July 14, 2011

NYC Ped Maps
Proposed pedestrian maps in NYC
(Photo courtesy New York Times)


Highlights

  • Digging Out of Debt: The MBTA (Mass Transit)
    By Leah Harnack -- Catching fare evaders and being Tweeted about are just two of the new experiences for Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA, the T) General Manager and MassDOT Rail and Transit Administrator Richard A. Davey faces as he strives to improve communication for the T riders. It was about a week before I went out to see the system that Davey gave up his car for good, donating the Nissan Altima to the Home for Little Wanderers.
  • City Council votes to restrict Segways in Boston (Universal Hub, eCanadaNow)
    The City Council today unanimously adopted a new set of regulations that will limit "electric personal assistive mobility devices" to routes approved by the city transportation department. People with disabilities will not have to register their Segways with the city or obey the new ban on Segway use on sidewalks and plazas and in parks - but will have to carry proof of their disabilities and will not be allowed to ride more than two abreast.
  • MBTA blocks crossing for Neponset Greenway trail (Dorchester Reporter)
    By Gintautus Dumcius -- The expansion of the popular Neponset Greenway trail hit a potentially fatal roadblock this week as two state agencies stood at odds over the creation of a grade crossing at the Mattapan Square T station that is essential to the trail's construction under current plans. The state Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) is attempting to extend the Greenway trail by one mile to connect the riverside path from Pope John Paul II Park to another state trail along a parkway in Hyde Park. The trail currently ends at Central Avenue in Milton. 
  • VIDEO: Three-Way Street: Bikers, Walkers, and Drivers All Engage in Bad Behavior (Transportation Nation)
    By Kate Hinds -- Anyone who’s stood on a street corner in New York City has probably marveled at the general unwillingness of users to follow traffic rules. Now you can see an illustrated annotation of bad behavior taking place in one Manhattan intersection. Be sure to watch the video until the end as it’s ordered by type of chaos, starting with bikes, then moving on to cars.
  • Existing Roads Slide Into Decrepitude as States Splurge on Highway Expansion (Streetsblog DC)
    By Angie Schmitt -- Got a road that needs fixing in your state? Don’t hold your breath. Chances are your state DOT has been busy building new roads, while neglecting maintenance. A new report from Smart Growth America finds that states spent 57 percent of their highway funds building new roads between 2004 and 2008. As a result, 23,300 new lane miles were constructed — a 1.3 percent expansion. Meanwhile, the existing 1.9 million lane miles deteriorated under a regime that prioritizes expansion of the system over its maintenance.
  • Bicycle traffic jams? Daily volumes on Montreal paths soaring (Montreal Gazette)
    By Michelle LeLonde -- It was no surprise to anyone who drives or cycles regularly in Montreal’s central neighbourhoods to learn that the proportion of adult cyclists using bicycles for transportation in this city has more than doubled in the past decade, as a recent Vélo Québec report showed. But the sheer number of cyclists using the most popular paths daily — such as Rachel, Brébeuf, Milton and de Maisonneuve Blvd. — has experts calling for measures to curb a problem that many of us took to our bikes to avoid: congestion.

"Streets"

Walking

Bicycling

Transit

Cars/Parking

Transportation financing/Government

Parks

Development projects

Land Use/Planning

Out-of-state

National trends

  • High-Speed Rail --
    • High-Speed Rail Can Cover Its Operating Costs (Miller-McCune)
    • Five big-city mayors back high-speed rail (Fresno Bee)
    • How High-Speed Rail Died in Texas, Thrived in Spain (Miller-McCune)
  • Amtrak privatization plan is short-sighted; we should invest in rail (The Hill)
  • Book Review: Meaning In a Meadow (Wall Street Journal)
  • Existing Roads Slide Into Decrepitude as States Splurge on Highway Expansion (Streetsblog DC)
  • Interstate Highways as a Long-Haul Project (Wall Street Journal)
  • America's crumbling infrastructure a curse for travelers (MSNBC)
  • The Secret History of America's Interstate Highway System (Infrastructurist)
  • How Google's Robot Cars Will Revive Sprawl (Fast Company)
  • Crosswalks are increasingly deadly for the elderly (Los Angeles Times)
  • Aging in Place, Stuck without Options: a new report from Transportation for America (Smart Growth America)
  • 'Road Trains' called future of hands-free driving (TODAY)
  • Poll: Republicans Support Transpo Policies to Avert Climate Change, Too (Streetsblog DC)
  • Living Large, Driving Less (Sierra Club)
  • Can transit-only streets work in small cities? (Human Transit)
  • Livability trend puts walking expert in demand (AP)
  • America's Reviving Its Highway System for Cyclists (GOOD)
  • Bike-Ped Defunding Proposal Sparks Mutiny in Mica's Home District (Streetsblog DC)
  • America's Top Cities for Bike Commuting: Happier, Too (The Atlantic)
  • Transportation experts call for more investment (San Francisco Chronicle)
  • US DOT Announces $1.6 Billion for Transit Projects (Transportation Nation)
  • After 55 Years, Where Are We on Highways? (National Journal)
  • U.S. Lags Behind China, Colombia in Bus Rapid Transit (New York Times)
  • The Many Benefits of Roundabouts (Governing)
  • Ray LaHood: People Want to Live in Cities with Transportation Choices (Transportation Nation)

International news

  • The world's busiest pedestrian crossing? (NRDC)
  • Hume: Underpass Park will change the city forever (Toronto Star)
  • Cities From London to Portland Slash Emissions as UN Climate Envoys Bicker (Bloomberg)
  • Visions of an Oasis Beneath the Sprawl [Mexico City] (New York Times)
  • VIDEO: The Biggest, Baddest Bike-Share in the World (Streetfilms)
  • Rolling out a red carpet for cyclists (A view from the cycle path)
  • 65% of Torontonians say no to road tolls; 72% want bike lanes (Toronto Star)
  • Universal bike lanes: the only way to mass cycling? (Guardian)
  • Pilot bicycle parking system in Utrecht and Gronigen by ProRail (Fiets Beraad)
  • China's new bullet trains plan to challenge airlines (Business Report)
  • Would you like a coffee with your bus ticket? Presto! (Toronto Star)
  • VIDEO: 'Copenhagenization' in the Danish capital (CNN)
  • Toronto Cyclists Union Launches New Protected Bike Lane Resource (ABW)
  • VIDEO: Let's cycle to the beach (A view from the cycle path)
  • Bicycle traffic jams? Daily volumes on Montreal paths soaring (Montreal Gazette)
  • Let city cyclists run red lights: politicians [Stockholm] (The Local)
  • Danish Architect Jan Gehl on Good Cities for Walking (Streetsblog LA)
  • Will Kenyan Superhighway Also Benefit China? (NPR)
  • Third 'making fewer car journeys' as petrol prices rise (BBC)
  • High-Speed Rail Poised to Alter China (New York Times)
  • Chinese Mass Transit: On the right track (Economist)
  • Across Europe, Irking Drivers Is Urban Policy (New York Times)
  • The UK's last, great, expensive short roads (BBC)