The autonomous, four-person pods would travel on an enclosed track, but is it an effective model for public transit?
An autonomous car company wants to bring driverless, four-person ‘pods’ to the Bay Area, reports John Ramos for CBS News, a project that would require a 28-mile enclosed roadway with 56 access points. “And because the cars are only about five feet wide, the travel route is small enough to run alongside trails, railroad tracks and streets without removing any existing lanes.”
The service, built by Glydways, could provide a link to Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) and other regional transit systems for communities that lack connections. “So where will the money coming [sic] from? Right now, that's unclear. But transit planners say it will be a partnership, combining state and federal funding with private investment.”
High-tech transportation projects like this have been criticized for distracting transportation agencies and lawmakers from the less flashy transit solutions — e.g. buses — that have been proven to work when funded effectively.
FULL STORY: Autonomous car company Glydways to bring driverless public transit to East Contra Costa
Minnesota Uses Autonomous Shuttles To Improve Mobility
A pilot program will provide free rides to help rural and elderly residents reach more destinations.
Pennsylvania lawmaker wants to ban fully self-driving buses
State Rep. Ben Waxman's proposed bill would require autonomous buses to have a licensed driver on board.
West Memphis to launch new transit system
The city across the Mississippi River from Memphis, Tennessee will soon begin service on its own, on-demand transit system.
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