Transportation
Transit Ridership—Debunking the Debunkers (Sort Of)
In response to the news that transit ridership reached an all-time high in 2013, commentators of all stripes sought to deny or minimize the news. But such arguments are themselves flawed.
Report: New Techniques and Technology for Monitoring Active Transportation
The growing popularity of active transportation requires planners and advocates to better survey how, where, and when people are biking and walking. A new study by the Transportation Research Board shares the cutting edge of survey techniques.
More Criticism of Transit Record Claims
A pair of articles pushes back on a recent study that claims public transit use in the United States is reaching record levels.
Wheels Up for Chicago’s Navy Pier Flyover
Chicago recently began construction on the $60 million Navy Pier Flyover—an elevated bike and pedestrian path built along Lake Michigan near the Navy Pier.
Virginia Expanding its High-Occupancy Toll Lanes
Despite installing many innovative traffic management schemes over the years, the 41 miles of highway between Fredericksburg, Virginia and Washington D.C. are snarled by some of the worst traffic in the country. Can HOT lanes change that?
How Important is High Frequency Transit Service?
Earlier this month, Portland’s TriMet restored high frequency bus service to ten bus routes around the city. Jarrett Walker makes the case that the frequency of service can make or break a city’s transit system.
Transit + Technology: Revitalizing Public Transportation for Smarter Communities
Neil Roberts shares details of Melbourne's Yarra Trams, which has exceeded its service delivery and punctuality goals by the use of intelligent transit technology like sensors, the tramTRACKER app, and mobile work stations for employees.
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.
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.
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS)
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
City of Cambridge
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
