Uncategorized
Washington, D.C. parking becomes demand-responsive
Washington, D.C. parking has been on the media radar for a number of reasons, perhaps most prominently among them a pilot initiative called ParkDC, which will adjust the prices of 1,300 parking meters via a demand-based system that will bounce time of day, location and other factors to calculate pricing. ParkDC is first targeting traffic […]
Walkable neighborhoods necessary, not sufficient for active transport
Can making a neighborhood more walkable change residents’ habits in socioeconomically depressed areas? Possibly, but there are a number of factors that stop that from happening, says a new study by researchers Madeleine Steinmetz-Wood and Yan Kestens, Does the effect of walkable built environments vary by neighborhood socioeconomic status?. The study finds that other factors […]
How wireless technology makes your car hackable
Car manufacturers are loading up new cars with many technologies that drivers don’t want or use… and these add-ons could render the cars potentially more hackable. As a J.D. Power survey reports, 20 percent of new vehicle-owners surveyed were not using their vehicles’ interactive features, among them, the in-vehicle concierge, the 3G or 4G router, […]
In school zones, sign saturation isn’t a problem, according to study
How does the density of traffic signage impact school safety? A new study, “Driver behavior and accident frequency in school zones: Assessing the impact of sign saturation,” investigates — and disproves — the theory that “if a driver observes too many of the same signs, he or she may no longer pay attention to those signs.” […]
Boston transit chief resigns amid snowstorm-related strife
Beverly Scott, general manager of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, announced her resignation this week, reports the Boston Globe. Scott’s announcement comes as she and the MBTA have been battling criticism for their handling of recent weather emergencies, including the decision to suspend rail service due to snow conditions earlier this week, and the passenger-packed […]
Is Portland’s smart growth smarter than Los Angeles’?
A recent study contrasts Portland, long admired as an example of a smart growth city, and Los Angeles, often considered the American epitome of urban sprawl. Authors Hongwei Dong of California State University and Pengyu Zhu of Boise State University define smart growth as “a reaction to urban sprawl” that promotes “compact urban form, orderly […]
Don’t panic about ebola and public transit
Panic over Ebola seems to be spreading faster than the virus itself is, with mass hypochondria reports now making the news. But how dangerous is the virus, and is it even possible to catch it on public transportation? As Yahoo reports, Ebola can’t be passed through casual contact, and, although its symptoms can be flu-like, […]
Pasadena uses parking meters to stop panhandling, help the homeless
Some panhandlers stay silent and use signs to ask for money; others call out to passersby. No matter the method, it’s unclear if the money given will lift recipients out of their circumstances or keep them there by funding the purchase of drugs or alcohol. Pasadena hopes to get rid of that uncertainty with an […]
CARMAnation offers San Franciscans good parking mojo
Hoping to celebrate her birthday in San Francisco’s Marina district a month ago, Ashley Cummings and a guest circled the area for parking a little before 6 p.m. Finding none, they abandoned the plan and went elsewhere. The experience was all too familiar for Cummings, one of the masterminds behind CARMAnation, a startup that allows […]
900 parking spaces leased to car-sharing companies in San Francisco
This summer, three car-sharing companies will receive 900 of San Francisco’s most precious assets: on-street parking spots. City CarShare, a Bay area nonprofit; local startup Getaround; and national company Zipcar will all participate in the two-year experiment that hopes to popularize car sharing throughout the city. The program, run by the San Francisco Municipal Transportation […]
Study: Publicly owned parking reduces city revenue
Forthcoming studies from researchers at the University of Connecticut (UConn) reveal that some car-centric cities are losing out on revenue by using publicly owned land for parking rather than other, more lucrative alternatives. One study looked at six cities—Arlington, VA; Berkeley, CA; Cambridge, MA; Hartford, CT; Lowell, MS; and New Haven, CT—between 1960 and 2000 […]