Recent Streetsblog CHICAGO posts about transit

How to Engage With Transit Agencies That Resist Change

By Angie Schmitt | Jan 22, 2018 | No Comments

Transit agencies often get blamed for things that are beyond their control -- and that can make them defensive.

You can take the extended Expo line to Santa Monica, just a couple blocks from the beach. Photo: Steven Vance

It’s Cheap and Easy to Get Around Los Angeles by Transit

By Steven Vance | Jan 17, 2018 | 49 Comments

Although LA has a reputation for being hopelessly car-dependent, with a little planning you can have a great time sightseeing via buses and trains.

Romana Devore was struck and killed trying to walk from her job to this bus stop in Alpharetta, Georgia. Photo: Darin Givens

Between Your Bus Stop and Your Job — A Deadly Road

By Angie Schmitt | Jan 17, 2018 | No Comments

If you take the bus to work, in most of America there's a cruel barrier at the end of your commute: a dangerous road between your bus stop and your job.

Philadelphia's streetcar system moves a lot of people, but it needs to catch up with modern demands. Photo: Studio 34 Yoga/Twitter

Philly Wants to Modernize Its Streetcar System

By Angie Schmitt | Jan 16, 2018 | No Comments

Philadelphia is one of the few American cities that continues to operate sections of its legacy streetcar system. The city’s streetcars move a lot of people — carrying about 80,000 daily trips on 68 miles of track — but the system could use an overhaul. The streetcars are reaching the end of their useful life. They […]

Dems Gain Control of Washington Legislature and Immediately Move to Pilfer Transit Funds

By Angie Schmitt | Jan 8, 2018 | No Comments

One of the first things on Washington state Democrats' agenda is undercutting Seattle's voter-approved transit expansion plans.

Mayor Megan Barry's transit plan calls for expanding bus service and building dozens of miles of light rail and bus rapid transit. Photo: City of Nashville

The Nashville Media Is Getting Played by Transit-Bashing Hired Guns

By Angie Schmitt | Jan 3, 2018 | No Comments

Real transit experts, meanwhile, consider Nashville's ambitious plan to expand bus and rail service to be top-notch.

Annual transit trips in Seattle, where trains and buses are absorbing just about all the growth in travel. Chart: Seattle DOT [PDF]

Seattle Adds People Without Adding Traffic

By Angie Schmitt | Dec 18, 2017 | No Comments

Seattle is showing other American cities how transit can help a growing population get around without an increase in car traffic.

Using low-cost materials like this concrete divider, Toronto set up new streetcar stops on the far side of intersections on King Street, enabling safer boarding and cutting down on time stopped at red lights. Photo: Human Transit

How Toronto Put Transit Riders First on King Street

By Angie Schmitt | Dec 5, 2017 | No Comments

By deflecting private car traffic away from King Street, Toronto opened up new possibilities for faster, safer transit design.

In Portland, there's a lot of overlap between areas where bus ridership is falling and home values are increasing. Map: TriMet/TransitCenter

Rising Rents Lead to Falling Bus Ridership in Portland

By Angie Schmitt | Nov 15, 2017 | No Comments

TriMet says bus ridership is falling the most in areas where lower-income residents are getting displaced.

A map of transit accessibility for jobs in Austin, via University of Minnesota

The Top 10 Regions Where Jobs Are Within Reach for Transit Riders

By Angie Schmitt | Nov 10, 2017 | No Comments

See how your city scores on this key measure of economic opportunity.

Plante upset the political establishment in Montreal with a platform that emphasized transit, biking, and walking. Photo: Andre Querry/Wikimedia Commons

In Montreal, an Electrifying Win for a Long-Shot Who Campaigned on Better Transit and Cycling

By Angie Schmitt | Nov 9, 2017 | No Comments

Valérie Plante, a political outsider, campaigned on more frequent buses and better bike lanes.

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