Transportation Planning

Voters Will Decide on $3.5 Billion Transit Funding Bond in Houston
Houston's potential as a multi-modal city will be on the ballot this November.

Casino Developer Wants Out of Expressway On-Ramp Plan in Philadelphia
There is a lot of development and planning intrigue about a casino developer and the extremely challenging plan to add an on-ramp to the Schuylkill Expressway in South Philadelphia.

Too Often, Children Are Forgotten by Transportation Planning
Kids need to go places just as adults do, and they have needs many adults don’t have.

Amtrak Adding Service Between Chicago and Milwaukee
One additional round trip a day will have to do, because adding three new trips proved too many for suburban communities located long the route in Illinois.

Rethinking Downtown Streets in a Revitalizing Pittsburgh
With $5.2 billion of investment in the past 10 years, and another $3.5 billion in the development pipeline, Pittsburgh planning organizations are considering ways to rethink the streets of the city's downtown.

Kentucky Planning a New Freeway Around Louisville, Raising Alarms
Local news sources are shedding light on planning for a new highway route that could pass through sensitive habitat of endangered that has yet to undertake a formal environmental or public input process.

Study Measures 150 Miles of Informal Footpaths in Detroit, Explores Their Larger Importance
A new study by researchers at Illinois State University and the University of Michigan measured the informal footpaths—also known as "desire lines"—of Detroit.

Don't Let 'FOMO' Ruin Transportation Planning
The "fear of missing out," also known as FOMO, is no way to make transportation decisions, according to this article.

Voters to Decide on New Department of Transportation for Denver
Denver voters have a chance in November to enact a bureaucratic change that could have a big impact on how the city plans and operates its transportation infrastructure.

When it Comes to Road Diets, Evidence Doesn't Matter
Drivers are a powerful enough lobby to overcome all evidence of the need to redesign streets for safety. Examples from Maryland and Virginia provide the latest case studies in Vision Zero futility.

Orange County Streetcar Project Ignoring Equity Issues, Say Activists
Critics say transportation officials have failed to address the potential equity and displacement effects of the Southern California streetcar project.

When the Autonomous Vehicles Come, Will Cities Be Ready for Them?
A study about planning for AVs shows that most cities are not actively working to prepare for them and officials are worried about the many potential effects they will have on cities.

Opposing Bike Lanes in the Name of Historic Preservation
Can a bike lane threaten the historic character of a parkway? One group of local advocates in Denver thinks so.

Streamlining Protected Bike Lanes, San Francisco Style
Cutting the board of the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency out of the approvals process for implementing bike lanes in San Francisco could shave three months off the delivery schedule.

Breaking the Cycle of Automobile Dependency
Many current planning practices reinforce a cycle of increased automobile use, more automobile-oriented community redevelopment, and reduced mobility options. There are good reasons to break this pattern.

Elon Musk and BART Go Toe to Toe (on Twitter)
Transit agencies and advocates are developing a genre of criticism that could be described as calling Elon Musk on his BS. Musk still has plenty of support on social media.

Shifting Priorities to Solve a Transportation Infrastructure Deficit
The Colorado Department of Transportation is announcing a public listening tour to prepare for a new ten-year strategic plan, called "Your Transportation Plan." Public transit and a new regional approach are already talking points.

Infographic: Where Vision Zero Is Making a Difference
Streetsblog has created a graph to track the progress of Vision Zero cities in reducing traffic fatalities.

NACTO Guide Aids Bike Safety in the Intersection
Despite massive progress in building out new protected bike lanes, many communities are still coming up short with safety improvements at intersections, the location of most vehicle-bike conflicts.

Streets in Dense Urban Areas Safer Than Suburban 'Stroads,' Study Finds
A new study considers urban form, roadway characteristics, traffic collisions, and fatalities in the Philadelphia region, to show that the densest parts of regions are the safest places to drive and walk.
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