Recent Streetsblog NYC posts about Streetsblog

What do modern ride-hailing services mean for the future of transit? Serious observers think companies like Uber may help complement or substitute for bus service in spread out areas that aren’t well-suited for fixed-route transit. And ride-hailing may help transit agencies provide paratransit services. But one thing that any technology based on space-hogging cars can’t do is replace high-capacity city transit systems. A recent Uber ad suggested otherwise, […]

American kids don’t walk and bike to school much anymore. Even after some modest progress in recent years, only about 20 percent of 5- to 14-year-olds walked or biked to school in 2012, compared to 48 percent in 1969, according to the National Center for Safe Routes to School. Driving kids to school has picked up a momentum of its own […]

Last year DOT unveiled a redesign of 111th Street, a dangerous speedway that separates Corona residents from Flushing Meadows-Corona Park. The DOT plan — for fewer car traffic lanes, expanded medians, new crosswalks, and a two-way protected bike lane adjacent to the park — was developed in response to a grassroots campaign. It has the backing of […]

American commuter rail lines tend not to draw many riders. That’s what happens when service is limited and the line is set up to shuttle suburban park-and-ride commuters to an urban center in the morning and back home in the evening. But there’s a lot of untapped potential in commuter rail lines. A new report from the Transportation Research Board examines how railways like Cleveland’s Blue […]

All transit stops aren’t created equal. The street environment around the station — especially safe, convenient pedestrian access — has a major influence on how people use transit. Edward Russell at Greater Greater Washington compares two stops that offer very different walking environments — one in San Diego and one in Washington: The 1.1-mile walk from the Grossmont Trolley station […]

Drive-through services at restaurants and stores can be a real headache for pedestrians. They generally require multiple curb cuts across the sidewalk and generate a lot of conflicts with motor vehicles. Many chains also forbid people without cars from using the drive-through windows, citing liability concerns. Now Portland is tackling both of those issues in a new […]