Transportation
L.A. MTA Puts More Transportation Funding on Nov. Ballot
After more than three hours of public comment and debate at Thursday's MTA Board meeting, the Board of Directors approved placing a half-cent sales tax on the November ballot, pending approval of a companion Assembly bill.
Seattle's Transit Authority Announces $17.9 Billion Plan
Sound Transit is putting a major bus and rail plan on the November ballot. The Seattle Times has the details of where the money will go.
Friday Funny: 'Guide Ferret' Banned From Bus
OC Transpo (Ottawa's transit authority) says that Frances Woodard can no longer bring her pet ferret on transit.
Moscow Tops List of World's Most Expensive Cities
Moscow tops an annual ranking of the world's most expensive cities. The survey examines housing, transportation, food, clothing, household goods and entertainment for corporations and government agencies determining living costs for expats.
Motor City Reconsiders Transit
After over fifty years without public transportation, new support for transit from Detroit leaders.
Personal Rapid Transit: An Idea Whose Time Has Come?
Malcolm Buchanan writes that advances in control technology and the upcoming launch of the Heathrow Airport PRT mean that Personal Rapid Transit is ready for the spotlight.
NPR's Talk of the Nation Highlights Amtrak Long Distance Travel
Former travel editor Catherine Watson is interviewed on NPR's "Talk of the Nation" about her Amtrak trip on three long-distance trains from Minnesota to New Mexico that illustrate the difference between travel and transportation.
Highway Funding: The Last Bastion of Socialism in America
Since 1956, federal, state and local governments have invested nine times more capital funding in highway subsidies than in transit.
S.F. Looks To Kick Cars Off Market Street
Officials in San Francisco have proposed permanently banning cars from a 2.3 mile section of Market Street, downtown's major thoroughfare.
Sierra Club Opposes Use of HOV Lanes By Paying Customers
Houston's MTA is planning to allow drivers to pay a toll to use the High-Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lane on their freeways, and the local Sierra Club chapter is speaking out against the plan.
A Car-Free Avenue Grows in Brooklyn
New York City's car-free "Summer Streets" events are proving to be popular. A three-and-a-half minute video offers a look at Saturday's Williamsburg Walks event on Bedford Avenue in Brooklyn.
Highway Funds Losing Money
Yet another unforeseen consequence of high gasoline prices and less driving: the gas tax-funded federal highway trust fund is being depleted, putting states' highway project funding in danger.
Will Your Bank Card and Bus Pass Become One?
MarketWatch reports on the rise of contactless smart cards in public transit and banking, and speculates that the time is ripe to put the two uses on the same card.
Chicago Trains To Go 'Standing Room Only'
The Chicago Transit Authority has announced plans to remove all the seating from some of its rush hour trains in order to deal with increased demand.
Debate Rages in Columbus Over Streetcars
Planners are pushing for a downtown streetcar, but detractors say Columbus already has a fabulous rapid transit system: 'It's called the freeway.'
Transit Agencies Struggle with the 'Double-Edged Sword' of High Gas Prices
Rising gas prices aren't just encouraging more transit use, they are making public transit more expensive, and charging more for tickets and passes hurt low-income riders the most.
New Federal Rule on Public Transit Leaves School Kids at the Curb
A new Federal regulation will deny funding to public transit services for routes oriented to meeting the needs of public schools, with the aim of encouraging school boards to contract with private bus operators instead.
1/3 Fewer Auto Deaths, Thanks to Rising Gas Prices
Escalating gas prices are depressing, but look on the bright side: a new study shows that they may reduce annual traffic deaths by as much as one-third.
Time to Take Rail Plans National
This article from the San Francisco Chronicle argues it's time for a national rail plan.
Friday Funny: 'He's a Real Transit Freak'
A young Florida man apparently infatuated with public transit has managed -- on multiple occasions -- to steal buses and drive their routes picking up passengers.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
EMC Planning Group, Inc.
Planetizen
Planetizen
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service
