An American Take on the “Bus Stop of the Future”
Four years ago, the regional transit agency in Paris, RATP, set out to create the "bus stop of the future." This bus stop would be designed to give riders and even passersby a comfortable place to relax. In addition to a sleek shelter, it featured a bike-share station, a library, and snacks and coffee.
August 19, 2016
State DOTs to Feds: We Don’t Want to Reveal Our Impact on Climate Change
Every year state DOTs receive tens of billions of dollars in transportation funds from the federal government. By and large, they can do whatever they want with the money, which in most states means wasting enormous sums on pork-laden highway projects. Now that U.S. DOT might impose some measure of accountability on how states use these funds, of course the states are fighting to keep their spending habits as opaque as possible.
August 18, 2016
A Year After Houston’s Bus Network Redesign, Ridership Is Up
After years of declining bus ridership, last August Houston METRO overhauled service patterns around the city, updating the bus network for the first time since the 1970s. Practically overnight, Houston's network changed from a hub-and-spoke model to a more grid-like system designed to expand access to frequent service to more of the city. Night and weekend service dramatically increased as well. The country has been watching to see the results.
August 17, 2016
Study: High-Traffic Arterial Roads Reduce Quality of Life, Even Blocks Away
Seminal research by Donald Appleyard in the 1970s found the volume of traffic on a street affects quality of life for residents in profound and unexpected ways. For example, the amount of social contact people had with their neighbors was curtailed for those who lived on high traffic streets compared with those living on quieter streets. People even defined their "home area" much more narrowly if they lived on a busy road.
August 16, 2016
John Oliver on the Cruel Poverty Trap That is Subprime Auto Lending
Never forget this: Those who pay the highest price for the American system of transportation -- one that makes owning a personal car practically a mandate -- are the poor. We've reported before about how the largely unregulated subprime auto lending market has been expanding in recent years, leading some people to wonder if a breakdown in the auto loan industry could echo the housing bubble.
August 16, 2016
“Pocket” Bike Lanes: A Small Step to Make Intersections Work Better?
A bike lane that appears at an intersection to help guide bicyclists out of the way of turning drivers -- in Washington, D.C., they call this a "pocket lane." David Cranor writes at Greater Greater Washington that the District is looking to add them along streets that don't otherwise have bike lanes, targeting intersections where they might help avoid conflicts. He says:
August 15, 2016
Oslo Gradually Removing Parking From Central City as It Phases Out Cars
Another European city is setting its sights on ridding the urban core of cars.
August 12, 2016
Study: Even Drivers Prefer Protected Bike Lanes
When it comes to allocating street space, it is often taken for granted that anything that benefits people on bikes harms people who drive. Such assumptions are contradicted by data showing that cycling infrastructure makes streets safer for all users, and don't mesh with a new study on motorist preferences.
August 12, 2016
If People Can’t Afford to Live Near Work, They Probably Won’t Bike Commute
How out of control are Bay Area housing prices? It costs so much to live in Palo Alto that Kate Vershov Downing -- a lawyer who served on the Planning and Transportation Commission -- announced this week that she and her husband -- a software developer -- are moving to Santa Cruz. She resigned her seat on the commission.
August 11, 2016
Five Reasons No One Should Ever Take the Straddling Bus Seriously
The taller the bus, the harder it falls. Since 2010, a Chinese firm's "straddling bus" concept has captured the imagination of people around the globe who want to avoid the hassle of carving out street space for transit. But a "test run" last week in the city of Qinhuangdao looks like it was the final blaze of glory for this idea.
August 10, 2016