Coming Soon to Boston’s Massive Parking Crater: More Subsidized Parking
Quick -- what should a city do to improve access to a rapidly developing area near a BRT station? In Boston, officials have settled on an expensive plan to subsidize driving and traffic.
March 6, 2017
How Engineering Standards for Cars Endanger People Crossing the Street
At the Landmark Interchange by Fenway Park in Boston, people trying to walk across the street sometimes have to wait as long as two minutes for a signal. And that, says Northeastern University Civil Engineering Professor Peter Furth, is dangerous.
March 3, 2017
The Trouble With Uber
It's been a bad few weeks for Uber, with CEO Travis Kalanick recently caught on tape in a shouting match with a driver over the company's diminishing pay. Joe Cortright at City Observatory says that beyond the public meltdown, there are a growing number of signs that Uber's business model just isn't sustainable.
March 3, 2017
Earl Blumenauer Introduces Vision Zero Bill in House
U.S. Representative Earl Blumenauer has introduced legislation in the House that would help cities establish Vision Zero policies aimed at eliminating traffic deaths, reports Jonathan Maus at Bike Portland. “Something has to change," Blumenauer said. "We have to do better and finally treat this public health crisis."
March 2, 2017
Today’s Headlines
Six Reasons Why Trump’s Infrastructure Plan is in Trouble (WNYC) Rahm Emanuel: Any Infrastructure Plan Without Funding Is “Fairy Dust” (Politico) Construction Stocks Are Still Feasting Off Trump’s Infrastructure Talk (Investors Business Daily) Feds Tell Minnesota Lawmakers Light Rail Funds Can’t Be Transferred to Road Projects (Star Tribune) Uber’s PR Meltdown (The Atlantic) Strong Towns: How … Continued
March 2, 2017
Win Back Transit Riders By Speeding Up Bus Boarding
One surefire way for U.S. transit agencies to improve bus service is to streamline the boarding process by enabling riders to get on at any door. In a new report, NACTO makes the case for all-door boarding and looks at how American transit agencies are moving forward on implementation.
March 1, 2017
Austin May Cut Parking Requirements By Nearly 50 Percent
Austin is in the process of overhauling its zoning code -- an initiative called CodeNext -- and one of the most promising aspects is a major reduction in parking requirements. If the current draft holds up, the effects on walkability, housing affordability, and water quality could be impressive.
March 1, 2017
Today’s Headlines
Trump Briefly Mentions Infrastructure Package in Speech to Congress (The Hill) Bloomberg: We Don’t Have Enough Construction Workers to Build Trump’s Infrastructure Plan One Year After Opening, Mixed Results for D.C. Streetcar (WAMU) Transportation for America Announces New Director: Adrea Turner, Formerly of DDOT Big Projects Finally Come Under Scrutiny in Wisconsin as Enormous Cost Overruns Exposed (WPR) … Continued
March 1, 2017
Why Do We Still Pay People to Drive to Work?
The federal government spends $7 billion annually subsidizing parking for car commuters -- almost as much as it spends annually on transit. No wonder cities are so congested. If we're going to cut traffic in major cities, parking subsidies have got to go.
February 28, 2017
Local GOP Reps Counting on Elaine Chao to Trip Up Transit Projects
Acting on the behest of Congressional Republicans opposed to high-speed rail, earlier this month Transportation Secretary Chao delayed a $647 million grant for Caltrain electrification, throwing its future in doubt. It looks like Republicans in other states were watching and learning.
February 27, 2017
