Today’s Headlines

Washington D.C.’s transit system is looking at a budget deficit even if it hikes fares (GGW)

Ford gets behind Senate bill to prod states in to banning texting while driving (Det News)

Arizona officials acknowledge their state’s era of ‘roads before transit’ is over (AZ Rep)

Columbus, Ohio, helping private company bid for stimulus cash to build high-speed rail cars (Dayton DN)

The government agency that regulates transport of dangerous cargo has been co-opted by industry (AP)

Google developing its own solar power technology (Reuters)

ALSO ON STREETSBLOG

A Decade of Growth for Transit-Accessible Neighborhoods in America

By Angie Schmitt | Jun 11, 2014

The first decade of the millennium saw significant growth for transit in America. From 2000 to 2010, the number of regions with fixed-guideway transit — rail systems or bus systems with dedicated lanes — grew from 27 to 40. And ridership followed. In the period beginning in 1995 and ending in 2008, total American transit ridership […]

With Seattle Transit Funds Under Siege By State Legislators, the Governor Rides to the Rescue

By Angie Schmitt | Jul 5, 2017

Things are looking up transit riders in Washington, where Democratic Governor Jay Inslee fended off attacks on transit funding. But in Ohio, Republican Governor John Kasich delivered a blow to transit service with a stroke of his veto pen.

In a First, Seattle’s Metro Transit Will Be Funded By Carbon Offsets

By Angie Schmitt | Feb 4, 2015

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. Stephen Fesler at The Urbanist explains this noteworthy innovation: The initiative, called the Transit Carbon Offset Program, is an incredibly unique strategy […]

Without Transit, American Cities Would Take Up 37 Percent More Space

By Angie Schmitt | Sep 28, 2015

Even if you never set foot on a bus or a train, chances are transit is saving you time and money. The most obvious reason is that transit keeps cars off the road, but the full explanation is both less intuitive and more profound: Transit shrinks distances between destinations, putting everything within closer reach. A new study published by the Transportation Research Board quantifies […]

Talking Headways Podcast: Transit Predictions for 2017

By Jeff Wood | Feb 27, 2017

This week we’re joined by Yonah Freemark, author of the Transport Politic and Streetsblog’s new series Getting Transit Right. Yonah and I predict what's in store for transit in the next 12 months and break down the results of last year’s transit predictions.

It’s OK to Build Transit-Oriented Development Before Transit

By Brad Aaron | Sep 9, 2014

Which should come first: transit or transit-oriented development? Streetsblog San Francisco reported Monday that residents of Mountain View, California, are trying to figure out how to accommodate thousands of tech employees without overwhelming local transportation infrastructure. One-fourth of all workers in Mountain View travel to and from an office district that houses Google, LinkedIn, and […]