Transportation
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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?
Cities Pursue Different Paths to One Goal: Safer Streets
In the face of rising pedestrian and bicyclist fatalities, the District of Columbia's police department began deploying automated photo enforcement technologies while San Francisco took a multi-agency, collaborative planning approach.
Has CA's High-Speed Rail Been Dealt a Mortal Blow?
In issuing two stinging decisions on Monday, a superior court judge has erected significant obstacles to the construction of California's high-speed rail project. His invalidation of the project's financing plan has put its future in doubt.
This is Your Brain on Cars
Paul Salopek is embarking on a 21,000-mile, 7-year stroll around the world. After traversing 1,700 miles, his most profound insights focus on the impact of the century-old automotive revolution on our psyche - what he calls "Car Brain".
Cyclist Deaths Beg the Question: "Who is the City For?"
A spate of recent cyclist deaths on London's streets brings the conflict between road users into high relief. Sam Jacobs argues that "brute engineering" alone isn't enough to resolve the conflict, we need to utilize intelligence and creativity.
Boston’s Big Dig Could be Model for Toronto
As Toronto contemplates the future of its crumbling Gardiner Expressway, columnist Christopher Hume suggests looking to Boston’s Greenway for a glimpse of what downtown might be like without the elevated eyesore.
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
