Transportation

Lack of Traffic Safety Enforcement Blamed for Vision Zero Failures
Education, engineering, and enforcement are the three "e's" of Vision Zero in San Francisco. A lack of on of those "e's"—enforcement—might explain why more people are dying on the city's streets this year that any year since the city adopted Vision Z

London Underground 'Waste Heat' to Warm City Homes
Part of a plan to move United Kingdom to renewable energy involves using heat from the London Underground to heat homes.

Op-Ed: Street Safety Is a Matter of Race
What do traffic safety and gun violence have in common? A lot, as it turns out. In both cases, hard-hit neighborhoods tend to have suffered from historical disinvestment along racial lines.
Wheels, Scooters, and the Centuries-Old Fight for City Streets
Through the lens of Phoenix, a look back at bicycles in 1893, scooters in 2019, and how the similarities of both betray a bigger issue: The dangerous design of city streets, which favor cars, create conflict, and have long put people at risk.

Columbus Makes Big Strides in Air Quality
Columbus achieved something no other U.S. city has managed: moving out of non-compliance with federal air quality standards for ground-level ozone.

When Microtransit Works as Public Transit, Explained
How to make Microtransit work. Hint: it's about coverage, not ridership.

How Transportation Technology Determines the Footprint of Cities
The Marchetti Constant, the willingness of people to travel for about a half an hour to get to and from work, explains the size of cities in history, and the metropolitan areas of today.

Nevada to Embark on 7-Year Program to Record Mileage of Motorists
Nevada is one of 15 states in the Western Road Usage Charge Consortium that are considering a transition from funding their transportation budgets largely by taxing the gallons of fuel that vehicles burn to charging drivers for miles driven.

$225 Million in Federal Funding for Rural Bridge and Highway Projects Announced
The U.S. Department of Transportation this week announced the recipients of $225 million in project funding under the Competitive Highway Bridge Program. The program is reserved for projects located in mostly rural states.

Gender Bias in Urban Systems
A list of all the ways cities and infrastructure are designed for men, and at the expense of women.

Bus Ridership Declines Challenge Los Angeles
The Wall Street Journal reports that bus riders on the Los Angeles County Transportation Authority system has declined significantly in recent years.

Smart Congestion Costing: A Critical Evaluation of the 'Urban Mobility Report'
The new "Urban Mobility Report" provides widely-cited congestion cost estimates. However, its analysis is neither comprehensive nor objective. Anybody using these estimates should understand its omissions and biases.

Message to Candidates: Don't Forget Car Dependence When Tackling Fossil Fuels
Car dependence will have to end for the most ambitious climate plans put forward by Democratic candidates for president to have the desired effect.

A Car-Free Street Dream in Northern Virginia
The city of Alexandria has begun to explore the idea of transforming sections of King Street into a car-free pedestrian zone.

Reports: Full Environmental Review Likely for Portland Freeway Widening Project
An initial environmental assessment for a project to widen I-5 in Portland claimed the project would improve air quality, congestion, and traffic safety. Critics of the project weren't convinced.

California Lawmaker Wants to Triple Electric Vehicle Rebates
Assemblyman Phil Ting seeks to dramatically increase the state electric vehicle sales rebate of $2,500, motivated in part by the phasing-out of the federal EV tax credit of $7,500. The bill rules out significant revenue sources.

Flying Taxi Skepticism
A ride-hailing company that lost $5.2 billion in one quarter wants to launch a flying taxi service. According to this op-ed, cities should concentrate on expanding existing public transit systems instead of wasting time and money on pipe dreams.

Light Rail Plans Survive Election Challenge in Phoenix
An election to decide the fate of public transit planning in the city of Phoenix captured national attention as a bellwether for public opinion. Unofficial results have public transit winning with plenty of votes to spare.

Potential Routes for New Bridge Across the Chesapeake Winnowed From 14 to 3
The Maryland Transportation Authority has been studying the potential of a new bridge across the Chesapeake Bay, connecting Annapolis to Queen Anne's County to the East.

New York MTA Looks to Suburban TODs as Funding Source
The agency is selling land outside of the city on a commuter rail line in a move that could become more common as a revenue-generating strategy.
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