Transit
Basics
No More Mr. Nice Guy: Transit Advocates Get Organized
What do you do if your bus service is cut by a third? If you’re Metropolitan Congregations United in St. Louis, you hold a ballot initiative – and win. What if your transit system neglects less affluent areas compared to the wealthy part of town? If you’re the L.A. Bus Riders’ Union, you bring a civil rights lawsuit – and win. And what if a regressive tax system starves your transit service? If you’re the Seattle area’s Transportation Choices, you organize an unprecedented coalition to pressure the County Council – and win.
June 15, 2012
Apple Drops Transit Directions From Mobile Devices
One thing that won't come standard with the new iPhone: transit directions.
June 13, 2012
Toxic Pre-Recession Bank Deals Haunt Struggling Transit Agencies
In the midst of major funding crises and unprecedented demand, transit agencies across the country are paying hundreds of millions of dollars to big banks because of bad deals made in the pre-recession, pre-bailout days. That's according to a new report from Refund Transit, a coalition of transit unions and community organizations calling for banks to voluntarily renegotiate these deals.
June 8, 2012
FRA Chief: America Is Driving Less and Congress Needs to Catch Up
Speaking to reporters earlier today, Federal Railroad Administration chief Joe Szabo said that people are driving less and using transit more -- and that those changes are permanent. "America’s travel habits are undergoing rapid change," he said. It's a fact, he said ("not opinion -- statistically proven"), calling on Congress to show that it understands these changes by moving in a new direction.
June 4, 2012
Making Rural Transit Work
Transit in rural areas is tricky. Folks need to go farther, the passengers are more dispersed, and there's less money to go around.
May 25, 2012
From a Reader: Seven More Questions For the Transportation Conference
Last week, I published a list of seven questions I had as the Transportation Conference Committee started meeting. I was examining the politics, not the policy. Turns out some readers wanted to hear more about the policy.
May 17, 2012
Rising or Falling, Volatile Gas Prices Underscore Importance of Transit
When gas prices go up, it can be a big motivator for people to start taking transit more frequently. But according to a study released by the American Public Transportation Association and Building America's Future [PDF], even when gas prices start to go down, the newly converted keep riding transit.
May 16, 2012
Atlanta Transpo Referendum Draws an Unlikely Opponent in Local Sierra Club
One of the most exciting transit expansion dramas unfolding in the United States right now is Atlanta's transportation referendum: the Transportation Investment Act, or TIA, for short.
May 1, 2012
What’s the Secret to World-Class Transit Systems? Congestion Pricing
Top transportation officials from three global cities -- London, Singapore and Stockholm -- shared their experiences in expanding the use of transit at a panel at the Regional Plan Association's annual conference last Friday. Eyeing those cities, it's easy for Americans to get jealous.
April 30, 2012
Let the Debate Begin: NYC, SF Snag Top Spots in First Transit Score Rankings
Today, Walk Score -- developer of the popular method for evaluating neighborhood walkability (and filling out NCAA tournament brackets) -- announced its first ranking of cities by Transit Score, a measure of the "usefulness" of a city's transit system. On a 100-point scale, New York and San Francisco took the top two spots with scores of 81 and 80 respectively, while Boston (74), Washington D.C. (69), and Philadelphia (68) round out the top five (see the full rankings).
April 26, 2012