Memphis Catch-22: Public Transit and Transportation
"Memphians have to buy cars because there's no public transportation because Memphians are always buying cars"
A classic case of induced demand. Come on Memphis, design for the city you want, not the city you have!
#Memphis #UrbanPlanning #transit
Memphis Catch-22: Public Transit and Transportation | Smart City Memphis
Frankfort, KY new Transit Center officially opened
"It includes a large public waiting area, public restrooms, vending area, administrative offices, dispatch center, and training room. Once fully operational, the buses and vans will meet outside the Transit Center for passenger transfers."
Sounds nice! I wish the article had some pictures. They also included a new parking garage, it seems. Was it really necessary?
Milwaukee: Canceled BRT Project Saves MCTS Budget Until 2028
"In August, the transit system announced it could no longer afford to continue developing the Connect 2, which would run perpendicular to the Connect 1 along the 27th Street corridor. The 18-mile bus route would have spanned the county and provided faster, more frequent bus service in one of the busiest transit corridors in the county."
Transportation: Canceled BRT Project Saves MCTS Budget Until 2028
Maryland cuts $1.3B in 6-year transportation draft plan
"The reduction in the $18.9 billion program for fiscal years 2025 to 2030 will result in some deferred projects, such as sidewalk repair and intersection improvements, officials said. It also will delay the transition to the electrification of the state’s bus fleet."
I need to better understand how much money goes into supporting car travel when they cut projects like this.
Charlotte scrambles to contain Silver Line transit plan blowback
Charlotte is almost as interesting as Memphis when it comes to transit drama.
"Charlotte is trying to tamp down anger over the Silver Line decision, hoping it doesn’t spread from Matthews to east Charlotte and beyond. That could torpedo the chances of getting Mecklenburg County voters to approve a one-cent sales tax increase to fund the plan."
Charlotte scrambles to contain Silver Line transit plan blowback
How should parking be priced in college towns?
"These places also sometimes experience surges in demand for access to the central area that are seasonal or otherwise cyclical. In the summer, they are surreal—all or most of the amenities intended for a larger, denser population with far fewer people competing for them. Football Saturdays present the opposite problem: the city’s population may double half a dozen days a year"
@bloomington_in #parking #transit
https://gregshill.substack.com/p/how-should-parking-be-priced-in-college
Chicago Organizes to Stop Greyhound Kicking Passengers to Curb
"Chicagoans are rallying against a decision by Greyhound to abandon its intercity bus terminal...(Greyhound) will abandon its lease at its Harrison Street terminal at the end of September, and begin offloading its passengers onto the curb outside Chicago Union Station."
Drivers and riders anxious as Memphis Area Transit finalizes budget with millions in cuts
Stuff just seems to happen in Memphis, without much public discussion or anything. Who decided shorting MATA would be a good idea?
"MATA plans to lay off more than 200 people (roughly half its workforce) and eliminate seven routes. On Tuesday, riders and operators were worried their routes would be on the chopping block."
'Devastating': Drivers and riders anxious as MATA finalizes budget with millions in cuts
Expanding capacity at Penn Station: it shouldn't be that expensive
"Even with very high turnover of passengers at central train stations, the dwell time is still usually measured in tens of seconds, and not minutes. In the limiting case, an American commuter train should be able to dump its entire load of passengers at one station in around two minutes."
#trains #transit #NewYork
by @Alon 
More on American Incuriosity, New York Regional Rail Edition, Part 2: Station Dwell Times
Indianapolis lags in sustainability efforts, especially with clean transit
"Indianapolis has struggled to create safe, connected infrastructure for walkers and bikers, and continues to heavily fund roadways and other projects to improve transportation for vehicles. Other reports have found the city consistently lags in areas of transit ridership, pedestrian activity and EV adoption rates."
EV's aren't going to help much with this, though.
#Indianapolis #Transit
Indianapolis lags in sustainability efforts, especially with clean transit
Can we get light rail onto Baltimore's rebuilt Key Bridge?
"Light rail will help people in underserved neighborhoods in South Baltimore without cars get to work. They could ride to places like Tradepoint Atlantic in Sparrows Point where companies like Amazon, UPS and FedEx are located."
What Indianapolis’ BRT Mess Reveals About the Troubling Power of ‘State Preemption’ in Transportation
"While Republican-led state legislatures are vying (and succeeding) at preempting transit projects across the country, “Indiana has been the most aggressive in this regard,"...Perhaps Hoosier hostility toward transit stands out because of how broadly popular the state’s transit projects are with voters"
More from Washington: Metro enhances services and halts construction for cherry blossom travel surge
"Metro has stopped all daytime and evening construction or track work before 10 a.m., for the next five weeks, hoping people will use Metrorail and buses to see the popular Japanese trees. Additional trains will also be strategically placed throughout the system to assist with crowding, and additional buses will be on hand along key routes."
Metro enhances services and halts construction for cherry blossom travel surge
What Drives Republican Opposition to Transit?
Give credit to Aaron Freeman - This article on Urban-Rural divides in transit is full of "No Comments" and "Didn't Responds" but it seems Senator Freeman was willing to talk to them.
"GOP state lawmakers have often opposed new spending and infrastructure for public transit. The reasons have as much to do with the urban-rural divide as partisan ideology."
#transit #CarsRuinEverything #HoosierMast
Indiana Once Again Considering Ban on Dedicated Transit Lanes
"Critics of the bill like State Senator Andrea Hunley say it is obviously part of a campaign against the IndyGo Blue Line in Indianapolis, “a project years in the making.” The 24.5-mile-long Blue Line, the third phase of IndyGo’s bus rapid transit system connecting Cumberland on the east with the Indianapolis International Airport on the west side of the city"
Valley Metro opens new service line in northwest Phoenix
"The project showcases the first elevated rail station in the city with a bridge going over Interstate 17.
It will run west from 19th and Dunlap avenues and curve north on 25th Avenue, then west on Mountain View Road to where the old Metrocenter Mall is. Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego says the light rail will bring in new investments."
Detroit's QLINE touts big ridership boost in '23
Ooh, a dedicated transit lane! Brilliant idea!
Lisa Nuszkowski: “Our investments in service improvements, establishing closer connections with residents, businesses, and events along the route, and the continued development of our locally operated team made reaching this milestone possible. We are grateful for our riders, supporters and team for helping make this goal a reality.”
State Senator Aaron Freeman's anti-transit, anti-pedestrian bill watered down slightly
"The Senate...added the creation of a task force to study the impact of those lanes.
Critics of the bill say it micromanages Indianapolis city government and could kill the proposed Blue Line, the city’s bus rapid transit system.
In addition to studying the impact of dedicated lanes, the bill was also amended to study the impact of no-turn on red signs."
Senate adds no turn on red language to bill prohibiting dedicated lanes
Irvington businesses pull support for bill that puts Blue Line into question
"Last week, some Irvington business owners endorsed the idea during a committee hearing and received backlash.
Then over the weekend, they reversed their stance, saying conversations in the community changed their opinion.
Those businesses include Jockamo Upper Crust Pizza, Black Sheep Gifts and Irvington Wellness Center."
Irvington businesses pull support for bill that puts Blue Line into question
This Transit Agency Almost Spent $50 Million on a Parking Garage. Now They’re Looking at Housing Instead.
"Even the most hopeful critics of the investment expected the parking garage to return. After all, it was five years in the making and the archetypal “zombie project.” To the surprise of many, six months later...SEPTA specifically inquired about transit-oriented development, or in this case, multi-family housing. "
#Philadelphia #transit #housing
SEPTA Almost Spent $50 Million on a Parking Garage. Now They’re Looking at Housing Instead.
O’Hare flights that could be served better by trains
This is kind of pie-in-the-sky, and I really prefer longform articles to this kind of hyperlinked infographic...still, conceptually, I love the idea!
https://www.hsrail.org/blog/ohare-flights-served-better-by-trains/
"IDEM asks for feedback on how to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in series of public meetings"
Low-hanging fruit would be to shut down the coal plants and build high-speed commuter rail from Louisville to Chicago.
After that the steelmakers would be the worst offenders. Not sure what to do about them though.
#HoosierMast #environment #transit
IDEM asks for feedback on how to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in series of public meetings
I say tear the whole thing down and replace it with a light rail line.
"A multi-billion dollar plan by the Nevada Department of Transportation to widen and reconstruct US-95 in Downtown Las Vegas is meeting resistance from residents worried about the negative impact it will have on their property values and health."
Taylor Swift coming to Lucas Oil! I hope everyone going to the concert takes advantage of the Indianapolis Bus Rapid Transit.
#swifties #indianapolis #transit
Taylor Swift is an unlikely public transit icon | CNN Business
Taylor Swift Fans Give Public Transit a Well-Timed Boost
"As it turned out, MARTA did in fact move nearly 140,000 riders from the four stations surrounding the concert venue that weekend — triple the ridership of a typical weekend, according to an agency spokeswoman — with peak demand on Friday night when Janet Jackson was also performing."
Might help to offset the emissions from Taylor's private jet, I suppose.
@broad Even better would be providing transit, housing, and complete streets so they don't have to drive themselves to work.
"Mayor John Hamilton on Saturday condemned an apparently racist attack earlier this week near Bloomington’s B-Line trail."
You know, they probably could have said it occurred "near 4th Street, a place where drivers often have their cars".
#BloomingtonIN #transit #racism
