The Port Authority bus terminal, located in Midtown, has been "stagnating as ridership has been rising" since the 1970s. Now a third of New Jersey commuters use the facility.
"The problems begin as soon as you walk in," writes Jim O'Grady. "There's no arrivals or departures boards for the buses. The information booth looks abandoned, and the signage is sparse and bewildering. There are mystery leaks, cell phone dead zones and harsh lighting."
"Rich Barone, transportation director of the Regional Plan Association Barone says the terminal is overtaxed with 7,500 buses competing each weekday for not enough gates. So the buses circle, clogging the streets while spewing pollution. And it's going to get worse: with the cancellation of the ARC Tunnel, which would have doubled train capacity under the Hudson River, the main way to get more commuters between New Jersey and Manhattan is by bus."
O'Grady's coverage also includes a few, more colorful, descriptions of the terminal, as well as the Governor Christie connection to the scuttled plans for a larger terminal. Also, the Port Authority is working on a master plan for the future of the terminal, due out this fall.
Read the full story: The Port Authority Bus Terminal: "If Hell Had a Hell"
Revealed: Plans for Makeover of the World's Busiest Bus Terminal
The Port Authority Bus Terminal, described as the busiest bus terminal in the world, is due for a makeover, due to its "ragged" appearance and importance to the economy of the New York and New Jersey.
Resistance Rising Against Port Authority's Manhattan Bus Terminal Plans
Nicole Gelinas writes a column that deliberately establishes an urban vs. suburban conflict over the issue of a $10 billion proposal to build a new Port Authority bus terminal on Manhattan's West Side.
Chronic Homelessness Persists at New York City Transit Hubs and Airports
Two train stations, two airports, and one bus terminal double as homeless shelters in New York City. When some close for the night, the subways fill in.
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.
Chicago breaks ground on $3 billion megadevelopment
The new neighborhood, titled Foundry Park, will one day host 3,700 residences.
California High-Speed Rail Authority CEO resigns after $600,000 scandal
Under Ian Choudri, the authority used taxpayer dollars to fund first class flights and trips to nightclubs.
Want to study the Missouri River? Soon, you may need unanimous approval from 10 states
Legislation would require 10 governors’ permission to study or build projects moving water outside the basin.
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.
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