Transit
Basics
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
Celebrate Earth Day the FTA Way, With a Map of Sustainable Transpo Projects
The Federal Transit Administration has launched a new website for Earth Day (this Sunday), showcasing the agency's efforts for livability and clean energy. It's all good Earth Day reading, but what stands out is this useful map of sustainable transportation projects.
April 20, 2012
Patent Troll Sues Transit Agencies For Releasing Real-Time Transit Info
Lloyd Dobbler, John Cusack’s generation-defining character in Say Anything, notably said, “I don't want to sell anything, buy anything, or process anything as a career.”
April 16, 2012
Advocates: Mobilizing Transit Riders a Challenge, Even in Transit-Rich Cities
With fewer Americans driving and transit ridership breaking records, you might think transit has plenty of muscle behind it. But while the numbers speak for themselves, the riders often don't.
April 13, 2012
Independent Federal Report Confirms: Christie Lied To Kill ARC Tunnel
It was never about cost overruns. It was never about New Jersey's share of the price tag. Chris Christie's decision to kill the ARC tunnel under the Hudson River was always about two, and only two, things: the governor's unwillingness to raise the state's rock-bottom gas tax and his desire to make a name for himself among national Republicans.
April 10, 2012