Transportation

Suburban Maryland Streets Need Pedestrian Improvements for Purple Line Riders
Montgomery County planners recommend the implementation of sidewalks, crosswalks, and bike lanes on streets within a half-mile radius of Purple Line light-rail stations.

The Onion Has a Blistering Take on Congress' Idea of a Social Safety Net
The latest foray by The Onion into the world of planning satirizes the American tendency to prioritize highway spending over housing and the homeless.

Toll Roads Take $9 Billion in Losses Nationwide
No one lakes toll roads, but everyone relies on the revenue they generate for all kinds of transportation projects.

Caltrain on the Rocks as Sales Tax Measure Fails
Advocates are concerned about the possibility of Caltrain entirely shutting down—less than a year after the commuter rail line seemed positioned for a massive expansion of service.

David Alpert to Step Down at Greater Greater Washington
Leadership change is coming to one of the best local sources of planning news in the country, after Greater Greater Washington founder and executive director David Alpert announced plans to move on.

20 Years Later: Envision Utah's Quality Growth Strategy Deemed a Massive Success
The state of Utah created Envision Utah in the late 1990s to address growth while maintaining quality of life and protecting the environment in the state. The plan set goals for 2020, so it's time to evaluate its success.

Successful Honolulu Open Street Program Extended
Due to its popularity, Honolulu is extending the Kalakaua Open Street Sundays program through the end of July. The program was first launched on June 14 in a collaboration between the city and the Hawaii Bicycling League.

Jan Gehl on 60 Years of Designing Cities for People
The 10th anniversary of "Cities for People" offers the occasion for this interview with Jan Gehl, who has devoted a 60-year career to ideas about humanistic city planning—ideas of increasing relevance in 2020.

Draft Environmental Impact Statement for Maryland's Big Highway Widening Project Released
The state of Maryland is moving forward with a highway widening plan that would spend $11 billion in a private-partnership to add toll lanes to two Capital Beltway highways.

Federal Inaction Delays Congestion Pricing by at Least a Year in New York City
Bad news for one of the most innovative transportation planning schemes in the country, with long-term impacts on planning and construction in New York City.

London to Replace 2,000 Car Parking Spots With Bike Storage
London announced another sweeping round of changes to its transportation priority, further cementing the future of active transportation both during and after the pandemic.

Berkeley City Council Considers Relieving Police From Traffic Stop Duties
Unarmed public works officials could replace Berkeley Police officers in monitoring minor traffic violations pending approval of a proposal to be considered by the Berkeley City Council.

More Bus Lanes Coming to the Nation's Capital
Three new stretches of street will prioritize bus traffic in Washington, D.C. in the name of faster service and social distancing.

New Model for Federal Funding Needed for Emergency Public Transit Funding
The federal funding for public transit systems created by the CARES Act followed the normal federal funding formulas, which don't adequately respond to the realities of the pandemic, according to TransitCenter.

New Environmental Analysis for High-Speed Rail from San Francisco to San Jose
Issues of track blending and electrification factor heavily in the latest environmental impact report and environmental impact statement released last week for the California High-Speed Rail project.

New Governor, Same Billion Dollar Freeway Expansion Plan
Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers is picking up a plan previously championed and abandoned by former Gov. Scott Walker: The North-South expansion of I-94 west of Milwaukee.

Cars Retake Their Place on Ocean Drive in Miami Beach
Ocean Drive in South Beach is the site of an ongoing pilot project in making space for pedestrians and businesses in space previously devoted to cars. Advocates and some local politicians don't like the direction that the experiment is headed.

Michigan to Study Feasibility of Toll Roads
The search for new road funding continues in Michigan.

New York Poised to Become a Biking City
Could the pandemic be a tipping point for a century of car-centric planning in New York City's to give way to a more bike-friendly city?

Parks on Wheels to Deliver Recreational Services to Underserved Areas
It has been over 25 years since urban planning professor Anastasia Loukaitou-Sideris discussed the idea of "mobile parks" to meet recreational needs. The idea is still relevant today.
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