Will Caltrain Electrification Win Out Despite the California GOP?
The electrification of commuter rail service between San Jose and San Francisco was all but ready to begin construction when Donald Trump's transportation secretary, Elaine Chao, pulled the rug out from under the project earlier this month. Local officials are trying to adjust on the fly to salvage the project.
February 27, 2017
Transit Ridership Falling Everywhere — But Not in Cities With Redesigned Bus Networks
Transit ridership decreased in almost every major American city last year. But there were two notable exceptions -- Seattle and Houston. Those two outliers share one thing in common: In addition to expanding light rail, they're both redesigning their bus networks.
February 24, 2017
What If State DOTs Listened to Cities Before Starting Urban Projects?
It's not uncommon for bitter disputes to develop when state DOTs come into urban neighborhoods and start making changes to state-controlled streets. Pennsylvania DOT has a different idea: Rather than just muscle everything through, the agency will incorporate local ideas before engineering and design work gets started.
February 24, 2017
Why Is Portland’s Transit Chief Advocating for More Highways?
After suffering an embarrassing defeat a year ago, the Oregon highway lobby is rattling the can for more money again. They have a list of highways they want to widen, and they say Portland's economy depends on it. In addition to the usual suspects, the highway cheerleaders include Neil McFarlane, general manager of TriMet, the regional transit agency.
February 23, 2017
Today’s Headlines
This Boston Suburb Turned Street Parking Into a Pop-Up Bus Lane (CityLab) Auto Loan Delinquencies Hit a New High (The Car Connection) What We Can Learn About Infrastructure Spending From the Stimulus (Brookings) Lawsuit Against Albuquerque Bus Rapid Transit Dropped (ABQ Journal) Globe and Mail: Self-Driving Cars Will Give Power Back to Pedestrians Congress Making Bipartisan Push … Continued
February 23, 2017
Bus Riders Prevail: Transit to Return to Cleveland’s Public Square
After booting buses out of Public Square as part of a $50 million redesign, Mayor Frank Jackson now says the city is preparing to reopen the space to buses in March. That would end a seven-month closure that led to systemwide bus delays and gained national notoriety as a case study of how local governments mistreat bus riders.
February 22, 2017
Why Seattle Should Boot Cars Off Its Busiest Street for Buses
Seattle is booming, and in downtown, transit has been absorbing most of the city's growth in travel. With the streets full during rush hour, the only way to increase capacity is to reallocate street space from cars to more compact modes like buses and bikes.
February 22, 2017
Today’s Headlines
D.C. Metro Ridership Down 9 Percent From Last Year, and the Pain Is Not Over (WTOP) Shreveport, Louisiana, Urban Highway Would Displace Poor Residents (Strong Towns) Same Man Kills Two Pedestrians in Waco, Texas, in 17 Months; Police Blame Pedestrians (KVIA) North Carolina Gov Asks Trump to Fund Rail Connections (Next City) Charlotte Transit Chief Wants $6 Billion Light … Continued
February 22, 2017
America Builds Too Many Schools By Highways
One in 11 U.S. public schools are within 500 feet of a highway, exposing 4.4 million children to elevated levels of pollution, putting kids at elevated risk of developing asthma. But cheap land remains alluring to school districts, and America's system of school siting is not getting better.
February 21, 2017
A Six-Point Plan to Cut Traffic
If we're going to create a safer transportation system, we're going to have to drive less, and a new study of travel and development patterns in Massachusetts sheds light on what can be done to cut down on traffic. Here are the six factors researchers identified that affect the amount people drive.
February 21, 2017
