Currently viewing the tag: "Subway"
Friend of TransitMiami.com and the Purple Line | U+Transit pop-up installation, Leah Weston, put together a fantastic map that puts Miami’s rail transit into national and international perspective. Have a look!
As Weston says, “the image speaks for itself”.
Go ahead and click on it. The enlarged version is much better.
Who said public transportation isn’t fun?
This excellent transit comparison comes to us from Cooltownstudios, via GOOD Magazine. The top five systems are located in the United States, while the bottom five are from locations around the world. The trains’ length represent total track length, while the human silhouettes represent the daily ridership levels (in millions). With that clear, it it obvious that American systems are comparable in length, even far superior in the case of New York City, yet totally deficient in terms of attracting ridership. This clearly is related to automobile infrastructure subsidy, lack of investment, and poor management. I would hate to see what Miami’s anemic system would like like against those pictured above. Click the image above to get a closer look.
In the spirit of the Olympics, let’s take a look at one of Beijing’s newest Subway Stations…
Don’t miss the people hired to “fit” as many as possible onto each car…
“Prime Minister Gordon Brown gave the go-ahead for a 16 billion-pound ($32 billion) rail line across London, the biggest U.K. infrastructure project since the Channel Tunnel, to ease the strain on the city’s aging train network.”
Global:
- Can’t believe we let this one pass under our radar for so long, but, the Caribbean’s second urban transit system is currently under construction in Santo Domingo. The 9 mile system will feature 16 stations, 10 of which will be subterranean. The system is set to open February 27, 2008 at a cost of nearly $700 Million…
- The Eurostar set a new Paris-London record recently, completing the journey under the Chunnel in 2 hours and 3 minutes. The upgraded service is due to the completion of 68 miles of British high speed rail, stretching from the tunnel to the recently restored Victorian styled St. Pancras International Station.
National:
- The Charlotte Light Rail system hasn’t even opened yet and it is already spurring Transit Oriented Development, 10 years ahead of planners’ forecasts. The development will offer 2,500 dwellings in mixed high density apartments, condominiums, and town homes will offer residents the ease of urban living just outside the city center.
- How to curb LA’s growing parking problems? Eliminate parking requirements in new developments, of course. The best remedy to a downtown cores parking problem is to only make it more scarce.
- The most accessible U.S. Airports. Notice how they are all linked to their respective cities by Public Transportation. Coincidence, we think not…
Local:
- MDX to place Sunpass on Sale again. The transponders will be selling for $8.36 instead of their usual $25 price. Discounting a tolling device isn’t exactly the best way to reduce congestion, especially when the toll money is reinvested in highways rather than public transit…
- Confusion on the 836…
- BoB has some exclusive pics of the Miami Skylift being placed in Downtown Miami…
- DWNTWN Miami will do nothing to solve any of the tangible problems facing our downtown. Unlike most of the materialistic or cosmetic fixes people in this city tend to turn to, removing O’s and coming up with some catchy phrase will not solve Downtown’s woes. Can we get some real ideas now?
APTA (American Public Transportation Association) just came out with a report citing 2006 ridership figures. Among the findings:
- More than 10 billion trips taken on bus and rails in 2006 nationwide
- 2.9% increase over 2005
- Highest levels of ridership since 1957
- Ridership nationally has increased by 28% over the last decade
This is great news and again proves that even without first-class transit systems in every city, people still are willing to ride transit. Just imagine the ridership gains if all of our major cities did have first-class transit systems.
APTA president William Millar stated in the article, “Certainly a lot of the growth last year was with the high gas prices”. This offers more support to raise our gas taxes. This may be especially necessary for the future of South Florida transit, given cutbacks in funds the region could see if the proposed property tax rollback bill is passed. Raising gas taxes will better represent the true cost of oil, encourage more people to ride transit, and generate millions of dollars to improve transit.
Well folks, I’m off again to explore another stunning European city. This week I’m headed to Vienna , Austria
