Streetsblog.net
D.C. Metro Shutdown Should Be a Wakeup Call: Spend Smart on Transit
Today's emergency 24-hour shutdown of the D.C. Metro system is a transit embarrassment of epic proportions. The shutdown follows an electrical fire in a subway tunnel Monday, and will allow for system-wide safety inspections. Metro has been under federal control following a smoke inhalation death caused by a similar problem last year.
March 16, 2016
Imagining a New Future for Empty Garages
If shared fleets of self-driving cars really do hit the streets in the next decade, some big changes are on the horizon. One of the biggest is that individual car ownership will become much less common.
March 15, 2016
Gun Lobby’s New Target: The Bus
Letting people carry firearms on transit vehicles is a new priority for the gun lobby in several states where legislation to expand concealed carry rules to buses and trains is gaining momentum.
March 14, 2016
How to Get Airport Transit Right
The big rail line to the airport is an awfully seductive transit project to many political decision makers. So cities keep heaping resources on flashy airport transit even though the ridership is seldom worth the expense. Toronto, for instance, recently rolled out a new airport line that costs a bundle to ride and is drawing a disappointing number of passengers.
March 11, 2016
It’s True: The Typical Car Is Parked 95 Percent of the Time
Cars are a very inefficient transportation technology for too many reasons to count. They take up huge amounts of space but get driven around mostly empty -- the average private car in the U.S. carries only 1.6 people. A lot of the time, people drive distances that are short enough to easily walk or bike -- 28 percent of car trips are a mile or less, according to the Governors Highway Safety Association.
March 10, 2016
All the Best Places in Cleveland Are Illegal Under Its Current Zoning
Cleveland's first zoning code was written in 1929, and since then it's been amended in ways that have eroded the walkability of the city. City leaders acknowledge that building compact, mixed-use neighborhoods has basically become illegal under the current zoning code.
March 9, 2016
What Mister Rogers Can Teach Us About Cities and NIMBYism
If you spend much time at community meetings, or you're a Leslie Knope fan, you know that public forums are often where open-mindedness goes to die.
March 8, 2016
Attention Cities: To Encourage Walking, Don’t Overlook the Basics
When it comes to making it easier and safer for people to get around on foot, is your city covering the basics? If you live in the U.S., odds are the answer is "Not by a long shot."
March 7, 2016
Rescuing New Ideas From the Purgatory of Old Bureaucracy
Your city may have a complete streets policy. Your mayor may say all the right things about making streets work for walking, biking, and transit. But if the inner workings of government -- city budgets, agency protocols -- aren't set up to enable big street design breakthroughs, all you'll get are scattershot improvements.
March 4, 2016
It’s Happening: Construction of Maryland’s Purple Line Set to Start This Year
Yesterday, Maryland Governor Larry Hogan announced that a contractor has been selected to build the 14-mile Purple Line light rail in DC's Maryland suburbs. It's a milestone and a major relief following Hogan's long history of brinkmanship with the project.
March 3, 2016