Many Americans Live Near Transit, But Few Live Close to Good Transit
This chart tells an eye-opening story about access to transit in the United States. Using the new data tool AllTransit, TransitCenter dug into who has access to transit in American cities, making a crucial distinction between residents near any transit whatsoever and residents with access to convenient, frequently running service.
June 10, 2016
The Grassroots Triumph Over a Ruinous Highway Plan for Charleston
Highway opponents in Charleston, South Carolina, "beat Goliath." That's how the Post and Courier described the finale of a long grassroots campaign to stop the extension of I-526 into Johns Island and James Island.
June 8, 2016
Blaming Jaywalkers and Drunk Pedestrians Lets the Real Culprits Off the Hook
New Mexico was recently named the deadliest state for walking by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Something's got to change, but what? Well, the Albuquerque Journal ran a front page article blaming the state's terrible safety record mostly on "jaywalking" and "drunk pedestrians."
June 8, 2016
Eyes on the Street: London “Cycle Superhighway” Teems With Bike Traffic
In case you're looking for a good visual to show how bike lanes can be extremely efficient transportation infrastructure, check out this short video from the UK-based advocacy group Sustrans. It shows rush hour on the Blackfriars Bridge "cycle superhighway" in London on a Tuesday morning.
June 7, 2016
Bike-Share Systems Test Out Cheaper, Single-Trip Fares
A new payment option rolled out by Capital Bikeshare in DC last week makes it easier to grab a bike if you just want to make a single trip. The pilot program offers a base fare of $2 to check out a bike, with additional fees after the first 30 minutes. Previously, you would have had to commit to at least an $8 24-hour pass to use the system.
June 7, 2016
Americans Can’t Afford the High Cost of Parking Requirements
Building a single parking spot can easily cost more than many Americans' life savings. In the latest issue of Access Magazine, retired UCLA economist Donald Shoup brings this point home to illustrate the huge financial burden imposed by minimum parking requirements, especially for poor households.
June 6, 2016
Finding the Political Will to Fix “Four-Lane Death Roads”
A driver struck and killed a woman last week in St. Paul on what Bill Lindeke at Streets.mn calls a "four-lane death road."
June 6, 2016
Will U.S. DOT Get Serious About Climate Change? Here’s Cause for Optimism.
Last fall, national environmental advocates sat down with officials from U.S. DOT to talk about how federal transportation policy can address climate change.
June 3, 2016
When “Trends Suck,” Don’t Make Transportation Plans That Follow the Trend
Sometimes the worst transportation plan is having no plan at all, and northeast Ohio could be the poster child for what goes wrong when regions aren't intentional about investments in transportation infrastructure.
June 3, 2016
Why Helmets Aren’t the Answer to Bike Safety — In One Chart
Better street design and getting more people on bikes -- not blind faith in helmets -- are the keys to making cycling safer, recent research has shown.
June 2, 2016