Mobility: Alternatives versus Options

An option is something that is available as a choice, usually one out of many.  An individual typically has options when she can chose between two variations of the same services. For transit this could be the difference between choosing to use fixed-route or demand-response services, or between making a transfer or taking a longer walk to get a one-seat ride. Each offers specific benefits and barriers,...

Blocking and Tackling

Technology is not fine if you are not on time. In an April 22, 2010 story from the Wall Street Journal, “Transit Riders Hail the New Killer App,” about an iPhone application that works with NextBus’s AVL system, Geoffrey Fowler wrote, “But there is an irony in the spike in NextBus’ use, say riders: There wouldn’t be such demand if the city had more-dependable public transportation,...

They Say: Printed Schedules

They say transit agencies must have printed schedules, but a colleague at work asked, “Where does it actually say we have to have printed schedules?”  Not that we don’t want to print them, but hey, the budget office wants to know and so did I.  So . . . As far as I can tell, under FTA regulations (49 CFR 601-665) there is not an explicit requirement to publish route schedules as an end to itself,...

Tale of Two Bins: Passenger trips v. Passenger Miles

Which bin represents more soda consumed? It may not be the obvious. The efficiency of a transit system is understood largely on the provision of services (revenue miles or hours), the consumption of services (passenger trips or miles) and the cross between the two (passengers per revenue hour, for example).  In times of service cuts and budget crises (like now) the consumption of services will greatly...

Doing the Light Lifting

Names can be deceiving. According to the Canadian Transit Handbook, heavy rail cars (subways, metros, and the like) are actually a little bit lighter than light rail cars (30,500 kg compared to 32,600, or 67,100 lbs to 71,720 lbs).  No doubt the heavy and light really refers to infrastructure; a NY subway station weighs considerably more than any light rail stop.  On the vehicles, light rail carries...

The People of Walmart vs. the People of Transit

In the garden of humanity, some folks smell more of the fertilizer than of the rose. This post is written on a bus where a couple just got on.  The woman is dressed in late 80s high-waisted jeans that are as ill-fitting as they are out of style, the man in baggy jeans and a wife-beater t-shirt.  They are arguing loudly and endlessly about whose turn it is to buy more cigarettes.  Their presence...

reCycle: An Innovative Bike Rental Program

Logo by Jeff Horton of Commuter Services of North Florida Several years ago my alma mater Florida State University attempted a spectacularly unsuccessful bike-sharing program (click here for more on bike sharing).  They painted a number of bikes a bright yellow and then set them in various locations around campus, unlocked.  The idea was that students would use them to get from one building to...

Understanding the 53s

There are a number of different funding mechanisms provided by the Federal Transit Administration that all start with the number 53, taken from 49 U.S.C. Chapter 53, but the two most important ones, financially speaking, are 5307 and 5309.  FTA Section 5307 funds are non-discretionary funds, meaning they go out every year to eligible recipients and are distributed to regions on an urbanized area formula...

Filling the First and Last Mile

Whether a transit system resembles a wagon wheel, a spider web, a plate of pasta, or a nice tidy grid, it is always a network, threads connected by intersections and central points.  By definition there are always gaps in the coverage—the spaces between the lines—even in as dense a system as, say, New York’s. Transit is very good at getting people from A to B, but the distance from B to the...

On the Other Hand: Rethinking Shelter Advertising

In response to our story on shelter advertising, Bill Brinton has a very different take on the encroachment of ads into public space. The citizens of many cities in this country desire to improve their communities’ appearances and to reduce sign clutter along roadways.  In November 2009, an overwhelming majority of voters in San Francisco approved a ballot initiative to halt the placement of...

Streetcar Maiden, USA

Portland's first streetcars made in USA. Courtesy United Streetcar Skoda is a legendary firm dating from 1859 that has made weapons, brewing equipment, bridge parts, airplanes, and automobiles (now a separate division owned by Volkswagen).  Today the Czech company makes steam turbines and condensers, but the few Americans who are aware of Skoda probably know the company because of its transit...

Population Pyramids II: How to Build

The raw data from the census in Excel. Following up on Population Pyramids I which shows the story-telling power of population pyramids, this post explains how to create them. Negotiating the labrynth of the U.S. Census Beureau can be a challenge so this link will take you right to the 2008 ACS 1-year Data.  Under the 2008 tab in the blue area chose Subject Tables from the list at right.  Select...

Losing Our FedEx Moment: Farewell to Charters

Gainesville (FL) RTS will not be running its Gator Aider that takes Florida fans from malls and new urban developments to Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on home football game days this fall (2010).  A private charter operator Fabulous Coach Lines answered RTS’s charter notice and is going to operate a new service renamed the Navigator (one hopes it will be printed as NaviGator).  It will cost $10 (over...

Population Pyramids I: Snapshots of a Place

If your community were a junior prom, a population pyramid would be its photograph.  Girls on the left, boys on the right, all clustered by clique, or in this case, by age group.  These handy planning tools graphically illustrate the age and sex composition of a place (city, state, nation, whatever) in a simple, immediately accessible way and should be included in any analysis of said place whether...

The Met in Metro

  Shelters on the Sprinter Line in Charlotte are unique identifiers but also part of the urban fabric. Photo courtesy of CATS. Art has historically been public, civic – both a product of and contributor to collective identity.  From Egyptian glyphs to idealized Greek athletes, from Roman triumphal arches to intricate altar pieces, art condescends to tell us something about who we are, where...