The Other Side Of The Tracks

All the Transit and TOD News That's Fit to Print or Blog

These links to news stories and blog posts about transit and TOD are collected daily by Jeff Wood, Reconnecting America's GIS specialist and a passionate transit advocate. Jeff's entire post plus commentary is sent by email to members of Reconnecting America (to join visit our Get Connected page); the first five articles of his daily post (which sometimes contains as many as two dozen links) are available here to nonmembers without his commentary.

Blogosphere: Chicago Puts Stimulus Into Blue Line
Transport Politic
The Windy City has spent the last couple of decades working on the refurbishment of the oldest sections of its elevated lines, most recently with infrastructure improvements along the Brown Line. The principal purpose of these investments, most paid for through federal funds, is to speed trains up over track that had been allowed to degrade so severely that rapid transit vehicles move over significant portions of the system at 5 mph. But as in the case of the Brown Line, these projects also provided significant capacity increases and resulted in the renovation of station complexes, significantly improving the experience of the average transit rider.. . . . . . . Read On

Vancouver WA: Legislation for Light Rail Vote
Columbian
Legislation that would let C-Tran ask voters whether they want to create a taxing district to support the operation of light rail in Clark County has now passed both the House and Senate.  The Senate concurred on Monday with a House amendment sponsored by Rep. Jim Moeller that would delay a vote on a tax measure until July 2012... . . . Read On.

International: Social Ties Promote Brain Health
New York Times
Researchers are only now starting to pay attention to the importance of friendship and social networks in overall health. A 10-year Australian study found that older people with a large circle of friends were 22 percent less likely to die during the study period than those with fewer friends. A large 2007 study showed an increase of nearly 60 percent in the risk for obesity among people whose friends gained weight. And last year, Harvard researchers reported that strong social ties could promote brain health as we age. . . . . . . Read On

Chicago: Money to Privatize Midway Dries Up
Bloomberg News
Chicago cancelled its planned sale of Midway Airport after the group trying to buy it failed to raise financing because of tight credit markets and strong interest in the sale of London's Gatwick Airport, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing officials involved in the $2.62 billion deal. . . . . . . . . Read On

Seattle: Bikes Changing Our Cities
Post Intelligencer
A backstage hero of Jeff Mapes' book "Pedaling Revolution: How Cyclists are Changing American Cities" is an intense young bureaucrat named Mia Birk, who put Portland on a "road diet" and created bike lanes across the Rose City.  "The motto was, 'Better to ask forgiveness than permission," joked Mapes.. . . . . Read On