The lull in commuter traffic during the pandemic gave Houston's transit agencies time to implement new projects and redesign downtown roads to better accommodate transit users.
Dug Begley reports on Houston's newest bus-only lanes, slated to cover over two miles of downtown streets "as part of a three-phase project to freshen the bus-only lanes managed by Metropolitan Transit Authority. Paint could be spread across four blocks of Travis by fall, though the total project will take up to a year, and up to $1.5 million."
According to Kimberly Williams, Metro’s chief innovation officer, "[t]he goal is to take advantage of the slowdown in traffic downtown while it lasts to freshen the existing bus lanes." Williams said the agency sees this "very much as a safety project, as well, because it creates structure among all the users downtown." The project "is one of many changes under construction, planned or being considered downtown as Metro, Houston Public Works and the Houston Downtown Management District accelerate work while many offices are unoccupied."
"City, downtown and Metro officials, meanwhile, are working on plans to stop allowing vehicles to share light rail lanes along Capitol and Rusk. If redesigned, only trains and, perhaps some buses, would occupy the lanes, turning them into transit byways of the street grid in the central business district." A 2019 report assessed the dangers inherent in sharing lanes and "suggested eliminating the shared lanes and allowing only trains to use them. Removing cars and trucks, however, will require further study of the safety benefits and the effects on traffic, including the need for turns across the tracks."
FULL STORY: What's red and white and spread across downtown? Pretty soon, transit-only lanes
Depopulation Patterns Get Weird
A recent ranking of “declining” cities heavily features some of the most expensive cities in the country — including New York City and a half-dozen in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Pennsylvania Mall Conversion Bill Passes House
If passed, the bill would promote the adaptive reuse of defunct commercial buildings.
California Exodus: Population Drops Below 39 Million
Never mind the 40 million that demographers predicted the Golden State would reach by 2018. The state's population dipped below 39 million to 38.965 million last July, according to Census data released in March, the lowest since 2015.
Google Maps Introduces New Transit, EV Features
It will now be easier to find electric car charging stations and transit options.
Ohio Lawmakers Propose Incentivizing Housing Production
A proposed bill would take a carrot approach to stimulating housing production through a grant program that would reward cities that implement pro-housing policies.
Chicago Awarded $2M Reconnecting Communities Grant
Community advocates say the city’s plan may not do enough to reverse the negative impacts of a major expressway.
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
City of Universal City TX
ULI Northwest Arkansas
Town of Zionsville
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.