UP|Urban Transit

Seattle's new light rail line

hagetaka — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 23:22:36 +0000

Finally the Central Link is up and running, but Seattle is a city of buses, the link only connects people from Downtown to near the airport. Ridership will go up once the link to UW is open & northwards to the Suburbs. It's just a starter system now. The future of it will be correct.

View information on projects and add your own in our new Project Database: [Link]

Seattle's new light rail line

Neo — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 20:44:17 +0000

Streetfilms has a great video of Seattle's new 15.5 miles 13 station light rail line. I'm sure many cities are envious of the new line, but I'm curious why they only have two car trains rather than three car trains. I'm glad to see that art played a big part at the stations. Too many times budget constraints make art the first to go.

View information on projects and add your own in our new Project Database: [Link]

Transport related photos

JCT — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 14:46:45 +0000

Great thread indeed.

On the subject of transportation related pictures, The Alliance for Biking & Walking just announced the winners of their "2009 People Powered Movement Photo Contest". See the winning shots here:

http://www.peoplepoweredmovement.org/site/index.php/site/media/people_powered_movement_photo_contest_winners_announced/

View information on projects and add your own in our new Project Database: [Link]

Chicago considering corporate sponsors for transit stations

Neo — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 15:06:53 +0000

mikedoyleblogger, on 24 February 2010 - 09:08 PM, said:

It was Metra, the Chicago region's commuter rail system, that announced in mid-February it was seeking corporate sponsors for station names, not the Chicago Transit Authority. So think: Pepsi Joliet Station; not Pepsi Madison & Wabash.

Thanks for clearing that up! Was the CTA not considering corporate sponsorship as well?

Do you by chance know how Metra is doing financially compared with the CTA?

PS, welcome to the site!

View information on projects and add your own in our new Project Database: [Link]

Chicago considering corporate sponsors for transit stations

mikedoyleblogger — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 02:08:11 +0000

Chicago considering corporate sponsors for transit stations

Neo — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 18:24:29 +0000

^ I think it will be a while before we're at the point of corporations being announced alongside the station before arriving at the stop, but I can see it happening. My take on the CTA's plans is to just sell ad space alongside the station name. Perhaps this will also be displayed inside the train cars. Unfortunately you're probably correct that companies will want station or train car upgrades, but then again the CTA can just discount the cost for more run-down stations.

I think it's a great way to make-up potholes in the budget, but it needs to be well thought out or it could get out of hand rather quickly. Please, no super long-term contracts to keep the option to back out available to the CTA.

View information on projects and add your own in our new Project Database: [Link]

Chicago considering corporate sponsors for transit stations

nashvillwill — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 17:03:20 +0000

Neo, on 16 February 2010 - 09:29 AM, said:

^ That's all probably closer to becoming reality than we want to believe.

Yeah Neo, i think you're probably right. It's kinda scary to think where our future will take us. Sooner or later (maybe not in my lifetime) i think people will begin replacing credit cards with implanted microchips. It will be trendy at first, but then might be required by law for newborns. I'm not trying to elude towards a robotic future for mankind, ala terminator or the matrix, just curious about how connected we might actually be someday. At what point will living "off the grid" become illegal?

Sorry, i'm going off topic into a conspiracy theory fantasy world.

About the CTA. If corporate sponsorship helps it survive, i guess it's tolerable. I personally get tired of my local sports venue changing names every 5 years, but if it keeps my favorite team in town then more power to them. You always hear opponents of mass transit argue that if transit were actually viable, then it would be privately funded. Well, maybe this is a step in that direction. If corporations see transit as a good place to invest their dollars, then that is a step towards the validity of transit in this country.

A scenario i can imagine that might be happening, is the aging of the El system and needed improvement dollars. Corporations are reluctant to put their name on a dilapidated structure, it just isn't a good reflection on the company. For example, when a sports venue gets a new sponsor, say Sony, said venue often gets many attractive upgrades such as new Sony flat panels in the concourses, sometimes even a new scoreboard(HP pavilion). Perhaps sponsorship would bring great improvements to each station such as new tile/paint (Home Depot) and maybe even things like WiFi connectivity for a telecom sponsor(Verizon station).

View information on projects and add your own in our new Project Database: [Link]

Chicago considering corporate sponsors for transit stations

Neo — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 15:29:36 +0000

^ That's all probably closer to becoming reality than we want to believe.

View information on projects and add your own in our new Project Database: [Link]

Chicago considering corporate sponsors for transit stations

nashvillwill — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 05:01:00 +0000

I can hear it now....

"Now approaching the Verizon Wireless 87th street station. This is the southbound eHarmony.com Red Line train. Next stop is the Apple iPod 95th/Dan Ryan station. Connections to the CTA Budweiser "king of beers" night owl service."

"Speaking of subway, don't forget about $5 footlongs at all area Subway restaurants weekdays from 11am to 4pm."

...i'm just waiting for the Minority Report like optical scans as we enter trains and public spaces so that we can be bombarded by personalized advertisements. "Hey Michael, welcome back to Plaza shopping center. Your records show that it's time for an oil change. Stop by Jiffy Lube on your way out for a quick service."

View information on projects and add your own in our new Project Database: [Link]

Chicago considering corporate sponsors for transit stations

Neo — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 14:06:31 +0000

The Chicago Transit Authority is considering letting corporations sponsor transit stations. The original station name (i.e. 95th/Dan Ryan) would stay, but the sponsoring company's name would be added. Obviously advertising plays a part already for the CTA as stations already have ads as do the trains/buses. The CTA has also been known to use advertising in tunnels that appear as motion advertisements when a subway car is passing. The organization has been hurting for money for quite some time and selling corporate sponsorships for stations is an easy money maker for them.

Is this a good idea? Should other cities follow suit to offset rising fuel costs and the inflating costs associated with maintenance of existing lines and construction of new lines?

View information on projects and add your own in our new Project Database: [Link]

How long is your morning commute?

thegryseone — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 04:07:49 +0000

My morning commute is exactly 0 seconds and 0 miles too.

View information on projects and add your own in our new Project Database: [Link]

How long is your morning commute?

Neo — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 18:06:26 +0000

nashvillwill, on 12 February 2010 - 11:03 AM, said:

Maybe you could add "multi-modal" to the list. Some days i drive only, some days i drive to the bus, some days i bike to the bus. I'm sure i'm not alone.

This has been added. Sorry that I missed that option in the initial poll.

View information on projects and add your own in our new Project Database: [Link]

How long is your morning commute?

nashvillwill — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 16:03:47 +0000

Maybe you could add "multi-modal" to the list. Some days i drive only, some days i drive to the bus, some days i bike to the bus. I'm sure i'm not alone.

View information on projects and add your own in our new Project Database: [Link]

Videos of rail transit around the world...

Neo — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 21:57:16 +0000

^ Thanks for the ride! Here's a similar view of Dubai's Metro, though not sped up:

View information on projects and add your own in our new Project Database: [Link]

Riding Public Transit Saves Individuals $9,242 Annually

Neo — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 21:01:56 +0000

The American Public Transportation Association just released a report that says the average savings among 20 US cities for folks choosing to use public transit over driving and paying for unreserved parking is $9,242/year. I feel that they should have brought reserved/monthly parking rates into the equation, but nevertheless it is a shocking reminder that we should all be using public transit when possible.

Not only are there benefits to lowering your stress level, giving you more time to do things like reading or just relaxing, etc, but there are major financial benefits for doing so as well. How much are you saving by taking public transit instead of driving?

Here is the link to the APTA study: http://www.apta.com/mediacenter/pressreleases/2010/Pages/100112_Transit_Savings.aspx

View information on projects and add your own in our new Project Database: [Link]

Videos of rail transit around the world...

The Escapists — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 18:34:41 +0000

here's an awesome timelapse from Portland's TriMet

View information on projects and add your own in our new Project Database: [Link]

Big transit funding change

The Escapists — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 23:22:13 +0000

JDC, on 14 January 2010 - 01:57 PM, said:

Federal transit officials have recently announced that they'll soon begin considering some new criteria to help decide which transit projects to fund, such as sustainability and livability. The previous administration’s criteria basically only considered cost-effectiveness, and ignored stuff like energy efficiency, economic development and reduced emissions. So this is a big change.

Read more about it here.

When is "soon?" I wonder...

View information on projects and add your own in our new Project Database: [Link]

Big transit funding change

JDC — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 18:57:27 +0000

How long is your morning commute?

JDC — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 18:46:59 +0000

I'm a grad student, so my commute varies. Some days I take a bus or a combination of bus and rail to my internship in downtown Boston. Some days I walk, bike, or take the bus to campus. Other days I work at home.

View information on projects and add your own in our new Project Database: [Link]

How Los Angeles is making transit cool

go_vertical — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 19:23:39 +0000

Very cool. And it's on point too. There are so many people that associate riding the bus with being poor. That is a challenge to change that mentality. I'm glad Los Angeles is stepping this up. If this proves to be a long term success then it can serve as a model for other cities. LA is the king of auto-centric cities. If they can make this happen then there is no reason why others can't.

View information on projects and add your own in our new Project Database: [Link]

How Los Angeles is making transit cool

Neo — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 14:21:54 +0000

GOOD just did a post on how LA is making transit cool to potential and existing transit users:

http://www.good.is/post/can-los-angeles-make-public-transit-cool

Here's a video that's worth a watch:

View information on projects and add your own in our new Project Database: [Link]

Proposed 2007 Transit Funding for the USA

cpuchowicz — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 11:18:14 +0000

I think this is too much money for study

View information on projects and add your own in our new Project Database: [Link]

Denver and Charlotte Transit and Weather Data

vitaviatic — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 17:42:10 +0000

Whoa! City planning, and you're going to delve into transit? Get ready for a lot of frustration my friend!... ...Just kidding. Just keep lots of hard liquor around and you'll be fine. Seriously though, we do need more planners that understand transit.

I can help you some with Denver, but not a lot with Charlotte, although some of these will apply to both. So try these for starters:

RTD-Denver/Reports

Denver Regional Council of Governments

Bureau of Transportation Statistics/Search Filter

APTA~Resource Library

The first two are for Denver's transit agency, RTD, and the MPO, "Dr. Cog". Most of the published stats you get here are very generic, separated by quarters, or months at best -- not very useful for sharpshooting weather events I'm afraid. What I might suggest is that you contact the Public Info people at RTD, tell them exactly what you need, and perhaps they can give you more exacting trend information that isn't put out for public consumption, then you can crosscheck with your NOAA info.

RTD~Public Information Page

The latter two are for the USDOT's BTS search site, and for APTA's resource page which, although membership is required for some search functions through their site, they have some quick links to the outside (including BTS) that can be useful for whatever agency.

General trends from Denver, just from my own observation...On LRT there is little variation between rain and clear days with ridership, and virtually no flux in capacity. On snow days, ridership goes up slightly, while capacity is restricted by a small degree due to train glitches (not from mobility, but from systemic delays caused by sticking doors and the occasional switch problem). Denver does not shut down completely, even during blizzard conditions, although the activity level does tend to go down in proportion to the severity of the WX event. LRT tends to maintain a regular schedule, while the bus side is subject to volatility from the traffic grid, as could be expected. If you go through the list of Customer Satisfaction Surveys on the top link, they have some useful demographics, from which you can extrapolate data.

By the way, keep in mind also that RTD's ridership figures spike on special event days (of which there are quite a few considering that LRT serves the venues for the Denver Broncos, the Denver Nuggets, the Colorado Avalanche, the Colorado Rockies plus a whole gaggle of concerts and conventions downtown. So you may need to do some extra crosschecking to get reliable data. In effect, you'll have jam-packed trains to Bronco or Avalanche games even on blizzard or thunderstorm days, while you may have a good number of regulars stick to their cars during a downpour or ultra cold day (like we have now) just to go to work. It's all a question of where you have to go, what the parking there costs, and what's at the other end.

Good luck!

View information on projects and add your own in our new Project Database: [Link]

Denver and Charlotte Transit and Weather Data

cltheel.sdl — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 03:00:40 +0000

Hey guys, I'm doing my city planning final paper on the link between public transit ridership and weather to see if there are drastic changes between ridership and weather extremities. I was wondering if you guys would know where I would find daily (or monthly) ridership data for Denver and Charlotte (light rail and/or bus system) as well as weather data so I can plot ridership vs. temp/precip/humidity? I looked on the NOAA site for weather, but I couldn't find the historical data, and I don't know what site to use for Denver and Charlotte transit data. I would really appreciate all your help.

Thanks.

View information on projects and add your own in our new Project Database: [Link]

Obama on transportation

dpbaker — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 18:56:38 +0000

mallguy, on 12 November 2009 - 07:53 PM, said:

despite the talk of "hope and change" from Obama.

Forever the pessimist, I have yet to see the change, and don't have a lot of that hope. Lots of promises were made that he likely will not be able to fulfill, but isn't that typical of most politicians? We'll see if and what he can deliver, not holding my breath, but I DO want to see him be a successful President. A new direction for transit in this country should be one of his priorities, but I suspect it is at the bottom of the list with all of the other goings-on.

View information on projects and add your own in our new Project Database: [Link]

What is the future of transportation?

dpbaker — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 18:48:30 +0000

Neo, on 11 November 2009 - 05:45 AM, said:

You are most correct in the future of transportation being directly attributed to political willingness to pump money and faith into mass transit in America. Without it we'll always be stuck with the inefficient automobile network we currently invest most of our dollars into.

Totally agree. Especially about the money. Additionally, the light/commuter rail lobby is a powerful one. Yes it is cheap, but far inferior IMHO to other systems for various reasons. This is another contributor that will hold back change in many areas.

View information on projects and add your own in our new Project Database: [Link]

How long is your morning commute?

dpbaker — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 18:41:30 +0000

About 3.5 miles, roughly 10 minutes. Because of the nature of my work and other daily activities, I must use my personal auto. I can't bike, I wouldn't anyway, drivers around here are insane, I fear for my life. Bus trip would actually take 30+ minutes and be an ultimately longer trip in mileage, plus it's cheaper for me to operate a personal vehicle than it would be to take the bus, which is really too bad. Can't walk due to the nature of what I need to do in a given day.

View information on projects and add your own in our new Project Database: [Link]

The Eisenhower Interstate System

Neo — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 18:58:27 +0000

Spartan, on 23 November 2009 - 01:32 PM, said:

Where? It would have a terminating point in Charleston, which is not on that map.

The second one you posted does show 26.

Oops, I misread your post, you are correct, the first one doesn't show I-26 since it wasn't in the original plans.

View information on projects and add your own in our new Project Database: [Link]

The Eisenhower Interstate System

Spartan — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 18:32:05 +0000

Where? It would have a terminating point in Charleston, which is not on that map.

The second one you posted does show 26.

View information on projects and add your own in our new Project Database: [Link]

The Eisenhower Interstate System

Neo — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 14:06:32 +0000

Spartan, on 23 November 2009 - 08:44 AM, said:

Both interesting maps. The first one shows 95 going through Columbia, SC and leaves out I-26 entirely. I'm assuming 26 was added later.

I-26 is there.

View information on projects and add your own in our new Project Database: [Link]

The Eisenhower Interstate System

Spartan — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 13:44:50 +0000

Both interesting maps. The first one shows 95 going through Columbia, SC and leaves out I-26 entirely. I'm assuming 26 was added later.

View information on projects and add your own in our new Project Database: [Link]

How long is your morning commute?

Spartan — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 13:37:31 +0000

20 minute walk, even less if I bike.

View information on projects and add your own in our new Project Database: [Link]

How long is your morning commute?

JCT — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 22:14:57 +0000

My commute is about 6 miles. Perfect distance for a morning bike ride.

View information on projects and add your own in our new Project Database: [Link]

Mass transit construction time-lapse comparison

Neo — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:03:05 +0000

Here is a time-lapse video of the construction (including future construction plans) of mass transit lines in various cities. What is interesting is how far ahead Atlanta was at one time and how far behind it is today:

View information on projects and add your own in our new Project Database: [Link]

How long is your morning commute?

Neo — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 13:21:53 +0000

This is a questionnaire regarding your method of transportation during your morning commute, the distance and how long it ultimately takes you to get to your destination.

View information on projects and add your own in our new Project Database: [Link]

Northstar Commuter Rail (Minneapolis Area)

Neo — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 19:13:58 +0000

I believe I watched a Dirty Jobs episode where Mike Rowe did a segment for this train.

View information on projects and add your own in our new Project Database: [Link]

The Eisenhower Interstate System

Neo — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 19:07:31 +0000

Here is another awesome representation of the interstate system that I found here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/senexprime/4055072020/

View information on projects and add your own in our new Project Database: [Link]

Northstar Commuter Rail (Minneapolis Area)

Minneapolitan — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 21:43:20 +0000

Commuter rail service between Big Lake and Minneapolis began today. Each coach car has seating for 140 seats, but holds a maximum 330 riders. The goal is to have a daily ridership of 3,400 in the first year. NorthstarLink (St. Cloud Metro Bus), which are commuter coach buses, also started service between St. Cloud and the Big Lake Station. This is the first daily transit option between St. Cloud and Minneapolis. Eventually the Northstar commuter line will reach St. Cloud.

View information on projects and add your own in our new Project Database: [Link]

Obama on transportation

mallguy — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 03:53:01 +0000

tombarnes, on 12 November 2009 - 09:54 AM, said:

has said the right things, but what are the facts regarding Amtrak and its future funding? We need a viable plan for rapid rail and the willlingness to make it more than just a plan.

The NARP website (narprail.org) has detailed information about Amtrak funding for next year- going DOWN, despite the talk of "hope and change" from Obama.

View information on projects and add your own in our new Project Database: [Link]

Obama on transportation

tombarnes — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 14:54:10 +0000

It will take new thinking. If I'm to judge by recent conversations at my club, transportation ideas are firmly entrenched and must be drastically altered. I'm thought of as something of a nutcase there when I mention that we might think of alternatives to the internal combustion engine. Obama has said the right things, but what are the facts regarding Amtrak and its future funding? We need a viable plan for rapid rail and the willlingness to make it more than just a plan.

View information on projects and add your own in our new Project Database: [Link]