Ryan Richter, AICP
@ryanjrichter.com
Transportation/urban planner. Fascinated with cities, geography and the movement of people and goods. Chicagoan. ryanjrichter.com
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Ryan Richter, AICP
@ryanjrichter.com
· Jun 13
Me, yapping about the benefit/cost and community mobility improvements of the CREATE Program.
I am really tired of 12 minute headways on the Blue Line during rush hour. 5 trains per hour is unacceptable.
November 12, 2025 at 10:02 PM
I am really tired of 12 minute headways on the Blue Line during rush hour. 5 trains per hour is unacceptable.
One thing I want to highlight in this excellent post about the operational reforms still needed from the service boards that will be under NITA is the fact that CTA has extreme difficulty relocating its bus stops within the city of Chicago. Why?
citythatworks.substack.com/p/we-havent-...
citythatworks.substack.com/p/we-havent-...
We haven't saved transit yet
What comes after the fiscal cliff
citythatworks.substack.com
November 7, 2025 at 4:03 PM
One thing I want to highlight in this excellent post about the operational reforms still needed from the service boards that will be under NITA is the fact that CTA has extreme difficulty relocating its bus stops within the city of Chicago. Why?
citythatworks.substack.com/p/we-havent-...
citythatworks.substack.com/p/we-havent-...
This puts an interesting wrinkle in my transportation planning study.
Unfortunately NITA is making us pay for the CTA’s bad service planning just a little bit longer: the legislation requires reopening the Central Blue Line station, which probably could’ve been entirely mitigated by having the 7, 12, and/or 85 simply end at an existing Blue Line station instead
November 5, 2025 at 3:05 PM
This puts an interesting wrinkle in my transportation planning study.
Lots of factual errors here, mostly that rush hour only buses do not trigger the parking reduction. Also...suburbanites, if you want to be able to drive and park everywhere, 99.9% of the built environment is for you!
If The Tribbles Are Against Ya, Ya Know You're On The Right Side, Part 2,304,678
www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/04/e...
www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/04/e...
November 4, 2025 at 6:15 PM
Lots of factual errors here, mostly that rush hour only buses do not trigger the parking reduction. Also...suburbanites, if you want to be able to drive and park everywhere, 99.9% of the built environment is for you!
Weird way to describe a torture program. You can draw a direct line from Dick Cheney to Donald Trump, even if the former hates the latter.
November 4, 2025 at 5:56 PM
Weird way to describe a torture program. You can draw a direct line from Dick Cheney to Donald Trump, even if the former hates the latter.
Yeah, no kidding CBP didn't want to linger in a neighborhood filled with cops.
Here's the second half of CBP walking him away. But the protesting continued as they were present and as they left. Whistles were at the end. I got the sense CBP didn't want to linger. Saw from BORSTAR and BORTAC here.
October 31, 2025 at 8:09 PM
Yeah, no kidding CBP didn't want to linger in a neighborhood filled with cops.
I went to France for a week this summer and survived on nothing but red wine, cheese and trains. AMA.
A French cyclist survived for three days after a horrendous 130-foot fall into a ravine, kept alive by the bottles of red wine he had in his shopping bag, police said.
Cyclist falls down 130-foot ravine in France, survives 3 days by drinking wine he had in shopping bag
A helicopter airlifted him to hospital, with a rescue doctor calling his survival "a miracle."
cbsn.ws
October 31, 2025 at 4:07 PM
I went to France for a week this summer and survived on nothing but red wine, cheese and trains. AMA.
We saw what happened in Philly with their transit fiscal cliff and turned around and ran the other way.
Illinois is ending a Chaotic Era and has entered a Stable Era, meaning we can rehydrate our population and blossom until the next Chaotic Era falls upon us.
October 31, 2025 at 3:35 PM
We saw what happened in Philly with their transit fiscal cliff and turned around and ran the other way.
Nothing like riding into work on a smokey blue line train! At least transit is saved so now we can go back to more routine complaints.
October 31, 2025 at 11:20 AM
Nothing like riding into work on a smokey blue line train! At least transit is saved so now we can go back to more routine complaints.
Consultants licking their chops!
List of harder parts: (?)
- selecting good board members
- standing up a new authority while dissolving an extant authority
- figuring out how exactly to do all of the service studies (and other policy implementation) stipulated in the bill
- selecting good board members
- standing up a new authority while dissolving an extant authority
- figuring out how exactly to do all of the service studies (and other policy implementation) stipulated in the bill
October 31, 2025 at 11:17 AM
Consultants licking their chops!
I understand the politics of offsetting road revenues being redirected towards transit with a toll increase on the IL Tollway, but...
The Tollway is a separate authority that receives no general funds.
So the Tollway, which is already flush with revenues, gets an extra $1B?
The Tollway is a separate authority that receives no general funds.
So the Tollway, which is already flush with revenues, gets an extra $1B?
October 31, 2025 at 11:09 AM
I understand the politics of offsetting road revenues being redirected towards transit with a toll increase on the IL Tollway, but...
The Tollway is a separate authority that receives no general funds.
So the Tollway, which is already flush with revenues, gets an extra $1B?
The Tollway is a separate authority that receives no general funds.
So the Tollway, which is already flush with revenues, gets an extra $1B?
We saved public transit!
SB2111 passes the Senate 36-21
October 31, 2025 at 10:30 AM
We saved public transit!
Reposted by Ryan Richter, AICP
JD Vance claims that diversity weakens unions, as people end up distrusting each other and not organizing.
Let me tell you two menswear stories related to this claim. 🧵
Let me tell you two menswear stories related to this claim. 🧵
October 30, 2025 at 8:07 AM
JD Vance claims that diversity weakens unions, as people end up distrusting each other and not organizing.
Let me tell you two menswear stories related to this claim. 🧵
Let me tell you two menswear stories related to this claim. 🧵
This right here.
More importantly though, it's time to come clean and take a stand on revenue sources. We know what revenue sources the Governor doesn't like; @govpritzker.illinois.gov, what transit revenue package *would* you support?
The House and Senate are clearly still light years apart; we need leadership.
The House and Senate are clearly still light years apart; we need leadership.
October 30, 2025 at 1:56 PM
This right here.
So, if I have this correctly, we're going to cancel SNAP benefits because we don't have the money (we do) and we can't reopen the House because Grijalva is the final vote to release the Epstein files. So pedophiles over people, huh?
October 29, 2025 at 2:45 AM
So, if I have this correctly, we're going to cancel SNAP benefits because we don't have the money (we do) and we can't reopen the House because Grijalva is the final vote to release the Epstein files. So pedophiles over people, huh?
JFC, lol.
At a fundamental level, we have to accept much of silicon valley has gone insane.
An ex-Intel CEO’s mission to build a Christian AI: ‘hasten the coming of Christ’s return’
Patrick Gelsinger, executive chairman of Gloo, has made it his mission to advance Christian principles in Silicon Valley
www.theguardian.com
October 29, 2025 at 2:37 AM
JFC, lol.
Metra clusterf*ck with the signboards out of service at Ogilvie and the conductors giving differing instructions. It shouldn't be this difficult in 2025 to communicate what the hell train we're on.
October 28, 2025 at 9:55 PM
Metra clusterf*ck with the signboards out of service at Ogilvie and the conductors giving differing instructions. It shouldn't be this difficult in 2025 to communicate what the hell train we're on.
This is in my ward. Proud of these neighbors!
October 25, 2025 at 7:01 PM
This is in my ward. Proud of these neighbors!
Undisclosed Tuesday drinking location.
October 21, 2025 at 9:37 PM
Undisclosed Tuesday drinking location.
Hey @chicagocta.bsky.social there's vomit on the Blue Line car #7066 heading towards Forest Park. I just got on at Jefferson Park.
October 21, 2025 at 12:16 PM
Hey @chicagocta.bsky.social there's vomit on the Blue Line car #7066 heading towards Forest Park. I just got on at Jefferson Park.
That's my governor. What a stand up guy!
We found this interesting and applaud the governor’s blackjack skills and philanthropy.
Illinois governor JB Pritzker disclosed winning $1.4 million playing blackjack in Las Vegas last year and said he will donate the winnings to charity!
Illinois governor JB Pritzker disclosed winning $1.4 million playing blackjack in Las Vegas last year and said he will donate the winnings to charity!
October 16, 2025 at 9:13 PM
That's my governor. What a stand up guy!
This tells me that too many people, Ari Shapiro included, unquestionably buy into AI without thinking. It's really pathetic journalism here. Simon's answer is perfect.
David Simon, creator of ‘The Wire’, being interviewed by Ari Shapiro (NPR)
October 10, 2025 at 2:31 PM
This tells me that too many people, Ari Shapiro included, unquestionably buy into AI without thinking. It's really pathetic journalism here. Simon's answer is perfect.
Expert level trolling here. Portland, can we export this to Chicago?
Things are happening at Portland's ICE facility tonight.
Read more of our protest coverage here: www.oregonlive.com/crime/2025/1...
Read more of our protest coverage here: www.oregonlive.com/crime/2025/1...
October 10, 2025 at 2:12 PM
Expert level trolling here. Portland, can we export this to Chicago?
I was in Portland last month. It's a beautiful, peaceful city. Lovely place to visit and live in. Needless to say, Chicago is also a beautiful, peaceful city.
Trump on Portland: "It's like the movies you see for the kids, I guess not only the kids, adults also, where you have these bombed out cities and these bombed out people. It's like, worse than that."
October 8, 2025 at 8:10 PM
I was in Portland last month. It's a beautiful, peaceful city. Lovely place to visit and live in. Needless to say, Chicago is also a beautiful, peaceful city.
I am most interested in the intersection of the Upper Midwest, Great Lakes, Midland and Heartland regions. Is this Joliet? LaSalle? DeKalb?
This is the most accurate depiction of the Midwest to date. Wichita has always felt like the last Midwest city while also being the first plains city.
October 8, 2025 at 2:32 PM
I am most interested in the intersection of the Upper Midwest, Great Lakes, Midland and Heartland regions. Is this Joliet? LaSalle? DeKalb?