Europe, as we know, has a much different urban fabric — because most of its cities were developed long before cars arrived. They have narrower streets, are more walkable, more bike-friendly, and more pleasant. Nonetheless, Europe went the same route as the U.S. in recent years with the boom of the automobile and started trying …
European Cities Limiting the Car, Improving Quality of Life Read More »
“A small start-up near Washington, D.C. has started what it calls ‘the first stationless smart bike sharing program in North America.’ And all it took to get the system up and running was some bikes, U-locks and mobile phones.” That’s the intro to an interesting story on TheCityFix. It’s an in-depth piece on how three …
First Bike Sharing Program in U.S. without Bike Stations? Read More »
There’s been a pretty significant transformation on public transit in the past decade or less. Whereas riders used to start up a conversation with complete strangers on a regular basis in the past, more and more riders are plugged into their iPods, iPhones, iPads, or other electronic gadgets and stay in their own world despite …
Conversation Cars on Public Transit: A “Modest Proposal” Read More »
BikeRadar recently previewed the 2011 North American Handmade Bicycle Show. Looks like a cool event. Here’s more: The seventh annual North American Handmade Bicycle Show is set to kick off February 25-27 in Austin, Texas and even though the event is still several weeks out, it’s already shaping up to the biggest and grandest iteration to …
North American Handmade Bicycle Show 2011 Preview – BikeRadar Read More »
Intercity buses are actually extremely efficient modes of transport, even beating rail. Apparently, they are becoming more popular with the public these days as well. They were the fastest-growing mode of intercity transport for the third year in a row last year, according to a new report by DePaul University researchers called “The Intercity Bus: …
Intercity Bus: Fastest-Growing Form of Transit in U.S. Read More »
The City of Lights could soon become the city without S.U.V.’s. Government officials in Paris are considering putting in effect a series of regulations that would heavily tax, or completely ban, S.U.V.’s and high-polluting, old diesel vehicles from entering the city center. That’s some recent news from perhaps my favorite city on the planet. One …
Here’s a full repost of the latest news regarding Turkey’s high-speed rail network, which we covered a month ago or so here on EcoLocalizer, via World Bulletin: Nearly 100 high-speed train stations will be built across Turkey for accommodation of high-speed trains. The train stations will be presented to auction with build-operate-transfer model. At least …
Turkey Building Almost 100 High-Speed Train Stations Read More »
What are the most promising high-speed rail routes in the nation? A new report released by America 2050 evaluated 7,870 potential high-speed rail corridors across the country Here’s more on the report from the INFRASTRUCTURIST: To evaluate each corridor, the authors created a scoring system that weighed 12 factors that contribute to rail ridership, including …
The Dutch are already well-known for having the best bicycle facilities in the world (well, there is a bit of competition between the Netherlands and Denmark, but the two nations are clearly on top of the world when it comes to this matter). Now, the Dutch are actually planning to improve their cycle networks with …
Dutch Improving Cycle Networks, Building Fast Cycle Lanes Read More »
Know when the first subway system was launched? And where? Tony Long of Wired does. He recently wrote an interesting post on the history of subway systems around the world, starting with a little bit on the first subway system, which was launched this month in 1863. Here’s the intro: 1863: London inaugurates the world’s …
Chicagoans (yes, that would be residents of Chicago) love public transit. Even non-users support mass transit (maybe because it saves them a ton of time). But candidates running for Mayor of Chicago (election to be on Feb. 22) are hardly mentioning this topic… or transportation, in general, one of the most critical day-to-day issues for …
Transit: Huge Issue for Chicago Voters, Not on Potential Mayors’ Agenda Read More »
There’s a great piece in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution on the need for Atlanta to get moving on better public transit and catch up to other cities it was once leading on this topic. Of course, Atlanta’s low density is one of the big problems hindering public transit use and efficiency, but there are solutions to …
Atlanta Must Get Moving on Public Transit.. Will It? Read More »
The mobility of Caltrain’s 40,000 daily riders on the Peninsula and the South Bay could drastically suffer under deep service cuts being considered to close a $30 million budget gap, but a movement to get the commuter rail service agency out of the red and on a path toward long-term sustainability is gaining momentum. “Everyone …
Caltrain Threatened with Service Cuts, Citizens to the Rescue? Read More »
If you’re looking for a good example of thoughtful, place-based planning for transit-oriented development (TOD) in a location not yet known for it, you could do a lot worse than Connecting El Paso, a 264-page tour de force vision for parts of the west Texas border city. The plan was unanimously approved earlier this week by the El …
Republicans, many of them, would have public transportation funding cut despite the clear economic, financial (for citizens), quality of life, and environmental benefits. Why? Yonah Freemark of the Transport Politic finds some answers and shares them in Understanding the Republican Party’s Reluctance to Invest in Transit Infrastructure. Here’s a key piece of that article: As …
Why Republicans Try to Kill Public Transport (Despite its Economic Benefits) Read More »
Obama’s 2011 State of the Union address (full text) is important to us all because it is not only a critical reflection on where we stand today, but also on where we’re going, where we need to go, and how we can succeed as a nation (all according to our President and his team, the …
I reported earlier that riding public transportation can save you approximately $10,000 a year. Well, even for those who don’t ride public transit, you are benefiting form it. Of course, you are benefiting because of the cleaner environment you get to live in, but you are also benefiting because public transit saves you time. Think …
Public Transportation Saves U.S. 785 Million Hours a Year Read More »
The U.S. is known for being big, having big visions, having big plans and projects. But has that all changed in the past few decades? Karrie Jacobs of The Infrastructurist delves into this matter in great deal and concludes: “Apparently we’re now a nation that takes only incremental steps.” While our U.S. Secretary of Transportation …
Well, that’s how much you’ll save if you’re the average American. Could be a little less or a little more depending on where you live. The point of the matter is, however, you can save a ton by riding your local public transit. (I would also note that you can use your time on transit …
When I lived in the Netherlands, I was told that it’s common to have your bike stolen about once a year. They make jokes like, “your bike lock needs to be more expensive than your bike.” Well, the Dutch police have a new tactic to help address rampant bike theft that might help to address …
In the most comprehensive analysis of U.S. traffic congestion imaginable, the Texas Transportation Institute at Texas A&M University just released its 2010 Annual Urban Mobility Report. Due to considerable technological advancements, the Institute said this report provided “much better and more detailed picture of the problems facing urban travelers” than any previous reports and it has …
Traffic Congestion Increasing as Economy Improves Read More »
The price of free parking keeps going up. One cost is painful urban congestion, which is made worse bydrastically under-priced street parking. Another is a relative cost to the environment, which occurs when the near-certain prospect of free (or cheap) parking entices people into their cars and away from alternative forms of transportation. Recently a …
New Study Looks at Hidden Environmental Costs of Parking Read More »
We’ve written on China’s world-record-setting high-speed trains in the past, but I recently ran across these videos and thought they were worth a share. The first one walks you through a ride on one of the country’s bullet trains. Here’s a quote from the YouTube page: Why fly when you can travel the 1000km between …
Almost 50 years ago, streetcars in Washington, D.C. stopped running and most of their tracks were removed. Now they’re back and ready for a revival, with parts of the first two lines slated to open next spring. In this post, we talk to Dan Tangherlini, the former DDOT director under Mayor Anthony Williams, who committed to building one of …
TIME recently featured a video of top U.S. mayors discussing what makes cities smart. If you watch it, you’ll noticed that high-speed rail seems to be a big part of that these days. Interestingly, Fast Company recently had a post on the “10 Smartest Cities on the Planet” as well. Not a bad list it …
What Makes Cities Smart & “10 Smartest Cities on the Planet” Read More »
New Transit Projects for 2011 A comprehensive list of transit projects scheduled to start construction or open in 2011. “Streetcar lines dominate the nation’s new transit construction landscape, but this year only light and commuter rail lines will open for service.” NYC Tries ‘Rapid’ Buses in Bid to Cut Transit Costs The city’s much-maligned bus …
We’re bicycling fans here on Ecolocalizer. Have you noticed? Why? Because it’s good for everything: our health, the livability of cities, the efficiency of our cities, equitable access to key needs, and the economy. Here’s more on that last part, the economy, from the Bicycle Federation of Wisconsin: Investment in a more bicycle friendly Wisconsin …
How Much is Bicycling Worth to the Economy? $1.5 Billion/Year in Wisconsin Read More »
In my graduate studies in city and regional planning, one thing became very obvious to me: cities, by definition and at their best, are densely-populated places. However, with the rapid rise of automobile use, North American cities have been on a low-density trend. Think about it, big vehicles for every individual require tons of big …
Light Rail & Streetcars Becoming More Popular, Transforming Cities Read More »
What are the biggest benefits of bicycling? Of course, there are the environmental benefits and the fact that bicycling is many times cheaper than driving or even riding transit. One more obvious benefit, however, is that it is great for our health. A number of doctors and other health professionals, approximately 150 of them, recently …
Here’s our weekly link drop. Hope you enjoy it. New Report: U.S. States Failing at Reducing Transportation Emissions The Natural Resources Defense Council and Smart Growth America released a report, “Getting Back on Track: Aligning State Transportation Policy with Climate Change Goals,” analyzing state-level policies to curb carbon emissions in the transportation sector. With the absence of …
