San Diego's bus rapid transit line, open for nine months, hasn't improved transit service along El Cajon Boulevard. Critics blame cuts to the original plan.
"El Cajon Boulevard has a ways to go before it becomes the transit corridor planners envision," reports Zoe Schaver.
San Diego's Mid-City Rapid 215 route—a bus rapid transit (BRT) project that took a year to develop and cut many of the benefits of full BRT configuration along the way—has received poor reviews on multiple measures of transit service.
According to Schaver, "[t]he Rapid project, which took a decade to develop, was meant to follow the bus rapid transit, or BRT, model. Initial plans promised a dedicated lane for buses and transit stops with ticketing machines that would speed up the boarding process. Instead, it has a dedicated lane for a short stretch, but shares the road with other cars for most of its route."
The article goes on to explain the cuts (hint: "community pushback)" and begins to explain the implications of the route's poor performance through a corridor that has seen increasing amounts of development investment.
FULL STORY: Rapid Bus Isn’t as Rapid as Everyone Hoped
Bus Rapid Transit In Name Only
San Diego provides a case study for how bus rapid transit sometimes fails to meet the standards befitting its name.
Activist and Urbanist Collaborate for San Diego's North Park
San Diego's diverse urban North Park Community, once a victim of suburban flight, is now dealing with urban remigration. Urban planner Howard Blackson and community activist Don Leichtling collaborate on community plan update recommendations.
Colorado Lawmakers Move to Protect BRT Funding
In the face of potential federal funding cuts, CDOT leaders reasserted their commitment to planned bus rapid transit projects.
Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage
Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
The 120 Year Old Tiny Home Villages That Sheltered San Francisco’s Earthquake Refugees
More than a century ago, San Francisco mobilized to house thousands of residents displaced by the 1906 earthquake. Could their strategy offer a model for the present?
Ken Jennings Launches Transit Web Series
The Jeopardy champ wants you to ride public transit.
BLM To Rescind Public Lands Rule
The change will downgrade conservation, once again putting federal land at risk for mining and other extractive uses.
Indy Neighborhood Group Builds Temporary Multi-Use Path
Community members, aided in part by funding from the city, repurposed a vehicle lane to create a protected bike and pedestrian path for the summer season.
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.
Clanton & Associates, Inc.
Jessamine County Fiscal Court
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
Salt Lake City
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service