Transit
The Promise of Expanding Atlanta Transit Inside the City Limits
It looked like the Atlanta region's ambitious transit plans might have been thwarted late last month when state lawmakers shot down a bill to allow Fulton, Clayton, and DeKalb counties to hold ballot measures potentially raising $8 billion to expand MARTA. But maybe that was a blessing in disguise.
March 21, 2016
Subsidizing Uber for the “Last Mile”? An Orlando Suburb Is Trying It
In a January 2015 paper, the Yale Law professor David Schleicher and Yale Law student Daniel Rauch published a paper on how local governments might regulate “sharing economy” companies, such as Uber, in the future.
March 16, 2016
Explore National Transportation Change Trends by Age Group
Cross-posted from City Observatory
March 4, 2016
Georgia Lawmakers Won’t Even Let Atlanta Vote on Transit Expansion
Once again, state lawmakers in Georgia have undermined urban transport in Atlanta. A bill to allow residents Fulton and DeKalb counties to vote on a half-cent sales tax to fund transit died in the Georgia Senate this week when leaders refused to bring it to the floor for a vote.
March 1, 2016
High Transportation Costs Make a Lot of HUD Housing Unaffordable
Rental assistance from HUD isn't enough to make the cost of living affordable when the subsidies go toward housing in car-dependent areas, according to a new study by researchers from the University of Texas and the University of Utah. The study evaluated transportation costs for more than 18,000 households that receive HUD rental subsidies, estimating that nearly half of recipients have to spend more than 15 percent of their household budgets on transportation.
February 29, 2016
$8 Billion Expansion of Atlanta Transit Clears First Hurdle
Atlanta's regional transit network, MARTA, isn't known as a dynamic, growing system. While cities as varied as D.C., Minneapolis, and Houston have rolled out new high-capacity transit routes, MARTA has stagnated.
February 24, 2016
Congress Expected to Level Tax Benefit for Transit and Car Commuters
A federal policy that has encouraged Americans to drive to work instead of taking the bus or the train won't tilt the playing field toward car commuters so much.
December 16, 2015
What Went Wrong With Boston’s Green Line Extension?
Last week, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority abruptly cut ties with four contractors working on the 4.7-mile Green Line extension to Somerville and Medford, outside Boston. The announcement came shortly after reports that the cost of the light rail project had ballooned to about $3 billion, an increase of a billion dollars.
December 14, 2015
The Looming Transit Breakdown That Threatens America’s Economy
While federal transit funding stagnates, the nation's largest rail and bus systems have been delaying critical maintenance projects. Without sustained efforts to fix infrastructure and vehicles, the effects of deteriorating service in big American cities could ripple across the national economy, according to a new report from the Regional Plan Association [PDF].
November 16, 2015
Transit vs. Highways: Which Came Out on Top in Local Elections?
There were several local ballot measures with big implications for streets and transportation yesterday, and results were all over the map. Here's how three of the most notable votes turned out.
November 4, 2015