The “Thoughts from Everyone” series is a collection of discussions and analyses of the current system contributed by other transit fans that I personally find interesting. For a full index with ideas on all topics, see here.

This post includes discussions that are pertinent to transit, but not particularly related to MBTA or Greater Boston. They may be about various transit modes anywhere in the world; some may be regarding specific cities, while others may not. Even though they do not apply directly to Boston, they may still be useful as guiding principles and lessons to learn from.

Note: Even though the “Thoughts from Everyone” series is designed to exclude ideas and proposals, this page may include discussions of high-level design principles for transit services, which are relevant when crayoning your own routes and systems.

Last updated: April 14, 2024 (added tram, EJ)

Operations

Automation

Discussion of different automation levels (TheRatmeister, Feb 2024), and later comments

• A very thoughtful discussion that describes various levels of automation in rapid transit operations

Infrastructure

Trams / Streetcars / Light Rail

An interesting example of tram running in mixed traffic (Marco Chitti, Apr 2024)

• This X/Twitter thread discusses a short street-running tram in Ulm, Germany without a dedicated right-of-way, and the road design features that contribute to its success.

Ridership and Demand

COVID Changes

An emerging and evolving topic (as of 2024) in recent years across transit agencies in the world is how travel patterns have changed during and after the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. While I am very curious about this question and have done some literature search, what’s listed below (still developing, TBC) only scratched the surface.

Commuting is back — but not as we knew it (Financial Times, Mar 2024) (Link offers paywall bypass)

• A detailed analysis of changes in commute patterns in several biggest cities of the world

Transit Planning

High-Level and Societal Considerations

Discussion of what “Environmental Justice” means (archBoston, Mar 2024): Part 1, Part 2

• While the discussion was in context of West Station, part of it turned into the definition of “environmental justice (EJ)”.
• Some comments made a specific distinction of “environmental justice communities” and “disadvantaged communities” from general EJ. Others noted that each agency has its own definitions.