BART
Recommendations for Improving the Bay Area's Busiest Commute
One of the nation's busiest commute corridors will get a lot busier in coming decades with no large infrastructure investment in sight. SPUR has some ideas about how the East Bay to San Francisco corridor can be improved right now.
U.S. Subway Car Design Behind the Curve
Yonah Freemark examines U.S. subway systems and notes the lack of "open gangways" (i.e., the space between the cars). Only in the U.S. do doors separate cars. What gives?
Pricey AirTrain To Oakland Airport Proves Popular with Riders
The eight-minute elevated, driverless tram costs twice as much as the AirBus shuttle it replaced, which riders aren't happy about, but you wouldn't know it from the ridership numbers. The new connector service opened just over four months ago.
A Roadmap for Late-Night Transit Service in the Bay Area
A report called "The Other 9-to-5," released this week by the San Francisco Late Night Transportation Working Group, maps out late night transportation options around the Bay Area and provides recommendations for permanently expanding service.
Transportation Start-up Fails for Being Too Public-Minded
Night School, planning to use school bus fleets to supplement late-night Bay Area transit, lost the regulatory fights Uber and Lyft handily won.
Trains Are Always Better than Buses, Right?
Josh Barro provide examples galore of why the answer to that question isn't always yes—where costly rail investment has been to the detriment of existing transit. His column targets proposed projects, such as New York's LaGuardia Airport AirTrain.
Oakland's New Mayor Voices Support for Alternative Transportation
Newly elected Libby Schaaf, an Oakland native and former city councilmember, spoke like a tried-and-true alternative transportation advocate at a recent event.
BART's Oakland Airport Connector Now in Service
Depending upon which Bay Area newspaper you read, the new 3.2-mile Oakland Airport connector, an elevated, driverless tram that takes eight minutes and costs $6, is either a huge success or a $484 million boondoggle. It began service on November 22.
The Biggest Transportation Winner on the Nov. 4 Ballot
The ballot measure generating the most new transportation funds approved by voters this month was in Alameda County, Calif. Voters chose to double an existing sales tax to one percent and extend it to 2045, raising $7.8 billion over 30 years.
East Bay BRT Project Receives $81 Million in Federal Grants
Don't confuse East Bay Rapid Transit with Bay Area Rapid Transit: one's a bus, the other heavy rail. But calling it a bus does not do justice to what will be the Bay Area's first bus rapid transit (BRT) line composed primarily of dedicated lanes.
Two Proposed San Jose BART Stations on the Chopping Block
Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) officials have sparked a controversy after announcing that they are likely to cut two of the four proposed stations, one in San Jose and one in Santa Clara, from BART extension plans.
Late-Night Buses to Run When BART Service Stops
Alameda-Contra Costa Transit* and Bay Area Rapid Transit are considering a one-year pilot program that would provide transit service after BART's Cinderella-esque closing time.
BART Rolling Out New, Modern Fleet
BART and Bombardier Transportation have completed a two-part, $1.5 billion deal to modernize the BART fleet. The new cars are expected to test in 2015 and commence operation between 2017 and 2021.
BART Headed Back to Bargaining Table
BART and its unions were tantalizingly close to resolving a long labor dispute two months ago when they reached agreement on a new contract. But a provision overlooked by negotiators has scuttled the agreement and sent both back to the drawing board.
BART Wants to Revisit Recent Labor Agreement
For those who though the Bay Area's transit labor woes were settled when an agreement was signed last month: think again. BART's board of directors has ordered managers to reopen negotiations after they realized a key concession had been overlooked.
A Successful Commuter Shuttle that Serves more than Commuters
The Emery Go-Round is a shuttle service that meets the "last mile" challenge that prevents many commuters from using public transit. Unlike other commuter shuttles, it serves the greater Emeryville community as well. And the buses are full.
BART Workers Strike Over "Work Rules"
For the second time in four months, during which time negotiations had continued, BART workers went on strike Friday morning, creating huge challenges for the 400,000 commuters who rely on it daily in four Bay Area counties.
Bay Area Preps for Yet Another Transbay Closure
This time it's not BART that's closing down. In fact, BART will be running 24-hour service after the Bay Bridge shuts down Wednesday at 8 pm for five days in preparation for the opening of the long-awaited, new eastern span on September 3 at 5 am.
California Ushers in New Rail Age
A new rail age is dawning in California, thanks to high-speed rail; BART's impending "fleet of the future"; and more, says Projjal Dutta, director of sustainability at NYC's MTA. If successful, this will mean a major reduction of car use and sprawl.
Governor Keeps BART Trains Rolling
BART commuters were undoubtedly delighted to board trains on Monday morning thanks to Gov. Jerry Brown's last minute action to return BART employees to work for one week while a panel investigates why negotiations have stalled.
City of Costa Mesa
Licking County
Barrett Planning Group LLC
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Tufts University, Department of Urban and Environmental Policy & Planning
City of Universal City TX
ULI Northwest Arkansas
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.
