tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-58624440087402503722009-07-02T16:09:06.009-04:00Here are some reasons to get people to shift from cars to transit:<ul><li>Reducing pollution</li><li>Increasing efficiency</li><li>Reducing carnage</li><li>Improving society</li><li>Transportation for all</li></ul>Cap'n Transithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17057887736728828646noreply@blogger.comBlogger198125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5862444008740250372.post-77227276779241239662009-06-29T00:02:00.001-04:002009-06-29T00:22:08.249-04:00

Back in February, I wrote about some ways of helping transit operations to become independent of government budget battles. In the comments, Christopher Parker wrote:A lot really does come down to labor costs, which are a very significant amount of the expense of transit.Christopher is quite right here, and this is a major issue. Transit systems in countries with low labor costs are able to

Cap'n Transithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17057887736728828646noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5862444008740250372.post-30426655167965929702009-06-27T22:31:00.004-04:002009-06-27T23:11:48.106-04:00

In an earlier post, I wrote that transit needs the middle class, because we can't accomplish our pollution, efficiency and safety goals without getting the middle class to shift from cars to transit. To attract the middle class, transit needs to be classy. What might classy transit look like?In technology fields there is a saying, "Fast, cheap and good. Pick any two." Of course,

Cap'n Transithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17057887736728828646noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5862444008740250372.post-37520645512473138452009-06-23T23:54:00.003-04:002009-06-24T02:27:25.009-04:00

An interesting discussion sprouted in the comments to one of Yonah's posts about high-speed rail, concerning how to reproduce the success of the initial Paris-Lyon TGV line. Chris G observed, "The thing with comparing anywhere to Paris Lyon is that that line was build as TGV only after it was already at capacity. Its not that we must have TGV speeds immediately."The only line in the US that is

Cap'n Transithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17057887736728828646noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5862444008740250372.post-63977619102845359602009-06-19T23:35:00.001-04:002009-06-20T00:40:30.854-04:00

In my last post I argued that pedestrian and cyclist safety is essentially a matter of protecting the vulnerable from bullies. There are many ways to do this, and the most obvious way is with barriers: you got to keep them separated.Inside buildings you're usually protected from cars, but not always. There are some pedestrian paths that are physically separated from cars, sometimes by miles (as

Cap'n Transithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17057887736728828646noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5862444008740250372.post-29498713745487046202009-06-17T21:22:00.002-04:002009-06-18T08:56:39.188-04:00

Many advocates for walking and cycling demand dedicated infrastructure, such as Steve Patterson in Saint Louis. Others, like Hans Monderman and Ben Hamilton-Baillie, advocate removing infrastructure and barriers, based on studies showing that speed - and crashes - are reduced when signals and pavement markings are removed.Based on a shallow understanding of Monderman's work, I would be tempted

Cap'n Transithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17057887736728828646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5862444008740250372.post-43940045201887458712009-06-16T23:30:00.003-04:002009-06-16T23:30:00.245-04:00

Some people at a place called Air Rail News have been sending me their newsletter for a while. It's basically just recycled press releases, and I'm not all that interested in airport rail connections, but every once in a while they have something interesting. This week they noted Phoenix's Sky Train project.Sky Train will be an automated, rubber-tired "train" in a dedicated, elevated

Cap'n Transithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17057887736728828646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5862444008740250372.post-65528268754145183122009-06-15T22:25:00.003-04:002009-06-15T22:43:08.001-04:00

Another day, another group who won't stand for an oversized bridge replacement. In Portland, OR they're protesting the DOT's plans to replace the six-lane Interstate Bridge with one that could be eight, ten or twelve lanes.Our State DOT wants to replace the seven-lane Tappan Zee Bridge with one that's ten lanes. Lots of options in the scoping process, but somehow the idea of a six or eight lane

Cap'n Transithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17057887736728828646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5862444008740250372.post-86741486394554469432009-06-14T23:29:00.004-04:002009-06-14T23:41:00.573-04:00

Last year I argued that one of our priorities for transportation in the New York area should be to increase clearances in the Haverstraw tunnel so that the West Shore Line can be double-tracked again. In Bellows Falls, Vermont they had a similar issue: a single-track tunnel constructed in 1851 right under the village green.The tunnel was too low to allow double-height trains to pass through, so

Cap'n Transithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17057887736728828646noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5862444008740250372.post-41464258550456879062009-06-13T11:21:00.003-04:002009-06-14T00:36:19.833-04:00

Following up on last year's replacement of the Thames River Bridge in Connecticut, Amtrak has received $105 million in stimulus funds to replace the Niantic River Bridge a few miles to the west. This is good, and will not only allow Acela trains to go faster, but will avoid slow orders that would be required if the bridge deteriorates further. The new drawbridge will also be taller and longer

Cap'n Transithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17057887736728828646noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5862444008740250372.post-31809212686628106882009-06-12T23:17:00.000-04:002009-06-13T00:47:43.394-04:00

The folks at Transportation for America seem like they're really good people, and I don't want to give them a hard time. But they seem to be striving for clarity, and they're failing, so here's some constructive criticism. They recently released their Blueprint for America, which says "T4 America calls on Congress to clearly define the national interest and purpose of the federal transportation

Cap'n Transithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17057887736728828646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5862444008740250372.post-19023487438263861112009-06-08T23:11:00.000-04:002009-06-09T00:46:42.150-04:00

Several times in the past few years, both online and in person, I've been told by New Yorkers, "I wish I could get rid of my car, but I need it when I go away for the weekend." Now it's possible that that's just a convenient excuse, and that they're really afraid of giving up their middle-class status symbols, but let's assume that there is a significant number of New Yorkers who currently own

Cap'n Transithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17057887736728828646noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5862444008740250372.post-75875789202118414102009-05-26T22:05:00.001-04:002009-05-26T22:05:00.343-04:00

As you've all probably heard by now, Broadway from 42nd to 47th Streets was turned over to pedestrians last night. Commissioner Sadik-Khan says that it will actually improve (car) traffic flow, because they won't have to have three phases for the lights at those diagonal intersections. Certainly the cars seemed to be moving fine on Seventh Avenue today.The Department of Transportation will be

Cap'n Transithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17057887736728828646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5862444008740250372.post-30892418232979201032009-05-25T23:17:00.001-04:002009-05-25T23:37:27.929-04:00

In the comments to my last post about the lack of redundancy on the Northeast Corridor, Adam missed part of the point:The main problem with the Tappan Zee alignment is that it skips NYC, the most important stop on the train. Ideally, we'd have six tracks under each river for either commuter or long distance trains.Adam's proposal would not provide very much redundancy, as CityLights observed in

Cap'n Transithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17057887736728828646noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5862444008740250372.post-72230566694237386742009-05-23T22:06:00.000-04:002009-05-23T22:06:00.094-04:00

In my last post, I talked about the value of redundancy in transit networks. Connecting this back to our goals, I think this speaks more to the relative value of transit over cars. If you've got a robust transit network (thanks to commenter Most but not all on the last post for that term), you can compete with car networks that strand people if they lose access to their cars. If you have a

Cap'n Transithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17057887736728828646noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5862444008740250372.post-76523236778555956582009-05-21T22:09:00.003-04:002009-05-21T22:25:17.239-04:00

My apartment in Queens is close to a subway line, but I also have another subway line and a Long Island Railroad station a short walk away. There are buses as well, that can take me to Manhattan, Brooklyn or other parts of Queens. I can also get to many destinations by bike, or even on foot if I walk long enough. We also have taxis and gypsy cabs and car rental agencies.This redundancy is

Cap'n Transithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17057887736728828646noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5862444008740250372.post-46734265609112485622009-05-17T00:09:00.003-04:002009-05-17T01:00:39.170-04:00

I was wrong to state in my last post that the recent article on Roosevelt Island bike parking was the first time that Streetsblog had turned its attention to the island. In 2007, Glenn McAnanama wrote a post about restoring elevator access to the Queensboro bridge.In response to my post, Roosevelt Islander raised an issue that's worth tackling:You should also be aware that some of the residents

Cap'n Transithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17057887736728828646noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5862444008740250372.post-65307815578852378102009-05-15T23:13:00.005-04:002009-05-16T01:18:06.363-04:00

Streetsblog turned its attention to Roosevelt Island for the first time in three years, with a link to a Roosevelt Island 360 post about reactive island managers "storing" bikes that are left overnight at various bike racks around the island. It got me thinking about the place, and how there are - relatively - few cars there.It turns out I'm not the only one; a group of Columbia urban-planning

Cap'n Transithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17057887736728828646noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5862444008740250372.post-40836661263481682322009-05-14T00:15:00.007-04:002009-05-14T08:33:07.203-04:00

Streetsblog.net linked to a blog post by Matt Yglesias in response to the Times "Room for Debate" post I just discussed. He writes,But one should be clear that nobody lives in Washington, or even Manhattan, without ever using a car. I don’t own a car. But Washington Post superstar blogger Ezra Klein does. And last weekend he and I drove in his car to Costco where we bought supplies for some mass

Cap'n Transithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17057887736728828646noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5862444008740250372.post-64261380544681419202009-05-13T23:22:00.002-04:002009-05-13T23:40:30.051-04:00

I'm still trying to process this bizarre Times blog post that Streetsblog linked to this morning. It's a legitimate topic for discussion, springing off an earlier article about the Vauban suburb of Freiburg, Germany, which is trying to be completely car-free: what would it take to have a car-free town, neighborhood or city here in the US? The Room for Debate blog is one that puts questions like

Cap'n Transithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17057887736728828646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5862444008740250372.post-84453656905612654192009-05-12T23:12:00.001-04:002009-05-12T23:12:00.845-04:00

The Brooklyn real estate blog Brownstoner is always a good read, particularly for their coverage of parking issues in the borough. They've been covering the controversy over plans to tear down the historic Officers' Row (a.k.a. Admiral's Row) in the Brooklyn Navy Yard to make room for parking for a supermarket.For those who haven't been following this particular insanity, let me try to summarize

Cap'n Transithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17057887736728828646noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5862444008740250372.post-40715335548079589672009-05-11T23:10:00.003-04:002009-05-12T00:15:38.773-04:00

On Sunday I discussed the saga of the ninety or more buses that are stored in Lower Manhattan every day. Some of these buses are tour buses, and others are commuter buses from New Jersey that bring workers in in the morning and take them home in the evening. There are also a number of MTA-run express buses from all over the city that also lay over in Lower Manhattan, and I'm not sure they're

Cap'n Transithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17057887736728828646noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5862444008740250372.post-57866767607417712342009-05-10T23:16:00.004-04:002009-05-11T00:10:00.181-04:00

The East River waterfront in lower Manhattan is planned to one day be a relaxing place for pedestrians to stroll. For me personally, it's hard to relax with the FDR Drive over my head, but it's at least supposed to be a link in the greenway loop, allowing cyclists, skaters and pedestrians to get from Lower Manhattan to and from the Lower East Side and points north in a relatively quick and

Cap'n Transithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17057887736728828646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5862444008740250372.post-86354359823470665312009-05-09T15:53:00.003-04:002009-05-09T16:47:00.730-04:00

Planetizen links to an article in the Detroit Free Press about a new report:A third of major U.S. interstates and major highways are in poor or mediocre condition, but it’s a particular problem in urban areas with populations of 250,000 or more, said the report by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials and the road advocacy group TRIP.[...]The groups are using the

Cap'n Transithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17057887736728828646noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5862444008740250372.post-12063103819301929322009-05-04T08:55:00.003-04:002009-05-04T09:36:20.268-04:00

Here in New York we've had our share of highway revolts. We've stopped a slew of ill-conceived expressways that would have made the fate of our city much more like present-day Detroit. But we still got stuck with some horrible highways like the Cross-Bronx, Bruckner, Sheridan and Major Deegan in the Bronx, the Gowanus and Belt in Brooklyn, and the BQE and LIE in Queens.Recently, around the

Cap'n Transithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17057887736728828646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5862444008740250372.post-30503918404836990532009-05-02T15:08:00.003-04:002009-05-02T15:44:21.334-04:00

Ryan Avent at the Bellows quotes the reputedly "left-leaning" Ezra Klein leaning hard right on transportation:One of the quirks of the elite political debate is that it tends to occur in dense cities with extremely impressive transportation infrastructures. DC. New York. Places where cars are more of a luxury item. But that, as the graph shows, is not how most Americans think of them. Car stereos

Cap'n Transithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17057887736728828646noreply@blogger.com1