Maine DOT Leaves Portland Pedestrians Stranded
This morning on Streetsblog Network, Rights
of Way, a blog in Portland, Maine, writes about how the Maine
Department of Transportation (MDOT) is trying to push through a
highway-widening plan near the city's scenic Back Cove.
May 12, 2010
The Great Bicyclist Responsibility Debate Continues
Today on the Streetsblog Network, Boston
Biker takes issue with a recent column in the Boston
Globe Sunday Magazine about how people on bicycles need to "earn"
respect on the road. In the view of the Globe’s Doug Most, it’s
essentially the responsibility of bicyclists to stay out of the way of
motor vehicles and to ride with the assumption that they’re invisible.
May 11, 2010
Brookings Report: “Bright Flight” Transforming Cities and Suburbs
The suburbs of America are not what
they used to be. And neither are the cities.
May 10, 2010
Should Transit Systems Charge More During Peak Hours?
Should peak-hour Metro commuters pay a surcharge in the most congested part of the system? (Photo: roboppy via Flickr) This morning on the Streetsblog Network, there’s a lively and intelligent discussion going on at Jarrett Walker’s Human Transit over the question “Should fares be higher during peak hours?” The Human Transit post was sparked by … Continued
May 7, 2010
The Fine Art of Balancing a Street’s Ecosystem
Think of a street as being like an ecosystem, in which various
users — pedestrians, drivers, bicyclists — move through an environment,
sometimes enhancing it and sometimes damaging it. When a street is out
of balance, users suffer. So does the human infrastructure of the street
— the businesses and residences that line it.
May 6, 2010
Pennsylvania Avenue Bike Lanes Provide Media Platform for Local AAA
Bike lanes are going in on Pennsylvania Avenue — and that makes some motorists mad. (Photo: Eric Gilliland via Flickr) In the last couple of days, several of our Washington, D.C.-area contributors have been writing about anti-cycling rhetoric coming from the local AAA chapter. AAA Mid-Atlantic has been obliging reporters looking for inflammatory quotes in … Continued
May 5, 2010
In New Orleans, You Should Follow the River
A city determined by the Mississippi. (Google photo composite: Leto A. via Flickr) Today on the Streetsblog Network, there’s a lovely post about the geographic idiosyncrasy of New Orleans, from NolaCycle Bike Map Project. This is the blog of a group whose mission is “to create a high quality cycling map of New Orleans” by … Continued
May 4, 2010
Helping Pittsburghers Kick Their Car Habit
A Critical Mass ride during Pittsburgh’s 2007 Bike Fest. (Photo: lemonad via Flickr) Could Pittsburgh become the “green city” of the East Coast? Reader Cullen Vandora pointed us to an interesting article on Pittsburgh’s Post-Gazette.com by designer Bob Firth. Firth writes that as the city embarks on a new comprehensive plan, it could use an … Continued
May 3, 2010
Will Big Companies Really Be Able to Resist Sprawl’s Siren Song?
Northrop Grumman’s current offices in Virginia. (Photo: the monk via Flickr) The Harvard Business Review piece about forward-thinking businesses moving to urban rather than suburban locations continues to attract hopeful attention around the Streetsblog Network. But as some bloggers are pointing out, the trend — if it is one — is far from clear-cut. First, … Continued
April 30, 2010
Solving Chicago’s Last-Mile Problem
The view from the Irving Park station on Chicago’s Blue Line: Not exactly an inviting mile to walk. (Photo: Elevating Chicago) Today on Elevating Chicago, the ever-perplexing problem of the “last mile” comes up for discussion again. As the blog’s author points out, in downtown Chicago, it’s not generally too hard for commuters to walk … Continued
April 29, 2010