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The Planetizen News Brief

18 September 2008 - 5:00am
Smart City Radio

The Planetizen News Brief is a weekly rundown of some of the most interesting and important news and issues of the past week.

The Planetizen News Brief airs every week on the nationally-syndicated radio program "Smart City", which is broadcast in cities across the U.S. Learn more about Smart City and listen to archived shows.

Full Transcript

Southern California’s commuter rail system Metrolink has been in the spotlight since one of its trains crashed head-on into a freight recently, killing 25 people. This devastating crash is a reminder that even trains have their own level of risk. But it also says a lot about the Metrolink system itself, according to Bill Fulton in a recent piece on the California Planning and Development Report. Metrolink is a relatively successful system in Southern California, and it was able to become a success quickly because it didn’t build its own tracks. Metrolink shares the rails with freight trains in Southern California. This single-track system severely cuts down the operational efficiency and safety of Metrolink and other Southern California train systems, according to Fulton. Without a significant amount of public investment to give the commuter train its own set of tracks, Fulton believes that Metrolink’s ability to serve the public safely and efficiently will be limited.

And just as more tracks means more safety for trains, more bikes seems to mean more safety for bicyclists. Recent studies in multiple countries reveal that as more cyclists hit the road they are less likely to be hit by cars, according to a recent article from the University of New South Wales. This correlation may come as no surprise to Critical Mass riders, but researchers are hoping cities will take notice. Some statistics show that if the number of cyclists on the road were to double, cities could expect to see a reduction in bicycle collisions by more than one-third. Interestingly, these improvements in safety seem to be independent from advances in cyclist- and pedestrian-friendly infrastructure. But, researchers say, improved cycling infrastructure probably wouldn’t hurt.

And finally, a recent piece from the Globe and Mail looks at the election season in North America – both in the U.S. and Canada. It seems that there are some striking similarities between the campaigns. Support for the two opposing parties in each country’s election appears to have split along the rural-urban divide. The Democrats in the U.S. and the Liberal Party in Canada have attracted urbanites, while the GOP and Canada’s Conservative Party have largely appealed to rural residents. This is a change, according to the article, as the American presidential elections of the past were mainly determined by “race-based politics”, and in Canada, the primary dividing factor used to be regionalism. But now, the parties seem to be attracting voters based on their locations. Globe and Mail columnist John Duffy says this alignment of geographical ideologies is likely to have a major effect on North American politics during this election cycle, and many to follow.

Stories discussed in this week's Planetizen News Brief

Is L.A. Willing To Pay For Safe Trains?

More Bikes = More Safety

Green Issues Splitting Urban, Rural Voters

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