Streetsblog Network

Why do some city spaces seem to exude joy while others seem so lonely?

The season of Lent is coming up, and here's an idea we like a lot.

It's not something you hear often in transit-rich areas, but in cities and towns across the U.S., the specter of the "empty bus" looms large.

Almost exactly 30 years ago, the state of Idaho enacted a traffic rule that would come to be known nationally as the "Idaho Stop," allowing cyclists to treat stop signs like yield signs. In three decades as the law of the land, the Idaho Stop has a fine safety record.

In 1998, the citizens of Charlotte, North Carolina, voted to raise their sales tax by a half cent in order to improve transit. They used that money to build the Lynx light-rail and to expand bus service, boosting ridership an impressive 100 percent.

The famed "War on Cars" -- who among us hasn't heard this tired hyperbole tossed around with wild abandon? Want to install a bike lane? Gasp! "War on cars!" Speeding cameras in school zones? "War on cars!!" Raise tolls to cover the huge cost of roads? "WAR ON CARS!!!"

Last month, Slate wondered how Washington, D.C. ended up with the best bike-sharing system in the country. The answer was, essentially, vision: Local leaders had it, and they were able to win financial support from the federal government.

This year, we've seen a range of new transportation revenue-raising proposals from Massachusetts, Virginia, and Pennsylvania, where governors are all pursuing options other than raising the gas tax. Welcome to the new paradigm in transportation funding, says David Goldberg at Transportation for America:

Earlier this week we looked at the intersection of Route 355 and Shady Grove Road near Rockville, Maryland, flagged by Ben Ross at Greater Greater Washington for being especially hostile to pedestrians, even though it's the site of a bus stop. We asked if it might be the worst intersection in the country and put out a call for readers to send their nominations for the title.