Transportation

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

Portland Bike

State Departments of Transportation Finally Turning Their Attention to Safety?

Angie Schmitt sees encouraging signs of a change of perspective in some state DOTs, which seem to be following the national lead of Vision Zero Campaign.

November 15, 2016 - Streetsblog USA

Santa Monica Bikes

The Critical Importance of Bicycle Infrastructure to Public Health

The lead editorial in the December issue of American Journal of Public Health provides the introduction for two research papers on the relationship between bicycling safety and infrastructure expansion in Boston and Vision Zero in U.S. and Sweden.

November 15, 2016 - American Journal Of Public Health

New Jersey Transit

More Bad News About the State of New Jersey Transit

The New Jersey Transit system, with an operating budget reduced to 10 percent of its 2009 total, has become more of a vessel for nepotism than a provider of safe transit service, according to a recent editorial.

November 14, 2016 - New Jersey Star-Ledger

D.C. and Arlington Explore Connection by Gondola

A feasibility study suggests a gondola system across the Potomac would be cheaper than a new Metro station.

November 14, 2016 - The Washington Post

SEPTA Token

Tokens Finally a Thing of the Past for Philly's Transit Riders

The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transit Authority (SEPTA) are expecting to roll out the final components of the new SEPTA Key system, allowing all riders to pay the fare with something other than tokens.

November 14, 2016 - PlanPhilly

Could a High-Speed Gondola Fill in for the Loss of the L Train in New York?

Political support is building for a plan to connect Brooklyn to Manhattan by high-speed gondola.

November 13, 2016 - New York Daily News

Indiana State Capital

Indianapolis Voters Overwhelmingly Pass Income Tax for Transit

Marion County may soon have the nation's most progressive tax dedicated to public transit, and only bus transit at that. In addition to the faith and business communities that backed the measure, Gov. (now V.P.-elect) Mike Pence deserves credit.

November 13, 2016 - Indianapolis Business Journal

Seattle Speed Limits

Lower Speed Limits Are the Law in Seattle

The city of Seattle moved quickly in enacting a speed limit change on streets around downtown. File this under real change to achieve the goals of Vision Zero.

November 11, 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.

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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.