Recent Streetsblog LA posts about Streetsblog.net

This week there’s a huge gathering in Dallas for the annual Railvolution conference. One of the hot topics for all those people trying to build walkable places: parking requirements. At one session, University of Utah professor and eminent urban researcher Reid Ewing spoke alongside a developer about the downsides of being forced to build too much parking — even right next […]

What do you call a place where you can walk once you get there, but most people arrive in a car? Atlanta has plenty of these places, which Darin Givens at ATL Urbanist calls “drive-to urbanism.” Givens interviewed Atlanta planning commissioner Tim Keane on the subject. Here’s what Keane had to say about how Atlanta can get beyond “drive-to urbanism.” […]

When a House of Representatives committee passed a six-year transportation bill last Thursday, it marked a milestone in Washington’s efforts to pass a long term transportation bill at long last. Problem is, the bill stinks. Previous House transportation bills were non-starters because they blatantly attacked funding for transit. The extreme right-wing of the Republican Party is still trying to do that, but for the […]

The financial ratings agency Standard & Poor’s has a new report out that presents a bizarre theory about dangerous conditions on American streets. It’s the Millennials’ fault, “but not in the way you think,” they say. Prepare yourself for some ratings agency clickbait! Standard & Poor’s blames Millennials not only for the poor state of transportation infrastructure but also the […]

With driving on the upswing again as gas prices remain surprisingly low, Yonah Freemark at The Transport Politic is taking a long hard look at what it will take to substantially change America’s travel habits. He notes that except for a handful of cities with good transit, driving continues to account for most of the nation’s growth in […]

America’s convoluted regulation of passenger rail helps explain why the U.S. is so far behind other developed nations when it comes to rail travel. For instance, Federal Railroad Administration safety regulations perversely make us less safe by ignoring global best practices and instead forcing operators to use heavy, outdated equipment. Not only do we have safety rules that are no good for […]