Transportation

Bikeshare Stations Stimulate Street Life and Sociability

A study conducted by the Project for Public Spaces finds that New York's new CitiBike stations are a locus for more than just cycling. They provide wayfinding and street seating, serve as gathering places, and encourage random social interactions.

December 3, 2013 - PPS Placemaking Blog

Expo Line

Do Psychological Barriers Doom L.A.'s Transit Transition?

Creating a culture of transit in Los Angeles will require more than just expanding the area's train and bus infrastructure. New riders will have to overcome the psychological barriers that prevent many people from ditching their cars.

December 3, 2013 - KCET

Correlating Driving Misbehavior with Crime

Is there a correlation between running red lights and more violent crime like robberies and homicide? Gabe Klein, Chicago's distinguished outgoing transportation commissioner, thinks so. It's been dubbed "the broken windows effect."

December 3, 2013 - Streetsblog

HOT Revenue Generators?

States are increasingly looking to high occupancy toll lanes as a means of revenue generation as well as congestion management, as they deal with the shortfall in transportation revenue from federal and state governments. Ga. may provide a good test.

December 2, 2013 - The Wall Street Journal

London "Die-In" Draws 1,000 Cyclists

Last Friday night, more than 1,000 Londoners staged an unusual protest against the official response to a spate of fatal accidents involving cyclists.

December 2, 2013 - The Guardian Bike Blog

Tools to Protect Cyclists from Street Harassment

Moving vehicles and open doors aren't the only threats to the safety of cyclists. Gay men, women and transgender bikers often contend with harassment and threats of assault. Nonprofit groups in D.C. and elsewhere are working to empower them.

December 2, 2013 - The Washington Post

Commuter Train Derailment in the Bronx Kills Four

What caused the Metro-North train to derail Sunday at 7:20 a.m. is not known, though the train operator pointed to faulty brakes. 63 of the 100 to 150 people onboard were injured, 11 critically, in the city's deadliest train crash in two decades.

December 2, 2013 - The New York Times N.Y. / Region

Transit Tax Break Under Threat

If Congress doesn't take action by the end of the year, a tax break that subsidizes the purchase of transit tickets at the same rate as workplace parking will be chopped nearly in half.

November 30, 2013 - NPR

Greensboro Station on Metro's Silver line near Tyson's Corner

Completion of D.C. Subway Expansion has Commuters Wondering: "Where Will I Park?"

When four new stops along Metro's Silver Line open soon in northern Virginia, a familiar sight will be missing: a sea of commuter parking. While smart growth advocates applaud the omission, some commuters and nearby residents are concerned.

November 30, 2013 - The Washington Post

VMT Fee "Inevitable", Claims Minnesota DOT Chief

MnDOT Transportation Commissioner Charles Zelle needs to fill a $12 billion gap over the next 20 years. The most common question he's asked: "Can it be done without raising fees or taxes?" He stopped by The Mankato Free Press for an interview.

November 30, 2013 - The Mankato Free Press

Can Parking Apps Help Save the Mall?

Across the United States, brick-and-mortar stores are engaged in an existential war with online retailers. The newest weapons in the battle for customers are technologies that make the search for a parking spot a cinch.

November 30, 2013 - The New York Times

Cincinnati Streetcar Showdown Set for Monday

A critical City Council vote over the future of Cincinnati's streetcar is scheduled to take place on Monday, the day after Mayor-elect John Cranley's swearing-in.

November 29, 2013 - Cincinnati.com

Transit, Biking and Walking are Big Winners in Pennsylvania Gas Tax Increase

Gas tax increases can mean more road funding, period, particularly where constitutional restrictions prohibit spending gas tax revenues on other modes, as exists in Pa.; yet all modes will benefit from the 28-cent gas tax increase legislation.

November 29, 2013 - Streetsblog

Mythbusting: Exposing Half-Truths That Support Automobile Dependency

Some commentators recently expressed outraged that governments spend money on cycling facilities. Their arguments are largely wrong, I’ll call them "half-truths" to be charitable, presented with great certitude and self-righteous anger.

November 28, 2013 - Todd Litman

Detroit Skyline

Detroit Considers Highway Removal to Help Its Downtown Revival

By exploring whether to turn I-375 into a surface street, the city that is the United States' foremost exemplar of suburban flight is considering a historic reversal that would demonstrate its optimism in its recovering downtown.

November 27, 2013 - Detroit Free Press

Plan for Nation's Largest BRT Network Approved for Suburban D.C.

This week, the Montgomery County Council approved an ambitious, but controversial, plan to create a 10-route, 81-mile Bus Rapid Transit network in D.C.'s northern suburbs to meet the area's mobility needs and support its sustainable growth.

November 27, 2013 - Greater Greater Washington

Another Attempt to Toll the East River Bridges

The bridges over the East and Harlem Rivers, unlike other bridges and tunnels in the region, operate without tolls. Transit advocate Sam Schwartz has proposed a plan to toll them and apply revenues to fund transit and upgrade roads and bridges.

November 27, 2013 - The New York Times - N.Y. / Region

Seattle DOT to Head in a Different Direction

A change in mayoral administrations means a change at the top of Seattle's Department of Transportation. After almost four years, Peter Hahn will make way for a new director. Lynn Thompson examines his accomplishments and hints at what may be ahead.

November 26, 2013 - The Seattle Times

Ten Billion Dollar Tally for Fixing S.F.'s Transportation Infrastructure

What would $10.1 billion in transportation-directed funding buy San Francisco? Not as much as you might think. That's what a Task Force has determined it will take to modernize the city's existing infrastructure.

November 26, 2013 - sfgate.com

Will Washington State Be Next to Increase its Gas Tax?

With Pa.'s Republican governor signing a dramatic gas tax increase bill on Monday, will Washington state follow in their footsteps in forging a bipartisan deal between the Republicans who control the Senate and the Democrat majority in the House?

November 26, 2013 - The Seattle Times

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