Bob Crow: Union man
SOME people would resent being treated as the pantomime villain of London politics. Not Bob Crow, who died early this morning. The leader of...
The Economist explains: Why trams are a waste of money
STREETCARS—otherwise known as trolleys or trams—had their golden age around 100 years ago, carrying urban workers to nascent suburbs around Europe and America. But...
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,...
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...
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...
Laggard on the lake: Toronto’s mayor tries to improve transport
FEW cities these days have the cachet of Toronto. It ranks high on lists of the world’s most “liveable” cities (the Economist Intelligence Unit,...
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...
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....
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...
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...
Latest articles
A Manual for Addressing Road Safety in Latin American Cities
The WHO estimates that every 24 seconds someone is killed on a road worldwide. A significant number of victims of vehicle and road accidents...
2024 is a Historic Election Year and the Climate Crisis is on Everyone’s Ballot
This is poised to be a world-changing year. For countries across the globe, 2024 will be a turning point in terms of politics, with...
New survey: Accessible Streetscapes for the Disability Community
A new survey created in collaboration with Smart Growth America, the International Parking & Mobility Institute, and the Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund...
India Needs More Compact, Electrified Cities to Meet Climate Goals
Cities worldwide have two strategies available to decarbonize their transport sectors, but neither alone will be sufficient to address the impacts of climate change....
