Bill H.’s Post

Our suggested route change to High Speed 1 (HS1) in the UK left a lasting legacy that extended beyond a high-speed railway; it resulted in transformational city planning, urban renewal and economic growth. From catalysing the multi-billion-pound regeneration of King’s Cross Central to providing a much-needed high quality commuter service, HS1 changed how we think about the role of rail infrastructure. It was a crucial part of London’s bid to host the 2012 Olympics, was a catalyst for the regeneration of Stratford in East London and Ebbsfleet in north Kent, and in its first decade of operation over 47,000 families, couples and singles looking to buy or rent affordable homes chose to relocate to the HS1 catchment area. Richard de Cani, our Global Cities, Planning and Design Lead, shares the lessons we learned. Read here: https://bit.ly/4bt7ljU #HS1 #HighSpeedRail #UrbanRegeneration

Big changes next week as we continue to deliver the South Wales Metro and improve public transport in Wales

⏱ The land is just sitting there... quietly waiting. This could be the North's third most connected #rail station after Piccadilly and Leeds. The linchpin of the #NorthernPowerhouse Rail network. Not only the most logical site for the beginning of a new intercity Castlefield Bypass tunnel via Piccadilly, but also an ideal interchange. 📍 Strategically located to improve access to North Manchester, #MediaCityUK and #SalfordQuays, with connections to the #BeeNetwork rail and tram lines, the site is crying out for an interchange station. 🚄 #HS2 should absolutely be completed to Manchester, however in the mean time we have to start sorting out the bottleneck which plans via #ManchesterAirport don't adequately address. We need to remove all the fast services, not just a couple. By starting the new #NPR network here with a more incremental approach, passengers across the north would begin to feel benefits sooner, as will the economy. It's developments like this that would spur on #agglomeration and #redevelopment benefits. #ModularIncrementalism could perhaps be the way forward in these turbulent times? And it might just, with strategic thinking, deliver an even better solution for the #North. 😉 What are your thoughts? #Manchester #Liverpool #Leeds #CrossNorth #NorthOnTrack

Crowding in the transit stations in Toronto is not an uncommon sight. However, the massive crowding incident that occurred at Union Station on New Year's Eve was likely unprecedented. Shortly before 12:30 a.m., there was a fight on a TTC train that had to be taken out of service, resulting in a 10-minute delay. As customers from the affected train were being offloaded onto an already busy platform, entry to the platform from the GO side of the Union Station concourse was halted, resulting in a sea of people jammed in the station. TTC and GO Transit were free on the New Year's Eve. #ttc #gotrain #unionstation #toronto #newyear2024 #publictransit #publictransport #publictransportation #transportation

The British Columbia government has introduced groundbreaking legislation promoting high-density, transit-oriented development, particularly around major transit hubs. This move aims to combat housing affordability and supply issues and encourage greater ridership on public transit. The legislation mandates that municipalities near SkyTrain stations allow for residential building heights of up to 20 storeys within 200 meters of a station. A minimum floor area ratio (FAR) density requirement is also set, with a minimum FAR of 5.0 for sites within 200 meters, 4.0 for 201 to 400 meters, and 3.0 for 401 to 800 meters from a SkyTrain station. Similar requirements apply to bus exchanges and other regions, making transit-oriented development a priority. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/gga8ympY #skytrain #transit #britishcolumbia #realestate #development

How exactly is MARTA (Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority) going to build all these new stations when they have already had to cannibalize the budgets of other #transit projects, like the Campbellton Road and Clifton Corridor light rail proposals, to pay for the Eastside Atlanta BeltLine streetcar scheme? If the Beltline streetcar moves forward, there is no way that these infill stations are built in the City of Atlanta in our lifetimes. Just to be clear, the infill stations make sense to me. The $100-million-plus-per-mile streetcar no longer does, given the Beltline’s importance as a corridor for those who are #walking or riding #bikes and other #micromobility. https://lnkd.in/e5JTDDGS

Did you know over 50 years ago, King County voters rejected a rapid transit system that would have been 75% funded by the federal government? Seattle would have looked a lot different than it does today. Fast forward, Seattle now has a light rail transportation system and with a plan to expand commuters and residents will have easier access to the city and surrounding areas. Sylwia Jarosz discusses in this video what the light rail means for real estate and how the expansion plan could affect your investment and home. . . . #everydoorrealestate #realestate #washingtonrealestate #edre #everydoorre #residentialrealestate #seattle #pnwlife #lightrailexpansion #masstransit #transportation #masstransportation #trainsystem #lightrailseattle #lightrail #lightrailtrain #everett #tacoma #downtownseattle #seattlewa #sodo #ballard #redmondwa #westseattle #publictransportation

Suburban car parking charges have been given a punt 🚗💰 The papers for next week's long-term plan (LTP) meeting at council are now public. Officers have recommended that parking charges are not included in the 2024/25 year but they want a report back on how they could be implemented for the 2025/26 Annual Plan. Residents said a resounding no to the parking proposal with 77% of the 3,722 submissions recieved in opposition. In light of this it's disappointing not to see the proposal removed entirely from the LTP. The pushback wouldn't have happened without the overwhelming voice that residents in Tawa, Johnsonville and Newlands sent to council through consultation, so thank you. There are still major decisions to come next week around holding airport shares, waste collection and water investment. It's great having parking charges out of the way (at least for now) so we can focus on the big picture items that will really impact Wellingtonians over the next decade. The final LTP proposal and consultation report 👇 https://lnkd.in/gqYptCUc

This news article (https://lnkd.in/gYHtXTiY) describes my presentation to the Victoria Transit Commission as president of Better Island Transit (https://lnkd.in/gqWpRtsH ) which advocates for more frequent and affordable bus service on Vancouver Island, particularly between Victoria and Nanaimo. The current service is terrible; only four daily buses between Victoria and Duncan on a route with 25,000 daily vehicle-trips. Local officials are supportive but this ultimately depends on the Ministry of Transportation shifting funds from highway expansions to public transit service improvements. We hope to make this a provincial election issue. If you agree, please ask Transportation Minister Rob Fleming (Minister.MOTI@gov.bc.ca) and BC Transit CEO Erinn Pinkerton (erinn_pinkerton@bctransit.com), and your MLA (https://lnkd.in/gjiV7mhw) to provide frequent and affordable bus services on the #66 and #70 routes, and to improve interregional bus services throughout BC.