Public Transportation Related Articles

House Passes Bill Increasing Public Transit Funding

Article here

From the Press Register

Mass transit needed to TK?

Monday, July 07, 2008
By JEFF AMY
Business Reporter
Daily traffic on U.S. 43 could more than double during construction of the ThyssenKrupp AG steel plant, if all the workers drive their own cars. Article here

The Alabama Department of Transportation recently completed an update to the Statewide Transportation Plan (SWTP). The SWTP is a 20 year plan, including all modes of transportation and is coordinated with urban and rural areas of the state, and conforms to federal regulatory requirements. For a draft copy of the plan and instructions on how to provide feedback to ALDOT, click here: www.dot.state.al.us/

Jampacked transit systems running on fumes
Mass transit ridership is at a 50-year high.  But it's not clear that the nation's transit systems are able to handle the load.

Fuel costs hurt transit industry too

The price of gas is front page news these days. Over-the-road truckers are at a point where fueling their vehicles eats up their profits and literally their livelihood. Airlines are looking for ways to stay aloft via surcharges...

Co-written article: Be careful what you wish for

On the climatology of transit: Article can be read here. Surprisingly ambiguous conclusions.

Map a new plan for transportation

Take a big turn to transit's potential

JEFF GERRITT

April 13, 2008     Article can be found here

"Home Prices Drop Most in Areas with Long Commute."  What is of interest is that home prices actually increased in areas that were near public transit . why not form your own opinion by reading the article here.

Study: Commuter benefit use prompts switch to transit

Click here for article

Something we could be doing NOW!

A study found in the Journal of Public Transportation, Vol. 11, No. 1, 2008, titled “Qualitative Research to Assess Interest in Public Transportation for Work Commute” examines what it takes to get individuals to change from their car to public transportation. click here for article

According to the Baldwin County Commission, passenger trips on Baylinc (two routes from Baldwin County to Mobile each day) were 394, 475 and 628, respectively for December 2007, January 2008 and February 2008. This represents a
21 percent increase in passenger trips for January over December and a 32 percent increase for February over January. For more information, visit www.co.baldwin.al.us

original article can be found here

Here's some thinking that's good for public health and good for business. Seniors who are more active in the community can contribute more to society and spend more at stores. Further, they live longer and healthier lives. Is that possibly worth it?

To read the full story, click here: Article

A report summarizing the findings from a trip to India is now available on the National Bus Rapid Transit Institute's website.  This report summarizes the activities associated with the FTA Mission to India, undertaken in September 2007. Featuring visits to Delhi, Ahmedabad, and Mumbai, the mission provided the U.S. delegation with the opportunity to gain first-hand knowledge of India's ambitious plans for the expansion of its transportation infrastructure. A highlight of the mission was the ratification of a Memorandum of Cooperation that formalizes the commitment made between the two countries to future collaboration in the field of public transportation science and technology.

To view the report, please visit www.nbrti.org/research.html

James S. Simpson, Administrator, Federal Transit Administration shared remarks on Feb 13, 2008 at the National Transit Forum in Ottawa, Ontario
Click here for the article

Transit Oriented Design (TOD) ... a buzz word hitting the major metropolitan areas ... but is it doable within South Carolina?  Will TOD work in a state that is mostly rural ... can we convince developers to focus on density and transit friendly access to apartments, condominiums, community housing projects, etc.  Will this add value to the projects or degrade value?  Well... now TOD may be linked to helping with an environmental solution ... if interested ... you can click on the following link and read the insight article titled: "Transit-Oriented Design: An Evolution from Societal Convenience to Environmental Solution."     click here for the article

We must link growth to public transit

Metro Magazine
Nov / Dec 2007 edition has an article that may be of interest … titled “Advocates: pushing for changes in transit”

You can read the article by clicking HERE

Article for Thought - "Americans Prefer to Spend More on Mass Transit"

Placemaker Profile: A Champion of Transit - Mr. Rick Mariani

Advocates - without them, we would all be living a ho hum existence. Below is a review of a transit advocate who advanced the CUSTOMER. In the memory of Mr. Rick Mariani

An interesting perspective on smart growth and complete streets
How Community Happens Along Coastal Alabama, and How it Doesn’t

Not everyone likes toll roads. I think I'd prefer a gas tax increase or a revised gas tax based on sales price, rather than gallons.

Stan Virden

The Alabama Technology Transfer Center at Auburn University Newsletter of August 2007 provides the following very interesting comparison between Alabama and California, based on 2004 statistics (please note that CA has a reputation as the nation’s most car crazy state):

We taxpayers paid to collect this information. Is anyone in the state with official standing listening? If so, do they understand the implications?

Best wishes, Stan

An interesting issue involving public transportation:

Getting fannies on the bus

Click here for the article

The attached is a excerpt from More Riders Magazine
(Fall 2007)  by Matt Hardigree Interactive Communications Expert with Permanent Campaigns Consulting.

This paper discusses the current best practices in transit agency website development and implementation ... thought there may be an interest in viewing some of the identified best practices ... the document is located here for your easy viewing.

It appears that something like Skyweb Express is being considered for Branson, one of our rivals in the tourist industry. You can read about a really good PRT (Personal Rapid Transit) system at www.skywebexpress.com. I have been to their headquarters and seen their system mockup in action. Very impressive. The Branson article is HERE. They seem to be talking to a second PRT company.