Topic: Public Transportation

How L.A. Metro Is Enticing Riders With Better Design

Michael Lejeune heads a 20-person in-house design studio tasked with bringing more riders aboard L.A.'s public-transportation system. He led the campaign design for this summer's expansion of Metro Rail's Gold Line, a light-rail line that connects Pasadena with downtown and East L.A.READ»

• Walk This Way
• Get Smart About Car Use
• Create a Smooth Transition

L.A. Goes Public

After decades of neglect, L.A.'s public transit gets a redesign--and a lot of new fans. READ»

Can New York City's MTA Run On Carbon Credits?

One creative source of revenue New York City is considering: Carbon credits. Yesterday, public transit chief Eliot Sander was on the Brian Lehrer show discussing the "doomsday budget", which basically is a choice between bad and ...READ»

Transportation Celebration

On this day in 1904, the Interborough Rapid Transit (IRT), the first rapid transit subway system, opened. Today in New York City, commuters kick off a year-long centennial celebration.READ»

Bogota: Home of the World's Most Advanced Bus System?

Urban planners know a secret that you probably don't: The world's most advanced bus system is in Bogota, of all places. The city' ex-mayor, who created the system, is frequently asked to explain Bogota's bus system to city ...READ»

Technology: The Ringing Could Soon Be Everywhere

I was on the subway with one of my louder friends the other day when he said something particularly embarrassing. Red-faced I shushed him vigorously and looked furtively around to see how many people were chuckling. Talk about ...READ»

Transit Check

A Chatter parable about the value of estimates, the setting of expectations, and the wisdom of saying a bit too much, too soon.READ»

Underground Chatter

Today the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority announced come this fall, Bostonians will be able to chat it up via cell at "four of Boston's busiest subway stations." As if the cattle-like conditions of commuting doesn't ...READ»

Lost in the Subway? Use AcrossAir's Augmented Reality iPhone App

Public transportation is almost always more energy-efficient than driving, but there are few things more frustrating than getting lost underground in a subway station in the middle of hot, sticky July heat. But don't ...READ»

Get Traffic Updates From Commuters on Twitter

Taking advantage of Twitter's real-time aspect, CommuTweet lets commuters share traffic updates, regardless of the mode of public transportation. You can sign in on the CommuTweet Web site with your Twitter account and save your ...READ»

Underground Movement

Everywhere in China, there's evidence of economic and social transformation. Change is in the air. It's even in the subways. Since 1998, Steven Lewis, director of the Transnational China Project at Rice University ...READ»

Airport to Downtown Transportation Trials

Around the United States, trains and subways are pulling into stations at the airport. And it may be better option for the airport-to-city leg of your journey.READ»

Baltimore houses

Baltimore is undoubtedly one of the finest depictions of history and innovation. It features things that suit to the eyes of every tourist. This port city with an atmosphere throughout which a special international flavor ...READ»

How Can Cities Create a Green Economy?

The "Green Cities: How Urban Sustainability Can and Must Drive America's Climate Change Policies" report, released yesterday by Living Cities, explores the ways in which big cities can combat climate change, create better ...READ»

The Bus of the Future

Imagine if Batman drove a school bus. It would probably run on autopilot and have sensors that detect obstacles a quarter of a mile up the road. It would probably be able to switch between regular roads and specially designed ...READ»

77-Year Backlog of Mass Transit Projects

Transit ridership is soaring amid concerns about gas prices, an aging population, and greater preference for city living. But public investments just haven't kept pace, and with state and local budgets hurting from the recession, ...READ»

Bikes Outsold Cars at the Start of 2009. Does It Matter?

Both automobile and bicycle purchases fell overall in the first quarter of 2009, but in a surprising twist, bike sales trumped car sales (2.6 million bicycles vs. 2.5 million cars). And while bike sales are down 30% overall from the ...READ»

SkyTran's Personal Magnetic Transporter Is a Physical Version of the Internet

Imagine zipping above the sidewalk crowds in a personal transporter pod suspended from a two foot wide cable propelled by a magnetic field. It's not as far-fetched as you may think. A California startup called Unimodal is building ...READ»

• Coming Soon: America's High-Speed Rail Network

Is Train Travel Greener Than Flying? Maybe Not

Taking a train ride must be more environmentally sound than getting flung into the sky on a plane, right? Maybe not, according to researchers at U.C. Berkeley's Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. Arpad Horpath and ...READ»

Better Buses Through Psychology

Suppport for mass transit is growing, as more people learn about the perilous costs of our carbon habit. Urban planners typically respond with a built-it-and-they-will-come attitude: Getting more people on buses, for example, is just ...READ»

Monorail Mania

Each month in Fast Company, we include a Jetsons Moment item in Next, taking a look at a technical or scientific development that brings the future just a little closer. In the October issue, Lucas Conley focused on conductive ...READ»

Change Management: Combining Management with Ancient Philosophy

New Delhi is getting a makeover in preparation for the 2010 Commonwealth Games to be held in the city. And the government has gifted the capital city its latest showpiece, the state-of-the-art Tube, the Delhi Metro Rail. Already ...READ»

Hindsight Is 2020

Kerry's entry on the Olympics has received many comments that New York City doesn't need the attention gained from holding the games. Perhaps that is true, but it could still benefit. As a life-long New Yorker, it would be nice to ...READ»

Will the U.S. Ever Get Serious About Train Travel?

With energy costs, pollution concerns, and traffic woes mounting, you better hope so. Hence the 400 new public transit projects that have been proposed in large and small regions from Massachusetts to Hawaii.READ»

How Cycling Centers Could Help Smooth Commuter Transitions

Andréa White-Kjoss modeled her full-service cycling centers on a similar idea already popular in Japan and Europe. More than a dozen bike stations have opened in such places as Palo Alto and Berkeley, California; Seattle; and, most recently, Washington, D.C.READ»

• Walk This Way
• Get Smart About Car Use