As cities streamline approval processes for bus-only lanes during the pandemic, transit experts hope the projects will lead to lasting change.
In a discussion hosted by TransitCenter on the efficacy of bus lanes installed during the COVID-19 pandemic, transportation professionals weighed in on the need for continued and improved bus service and the effects of the pandemic on transit systems across the country.
The pandemic only highlighted existing inequities in transit systems. While trains tend to serve white-collar workers who have largely shifted to working from home, buses remain a crucial lifeline for essential workers, many of whom are low-income and depend on buses to access jobs. During the pandemic, train ridership in Chicago dropped by 80%, while bus ridership stayed essentially the same.
To take advantage of lighter traffic and improve the efficiency of bus systems, some cities have fast-tracked bus lane projects this year, with Boston adding 14 miles of bus lanes in 2020. By reducing barriers to bus lane projects and implementing quick, temporary solutions, cities can improve traffic in the short term and gain support for making bus lanes permanent in the future as travel picks back up and users see the benefits of more efficient transit service.
FULL STORY: How have pandemic bus lanes worked out in Chicago, Boston, and SF?
20 Miles of Bus Lanes and Car-Free Busways Coming to New York City
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Back in June, the city of New York seemed poised for a major shift in transportation priority. In October, reality is setting in about how hard a sell the transformation will be.
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An ambitious program to add 20 miles of bus lanes and protected bus ways in the city of New York has been diminished by political opposition in parts of the city.
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