Streetcar projects in both Cincinnati and Kansas City are nearing completion with service on both lines slated to begin next year.
streetcars
Can BRT drive TOD? Yes, with the right government support
Conventional wisdom asserts that rail does a better job of spurring transit-oriented development than a bus rapid transit line, but until now no one has quantified the return on investment with a BRT line. A new study released by ITDP this week attempts to quantify the TOD potential of these transit options and find that, “Per dollar of transit investment, and under similar conditions, Bus Rapid Transit leverages more transit-oriented development investment than Light Rail Transit or streetcars.”
More Development for Your Transit Dollar: An Analysis of 21 North American Transit Corridors (ITDP, 2013)
Cities short on funds have wondered whether BRT, a low-cost form of transit, cold be used to leverage TOD. This report compares BRT, light-rail, and streetcar projects and finds that per dollar of investment BRT leverages more development than either light rail or streetcar. Other conclusions are that all three types of transit investments show a significant return, and both government support how well the BRT meets best practices are keys to TOD success.
Midsize Cities on the Move: A Look at the Next Generation of Rapid Bus, Bus Rapid Transit, and Streetcar Projects in the United States (Reconnecting America, 2012)
This study of next generation transit options in midsize cities – those between 50,000 and 250,000 – focuses in on the place that bus rapid transit and streetcars can play in improving the operations of transit systems that are usually based around buses. In a look at 14 cities, they look at best practices, funding strategies, and actual or projected outcomes.
The bus stigma: Why it exists, and should we care?
Why are buses so maligned? And what can we do about it? How can we get “choice riders” – those that do not have to use transit, but choose to – to take the bus? And should we care whether people with transportation choices ride the bus?
Pedestrians losing last refuge in the public right of way to bicycles
The entire public street – building face to building face – used to be the realm of pedestrians. As transportation modes changed, the pedestrian got pushed farther and farther towards the edges, first by streetcars, …
Streetcars dominate new batch of transit projects
Streetcars, once ubiquitous in American cities, are making a major comeback, as noted by Yonah Freemark at The Transport Politic.. This year construction will begin on new streetcar lines in Atlanta, Cincinnati, New Orleans, Salt Lake …