Todd Litman's blog

Communicating Transit Benefits: We Can Do Better

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Submitted by Todd Litman on March 19, 2015 - 5:00am

Planners can do a better job communicating the benefits of high quality public transit and transit-oriented development. We can learn from marketing professionals—it's time to channel Don Draper.

How Not to Evaluate Public Transit Risks

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Submitted by Todd Litman on March 5, 2015 - 10:50am

Randal O'Toole claims that light rail transit is more dangerous than bus or automobile travel, but he fails to account for exposure or overall safety benefits. This is a good example of bad statistical analysis.

More Critique of Demographia's International Housing Affordability Survey

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Submitted by Todd Litman on January 22, 2015 - 5:00am

The Demographia International Housing Affordability Survey contains significant biases and errors. It is important that anybody working with the survey's results be aware of these problems.

New Transit Safety Narrative

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Submitted by Todd Litman on January 7, 2015 - 10:00am

Conventional traffic safety programs emphasize ways that individuals can help reduce their risk, but new research indicates that safety depends largely on community planning decisions that affect how and how much people drive.

Land for Vehicles or People?

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Submitted by Todd Litman on November 21, 2014 - 11:00am

Automobile-oriented planning requires that cities devote signifiant amounts of space to roads and parking—under many conditions each vehicle requires more land than is devoted to housing per capita.

Climate Change Targets? No Problem! We Have Win-Win Solutions

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Submitted by Todd Litman on November 13, 2014 - 9:00am

Ambitious new emission reduction targets can be met with strategies that also help achieve other economic, social, and environmental objectives.

How Not To Measure Traffic Congestion—Hold the Hyperbole, Please!

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Submitted by Todd Litman on October 14, 2014 - 12:00pm

The new INRIX congestion costing report is another good example of bad analysis. We just want accurate information; hold the hyperbole, please.

Reform Transport Engineering: Expand Beyond Just Roadway Level of Service (LOS) Ratings

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Submitted by Todd Litman on September 29, 2014 - 6:00am

Transportation engineers currently evaluate urban transport system performance using roadway level of service (LOS) ratings. Here are six good reasons to change.

Introducing the Litman 'Chauffeuring Burden Index'

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Submitted by Todd Litman on September 2, 2014 - 6:00am

A significant portion of vehicle travel consists of chauffeuring: additional travel to transport a non-driver. The new Chauffeuring Burden Index calculates its direct and indirect costs. Why do these costs receive such little attention in planning?

What is a 'House'? Critiquing the Demographia International Housing Affordability Survey

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Submitted by Todd Litman on August 15, 2014 - 11:00am

Demographia's International Housing Affordability Surveys are widely used to compare cities and evaluate urban development policies, but there are good reasons to question their analysis methods, starting with their definition of "house."

Watch: How Induced Demand Explains the Vicious Cycle of Congestion

History (Un)made: Berkeley City Council Votes to Eliminate Single-Family Zoning

Lone Star Grid

Study Calls Seattle Nation's 'Most Economically Integrated' City

Cultivating a Culture of Transit

Big Benefits from Small Modes

Public Drinking in America

Latkes, Hamantashen, and Urbanism

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Todd Litman's blog

Communicating Transit Benefits: We Can Do Better

How Not to Evaluate Public Transit Risks

More Critique of Demographia's International Housing Affordability Survey

New Transit Safety Narrative

Land for Vehicles or People?

Climate Change Targets? No Problem! We Have Win-Win Solutions

How Not To Measure Traffic Congestion—Hold the Hyperbole, Please!

Reform Transport Engineering: Expand Beyond Just Roadway Level of Service (LOS) Ratings

Introducing the Litman 'Chauffeuring Burden Index'

What is a 'House'? Critiquing the Demographia International Housing Affordability Survey

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