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2019-09-01
Institute for Transportation and Development Policy;
While momentum in recent decades has elevated bus rapid transit (BRT) as more than an emerging mode in the U.S., this high-capacity, high-quality bus-based mass transit system remains largely unfamiliar to most Americans. In the U.S., lack of clarity and confusion around what constitutes BRT stems both from its relatively low profile (most Americans have never experienced BRT) and its vague and often conflicting sets of definitions across cities, sectors, and levels of government. As a result, many projects that would otherwise be labeled as bus improvements or bus priority under international standards have become branded in American cities as BRT. This leads to misperceptions among U.S. decisionmakers and the public about what to expect from BRT. Since its inception in Curitiba, Brazil, BRT has become a fixture of urban transport systems in more than 70 cities on six continents throughout the globe. Just twelve BRT corridors exist in the United States so far.
This guide offers proven strategies and insights for successfully implementing BRT within the political, regulatory, and social context that is unique to the United States. This guide seeks to illuminate the upward trends and innovations of BRT in U.S. cities. Through three in-depth case studies and other examples, the guide shares the critical lessons learned by several cities that have successfully implemented, or are in the midst of completing, their own BRT corridors. Distinct from previous BRT planning and implementation guides, this is a practical resource to help planners, and policy makers specifically working within the U.S. push beyond the parameters of bus priority and realize the comprehensive benefits of true BRT.
2019-03-08
Social Science Research Council (SSRC);
In 2007, a life-saving law in Viet Nam mandated that people riding motorbikes wear helmets. The result was a significant decrease in serious head injuries and road traffic deaths.
This report provides an update to the 2010 report on the results of the helmet law, and details a new effort to increase the number of children wearing helmets.
The change in Viet Nam is an example of the process of creating achievable policy and behavioral change, and this report offers a set of lessons learned that may be applicable to other public health issues.
2018-10-26
Environmental and Energy Study Institute;
Transit agencies around the United States and several other countries are purchasing battery-powered electric buses (BEBs) at increasing rates and these trends are expected to accelerate in the coming years. BEBs are powered by battery packs that run an electric motor to turn the wheels, the same as battery-powered electric cars. The batteries are recharged by plug-in chargers using electricity from the transmission grid. Since they do not use gasoline or diesel, BEBs do not produce tailpipe pollution. Thus, BEBs offer a better option than other bus technologies for reducing our greenhouse gas emissions, as well as other harmful pollutants in urban areas.
2018-06-01
Environmental and Energy Study Institute;
Those who travel to other countries may experience high speed rail (HSR) services and wonder why a similar transportation network has not been implemented in the United States. The following fact sheet provides a brief history of international high-speed rail developments and a comparison of the status of HSR deployment around the world, along with a discussion of issues that policymakers and business leaders may want to consider in their long-term planning for future U.S. transportation infrastructure.
2018-01-31
Central Corridor Funders Collaborative;
The Central Corridor Funders Collaborative (2007 – 2016) was an innovative partnership supported by 14 local and national foundations seeking to create a "corridor of opportunity" along Minneapolis and Saint Paul's Green Line Light Rail Transit (LRT).
2018-01-29
AECOM;
As home to America's first subway, Boston has been a transit-oriented city for more than a century. In fact, much of our regional economic success is due to the connectivity that a transit system provides. It is no coincidence that the area served by the MBTA houses almost 70 percent of the state's population, offers 74 percent of the jobs, and generates 84 percent of Massachusetts's gross domestic product. The MBTA is the backbone of our economy and any successful strategy for continued growth and prosperity for the region must begin with smart investment in this system.
Luckily, the calculus is straightforward as the benefits from our transit system far outweigh the costs we dedicate to support it. A new report from A Better City, made possible through support from both the Barr Foundation and The Boston Foundation, measured the MBTA's performance and economic impact. It found that through travel time and cost savings, vehicular crashes avoided and reduced auto emissions, the MBTA provides an estimated $11.4 billion in value to Greater Boston each year for both transit users and non-users alike. Boston residents experience all of these benefits from the T's annual operating budget of approximately $2 billion.
The report also considered the alternative, examining what would it cost if our transit system did not exist. Our economy would require the capital cost of nearly 2,300 additional lane miles of roads and 400,000 more parking spaces. If we needed to build that today, the cost for this vehicular infrastructure would be over $15 billion. The MBTA is a bargain today and for the future.
2017-10-24
Carsey School of Public Policy at The University of New Hampshire;
As in the United States as a whole, New Hampshire's transportation infrastructure is in serious need of upgrading and maintenance. Addressing the problem will require substantial public investment, which will in turn require public awareness of infrastructure challenges and public understanding of the means to address them.
2017-08-09
Environmental and Energy Study Institute;
Plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) use electricity from the energy grid to charge large battery packs, then use the batteries to power an electric motor. They are primarily powered by electricity instead of liquid fuels and produce no tailpipe emissions. Plug-in vehicles can also generate power from regenerative braking systems, which convert kinetic energy from the vehicle's brakes into electricity that is stored in the battery pack. Since plug-in vehicles rely on rechargeable batteries for power, each vehicle has an electric range—the maximum number of miles it can travel on battery power before it needs to recharge. Applications for these vehicles go beyond just passenger cars (though U.S. consumer passenger PEVs are largely the focus of this fact sheet), as there are currently plug-in electric buses, utility trucks, high-performance vehicles, and motorcycles.
2017-04-24
Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission;
If you are a mayor, member of a governing body, or member of a Planning Board or Board of Adjustment , there is a good chance that you have been asked: "How can we reduce the negative impacts of new local development on our lives?"
This brochure will assist you in answering that question by providing an overview of planning tools for addressing development impacts. It includes local examples of the most effective Transportation Smart Growth Strategies being employed in Central New Jersey and is meant to be a quick-reference guide for municipal leaders and planning staff.
2017-04-01
Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission;
Networking Transportation looks at how the digital revolution is changing Greater Philadelphia's transportation system. It recognizes several key digital transportation technologies: Artificial Intelligence, Big Data, connected and automated vehicles, digital mapping, Intelligent Transportation Systems, the Internet of Things, smart cities, real-time information, transportation network companies (TNCs), unmanned aerial systems, and virtual communications. It focuses particularly on key issues surrounding TNCs. It identifies TNCs currently operating in Greater Philadelphia and reviews some of the more innovative services around the world. It presents four alternative future scenarios for their growth: Filling a Niche, A Tale of Two Regions, TNCs Take Off, and Moore Growth. It then creates a future vision for an integrated, multimodal transportation network and identifies infrastructure needs, institutional reforms, and regulatory recommendations intended to help bring about this vision.
2017-03-17
American Society for Public Administration;
A NEW State Litter "Scorecard" is released for the 2014 American Society for Public Administration (ASPA) Conference. Every three years, the Scorecard approximates each state's overall public spaces environmental quality through tried-and-true, hard-to-publicly obtain objective and subjective measures, resulting in a total overall jurisdictional score. Readers gain a realistic "picture" of "what's going on" within one or all of the 50 states. Illegal littering and dumping, found frequently on or near transportation paths, creates danger to public safety and health, with 800+ Americans dying each year by vehicle collisions with unmoved roadway debris. Because policy makers, public administrators and citizens are ever more involved in effectuating "green" outcomes, satisfactory public spaces waste removals are vital. Since 2008, major publications (the Boston Globe; TRAVEL+LEISURE; National Cooperative Highway Research Program's "Reducing Litter on Roadsides" Journal) have referred to the Scorecard, an ever valuable, trusted standard for improving debris/litter abatement in states and localities.
2017-03-01
Center for Global Policy Solutions;
More than 30 companies say they are just a few years away from introducing autonomous vehicles to the mass market. While it is unknown what the ultimate impact of autonomous vehicles will have on jobs, there is a possibility that there could be a relatively rapid transition. This is likely to cause significant pain in a number of communities, as well as exacerbate the losses of "good jobs," a category that includes some driving jobs. It would be prudent to strengthen our safety net and labor market to absorb a shock from autonomous-vehicle technology, as well as ensure that autonomous-vehicle technology is safe and reliable. This will be a challenge, given the recent change in the party controlling the executive branch, and its new secretary of transportation. Strengthening the unemployment insurance system, improving apprenticeship programs, making higher education more affordable, and committing to full employment can not only minimize the harm to displaced workers, but can provide them with opportunities that lead to fulfilling and economically sustaining jobs. This is good policy whether or not autonomous vehicles are around the corner.
