After Epic Struggle, the Cincinnati Streetcar Is Finally a Reality
What a long, difficult journey it's been for streetcar advocates in Cincinnati. After battling an extremely hostile state government, the project was nearly killed in the early stages of construction by an adversarial mayor. But a groundswell of grassroots support for the project pushed it over the top.
September 14, 2016
Seattle’s Plan to Woo Neighborhoods Into Adopting Smart Parking Prices
Seattle has a housing affordability problem. One way to address that is to reduce the amount of parking required in new residential buildings, lowering construction costs and increasing the number of apartments that can be built.
September 13, 2016
Wisconsin Pilfers From the Scraps Earmarked For Walking and Biking
About $830 million in federal funds are set aside each year for walking and biking. That's less than 2 percent of total federal transportation spending.
September 12, 2016
No, Uber’s Not Going to Replace Buses, But It Can Complement Them
Not a day goes by without a raft of stories about "new mobility" providers -- ride-hailing companies like Uber or car-share services like Car2Go that have tapped into recent technological advances to provide new ways to get around.
September 9, 2016
Austin Plans a Bus Network Redesign of Its Own
It's hard to overstate the influence of Houston's bus network redesign -- an overhaul of the city's bus routes that aimed to expand access to frequent service. Cities all over the country have taken note and many are reimagining their own bus networks.
September 9, 2016
America Has a Terrible Traffic Safety Record Because We Drive Too Much
Even though the U.S. traffic fatality rate per mile driven has fallen by two-thirds in the last 50 years, America today still has the deadliest road system per capita in the developed world. Much of the improvement from safer driving and better emergency care has been wiped out by increases in total traffic.
September 8, 2016
Rhode Island Gov Tries to Snuff Out Grassroots Push for Highway Removal
A movement has been building in Providence, Rhode Island, to replace the aging 6/10 Connector -- an elevated urban highway -- with an at-grade surface street that prioritizes transit and bicycling. It's a solution that other cities have pursued to brilliant effect (intentionally or otherwise), with highway slabs giving way to walkable places.
September 8, 2016
Civil Rights Advocates Challenge Missouri DOT’s Discriminatory Spending
Missouri, like many other states, shifts transportation funds from cities to rural areas -- it collects most gas tax revenue from urban areas and spends it on roads in the hinterlands. And as in many other states, this amounts to a massive transfer of resources from the places where most people of color live.
September 7, 2016
How Sprawling Development Worsened the Flooding Crisis in Louisiana
Thousands of people are still living in hotels and shelters following last month's devastating floods in the Baton Rouge area. After nearly two feet of rain fell on central Louisiana, 13 people lost their lives and some 40,000 homes were damaged.
September 7, 2016
One Senator’s Eye-Opening Walk Across Connecticut
It's difficult to understand just how terrifying it can be to walk on America's car-oriented streets unless you've actually experienced it. Unfortunately, too few people in decision-making roles ever find themselves in that position.
September 6, 2016