Los Angeles Bus Service Declined as Rail Expanded
Given the tens of billions of dollars that L.A. will spend on transit over the next few decades, it's all the more important to invest it in ways that will be useful and attract riders.
August 23, 2017
The Bus Network Redesign in Indianapolis Will Be Like Launching a Brand New Transit System
What Indianapolis is doing deserves attention, especially from other spread-out American cities looking to spend their transit dollars as efficiently as possible. The big change is a complete reshaping of bus service, which will be like setting up a brand new transit network.
July 11, 2017
As Jobs Sprawl Outside Indianapolis, Transit Tries to Keep Pace
Like most places in America, the Indianapolis region is suburbanizing. That’s particularly true for jobs. Between 2002 and 2014, the most recent data available, the number of jobs within the city's borders increased by 40,000 - but that's far fewer than the 83,000 jobs added in the region's suburbs.
June 30, 2017
Can Transit Work Well in a Sprawling City Like Indianapolis?
In Indianapolis, transit service is scarce and very few people use the existing system. A key reason for these lackluster outcomes is the city's sprawling pattern of development.
June 22, 2017
Indianapolis Has a Long Way to Go to Get Transit Right
Suffice it to say that it’s simply not convenient for most people to use the Indianapolis transit system. Things are looking up, though: Last fall, Indianapolis residents voted massively in favor of a funding package that should significantly improve service in the coming years.
June 9, 2017
Atlanta’s Raising $2.5 Billion to Invest in Transit. Will It Be Money Well-Spent?
The city seems to have learned from mistakes like its mixed-traffic streetcar and is looking to give future transit lines dedicated rights of way. Still, there are many more decisions ahead that will determine whether the city spends $2.5 billion in new transit revenue well or not.
June 2, 2017
Atlanta’s Streetcar Investment Is Not Paying Off
Unable to assemble new funding from the state to significantly improve the rapid transit system, the city of Atlanta chose to focus on a cheaper-to-implement streetcar line. But more than two years after launch, ridership on the streetcar is falling far short of expectations.
March 9, 2017
A Fixation on Parking Threatens Transit Progress in Atlanta
Darin Givens is frustrated with how Atlanta is planning for the future. “We don’t feel like the city is building transit that fits needs, or places that fit transit,” says the founder of local advocacy site Thread ATL. “You see nodes of density nowhere near a MARTA station or a regular MARTA bus. We’re not matching development and transit.”
March 2, 2017
In Atlanta, Transit Service Lags Behind a Booming Population
Since 2000, the Atlanta region has grown by more than 1.5 million people, or over 25 percent, but transit service is not keeping up. Both rail and bus ridership on MARTA, the major regional transit provider, have fallen dramatically in recent years.
February 23, 2017
Introducing a New Streetsblog Series: Getting Transit Right
With more American cities raising impressive sums to expand transit, the question of how to invest effectively is increasingly essential. So far, few places have hit on a policy combination that makes transit more useful to more people. To help cities "get transit right," Streetsblog is launching a new series about which transit strategies are working and which are not.
February 16, 2017