The Trouble With Uber
It's been a bad few weeks for Uber, with CEO Travis Kalanick recently caught on tape in a shouting match with a driver over the company's diminishing pay. Joe Cortright at City Observatory says that beyond the public meltdown, there are a growing number of signs that Uber's business model just isn't sustainable.
March 3, 2017
Earl Blumenauer Introduces Vision Zero Bill in House
U.S. Representative Earl Blumenauer has introduced legislation in the House that would help cities establish Vision Zero policies aimed at eliminating traffic deaths, reports Jonathan Maus at Bike Portland. “Something has to change," Blumenauer said. "We have to do better and finally treat this public health crisis."
March 2, 2017
Austin May Cut Parking Requirements By Nearly 50 Percent
Austin is in the process of overhauling its zoning code -- an initiative called CodeNext -- and one of the most promising aspects is a major reduction in parking requirements. If the current draft holds up, the effects on walkability, housing affordability, and water quality could be impressive.
March 1, 2017
Why Do We Still Pay People to Drive to Work?
The federal government spends $7 billion annually subsidizing parking for car commuters -- almost as much as it spends annually on transit. No wonder cities are so congested. If we're going to cut traffic in major cities, parking subsidies have got to go.
February 28, 2017
Local GOP Reps Counting on Elaine Chao to Trip Up Transit Projects
Acting on the behest of Congressional Republicans opposed to high-speed rail, earlier this month Transportation Secretary Chao delayed a $647 million grant for Caltrain electrification, throwing its future in doubt. It looks like Republicans in other states were watching and learning.
February 27, 2017
Will Caltrain Electrification Win Out Despite the California GOP?
The electrification of commuter rail service between San Jose and San Francisco was all but ready to begin construction when Donald Trump's transportation secretary, Elaine Chao, pulled the rug out from under the project earlier this month. Local officials are trying to adjust on the fly to salvage the project.
February 27, 2017
What If State DOTs Listened to Cities Before Starting Urban Projects?
It's not uncommon for bitter disputes to develop when state DOTs come into urban neighborhoods and start making changes to state-controlled streets. Pennsylvania DOT has a different idea: Rather than just muscle everything through, the agency will incorporate local ideas before engineering and design work gets started.
February 24, 2017
Transit Ridership Falling Everywhere — But Not in Cities With Redesigned Bus Networks
Transit ridership decreased in almost every major American city last year. But there were two notable exceptions -- Seattle and Houston. Those two outliers share one thing in common: In addition to expanding light rail, they're both redesigning their bus networks.
February 24, 2017
Why Seattle Should Boot Cars Off Its Busiest Street for Buses
Seattle is booming, and in downtown, transit has been absorbing most of the city's growth in travel. With the streets full during rush hour, the only way to increase capacity is to reallocate street space from cars to more compact modes like buses and bikes.
February 22, 2017
America Builds Too Many Schools By Highways
One in 11 U.S. public schools are within 500 feet of a highway, exposing 4.4 million children to elevated levels of pollution, putting kids at elevated risk of developing asthma. But cheap land remains alluring to school districts, and America's system of school siting is not getting better.
February 21, 2017
