Via’s Post

An insightful discussion with a veteran of the industry, David Stillman - what more could we ask for? 💡 Learn all about #MicroTransit , on-demand services, and a whole lot more with this interview by Via! #TransitInnovation

From smart ticketing solutions to real-time updates, technology is shaping the future of urban transportation. Here are the top 3 ways public transit systems are modernizing their offerings: https://hubs.ly/Q01-Q6dj0 #publictransit #transportation #publicsector #transit

Did you know? A new type of public transportation is now becoming mainstream in the US. It’s called on-demand microtransit, and it’s supplementing traditional fixed-route transit, making the entire transportation network more accessible for all. 📰 👉 Read more about how this tech-enabled mobility option is transforming US cities and communities worldwide: https://lnkd.in/dQfzYVQ9

Public transit in mid-sized cities like Baltimore and Orlando faces reliability challenges due to sprawling, car-dependent metro areas. Limited infrastructure, staffing shortages, and budget constraints hinder service improvements, making it crucial to address these issues for effective transit networks. https://lnkd.in/g__2vEnz #TransitStruggles #UrbanMobility #PublicTransitIssues #CityTransportation #TransitInfrastructure

15 Cities with the Worst Public Transit in the US Houston is 5th, Dallas is 3rd and Austin is 15th. We need efficient public transportation but we can't ignore that Intelligent Infrastructure and regional networks of advanced technology centers are workforce multipliers in the 21st Century. It is time to leapfrog metropolitan design thinking and planning towards a more secure and distributed economy. https://lnkd.in/gyX3AwRk

Of all my smart transportation case studies, Boston is the most fascinating. It's a living proof that slow governance is the only working form of administration when it comes to technology in the public sector. Boston is a city with strong labour unions, which are good at negotiations. Boston’s political climate manifests in its strong culture of public engagement, which does not allow the municipality or any other actor to push for technological solutions that do not bring clear advantages to the residents. What some respondents see as a “slow adoption” of digital technologies, in practice, is a well-balanced, iterative process that allows for weeding out solutions that are flawed or do not serve the public interest. Unlike other cities, which often rush into agreements with technology vendors and have no in-house experts to evaluate the technological solutions they deploy, Boston has created the Mayor’s Office of New Urban Mechanics to explore how technological solutions can be deployed to address the city’s biggest challenges. The New Urban Mechanics is authorized to spend up to $10,000 to test any solution. Thanks to this policy, the city has run various pilot projects over the past thirteen years, from parking apps to smart traffic signals to an engagement center for homeless people. When a test is successful, the Office of New Urban Mechanics works with other city departments to implement them permanently. Among the latest priorities of the Office of New Urban Mechanics have been traffic safety (specifically for cyclists) and access to transportation for people who live outside of the city core. In 2017, the City of Boston released Go Boston 2030. In this ambitious plan, the municipality promised to reduce the amount of car travel within the city, invest in new public transit routes, build more bike lanes, reduce the number of traffic fatalities, and reduce the overall level of greenhouse emissions. As of 2023, many of these goals have been achieved. Specifically, the City of Boston managed to reduce the number of traffic collisions by 30% ; the municipality installed new traffic signals that prioritize bicyclists and pedestrians; and the MBTA implemented new dedicated bus lanes. #technology #governance #transportation #publicadministration

Using information from the National Transit Database (NTD), ThinkTennessee analyzed transit data for the largest 35 metro regions, including Nashville. The data tells a clear story: all cities, regardless of size or region, can be high-performing transit cities if they invest in increasing service and are committed to prioritizing transit over private vehicles, particularly in the densest part of the urban core. The best-performing transit cities have invested in robust frequent bus service, and a network of dedicated-lane, high-capacity corridors combining bus rapid transit (BRT) and rail transit. Our new research report shows that Nashville’s current transit system is underfunded, provides low levels of service, and is underperforming; however, it also reveals promising insights from comparable cities that could help inform the design of the proposed transit plan. Read the full report at https://lnkd.in/evATvwRQ #transit #publictransit #transitreferendum #Nashvilletransit #busrapidtransit #lightrailtransit

Nashville faces unique challenges, but there are plenty of lessons we can learn from peer cities. Investing in #transit is definitely one of them. With the right investments today, Nashville could increase its transit ridership by 600-800% as we grow to 3 million people. #transitisessential #transitforall #citiesforpeople

Individual freedoms are directly tied to mobility. There is no way around it. We can provide housing, but if residents can’t get from their housing to work, food, healthcare, social engagements, etc., then what do they have? We really have to adopt a ‘mobility-first’ mentality in development. #transitisessential

A study by Argonne and #MIT reveals the significant impacts of losing #publictransit in the #Chicago region, from #pollution spikes to increased traffic congestion to economic downturns. Public transit is vital to Chicago’s metropolitan area mobility, providing access to jobs, services and opportunities, but lower ridership and funding uncertainty are prompting the question of what would happen if public transit wasn’t an option. A recent study led by the U.S. Department of Energy’s (#DOE) Argonne National Laboratory, in collaboration with Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), reveals that the Chicago region would face severe consequences if its public transportation system was eliminated. The research, presented at a Chicago Transit Authority (#CTA) board meeting in May, identifies major consequences, including increased vehicle congestion, reduced economic activity and a disproportionate impact on underserved communities and minorities. Image from Argonne Lab & Chicago Transit Authority “Everyone agrees transit is important but exactly how much and to whom remain open questions,” said Omer Verbas, transportation system engineer at Argonne and technical lead of the study. “This study is one of the first to our knowledge to quantify transit value across multiple metrics.” Using Argonne’s POLARIS transportation simulation tool, researchers modeled a day in Chicago without public transit. The study assumed that households who did not currently own a car as well as those who owned only one would need to purchase additional vehicles, leading to a 30% increase in vehicle car ownership and causing an economic burden on those households. “Everyone agrees transit is important but exactly how much and to whom remain open questions.” — Omer Verbas, transportation system engineer at Argonne . “Our results indicated that travel times would increase from around 25 to 34 minutes, and speeds would decrease from 16 mph to 11 mph within the city,” said Verbas. “Regionally, travel speeds would decrease by 16% and travel times would increase by 14%, impacting both urban and suburban areas.” Public transit also plays a crucial role in supporting care trips in the Chicago region, such as daycare or school drop offs and pickups, grocery shopping and medical appointments. The study found that more care trips are made than trips to work. “The point of any transit system is to offer people access to opportunities,” said Jim Aloisi, director of the MIT Transit Research Consortium. “In Chicago, transit provides access to people across the city, but especially to those living in the south and west sides. Without that access, many people simply cancel their activities. The analysis highlighted the disproportional impact on women and low-income groups, as women account for slightly over 50% of activity cancellations, while the lowest 20% income group accounts for over a quarter of activity cancellations.”