Transportation

More Rights, Fewer Responsibilities, for Electric Scooter Riders in California
A bill that would toss the helmet requirement for adult e- scooter riders and allow them to ride on roads where the speed limit is 35 mph, up from the current limit of 25 mph, is on Governor Jerry Brown's desk. He has until Sept. 30 to decide.

Another Reason Motorists Should Support Road Tolling
Two things motorists detest: tolls and congestion. Tolls, if effectively applied, lessen congestion, but at a high cost to drivers. However, steep tolls also provide a political incentive to "fix the bottlenecks," as shown by the 66 Express Lanes.

Bus Lanes: the City Pays, Should Tech Companies Benefit?
Bus lanes built and policed by the city of San Francisco will be open to private transit buses. Sue Vaughan argues that's a mistake.

Editorial: Why Elon Musk’s Tunnel to Dodger Stadium Is a Very Bad Idea
A closer look at a plan for Los Angeles linking Dodger Stadium to the subway points to the proposal’s many flaws.

Study Details the Traffic Safety Benefits of Public Transit
A new study concludes that not only is transit a safer way to travel, but communities oriented around transit are also safer. As a result, planning approaches that encourage transit also increase traffic safety.

Brooklyn-Queens Connector Streetcar Plans Released
Plans for the Brooklyn-Queens Connector, otherwise known as the BQX, are still on the table, despite reports of the project's demise.
Bike Share Expanding In Toronto
Mayor John Tory announced a 2018 expansion of bike share that will include 3,750 new bikes and 360 new stations.

There's No 'Smart City' Without Smart Payment Technology
Thinking beyond the MetroCard.

Central Ohio Barely Makes a Dent in Driving Rates
Transportation investment is struggling to keep pace with population growth.

BART Transit Oriented Development Bill Passed by State Senate
A controversial bill that would free BART to develop housing on the most transit oriented of development sites, its parking lots, has managed to clear the hurdles of the California Legislature.

Op-Ed: More MARTA Should Mean Less Poverty
With $2.5 billion in new transit funding generated by a half-cent sales tax, Atlanta has choices about the future of its public transit systems. One advocate says investments should target economic mobility for low-income communities.

Federal Transit Administration Awards $84.5 Million for Electric Buses
The Low- or No-Emission (Low-No) Grant program has awarded funding to encourage the "deployment of transit buses and infrastructure that use advanced propulsion technologies."

SMART Recount Called Off; Opponents Concede
The saga of the voter-approved Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation millage appears to have reached a conclusion that will allow bus service to continue in Macomb County, Michigan.

Toll and Tax, or Just Tax, to Pay for Highway Expansion?
A political decision by the Texas Transportation Commission last December to drop projects which included toll lanes was thought to doom 15 road expansions from their 10-year capital plan, but some will go forward with HOV as opposed to HOT lanes.

How Many Days of Your Life Will Be Spent Commuting?
Follow up question: Are you sure you want to know the answer to the first question?

A Podcast by Houston's Transit Agency for Houston's Transit Riders
Some people think of Houston as an oil town; other people think of it as a transit town. This podcast is for the second kind of person.

Will Innovative Financing Solve California's Housing Shortage?
Are housing and housing finance two separate problems? California Assemblymember David Chiu and others in housing discuss how available finance tools could be employed to expand the capital pool for affordable housing projects.
Video: The Case for Free Public Transit
City Beautiful Dave Amos makes the case that everyone—even people who never use transit—would be better off if no one had to pay for public transit.

Autonomous Vehicles: Planners Aren’t Planning, Just Reacting
When it comes to planning for transformative technologies like autonomous vehicles, urban planners – whose job it is to project and prioritize transportation investments – have fallen behind and the consequences could be severe.

Friday Funny: Tesla Invents the Greenest Car
The Fake News website The Onion reports a complete fabrication about Elon Musk and Tesla.
Pagination
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.
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions