Planning in the News by

Public Transport in the United States

Nicolas_Palacio — 2025-01-23 01:48:57 UTC

by Nicolas Palacio

UTA is restoring bus routes cut by the pandemic and adding new ones in a suburb near you

Nicolas_Palacio — 2025-01-23 07:02:02 UTC

Miller, J. (2025, January 15). UTA is restoring bus routes cut by the pandemic and adding new ones in a suburb near you. The Salt Lake Tribune. https://www.sltrib.com/news/2025/01/15/uta-is-restoring-adding-bus-routes/

Summary

Nicolas_Palacio — 2025-01-23 07:04:33 UTC

This article describes the expansion and restoration of bus routes in Utah. The capabilities and size of the Utah Transit Authority decreased during Covid but now they are pushing new expansion. The UTA has seen a jump in public transport use in the past year and they are responding accordingly. They anticipate this plan will help mobility and to stimulate the local economy.

Descriptive Points

Nicolas_Palacio — 2025-01-23 07:06:29 UTC

City/Region Information

Nicolas_Palacio — 2025-01-23 07:07:19 UTC

Salt lake city - Salt Lake City is the largest city in the state of Utah. The city itself has a population of over a million and the larger metropolitan area nearly 3 million. It is generally most well known for its nature, art and the Mormon church.

Stakeholders

Nicolas_Palacio — 2025-01-23 07:08:13 UTC

Working class people who need effective transport benefit. Those looking for work benefit from potential work directly related to transportation or the local industry supplying railcars to the UTA.

Planning Considerations

Nicolas_Palacio — 2025-01-23 07:09:05 UTC

Finding where the transit is most needed and designing routes that will fit the needs of as many people as possible.

Pros vs Cons

Nicolas_Palacio — 2025-01-23 07:12:32 UTC

Pros - provide a cheap option for people to get to work, will likely reduce emissions and stimulate the local economy.

Cons - May hurt the automotive industry, and needs a large sum of public funds.

City/Region

Nicolas_Palacio — 2025-01-23 07:12:45 UTC

Boston is the 11th largest city in the country and has been a notable city throughout most of American history. The city has had many controversial planning initiatives in the past and is generally known for its importance in revolutionary history and the world-class institutions of higher education.

Changes to Policy

Nicolas_Palacio — 2025-01-23 07:20:21 UTC

Renewed focus on public transit and a focus on making sure the growth will benefit those living in the city in particular. Addition of “Go Routes” which are routes with very frequent bus arrivals for specific locations.

Reaction

Nicolas_Palacio — 2025-01-23 07:21:16 UTC

I found it interesting and admirable how reactive the city government of Salt Lake City was to the needs of its people. They saw the growing population and increased use and quickly expanded their public transit capabilities. I generally have a positive outlook on the expansion of public transportation, it is good for the environment and really helps to give more options to those who may have trouble affording a car. This only affects me tangentially in the way that hopefully it is a sign of a trend of more local efforts to increase public transit viability.

Massachusetts Unveils $8 Billion Funding Plan for Public Transit

Nicolas_Palacio — 2025-01-23 07:24:41 UTC

Taylor, S. (2025, January 14). Massachusetts unveils $8 billion funding plan for public transit. Bloomberg.com. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-01-14/massachusetts-unveils-8-billion-funding-plan-for-public-transit?leadSource=uverify+wall

Summary

Nicolas_Palacio — 2025-01-23 07:26:58 UTC

The Massachusetts state government intends to invest 8 billion dollars into a revamp of its transportation infrastructure. A big part of this is being dedicated to the aging Boston subway. The governor plans to fund this through the State’s millionaire tax which is an additional 4% tax on income over 1 million dollars. The plan has a wide scope and is set out to improve roads, bridges and public transit all across the state.

Descriptive Points

Nicolas_Palacio — 2025-01-23 07:29:57 UTC

Stakeholders

Nicolas_Palacio — 2025-01-23 07:30:59 UTC

The entire state of Massachusetts will be affected, anyone who commutes to work, uses public transit, or works in construction and related industries

Planning Considerations

Nicolas_Palacio — 2025-01-23 07:31:57 UTC

Planning for road closure, road expansion, new construction, analyzing best places to put new bridges roads and possible subway expansion.

Planning Considerations

Nicolas_Palacio — 2025-01-23 07:32:34 UTC

Planning for road closure, road expansion, new construction, analyzing best places to put new bridges roads, and possible subway expansion.

Pros vs Cons

Nicolas_Palacio — 2025-01-23 07:33:37 UTC

Pros - Huge economic stimulation, rejuvenated city, mass employment

Cons - Road closures, likely temporary congestion, very expensive

Changes to Policy

Nicolas_Palacio — 2025-01-23 07:35:14 UTC

No raise in taxes for working class, huge project funded by millionaire tax in Massachusetts

Nicolas_Palacio — 2025-01-23 07:38:55 UTC

Nicolas_Palacio — 2025-01-23 07:39:27 UTC

Reaction

Nicolas_Palacio — 2025-01-23 07:40:42 UTC

I found the scale and the way this project is being funded is very interesting. It is a good example of using taxing the rich to further equality and help working class people through economic stimulation and better transit quality and options. I feel good but skeptical of big projects like this, while I do think big projects are great for economic stimulation they can also end up taking a lot longer and becoming a lot more expensive than they originally project.

Nicolas_Palacio — 2025-01-23 07:41:42 UTC

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Nicolas_Palacio — 2025-01-23 07:49:42 UTC

Transit Agencies Are Taking Small Steps Toward Family-Friendly Systems

Nicolas_Palacio — 2025-01-23 07:52:53 UTC

Pan, H. J. (2023, February 27). Transit agencies are taking small steps toward family-friendly systems. Next City. https://nextcity.org/urbanist-news/transit-agencies-are-taking-small-steps-toward-family-friendly-systems

Summary

Nicolas_Palacio — 2025-01-23 07:53:58 UTC

A trend across the country to support women and families better on public transportation. Spearheaded by the Tri Delta Transit, accommodations like places to park strollers and preferred seating for pregnant women have been implemented. Many agencies have recognized the bias in the field of transportation planning which was largely male and took steps to implement systems to help women and mothers in particular.

Nicolas_Palacio — 2025-01-23 07:54:09 UTC

Descriptive points

Nicolas_Palacio — 2025-01-23 07:55:37 UTC

City/Region

Nicolas_Palacio — 2025-01-23 07:56:27 UTC

Contra Coast County - Contra Costa County is a largely suburban part of the bay area bordering the dense urban centers of San Francisco and Sacramento. It is also prominent for some of its agricultural output.

Stakeholders

Nicolas_Palacio — 2025-01-23 07:57:54 UTC

Easier use of transit for mothers and families.

Planning Considerations

Nicolas_Palacio — 2025-01-23 07:58:26 UTC

Accessibility

Changes to policy

Nicolas_Palacio — 2025-01-23 07:59:04 UTC

Space designated for pregnant women and strollers

Status

Nicolas_Palacio — 2025-01-23 08:00:04 UTC

Already been implemented in Contra County and is being discussed in L.A county

Status

Nicolas_Palacio — 2025-01-23 08:00:37 UTC

The differing aspects of the expansion will finish at different points but it seems the majority will be completed between February and April of this year.

Status

Nicolas_Palacio — 2025-01-23 08:01:18 UTC

Will be implemented as part of the 2026 budget

Reaction

Nicolas_Palacio — 2025-01-23 08:02:09 UTC

I thought this article was interesting because as a young man accommodations like this are not always something I consider but they are an important part of planning. I think this is good, mothers of young children have some of the hardest times getting through the sometimes exhausting public transit systems. Making things a little easier on them seems well worth it. Having systems like this in place would make one aspect of starting a family easier and more appealing

Nicolas_Palacio — 2025-01-23 08:02:25 UTC

Comparison

Nicolas_Palacio — 2025-01-23 08:03:53 UTC

The three articles all focus on public transit in U.S. cities but all the projects are on very different scales. Massachusetts has a massive transportation renewal plan, Salt Lake City has a moderate but significant rejuvenation of their public transit in the works and Contra County addressed one very particular issue they felt was important in their transportation system. The article that stood out to me the most was the Bloomberg article covering the Massachusetts funding plan for transportation, mostly due to the way it was being funded. Naturally when huge budgets like the 8 billion being proposed by the Massachusetts government the question is always, how are we going to pay for it? The solution proposed I think is a common sense and effective one, using a tax on the wealthy to benefit the state as a whole. While the Bloomberg article was the most enlightening for me the Next City article on family-friendly transit systems was the most thorough, analyzing a wide timespan of family-friendly transit developments.

Nicolas_Palacio — 2025-01-23 17:47:29 UTC

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