Transportation

Penalosa Critical of Gujarat BRT

Enrique Penalosa, famed as the "Father of Bus Rapid Transit," pays a visit to the Ahmedabad BRTS in Gujarat, India. Penalosa was positive, but doesn't think it goes far enough in catering to pedestrians over cars.

November 16, 2009 - DNA India

VMT Fee May Replace Car Taxes In Netherlands

Imagine this: Replacing the sales tax on purchasing a new vehicle and annual, 'fixed' fees with a VMT fee based on size, weight, and CO2 emissions of the vehicle. This is the plan of the Dutch government to reduce congestion and greenhouse gases.

November 16, 2009 - Breitbart.com

Fed Seeks More Control Over Transit Safety

In light of recent transit accidents, especially the Red Line crash in Washington, DC suburbs, the Obama Administration is seeking legislation to set and enforce safety standards on transit systems nationwide.

November 16, 2009 - The New York Times

From Policy to Implementation, CNU Transportation Summit Examines "The Greatest Place"

Mike Lydon reports from the CNU Transportation Summit in Portland, Oregon, the country's laboratory of smart growth. "Change is imminent," says Congressman Earl Blumenauer via video.

November 16, 2009 - Mike Lydon

Faring Well

Wealthier transit riders demand more expensive rail services and commute at peak hours; the poor commute using all modes, at all hours. Eric A. Morris argues that the MTA's new policy of off-peak pricing would help even out the inequity.

November 16, 2009 - NYTimes: Freakonomics Blog

Cities With the Shortest Commutes

U.S. News and World Report selects "15 Cities for People Who Hate Driving and Long Commutes," choosing the cities with shorter than average commuting times and high percentages of non-auto commuters.

November 16, 2009 - U.S. News And World Report

All Eggs in the HSR Basket

California Governor Schwarzenegger has ordered state officials to seek federal funding only for the state's high-speed rail project--at the expense of efforts to make Metrolink trains safer, some say.

November 16, 2009 - Los Angeles Times

Checklists to Rethink the Streetspace

November 16, 2009 - Amber Hawkes

Jaywalking Not As Big A Safety Issue As Assumed

Over the past 15 years, more than 76,000 pedestrians have been killed in the U.S. Some say preventing a significant portion of these deaths is as simple as enforcing jaywalking laws. Not so, argues Tom Vanderbilt, author of Traffic.

November 15, 2009 - Slate

Walking the Green Streets of Portland

Matthew Roth of Streetsblog SF takes a tour of Portland's impressive green streets program from landscape architect David Elkin. Stormwater runoff is a major component of the program, as are new bike lane designs.

November 15, 2009 - Streetsblog

London Mayor Versus Aggressive Cyclists

London Mayor Boris Johnson, an avid cyclist himself, is calling on local law enforcement to crack down on the city's aggressive cyclists who he says are making it less safe to bike.

November 14, 2009 - Bike Radar

Highways Devastating the Amazon

The greatest threat to Brazil's Amazon Rain Forest is not just farming or logging, but the road construction that makes both possible, writes Stephanie Brault.

November 13, 2009 - Council on Hemispheric Affairs

Capitol Hill: Safety Not Quite First

On the heels of the fatal bridge collapse in Minnesota, last year, lawmakers allotted just 11 percent of transportation spending to bridge repair.

November 13, 2009 - Streetsblog Los Angeles

Taxing Oil Futures to Fund Transportation? Not So Fast, Says Wall Street

Rep. Pete DeFazio's plan to close the nation's transportation funding gap with a tax on oil futures is meeting fierce opposition.

November 13, 2009 - Streetsblog Los Angeles

HSR Can't Come Fast Enough

Many in Sacramento and California's Central Valley are concerned that they aren't being prioritized in the process to get high-speed rail moving.

November 12, 2009 - Sacramento News & Review

Lucrative Congestion-Priced Parking Applied in SF

Parking by the Giants Stadium costs $1 less an hour than before the pilot program began, but on 'game days', the rate shoots up four-fold. Parking rates are not set daily but hourly by time of day, and have become quite profitable.

November 12, 2009 - San Francisco Examiner

Repurposing Interstate Highways

This editorial from Karrie Jacobs suggests that we can find smarter uses for the interstate highway system.

November 12, 2009 - The New York Times

76,000 Pedestrian Deaths

A new report from Transportation for America reveals that over the past 15 years, 76,000 Americans have been killed while crossing or walking along a street in their community.

November 11, 2009 - Transportation for America

Transit in Philly Rides Again... For Now

Commuters and workers alike are grateful the SEPTA strike is over, but fare hikes of an undisclosed amount are expected for the next year.

November 11, 2009 - The Philadelphia Inquirer

Bay Area's First Bike Sharing Program Proceeds

The Valley Transportation Authority plans to release its final report on a bike share program by the end of the year.

November 11, 2009 - SF Streetsblog

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.

Community Development Director

City of Wisconsin Rapids

Professor of Urban Planning

Harvard University Graduate School of Design

Transportation Planner I

KFH Group Inc.

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