Transportation
Fiscal and ridership changes are impacting transportation policies at the state and local levels. These articles focus on innovative and successful transit planning, funding and upkeep for intercity and commuter rail, electric vehicles, mass transit and more.
The Oregon legislature passed a funding bill during a special session to prevent layoffs at the Department of Transportation. Lawmakers on both sides say it’s a short-term fix.
Two transportation-focused think tanks held back-to-back events last week, bringing transit advocates, scholars and industry leaders together to discuss solutions for the fiscal cliff many agencies are facing.
New research suggests that transit agencies see ridership gains when they adopt monthly fare-capping policies, which are primarily intended to make fares more equitable.
More public transit agencies are offering low-fare, on-demand shuttle service as a way to connect people to existing transit services and serve far-flung communities. But many transit advocates are wary of the trend.
Work is expected to begin on the $30.59 million all-electric collection system in late 2024 or early 2025, though the ceremonial start began on Monday. Approximately 88 percent of Atlantic City Expressway customers use E-ZPass.
The Rapid 227 will allow riders to commute between the Otay Mesa border crossing and a variety of communities across the city. The express route will service every 15 minutes during commute hours and only has 10 stops.
Many of the county’s residents commute into San Antonio for work and are directly impacted by the road and highway conditions. County commissioners are considering expanding the Metro planning board by one seat.
The city may join the ranks of others where it's free to ride the bus. It's part of a growing trend among smaller cities that are prioritizing ridership over revenue.
Faced with a seven-figure gap in its operating budget and unable to find a corporate sponsor, Houston BCycle, the city’s 10-year-old bike-share network, could soon shut down entirely. But the local public transit authority may step in to replace it.
Between May 1 and Sept. 17, over 2,000 vehicles were reported stolen to the city’s police department and, as of Sept. 26, the agency had ticketed 411 of those cars while they were still officially considered stolen.
The Federal Railroad Administration has awarded $1.4 billion for railroad improvements, a huge expansion of a key funding program under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Funded projects will help make passenger and freight service more efficient.
Veronica O. Davis, a transportation director in Houston, recently published Inclusive Transportation: A Manifesto for Repairing Divided Communities. The book describes experiences and lessons from her career as a planner, engineer and advocate.
A survey of voters in five of the Bay Area counties found that just 56 percent say commuter rail is important for the California region and must be maintained even if it costs taxpayers more money.
Gwinnett County, Ga., has proposed a transit plan with big investments in microtransit and a new rapid bus service. Leaders hope it will appeal to voters, who have defeated at least four transit referendums in the last five decades.
The Pottsville Parking Authority will issue virtual parking permits in 2024 for eight municipal lots across the city. The permits will be available for purchase starting in mid-December.
A new campaign on Bay Area Rapid Transit, designed and developed by young people of color, encourages people who witness sexual harassment on trains and buses to discreetly intervene.
Four decades after the National Transportation Safety Board recommended the change, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is considering limiting driving speeds for trucks that weigh more than 13 tons.
Momentum is building for intercity rail service on Colorado’s booming Front Range. With voter approval required for key funding, it could come down to a question of timing.
Bay Area Rapid Transit launched a new schedule this month with more frequent service on nights and weekends and less frequent service at traditional peak commuter hours. It’s part of a shift toward round-the-clock service at big-city transit agencies.
While riders pay only $1 for the on-demand service, the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Authority pays about $43 per ride. The expense has raised questions about service quality, fairness and the future of public transit.
Randy Clarke, the general manager of the Washington Metro, is a public-transit superfan with lots of support in D.C. How long will it last?
All 22,000 city workers in Philadelphia are now eligible for a free transit pass under SEPTA’s Key Advantage program. More than 10,000 have already signed up.
Six people died on Feb. 11, 2021, in one of the most destructive crashes in state history when a winter storm caused cars to skid along a two-lane tollway. On Sept. 1, two bills that aim to prevent similar crashes in the future will go into effect.
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New research describes transportation engineers as part of the public health workforce, and argues they should emphasize strategies that reduce risk for greater proportions of the population.
The California Air Resources Board will launch an e-bike incentive program this fall that will target low-income residents who live in disadvantaged communities, and offer rebates of $1,000 off a standard e-bike.
An overhead catenary line near the West End station was damaged due to high temperatures on Tuesday, Aug. 1, causing delays on DART’s light rail service in the city’s downtown area.
The Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada has reported 166 passenger-on-passenger and 35 passenger-on-driver assaults in the fiscal year that ended last month.
Pedaled e-bikes were involved in nine fatal crashes in 2022 and 12 in 2023 as of July 4, compared to 10 deaths in 2022 and six in 2023 from human-powered bikes.
Greyhound recently left its Philadelphia station to join other intercity bus services on the curb, creating headaches for riders, businesses and local officials. Other cities are in a similar position — or will be soon.
The $277 million bill would have required all state and local governments, colleges and universities to buy vehicles based on their lowest lifetime costs. Current law requires such purchases to be based on fuel efficiency.
