Transportation

Israel Plans to Harness the Power of Waze to Save Wildlife
Just in time for United Nations World Wildlife Day, a new initiative in Israel has launched to identify deadly road crossings for animals by harnessing data collected from the Waze app.

Big Idea: One Less Highway Through Kansas City
Eric Bunch argues that removing I-70 from downtown Kansas City presents a big opportunity for the city.

Trump Administration Reviewing U.S. DOT's Automated Vehicle Guidelines
Among the many guidelines and rules going back to the drawing board (or ceremonial execution by executive order) at the federal level are guidelines for self-driving cars released only months ago by the U.S. Department of Transportation.

Nation's Newest Transit Funding Income Tax Approved in Indianapolis
It took awhile, but the city of Indianapolis has finally approved the nation's newest income tax to raise revenue for the IndyGo public transit system.
How to Build a $12 Billion High-Speed Rail Line at No Cost to Taxpayers
Unlike the nation's more well-known high-speed rail project in California, the 205 miles-per-hour, Dallas-to-Houston bullet train will be almost entirely privately financed. How is that possible?

Yet Another Flawed Congestion Report
The new INRIX Traffic Scorecard uses "big" data to calculate congestion costs. Like previous studies, it exaggerates traffic congestion costs and roadway expansion benefits.

More than Twenty Bills Introduced in Texas Legislature to Stop High-Speed Rail
The California high-speed rail project is not alone in confronting legal and political obstacles. The main issue in Texas that has aroused opposition to the privately financed, 240-mile Dallas to Houston bullet train is the use of eminent domain.
Seattle Hoping to Extend a Successful Traffic Safety Project
After repainting the lanes on Rainier Avenue in Seattle, the street works better for everyone. If it's that easy, why isn't the model implemented more widely?

Checking In With Cities That 'Lost' the Smart Cities Challenge
Denver and Austin were finalists in the competition. Since then, they've found ways to implement their ideas.

Scottish Town Tackles Speeders with Blow Dryers
Mimicking traffic cops, local townsfolk have resorted to speed checking passing cars with blow dryers.

Texas Road Subsidies Take Toll on General Fund
Diverting billions of dollars of sales tax revenue from the state's general fund to the Texas Department of Transportation is taking a toll on other programs that lawmakers must fund.

Study: Reduce Traffic with Mixed-Use Development
A new study explores how the built environment influences vehicle miles traveled.

St. Louis Studying Ambitious, $2.2 Billion MetroLink Proposal
The city of St. Louis is taking the first official steps toward the ambitious Northside-Southside MetroLink proposal.

Another Protected Bike Lane Proposed for Washington, D.C.
An early look at designs for a protected bike lane on Florida Avenue shows the District Department of Transportation keeping pace with its tradition of ambitious bike infrastructure projects.
Research Team to Study the Physiological Responses of Pedestrians to 'Physical Disorder'
Associate Professors Yunwoo Nam and lead PI Changbum Ahn from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, were recently awarded an NSF grant entitled "Human-Centric Sensing Platform to Assess Neighborhood Physical Disorder."
Caltrans Releases Draft Plan on Active Transportation
Public comment is now open on the plan, which aims to make walking and bicycling safe and equitable options by 2040.

A Tool to Show the Effects of Transit Closures
The NYC Transit Explorer from Sidewalk Labs shows how much transit service New Yorkers stand to lose when the L Train shuts down for 18 months.

Denver's New R Line Light Rail Open to the Public Today
New to Denver today: 22 miles of light rail, two new system connections, and service to 16 stations. The Regional Transportation District's (RTD) new R Line will also be offering free rides on its first day of service.

Parking Permits Cause Tension in SoCal Neighborhoods
Renters and homeowners are competing for permit districts in some Southern California cities.

Lyft Expands to 54 New Cities as Uber Fights Wave of Bad Press
Lyft is looking to take advantage of the recent scandals dogging Uber by expanding to 54 new cities.
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.
Roanoke Valley-Alleghany Regional Commission
City of Mt Shasta
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
US High Speed Rail Association
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
Municipality of Princeton (NJ)