The Utah Transit Authority ran a one-time Fare-Free-Friday in December, thanks to sponsorship by the Salt Lake City Council and the Salt Lake County Mayor’s Office. Another sponsor will be needed to support any future iterations of Fare-Free-Friday.
"The Utah Transit Authority’s 23-percent ridership increase on a free fare day last month may be a one-time thing unless someone comes forward with a way to pay for another free day," Jeremy Harris.
"The free transit day aimed to get drivers off the road during a particularly bad week of pollution," according to Harris, in a program similar to one in South Korea. In Utah, the Fare-Free-Friday in December. "[Three] tons of vehicle pollution and 200 tons of greenhouse gases were saved by the increased public transit ridership on Dec. 22," adds Harris. "UTA estimates the Free Fare Friday promotion removed 17,560 cars from Utah’s road that day."
FULL STORY: “Free-Fare-Friday” probably won’t happen again without major funding source
A Citizen-Led Plan Would Revamp Salt Lake’s Transit and Freeway Mix
The Rio Grande Plan would restore rail service to the Rio Grande Depot and reconnect a community divided by a freeway in Salt Lake City.
Fisticuffs: The argument AGAINST fare-free transit
If a terrible bus becomes free, will it truly free you?
Salt Lake City to Get Five New Bus Lines
The service improvements come after a year of strong ridership growth.
The state-sanctioned urbicide of Austin
People don’t kill cities. Freeways do.
US to reduce Colorado River water deliveries to Mexico
A new Colorado Treaty amendment reduces Mexico’s Colorado River water allocation by 250,000 acre feet.
New Jersey’s second-largest city bans standalone data centers
Jersey City will continue to allow co-location facilities, such as those meant for research institutions that store their own data.
Amtrak not solely to blame for New Jersey commuter rail's unreliability, report finds
A new study from the Garden State Initiative found that NJ Transit’s budget grew 20% across a 4 year period, but reliability declined significantly over the same period.
EPA erases limits on planet-warming pollution from power plants
Under Monday’s plan, power plants would still have some limits on how much mercury, arsenic and other contaminants they can emit.
Phoenix announces new on-demand transit service, more frequent RAPID buses
Both new services will launch in October, and are part of Phoenix's Project Effective Access Solutions for Easing Congestion.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
Eagle County Government
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
Nashville Planning Department
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
Journal of the American Planning Association