Autonomous shuttle service increases equity in Columbus, Ohio
March 11, 2021
Columbus, OH has set out to be America’s first major “smart city,” with several noteworthy programs making its case. One such program is the city’s Smart Circuit self-driving shuttle bus, a free service which covers a downtown route (the Scioto Mile) and a route in the Linden neighborhood in northeastern Columbus. The Linden route serves......
PennDOT Saves Millions with Demand-Response Transit
July 10, 2020
For over 30 years, Pennsylvania DOT has helped provide transportation services for disadvantaged populations. Ideally, transportation services are based on demand, not an arbitrary schedule, to reduce costs in running transit options during sub-optimal times. Over the years, Pennsylvania has seen localities independently procure systems without significant improvement in the service to customers. In response,......
Portland Electric Scooters, Taxation That Supports Transit
July 10, 2020
Scooters are nearly ubiquitous in most metropolitan U.S. cities. If integrated into a metropolitan area properly, electric scooters can offer a low-cost solution to the “last mile” challenge, a vexing problem where the nearest transit stop is too far away to walk from a final destination. Portland, Oregon recognized the role electric scooters can play......
Redrawing a Bus Map Leads to a Dramatic Increase in Transit Ridership
July 21, 2017
In one year, Houston increased its bus and light rail ridership by 6.8% with no significant additional costs. They did it by completely redesigning their bus network, focusing on creating an efficient network with frequent service. In August 2015, Houston implemented one of the largest bus network changes in U.S. history, moving from a hub-and-spoke......
Florida Transit Agency Partners with Rideshare and Taxi Companies
July 21, 2017
Transit agencies have long struggled to address “first mile-last mile problem,” meaning how to make transit accessible for riders who find it difficult to get to the nearest transit station or to their ultimate destination after riding transit. The rise of rideshare has created one possible solution and a number of transit agencies are exploring......
Public transit growing all over, even in Montana
May 19, 2017
When most people think of public transportation, they think of a subway in New York or a bus in Los Angeles, but there are almost 1,400 rural transit systems in the U.S. One place that’s seen strong growth in rural transit is Montana. Between 2004 and 2016, the number of rural transit systems increased from......
Life-Cycle Cost Analyses Reaps Financial Benefits for Cities
March 07, 2017
Money is tight for surface transportation projects, the area where the investment gap is largest. Making the right choices with limited budgets is a challenge for many communities. The Metropolitan Transit Commission (MTC) in California’s Bay Area found a way to streamline the process for its 26 transit authority members. Through its performance-based planning process,......
March 07, 2017
With its narrow streets, numerous intersections, and high-speed vehicle traffic, historic Esplanade Avenue in New Orleans had become one of Louisiana’s most hazardous routes for pedestrians and cyclists. The Paths to Progress Program, a coordinated transportation improvement program between the Federal Highway Administration’s Louisiana Division Office, the Louisiana Department of Transportation and local agencies changed......
Town of Shakopee Develops Alternative Intersection to Reduce Congestion and Improve Mobility
March 07, 2017
Downtown Minneapolis is experiencing rapid population growth that is stretching the capacity of its current transportation systems. To combat existing congestion and proactively address future crowding, the Town of Shakopee, a small community near Minneapolis, decided intersection and crossing improvements were the most useful and cost-effective tool for reducing congestion and protecting bicyclists. Shakopee’s project,......
February 16, 2017
The Federal Highway Administration worked with officials in Defiance County, Ohio, on a form of accelerated bridge construction that uses geosynthetic-reinforced soil. Rather than drilling a deep foundation, the reinforced soil method builds up the substructure in a faster, simpler way, described as akin to building a layer cake. For this type of bridge, there......
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