Transportation

Gas Station 7-Eleven

Let Smokers Pay for Roads

Missouri has come up with a unique way to pay for roads, and it's even a user fee, though it bears no direct relation to road users other than for those driving to the store to buy their cigarettes. So much for using the tax to address public health.

May 26, 2016 - Missourinet

Queens Transit Station

How the Triboro Line Could Improve Transit for Boroughs Not Named Manhattan

The Regional Plan Association presents the details of a plan to build a rail line connecting the Bronx, Queens, and Brooklyn: the Triboro Line.

May 26, 2016 - Regional Plan Association

Broken Bus

Recommendations for Reforming the American Public Transportation Association

In light of the resignation of APTA's president following the withdrawal of the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the Transit Center offers its recommendations for reforming the national transit advocacy organization.

May 25, 2016 - Transit Center

Texas State Capitol building

Op-Ed: Why Uber Wasn't Welcome in Austin

In the spirit of civic self-congratulation, Austin resident Richard Parker writes about how the transportation network company giants canceled service after losing a referendum vote. He ascribes this victory to the city's enduring contrarian streak.

May 25, 2016 - The New York Times

Portland

Reflecting on Regional Planning—50 Years Later

The planning world celebrated Jane Jacobs's 100th birthday earlier this month, and has already begun commemorating the centennial of New York's first zoning code. But did you know regional planning rose to prominence 50 years ago?

May 25, 2016 - MZ Strategies

Detroit People Mover

Transit Planners Put Ann Arbor-Detroit Commuter Rail in Motion

A long-stalled, but partially built-out, commuter rail line has achieved institutional legitimacy with the Regional Transit Authority of Southeast Michigan. Novembers will have a chance to decide on the idea in November.

May 24, 2016 - The Detroit News

Slow

Why the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Doesn't Use 'Accidents'

Call them crashes, collisions, even incidents, just don't call them 'accidents,' emphatically states Mark R. Rosekind, Ph.D., Administrator for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the nation's premier traffic safety agency.

May 24, 2016 - The New York Times

Mexico Border

Critiquing Uber's Cross-Border Service from San Diego to Baja California

In Mach, Uber launched Passport, a service allowing cross-border service from San Diego to any location in the northern Baja California region. A columnist's experiment with the service reveals more PR effort than mobility service.

May 24, 2016 - Los Angeles Times

Expo Line

What L.A.'s New Expo Line Extension Won't Do

The $1.5 billion, 6.6-mile light rail extension from Culver City to Santa Monica is projected to double trips on the line by 2030, giving commuters a viable alternative to driving. Just the same, don't expect the extension to reduce congestion.

May 23, 2016 - Wired

More Kudos for Denver's Rail Network and Newest Rail Line

Rail has transformed the Mile-High City, and the new University of Colorado A Line from Union Station to the airport is but one of many lines that has turned Denver one of the nation's fastest growing and attractive cities. And more lines are coming!

May 23, 2016 - Politico Magazine

Beg Button

In Support of the Right to Cross the Street

Benjamin Ross argues that the walk signal is a fundamentally flawed approach to creating walkable streets and shareable roadways—making walking slower, less convenient, and more dangerous.

May 23, 2016 - Greater Greater Washington

Los Angeles STreet

An Interview with the General Manager of the Los Angeles DOT

What's it like to lead the department of transportation in a city trying to overcome decades of car-centric planning? Let LADOT General Manager Seleta Reynolds tell it in her own words.

May 22, 2016 - Los Angeles Downtown News

New York Subway Station

New Yorkers Bracing for L Train Closures

Two alternatives for repairs on the New York subway's L Train line will have severe consequences for 225,000 riders who cross the East River daily.

May 21, 2016 - New York Daily News

Spin Class

Friday Funny: Take the Bus That's Also a Bike

Or maybe it's the bike that's also a bus?

May 20, 2016 - Mashable

Garcetti Expo Line

What It's Like to Ride the New Expo Line to Santa Monica

For a bit of fun, take this animated ride on the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority's new Expo Line extension.

May 20, 2016 - YouTube

Raleigh Passes 10-Year Bike Plan Update

Completing a year-long process, the Raleigh City Council approved an updated bike plan this week. The plan includes major updates to the 2009 plan, including a 10-year priority plan, focusing on separated bike facilities and neighborhood bikeways.

May 20, 2016 - The Raleigh News & Observer

Beverly Hills Planning for Self-Driving Shuttles, Connecting to Transit

A city known for its opposition to transit might be on the cutting edge of first-last mile technology innovation.

May 20, 2016 - Fast Co.Exist

Traffic and Speed

Explained: Calculating Vehicle Impacts on Road Surfaces

Pedal Fort Collins explains the math used to calculate the impacts of various sized vehicles on the roads they travel.

May 20, 2016 - Pedal Fort Collins

Metro STation

Parking Concerns Raised Around L.A.'s New Expo Line

Good news: Metro Los Angeles will open the long-awaited Expo Line extension, connecting Santa Monica and the the beach to Downtown Los Angeles, this weekend. Bad news: the public waited until now to worry about the parking around new stations.

May 19, 2016 - Los Angeles Times

Toronto Bike Locks

New Ten-Year Bike Plan Proposed in Toronto

Toronto planners have proposed a new ten-year bike plan that focuses on connecting and improving the city's current network of bike infrastructure.

May 19, 2016 - The Toronto Star

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.