The 13 Best U.S. Cities for Public Transit
Author: Jay Walljasper
Bicycles shine today as the symbol of vibrant cities—they pop up in fashion spreads and movies having nothing to do with transportation as signifiers of youthfulness, coolness and sexiness.
Copenhagen and Amsterdam win worldwide kudos for their fabulous network of bike lanes. Paris, Lyon and Montreal have demonstrated the efficiency of bikesharing systems. Portland and Minneapolis have put themselves on the map as “happening” towns, in part because of their blossoming bike cultures.
But great cities also depend on public transportation. Images of buses and trains may never be as sexy as fashion models astride two-wheelers, but they are just as important to the future of sustainable, shareable, livable cities.
Public transit has experienced a quiet renaissance over the past two decades as the number of transit systems nationally has jumped from 1044 to 7700. Transit use began climbing in the mid-1990s as light rail systems sprang up in many cities and bus service was beefed up in other places. Before the economic slide in 2008, public transportation was carrying more passengers than any time since automobiles began to rule American cities a half-century ago.
Read the full article at http://www.shareable.net/blog/the-13-best-us-cities-for-public-transit
How Smartphones Can Improve Public Transit
Author: Keith Barry
Smartphone apps may be the key to getting people out of their cars and onto mass transit.
An interesting study of commuters in Boston and San Francisco found people are more willing to ride the bus or train when they have tools to manage their commutes effectively. The study asked 18 people to surrender their cars for one week. The participants found that any autonomy lost by handing over their keys could be regained through apps providing real-time information about transit schedules, delays and shops and services along the routes.
Though the sample size is small, the researchers dug deep into participants’ reactions. The results could have a dramatic effect on public transportation planning, and certainly will catch the attention of planners and programmers alike. By encouraging the development of apps that make commuting easier, transit agencies can drastically, and at little cost, improve the ridership experience and make riding mass transit more attractive.
Read the full article at http://www.wired.com/autopia/2011/04/how-smartphones-can-improve-public-transit/
Tech + Transit
A recent study conducted by Latitude Research and Next American City reveals that new technologies and improved access to information can encourage transit use. They sampled 18 individuals aged 24 – 51 from Bo
ston and San Francisco who are regular car drivers and asked them to go car-free for a week. They were tracked by GPS, surveyed about their perceptions of mobility before and after the study, and engaged in group discussions using the web throughout the study. Boston and San Francisco were chosen due to their recent commitment to open data solutions and technological initiatives.
The study is summarized by three main insights:
- Information can equalize transit choices
- Participants rated convenience, control, and flexibility as their highest values for mobility.
- Location-aware mobile apps provide real-time information about the trade-offs between different routes and modes of travel, extending a feeling of convenience, control, and flexibility to transit.
- Lose a car, gain a community
- The majority of participants felt reconnected to their neighbors and their community by riding transit or adopting other non-automobile oriented transportation.
- Mobile apps can enhance the off-line, real-world experience by connecting individuals to others while traveling.
- Alternative transit is good for me and we
- Participants gained insight into the environmental, health, and economic/financial benefits of car-free lifestyle.
- Readily accessible information, largely available through the use of mobile apps, allows for empathy formation and an increased understanding of their own and others’ preferences and values.
Read the full article at http://www.livinglabs-global.com/blog/?p=1587#more-1587
Selection of ‘Smart Growth’ transit plan marks beginning of AATA countywide expansion
Author: Ryan J. Stanton
After months of gaining feedback from the community through public forums and online polls, Ann Arbor Transportation Authority officials say the verdict is clear: Washtenaw County residents are overwhelmingly in support of a robust plan to expand transit services.
The AATA’s governing board voted unanimously tonight with one member absent to move forward with the most comprehensive and most expensive of three Transit Master Plan scenarios the agency had been considering in recent weeks.
The resolution approved by the board authorizes the agency to move ahead with implementing the “Smart Growth” scenario into the agency’s long-term Transit Master Plan. AATA’s Planning and Development Committee last week recommended the plan over two other options.
“I guess the way I look at this motion is that we’re basically saying this is where we want to be in 30 years,” board Chairman Jesse Bernstein said just before the vote.
“And in a way, that’s almost the easy part, because once we accept that, then we’ve got to figure out how to get there,” Bernstein said. “So this is the beginning.”
Read the full article at http://annarbor.com/news/selection-of-smart-growth/?cmpid=NL_DH_topheadlines