Transportation

California Appeals Court Ruling Brings Great News for High Speed Rail

Both sides have been awaiting this ruling, which left Gov. Jerry Brown and the High Speed Rail Authority greatly pleased: the appeals court ruling releases $9.9 billion of 2008 voter-approved bond funding, though other court battles loom.

August 1, 2014 - The Fresno Bee

A Buffer is Better

What's the best street design to keep bicyclists safely out of the door zone? A buffered bike lane beats a conventional bike lane or "wide curb lane" according to a recent study published in TRB, based on observations in Chicago and Cambridge, Mass.

August 1, 2014 - Chi.Streetsblog

Senate Passes House Transportation Funding Bill; On to Obama

After the House rejected the Senate's amendments to their Highway Trust Fund extension bill, the Senate passed the bill 81-13 on July 31. Payments to states will continue unchanged through May 2015 when the next hurdle awaits

August 1, 2014 - The Hill

Google Self-Driving Car smaller

How Self-Driving Cars Can (and Should) Improve Transit

Comments on the proceedings of the Automated Vehicles Symposium (San Francisco, July 14-18, 2014), where participants addressed the many transportation and land use implications of an automated future.

August 1, 2014 - Daniel J. Fagnant

Profiles of New Yorkers Killed by Car Collisions

A new feature on Transportation Nation will highlight the tragedy of traffic fatalities in New York City, by profiling the people who passed and the traffic circumstances that took them.

July 31, 2014 - WNYC: Transportation Nation

Voices of the Train: Meet the Announcers Behind America's Transit Systems

Ever wondered who the announcers are for some of the largest transit lines in the United States?

July 31, 2014 - Vice Magazine

Massachusetts Voters May Repeal Automatic Gas Tax Indexing

It's been exactly a year since the state approved a 3-cent increase in the gas tax with hard fought legislation that ties future increases to inflation. However, the automatic indexing of the gas tax may be undone by voters on November 4.

July 31, 2014 - Tax Foundation

Terminal Island Freeway Commodore Schuyler F Heim Bridge

Southern California First: Freeway Teardown Project Coming to Long Beach

Funded by a grant from the California Department of Transportation, Long Beach released an RFP for conceptual and design services for a plan to transform the Terminal Island Freeway into a "regional serving greenbelt and local serving road."

July 30, 2014 - Longbeachize

Senate Passes Transportation Bill; House Not Likely to Play Ball

Three days before Congress goes on recess and with the Highway Trust Fund approaching insolvency, the Senate passed a transportation bill notably different than the House version passed July 15, setting up a showdown between the two branches.

July 30, 2014 - POLITICO Pro.

Study: Bikeshare Replaces Transit Trips in Minneapolis, Washington D.C.

Eric Jaffe dives into evidence that bike share should be considered an essential component of a multi-modal public transit network.

July 30, 2014 - CityLab

Toronto GO Transit

How Toronto is Making its Commuter Rail More Like Rapid Transit

Fifteen years in the making, Toronto is finally seeing increased ridership of its main commuter rail system, GO Transit, by changing its model from primarily serving suburban commuters to providing "all-day regional transit service."

July 30, 2014 - the transport politic

On the Importance of Denver's Union Station: Then and Now

The reopening of Denver's Union Station last weekend provides an opportunity to reflect on the importance of rail, with its hub at Union Station, in establishing Denver, as well as the city's multi-modal future, again with its hub as Union Station.

July 29, 2014 - Colorado Public Radio

Comparing Boondoggles: Light Rail Line in Detroit, Streetcar in Washington D.C.

Jim Epstein suggests that Detroit's new light rail line is America's largest boondoggle; Matthew Yglesias argues that that ignominy belongs to Washington D.C.'s planned streetcar.

July 29, 2014 - Reason

Caltrans Overrides OCTA: 405 Freeway Widening Must Include Toll Lane

Transportation decisions are best made locally, not by the state DOT, right? For those advocating for tolled, managed lanes over free, general purpose lanes, the 405 Freeway in Orange County may prove the exception.

July 29, 2014 - Los Angeles Times

Explaining the Connections between Physical Mobility and Economic Mobility

A new post by Danielle Kurtzleben explains the complicated mix of infrastructure considerations that must be in place for transportation to benefit economic mobility.

July 28, 2014 - Vox

Mapping Drone No-Fly Zones

While the FAA sorts out regulations for commercial drone flights in the United States, cities, states, and other groups have already restricted the flight of drones. Mapbox is working to compile a comprehensive map of prohibited air space.

July 28, 2014 - MapBox

Quantifying the Benefits of Congestion Pricing

In a recent blog post, Michael Brown of Metro Analytics sought to quantify the benefits of congestion pricing.

July 28, 2014 - Smart Growth for Conservatives blog

Rules of the Road: Reckless 'Driving' Brings Dire Penalties for Bicyclist

A California Court of Appeal wades into the history of driving laws to determine if a drunken cyclist who maimed a jogger can be charged with reckless driving. The cyclist was not charged with drunken driving. Not all laws are applied the same.

July 28, 2014 - San Francisco Chronicle

Place Mobility: Sometimes Good Transportation Is Slow

Streetcars are expensive and slow, and that drives Matthew Yglesias crazy. He fails to grasp Place Mobility, which can be an excellent transportation investment for a city.

July 28, 2014 - Better Cities & Towns

Famous Mexico City traffic

New Study Predicts Vehicle Travel Saturation Levels

A new RAND Corporation study models motorization growth rates and saturation levels, and identifies potential policies to encourage more efficient transportation in developing countries.

July 27, 2014 - The Future of Driving in Developing Countries

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.

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.