SPUR Lunchtime Forum: A field guide to transit debates: A conversation with Jarrett Walker

"For the sake of the environment and for efficiency of movement with a
growing population, the need for public transit is spreading. But
funding and implementation issues incite intense and often bitter
quarrels. Join transit planning consultant Jarrett Walker —
writer of the blog HumanTransit.org — as he offers insight on some
common issues, confusions, outcomes and strategies shared by transit
planning initiatives across the country."

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Jarrett Walker: New Geary BRT Option Could Provide Faster Service

By Aaron Bialick |
When it comes to providing the fastest, most reliable bus rapid transit service on Geary Boulevard, cutting out bus passing lanes and “consolidating” local and express services might sound like a downgrade. But according to transit consultant Jarrett Walker, such a configuration could actually provide a superior level of service. It’s all about using the right […]

The Case Against the “Empty Bus” Argument

By Sarah Goodyear |
Jarrett Walker at Human Transit provides useful ammunition in the battle of reasonable people against knee-jerk transit-bashers. Walker begins his post by quoting from a story in Canada’s National Post headlined "Save the Environment: Don’t Take Transit." The article posits that because many buses run empty for much of the day, they are environmentally inferior […]

Happy Birthday, Streetsblog Network

By Sarah Goodyear |
One year ago today, we announced the launch of the Streetsblog Network — a national and international network of blogs covering transportation policy, sustainable planning, smart growth and active transportation. We conceived of the network as a way to get people who are passionate about these issues literally on the same page. We started with […]

Transit Investments and the Failure of Randal O’Toole’s Short-Term Thinking

By Angie Schmitt |
The Los Angeles Times recently ran a big story to the effect that the region’s major investments in transit are not paying off, since ridership has recently declined. But there are a lot of problems with the paper’s analysis, which Streetsblog LA looked at last week. Jarrett Walker at Human Transit has also taken issue with how the LA Times published sweeping conclusions about long-term […]