Transportation

Neighbors Confused By Green Bollards for Bike Lanes in Long Beach

A new look for buffered bike lanes in Long Beach is confusing some of the residents.

November 23, 2016 - Long Beach Press-Telegram

Portland

Portland Beefing Up its Buffered Bike Lane Network

The Portland Bureau of Transportation recently put the finishing touches on 5.6 miles of improvements to the city's bike infrastructure.

November 22, 2016 - Bike Portland

DART Dallas

A Best Practice for Measuring Transit Performance

The New York MTA isn't the only transit system to spend valuable time evaluating ways to evaluate service, and it certainly won't be the last. TransitCenter suggests one metric to end these kinds of debates.

November 22, 2016 - TransitCenter

Transit Fail

WMATA's SafeTrack: Behind Schedule and Over Budget

The SafeTrack repair program has shut down Metrorail lines for much of 2016—and the price for the repairs to the system keep going up.

November 21, 2016 - The Washington Post

Traffic

Why Do So Many People Choose Rush Hour Traffic?

The latest episode of #TransitTrends explores the psychology of traffic.

November 21, 2016 - moovel

Seattle Streetcar

Seattle's HUGE Transit Victory on Election Day

In dollars, Seattle region's Proposition 1 was second only to Measure M, a $120 billion sales tax measure in Los Angeles County, although the comparison is lacking in at least three respects. Prop 1 did not pass in all three Puget Sound counties.

November 21, 2016 - The Seattle Times

At Least 120 Dead in Indian Train Derailment on Sunday

A fractured rail is suspected as the cause of the worst train crash in India since 2010. The Indore-Patna Express train derailed near Kanpur in northern India. At least 200 are injured.

November 21, 2016 - The Guardian

Coal Railroad

Coal Train Lawsuit Settlement Leaves Unanswered Questions

A lawsuit in the state of Washington between environmentalists and BNSF Railway over the environmental impacts of coal trains has been settled out of court.

November 20, 2016 - Crosscut

E-470 Toll

Colorado to Launch Road Usage Charge Pilot Next Month

Colorado residents are now being recruited to participate in a four-month program to evaluate how motorists react to being charged by the mile driven rather than gallon of fuel burned. Sagging fuel tax revenues are the impetus for the pilot program.

November 19, 2016 - The Denver Post

Trump Protests

A New Normal Needed on the Streets Around Trump Tower

With no signs of the protests outside of Trump Tower going away, Nicole Gelinas has a suggestion for Mayor Bill de Blasio.

November 18, 2016 - New York Post

Megabus

Megabus Cutting Back Operations in Chicago

The Chicago hub of Megabus operations will be just another stop between Ohio and Texas.

November 18, 2016 - Chicago Tribune

New York Subway

Another Fare Increase Coming to New York Transit

Expect a decision on how much the New York MTA plans to raise fares by January 2017.

November 18, 2016 - The New York Times

Rescue Bus

Metro Detroit's Millage Tax Comes Within Half a Percentage Point of Passing

A $4.6 billion transit plan proposed by the Regional Transit Authority of Southeast Michigan received 49.5 percent of the vote on November 8. The millage tax would have funded bus rapid transit and regional rail within a four-county region.

November 17, 2016 - Ann Arbor News

Baltimore MTA Bus

Baltimore Transit Advocates, Politicians Pushing for a Better Bus Plan

First came the demise of the $2.9 billion Red Line light rail project, then came the $138 million BaltimoreLink bus system project. Now a coalition of union and political interests are pushing for a "People's Alternative."

November 17, 2016 - The Baltimore Sun

Cleveland Public Square

Surprise: Cleveland's Public Square Won't Reopen to Buses After All

The plans for the renovation of Cleveland's Public Square took years to finalize and evolved several times along the way to delivery. Now one final decision will impact bus transit in and around the city.

November 16, 2016 - The Cleveland Plain Dealer

Del Mar Station TOD

A Potential Downside to $120 Billion in Transportation Investments in Los Angeles

The editorial board of the Los Angeles Times warns that along with new transit lines comes new housing for residents who want to enjoy the benefits of reduced auto-dependence. Plans need to ensure minimal housing displacement around the new stations.

November 16, 2016 - Los Angeles Times

Cheers

New Look MBTA Trains Debut in Boston

Boston residents got their first look earlier this week at the new trains that will grace the T tracks in 2019.

November 16, 2016 - The Boston Globe

Curitiba

All-Door Boarding a Missed Opportunity in NYC

American transit systems are increasingly moving to structures that allow pre-paying and all-door boarding. David Meyer argues that these systems have proven their worth and fears of fare evasion aren't enough to justify inferior services.

November 16, 2016 - StreetsBlog NYC

WMATA Stepping Up Efforts to End Sexual Assaults on Transit Lines

The Washington Metropolitan Transit Authority (WMATA) recently launched a new campaign to combat sexual harassment and assault—especially toward some of the most marginalized members of the community.

November 16, 2016 - Greater Greater Washington

Traffic Lights

Crunching the Safety Data Reveals the Need to Improve Traffic Lights

After completing an eight-year study of traffic collisions, the Seattle Department of Transportation realized that one way to immediately improve traffic safety would be to improve signalization an key intersections.

November 15, 2016 - The Urbanist

FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?

After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.

Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold

The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

100 Most Influential Urbanists

The who's who of urbanism, according to Planetizen readers.

Urban Planning Creators You Should Know

A short list of voices on social, video, and podcasting platforms.