Around the Block
When Your State DOT Starts Talking About “Relieving Congestion,” Alarms Should Go Off
Georgia is looking to reduce congestion on the I-75/85 corridor in through downtown Atlanta, saying "no idea is off the table." But some ideas should be discarded right off the bat - like the notion that adding space for cars is going to solve the traffic problem.
July 11, 2017
Dallas Council Members Say Bus Network Overhaul Can’t Wait
Dallas's winding, confusing bus routes are ripe for rethinking, and the City Council wants to act fast.
July 10, 2017
Caving to Resentment Politics, Oregon Enacts a Bike Tax
Congrats to Oregon on its preposterous bike tax that accomplishes no discernible transportation goal except dampening demand for new bikes.
July 7, 2017
St. Petersburg Transit Chief Gives Up Car For a Month-Long Listening Tour on Buses
The CEO of the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority is changing his schedule -- and getting an earful.
July 6, 2017
With Seattle Transit Funds Under Siege By State Legislators, the Governor Rides to the Rescue
Things are looking up transit riders in Washington, where Democratic Governor Jay Inslee fended off attacks on transit funding. But in Ohio, Republican Governor John Kasich delivered a blow to transit service with a stroke of his veto pen.
July 5, 2017
What If Atlanta Taxed Parking to Keep Housing Affordable?
A tax on parking could generate funds for affordable housing and transit in Atlanta. The question is whether the city has the political appetite to enact it.
July 3, 2017
An All-Too-Rare Idea to Improve Transit: Put People Who Ride Transit in Charge
It's hard to improve transit service if the people who oversee transit policy don't know what makes for good service. And yet, agency boards are often dominated by political hacks with little or no transit expertise -- many don't even know what it's like to ride the transit systems they oversee. Dallas is trying something different.
June 30, 2017
Portland’s on the Verge of Fending Off Two Highway Widening Projects
In Portland, two road expansions with a combined pricetag of $1 billion seemed to be on the fast track for funding this year, with transit agency boss Neil McFarlane and city DOT chief Leah Treat lining up behind them, in addition to the usual road-building suspects. But it looks like the highway expansions are toast, at least for now.
June 29, 2017
Macon, Georgia, Striped a Good Network of Temporary Bike Lanes and Cycling Soared
The experiment shows that if you build it, they will come -- even in smaller cities without a strong culture around active transportation.
June 28, 2017
A Recipe for Cutting Traffic: Build More Apartments, Fewer Single-Family Homes
In the Twin Cities, people living in multi-family housing - apartments, condos, or any kind of dwelling that shares walls with its neighbors - travel by car 25 percent less than people who live in single-family homes. And they get around by walking, biking, and transit much, much more.
June 27, 2017
