Light Rail
Streetsblog Basics
Vote to Decide the Best Urban Street Transformation of 2014
If you're searching for reasons to feel positive about the future, the street transformations pictured below are a good start. Earlier this month we asked readers to send in their nominations for the best American street redesigns of 2014. These five are the finalists selected by Streetsblog staff. They include new car-free zones, substantial sidewalk expansions, superb bike infrastructure, awesome safety upgrades, and exclusive transit lanes.
December 17, 2014
Raleigh’s Election Night Transit Sweep Likely to Clear the Way for Light Rail
Since 1995, leaders in the Raleigh-Durham region of North Carolina have dreamed about connecting its major centers via light rail. The results of Tuesday night's election might finally make it happen.
November 6, 2014
Study: Access to Light Rail Can Reduce Obesity Risk — If You Use It
Living near transit can help you stay trim and healthy. That's the result of a study published last year in the American Journal of Preventative Medicine. This study is a little old -- it was published in August 2011 -- but we just came across it in the Reconnecting America resource center and the results are too interesting not to share.
July 26, 2012
Can Staten Island’s North Shore Become NYC’s Next Great Neighborhood?
Staten Island's North Shore is one of the city's great sites of opportunity. The neighborhoods along the Kill Van Kull are twice as dense as the rest of Staten Island, but lack any transit option beyond the bus. There are historic town centers at St. George and Port Richmond, but car-centric planning deadens street life. The waterfront, much of which still hosts a vibrant maritime industry, is only accessible to the public at three locations in six miles.
March 9, 2012
Streetfilms: Seattle’s Link Light Rail — The Start of Something Big
Right now, Seattle is making as serious a commitment to transit as any city in the nation. Recently, Streetfilms got to take a tour of the newest addition to the city's network --
the 13-station Link Light Rail, which opened in
mid-2009.
March 3, 2010
Better Transit Service, Space for Peds Top CB4 Goals for 34th Street
Manhattan CB4's transportation committee passed a resolution last night in favor of speedier transit and improved pedestrian conditions on 34th Street. The vote followed a brief presentation from NYCDOT outlining several options for a second phase of transit enhancements on the crosstown corridor. It's still very early in the process: The decision whether to pursue BRT, light rail, or streetcars, for instance, is at least a few months away.
December 18, 2009
Bus vs. Rail: Transit’s Quiet Culture Clash?
The question of running buses or building rail has preoccupied transit planners in many an American town, with Maryland's Montgomery County being the latest locality to choose between trains and bus rapid transit (BRT), which tends to be the less expensive option.
December 15, 2009
Streetfilms: A Bright Beginning for Phoenix Light Rail
Everyone knows that Phoenix has a huge sprawl problem. But now transit-oriented development is on the upswing in this Sun Belt metropolis. In
December, the Phoenix region opened one of the most ambitious transit projects
in recent U.S. history: a 20-mile light rail line with 28 stops
serving three cities (Phoenix, Tempe, and Mesa). Future plans include an extension within three years, with several new corridors being studied.
June 18, 2009
Pod People Wage War on Light Rail, Other Reality-Based Transpo Projects
Writer, cartoonist, cyclist and transit advocate Ken Avidor points us to this video, which he used in a recent Daily Kos diary entry. Writes Ken:
June 5, 2009
Barcelona, 100 Years Ago: A Model for Streets Today?
This film, as featured on YouTube via Infrastructurist, shows the streets of Barcelona a century ago, taken from the front window of a tram going down the street. It's an amazing film. The central avenues of this Catalan city are so vital, so alive, a mix of every activity. Then the film compares the old streets to the same streets today. Quite a comparison.
April 3, 2009