A NACTO report highlights the importance of bus-friendly policies and infrastructure for boosting ridership numbers and reducing urban congestion and pollution.
To grow bus ridership, improve service. That’s the conclusion of a new (but unsurprising) report from the National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO), writes Dan Zukowski in Smart Cities Dive.
More specifically, the report highlights three key areas where transit agencies and city officials can take action: ensuring all-day, frequent bus service; redesigning streets for buses with dedicated bus lanes, signal priority, and improved infrastructure; and adopting broader policy reforms that support transit, such as adjusting parking fees, discouraging driving, and promoting walkability and mixed-use development.
The report provides examples of successful initiatives, such as New York City’s 14th Street busway and transit signal priority in Minneapolis. It also highlights the potential for speedy action from local agencies. “For example, faced with the need to shut down a major subway line for repairs this month, Boston quickly created dedicated bus lanes and implemented parking restrictions along several major streets to allow for temporary shuttle bus services.”
FULL STORY: Dedicated lanes, frequent service key to increasing bus ridership: NACTO
NYC Bus Service Hindered by Congestion
Sharing lanes with car traffic may make it impossible for the MTA to increase service frequency.
Los Angeles Adding 30 Miles of Bus Lanes in 2023
An ambitious plan to improve L.A. County’s bus network is bearing fruit.
D.C. Bus Priority Plan To Expand Bus Lanes and Improve Service
A new plan from DDOT describes 51 bus priority projects aimed at improving service and making transit accessible to more D.C. commuters and residents.
What ‘The Brutalist’ Teaches Us About Modern Cities
How architecture and urban landscapes reflect the trauma and dysfunction of the post-war experience.
‘Complete Streets’ Webpage Deleted in Federal Purge
Basic resources and information on building bike lanes and sidewalks, formerly housed on the government’s Complete Streets website, are now gone.
The VW Bus is Back — Now as an Electric Minivan
Volkswagen’s ID. Buzz reimagines its iconic Bus as a fully electric minivan, blending retro design with modern technology, a 231-mile range, and practical versatility to offer a stylish yet functional EV for the future.
Healing Through Parks: Altadena’s Path to Recovery After the Eaton Fire
In the wake of the Eaton Fire, Altadena is uniting to restore Loma Alta Park, creating a renewed space for recreation, community gathering, and resilience.
San Diego to Rescind Multi-Unit ADU Rule
The city wants to close a loophole that allowed developers to build apartment buildings on single-family lots as ADUs.
Electric Vehicles for All? Study Finds Disparities in Access and Incentives
A new UCLA study finds that while California has made progress in electric vehicle adoption, disadvantaged communities remain underserved in EV incentives, ownership, and charging access, requiring targeted policy changes to advance equity.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
City of Albany
UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
City of Piedmont, CA
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research