Transportation

The Many Benefits of Wandering Through Cities on Foot
Forget the countryside. Urban walking helps people understand their cities while at the same time encouraging urban landscapes where people actually want to walk.

Tougher Fines for Phone Use and the Introduction of the Dutch Reach for Illinois Drivers
Illinois gets to new pieces of legislation aimed at slowing the rise in pedestrian deaths and other commuter injuries.
AAA Study: Auto Ownership More Cost-Effective Than Ride-Hailing
Even after factoring in insurance, parking, depreciation, fuel, repair, maintenance and licensing, urban dwellers would pay half the costs to travel, on average, nearly 11,000 miles annually in their own new car rather than relying on ride-hailing.

Baltimore Municipal Bike Share Ends; Private Bike Share Pilot Begins
Dockless electric scooters and bikes are welcome on the streets of Baltimore, as long as they follow a few rules. In related news, the municipal bike share system Baltimore Bike Share has ceased operations.

New App Helps Taxis Compete
The Waave app provides some of the functionality of ride-hailing apps to taxi drivers. The app is the result of a New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission pilot program.

Report: L Train Closure Finally Impacting the Brooklyn Real Estate Market
The New York MTA is planning to shut down the L Train from Brooklyn to Manhattan in 2019, and renters in the area no longer find the area along the route as attractive.

Transit Shelter Modernization Plan on the Shelf in Seattle
Transit advocates thought a public-private partnership to modernize transit shelters and enhance the public realm was a done deal.

The Feds Finally Come Through for Albuquerque Rapid Transit
The city of Albuquerque has finally received the $75 million it needed to complete an ambitious plan for electric bus rapid transit along Central Avenue.

SUVs Sales Increase in California While Car Sales Drop—Except Those with Plugs
It's a classic paradox, observes David R. Baker for the San Francisco Chronicle: bigger, thirstier vehicles sell better than smaller, more efficient ones, while the market for battery-powered vehicles, especially Teslas, also increases.

The Landscape Architect’s Guide to Sustainable Transportation
How to design a transit system that is safe, green, and beautiful.

The Public Can Hail Driverless Rides in Texas, Starting in October
Drive.ai is advancing its autonomous vehicle service a step further—into the public realm.

Friday Fun: Ceci N’est Pas une Rue
When allowing a crowd to decide the name of something important, make sure to add a layer of self-control.

Independent Operators Expected to Replace Lost Greyhound Service in British Columbia
Transportation officials and companies are still working out how to respond to the decision by Greyhound to discontinue its intercity routes in Western Canada.

Transit Industry Leadership Expresses Optimism About Meeting Upcoming Safety Deadlines
With a year-end deadline approaching, reports indicate progress by agencies and optimism that vulnerable systems will meet this year’s requirements.

The Minneapolis Plan to Tame Dockless Bike Sharing
A new dockless expansion will grow the city’s bikeshare network but without the disorder that has plagued ventures in other cities.

Opponents Push for Recount of Transit Tax Vote in Suburban Michigan
The Michigan Taxpayers Alliance is seeking a recount of the Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation (SMART) millage that passed by only 39 votes in the August 7 primary.

Philadelphia Advocates Sue for Protected Bike Lane
As the city continues to make little progress on planned bike lanes, cyclists are turning to the courts for relief.

Anti-Transit Advocates Would Shut Down Light Rail Stops in Maryland
Opposition to construction of rail transit based on concerns about crime is a familiar story to transit planners. Calling for existing transit stops to close is a little less familiar.
Streets, Not Scooters, Are the Problem
The media coverage of a tragic crash in Cleveland shows how long of a leash drivers and street design get in the debate about traffic safety and the public realm.

A New Daytime 'Bus Only' Lane Hits the Street in Seattle
New 'bus only' lanes on 3rd Avenue in Seattle are expected to save bus commuters a lot of time, and bus drivers a lot of headaches.
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