Tag Archives: mass transit

Confessions of a recovering freeway nerd

Source: wired.com I’ll admit it. In my younger days, I was a certified freeway nerd. Growing up in Indianapolis, I was in awe of the Interstate Highway System. Lucky for me, Indy had plenty of them, including my teenage and … Continue reading

Posted in Active transportation, Advocacy, Alternative transportation, bicycling, bike sharing, Biking, bridges, Bus transportation, Cars, cities, civics, climate change, commerce, culture, density, distribution, downtown, economic development, electric vehicles, energy, engineering, environment, EVs and hybrids, fun, futurism, geography, health, Highway displacement, highways, historic preservation, history, humanity, infrastructure, land use, nature, new urbanism, Passenger rail, pictures, placemaking, planning, politics, pollution, poverty, product design, racism, rail, Railroads, recreation, Renewable Energy, revitalization, scenic byways, social equity, spatial design, sprawl, sustainability, technology, topography, tourism, Trade, traffic, trails, transit, transportation, Travel, trucking, tunnels, urban design, urban planning, visual pollution, walking | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Ten planning lessons from Daniel Burnham’s Chicago

The following are ten planning lessons from multiples visits to the dynamic City of Chicago. Source: onlyinyourstate.com ________ If Chicago intrigues you too, here are several books about the city that are available via Amazon.com.* ……….Link – The Third Coast……………………………………………Link … Continue reading

Posted in Active transportation, air travel, airport planning, airports, Alternative transportation, architecture, bicycling, Biking, Bus transportation, Cities, civics, commerce, culture, downtown, engineering, fun, geography, historic preservation, history, land use, Passenger rail, pictures, placemaking, planning, rail, Railroads, rivers/watersheds, skylines, skyscrapers, spatial design, sprawl, Statistics, third places, tourism, traffic, transit, Transportation, Travel, Uncategorized, urban design, urban planning, weather, zoning | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Civil Rights Era bus boycotts and the heroes who led the way

To honor the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., tomorrow (January 15) and Rosa Parks upcoming birthday on February 4, the following post identifies the peaceful bus boycotts that took place during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s … Continue reading

Posted in Advocacy, charities, cities, civics, Civil Rights, civility, Communications, culture, diversity, government, historic preservation, history, human rights, humanity, inclusiveness, injustice, movies, peace, pictures, politics, racism, social equity, Statistics, transit, transportation | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Combating the bus transit snobs

In the years preceding our move from Greater Lansing to Traverse City, there were lengthy discussions on developing some form of enhanced transit along the primary corridor in the region – Capital Area Transportation Authority (CATA) Route 1 which extends … Continue reading

Posted in Active transportation, Advocacy, Bus transportation, civics, demographics, environment, geography, health, inclusiveness, infrastructure, land use, placemaking, planning, social equity, spatial design, transit, transportation, urban planning | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

When transportation becomes the destination

Now and then, a part of the transportation network becomes iconic in itself. In those cases, the infrastructure not only serves its intended purpose, but also becomes a focal point and source of community, regional, or even national pride, and … Continue reading

Posted in Active transportation, airports, architecture, bicycling, bridges, cities, civics, commerce, culture, economic development, geography, hiking, historic preservation, history, infrastructure, land use, Passenger rail, placemaking, planning, product design, rail, rivers/watersheds, spatial design, tourism, Trade, traffic, trails, transit, transportation, Travel, tunnels | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Opting-out of mass transit = modern redlining

Currently, more than 50 communities in Southeast Michigan opt-out of participating in SMART (the regional transit system). Just yesterday, in a narrow 3-2 vote, Bloomfield Hills voted to continue opting out. Most often, the rationale for not participating is due … Continue reading

Posted in Active transportation, Advocacy, Bus transportation, Cars, cities, civics, civility, commerce, culture, diversity, economics, geography, government, history, homelessness, human rights, humanity, inclusiveness, infrastructure, placemaking, planning, politics, social equity, spatial design, sprawl, transit, transportation, unemployment | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Michigan needs a Car Czar like a hole in the head

It was recently announced that Michigan’s Governor has appointed a new Car Czar. Really? In a state that is already far too over-dependent on the automobile, we need a Car Czar to tip the scales even further towards one industry? … Continue reading

Posted in Active transportation, Advocacy, Alternative transportation, bicycling, Bus transportation, Cars, climate change, culture, economic development, economic gardening, Economy, entrepreneurship, environment, government, health, history, planning, product design, Railroads, Renewable Energy, Small business, sustainability, transit, transportation, walking | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Exit ramp academic epidemic

Drive past or through nearly any population center these days and you are likely to observe America’s epidemic of exit ramp academic institutions situated on prime real estate aside the highway. The University of Phoenix is probably the best known of these entities nationally, but they … Continue reading

Posted in Active transportation, adaptive reuse, architecture, bicycling, Biking, Bus transportation, cities, culture, economic development, education, fitness, geography, government, health, infrastructure, land use, new urbanism, placemaking, planning, revitalization, schools, spatial design, sprawl, sustainability, transit, transportation, urban planning, walking, zoning | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

25 Most transit-friendly cities of Canada

Below is a list of the 25 most transit-oriented cities in Canada based on data provided by MoneySense utilizing 2006 Census transit data. The percentage given represents the percent of commuters who utilize mass transit. As one can see, the race for the top spot … Continue reading

Posted in bicycling, Canada, cities, civics, climate change, culture, density, energy, environment, geography, infrastructure, land use, new urbanism, North America, planning, pollution, rail, spatial design, sprawl, Statistics, sustainability, technology, transit, transportation, urban planning, walking | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Make gas hogs pay thru the snout

I am still amazed at the number of people who continue buying gas hogging SUV’s like Navigators and Tahoes. There are very few, if any, justifiable instances where these vehicles are practical, especially for family use. To me, those who continue … Continue reading

Posted in Biking, Cars, Climate Change, consumerism, economics, Environment, EVs and hybrids, government, Passenger rail, politics, pollution, product design, technology, Transportation | Tagged , , , , , , | 8 Comments