Advocates for passenger rail in America are excited. The stimulus bill provided $8 billion for high speed rail construction, California has passed a bond for nearly $10 billion to build a system in that state, and other projects from Florida to Chicago are moving forward. The Federal government is planning to issue the grants to […]
Planetizen Post: Making the Car Free Choice
See my latest Planetizen post: “Making the Car Free Choice” On related topics here see Are you ‘Carfree’, Does Beijing Have Too Many Cars?, Climate Change: The Moral Imperative for Smart Growth (on urban form and driving), and (a question hopefully we’ll ask soon) Will Electric Cars Fuel Urban Sprawl?
National Journal Asks: Gas Tax $ For Bike Trails?
Here’s my answer to the question “Should the next surface transportation bill allow states and municipalities to use a greater share of scarce Trust Fund dollars on non-highway projects such as bike lanes and pedestrian walkways?” on the National Journal’s Transportation “Expert” Blog. For more background, see my post “Fixing America’s Federal Transportation Policy.”
Will Electric Cars Fuel Urban Sprawl?
Shai Agassi has an idea so revolutionary it’s convinced venture capitalists to commit hundreds of millions of dollars, major corporations to sign on, and the leaders of countries around the world scrambling to sign up to be the guinea pigs for his new technology. It’s also an idea that, as soon as it is heard […]
Shared Vans Already Here … and Illegal
Over a year ago I described Cape Town’s minibus shared van transit system, where licensed drivers provide shared rides along designated routs. At the time, I suggested such a system, common in many countries around the world, should be considered in the U.S. I was wrong — there are examples of similar service in the […]
New York Subway Vs. D.C. Metro
A recent visitor to this website asked this question on a previous post: hello, i am a New Yorker who relocated moved to DC last year. in my decades of riding the NYC subway, at $70/month unlimited rides, I have probably experienced a handful of delays and/or major issues with the tracks. in my one […]
Does Beijing Have Too Many Cars?
The skies of Beijing have cleared somewhat after draconian measures have taken effect to curb pollution, which include closing factories and taking roughly half the vehicles off the road. I thought this observation from the Post’s coverage today was interesting: But a few motorists said they hoped the changes would not be temporary. “Ten years […]