Central Indiana catering to #carfree lifestyle

New attitudes have fed Indianapolis area's apartment boom: ""(People) our age really enjoy being able to walk to places, bike to places and to save money on gas and car insurance and car bills," she said. "We enjoy being Downtown, because there are so many things to do and places to see.""

Poor are caught in sprawl trap

How we can make our cities greener and more equal at the same time | Grist: "Sprawl has trapped many Americans in poverty: Unable to afford a car, maintenance, insurance, and gasoline, they cannot get from their suburban homes to jobs. For many middle-class Americans, their car is an albatross, forcing them to spend too much money just getting to work everyday. That’s one reason that a recent Harvard study found that transit-rich coastal cities such as New York, San Francisco, Washington, D.C., and Boston ranked among the country’s top 10 metro areas for economic mobility, while auto-dependent Southern cities such as Atlanta and Jacksonville ranked near the bottom."

Mag Mile among 20 Chicago streets recommended for ‘car-free’ zones

Chicago Sun-Times: "A civic group is proposing that parts of 20 Chicago streets, including the city’s vaunted Magnificent Mile, be turned into “car-free” zones — which could mean complete bans on all trafffic to the more modest dead-ending of a street into a plaza."

ACTION ALERT: Support Faster, More Reliable Transit on Ashland Avenue and Across Chicago!

Active Transportation Alliance : "Momentum is building for bringing world-class transit to Ashland Avenue and other parts of Chicago, but your help is needed to keep it going.

You may have heard that CTA recently announced exciting plans to implement Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) on Ashland Ave. between 95th St. and Irving Park Rd. Imagine if taking transit on Ashland meant 21st Century service that’s faster, more reliable, and more like taking the train. The first phase of this project will run from 31st St. to Cortland St."



'via Blog this'

EDITORIAL: Valparaiso moving on public transportation

nwitimes : "Valparaiso is planning for a bus/train depot as part of a transit-oriented development. It's a sign of the popularity of public transportation.

Valparaiso operates both the V-Line, for routes around the city, and the ChicaGo Dash, to take commuters and sightseers to and from Chicago.

The ChicaGo Dash and V-Line buses have become so popular that the city has outgrown the existing bus station."

College students recognize that cars are a pain

University Campuses Are Transportation Trailblazers - post-automobile world: "“University and college campuses are at the forefront of encouraging news ways to get around that don’t depend on personal cars. Public officials who want to stay ahead of the curve should be taking notes,” said Baxandall."

System doesn't work, people. Does. Not. Work.

Photo / AP

Mangled metal, victims' screams mark US pileup - World - NZ Herald News: "Within seconds, traffic along snow-covered Interstate 94 in northern Indiana had become a mile-long pile of debris after whiteout conditions swept in during Thursday's evening commute. Three people were killed and nearly two dozen were injured."

Report: More Chicagoans Turning To Public Transit, Biking As Driving Declines

Progress Illinois: "Fewer people in the Chicago "urbanized area" are driving, while more are biking and taking public transportation, a recent report from the Illinois PIRG Education Fund shows.

The national study examined the changing transportation trends in America's 100 largest urbanized areas, which are defined as regions larger than a city but smaller than a metropolitan area."



'via Blog this'

America is on board with public transportation

nwitimes : "Anyone using the South Shore or other public transportation had better grab the first empty seat.

Ridership grew nationally by 1.5 percent in the third quarter of 2013. That amounts to 39 million more trips taken on rail and bus over the same quarter last year, the American Public Transportation Association recently reported."

'via Blog this'

Chicago reduced fares a bureaucratic nightmare

Great Moments In Public Transportation and Government | I've Got The Hippy Shakes: "It really started about a month ago. Each month I buy a pass to ride the CTA and Pace. That's unlimited local buses and trains. Works in the suburbs, too. The pass cost $100. I've been doing it for so long that I really don't know the price of a single ride. Then a friend suggested I try to qualify for a reduced fare handicapped pass."