Transportation

As part of monthly series, we present a summary and analysis of some of the most interesting news to appear on Planetizen over the month of September 2006. This is the transcript of an audio segment that originally aired on the nationally syndicated radio program "Smart City".

October 18, 2006 - Nate Berg

Low-income families in big cities spend significantly less on housing and transportation than poorer suburban families, according to a new study by the Center for Housing Policy.

October 18, 2006 - Streetsblog

A 521-mile stretch of I-10 in Texas may be heaven for speed demons but hell for the volunteer ambulance service in Hudspeth County. In May, the speed limit was raised to 80 mph, the nation's highest.

October 17, 2006 - The New York Times

Author Alan E. Pisarski under a joint project of the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) and the Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP) details in length America's commuting behaviors and habits over a 10-year period.

October 17, 2006 - Transportation Research Board

A study of 28 metropolitan regions reveals that the high commuting cost for living in outer-ring suburbs outweighs the low cost of the housing in the long term.

October 16, 2006 - The Washington Post

California's law to discourage car commuting is rarely followed; many companies breaking the law have never fined.

October 16, 2006 - The Los Angeles Times

The $1.4 billion, 5.1 mile Central Subway connecting the Caltrain Depot at Third and King Streets to Chinatown, is projected to be completed by 2016. Most of the funding has been secured and community meetings will start Oct. 17.

October 15, 2006 - San Francisco Examiner

A new transportation museum celebrating the streetcar has opened in San Francisco, fittingly opposite the ferry building where they once took commuters from the East and North Bay ferries down Market Street.

October 11, 2006 - The San Francisco Chronicle

Plans for a new futuristic mode of transport blends maglev technology with an ordinary bus.

October 8, 2006 - The Economist

Blogger Aaron Donovan attends a recent book talk by Robert Bruegmann provides an irreverent analysis of the author's defense -- and definition -- of sprawl.

October 6, 2006 - Streetsblog

A new report has been released that argues for the creation of mixed-income and mixed-race housing in transit-oriented developments.

October 6, 2006 - Center for Transit-Oriented Development

Is congestion pricing at a tipping point in the US? Should we begin converting HOV lanes to toll lanes? Dr. Peter Gordon and Bumsoo Lee review recent research on the topic and offer their views.

October 3, 2006 - Dr. Peter Gordon, University of Southern California

The new Westfield San Francisco Centre, billed as the largest urban shopping center west of the Mississippi, opened on September 28 -- without parking.

October 3, 2006 - The San Francisco Chronicle

If Los Angeles is to finally get its subway to the sea, local officials will need a new definition of cost-efficiency, argues the L.A. Times.

October 2, 2006 - The Los Angeles Times

Fractured transportation plans from different Toronto area municipalities make regional transit planning a challenge.

October 1, 2006 - The Toronto Star

With private car ownership increasing, can the bicycle making a comeback in China?

September 29, 2006 - China Daily

A recent editorial encourages the Washington State legislature to take the first step towards highway congestion pricing.

September 29, 2006 - The Seattle Times

Public transit ridership increased 3.2% in the first six months of 2006, according to a recent report released by the American Public Transportation Association.

September 28, 2006 - American Public Transportation Association (APTA)

Google is testing its new transit trip planning service in six U.S. cities.

September 28, 2006 - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

As part of its $6 billion regional transit plan, Seattle transit officials have started construction on an airport extension.

September 27, 2006 - The Seattle Times