Steve Greenfield’s Post

"Even as suburban sprawl, supercommuting rates and housing unaffordability expand the footprint of places like Houston and Phoenix, the focus generally remains firmly on highways and private vehicle travel, with a few light rail lines here and there. Advocacy groups or government agencies have put forward plans to create rapid regional rail-style systems in New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago, Washington, DC, Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay area. But none have been fully constructed and implemented. For supporters of rapid regional rail, one of the biggest challenges has been explaining these projects to an American public with a siloed view of urban mass transit." #transit #transporation #sustainability

Why did the US stop building Metro systems and go all in on light rail? Was that a good choice? Are we serving people with the best possible transit we can? Is saying they cost too much just an excuse to not do hard things? Reece Martin explores this topic. https://lnkd.in/e6QJQxXR

Interesting article although I don’t quite agree with its premise that US/Canadian cities should have built more “subways” versus “light rail.” He considers US/Canadian cities as more like Chinese cities in both being modern and spread out. I don’t think that is a comparison. Chinese cities are far more dense and I bet auto ownership per capita is far lower in China than in the US. The legitimate case that Martin makes is that the most successful post 1970 new starts—subway, light rail or otherwise have these two elements: 1. Extensive grade separation whether elevated, subway or hard street closures against rail rights of way. 2. Rail lines directly penetrate major commercial and residential centers. Dallas and LA may have the largest new light rail networks in terms of route miles but they rely too much on cheap available rights of way and not necessarily where major population centers exist. The alignments are too far away. It’s a little known fact that Calgary, which only opened in 1981 has the highest daily ridership and ridership per mile of ANY US / Canadian light rail system (yes, more than Boston or San Francisco or Philadelphia). Calgary routings directly penetrate population centers, feature significant grade separation although not exclusively and the city directs new development along the rail routes.

Want to spur #infilldevelopment? 🏗 Consider infill transit. 🚉 Read more about how cities are adding new transit stops to close gaps and encourage new development: https://lnkd.in/eSmQyMHX #publictransit #publictransportation #transportationplanning

Interesting maps from Committee for Sydney looking at density around railway stations. Sydney has a similar population to Melbourne, but fewer stations. But (as I've blogged previously) train patronage is about 50% higher in Sydney. https://lnkd.in/g_p4xUqB Big factors are urban planning - more major centres are served by rail in Sydney - and also higher service frequencies. The longest you'll wait for a train in Sydney is 15 minutes, at virtually any station, any time of day. In Melbourne: often 30-40 minutes. (Longer during Night Network hours). Map source: https://lnkd.in/gYa7EtDN (via Phillip Thalis)

Discover the ambitious road expansion plan unveiled by the city! Read the Entire Article: https://lnkd.in/dQQ886Za What are some key considerations for ensuring the success and sustainability of large-scale road expansion projects in urban areas? Comment down below! . . . #ConstrcutionWorld #RoadExpansion #UrbanInfrastructure #CityPlanning #Transportation #InfrastructureDevelopment

The new Light Rail protect in Brazil São Paulo Mayor Ricardo Nunes signed the launch of a public consultation and the expression of interest procedure for the preparation of projects, surveys and technical, operational, economic-financial and legal-institutional feasibility studies that assist the city hall in feasibility of designing, implementing, operating and maintaining a two-line, 12 km long circular tram network in São Paulo. #infrastructure #lightrail #railway #railwayinfrastructure #rail #railwayengineering #railwayindustry #rollingstock #transport #transportation #transportationindustry #publictransport #publictransportation #publictransit #mobility #urbanmobility #cityliving

In Los Angeles, single-passenger vehicle trips and heavy traffic are the norm, but dated and unreliable rail systems kept people from choosing transit. Learn how Arcadis supported LA Metro through the construction of the Regional Connector, a rail expansion that added three stations and used tunneling to connect them to the existing infrastructure. The Regional Connector will minimize transfers and save 20-30 minutes off cross-county trips. #improvingqualityoflife #rail #mobility

Transportation it’s one of the most complex systems, becoming one of the most attractive arenas for multi-discipline collaboration

This article provides a good recap of the fits and starts associated with the development of the Silver Line going back to 1962, when rail to Dulles Airport was first envisioned. #transitorientedcommunities #walkablecommunities #densedevelopment https://lnkd.in/e3shPNdq