Streetsblog.net
Many Americans Live Near Transit, But Few Live Close to Good Transit
This chart tells an eye-opening story about access to transit in the United States. Using the new data tool AllTransit, TransitCenter dug into who has access to transit in American cities, making a crucial distinction between residents near any transit whatsoever and residents with access to convenient, frequently running service.
June 10, 2016
The Upside of Seattle’s Transit Expansion: High Capacity
The Seattle region's 62-mile transit expansion plan has some serious flaws. Namely, the city of Seattle, where the ridership needs are greatest, gets short shrift compared to suburban areas.
June 9, 2016
Blaming Jaywalkers and Drunk Pedestrians Lets the Real Culprits Off the Hook
New Mexico was recently named the deadliest state for walking by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Something's got to change, but what? Well, the Albuquerque Journal ran a front page article blaming the state's terrible safety record mostly on "jaywalking" and "drunk pedestrians."
June 8, 2016
Bike-Share Systems Test Out Cheaper, Single-Trip Fares
A new payment option rolled out by Capital Bikeshare in DC last week makes it easier to grab a bike if you just want to make a single trip. The pilot program offers a base fare of $2 to check out a bike, with additional fees after the first 30 minutes. Previously, you would have had to commit to at least an $8 24-hour pass to use the system.
June 7, 2016
Finding the Political Will to Fix “Four-Lane Death Roads”
A driver struck and killed a woman last week in St. Paul on what Bill Lindeke at streets.mn calls a "four-lane death road."
June 6, 2016
When “Trends Suck,” Don’t Make Transportation Plans That Follow the Trend
Sometimes the worst transportation plan is having no plan at all, and northeast Ohio could be the poster child for what goes wrong when regions aren't intentional about investments in transportation infrastructure.
June 3, 2016
A New Partnership to Help Cities Make Smart Transportation Tech Decisions
There's a rush in cities to apply new transportation technologies like ride-sharing apps and real-time transit data, as exemplified by U.S. DOT's $50 million "Smart City Challenge," which is currently down to seven finalists. Public and private entities in Columbus, for example, recently pledged $90 million to help advance the city's bid to U.S. DOT. But are cities well-equipped to navigate the landscape of tech contractors and make interventions that actually improve people's lives?
June 2, 2016
More Urban Developers Question the Wisdom of Building Parking
A San Francisco developer made headlines a few weeks ago when it offered tenants $100 a month toward Uber and BART in an attempt to reduce the usage of on-site parking.
June 1, 2016
Who Needs a “Straddling Bus” When Bus Lanes Have Already Been Invented?
It's not even a new idea at this point, having made the rounds in the media about six years ago, but the "straddling bus" concept that some Chinese cities are purportedly considering continues to fascinate people. Straddling bus stories went viral again last week, with claims that the conveyance, which only exists as a scale model at this point, can carry up to 1,400 passengers while traveling above two lanes of car traffic as fast as 40 mph, according to CityLab.
May 31, 2016
Funding California Rail With Cap-and-Trade Revenue Hits a Snag
California's cap-and-trade program is one of the boldest state-level climate change policies in the U.S. By capping statewide carbon pollution and then auctioning off emissions allowances, the state hopes to both reduce greenhouse gas emissions and generate about $10.6 billion for projects to improve energy efficiency. Among other things, that money would support various rail and transit projects, including the state's high-speed rail line.
May 27, 2016