Transportation

While most New Yorkers deem traffic congestion a serious problem, even more oppose congestion pricing in Manhattan as a strategy to lessen it, according to the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute survey released January 18.

January 23, 2007 - AP via New York Post

Nancy Solomon reports that due to increased demand Amtrak may increase service along urban lines in its northeast corridor.

January 23, 2007 - National Public Radio

New Urbanists are pushing for big changes to the International Traffic Engineers' thoroughfare design manual to help make roads more pedestrian-friendly.

January 22, 2007 - New Urban News

USC's Peter Gordon squares off against UCLA's Matthew Kahn in the Wall Street Journal's ECONBLOG to debate whether London's style of congestion pricing is the right answer for U.S. traffic.

January 22, 2007 - The Wall Street Journal

Los Angeles Times columnist Steve Lopez takes the city's Deputy Mayor for Transportation to task for driving a Hummer. 'It's smaller than a Yukon.'

January 22, 2007 - The Los Angeles Times

Land rights and high costs are proving to be major hurdles in Kansas City's bid to build a 27-mile light rail system.

January 22, 2007 - Kansas City Business Journal

Airports connect us to the world, generate enormous economic benefits, and provide an important first impression of a city. It's high time the airports shed their bad rap and are planned not as nuisances, but assets.

January 22, 2007 - Ryan N. Hall

There are many things to like about Boston, but this article lists of 27 things to not like about it, including inconvenient bus routes, short subway operating hours, and a lack of street signs.

January 22, 2007 - The Phoenix

By implementing practical market reforms that discourage car trips, cities can solve traffic problems and improve air quality.

January 19, 2007 - Victoria Transport Policy Institute

Supporters of the proposed $300 million Panama City-Bay County International Airport -- including the well-heeled St. Joe company -- talk of economic development. Opponents call the facility the "Airport to Nowhere."

January 18, 2007 - The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

High-tech garages and online applications promise to help ease motorists' parking frustrations.

January 18, 2007 - MSNBC

Drawing on lessons from Hurricane Katrina, disaster experts and government officials are gathering in New Orleans to discuss how to develop emergency plans for those who can't or don't drive.

January 17, 2007 - The Advocate

San Francisco's new light rail line, the 5-mile T-Third, opened for free, weekend service Jan 13. The service is intended to revitalize the sagging south-east neighborhoods, but some bus riders question the new line. Daily service begins April 7.

January 15, 2007 - The San Francisco Chronicle

R.T. Rybak, mayor of Minneapolis, Minnesota, has pushed for budget funding to look into the possibility of building streetcar lines in the city's downtown. This article discusses the varied responses of the city's residents.

January 14, 2007 - Southwest Journal

Transportation consultants prepared an analysis of where Manhattan's traffic originates, reasons for commuting by car, and why motorists drive through Manhattan (it's not only to get to Manhattan destinations). No solutions were offered, just data.

January 13, 2007 - The New York Times

A German engineer has developed small, individually-powered rail cars which he hopes to put into use on the country's old railroad tracks. The systems is a new fusion of trains and taxis, operating automatically for on-call use by small groups.

January 13, 2007 - Der Spiegel

In Washington's Puget Sound, a proposal has been made to create a regional transit authority to oversee the coordination, planning, and financing of all transit projects for more than 128 transportation agencies in four counties.

January 11, 2007 - The Seattle Post-Intelligencer

The Institute for Transportation and Development Policy helps cities in the developing world address traffic and congestion with creative, cost-efficient solutions. Executive Director Walter Hook shares some strategies for the US as well.

January 11, 2007 - The Planning Report

Historic streetcars are on a comeback in the USA. Cheaper than light rail, they also are an asset in encouraging reinvestment in older parts of downtowns as illustrated by Tampa's 2.5 mile line that connects neighborhoods.

January 11, 2007 - USA Today

In Europe, vehicular emissions are increasing while emissions from industry and the population growth rate decline. More people throughout the world are driving, especially in those countries where the "newly rich" enjoy their new mobility.

January 10, 2007 - The New York Times