Kate Lowe (she/hers)
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kateontransport.bsky.social
Kate Lowe (she/hers)
@kateontransport.bsky.social

Mobility justice/transportation equity/urban planning and policy. Chicago!!! Proud union member (UIC United Faculty). Day job @ @uiccuppa.bsky.social

History 32%
Economics 21%
Pinned
We describe the very important equity project of the Red Line Extension that will bring important benefits to the majority Black South Side but explain that future time benefits do not fully repair harms from decades of waiting. We draw from 132 interviews on the far South Side of Chicago.
🌍 NEW in Special Issue "Urban Transport as a Social Construct"

✍️ @kateontransport.bsky.social, @ansonstewart.com & G. Purifoye examine people’s experiences of #transit in #Chicago, including waiting and transfers, and how they connect to other parts of their lives.

buff.ly/LPWw6WE

#UrbanStudies
FYI: Judge Ellis (Chicago ICE case) noted in November that video evidence shows ICE "brake-checked other motorists in an attempt to force accidents that agents could then use as justifications for deploying force."

Reposted by Kate Lowe

The collaborators behind the new “Black Perspectives on Public Transit” interactive website, focusing on the North Lawndale neighborhood, discuss their analysis.

@kateontransport.bsky.social @chicagocta.bsky.social @ctaction.org @equiticity.bsky.social @betterstreetschicago.org @yonahfreemark.com
Collaborators behind new "Black Perspectives on Public Transit" website discuss their analysis - Streetsblog Chicago
"We're not going to fix decades of inequitable investment in one year, and things like the high-frequency bus network and the Red Line Extension are really important, but the work isn't done."
chi.streetsblog.org

Reposted by Kate Lowe

@storti.bsky.social writes in @us.theconversation.com, we've seen this before.

"The fiction that undergirds the U.S. immigration system: that immigration policy’s preference for certain immigrants is enough to justify the discriminatory policies which deem some families more valuable than others."
Racial profiling by ICE agents mirrors the targeting of Japanese Americans during World War II
Asian Americans have drawn parallels between today’s attacks on Latinos and a historically exclusive immigration policy that favors some families over others.
theconversation.com

And here's what CTA rail looks like on a racial dot density map (extending past north and west city boundaries but not YET travelling to far South Side but planned service in dashes)

Reposted by Kate Lowe

🌍 NEW in Special Issue "Urban Transport as a Social Construct"

✍️ @kateontransport.bsky.social, @ansonstewart.com & G. Purifoye examine people’s experiences of #transit in #Chicago, including waiting and transfers, and how they connect to other parts of their lives.

buff.ly/LPWw6WE

#UrbanStudies

Grateful for all your leadership and to have you as my elected representative!

Reposted by Kate Lowe

we don’t need better trained secret police, we don’t need secret police
Update: As of January 7, The Trace has identified 28 incidents, including 14 shootings, in which federal agents shot someone or held them at gunpoint during an immigration enforcement action under Trump’s crackdown. At least four people have been killed and five others have been injured.
How Many People Have Been Shot in ICE Raids?
The Trace is tracking gun incidents connected to Trump’s immigration crackdown. Know of one? Please be in touch.
www.thetrace.org
As news breaks in Minneapolis, we’re uplifting this story by our friends @unraveledpress.com during the Chicago surge.

Agents shot and killed an unarmed 38-year-old father in Sept —and their initial narrative of events was quickly disproven by witness videos.

unraveledpress.com/what-happene...
What happened to Silverio Villegas González
Immigration agents shot and killed an unarmed 38-year-old father outside Chicago on Friday—and their initial narrative of events was quickly disproven by videos captured by witnesses.
unraveledpress.com

We need to address traffic violence in the US ASAP, but not by accepting unproven AV safety claims. Plus, AVs will induce more travel (more crash scenarios & pollution). Other strategies should be getting more attention instead! Any one else exhausted by the tech and trends hype in transportation?
Sorry, but triumphant claims about autonomous vehicle safety are wildly exaggerated.

It's an open question whether today’s self-driving cars are any safer than those driven by humans.

And if reducing crashes is the goal, that isn’t even the right question.

My deep dive, in Bloomberg 🧵
We Still Don’t Know if Robotaxis Are Safer Than Human Drivers
And even if self-driving technology proves to be less dangerous, there are many better ways to improve traffic safety and prevent fatal crashes.
www.bloomberg.com
Sorry, but triumphant claims about autonomous vehicle safety are wildly exaggerated.

It's an open question whether today’s self-driving cars are any safer than those driven by humans.

And if reducing crashes is the goal, that isn’t even the right question.

My deep dive, in Bloomberg 🧵
We Still Don’t Know if Robotaxis Are Safer Than Human Drivers
And even if self-driving technology proves to be less dangerous, there are many better ways to improve traffic safety and prevent fatal crashes.
www.bloomberg.com

Reposted by Kate Lowe

The UFCW (United Food and Commercial Workers) seeks a Campaigns and Policy Coordinator – Civil Rights and Community Action Department, to be based in Washington DC, near Metro (on-site). Details can be found at: unionjobs.com/listing.php?id=29964 #1u #UnionStrong @ufcw.bsky.social

Ok. I did it for fun and like the results!

Great sticker sighting last night.

I miss Chicago when on road trips and in exurbia for family visits.

Thorough coverage of @chicagocta.bsky.social safety (violence down despite fed hype) @ckubzansky.bsky.social @taliasoglin.bsky.social www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/26/c... Can't help but imagine what millions for police & private security could do for alt violence prevention and social services
CTA crime down slightly despite series of high-profile incidents in 2025
Riders on CTA buses and trains have a low chance of being a violent crime victim, a Tribune review shows, despite high-profile crimes this year.
www.chicagotribune.com

Ug robots on our sidewalks last night in west loop. I guess I am very distrustful of tech, Silicon Valley, and their backers. Don't get me started on the need to resist the inevitability narrative around large language models (AI).
***My department is hiring***

Assistant Professor of the History of Brazil

networks.h-net.org/jobs/69649/s...
San Diego State University - Assistant Professor of History of Brazil | H-Net
networks.h-net.org

Credit goes to Paul Esling at CNT for that!

New website apps.cnt.org/black-perspe... includes direct insights from North Lawndale residents, as well as links to several reports on Black Perspectives on Public Transit. Grateful for the collaboration with Dr. Purifoye, @equiticity.bsky.social NLCCC, & CNT! Funded by @illinoisdot.bsky.social
North Lawndale - Black Perspectives on Public Transit
apps.cnt.org
Interested in pursuing a career in climate governance, policy or politics research? Do you have a relevant PhD degree in political science, public administration or international relations? Then you should check out this opportunity!

www.jobbnorge.no/en/available...
Postdoctoral Fellow in Political Science (3-4 years) (291366) | University of Oslo
Job title: Postdoctoral Fellow in Political Science (3-4 years) (291366), Employer: University of Oslo, Deadline: Friday, February 6, 2026
www.jobbnorge.no
I have so much empathy and solidarity for those struggling with the painful and structurally unjust academic labor market, but this racial grievance shit is simply not the way.

Delighted to see more @chicagocta.bsky.social high frequency bus routes! Congrats to those who helped secure investment in public transit in IL, so we will see more network improvements (instead of the devastating cuts that were a real risk).

Reposted by Kate Lowe

Four more bus routes will be added to the Chicago Transit Authority’s “frequent network” starting next week, amounting to a total of 20 bus routes this year aiming to provide service every “10 minutes or sooner.” https://to.wttw.com/3KNoX2c
4 More Bus Routes Will Be Added to CTA’s ‘10 Minutes or Sooner’ Initiative
The frequent service network consists of 20 key bus routes throughout the agency’s service area that are scheduled to have service every 10 minutes or less from 6 a.m.-9 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m.-9 ...
to.wttw.com

My lovable but naughty kitty (Yak Attack) put himself in jail (even though we are an anti-carceral household).

Reposted by Kate Lowe

Want to help @chicagohomeless.bsky.social step up in this moment to push back on bad policy from the feds? Join our staff As our new Federal Advocacy Fellow! Share widely.

chicagocoalitiontoendhomelessness.applytojob.com/apply/68Y7VR...
Federal Advocacy Fellowship - Chicago Coalition to end Homelessness - Career Page
Apply to Federal Advocacy Fellowship at Chicago Coalition to end Homelessness in Chicago, IL.
chicagocoalitiontoendhomelessness.applytojob.com

And not arguing against the idea that there can be some problematic rail spending (maybe his examples), there can be other important success metrics, like accessibility as argued by @davidzipper.bsky.social www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Post-Covid, Transit Agencies Must Look Beyond Ridership
With commuters grounded and passenger numbers likely to remain low in U.S. cities, public transportation leaders should focus on a different metric for usefulness: transit access.
www.bloomberg.com