The MBTA will use local and FTA monies to bring in the new vehicles which will replace older diesel and hybrid buses aging out of their usable lifespan.
MBTA announced its buying 194 hybrid buses from New Flyer. “The new buses will replace old vehicles and are supported by Federal Transit Administration grants,” Brooks Sutherland reports for the Boston Herald. MBTA says the new buses will help the agency improve its service, because younger vehicles are less prone to mechanical issues.
Hybrid buses are nothing new to the system that has purchased around 750 of those buses over the last 17 years, many of which are still in operation. The service operates about 1,000 buses that run on diesel, CNG, electric trolleybus, and diesel-electric hybrid.
Read the full story: MBTA to purchase fleet of hybrid buses
The Massachusetts town that didn't get the T wants a re-do
Fifty years ago, Arlington said no to a stop on the MBTA Red Line connecting it to Boston. Now, the town wants a second chance.
Boston has spent millions making the Green Line more accessible — and there’s no end in sight
While the city has invested millions into expanding and adding platforms to the Green Line to make it more accessible, new train cars set to arrive next year will be too tall for disabled passengers to board without raising the current platforms.
MBTA extends commuter rail discounts and lowers express bus fare to keep passengers riding into the fall
Boston-area commuters can access half-price monthly passes through November.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour
If the state plays its cards right, it may be able to store a billion acre-feet of El Niño’s water in aquifers.
Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River
Draining the reservoir could reduce evaporation losses by a couple hundred thousand acre-feet.
Chicago voters approve permanent festival grounds, penalty for vacant property owners
Currently, major summer and fall festivals take over public parks for weeks at a time, drawing criticism from nearby residents
NYC votes to cut outdoor dining red tape, speed up permitting
New York City also voted to allow the Department of Transportation to begin work on urgent projects before notifying elected officials.
California appears to reject Prop. 45
The proposition would have expanded the projects that qualify for a streamlined environmental review, effectively paring down the California Environmental Quality Act.
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.
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority