Transportation
Boston’s Government Center T Station Closed for Access Improvements
Boston recently shut down one of its busiest transit hubs, the Government Center T Station for over-due renovations above and below the ground. The station was originally built in 1898, and without a major renovation since the 1960s.
Citi Bike Encounters Financial Trouble
Few details are available about just how troubled the financial situation is at the country’s most recognizable bikeshare program, but it’s possible that Citi Bike will need a cash infusion or a new model to stay in business.
The Derelict State of Detroit’s Buses
In a recent article for the Washington Post, Matthew Dolan details the sub-par state of bus service in Detroit—a city where residents live without cars in quickly growing numbers.
Purple Line Gets Federal Blessing in Maryland
The Federal Transit Authority has granted one of the final approvals needed for the Purple Line—a 16-mile light rail line between Bethesda and New Carrollton in Maryland.
Rejecting the Popular Transit Ridership Narrative
A recent study claimed that transit ridership had reached the highest levels seen in 57 years. Wendell Cox, however, argues that the narrative about a “fundamental shift” in the transportation paradigm is a misrepresentation of the truth.
Troy Transit Center Complete—But Off Limits
Transit users in Troy, located to the north of Detroit, spent the weather standing outside waiting for trains and buses while a $6.3 million (indoor) transit facility sat unused due to a legal dispute.
Crude-by-Rail Volume to California Spiked Almost 800% Last Year
All but 10% of the CBR went to Southern California refineries, though Bay Area shipments grew by 57% and provoked the largest outcry. The Northern California deliveries are mostly from North Dakota, with 12.5% from Colorado.
Streetcar Expansion Plans on Hold; Atlanta BeltLine vs. Peachtree Streetcar
Atlanta has placed the Atlanta BeltLine Streetcar System Plan on hold, but the fate of one component of the plan—now occupying low-priority position among the plan’s four phases—reveals a lot about Atlanta’s proposed streetcar network.
LaGuardia Renovation Plan Reaches Cruising Altitude
The Port Authority is reviewing development proposals for a $2.4 billion project to renovate New York City’s notoriously derelict La Guardia Airport. Renderings from one proposal have also hit the wire.
Seattle Caps Number of Uber, Lyft, and Sidecar Drivers
Seattle is the first city in the country to limit the number of transportation network drivers allowed on the road at any given moment. The new regulation is a setback for companies like Uber, Lyft, and Sidecar and a major victory for cab companies.
First Bay Area Express Lanes Approved For New Bay Area Agency
The Bay Area already has express lanes - but these 23 miles in Contra Costa County on I-680 will be the first built and operated by the new Bay Area Infrastructure Financing Authority, a division of the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC).
France Rethinks Its Diesel Fuel Addiction
Unlike the U.S., most passenger vehicles in Europe run on diesel fuel, not gasoline, and from a public health perspective, diesel emissions can severely exacerbate particle pollution during weather inversions like the one Paris is now experiencing.
NYPD Writing More Traffic Tickets
February data shows a perceptible increase in the number of moving violations enforced in New York City compared to the year prior. The increase is at least partly because of how few traffic tickets were written in 2013.
Philadelphia Sending More Money to Street Repair
Following a long winter, the Philadelphia Streets Department is on pace to break records for pothole repair, but that won’t be the only improvement paid for by a proposed 33 percent increase in funding to the Streets Department.
A Bold Addition to 'Transit-First' San Francisco Streets
In an effort to improve on-time performance of Muni, San Francisco has begun painting transit-only lanes a shade of Golden Gate Bridge red.
States Troubled by Federal Transportation Funding Uncertainty
Georgia Department of Transportation Commissioner Keith Golden recently told a gathering about the state’s reliance on federal money for transportation, saying, “We’ve got to find a way to break away from our dependence on federal dollars.”
Cleaner Air In Paris? There Will Be an App for That
Cars, smartphones, and Paris’ air quality crisis.
Boondoggle Alert: U.S. 460 Toll Road Project Suspended in Virginia
Late last week, Virginia state transportation officials shut down contract and permit work on the U.S. 460 expansion project. The project has already spent $300 million of a budgeted $1.4 billion—without even breaking ground.
Albany Not so Warm to Crude-By-Rail After All
The Port of Albany is thriving as a major hub for CBR shipments from the Bakken field in North Dakota and Saskatchewan province. But we learn there are limits to further growth after the city slapped a moratorium on expansion to oil sands from Canada
Toronto Asks Its 'Hidden Experts' How to Improve Transit
Laura Kane listens to the ideas of three of Toronto’s ‘hidden’ transit experts – those who have spent their careers on it's front-lines. A streetcar driver, repair worker, and a transit app developer share their pragmatic insights.
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.
Greater Baltimore Committee
Eagle County Government
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
Journal of the American Planning Association
