Public Transit

Proposed Bus Fare Increases Roil Brazil

'Unruly' protests by residents opposed to planned hikes in the cost of bus fares have shaken Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro in the past week. The country has a history of transit fare protests going back 130 years.

June 16, 2013 - The New York Times

Slicing the Mobility Pie in Africa's Cities

The research wing of the non-profit think tank Future Cape Town has produced an infographic that provides valuable insight into the mobility patterns found in some of Africa's largest cities. Less sustainable options are growing, raising concerns.

June 13, 2013 - Future Cape Town

L.A. Plays Catch-Up to Big City Brethren With Debut of Bus-Only Lanes

One of Los Angeles's most congested corridors may have gotten a bit more congested this week - for autos that is - as the first segment of an eventual 12.5 miles of bus only lanes opened along Wilshire Boulevard.

June 6, 2013 - Los Angeles Times

Miami Highway

How Miami Lost Its Way to a Transit-Rich Future

Forty years ago, Dade County officials sketched a vision for a paradigm shift away from highways and towards a multi-modal transportation system for the area. Four decades onward, highway expansion is alive and well in Miami-Dade. What happened?

May 20, 2013 - TransitMiami

Accounting for Latent Travel Demand

Planners must anticipate how people would respond to new options, such as better walking, cycling and public transit services. This requires imagination.

May 19, 2013 - Todd Litman

Broken Bus

Are Corporations Imperiling America's Public Transportation Systems?

Chris Hedges warns that corporate consolidation of public transportation is leading to increasingly dangerous conditions for both drivers and passengers, especially in intercity bus systems.

April 17, 2013 - AlterNet

Atlanta Plans for Transit Hub While Ridership Tumbles

Despite falling ridership numbers on the region's public transit system (bucking the nationwide trend), the Georgia Department of Transportation is studying options for building a multi-modal transit hub in downtown Atlanta.

April 2, 2013 - The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Friday Funny: 26 Reasons Never to Ride Transit Again

Warning: you can't unsee the images gathered as part of BuzzFeed's "26 Things You'll See on Public Transportation", a candid reminder that when is comes to public transit, some things are better left in private.

March 22, 2013 - BuzzFeed

Free Transit a Big Hit in Estonian Capital

In January of this year, Tallinn (pop. 423,000) became the first European capital and the largest European city to provide public transit free of charge to its residents. So far, the experiment has proven a success.

February 19, 2013 - Euro Cities

Minnesota Gov. Unveils Plan to Fast Track Transit Funding

In a budget unveiled last month, Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton proposed a .25 percent sales tax increase to fund an expansion of the Twin Cities metro area's public transit systems. The proposal has garnered enthusiastic support.

February 5, 2013 - The Minn Post

S.F.'s Mayor Sets His Sights on Public Transit

During his first State of the City address, San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee put reforming MUNI - the city's "notoriously late and overcrowded public transit system" - at the top of his agenda.

January 29, 2013 - San Francisco Chronicle

The Three Keys to Building an Effective Transit Network for L.A.

By comparing the city's density, scale, and distribution of employment nodes to other major cities, Kristin Eberhard makes the case for why and how transit can work in big, dense, polycentric Los Angeles.

January 27, 2013 - NRDC Switchboard

Inaccessible Transit Turns NYC Into a Tribulation

In a short film for The New York Times, Jason DaSilva documents how New York's famed public transit system, which serves millions of riders every day, fails the city's disabled residents.

January 18, 2013 - The New York Times

Why Do People Ditch Transit?

Ryan Holeywell discusses a new report from researchers at the University of California, Berkeley that examines the top reasons people stop using public transit. Frequent, consistent service is most important to riders.

January 16, 2013 - Governing

Transit Seen as Crucial to Tysons Transformation

The ambitious plan to transform the auto-oriented D.C. suburb of Tysons Corner into vibrant, walkable Tysons will require building a culture of public transportation, and buses are seen a central piece of that effort, reports Luz Lazo.

January 16, 2013 - The Washington Post

Rapid Transit Gets Personal, Again

After decades of discussion and experimentation, Personal Rapid Transit (PRT) is again getting attention as a potential alternative means of transport, merging the comfort of the private car with the automation and safety of public transit.

January 15, 2013 - The Atlantic Cities

New Map Shows How to Traverse California via Public Transit

For those that dream of traveling the length of the Golden State without getting behind the wheel of an automobile, a new map shows the interconnected system of trains and buses that can get you from San Diego to Eureka and in-between.

January 14, 2013 - SF.Streetsblog

 Hollywood/Western Red Line Station

How Art Inspires L.A.'s Public Transit Commuters

As the L.A. metro continues to expand, so do opportunities for artists to showcase their art. For transit riders, this adds an important element to their daily journey, making the commuting experience all the more memorable.

January 12, 2013 - Los Angeles Times

Invest in Public Transit to Slow Climate Change

Reflecting on the significance and impact of Superstorm Sandy, Bill McKibben and Lawrence J. Hanley propose a 3-step process focused on mass transit that America should pursue to promote community development, public health and the environment.

December 7, 2012 - The Huffington Post

Seeking Return to Normalcy, New Yorkers Struggle to Get to Work

In many parts of the city located on higher ground than Lower Manhattan, the lights are on and the flood waters have receded. But New York's transportation network is struggling to reconnect the city's business centers with commuters.

November 1, 2012 - The New York Times

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.

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