Recent studies seem to indicate that public transportation is habit-forming, and, as Brad Plumer notes, that may not be a good thing.
Plumer points to two recent studies, one in New York and one in Philadelphia, that show the rise in transit use that accompany spikes in gas prices remain in place even as gas prices fall back down.
"This research is all discussed in a new policy brief
(pdf) by the American Public Transportation Association, which notes
that the United States appears to have entered a new era of oil
volatility. (They're not alone
in thinking so!) And that means that demand for public transportation
is likely to keep surging. If gas prices spike, more people will try to
ride the bus or train to work. If gas prices then settle down again,
many of those people will stick with transit."
The problem, pointed out by Plumer, is that America's transit agencies are ill equipped to handle increased demands. In fact, 71 percent of metropolitan transit agencies have had to cut services in the past year or are currently considering it.
Of course the catch-22 in this equation is the federal government's reliance on gasoline taxes for transit funding. "Transit is funded through a
dedicated fraction of the gas tax. And that can create havoc: Whenver [sic]
oil volatility pushes people away from driving and toward transit, that
means there's less gas-tax revenue available. We've seen this during the
current recession - driving has plunged, which means gas-tax
collections have fallen, which means Congress is bickering about whether to cut money for transit systems."
FULL STORY: Public transportation is habit-forming — and that’s a problem!

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly
Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

In Urban Planning, AI Prompting Could be the New Design Thinking
Creativity has long been key to great urban design. What if we see AI as our new creative partner?

Making Shared Micromobility More Inclusive
Cities and shared mobility system operators can do more to include people with disabilities in planning and operations, per a new report.

Car Designs Make it Harder to See Pedestrians
Blind spots created by thicker pillars built to withstand rollover crashes are creating dangerous conditions for people outside vehicles.

Cal Fire Chatbot Fails to Answer Basic Questions
An AI chatbot designed to provide information about wildfires can’t answer questions about evacuation orders, among other problems.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Appalachian Highlands Housing Partners
Gallatin County Department of Planning & Community Development
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie