Will Private Transit Startups Help or Hurt Public Transit?
The rise of private transit operators like Bridj, Leap, and Uberpool has raised questions about equity in places including the Bay Area, where such services are fast replicating. A related issue is the impact they will have on traditional public transit systems.
April 30, 2015
Absurd “Pedestrian Safety Kit” Highlights the Perils of Walking in America
Given how fundamental walking is to our humanity and our health, it's sad to see how marginalized pedestrians have become in our transportation system.
April 29, 2015
NACTO: If You Want Bike-Share to Succeed, Put Stations Close Together
A new study from the National Association of City Transportation Officials [PDF] adds credence to the theory that station density is a key factor in whether a bike-share system will flourish or flop.
April 29, 2015
Program Would Make Transit Free for Commuters to Downtown Columbus
Only about 5 percent of workers in downtown Columbus arrive by transit daily, according to census data. So Columbus -- technically the fifteenth largest city in the U.S. -- isn't a huge transit city, by any means. But an innovative new proposal could help dramatically increase the share of downtown workers who arrive by bus.
April 28, 2015
Study That Spurred Bike Helmet Fetish Was Repudiated By Its Own Authors
The authors of a study that helped foment the public and governmental obsession with bike helmets later issued research that undermined their initial findings.
April 28, 2015
You Can Help Make State DOTs Accountable for How They Spend
Pressure is mounting on the president and Congress to keep roads and bridges from falling apart by increasing transportation funding. But a big part of the problem is states, which receive the lion's share of federal transportation funds but opt to spend most on new roads, instead of maintaining existing infrastructure.
April 27, 2015
Is Your City Making Full Use of Existing Transit Investments?
Chicago's rail transit infrastructure has a lot of unused capacity, Yonah Freemark wrote last week on the blog of the Metropolitan Planning Council, and making use of it might be cheaper and easier than expanding the system.
April 27, 2015
Chris Christie Keeps Trying to Balance NJ’s Books on Backs of Transit Riders
Governor Chris Christie has really made a mess of New Jersey's transportation finances. Since 2011, the governor's "flipping the couch cushions" strategy has resulted in the state amassing an additional $5.2 billion in debt.
April 23, 2015
The “Backward Incentives” That Subsidize Job Sprawl
There's an interesting discussion going on over at Seattle Transit Blog over the region's policies toward suburban job growth.
April 23, 2015
Study: Drivers Much More Likely to Yield to Pedestrians on 20 MPH Streets
On streets where people drive fast, they are much less inclined to yield for pedestrians at unsignalized crosswalks, according to a new study published by the Transportation Research Board.
April 22, 2015