Wednesday, July 2, 2025

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...

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...

Latest articles

CyclingMAX and the Case for Active Mobility

As cities around the world face growing traffic congestion, rising emissions, and strained transport budgets, the case for investing in cycling and walking infrastructure...

Jakarta’s Traffic Management Strategies Set a Standard for Indonesia

Cleaner air has long been a shared goal for Jakartans, and it has become increasingly urgent with visible smog and pollution regularly shrouding the...

Jinan’s Electric Trolleybuses Spark A Transformation for China

In recent years, China has made remarkable achievements in vehicle electrification, positioning itself as a global leader in electric mobility as it pushes for...

How the Cycling Cities Campaign Helped Scale a Global Movement

Amid the devastation wrought by the pandemic were small glimmers of hope. Vehicle use was down, and people wanted to spend time outside, enjoying...