Transportation

Dave Hill reflects on the history and outlook for the world's first underground train. He beckons Londoners to do the same, and to contemplate on how to best help the London Underground flourish in the future.

January 7, 2013 - The Guardian

Two L.A. City Council members have floated an ambitious proposal to fund the city's backlog of needed road repairs. At a time when the city is expanding transit, and seeking other tax hikes, should $3 billion in street repairs be a top priority?

January 7, 2013 - Los Angeles Times

According to Charles Marohn, institutional inertia continues to carry the nation's transportation agencies on a wayward path that correlates highway spending with economic development. He offers 9 principles to guide "Next Generation DOTs."

January 7, 2013 - Better! Cities & Towns

With bicycling growing in popularity while driving decreases, should a city install "bicycle-specific traffic signals"? Mary Ebeling of State Smart Transportation Initiatives provides guidance and helpful designs from city transportation officials.

January 6, 2013 - The State Smart Transportation Initiative

Like a lot of people, Placeshakers is kicking off the new year with a list: placemaking wishes for 2013. Read on for seven trending ideas they hope break large.

January 4, 2013 - PlaceShakers

The case of a fatal bus rape in India, and subsequent protests, has captivated the world. But, argues Sarah Goodyear, the incident should serve as a larger reminder of the threat of violence and harassment towards women on transit systems worldwide.

January 3, 2013 - Next City

BART's Oakland Airport Connector will not look at all like the familiar cable car found across the Bay, but will be propelled by a moving cable similar to the Clay Street Hill RR in S.F. almost 140 years ago. The 3-mile ride to OAK will be 8 minutes.

January 3, 2013 - San Francisco Chronicle

Dozens of transit expansion projects will start, continue, or complete construction this year across America. Yonah Freemark delivers a thorough rundown of the exciting year ahead in transit construction and makes note of a dark cloud on the horizon.

January 2, 2013 - the transport politic

Looks like we've got our first breaking urban news story of the year with today's announcement of the purchase of car-sharing leader Zipcar by rental car behemoth Avis. Steven Pearlstein laments what the deal means for Zipcar and consumers.

January 2, 2013 - The Washington Post

The proposal is simple. Instead of investing billions of dollars more on elaborate infrastructure or trust a corrupted police force, the concept is to nudge this complex system at two targeted points in the city, argues Mitchell Sutika Sipus.

January 2, 2013 - Humanitarian Space

There are various ways to define transport efficiency which can lead to very different conclusions as to what transport policies and projects are best overall. Conventional planning tends to evaluate transport system performance based on mobility, which assumes that faster travel is always better. A new planning paradigm evaluates transport system performance based on accessibility (people's ability to access services and activities) which leads to very different definitions of efficiency and very different conclusions about how to improve transport systems.

January 1, 2013 - Todd Litman

One of the America's most unhealthy, auto-centric cities has seen the light - the handlebar headlight that is - with a push to improve its bicycling infrastructure as a means of economic development.

January 1, 2013 - The New York Times

Commentator D.J. Waldie laments the stunning health hazards for L.A.'s pedestrians, and proposes five solutions to make the city safer for those on foot.

January 1, 2013 - KCET

We've known for decades the better ways to do things, for greater urban health, sustainability, resiliency, vibrancy and economic success. So this year, let's resolve to have the will and skill to get past the short-term politics, the rhetoric, the market momentum, and the financial self-interest that has kept our better solutions from being realized.

December 31, 2012 - Brent Toderian

One road, two counties, 19 cites - that's what and who is involved in a far-reaching plan to redesign El Camino Real, the first paved road in California, from Daly City in northern San Mateo County to San Jose in the heart of Santa Clara County.

December 31, 2012 - San Francisco Examiner

Bicyclists are hard to come by in South Africa. Two authors have gone in search of the reasons why a country with "so much poverty, often unwalkable commuter distances, and poor public transportation," lacks a larger bike culture.

December 31, 2012 - Los Angeles Times

From guerrilla wayfinding to future-tising, these are my top five, perhaps lesser known, highlights of a banner year for Tactical Urbanism.

December 30, 2012 - Mike Lydon

Friday marked a milestone in the effort to bridge the gap between NYC's century-old subway system and emerging technologies; "a leap forward for a service that has lagged behind its peers both at home and abroad in adopting new technologies."

December 29, 2012 - The Wall Street Journal

As cities across the world look to convert aging and obsolete airfields to new uses, a growing body of repurposing success stories show "how problematic properties can be successfully converted," reports Christine Negroni.

December 29, 2012 - The New York Times

WAMU's Michael Pope reports on an Alexandria, VA's plan to level the playing field for bikes, pedestrians and cars by taking out curbs.

December 28, 2012 - WAMU