Streetsblog.net
Streetsblog LA
People Are Fundamentally Social, Except When We’re Inside a Car
Bill Lindeke at Twin City Sidewalks was on a high from this weekend, when he attended a pretty spectacular outdoor festival in his hometown of St. Paul. The streets were filled with people and activity. It got him thinking, as fun as it was, it would have been a miserable place to be if you were in a car trying to get somewhere.
January 30, 2015
What’s Holding Back Austin Transit Ridership? Look at Where the Jobs Are
A recent post at Keep Austin Wonky asks why transit ridership in Austin seems to be stagnating even as the region grows at a healthy clip. Julio Gonzalez Altamirano says it doesn't seem to be gas prices or transit funding, but something about the way the city is physically developing that's hindering ridership growth.
January 29, 2015
This Is the Kind of Leadership We Need From State DOTs
"A breath of fresh air" -- that's how Chuck Marohn at Strong Towns describes this interview with Tennessee DOT Commissioner John Schroer. In this video, produced by Smart Growth America, Schroer describes what he is doing to make Tennessee's the "the best DOT in the country." Here are some of the highlights:
January 28, 2015
Suburban Atlanta: Where Parking Is Required But Sidewalks Are Not
Buford Highway north of Atlanta is the deadliest road for pedestrians in the region. Though lined with residences of people with low incomes, the high-speed, high-traffic road has no continuous sidewalk. Lacking dedicated infrastructure, pedestrians have worn paths in the grass all around it. (See more photos below.)
January 22, 2015
Seattle Car-Share Is Growing, But Is It Cutting Traffic?
After launching a pilot program three years ago enabling the company car2go to use on-street parking spots for its car-share fleet, Seattle is pursuing an expansion that would allow new companies to enter the market and dramatically increase the availability of point-to-point car-share vehicles.
January 16, 2015
In Search of Places With “Good Bones”
What do people mean when they say a city has "good bones"? Well, if the streets are laid out in a walkable grid pattern, that can be the "skeleton" for a healthy urban environment.
January 13, 2015
High-Ranking Episcopal Bishop Finally Charged for Killing Baltimore Cyclist
The killing of Baltimore cyclist Thomas Palermo by a high-ranking official in the Episcopal Church two days after Christmas has caught the attention of the national media, raising questions about justice, fairness, and accountability.
January 12, 2015
More Transit Service Is Great, But It’s Not Enough on Its Own
A new report commissioned by Ohio DOT recommends that the state should double its funding for transit. At Notes from the Underground, Jason Segedy welcomes this development, but he also notes that in many places, simply expanding transit funding won't be enough, on its own, to make transit appealing. Places like Ohio need to complement additional transit spending with a new approach to development and planning, he writes:
January 9, 2015
How Chris Christie Throws Reporters Off the Scent of His Worst Transit Sins
New Jersey governor and Republican presidential hopeful Chris Christie is back in the news for a decision that says a lot about his legacy as a governor.
January 8, 2015
Designing Roads for Higher “Level of Service” Isn’t About Safety
Traffic engineers have an maddening tendency to hold out "Level of Service" -- a measure of motorist delay -- like a trump card. We need to widen this road, they'll say, because otherwise drivers will angrily stew in traffic, and then there might be "accidents," or some other dire consequence.
January 7, 2015