Streetsblog Network
Goodbye to the Era of Big Infrastructure?
Despite the occasional feature story about America’s “infrastructure crisis” and the campaign platforms for increased investment, the “era of big infrastructure is over,” argues University of Minnesota engineering professor David Levinson at the Transportist. With maintenance a more pressing need than expansion, Levinson does not foresee major additions to either the highway system or rail … Continued
June 14, 2016
New Jersey May Finally Do the Responsible Thing and Raise the Gas Tax
For a long time now, New Jersey politicians — first and foremost Governor Chris Christie — have been playing a high stakes game of chicken with transportation funds, doing practically anything to avoid raising the gas tax. Only one other state in the nation has a lower fuel tax than New Jersey. Thanks to inflation, … Continued
June 13, 2016
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. The analysis encompassed the nation’s … Continued
June 10, 2016
A Hit-and-Run Driver Killed 5 People on Bikes, So the Press Lectured Cyclists
A hit-and-run driver killed five people on a group bike ride in Kalamazoo, Michigan, Tuesday. Four others were seriously injured in the horrifying crash, caused when a driver hit their training group — known as “the Chain Gang” — from behind. Police arrested 50-year-old Charlie Pickett (right), according to Mlive.com, and charged him with five … Continued
June 9, 2016
The Upside of Seattle’s Transit Expansion: High Capacity
The Seattle region’s 62-mile transit expansion plan has some serious flaws. Namely, the city of Seattle, where the ridership needs are greatest, gets short shrift compared to suburban areas. Zach Shaner at Seattle Transit Blog argues that ST3, as the plan is called, also gets a lot right. Instead of running on defunct freight tracks … Continued
June 9, 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.” Khal Spencer at Network blog Los Alamos Bikes responds: It’s as … Continued
June 8, 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 … Continued
June 7, 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.” The victim was 32-year-old Erin Elizabeth Dunham, who was dropping her kid off at the bus. She was walking in the crosswalk on Maryland Avenue, a four-lane, high-speed road running through an … Continued
June 6, 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. While the regional planning organization, NOACA, always had a long-term plan, it was little more than a list of projects without any overarching … Continued
June 3, 2016
A New Partnership to Help Cities Make Smart Transportation Tech Decisions
There’s a rush in cities to apply new transportation technologies like ride-sharing apps and real-time transit data, as exemplified by U.S. DOT’s $50 million “Smart City Challenge,” which is currently down to seven finalists. Public and private entities in Columbus, for example, recently pledged $90 million to help advance the city’s bid to U.S. DOT. … Continued
June 2, 2016