Around the Block
Streetsblog Basics
To Get More People on Bikes, Louisville Needs to Raise Its Game
Louisville is making an effort to build out its bike network, adding a number of buffered bike lanes and beginning a network of low-stress "Neighborways" along residential streets. It's a start, but peer cities like Indianapolis and Pittsburgh are doing more to make cycling an appealing way to get around. Here's what Louisville needs to do to catch up.
February 14, 2017
Reversing Sun Belt Growth Model, Memphis Looks to Shrink Its Footprint
Like many Sun Belt cities, Memphis owes its population growth over the last several decades to outward expansion. Since 1998 alone, the city has overseen 15 annexations, occupying a larger footprint than Chicago. But now the city believes that some of its farthest flung territory is more liability than asset.
February 13, 2017
Downtown Seattle Added 45,000 Jobs and Hardly Any Car Commuters
Transforming from a car city to a transit city is no easy task. Just ask Denver and Los Angeles, which have spent billions to build rail systems but struggled to reduce solo car commuting rates. But Seattle shows it can be done: The share of downtown commuters who drive alone dropped from 35 percent in 2010 to 30 percent last year.
February 10, 2017
It’s Not Just Trump: House GOP Members Ramp Up Road-Building Campaign
Bill Shuster, the leader of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, is making a push for an infrastructure spending spree, even though the current federal transportation funding law doesn't expire for several years. Advocates will have to guard against a new road-building binge.
February 9, 2017
Elon Musk’s “Plan” to Cure Traffic With Tunnels Is Terrible and Ridiculous
Musk's plan isn't new or innovative, and it wouldn't even solve the problem it's supposed to address.
February 7, 2017
Don’t Push Bus Riders to the Margins
Mayors frequently face pressure from business interests to remove bus riders from downtown areas. But that's a big mistake, says transit consultant Jarrett Walker.
February 6, 2017
Columbus Is About to Double Access to Frequent Bus Service
Columbus hopes to increase ridership 10 percent in three years with a system that prioritizes frequent service in a more grid-like pattern, connecting people to job centers.
February 3, 2017
“Independent” Audit of Oregon DOT Looks More Like Agency PR
The audit is an object lesson in how transportation agencies and their consultants can manipulate public communications to serve their self-interest.
February 2, 2017
America Builds Way Too Much Parking Near Transit
We build parking that nobody ever uses because that's what American engineering standards recommend.
February 1, 2017
Police Tried to Cut Off Transit Access to Airport Protests
Thousands of protesters were pouring into American airports Saturday in response to Donald Trump's refugee ban, when suddenly light rail service skipped the Seattle-Tacoma airport. The incident raises serious questions about who controls access to transit.
January 31, 2017
