Friday, March 14, 2025

A streetcar in the mire: Washington, DC’s pointless streetcar service finally opens

“LATE and over budget, streetcars are finally rumbling to life in Washington, DC. The long-awaited service, which has cost at least $135m to build,...

A muddled train of thought: Some Americans are upset at the prospect of free...

IT MAY be pantomime season, but unlike Cinderella revelers in Washington, DC, who stay out past the stroke of midnight on New Year’s Eve...

Ethiopia: Sub-Saharan Africa gets its first metro

GETTING around African cities is famously stressful. Whether in Nairobi, Lagos or Johannesburg most journeys involve negotiating roads clogged with honking cars and choked...

Subways in America: Gangway, please

IN LATE 2013, New York's Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) released a comprehensive report on its capital investment needs for the next two decades. Buried...

Vancouver: More tax, less traffic?

VANCOUVER is the best place to live in the Americas, according to a quality-of-life ranking published earlier this month by Mercer, a consulting firm....

Etiquette on public transport: Spread ’em

THERE is a reason why men tend to spread their legs as wide as they can when they ride on public transport. It’s just...

Atlanta’s new trams: All aboard!

A TINY scarlet hut on Auburn Avenue in Atlanta, Thelma’s Kitchen and Rib Shack, serves up world-beating catfish and grits. Demand for its grub...

The Second Avenue Subway: I'm from the government, and I'm here to help

I WON'T lie: the newsletter drew me in. I was interested as soon as I saw it lying on the counter at a relative's...

Sharing a lift: Carpooling uber alles

“MARK my word,” Henry Ford declared in 1940, “A combination of airplane and motorcar is coming. You may smile, but it will come.” No...

Streetcars and urban renewal: Rolling blunder

LATE and over budget, streetcars are finally rumbling to life in Washington, DC. The long-awaited service, which has cost at least $135m to build,...

Latest articles

What President Trump should tackle on transportation

If President Trump is interested in claiming the mantle of “infrastructure president,” here’s a list of specific actions the president can take to make...

New resource for state DOTs

The State Smart Transportation Initiative just released its new framework, Innovative DOT. This comprehensive framework offers 34 specific recommendations designed to support state transportation...

Reforming Parking Doesn’t Require Cities to Reinvent the Wheel

In the city of Guadalajara, Mexico, sustainable mobility is making strides. The city has been implementing more shared bikes, safer bike lanes, and improved...

As E-Bikes Surge, We Need to Address Both the Opportunities and Challenges

If you live in any city, you have likely noticed an upswing in people riding electric bikes, whether for delivering goods, as a shared...