Transit advocates have little good to say about the recently-passed Surface Transportation Reauthorization and Reform Act. While it doesn't cut transit funding, it does nothing to expedite transit-based solutions.
A piece from Streetsblog chronicles how the pro-transit community is reacting to the Congressional bill. The good news is that "for the most part this bill holds funding for transit, biking, and walking steady." But obvious shortcomings remain.
For one thing, the bill prioritizes transit regulation over auto regulation. Mariia Zimmerman responds, "Each year more layers are added to the regulatory onion [...] Yet when we look at the numbers killed on our transportation network: roughly 33,000 people die on roads each year, and less than 270 die on transit."
The bill also shortchanges municipalities by rejecting a proposed amendment "that would have directed more funding to towns and cities of all sizes and increased transparency in how projects are selected."
Environmental watchdogs have pointed out how the bill compromises the NEPA (National Environmental Policy Act) process, "restricting the ability of agencies to comment on alternatives and, even worse, possibly eliminating the agencies' ability to consider superior alternatives or citizen-introduced alternatives."
FULL STORY: Be Afraid, Be Very Afraid of the House Transportation Bill
D.C. Metro Seeks Public Input on Proposed Service Cuts
D.C. Metro Seeks Public Input on Proposed Service Cuts
The Best Cities for Public Transit
Redfin released its updated transit scores for 2019 and, while there’s little change in the ranking, cities like D.C. and New York did see changes in their scores.
New York Times: Transit on West Coast Surging Ahead of East Coast
East Coast transit systems used to be the envy of other cities, but now the West Coast is taking big steps to expand their networks.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
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.
Mamdani overhauls NYC's Vision Zero plan with 100 new policy goals
The overhaul aims to reduce traffic deaths and make streets safer for pedestrians, cyclists and drivers through lower speed limits, new safety infrastructure and more.
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.
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