A few days ago, I was trying to take a streetcar in Toronto- and the streetcar was just as congested as any suburban arterial. The lines in front of streetcars were so long that I couldn't get into the first streetcar. Or the second. Or the third. Instead, I had to wait a few minutes (horrors!) for the fourth streetcar. I asked myself: what if streetcars only ran every hour, instead of every few minutes? Would the streetcars be equally crowded? Of course not. People would abandon the streetcars and start to use cars (if they owned them) and buy them (if they did not yet own them).
A few days ago, I was trying to take a streetcar in Toronto- and the
streetcar was just as congested as any suburban arterial. The
lines in front of streetcars were so long that I couldn't get into the
first streetcar. Or the second. Or the third.
Instead, I had to wait a few minutes (horrors!) for the fourth
streetcar.
I asked myself: what if streetcars only ran every
hour, instead of every few minutes? Would the streetcars be
equally crowded? Of course not. People would abandon the
streetcars and start to use cars (if they owned them) and buy them (if
they did not yet own them).
In my experience, there is an inverse
correlation between the amount of public transit service and the amount
of overcrowding on trains or buses: in places with extensive
service, overcrowding is a problem- but in places where public transit
is limited to hourly bus service (e.g. Jacksonville, Florida) buses
tend to be delightfully uncrowded, and usually I can not only sit in a
seat but put my bags on the seat next to me. In three years in
Jacksonville, I do not think I ever had to stand on a bus.
This methodology should tell us something
about how and when we build roads. If (as I have suggested) reduced transit service
means less congestion on transit, why should roads be any different?
Seattle Legalizes Co-Living
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Central Florida’s SunRail Plans Major Expansion
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NYC Officials Announce Broadway Pedestrianization Project
Two blocks of the marquee street will become mostly car-free public spaces.
Santa Monica Lowers Speed Limits
Posted speed limits will be reduced by 5 miles per hour on dozens of the city’s streets.
For Some, Co-Housing Offers Social and Economic Benefits
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New Map Puts Bay Area Traffic Data in One Place
The Traffic Monitoring site uses community-collected speed and volume data to reveal traffic patterns on local roads.
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.
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
Caltrans
Los Alamos County
American Planning Association, Sustainable Communities Division
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Cambridge, Maryland
Newport County Development Council: Connect Greater Newport
Rockdale County Board of Commissioners