The good news is that Pace acknowledges that “all transit service in the Chicago region falls under [NITA’s] planning and funding authority” and that Pace “will help NITA advance a one-ticket, one-timetable, one-network approach” in NITA’s first regional Service Plan next year.

Toronto bicyclists are not taking the province’s removal of protected bike lanes in Toronto’s urban core lying down. Oh wait….

Steven Lucy@slucy.bsky.social

If you pretend to die they will show up with 100 police officers, but if you actually die they will show up with 1 to fill out the paperwork.

theverge.comTesla says customers can add their own vehicles to the robotaxi fleet next year — will it happen?Will this deadline actually stick?

Coming (or not) to your street soon—consumer-owned automated vehicles doing rideshare: “According to Tesla VP for Autonomous Driving Ashok Elluswamy, Tesla owners will be able to add their own vehicles to the company’s robotaxi fleet in the second quarter of 2027.” www.theverge.com/transportati...

The moving force behind IL AV legislation is robotaxi operator @waymo.bsky.social, widely considered to be a relatively responsible operator. But AVs are coming in all sorts of form factors and by all sorts of operators. State/local AV regulations need to be appropriately comprehensive and careful.

news.wttw.comJohnson Touts $17.6B Proposed Budget for 2027: ‘Let Us Plant the Seeds of a Fair Chicago’Mayor Brandon Johnson unveiled his proposed $17.6 billion 2027 spending plan Wednesday.

“An additional $18 million will come from the expanded use of automated cameras to ticket drivers who block bicycle and bus lanes, according to the proposal.”

Heather Cherone@heathercherone.bsky.social

FULL STORY: Mayor Johnson unveiled his proposed 2027 spending plan Wednesday, seeking to frame the debate over the $17.6B budget as a choice between the status quo that has left too many Chicagoans scrambling to make ends meet and enriching those who need it the least. @wttw.bsky.social