The list of challenges facing transit agencies like the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority is long. The list of feasible projects that can deliver solutions is much shorter.
"Bus riders continued bailing on SEPTA in 2018, bringing it to its worst ridership numbers in nearly 20 years," reports Jason Laughlin.
This is the fourth consecutive year that SEPTA has lost riders, according to data from the Federal Transit Administration. "The transit agency lost 14 million bus trips from 2017 to 2018, the data showed, an 8 percent decline," writes Laughlin.
Transit ridership is declining comes even as the population of the city is increasing.
The other angle of the story worth noting is the palpable pessimism about the prospects that the trends will change anytime soon, or that the system will be able to deliver improvements designed to win back riders..
"SEPTA has promised a bus network redesign to provide faster and more reliable service, but it will be years before it happens," reports Laughlin. SEPTA has also "been advised to eliminate transfer fees to boost ridership, but it will be another year before SEPTA decides its transfer fee policy," for another example.
FULL STORY: SEPTA keeps bleeding bus riders. It may take years to stanch the losses.
D.C. Transit Implementing Major Changes, Hopes to Boost Ridership
Flat fares, reduced wait times, and extended late-night service are all part of a package of changes meant to bring riders back and adjust to post-pandemic travel patterns.
Calculating Bus Stop Spacing for 43 U.S. Cities
New research documents the distance between bus stops in U.S. cities—a key question for service designers that determines a lot about the public transit user experience.
D.C. Transit Agencies Ready to Serve Returning Commuters
The region's transit providers are gearing up to provide enhanced service, shorter headways, and reduced or free fares as more people return to public transportation.
Planning for Congestion Relief
The third and final installment of Planetizen's examination of the role of the planning profession in both perpetuating and solving traffic congestion.
Minneapolis Housing Plan a Success—Not for the Reason You Think
Housing advocates praise the city’s move to eliminate single-family zoning by legalizing triplexes on single-family lots, but that isn’t why housing construction is growing.
Car Noise Is Killing Us
It’s not just traffic collisions that kill—a new study from researcher at Rutgers finds that the loud noises emanating from cars has direct impact on heart health in Americans.
Parks as a Weapon Against Climate Change
The 2022 ParkScore finds that cities are increasingly employing green space as a tool for mitigating heat and extreme weather effects, but the distribution of parks remains inequitable.
Louisiana Capital Shifting to Electric Transit
The Baton Rouge area is now served by a fleet of nine all-electric buses.
New Community Engagement Practices for Seattle’s Comprehensive Plan Update
A major update of Seattle’s comprehensive plan is just getting under way, with new opportunities for local groups to get involved with outreach and engagement.
City of Malibu
EMC Planning Group Inc.
Jefferson Parish
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Harvard GSD Executive Education
City of Rohnert Park
City of Hot Springs
City of Lakeway, Texas
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.
Hand Drawing Master Plans
This course aims to provide an introduction into Urban Design Sketching focused on how to hand draw master plans using a mix of colored markers.
