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MRSC FOCUS › Focus Archive › Transportation

Focus Archive - Transportation

Please note that Focus section links were valid at the time of their original posting. However, since Web sites and addresses change frequently, we cannot guarantee that all links will remain operative.

The Re-charge of Electric Vehicles (November 04)
Heavy doses of federal funding and incentives are reviving the once dim prospects for all-electric vehicles. More from American City & County.

MRSC Services Survey (October 21)
MRSC is conducting a brief survey to assess whether or not our existing services are meeting your needs and to determine your interest in any additional services. We would appreciate your taking a few minutes to respond to these nine questions. Thank you.

A Case Study in Reducing Traffic Congestion (September 16)
A new report from the IBM Center for the Business of Government, Designing and Managing Cross-Sector Collaboration: A Case Study in Reducing Traffic Congestion, concludes that a collaborative, multi-modal approach is crucial to significantly reduce traffic congestion.

Driving and the Built Environment (September 02)
A report from the Transportation Research Board, Driving and the Built Environment: Effects of Compact Development on Motorized Travel, Energy Use, and CO2 Emissions, examines the relationship between land development patterns and vehicle miles traveledto assess whether petroleum use, and by extension greenhouse gas emissions, could be reduced by changes in the design of development patterns.

Traveling At Good Speed (September 02)
Transportation policy shouldn’t be reduced to average commuting times. More from Governing.

What Would Get Americans Biking to Work? (August 26)
Surveys have shown that the leading deterrent to potential bicycle commuters is lack of a safe, secure parking spot on the other end. More from Slate.

Guidebook for Managing Small Airports (August 26)
A new report from the Transportation Research Board, Guidebook for Managing Small Airports, is designed to help operators and managers of small airports find resources and identify techniques that they may apply to meet their responsibilities.

TOD: A Vehicle for Great Streets and Great Sidewalks (August 12)
Transit Oriented Development (TOD) represents not only an opportunity to put density near transit, but possibly as importantly, to remake the public realm creating a city of great streets and great sidewalks. More from the Urbran Land Institute.

The Costliest Ride (August 05)
Transportation service for the disabled can be a budget-buster. Cities are looking at a variety of new approaches. More from Governing.

Biking and Walking: Our Secret Weapon? (August 05)
Biking and walking proponents say it’s time for the federal government to focus less on new and expanded highways, and far more on safe pathways and “complete streets” for our towns and cities. More from Citiwire.

Don't Be So Square (August 05)
Why American drivers should learn to love the roundabout. More from Slate.

4 Cases Of How Tearing Down A Highway Can Relieve Traffic Jams (And Save Your City) (July 15)
Though our transportation planners still operate from the orthodoxy that the best way to untangle traffic is to build more roads, doing so actually proves counterproductive in some cases. More from The Infrastructurist.

Light Rail Boom Needs a Second Look (July 15)
Regions need to think first not about rails versus buses but the kind of network will serve them best. The goal of a viable citistate-wide system should come first and the preferred mode, fittingly, second. More from Citiwire.

From One-Way Rotary System to Modern Roundabout (July 15)
Across America, towns and cities of all shapes and sizes have been choosing modern roundabouts over antiquated signalization equipment and expensive grade separated interchanges. More from Making Places.

Telecommuting and the Broadband Superhighway (July 15)
The nation’s next transportation funding legislation must promote the telecommuting option…aggressively. More from New Geography.

Mathematicians Take Aim At 'Phantom' Traffic Jams (June 24)
A team of MIT mathematicians has developed a model that describes how and under what conditions such jams form, which could help road designers minimize the odds of their formation. More from Science Daily.

Tools for Mixed-Income TOD (June 24)
A report from the Center for Transit Oriented Development, Tools for Mixed-Income TOD, discusses resources and strategies that local governments can bring to bear when integrating mixed-income housing within transit-oriented developments.

Parking Policies Can Reduce Car Use (June 17)
Increasing the costs of parking, including reducing supply, can encourage less driving and lead to less traffic. More from Sightline.

A Street Renaissance in NYC (June 03)
The New York City Street Design Manual, two years in the making, promises to serve as a comprehensive resource for promoting higher quality street designs and more efficient project implementation.

Solve the Congestion Crisis And Win $50,000 (June 03)
The Intelligent Transportation Society of America (ITSA) recently kicked off a $50,000 "Congestion Challenge" that seeks to pair social networking with innovative transportation policy-making. More from ITSA.

Put Your Money Where the People Are (June 03)
When it comes to transportation strategies, many U.S. cities are moving toward a "complete streets" approach. More from Planning.

Stop This Train! (May 20)
There is at least one technology in America that is worse now than it was in the early 20th century: the train. More from Slate.

MRSC's In Focus e-Newsletter for Councilmembers and Commissioners (May 20)
MRSC's bi-weekly In Focus e-newsletter is an excellent way for your elected officials to stay informed about the latest news, research, events and trends affecting Washington city and county governments. Sign them up today.

Plug In and Drive (May 13)
In order to reap the benefits of electric cars, drivers will need to be able to charge their cars at home and on the road. States and cities are relying on public-private partnerships to create that infrastructure. More from Governing's Idea Center.

Ranking of Bicycle Friendly States (May 13)
The League of American Bicyclists recently released their second annual ranking of Bicycle Friendly States in conjunction with Bike to Work Week. Washington State was ranked No. 1, again.

Road-use Fees Could Solve Our Transit Woes (May 06)
Substituting road-use pricing for the gasoline tax would reduce automobile travel times and greenhouse gas emissions, improve transit options and make metropolitan areas more pleasant and more sustainable places to live and work. More from Brookings.

Grounded (April 30)
Times are tough at small airports. More from Governing.

Why Conservatives Should Care About Transit (April 30)
Public transit and walkable neighborhoods are necessary for the creation of a country where families and communities can flourish. More from Public Discourse.

Celebrating 75 Years of Research and Services! (April 23)
MRSC proudly continues the program begun as the Bureau of Governmental Research and Services in 1934 at the University of Washington. In honor of our organization’s 75th anniversary, we hope that you will enjoy a multimedia slideshow containing highlights of our history. Also see “Twenty-Five Years of Governmental Research and Service” prepared in honor of the Bureau’s 25th anniversary in 1959.

MRSC Blog: Selected Local Government Press Releases (April 22)
We have launched our blog containing selected local government press releases to keep you informed on new Washington local government programs and initiatives. Each entry is assigned a category (finance, planning, etc.) and a tag (wetlands, urban forestry, etc.) so you can sort them by topic. If you have not already done so, please add blog@mrsc.org to your agency's press release distribution list.

Public/Private Partnerships in Transportation (April 15)
Public/private partnerships in transportation, long prevalent in other parts of the world, are becoming increasingly popular in U.S. states and cities searching for infrastructure funding alternatives. More from Urban Land.

Paradise LOSt: Turning Automobility on Its Head (March 11)
Two arguments in the debate over LOS have emerged. One calls for abandoning LOS but replacing it with a metric that prioritizes transit, cycling, and walking before cars. Another argues for walking away from LOS entirely, given that it is merely a convention and not a law. More from Streetsblog.

Putting Parking into Reverse (March 11)
Four years after the publication of UCLA Planning Professor Donald Shoup's book, The High Cost of Free Parking , cities across America are devising ways to stop parking in its tracks. More from Intransition.

A Road by Any Other Name (February 12)
It's dull and technical sounding, but the word "infrastructure" is now being heard regularly and often in public discourse. More from Governing.

Taking Traffic Control Lessons — From Ants (February 12)
If humans took their cues from ants, they might spend less time in traffic. More from Wired Science.

Key to Safer Roads is Identified in California Study (February 05)
A review of fatalities in 24 cities shows that safety grows as street networks become denser. More from New Urban News.

Smart City - America's Transportation Strategy (January 29)
Does America have a transportation strategy? This week's guest on Smart City discusses what realtors, civic leaders, urban planners and non-profit organizations are doing to tackle the problem of how we get around.

Rethinking the Interstate (January 29)
What if we used our 46,000 miles of highway as the backbone of a new 21st-century infrastructure? More from Metropolis Magazine.

Paradise LOSt: How Long Will the City Keep Us Stuck in Our Cars? (January 29)
LOS (Level of Service Standard) analysis seems like science, free from political or ideological considerations, the perfect traffic-engineering tool to rationalize our cities, but the methodology behind it is far from precise. More from Streetsblog.

Creative and Cost-Effective Winterization Programs (January 15)
Cities are re-examining their winter weather plans and are implementing new innovative and cost efficient programs. More from Nation's Cities Weekly.

Transit: Long-Scorned, Key to Metros’ Future? (January 15)
Public transit was scorned by vast majorities of Americans for a half century after World War II. But might it become the central development key for America’s 21st century cities and their metro regions? More from Citiwire.

The Role of Transit in Emergency Evacuation (December 18)
A new publication from the Transportation Research Board, The Role of Transit in Emergency Evacuation (pdf 3.35MB), explores the roles that transit systems can play in accommodating the evacuation, egress, and ingress of people from and to critical locations in times of emergency.

Web Sightings – Transportation Planning (December 18)
This month we’ve selected sites and organizations from the vast array of resources that can help counties and cities prepare regional and local transportation plans.

As a starting point, MRSC has a comprehensive Web page on this topic: Transportation Planning and Policy Development

Federal and State Agencies

  • Transportation Planning Capacity Building Program, U.S. Department of Transportation - Collaborative effort of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the Federal Transit Administration (FTA); provides information, training, and technical assistance to help transportation professionals create effective transportation plans and programs. Information on Statewide, Metropolitan, and Rural and Small Communities transportation planning.
  • Federal Transportation Policy Framework, prepared by the Florida Department of Transportation - Links to federal codes and regulations, and related U.S. Department of Transportation information.
  • Transportation Planning Office, Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) - Links to state transportation plan, state highway plan, route development plans, trends report, guidebooks, and more.

Regional and Metropolitan Transportation Planning

Local Transportation Planning

‘Shared-Space’ Streets Cross the Atlantic (October 16)
Cities in the western and eastern US are starting to let motorists and pedestrians deal with one another more intuitively. More from New Urban News.

New Report on Transit Oriented Development (TOD) (October 16)
A new report from the Transportation Research Board, Effects of TOD on Housing, Parking, and Travel, explores the demographics of transit-oriented development residents and employers, and their motives for locating in TODs, as well as the travel characteristics of residence before and after moving to a TOD.

Multimodal Level of Service Analysis for Urban Streets (October 09)
A new publication from the Transportation Research Board, Multimodal Level of Service Analysis for Urban Streets, explores a method for assessing how well an urban street serves the needs of all of its users.

Good Question! (October 02)
Regular users of this site know that we feature an "inquiry of the week" on the MRSC home page (see right-hand column). We have now incorporated a compilation of these questions and responses into the MRSC Index. The MRSC Index is a one-stop listing of all web pages, documents and inquiries that we have on any given topic. Browse the index by topic or search it by keyword.

Local Government Budget Library (October 02)
MRSC maintains an extensive collection of local government budgets organized by city, county and special purpose districts. We also link to online budgets (along with other documents and services) within the profiles that we maintain for each city and county.

Smart City - Housing/Transportation Affordability Index (September 18)
This week on Smart City, Scott Bernstein of the Center for Neighborhood Technology discusses the Housing and Transportation Affordability Index.

City Curbs On Cars: Now Accelerating (September 04)
For close to a century, the automobile has so boldly seized Americans’ imagination — sparking the economy, paving the continent, designing our neighborhoods — that even the thought of curbing its dominion seems unnatural. But realism says this century simply can’t be a repeat of the heavily motorized 20th. More from Nation's Cities Weekly.

New Feature - National News Clippings (September 04)
We've added a new feature to our "Local Governments in the News" section below. Now, in addition to our regular local news source clippings, we will also be featuring news clippings from various national news sources highlighting current events, trends and other news affecting Washington city and county governments and special districts.

Safe Road Maps (August 13)
To help drivers and public officials make smarter, safer choices about transportation, especially in rural areas, the Center for Excellence in Rural Safety at the University of Minnesota created a new interactive map that plots out every traffic fatality in the nation in 2006. More from Safe Road Maps.

High Gas Prices Cause Transit Surge (August 07)
With gas prices creeping past $4 a gallon, city and state transit agencies are reporting surges in ridership. More from American City & County.

Hybrid Police Patrol Vehicles Praised (July 24)
You’ve seen the headlines. Hybrids work! Hybrids save money! Hybrids save fuel, and hybrids reduce pollution! But you wonder, do they really? More from Public Management.

The Role of Transit in Emergency Evacuation (July 24)
A new report from the Transportation Research Board (TRB) explores the roles that transit systems can play in accommodating the evacuation, egress, and ingress of people from and to critical locations in times of emergency. More from the TRB.

Quick Links to City/County Information (July 17)
MRSC recently expanded the types of key documents (e.g., budgets and comp plans) and services (e.g., council broadcasts and online service request forms) that we track in our "city profiles" page. Use these profiles for quick access to city and town documents and services. For county information, see our "county profiles" page.

Biking Needs a Boost in American Cities (June 26)
The US, where cycling is risky and rare, can learn from a Rutgers study of the top cycling countries in Europe. More from New Urban News.

Transit Oriented Development 202: Station Area Planning (June 26)
Station Area Planning: How To Make Great Transit-Oriented Places is the first in a series of ''TOD 202'' guidebooks from Reconnecting America that promote best practices in transit-oriented development.

IRS Increases Mileage Rates through Dec. 31, 2008 (June 26)
The Internal Revenue Service recently announced an increase in the optional standard mileage rates for the final six months of 2008. The rate will increase from 50.5 cents to 58.5 cents a mile for all business miles driven from July 1, 2008, through Dec. 31, 2008. More from the IRS.

Commuting to Opportunity (June 12)
A recent report from the Brookings Institution, Commuting to Opportunity: The Working Poor and Commuting in the United States, looks at the commuting and housing expenses of the working poor compared to other workers. More from the Brookings Institution.

As Fuel Prices Rise, More Turn to Transit (June 05)
As lawmakers struggle to find answers to surging fuel prices, states are weighing alternatives to help their citizens and use of mass transit has skyrocketed across the country. More from Nation's Cities Weekly.

Receive RSS Feeds of In Focus (May 23)
We’ve added another option for you to receive information from MRSC: RSS Feeds. Simply click on the RSS button MRSC In Focus RSS Feed to create an “MRSC In Focus” folder in your email program or RSS reader. You will automatically begin receiving updates to our main Focus page, “Local Governments in the News,” the four Advisor columns, and our “What’s New” section. You can unsubscribe at any time by simply deleting the folder from your RSS reader or email program.

Guidebook on Demand Response Transportation (May 09)
The Transportation Research Board's (TRB) Guidebook for Measuring, Assessing, and Improving Performance of Demand-Response Transportation is designed to help demand-response transportation (DRT) systems to measure, assess, and improve their performance. More from the TRB.

AIA Study on Design of Transportation Projects (May 09)
Moving Communities Forward, a project by the American Institute of Architects (AIA), measures the benefits that well-designed transportation projects bring to communities. More from the AIA.

A Guide for Reducing Collisions Involving Bicycles (May 01)
A new report from the Transportation Research Board (TRB) provides strategies that can be employed to reduce collisions involving bicycles. More from the TRB.

City Road Networks Grow like Biological Systems (May 01)
French and US physicists have shown that the road networks in cities evolve driven by a simple universal mechanism despite significant cultural and historical differences. More from New Scientist.

Is Congestion Pricing Ready for Prime Time? (May 01)
Acceptance of congestion pricing is increasing, prompted by the growing awareness of gridlock, local governments' well-publicized fiscal distress, and a broadening knowledge of climate change. More from Planning Magazine.

Virtual Traffic (April 23)
How will the rise of the virtual work place, where workers operate in small-office settings with PCs and communication technology as key back up tools, affect traffic patterns? More from Forbes.

Riding on the Future (April 17)
Faced with a projected population increase of 130 million people over the next 20 years and poor planning that has put its cities behind those of the rest of the world in developing mass transit infrastructure, the United States is trying to catch up. More from Urban Land.

Is In-Vehicle Wi-Fi a Boon For Commuters? (April 17)
By deploying a wireless infrastructure, public transportation companies, like King Metro, are offering free Wi-Fi access for riders—an amenity that could help boost ridership. More from Wi-Fi Planet.

Understanding How Individuals Make Travel and Location Decisions (April 09)
A new report from the Transportation Research Board (TRB), Understanding How Individuals Make Travel and Location Decisions: Implications for Public Transportation, explores a broader social context for individual decision making related to residential location and travel behavior. More from the TRB.

Promoting Public Transit Use (March 20)
A new study from the Transportation Research Board (TRGB), "Understanding How to Motivate Communities to Support and Ride Public Transportation," explores the methods and strategies used by public transportation agencies to enhance their public images and promote public transit use. More from the TRB.

Locate Sample Ordinances, Contracts, RFPs (March 13)
You can use MRSC's search system to locate a wide variety of local government documents. Note the new options to the right of your search results that allow you to limit your results by agency type, population range, region, form and class of government. Watch a brief tutorial to learn more about using our advanced search features.

Use of Biodiesel in a Transit Fleet (February 27)
A new report from the Transportation Research Board (TRB), Use of Biodiesel in a Transit Fleet, explores potential benefits offered by biodiesel in order to help transit agencies make informed decisions regarding its use. More from the TRB.

For Whom the Road Tolls (January 17)
Here's a new way to create political support for congestion pricing on urban freeways: distribute the toll revenue to cities with the tolled freeways. More from Access.

Smart City - Sustainable Urbanism (January 17)
This week's guest on Smart City talks about how places grow, how we get from one place to another, and how we can live more sustainably.

Using Census Data for Transportation Planning (January 17)
A new guidebook from the Transportation Safety Board (TRB) explores incorporating the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey data into the transportation planning processes at national, state, metropolitan, and local levels. More from the TRB.

Trail-Building Toolbox (January 09)
The Rails-to-Trails Conservancy is building the most comprehensive resource for rail-trail development, the Trail-Building Toolbox, an online tool that includes an index of topics to help inform and assist trail managers, advocates, and builders.

The Streetcar Surge (December 20)
Streetcars, popular again in a growing number of cities, have the potential to be a vital part of urban transportation systems. More from Governing.

Cities Redo Streets for Pedestrians, Cyclists, Transit (December 13)
The "complete streets" movement, and the coalition that united behind it, are helping to usher in benefits for cyclists and pedestrians alike. More from New Urban News.

Back to Basics in Transportation Planning (November 28)
Rediscovering our roots can solve 21st Century traffic woes. More from the Project for Public Spaces.

Environment - The Only Way to Fly (November 20)
Airports are going green — partly on principle and partly because it makes good business sense. More from Planning.

2007 Growth and Transportation Survey (October 31)
A new survey shows that Americans prefer to spend more on mass transit and highway maintenance and less on new roads. More from Smart Growth America.

Build, Crumble and Build More (October 31)
Why don’t we fix old roads and bridges? Because it’s more fun to make new ones. More from Governing.

Transportation Finance at the Ballot Box (October 23)
A recent report from the Center for Transportation Excellence (CFTE) shows that since 2000, few issues have proved to be as consistent a winner at the ballot box as measures related to transportation. More from CFTE.

Transportation - A La Mode (October 23)
We need to look at economic and life-style questions when we decide on our next investments in infrastructure. More from Governing.

Metropolitan Travel Forecasting (October 23)
A new report from the Transportation Research Board (TRB), "Metropolitan Travel Forecasting: Current Practice and Future Direction," examines metropolitan travel forecasting models that provide public officials with information to inform decisions on major transportation system investments and policies. More from the TRB.

Study: Americans Commute an Average 25 Minutes (October 17)
A new study shows that commutes have worsened over the last two decades because highways haven't kept pace with population growth and urban sprawl. More from National Public Radio's Morning Edition.

Communicating the Economic Benefits of Transportation (October 17)
A recent report from the Transportation Research Board (TRB), "Examples of Best Practices for Communicating the Economic Benefits of Transportation," explores strategies and techniques that have been employed in the field to effectively communicate transportation’s importance to the economy. More from the TRB.

Just how Sturdy are the Nation's Bridges? (October 03)
The rush-hour collapse of the Interstate 35W bridge over the Mississippi River in Minneapolis in August has triggered shock waves of concern about the condition of the nation's bridges. More from American City & County.

Kirkland is Street Smart (September 11)
Cars dominate American roadways, but walkers, bikers and the disabled want more access. More from AARP Bulletin.

Metropolitan Travel Forecasting (September 11)
A Transportation Research Board (TRB) report, "Metropolitan Travel Forecasting: Current Practice and Future Direction," examines metropolitan travel forecasting models that provide public officials with information to inform decisions on major transportation system investments and policies. More from the TRB.

Transportation Vision and Strategies for the 21st Century (September 05)
A New Vision for the 21st Century is the fifth of seven reports developed by state transportation officials to provide information and policy recommendations to the the National Surface Transportation Policy and Revenue Study Commission.

Street Wise (August 01)
A study compared how well old-city street layouts handled traffic versus modern approaches. The results set off a firestorm. More from Governing.

How Commuters Get to Work (August 01)
Bike … walk … public transportation … carpool? Recently released Census data shows how commuters get to work. More from MuniNetGuide.

Watered-Down TEA (May 30)
This is supposed to be the era of enlightened federal transportation policy. Sometimes you have to wonder. More from Governing.

Web Sightings - Congestion Pricing (May 15)
Congestion pricing is the practice of charging fees to motorists to use a roadway, bridge or tunnel, especially during periods of heavy use, to ease traffic and encourage use of alternative modes of transportation. The topic for this month's Web Sightings is congestion pricing:

Getting Around in an Aging Society (May 09)
It is important that communities provide public transportation for older people to ease the transition from driving to nondriving, while still supporting an active lifestyle. More from Planning Magazine.

Changing Places (April 24)
Autos and airplanes have a lot in common with the Web and cell phones. Moving people and information around are both transformative. More from Governing.

TRB Report on Roundabouts (April 10)
A recently published report from the Transportation Research Board (TRB), Roundabouts in the United States, explores methods of estimating the safety and operational impacts of roundabouts and examines updated design criteria for roundabouts. More from the TRB.

Pay-as-You-Drive (PAYD) Insurance Pilot Project (April 10)
King County recently won a $1.9 million federal grant to help fund a new, five-year statewide pilot program to explore the viability of a "pay-per-mile" insurance strategy. More from King County's Department of Transportation.

Guidebook for Freight Policy, Planning, and Programming (March 27)
The Transportation Research Board's (TRB) Guidebook for Freight Policy, Planning, and Programming in Small- and Medium-Sized Metropolitan Areas explores how freight policy, planning, and programming processes can be most effectively designed, initiated, and managed. More from the TRB.

The Political Calculus of Congestion Pricing (March 22)
The political difficulty with congestion pricing is persuading people to do it in the first place, not in convincing them of its value after the fact. More from Transport Policy (Adobe Acrobat Document206KB).

Running a Railroad (February 14)
Its schedules are undependable, prices high and on-board service of middling quality. Yet demand for Amtrak’s inter-city service grows. More from Governing.

New Transportation Law Guidebook Available (January 03)
A new guidebook from the Surface Transportation Policy Partnership (STPP) reviews how federal surface transportation law can be used to support local and statewide efforts to build more livable communities and expand travel options. More from the STPP.

Bus Transit Service in Land Development Planning (December 28)
The Transportation Research Board's (TRB) report on Bus Transit Service in Land Development Planning examines successful strategies that assist in the incorporation of bus transit service into land developments, as well as the challenges that transit agencies face when attempting to do so. More from the TRB.

Transportation - Trip Tool (December 20)
Do you know where you're going? Do you know how you're going to get there? If not, never fear. With a new online service, search giant Google and King County, Wash., can help you figure it out. More from Government Technology.

Transportation - Private Assistance (December 20)
Not since the expansion of railroads in the 19th century has such a horde of international capitalists been so eager to invest in our transportation. More from Governing.

Neal Peirce: As We Add Millions, How do We Stay Mobile? (December 06)
By 2043, we're being told, there won't just be 300 million of us -- there will be 400 million. With the roadways around our metropolitan regions increasingly clogged, how will we ever stay mobile? More from the Washington Post Writers Group.

Commission Adopts Washington Transportation Plan (December 06)
The Washington State Transportation Commission recently adopted the updated 2007-2026 Washington Transportation Plan (WTP). More from WSDOT.

Smart City - Transportation is Fundamental (November 22)
This week's Smart City guests talk about current trends in transportation planning. More from Smart City.

Suburban Transit Services Guidebook Available (November 14)
The Transportation Research Board's (TRB) Guidebook for Evaluating, Selecting, and Implementing Suburban Transit Services examines the current status of suburban transit services and land-use environments and the relationship between the two. More from the TRB.

Commuting Costs Outweigh Savings of Living in Suburbs (October 17)
"Drive 'til you qualify" is an option used by many working families seeking affordable housing by moving to far-flung suburbs. But a new study from the Center for Housing Policy, A Heavy Load: The Combined Housing and Transportation Burdens of Working Families (Adobe Acrobat Document 4.5 MB), shows how high commuting costs outweigh the benefits of lower cost suburban housing in the long term.

Commuting in America III (October 17)
Based on the latest census information available, the Transportation Research Board's (TRB) Commuting in America III report contains 155 figures, 79 tables, and some 100 "factlets" that tell the story of America’s commuting trends and patterns over the last ten years. More from the TRB.

Parking Management Best Practices (October 03)
An excerpt from a new Planners Press book leads the way to more sensible parking solutions. More from Planning Magazine.

Does Highway Expansion Cure Traffic Congestion? (September 20)
A new report from the Victoria Transport Policy Institute, Smart Transportation Investments Reevaluating The Role Of Highway Expansion For Improving Urban Transportation (Adobe Acrobat Document 200kb), investigates claims that highway capacity expansion is a cost effective and desirable solution to urban traffic congestion problems.

Why Mobility Matters (September 20)
A new report from the Reason Foundation, Why Mobility Matters (Adobe Acrobat Document 878kb), describes how the freedom that mobility gives us is gradually being taken away by congestion and why we can no longer regard it as merely an everyday irritant.

All Aboard! (September 12)
Light rail - small passenger trains that, unlike underground trains or commuter railways, often use an overhead electricity source and may operate in the streets - is suddenly booming across America. More from The Economist.

How Rail Impacts Retail (September 12)
A successful transit line means a more intense commercial life around the stations, and that means higher property values, higher rents and the invasion of chain stores. More from Governing.

Building Roads to Reduce Traffic Congestion in America's Cities (September 12)
A study by the Reason Foundation finds that traffic delays in large areas will increase 65 percent and the number of congested lane-miles on urban roads will rise by over 50 percent in the next 25 years. More from the Reason Foundation.

Back Up on the Interstate (August 22)
The national highway system is marking its Golden Anniversary, but that’s not much cause for celebration. More from Governing.

Draft Washington Transportation Plan Released for Comment (July 26)
The Washington State Transportation Commission released the Draft Washington Transportation Plan Update on July 20, beginning a 45-day comment period to gather feedback on the plan. More from WSDOT News.

Telecommuting Hits the Road (July 26)
Internet access on buses and subways can turn car-centric commuters into mass transit riders — if the technology works. More from Governing.

Along the Tracks: A Tale of Transit Development (July 18)
Light rail has the potential to transform the transportation habits of hundreds of thousands of users. More from The Next American City.

Transportation - A Bridge Too Far (June 28)
Whether it’s widening an old road or upgrading an intersection, transportation changes the way an area develops and functions. More from Governing.

New Design Manual for Context Sensitive, Walkable Streets (May 24)
The Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) has developed Context Sensitive Solutions in Designing Major Urban Thoroughfares for Walkable Communities, which provides guidance for creating walkable and bikeable communities. More from ITE.

Guide to Contracting ITS Projects (May 02)
The Transportation Research Board's (TRB) Guide to Contracting ITS Projects publication provides guidance on the procurement of intelligent transportation systems (ITS) to regulate and facilitate traffic flow. More from the TRB.

Cities Offer Incentives for Green Vehicles (April 26)
While most drivers have to empty their pockets in search of meter money for downtown parking, some cities are offering free parking to drivers of fuel-efficient vehicles. More from American City & County.

Analyzing Investments in Bicycle Facilities (April 18)
A recent Transportation Research Board report, Guidelines for Analysis of Investments in Bicycle Facilities, provides methodologies and tools to estimate the cost of various bicycle facilities and for evaluating their potential value and benefits.

Innovative Solutions To Vehicle Parking Problems (March 29)
A cost-effective, integrated parking management program can often reduce parking requirements by 20-40%, while improving user convenience and helping to achieve other planning objectives. More from Planetizen.

Assessing the Economic Impact of Bicycle Facilities (March 29)
A recent Transportation Research Board study, Bikeways to Prosperity: Assessing the Economic Impact of Bicycle Facilities (Adobe Acrobat Document86kb), shows that public investments in bicycle facilities can yield economic returns that are nearly nine times their initial cost.

Impacts of the Aging Population on Transit Ridership (March 16)
The Transportation Research Board’s report, Estimating the Impacts of the Aging Population on Transit Ridership (Adobe Acrobat Document1253kb), outlines the key demographic factors that affect public transportation use, with a particular focus on how the aging demographics of the country will impact future transit ridership.

For Whom the Road Tolls (March 07)
Communities with traffic problems are turning to a pay-as-you-go system for highways. More from American City & County.

Wi-Fi Signals Wireless Internet Revolution (February 22)
Wireless Internet is on the move in urban, rural and suburban counties across the nation, and nowhere more literally than in King County, Washington, where 29 Metro transit buses have been equipped with wi-fi access. More from NACo's County News.

Land Use, Transportation, Air Quality and Health Study (February 14)
King County recently published the results of a study exploring how travel patterns, health, and overall quality of life are impacted by specific land use and transportation decisions. The report is available on the the county's Office of Regional Transportation Planning Web site.

Integrating Sustainability into Transportation Planning (February 08)
A recent Transportation Research Board (TRB) report takes a look at how sustainability objectives can be introduced into the planning process for surface transportation facilities and operations. More from the TRB.

DOT Grants Available for Improving Air Service to Small Communities (February 08)
The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) is currently accepting applications for grants under the Small Communities Air Service Development Program. More from Nation's Cities Weekly.

Rural Transit Services: Where Counties can go for Help (January 25)
Providing access to transportation for those with special needs is a critical issue for counties, and is especially acute for people in sparsely populated rural areas where public transit may not be available. More from NACo's County News.

New Ask MRSC E-newsletter (January 18)
Ask MRSC is a free, subscription-based, monthly e-mail newsletter featuring answers to selected questions received by our consultant staff. It's one more way for you to stay informed on current issues affecting city and county government. View a sample issue or go directly to our subscription page and sign up to receive Ask MRSC today. It's free!

Bellingham Replaces Meters with Parking Pay Stations (January 04)
Beginning in January 2006, hourly parking meters will be replaced with automated pay stations in several areas of downtown Bellingham. More from the city of Bellingham.

Traffic Safety - X Marks the Spot (December 20)
Crashes are twice as likely to occur at intersections where there is a signal compared to those with no controls (no signs nor signals) at all. More from the Institute of Transportation Studies' Berkeley Magazine.

Does Light Rail Pay for Itself? (December 20)
Among the arguments rail advocates use is that rail transit costs less to operate than buses. The savings, they say, will soon pay for the cost of rail construction. More from the Thoreau Institute.

Gas Prices: The Tipping Point Toward Better Development? (December 01)
The findings of a recent Urban Land Institute (ULI) study suggest that higher gas prices may be the "tipping point" that causes a general shift in consumer attitudes toward more concentrated development that is less reliant on autos for mobility. More from ULI.

Working Families Pushed Out of Town, Into Debt (December 01)
One way to close the gap between affordable home prices and rising transportation costs is putting people, homes, and jobs in closer proximity. More from the Michigan Land Use Institute.

New AGO re Regulating ORV's on City/County Roads (December 01)
A new attorney general's opinion (AGO 2005 No. 18) concludes that cities and counties may not permit the operation of off-road vehicles (ORVs) on roads within their boundaries unless such roads meet the definition of "nonhighway road" in RCW 46.09.020(7).

Traffic Calming Practice Revisited (December 01)
A recent artilce appearing in the Institute of Transportation Engineer's (ITE) journal compares the current traffic calming practices of 21 leading jurisdictions to practices that were documented in a 1997 study. More from the ITE Journal (Adobe Acrobat Document818kb) .

Telecommuting - The Quiet Success (November 17)
A recent study from the Reason Foundation, "The Quiet Success: Telecommuniting's Impact on Transportation and Beyond," (Adobe Acrobat Document100kb) shows that people working from home now outnumber mass transit commuters in 27 of the nation's 50 largest metropolitan areas.

The Return of the Grid (November 17)
After centuries of abuse, gridded streets are finally getting some respect. More from Governing.

Transportation - Making the Connection (October 25)
Regardless of their size, communities can realize three major benefits from better connectivity: shorter trips; a wider variety of travel choices; and more cost-effective public services and infrastructure. More from the Planning Commissioners Journal (Adobe Acrobat Document547kb).

Top Ten Trends: Traffic Enforcement (October 19)
From hamlets to major cities, whenever a law enforcement agency conducts a citizen survey, traffic issues emerge as the number one concern that the community wants the police to address more effectively. More from The Police Chief.

Zen & the Art of Bicycling (October 11)
How can public policies make cycling safer and encourage people to ride more often? Hint: It doesn’t involve helmets. More from Governing.

What Features Make Communities More Walkable? (October 11)
The King County Land Use, Transportation, Air Quality and Health Study (executive summary) (Adobe Acrobat Document935kb) examines the features that help cities and suburban neighborhoods to become less auto-dependent and more foot-friendly.

Rethinking the Urban Speedway (October 05)
For decades, highway engineers focused on designing wider, straighter, faster roads. Now, moving traffic quickly is no longer the sole goal. More from Governing.

Transportation Planning - Lessons From Katrina and Rita (September 27)
A recent paper from the Victoria Transport Policy Institute, "Lessons From Katrina and Rita - What Major Disasters Can Teach Transportation Planners," (Adobe Acrobat Document150kb) examines failures in hurricane Katrina and Rita emergency response and their lessons for transportation planning.

Metro Bus Riders Test County's First Rolling WiFi Hotspots (September 27)
King County Executive Ron Sims and Metro Transit officials recently launched a pilot effort to turn transit buses into rolling WiFi hotspots. More from Government Technology.

Public Transportation Emergency Operations Guide (August 30)
The Transportation Research Board's report, Public Transportation Security, Volume 7 -- Public Transportation Emergency Mobilization and Emergency Operations Guide, examines activities that may be taken by public transportation agencies to promote the early recognition and response to emergency events.

Fleet Management - Driving Forces (August 30)
High oil prices are not the only thing fueling demand for hybrid vehicles by public fleet managers. More from American City and County.

Fleet Management - Fueling up for Winter (August 16)
While summer is still the best time to purchase energy, buyers should focus on price shopping as early as possible to get the best deals. More from American City & County.

America's Crumbling Infrastructure--And How to Fix It (August 16)
The American Society of Civil Engineers recently judged the country on 15 infrastructure categories and awarded the U.S. an overall grade of "D," estimating that $1.6 trillion needs to be invested in the next five years to solve current and looming infrastructure problems. More from Metropolis Magazine.

Stuck in Traffic? IT Can Ease the Commute (August 16)
There are a number of technology-related initiatives that promise to ease our chronic traffic woes. More from CIO.

Initiative 912 on Fall 2005 Ballot (August 02)
Initiative 912 has qualified for the November 2005 ballot. This measure would repeal a motor vehicle fuel tax rate increase enacted by the 2005 session of the Legislature for state-wide transportation purposes and would reduce funding for many critical state and local transportation projects.

Privatizing State Highways (July 26)
In Virginia a consortium of road builders and operators has offered the state $1 billion in return for revenue generated by a toll road, and the consortium will pay for maintenance costs. Could a similar approach be used in our state? More from the Washington Post.

Smart City - New Uses for Old Railroads (July 19)
Imagining new uses for outdated railroads is creating exciting new opportunities for central cities. This week's guests on Smart City™ talk about the High Line in New York and the Belt Line in Atlanta.

Web Sightings - Parking (July 13)
Parking issues, including supply and demand, pricing, and off-street parking standards, are challenging local governments, which must balance the reality of parking needs with the goal of reducing dependence on the automobile. This month we’ve selected a few sites addressing parking, including some new pages developed by MRSC:

Parking Issues from Cities

Terrorism, Transit and Public Safety (July 13)
A new paper from the Victoria Transport Policy Institute, "Terrorism, Transit and Public Safety Evaluating the Risks," (Adobe Acrobat Document100kb) argues that transit terrorism would cause more total casualties and harm to society if individuals respond to attacks by shifting from public transit to less safe modes.

Protecting America's Roads and Transit Against Terrorism (July 13)
A recent Brookings Institution report, "On the Ground: Protecting America's Roads and Transit Against Terrorism," examines surface transportation security needs, making policy recommendations while counseling decisionmakers to weigh carefully the trade-offs between accessibility and security.

WSDOT Grants for Local Transportation Projects (July 13)
Communities across the state have an opportunity to enhance their transportation system and improve safety through several grant programs being offered by the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT). More from WSDOT.

Study Ranks Metropolitan Areas by Transportation and Housing Costs (July 06)
A new report from the Transportation Research Board (TRB) ranks 28 metropolitan areas by their transportation and housing costs and recommends specific actions governments can take to reduce the burden of transportation costs on families. More from the TRB.

Streets Are People Places (June 29)
The first step in winning back our communities is realizing that cars should not rule the roads. More from Making Places.

Nursing Budgets over Case of High Fuel Cost (June 21)
Many cities and counties budgeted for higher fuel prices this year. Little did they know the average increase would be 42 percent for gasoline and 57 percent for diesel fuel. More from American City & County.