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Peru’s Traffic Menagerie
Our daily urban lives shape our imaginations in so many ways. Few things box us in like our everyday transit options, and the patterns of traffic that shape our sense of public space. These patterns themselves are historical of course. A quick look back at the famous Market Street film shot a few days before the 1906 earthquake shows how chaotic and unpredictable the flow of traffic was when San Francisco's main artery hadn't yet been paved and standardized. Similarly, leaving the U.S. and visiting other countries provides a fantastic opportunity to experience other assumptions and possibilities for urban space, and surprisingly perhaps, a different range of vehicles.
March 28, 2011
Give Your Line Some Love: Enter GOOD Magazine’s Best Bus Route Contest
While many Americans may not think riding a bus is the sexiest form of transportation, the reality is that a majority of public transit trips in the U.S. are taken by bus. The numbers are even higher in the Bay Area. Every one of the hundreds of thousands of passengers who boarded a bus in the last year has a story to tell and there are probably lots of Streetsblog readers who would love to share a tale about their favorite line. So why not nominate it as the best bus route in America?
November 4, 2010
Feds Announce Winners of $293 Million in Transit Grants
Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and FTA chief Peter Rogoff announced the
winners of $293 million in competitive grants for bus and streetcar
projects today. The biggest chunks of funding will help build
streetcar projects in Cincinnati, Charlotte, Fort Worth, and St. Louis,
as well as rapid bus corridors in New York and Chicago. All told, the
funding will be distributed among 53 projects, chosen from more than 300
applicants.
July 8, 2010
Tracing the Fault Lines Between Public and Private Transit Operators
Should private transit companies enjoy the same federal gas tax
exemption that many public operators receive? How does the existence of
private inter-city bus service affect the government's development of
new high-speed rail lines? And does it matter that private transit firms
are eligible for public subsidies, even if at a much smaller rate than
public rail and bus agencies?
May 25, 2010
Tammy’s 33-Stanyan May Be the Most Festive Muni Bus in Service
Rather than hit you with another story of Muni's budget woes and labor battles, we were thrilled to read this charming account on Muni Diaries of a bus driver named Tammy on her 33-Stanyan route who bedecked her coach with balloons and bunting. According to the account by a Muni rider named Greg, Tammy offered candy to everyone getting on and welcomed them aboard. She even crafted a sign with her operator number (2442) and her bus number that reads: "Until Muni realizes that without our passengers there is no Muni, thank you all for the great ride."
May 6, 2010
Baltimore Rolls Out Free, Fully Funded Downtown Bus Service
Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon is on her way out of office, thanks to a deal
with prosecutors pursuing a corruption case against her, but she's
leaving something positive in place for local transit riders.
January 12, 2010
Video of 19-Polk Bus Crash Shows Both Drivers Running Stops
The MTA has released DriveCam video of a crash involving a 19-Polk bus and a pickup truck on De Haro and 18th Streets in Potrero Hill early yesterday morning that left seven people injured. The press release from spokesperson Judson True said "the video appears to show that the Muni bus rolled through its STOP sign on De Haro Street and the truck ran its STOP sign."
January 7, 2010
The Case Against the “Empty Bus” Argument
Jarrett Walker at Human Transit provides useful ammunition in the battle of reasonable people against knee-jerk transit-bashers.
December 15, 2009
Guest Commentary: Transpo Advocates Should Support Hotel Workers
Transportation advocates were caught off-guard last month when the ANSWER Coalition and other leftist groups declared that extended parking meter hours represented an assault on the poor and working class, despite the overwhelming evidence that the poor and working class are predominantly more reliant on transit than cars for transportation. The absence of these organizations in earlier and ongoing struggles against Muni fare hikes and service cuts discredited their umbrage somewhat, but important questions remain: How in touch are local transportation advocates with communities of color, working families, and immigrants? And how can we reach out and improve our connections?
November 18, 2009
Wanted: Your Photos of Crummy Transit Conditions
Our latest call for photos was inspired by the picture at right,
taking by Streetsblog New York's own Ben Fried. It's an all too
familiar scene -- transit riders crammed together, waiting for a bus
(or train) that doesn't come when it's supposed to (if you
missed the story that went with the picture, it's here).
November 5, 2009