Transportation
FRA Grants Electrification Waiver For Commuter Rail Line - A First
The Federal Railroad Administration does not allow for the mixing of train types for safety reasons, which proved a key obstacle for Caltrain's plan for electrification. As a pilot project,they are allowing the line to utilize electric multiple units
Running Transit Like A Business
Southern California's Metrolink has a new CEO, and he's implementing smart cost-cutting right off the bat, like policies that get drivers to stop idling their buses.
Tiger II Grants Announced
The U.S. Department of Transportation today announced the availability of $600 million in new funding for surface transportation projects.
Leafs All Gone
Nissan Leafs, that is, and only for the year, though not one of these 19,000 preorders for the all-electric, plug-in car has yet to be shipped. The Leafs shouldn't venture too far from home - the range is 100 miles on a full charge.
Friday Funny: Homemade Subway
Russian Leonid Murlyanchik has been building his own subway system underneath his neighborhood since 1984. He intends to run cars through it that will carry 3-4 persons each.
Pennsylvania's Infrastructure Report Card - Not Good
Pennsylvania's roads, bridges, transit, and water infrastructure received near-failing grades according to a American Society of Civil Engineers' "2010 Report Card for Pennsylvania's Infrastructure" and the DOT rebuffed the state's tolling solution.
Saudi Arabia Looks to Build Major Rail Hub in Capital
Officials in the Saudi capital of Riyadh are planning to build a central rail hub with an annual passenger capacity of more than 800,000. The station is expected to be complete by 2013.
Americans Driving at 2005 Levels
Americans are driving fewer miles than they were a year ago, despite an improving economy. Some say the American demand for oil will be low throughout the rest of this year.
Charlotte's Light Rail Extension Faces Decade of Delay
Plans to expand Charlotte's CATS light rail system to a nearby university could be delayed by a decade or more.
London Mayor Seeks to Downsize Congestion Charge Area
London Mayor Boris Johnson is proposing a plan to scrap the extension of the city's congestion charge in the west, instituted by his predecessor. Some say the city's air pollution and congestion improvements will be lost.
Funding for Washington DC H Street Streetcar Line Pulled at 11th Hour
The Washington DC City Council voted Wednesday to approve a FY2011 budget which strips nearly all the funding to complete the H Street-Benning Road streetcar line. The line is partially complete, and several streetcars have already been purchased.
The Big Hair Express
As a stunt to attract more riders, the New Jersey Transit Authority is giving away tickets to see Bon Jovi live at the New Meadowlands Stadium, which is accessible by transit, of course.
Pod Cars for Silicon Valley
San Jose is considering a personal rapid transit system for the airport, throwing $4 million at a feasibility study for the "pod cars."
The Data-Driven Key to Unlocking New York's Congestion
Wired profiles Charles Komanoff, who's hoping to use his immense spreadsheet of New York City traffic data to clear the city's congestion.
How Portland Sold Its Banks on Walkable Development
Finding financing is one of the biggest challenges for transit-oriented development. How did Portland convince its lenders to get on board?
Maslow and Transit
Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs basically says that some needs supercede others. Jarrett Walker argues that the need for speed on transit ranks significantly higher than placemaking, fun and other "self-actualizing" concerns.
Fighting High-Speed Rail With Lunch Boxes?
Taiwan's North-South high-speed rail line has attracted a lot of customers away from a traditional commuter rail line. The traditional line is playing the nostalgia card by bringing out old-fashioned railway box lunches.
Least Favorite Transit Commuters
A Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) rider calls out her least favorite fellow commuters, from inconsiderate people in the handicapped spots to the person munching their fries while everyone is headed home and hungry.
Do You Have $600 Billion For A New Transportation Bill?
DOT Secretary Ray LaHood is taped while speaking at a community meeting in Manhattan's Chinatown expressing enthusiasm for 'tolling', though it's not clear what roads or bridges would be tolled, which was clarified in a subsequent email.
Paint Shortage Slows Road Projects
Though funding is usually the limiting factor in road projects, the current shortage of a chemical is creating a sharp undersupply of the paint used to paint road lines.
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
