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Patrick Band

@pband

Father, Husband, transportation planner, trail runner, climber of mountains, urban gardener, CA history nerd & lover of maps.

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03.01.2025
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Latest posts by Patrick Band @pband

Lots of cities are in line, waiting for the “pilot program” phase to end so that they too can implement speed enforcement cameras. Unfortunately, the state legislature doesn’t seem to feel the urgency to approve this technology statewide.

23.02.2026 06:40 👍 2 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0
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Say NO to Mandatory E-Bike License Plates and Registrations - Bike East Bay Tell the state legislature that increased regulation on legal e-bikes is counter-productive to traffic safety, sustainability, and equity goals.

Help stop the misguided attempt to license bikes in CA, it will only lead to making it more difficult for people to adopt bikes. We don’t need new laws, we need the existing classifications of e-bikes to be properly enforced.

bikeeastbay.org/say-no-to-ma...!

14.02.2026 16:53 👍 48 🔁 17 💬 2 📌 0
Image of BART map with service changes illustrated.

Phase 1 - January 2027: Service Frequencies and
Station Closures
63% reduction in train hours
Reduced base schedule
• 3-line base schedule each with 2 trains/hour
• 240% more transfers
(Percentage of trips requiring a transfer increases
from 7% to 22%)
Test retaining peak service:
• Peak Green/Red/Yellow trains operate in peak
hours/direction only
No evening service
• Close 9 PM (7 days)
• Open 8 AM (Saturday and Sunday)
Close 10 lowest ridership stations:
Castro Valley, North Concord, Oakland
International Airport, Orinda, Pittsburg Center,
San Bruno, South Hayward, South San Francisco,
Warm Springs, and West Dublin/Pleasanton

Image of BART map with service changes illustrated. Phase 1 - January 2027: Service Frequencies and Station Closures 63% reduction in train hours Reduced base schedule • 3-line base schedule each with 2 trains/hour • 240% more transfers (Percentage of trips requiring a transfer increases from 7% to 22%) Test retaining peak service: • Peak Green/Red/Yellow trains operate in peak hours/direction only No evening service • Close 9 PM (7 days) • Open 8 AM (Saturday and Sunday) Close 10 lowest ridership stations: Castro Valley, North Concord, Oakland International Airport, Orinda, Pittsburg Center, San Bruno, South Hayward, South San Francisco, Warm Springs, and West Dublin/Pleasanton

If the Connect Bay Area measure fails, BART would slash service by 63% in January 2027:

Reduced base schedule: 3 lines with 2 trains per hour, resulting in 240% more transfers

NO evening service, service ending at 9 pm

Close 10 lowest ridership stations...

05.02.2026 22:23 👍 42 🔁 12 💬 1 📌 2
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I am calling for a complete and total boycott of the Mercator projection in all news stories about Greenland until every member of the American public has seen this

13.01.2026 17:32 👍 4230 🔁 1525 💬 99 📌 142

Artist: Hiroshi Nagai
Born: Tokushima Prefecture, Japan, 1947
Title: Untitled (Beachcomber Series, 2017)
Sold: $19,000

01.01.2026 01:22 👍 15 🔁 5 💬 3 📌 0
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Encouraging results from San Francisco's speed camera pilot.

Speeding reduced 72% at the 15 camera locations. Tickets issued dropping week over week (tldr enforcement works)

www.sfmta.com/blog/our-spe...

18.12.2025 14:35 👍 56 🔁 18 💬 2 📌 10

This was just sent to me by an LAUSD parent. A 4th grader was assigned to design a book cover for Pippi Longstocking using Adobe for Education. Here is what the AI tool generated:

05.12.2025 21:49 👍 2422 🔁 867 💬 111 📌 141

🔥🔥🔥

04.10.2025 01:06 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Politico: Democrats are demanding Republicans negotiate a bipartisan stopgap spending measure. Among their asks is for the GOP to extend certain Affordable Care Act subsidies, which were expanded by Congress in 2021 and are due to sunset at the end of the year.

President Donald Trump on Thursday blamed Democrats for making “unserious and ridiculous” demands, foreshadowing what is likely to be the go-to talking point should neither side blink ahead of the Tuesday night deadline.

“He read all the shit they’re asking for, and he said, ‘on second thought, go fuck yourself,’” the White House official said.

Politico: Democrats are demanding Republicans negotiate a bipartisan stopgap spending measure. Among their asks is for the GOP to extend certain Affordable Care Act subsidies, which were expanded by Congress in 2021 and are due to sunset at the end of the year. President Donald Trump on Thursday blamed Democrats for making “unserious and ridiculous” demands, foreshadowing what is likely to be the go-to talking point should neither side blink ahead of the Tuesday night deadline. “He read all the shit they’re asking for, and he said, ‘on second thought, go fuck yourself,’” the White House official said.

If you’re worried about losing your health care, apparently Trump has a message for you:

27.09.2025 02:51 👍 2011 🔁 918 💬 96 📌 49

From a funding perspective, capital and operations dollars can almost never be substituted. More reliable busses would have a measurable impact on overall performance and reduce maintenance costs, but that’s *relatively* small potatoes vs to the need for operations $ to expand service & frequency

27.09.2025 17:35 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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Why US Cities Pay Too Much for Transit Buses A new paper argues that lack of competition, demand for custom features and “Buy America” rules have driven up costs for transit agencies in the US.

In the US, even a “cheap” transit bus costs 2-3x more than in Asia or Europe -- and one agency may pay twice as much as another for nearly identical vehicles.

In Bloomberg, I explored a ripe opportunity to improve transportation by applying Abundance-coded, supply-side reforms.

🧵

26.09.2025 12:21 👍 277 🔁 68 💬 6 📌 14

Assuming water is #1, I’m surprised blood, sweat, and tears don’t round out the top 4.

Oh, and beer. Or coffee. Tea perhaps?

18.07.2025 06:13 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

Most days, yes. But on behalf of my profession, I finally feel seen by the Wordle gods!!

18.07.2025 05:49 👍 2 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0

Really unfair to try to do this across Counties. As a geographic subdivision of climate analysis, they’re effectively useless.

16.07.2025 04:57 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

Really helpful reminder (as a Transportation Planner) about how the way we talk about transit and the way we frame questions for decision makers, has tremendous impact.

15.07.2025 01:54 👍 2 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0

Where’s the vote from @asmdamonconnolly.bsky.social?

01.07.2025 01:13 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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Key section of 1973 War Powers Res: president can take military action in three cases: a declaration of war, “specific statutory authorization” or “a national emergency created by attack upon” the US or its assets. *Congress has often looked the other way, but that’s the legal question.

22.06.2025 14:54 👍 239 🔁 54 💬 6 📌 2
250 Million Acres of Public Land Eligible for Sale in Budget Recent tweaks to the Senate Energy and Natural Resource Committee's plan to sell public lands could make as much as 40 percent of the nation's federally managed public lands eligible for sell-offs to ...

I think you're incorrectly assuming that the self-described outdoorsy MAGA types are even broadly aware of what Senator Lee and the administration's plans are for public lands.

That being said, those of the more traditional Conservative outdoor mold are NOT happy:

21.06.2025 03:50 👍 2 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

“I was the most transparent, and am, transparent President in history,” Trump said.

21.06.2025 00:21 👍 4 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

I’m going to see Metallica at Levi’s Stadium on Friday. Parking passes cost $250 on the resale market.

The venue is well served by transit, including a light rail stop right at the stadium for $2.50.

Why would anyone would pay for parking when such affordable and convenient transit options exist?

17.06.2025 14:19 👍 6 🔁 1 💬 1 📌 0

i think it is bad that high level public officials do not respect the offices they hold or the public they are supposed to serve

23.05.2025 00:23 👍 14147 🔁 2537 💬 419 📌 75

Why not do both? Your 82 year old body will thank you.

15.05.2025 12:42 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California Outraged by Newsom’s Proposal to Slash Organization’s Budget by A Third Amidst Federal Plans to “Defund” Nationwide

The fact that we uphold reproductive rights in California won't mean much if we close the clinics that provide reproductive health care to millions of patients. I will be working with my colleagues in the Legislature to restore funding to Planned Parenthood in the state budget.

14.05.2025 23:27 👍 107 🔁 32 💬 4 📌 4

Killer Crab!!

14.05.2025 21:24 👍 3 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 1

The GOP budget shows this regime’s true colors.

It doesn’t eliminate taxes on tips, social security or overtime. That was just a lie.

Instead, it slashes health care & food assistance.

All to fund tax cuts for the wealthy & corporations.

The grift is almost complete. And we’ll all pay the price.

14.05.2025 02:21 👍 458 🔁 150 💬 12 📌 6

Same dude. Same.

07.05.2025 20:10 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

Sorry to upset your stomach with political reality. Couldn’t agree more re: Prop 13, but I’ll go for a less than ideal impact fee model over communities bereft of parks, or soiled by leaking sewers and pockmarked by broken roadways. Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good (neighborhood).

07.05.2025 19:59 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0

Well that’s…shortsighted. As with most policy areas, the key is striking a balance. Going back to OP’s example, R1 and R5 have no logical basis for such radically different fees. You’re in the housing supply over everything else camp; I’m in the let’s have housing supply and some parks too camp.

07.05.2025 17:33 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0

Capitulation to what, exactly? More people means more demand for services and amenities. How do you propose paying for those in areas like El Dorado County (to pick a random jurisdiction)?

07.05.2025 15:58 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0

And I agree on that front; but not every community has the political will to pass a dedicated tax to support parks & open space acquisition, much less maintenance. Ideological purity on issues like this tend to screw over the very people who need these community assets the most.

07.05.2025 15:33 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0