Transit
Basics
An All-Too-Rare Idea to Improve Transit: Put People Who Ride Transit in Charge
It's hard to improve transit service if the people who oversee transit policy don't know what makes for good service. And yet, agency boards are often dominated by political hacks with little or no transit expertise -- many don't even know what it's like to ride the transit systems they oversee. Dallas is trying something different.
June 30, 2017
Atlanta Advocates Campaign to Set Aside Some Transit Funding to Keep Housing Affordable Near New Lines
Now that new transit projects are coming to Atlanta, advocates want to ensure the people who supported the investment will be able to benefit from it. The Partnership for Southern Equity is leading a campaign to reserve 5 percent of the money from a recent ballot measure - about $120 million - for a fund to subsidize housing near transit.
June 27, 2017
Dallas Confronts the Dilemma: Build Transit for the Burbs, or Build Transit People Will Use
The biggest potential for transit ridership is in walkable neighborhoods in the city, where more people and jobs are clustered closer together. But regional politics often lead agencies to build transit in suburban areas where ridership will be more sparse.
June 22, 2017
Can Transit Work Well in a Sprawling City Like Indianapolis?
Transit service in Indianapolis is scarce and very few people use the existing system. A key reason for these lackluster outcomes is the city's sprawling pattern of development.
June 22, 2017
In Sprawling Areas, Can the Bus Become Anything Other Than a Lifeline for the Poor?
Transit shouldn't just be for marginalized groups. Though it may be a long time before it's seen as an essential public service for everyone in Burlington, some are making exactly that argument.
June 12, 2017
Indianapolis Has a Long Way to Go to Get Transit Right
Suffice it to say that it’s simply not convenient for most people to use the Indianapolis transit system. Things are looking up, though: Last fall, Indianapolis residents voted massively in favor of a funding package that should significantly improve service in the coming years.
June 9, 2017
Atlanta’s Raising $2.5 Billion to Invest in Transit. Will It Be Money Well-Spent?
The city seems to have learned from mistakes like its mixed-traffic streetcar and is looking to give future transit lines dedicated rights of way. Still, there are many more decisions ahead that will determine whether the city spends $2.5 billion in new transit revenue well or not.
June 2, 2017
Riding Transit Should Never Be a Pathway to Deportation
A sad story has been unfolding over the past few weeks in the Twin Cities, where a transit fare enforcement stop led to a man being deported. The officer who initiated the stop, Andy Lamers, has since been fired, but it was too late for the passenger, Ariel Vences-Lopez, 23.
June 1, 2017
Miami’s Future Should Be Transit and Walking, But the Mayor’s Focused on Robot Cars
Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez is in charge of executing an ambitious transit expansion plan -- but lately, in a spectacular example of missing the point, he's been talking up autonomous cars as the ultimate transportation solution.
May 26, 2017
Nashville Mayor Megan Barry Just Unveiled Her Blueprint to Fast-Track People-Friendly Streets
Nashville is known as the home of the country music industry -- and a fast-growing region of car-centric sprawl. But local leaders realize they can't accommodate more growth with an outdated, cars-first approach, so Mayor Megan Barry released an action plan yesterday that lays out an ambitious agenda to improve conditions for walking, bicycling, and transit.
May 25, 2017
