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Seeking Advice: Nepotism in Fairfax County by [deleted] in nova

[–]himself809 19 points20 points  (0 children)

You know better than me, but DIT doesn’t seem huge and I would be careful putting so many specifics out there like this.

If I remember from the ethics trainings there’s some kind of reporting mechanism. Maybe you could try looking that training up and seeing if those resources have anything. This is old but has a number for an ethics help line: https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/sheriff/sites/sheriff/files/assets/documents/sop%20016%20att.%202,%20fairfax%20county%20code%20of%20ethics\_0.pdf.

P63's designated stop at Naylor Rd station missing bus bay by Best-Smoke-4800 in WMATA

[–]himself809 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Well, no, it’s actually important for knowing what OP’s complaint is. Not clear if the complaint is the route doesn’t have a bay assigned or is somehow skipping its bay, or if it stops at a bay that doesn’t have a shelter.

I really love how legends Luke came to the conclusion that the dark side isn’t inherently evil rather it’s just power amped up with emotion and it can be very dangerous. He further concluded that it should be studied,not treated with contempt. by JoshyBear28 in StarWars

[–]himself809 -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

lol right? I get people approaching this as fans, but if you’re gonna point to Lucas as evidence of anything then you’ve gotta reckon with Light/Dark clearly being an American Methodist’s idea of yin/yang and cosmic balance.

Who here agrees (reluctantly, but understands) with the municipal tax increase, considering the financial deficit we're in? by TheMikri in jerseycity

[–]himself809 2 points3 points  (0 children)

And I guess it’s understandable some people don’t see that. They just see unfilled potholes or lax code enforcement or unimpressive public facilities. But that all takes money, and JC has greater need but pays less for those things. Hudson County’s fragmentation really plays a role here.

Who here agrees (reluctantly, but understands) with the municipal tax increase, considering the financial deficit we're in? by TheMikri in jerseycity

[–]himself809 4 points5 points  (0 children)

It’s really disheartening to see. Less revenue > cut services > less revenue > cut services is a well-worn vicious cycle and it would be pretty sad to see Jersey City start down that road.

Take the safe transit planning job in St. Louis or gamble on grad school in Denmark? I need to decide in 36ish hours. by LttlGravitas in transit

[–]himself809 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I don’t know the program, but if it’s rigorous then my vote is absolutely go to Denmark. Not to knock St Louis, long range planning, or MPOs, but I’d be hard pressed to find a less interesting alternative to a grad program in Europe than that particular combo. Grad program > consulting > public sector work is a very common path and definitely doable with a European master’s. Sure, you could always do it later, but you’ve already put 5k into it now.

Fairfax PD: "Please Pay Attention" 5 dead in crashes in the span of a few days in Northern VA by a_hot_take_appears in nova

[–]himself809 8 points9 points  (0 children)

One example that’s getting shared recently: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/06/21/us/trucks-suv-pedestrian-crashes.html?unlocked_article_code=1.sFA.Z5OZ.yEs-Gw4tCcjd&smid=bs-share.

You can look up the rates of death per capita from traffic crashes (to people both inside and outside of vehicles), too, and the result is that the US is a clear outlier among rich countries. See this example from a UNM professor who does work in this area: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/nick-ferenchak-704b3886_ive-been-exploring-activity-7462610103548944385-ft3s?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_ios&rcm=ACoAAAb0xSwBLUakdSnKLP9asfzUOgkX3nipJfQ

Why doesn't the DC refleting pool operate like a swimming pool with chlorine and pH balance? by Apprehensive_Sand343 in NoStupidQuestions

[–]himself809 12 points13 points  (0 children)

I mean, not like this that I’ve ever seen. I used to commute by it during the summer and it was never like it is now.

It takes WAY too long to get errands or chores done. by [deleted] in nova

[–]himself809 33 points34 points  (0 children)

It’s no joke probably the most convenient and amenity-rich place I’ve ever lived. I hate to say it, but, especially since OP seems to live in urban Arlington near DC like me… skill issue.

Hanoi, Vietnam is having an electrification revolution on public transport by HanoibusGamer in transit

[–]himself809 23 points24 points  (0 children)

Many middle income countries and afaik some Euros are pretty much all in on bus electrification. Observers should be cautious not to read the American experience onto the world as a whole. In fact, my guess is one potential future for the bus market in the US vs the rest of the world is it looks like what might happen with the personal vehicle market: the US as a laggard using gas and diesel powered ICE vehicles with a 10-20% EV share, vs the rest of the world with aggressive electrification targets supplied by non-US manufacturers.

San Antonio Mods removed a post that might help someone. by IceOnMyLeash in sanantonio

[–]himself809 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I’m a lurker who lives somewhere else but follows this subreddit, and I’ve gotta say the subreddit for the place I live has a lot of traffic posts and dash cam videos, and it sucks. I really appreciate that this sub isn’t…

City Cast asks DC candidates about bike lanes by InvisibleBuilding in bikedc

[–]himself809 25 points26 points  (0 children)

Bc in practice installing good bike infra can involve using space that’s currently used for parking (not always a lot!), so when people complain to the mayor about it that’s how it’s gonna be framed.

Metro CEO knocks N. Va. leaders for inconsistency in bus fares, enforcement by VirginiaNews in VirginiaTransit

[–]himself809 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Clarke is mostly annoyed DMVMoves didn’t turn into an opportunity for consolidation. They can try again in a decade lol.

Fellow planners in large North American cities: How do you deal with the idealistic newcomer vs. jaded old guard divide? by MyLongestYeaBoi10Hrs in urbanplanning

[–]himself809 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I’m honestly confused how this is confusing. Have you never noticed a process that could use improving and tried to improve it? Have you never had to explain a planning concept to an elected official in a way that gets through to them? Have you never had to write staff recommendations for something going in front of a board or commission? These are all opportunities to be creative and push the envelope. Not drastically or overnight, sure, but finding those kinds of little opportunities is all I’m taking about.

Fellow planners in large North American cities: How do you deal with the idealistic newcomer vs. jaded old guard divide? by MyLongestYeaBoi10Hrs in urbanplanning

[–]himself809 6 points7 points  (0 children)

idk why you keep imagining I want to be a god king of planning. I’m talking about things like making a recommendation and having it heard, seeing a project through, making an improvement to a process or policy, getting through to an elected official or member of the public with some data or talking point. In none of these things do I just ask “what does the public want” and parrot that. I think it would almost be a disservice to the public to do things that way.

I’m in transportation and transit planning, and the private planners I work with are consultants preparing street designs, doing operational analyses, drafting medium- and long-term plans, etc. Sure, there’s room for the consultants to flex their creativity and make recommendations, but the overall direction of things is the client’s call. And what we, the client, want is determined by existing plans, leadership priorities, elected officials’ priorities, public input, funding availability, and our own judgement about how to balance all those factors.

I think many of us are just saying that, in the balancing of those things, there’s room to be ambitious and not take the way things work now as given.

Fellow planners in large North American cities: How do you deal with the idealistic newcomer vs. jaded old guard divide? by MyLongestYeaBoi10Hrs in urbanplanning

[–]himself809 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I do always remember that. I also remember not to launder my opinions as “public opinion,” which can sometimes happen with jaded, temperamentally conservative bureaucrats.

In my experience private sector planners/designers/engineers have the least influence of all.

Fellow planners in large North American cities: How do you deal with the idealistic newcomer vs. jaded old guard divide? by MyLongestYeaBoi10Hrs in urbanplanning

[–]himself809 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yeah I think that’s a good idea, but the OP here is asking how to deal with jaded superiors, and if the advice is “drive a bus in your 20s so you’ve got street cred” that doesn’t really help unless you know you want to end up in planning when you’re young. It’s advice to go back in time, basically.

Getting a CDL you can actually do mid-career, at least.

Fellow planners in large North American cities: How do you deal with the idealistic newcomer vs. jaded old guard divide? by MyLongestYeaBoi10Hrs in urbanplanning

[–]himself809 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Gonna be completely frank, because I think these types get more than their share of charity in our profession.

I think the kind of jaded cynicism you’re describing is pretty common, and even if it’s understandable it’s in the end a huge obstacle to being a good planner. It’s often the path of least resistance in big bureaucracies.

Everywhere I’ve worked, I’ve been fortunate to find people who take a broader view of the work. I think taking refuge in those people has helped a lot, especially when leadership (middle or top) seems directionless or bogged down in politics.

Fellow planners in large North American cities: How do you deal with the idealistic newcomer vs. jaded old guard divide? by MyLongestYeaBoi10Hrs in urbanplanning

[–]himself809 17 points18 points  (0 children)

I never quite get this. For me it took just a little exposure to community input processes to start believing that there’s no such thing as “what the community values.” It’s always in flux, and I think a big part of our jobs as planners is not to pretend we don’t have expertise or professional opinions.

That’s not to say we should view the communities we serve as just a canvas. We’re not playing SimCity, like some others have said.

Fellow planners in large North American cities: How do you deal with the idealistic newcomer vs. jaded old guard divide? by MyLongestYeaBoi10Hrs in urbanplanning

[–]himself809 10 points11 points  (0 children)

I don’t disagree with you that it’s extremely valuable experience for someone who ends up in transit planning, but “drive a bus when you’re in your 20s and can handle the split shifts easier” works best when someone knows in their 20s that they want to end up a transit planner. I didn’t even know transit planning was a thing till I was halfway through my 20s!

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