In my writings, I frequently mention terms such as “walkability”, “livability”, mode share”, “bus rapid transit”, bike friendly” and “transit oriented”. Some of you may know what they mean and maybe you’ve heard them before. However, even if you do know what they mean, it is hard to visualize these words. It is difficult to… Continue reading Video: "Complete Streets"
4th Ave. and Elm St. When I watch people bike around the nationally recognized bicycle friendly campus at the University of Arizona in Tucson, Arizona, I see people biking slow, biking fast, wearing flip-flops, talking on cellphones, talking to friends, etc. Some people would identify this as “bad biking behavior”; I see it as something… Continue reading A Better 4th Ave: Bike Boulevard Scenario Final Project
Conversations about mass transit frequently dissolve into a debate about “bus vs. train.” Jared Walker from Human Transit talks extensively about this problem here. He also talks about specific differences between bus and rail transit and provides easy to read charts here. To give a very brief summary of his posts, the perception of rail… Continue reading Understanding Bus Rapid Transit
On April 12, I attended a City Council meeting hearing where SunTran transit fare increases were being voted upon. The reason for a fare increase in the first place was a decline in SunTran funding –> a result of City of Tucson cuts –> a result of the Great Recession. Basically, it came down to… Continue reading Summary: City Council Meeting Regarding Transit Fare Increases
Today I read about a new feature of Google Maps called Google MapMaker. I originally read about it here on the Transportation Nation website. This feature allows people to add aspects of their local area that are missing from the existing Google Map. According to the into video for this feature, you know your neighborhood… Continue reading Google MapMaker: Edit Your World
It feels like 2008 all over again. Gas prices are on the rise and suddenly everyone is dusting off the bike or the fuel efficient four door. SUV’s have gone back out of vogue and in some metro areas, transit use is on the rise. Of course, transit use has not risen nearly as dramatically… Continue reading Looking Past the Present
April 6: First Tucson Transit Task Force Meeting – I met with small group of people from the Living Streets Alliance and from other local groups to brainstorm a strategy for addressing issues of transit funding, expansion and awareness. I learned much about the history of transit in Tucson, from the relationships between the various… Continue reading Tucson Transit Task Force and Imagine Greater Tucson: Methods of Shaping Our Future
On the evening of April 5, I participated in the Tuesday Night Community Bike Ride for the first time. This ride, in one form or another, has been occuring for years. In the past, it has appeared in the local news, receiving both positive and negative press. I had known about the existence of it… Continue reading Tuesday Night Community Bike Ride
American transportation, and especially “alternative” and “sustainable” transportation, is sometimes framed in a black and white, “car vs. everyone else” context. This type of framing is especially prevalent among certain portions of the population that only uses single occupancy vehicles to travel around. Since single occupancy vehicles use the majority of public road space, some… Continue reading Rethinking the Automobile: Communal Carsharing
Much has occurred in the past couple weeks since my previous post. 1. Cyclovia Tucson 2011. The event was amazing and everything operated very well. The estimated turn out was 10,000 people. I worked at an information booth on 4th Ave. and 30th St. I do not frequently spend time in South Tucson so it… Continue reading All Things Tucson, Tech and Transport
Dan Majewski 