New York implemented bus rapid transit with the Select Bus Service, but has yet to develop the kind of busways found in Bogota or Guangzhou. Will a route in Queens deliver the full BRT experience?
Dana Rubinstein reports that officials with the New York City Department of Transportation recently presented three design concepts for a bus rapid transit corridor in Queens for public consideration.
According to Rubinstein, the corridor ranges "from the timid species of bus rapid transit the city and the M.T.A. operate in places like First and Second avenues and 34th Street, to the more robust variety available in cities around the world." Rubinstein describes the latter proposal as "one with buses running along center medians, uninterrupted by double-parked cars or drivers turning right."
"The bus rapid transit route would run along the Q52 and Q53 lines, which run carry some 30,000 riders a day from central Queens into the Rockaways."
FULL STORY: City unveils ‘design concepts’ for better buses in Queens
'Select Bus Service' in Queens Doubles in Price
The planning process has revealed a "select bus service" proposal for Queens to require a lot more time and funding than originally thought.
A Vision Zero Success Story in New York
The 300-foot wide Queens Boulevard has been known as the Boulevard of Death. Since 1990, it has claimed 186 lives, 74 percent being pedestrians, including 18 in 1997 alone. A series of safety improvements have brought fatalities to zero since 2014.
Report: NYC Bus System in Crisis
A new report cites decreased ridership and dismal service despite a growing need for more and better routes.
What ‘The Brutalist’ Teaches Us About Modern Cities
How architecture and urban landscapes reflect the trauma and dysfunction of the post-war experience.
USDOT Revokes Approval for NYC Congestion Pricing
Despite the administration’s stated concern for the “working class,” 85 percent of Manhattan commuters use public transit to enter the city.
Tiny House Villages for Addressing Homelessness: An Interview with Yetimoni Kpeebi
One researcher's perspective on the potential of tiny homes and owner-built housing as one tool to fight the housing crisis.
Preserving Altadena’s Trees: A Community Effort to Save a Fire-Damaged Landscape
In the wake of the Eaton Fire, Altadena Green is working to preserve fire-damaged but recoverable trees, advocating for better assessment processes, educating homeowners, and protecting the community’s urban canopy from unnecessary removal.
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.
Investigation Reveals Just How Badly California’s Homeless Shelters are Failing
Fraud, violence, death, and chaos follow a billion dollar investment in a temporary solution that is proving ineffective.
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.
Economic & Planning Systems, Inc.
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