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The Inherent Shallowness of the Rail vs. Bus Debate
Is every argument for buses also an argument against rail?
July 23, 2012
Developer of NJ Mega-Mall-Amusement-Park Should Pay for Transit Service
Northeast New Jersey is about to set a dubious new standard for megaprojects. "American Dream Meadowlands" is a $3.8 billion, five-story, entertainment and retail complex with 3,000,000 square feet of leasable space, an amusement park, an indoor ski slope and a "skydiving simulator."
July 20, 2012
When “Vulnerable User” Laws Go Unenforced
Oregon is one of the few states where cyclists and pedestrians are supposed to have a little extra protection under the law. In this state and a handful of others with "vulnerable user" statutes, motorists whose carelessness results in injury or death for a pedestrian or cyclist are supposed to receive a penalty that goes above and beyond the standard traffic ticket.
July 18, 2012
Holding Out for a More Cost-Effective Plan to Speed Northeast Rail
Last week Amtrak released a $151 billion plan [PDF] to make the Northeast Corridor -- already traveled by about 12 million people annually -- a true high-speed rail corridor. The plan would put New York within 94 minutes of Washington. It would halve travel times between Boston and New York. Amtrak offered a scheduled completion date of 2040, with the first phase finished in 2025.
July 17, 2012
Skinny Storefronts, a Must for Walkability
Wide sidewalks, accessible transit, even beautiful landscaping, benches, and public art -- all help make cities walkable. Another major factor: pedestrian-scaled destinations. Seattle Transit Blog's Matt Gangemi wonders how to achieve the kind of retail development that promotes walkability:
July 16, 2012
Bullet Train Bombshell: CAHSR Spurned Cost-Cutting Offer From the French
The news keeps flying in the California high-speed rail saga: Just days after the California Senate (barely) released the first round of construction funding, the LA Times broke the story that the French national rail company, SNCF, had offered to finance and build the project in 2010 for a substantially lower cost.
July 12, 2012
Does Transit Really Have a White People Problem?
Yesterday, Atlantic Cities ran a post about "Race, Class and the Stigma of Riding the Bus in America." The basic argument, which is valid, is that many American transit systems struggle to attract riders who have the means to drive instead.
July 11, 2012
DC Metro’s Hyper-Vigilance Following Crash Overlooks One Major Threat
Since a 2009 Metro train crash killed eight people, officials at DC's transit agency have pulled out all the stops to prioritize safety -- well, except one.
July 9, 2012
Yesterday’s Car Subsidies Are Still Shaping Today’s Landscape
There's been a little bit of a back-and-forth lately on the subject of transportation subsidies.
July 6, 2012