Presenting less of an argument against transit than an argument for good transit and land use planning, Streetsblog surveys some of the country's worst performing rail lines.
Angie Schmitt surveys the lowlights of new rail projects, "attracting embarrassingly few passengers." According to Schmitt, most of the underperforming lines are mostly mixed-traffic streetcars, "but that's not the only way to mess up." The blinking light of the headline states the main takeaway: "just laying track is no guarantee riders will come."
Schmitt's survey starts in Dallas, before connecting to Atlanta, Salt Lake City, and Cleveland. The article includes links to primary sources and local commentary on the state of underwhelming rail transit.
For the sake of comparison, Schmitt also notes the more successful versions of streetcars, located in Tucson and Kansas City (though the latter has only just opened, to much fanfare, and will require more time to determine its ridership).
Schmitt's argument, about the need for quality transit planning, connected to quality land use planning, differs from other critiques of underperforming transit systems, such as this article by Joel Kotkin and Wendell Cox from October 2015.
FULL STORY: Reminder: Just Laying Track Is No Guarantee Riders Will Come
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City's don't need vintage streetcars; cities need the frequency and convenience of service delivered by the streetcar lines from days past.
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A new proposal would improve wait times for area buses and bring more households within walking distance to transit stops.
The Top Urban Planning Books of 2021
Planetizen's annual list of the top urban planning books of the year is here—maintaining a tradition that dates back to 2002.
The Roadway Expansion Paradox
Motorists want expensive roadway expansions provided that somebody else foots the bill, but when required to pay directly through tolls, the need for more capacity often disappears. What should planners do?
Urban Exodus: Data Don't Support the Popular Pandemic Narrative
Americans fled cities in waves during the pandemic, right? Not to so fast.
Peter De Fazio, Chair of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, to Retire
The end of an era for Oregon in Congress.
Santa Monica Mountains Acquires More Land For Conservation
The Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority has acquired the final 150 acres of the 325-acre Triangle Ranch open space in the Santa Monica Mountains.
Bike Share Coming to West Palm Beach
A new bike share system will bring 170 bikes to West Palm Beach as part of Brightline's new suite of door-to-door mobility options.
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Town of Palm Beach
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
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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.
Hand Drawing Master Plans
This course aims to provide an introduction into Urban Design Sketching focused on how to hand draw master plans using a mix of colored markers.
