USA

Programs that Pay Residents to Give Up Cars Gain Support Worldwide

By Kea Wilson | Apr 16, 2021

France may soon pay its residents to trade their private cars for e-bikes, vehicle-share services, and even transit passes — and the move is re-igniting the conversation about unconventional ways our governments can subsidize the greenest modes of transportation.

Op-Ed: Sure, Blame the Drivers — But the City is At Fault

By Kea Wilson | Apr 15, 2021

A viral video out of California is sparking conversation about dangerous driving. But the real villain here is barely mentioned at all: a multi-lane street designed to encourage speeding,

Talking Headways Podcast: Call it the Manual Undermining Terrific Community Design (MUTCD)

By Jeff Wood | Apr 15, 2021

We have met the enemy and it is the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices.

NYC

OPINION: Citi Bike’s Lessons for Open Streets

By Doug Gordon | Apr 16, 2021

Mayor de Blasio — who has it much easier than his predecessor when it comes to urban amenities — should follow the bike-share playbook, says a co-host of the "War on Cars" podcast.

THEY’RE HAMMERING HANK! DOT Commissioner Goes off Message and Says He Favors Helmet Laws

By Gersh Kuntzman | Apr 15, 2021

Activists were quick to pounce on Gutman as ill-informed and misfocused, given that the DOT should be focused solely on making roads safer, not on individual behavior.

What Is The MTA Assessing In Its Congestion Pricing Environmental Assessment?

By Dave Colon | Apr 13, 2021

The goal of the next step in the approval of congestion pricing is to get a FONSI ("Ayyyyyy").

LA

Families of Those Killed by LASD Describe Ongoing Harassment by Deputies as Part of a “Triple Assault”

By Sahra Sulaiman | Apr 13, 2021

"I don't have another life to give. I don't have any more breaths to take. I don't have any more hashtags. I don't have any more energy to be marching with my fist up in the air [only] to come back to the same thing," declared Khadijah Shabazz. "Right now, it needs to be all broken down, torn down, and started all over again."

LASD Won’t Name Deputies Involved in Killing of Fred Williams III at Otherwise Uninformative Inquest

By Sahra Sulaiman | Feb 1, 2021

LASD once again proves unwilling to cooperate in an inquest into a questionable shooting by a deputy.

Metro/Caltrans Neighborhood Erasure along the Lower 5 Freeway

By Joe Linton | Jan 8, 2021

Metro and Caltrans have erased hundreds of houses, apartments, and businesses - in the cities of Norwalk and Santa Fe Springs - to widen the 5 Freeway

CHICAGO

RTA survey: Most people who stopped commuting by transit during COVID plan to return

By John Greenfield | Apr 16, 2021

About 80 percent of respondents who weren't riding buses and trains on a frequent basis said they planned to to return to their pre-pandemic commuting habits once worries about the coronavirus ease.

Logan dragging case highlights how IDOT control of Chicago streets makes us less safe

By John Greenfield | Apr 13, 2021

This horrifying incident has laid bare how the Illinois Department of Transportation having final say on changes to many Chicago streets makes our city more dangerous.

Trib’s Steve Chapman: Transit use is down right now, so we should never invest in it again

By John Greenfield | Apr 12, 2021

In the bizarro world of the the right-leaning Chicago Tribune, the lessons of the pandemic are that we should instead be putting more focus on car-based transportation.

SF

Op-Ed: A Case for Seamless Transit

By Roger Rudick | Apr 13, 2021

A new report from Seamless Bay Area outlines key governance reforms that could transform Bay Area transit.

Is Gordon Mar Spiking Sunset’s Slow Streets?

By Roger Rudick | Apr 12, 2021

Supervisor Gordon Mar asks for the removal of slow streets near schools. Other Sunset slow streets are already disappearing. SFMTA denies it's happening.

Commentary: Bay Area Needs a “Cycling Safety Ordinance”

By Roger Rudick | Apr 8, 2021

"Why would the city continue anything less than a fully protected bike facility on any street that’s large enough for a bike lane at this point?”

DENVER

Commentary: What do parking requirements have to do with affordable housing?

By Streetsblog Denver | Apr 16, 2021

When I entered the affordable housing world, one thing I didn’t count on was how many projects across Denver don’t even pass the visioning stage. There are a variety of reasons for this, mainly revolving around finances, but the one I was not counting on was…parking.

Opinion: Why Curbside Bus Lanes Aren’t Great

By Annie Weinstock | Mar 18, 2021

"Throughout my career as a bus advocate, I have been skeptical of curbside bus lanes. They are exceedingly easy to block. In fact, most curbside bus lanes come with a list of both illegal and legal encroachments." Editor's Note: This article originally appeared on Reorientations and is republished here with the permission of the author.

Commentary: Walking While Black in the Mile High City

By Streetsblog Denver | Mar 16, 2021

Some of the most memorable racist incidents that Adrian Miller has experienced in Denver happened when he was Walking while Black.

CALIFORNIA

Legislative Update: Bill to Remove Parking Minimums Near Transit Passes First Committee

By Melanie Curry | Apr 16, 2021

Asm. Friedman's A.B. 1401 would allow developers to "right-size" the number of parking spaces

California’s Plan to Align Transportation Planning With Climate Goals: Discussions, Workshops

By Melanie Curry | Apr 14, 2021

CAPTI sets a framework for planning transportation in a way that doesn't further destroy the environment, the economy, or the health of Californians, but some bristle at the idea of change.

Commentary: California Needs a Night Train Now

By Roger Rudick | Apr 14, 2021

The Europeans are expanding overnight intercity services. So is Amtrak on the East Coast. When will California get on board?

SOUTHEAST

How I Respond to “Atlanta Is a Car Town, Not a Cycling and Transit Town”

By ATL Urbanist | Jan 2, 2018

A commenter on a recent post of mine mentioned a couple of pretty common criticisms about expectations for growth in cycling and transit in Atlanta.

What Makes a Good City? You Need the Right Codes

By David Walters | Dec 1, 2017

How can we stop design and planning mistakes from damaging our city? Part 2 in a series of illustrated essays on urban design.

Suburban Exclusion of MARTA and Access to the Braves Stadium

By ATL Urbanist | Nov 13, 2017

There is a way to get to the Braves stadium by using Cobb County’s transit service. But that service is nowhere near as extensive as MARTA and doesn’t meet the needs of the people who live in suburban poverty.

OHIO

What’s Really Behind GCRTA’s Falling Ridership Levels?

By Tim Kovach | Dec 20, 2017

The past year has been eventful, to say least, for public transit in Northeast Ohio.

Driving Is the Problem, Not the Solution

By Tim Kovach | Dec 15, 2017

We’re officially in the middle of the holiday season, which can only mean one thing – that’s right, the 5-year American Community Survey (ACS) data for 2016 came out last week.

COTA to Interview Four Candidates for CEO Post

By Brent Warren | Dec 13, 2017

Four candidates will be interviewed to be the next CEO of the Central Ohio Transit Authority.

STL

Why You Should Go to the Chouteau Greenway Events this Week

By William Smith | Jan 3, 2018

If you haven’t yet heard of Great Rivers Greenway (GRG) or specifically the Chouteau Greenway, you’re missing out on one of the most exciting developments planned in St. Louis.

Take Parking Away From Treasurer’s Office

By Steve Patterson | Jan 3, 2018

Former St. Louis treasurer Larry Williams reminds me of a small town version of New York's Robert Moses (1888-1981), using the state legislature to give him money and power while also remaining free of oversight.

How Much Do People in Missouri Bicycle?

By Brent Hugh | Dec 6, 2017

How much do people in Missouri bicycle? Is the amount of bicycling in Missouri growing? How to Missouri communities compare with other U.S. cities and with major cities of the world?

TEXAS

The One Little Rule That Decides Where Austin’s Towers Build Parking

By Dan Keshet | Jan 2, 2018

Not every tower in downtown Austin looks exactly the same, but there is one defining characteristic that describes almost all of them: parking. Most towers rest on top of what they call in the industry a parking plinth, the tower base where folks store their cars.

Remembering Pedestrian Pete

By Leah Binkovitz | Dec 13, 2017

Irascible, ornery, unconventional, Pedestrian Pete pushed Houston to be better and embrace walkable urbanism.

Harvey to Be a Turning Point for Equitable Transit-Oriented Development in Houston

By Raj Mankad | Dec 7, 2017

Rendering of New Hope Housing project on Harrisburg. Courtesy: GSMA.The urban ambitions of our government leaders — so easy to dismiss in the past as nice words with no budget — may get a serious infusion of funds because of Harvey. The Texas delegation that Governor Abbott took to Washington D.C. lobbied for $61 billion beyond what the state already expects to receive from […]