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Transportation can be affordable or even free (to the user) if we rethink the assumptions baked into our infrastructure and business models. The prevailing belief in the US is that roads, buses, bikes, and other forms of mobility must be either government-funded, directly paid for by customers out of pocket, or a combination of the two. Government subsidies are certainly one way transportation is made accessible (e.g. fare-free circulator bus), but with rising deficits at all levels of government, its risky to stake the future of mobility on public coffers alone. Theres another path: mobility as an amenity, a service, or a bundled offering. The illusion of ‘free’ is everywhere When people scoff at the idea of free transit or free bike share, what they really mean is, I dont want to pay for someone elses ride. It seems like a reasonable complaint, but misses a basic reality of how economies distribute costs. You already pay for roads youll never drive on. Roads cost millions to plan, build, and maintain, and that cost is distributed through taxes, fees, and even inflationnot usage-based tolls. Your gas taxes dont come close to covering the bill. You’re effectively financing road access for strangers in distant cities, and theyre doing the same for you. {"blockType":"creator-network-promo","data":{"mediaUrl":"","headline":"Urbanism Speakeasy","description":"Join Andy Boenau as he explores ideas that the infrastructure status quo would rather keep quiet. To learn more, visit urbanismspeakeasy.com.","substackDomain":"https:\/\/www.urbanismspeakeasy.com\/","colorTheme":"blue","redirectUrl":""}} Take a quick step away from transportation. When Verizon offers a free phone with a contract, its not philanthropy. The cost of that $1,000 Samsung Galaxy is baked into your $80/month service plan. Verizon gets bulk discounts from Samsung, pays less than retail, and recoups the cost (plus profit) through your two-year commitment. You get access to the benefits of a cell phone without paying $1,000 upfront. Now apply that model to transportation. What if access to a bike, bus, or car was bundled into a housing lease, a university tuition plan, or a neighborhood improvement district fee? You wouldnt buy the vehicleyoud pay for what the vehicle enables: connection, access, freedom. Youve seen this principle in action every time you ride a tram between airport concourses. You dont feed coins into a farebox to ride the train. Youre not asked to prove you paid a transportation fee. The cost of that train is baked into the operations of the airport, funded by airline gate fees, parking fees, tenant rents, advertising, retail partnerships, and who knows what else. Transportation as an amenity We can design mobility systems to be just as seamless. For example, an apartment complex could bundle access to shared e-bikes or shuttles into monthly rent. Employers could subsidize multimodal passes instead of parking. Retail centers could provide free local shuttle service to the light rail or bus rapid transit station as a way to boost foot traffic and sales. A neighborhoods residents could get access to a shared mobility hub through a Parking Benefit District. These ideas are only unconventional because weve been conditioned to believe mobility should follow a different financial model than every other major service in our lives. The belief that every transit system must be isolated from every housing development, commercial center, or public service is a legacy of outdated policy, not a law of nature. Transportation does not have to be a standalone product with a turnstile or toll. It can be a layer of accessa benefit embedded in the things we already value. Weve done it before. We already live in a world of subscription bundles, shared platforms, and embedded costs. Lets get past those old limiting beliefs about how we pay for getting around town. {"blockType":"creator-network-promo","data":{"mediaUrl":"","headline":"Urbanism Speakeasy","description":"Join Andy Boenau as he explores ideas that the infrastructure status quo would rather keep quiet. To learn more, visit urbanismspeakeasy.com.","substackDomain":"https:\/\/www.urbanismspeakeasy.com\/","colorTheme":"blue","redirectUrl":""}}
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E-Commerce
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced Thursday that two groups of travelers will now be able to get through Transportation Security Administration (TSA) security checkpoints at airports a whole lot faster: families traveling with kids, and members of the military. It’s yet another win for travelers, who can now keep their shoes on through TSA security checkpoints before boarding their flights. Here’s what to know. What are the new TSA airport security rules for families with kids? TSA is adding a dedicated lane for families with children at security checkpoints called Families on the Fly,” based on a pilot program in Orlando, Florida, which was chosen for its proximity to Disney World. We are implementing new measures that will streamline hospitality for families that travel,” Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said at the Nashville International Airport on Thursday. “There will be expanded areas that will give them the benefit of recognizing that they have children with them, and will help make sure that we have the ability to take care of them and their families as they go through this expedited process with their kiddos. Noem added that families will also get a $15 discount if they enroll in TSA pre-check, and promised, in her words, “less pat downs.” The family lanes will first roll out at airports where families often travel with children. She did not specify which ones. What are the new TSA airport security rules for military members? Last month, Homeland Security implemented a special security checkpoint lane for uniformed military members called the “Honor Lane.” Those lanes are currently available at 11 airports and will be expanded nationwide, particularly near military bases. Noem also said Gold Star familiesfamily members of military servicemen and women who died while in service to their countrywill get free enrollment in TSA pre-check.
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E-Commerce
When you become a parent, your concept of free time gets redefined in the most brutal way. You start fantasizing about solo grocery runs. You get excited when a dentist appointment means sitting in a chair in silence. And dont even get me started on the thrill of closing (and locking) the bathroom door. Parenting swallows every spare minute like a hungry hippo. Between permission slips, dinner planning, bedtime negotiations, and locating whatever oddly specific object your kid needs for school tomorrow, your own needs dont make the list. Add in the demands of a job or trying to keep a career from flatlining while your toddler wipes yogurt on your Zoom shirt and suddenly me time feels like a myth. But heres the thing no one tells you: carving out time for yourself isnt selfish. Its survival. And it doesnt mean you love your family any less. It just means you also love yourself, whichfun factyour kids need to see more of. {"blockType":"creator-network-promo","data":{"mediaUrl":"https:\/\/images.fastcompany.com\/image\/upload\/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit\/wp-cms-2\/2015\/08\/erikaaslogo.png","headline":"Girl, Listen: A Guide to What Really Matters","description":"Ericka dives into the heat of modern motherhood, challenging the notion that personal identity must be sacrificed at the altar of parenting. ","substackDomain":"https:\/\/erickasouter.substack.com\/","colorTheme":"blue","redirectUrl":""}} Step One: Ditch the Martyr Act. Its Not a Good Look Somewhere along the line, we were sold the idea that the best parents sacrifice everything. They pour every ounce into their families and never, ever ask for a refill. But lets be real. Exhausted, resentful parents are not fun to live with. They dont make great partners. They dont make patient caregivers. And theyre one burnt pancake away from a breakdown. What actually helps our kids? Seeing us take care of ourselves. Seeing us value our time, our dreams. Seeing us rest. Yes. Rest. Its not lazy. Its necessary. You cant run on empty and function like a human being. Step Two: You Have to Take the Time. No Ones Handing It Out Time wont tap you on the shoulder and say, Hey! Heres an hour to write/take a nap/go on a walk. You have to go after it like its the last slice of pizza and everyones pretending not to be hungry. You may have to get up a little earlier (I know, but hear me out). Or coordinate with a partner or fellow parent for a kid-swap. And yes, that might mean blocking off your work calendar with an appointment thats really just you taking a sanity stroll around the block or sitting in your car to eat a croissant in peace. Thats okay. Weve all done it. No guilt. Step Three: Redefine What Self-Care Means for You Not everyones version of self-care involves face masks or golf. For some, its a quiet workout. For others, uninterrupted time on a passion project. Maybe its updating your résumé or watching something without talking animals. Sometimes self-care is messy. Its writing one paragraph with a baby monitor on one side and laundry on the other. It might mean finishing a work project with a hot coffee and zero interruptions because work can be fulfilling too (when youre not doing it under duress). Its texting a friend, I need an hour. Can we trade off next week? Its choosing yourself again and again. Step Four: Guilt is Lying to You Lets talk about guilt. That ever-present gremlin whispering, Youre missing quality time, or You should be organizing the closet. Guilt isnt your inner compass. Its your inner saboteur. Doing something for yourself doesnt mean youre neglecting your family. It means youre showing up as a more grounded, fulfilled version of yourself. Even if that fulfillment comes from finishing a presentation in silence or eating lunch without someone asking for a bite. And if your kids miss you for an hour? Theyll survive. More importantlytheyll see what it looks like to honor your own needs. Step Five: Let Them See You Do It Kids dont just listen. They watch. If we constantly run ourselves ragged and call it love, theyll think thats what theyre supposed to do too. Let them see you say no. Let them hear, Im doing something for me right now. Let them know work matters to you too, whether its because you love it or because it pays for the chicken nuggets. Thats not abandonment. Thats modeling emotional intelligence and boundaries which are two things theyll thank you for. Well, probably much, much later, but still.) {"blockType":"creator-network-promo","data":{"mediaUrl":"https:\/\/images.fastcompany.com\/image\/upload\/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit\/wp-cms-2\/2015\/08\/erikaaslogo.png","headline":"Girl, Listen: A Guide to What Really Matters","description":"Ericka dives into the heat of modern motherhood, challenging the notion that personal identity must be sacrificed at the altar of parenting. ","substackDomain":"https:\/\/erickasouter.substack.com\/","colorTheme":"blue","redirectUrl":""}}
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E-Commerce
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