Streetsblog.net
In a First, Seattle’s Metro Transit Will Be Funded By Carbon Offsets
Here's an interesting new type of revenue stream for transit. The King County Council, which encompasses the Seattle region, recently enacted legislation enabling Metro Transit to receive revenue from the sale of carbon offsets.
February 4, 2015
In Providence, Snow-Covered Sidewalks Put Lives at Risk
Karen McHugh, 51, was walking on Arcade Avenue in Seekonk outside of Providence Friday night after the snow storm.
February 3, 2015
Sometimes the Safer Street Design Option Is the Less Expensive One
While there are certainly a lot of large-scale obstacles to making the Dallas region more walkable, Mark Brown at Car Free Dallas says there's also no lack of quick fixes that could improve streets for a negligible cost.
February 2, 2015
People Are Fundamentally Social, Except When We’re Inside a Car
Bill Lindeke at Twin City Sidewalks was on a high from this weekend, when he attended a pretty spectacular outdoor festival in his hometown of St. Paul. The streets were filled with people and activity. It got him thinking, as fun as it was, it would have been a miserable place to be if you were in a car trying to get somewhere.
January 30, 2015
What’s Holding Back Austin Transit Ridership? Look at Where the Jobs Are
A recent post at Keep Austin Wonky asks why transit ridership in Austin seems to be stagnating even as the region grows at a healthy clip. Julio Gonzalez Altamirano says it doesn't seem to be gas prices or transit funding, but something about the way the city is physically developing that's hindering ridership growth.
January 29, 2015
This Is the Kind of Leadership We Need From State DOTs
"A breath of fresh air" -- that's how Chuck Marohn at Strong Towns describes this interview with Tennessee DOT Commissioner John Schroer. In this video, produced by Smart Growth America, Schroer describes what he is doing to make Tennessee's the "the best DOT in the country." Here are some of the highlights:
January 28, 2015
Are More Families With Kids Choosing to Live in Walkable Areas?
Bradley Calvert at Family Friendly Cities has done some impressive number-crunching to identify trends in where families with children are living. Using Walk Score and Census data, he analyzed the 50 largest metro areas in the U.S. to determine whether the population of children is growing or shrinking in walkable and unwalkable areas. (Some regions had to be excluded because they didn't have any places with a Walk Score over 70.)
January 27, 2015
Tentative Good News for Maryland’s Purple and Red Lines
Since Republican Larry Hogan was elected governor in November, transit advocates in Maryland have been holding their breath.
January 26, 2015
Survey Reveals Huge Appetite for Transit Expansion in Seattle
Sound Transit in Seattle recently commissioned a survey to gauge support for pumping $15 billion into light rail expansion from local taxes. About 1,500 voters were interviewed by phone in Snohomish, King, and Pierce counties about their appetite for such an increase.
January 23, 2015
Koch Money Seeps Into Milwaukee to Oppose Streetcar
Back in September we wrote about the various ways the Koch brothers are using their money to upend local transit projects. Four months later, Koch money is intensifying the assault against two more transit lines.
January 21, 2015