Beer company pays for #freetransit, claims it “keep our streets safe and prevent drunk driving on major holidays and throughout the year”

economist: " MillerCoors, a brewer, is paying for rides on the city’s Metro trains and buses, covering all fares between midnight and 3am on Thursday night. It is part of the company’s Miller Lite Free Rides programme, which will extend to transit systems in nine American metropolitan areas on New Year’s Eve, and has previously paid for nearly 5m holiday and special-event rides over 28 years. Travellers on the “L” in Chicago, DART in Dallas and the Metro Transit in the Minnesota Twin Cities will also be among those receiving free rides on Thursday."

#Publictransit is for people not planners

panampost : "Mass transit should have few, if any frills. Rail lines may make urban planners jump for joy, but when building a single light-rail line costs over 21 times the cost of a totally rebuilt bus system, they need to reassess their priorities. The key is for planners not to design systems that they want to ride, but systems that people who have no other option actually will ride.+

This is where the Baltimore plan excels. It is not transit designed for planners. It’s designed for the minimum-wage worker with a job across the city, or for people trekking to jobs in distant suburbs. And that’s where this plan succeeds, especially when compared to the alternative."

Buses should come before rail

Gov. Larry Hogan unveils $135M mass transit investment for Baltimore | Maryland News - WBAL Home: "The Maryland Public Policy Institute issued a statement, saying the plan is a win for commuters and taxpayers: "The Hogan Administration's plan is Baltimore's ticket to a more flexible, efficient and commuter-friendly transit plan for commuters and taxpayers alike. Nonpartisan research from our institute and others consistently shows that high-frequency bus systems better serve both commuters and taxpayers than fixed rail projects, which bust budgets and commutes. We are heartened to see this plan enjoys bipartisan support at the local and state level, including City Council President Bernard C. 'Jack' Young.""

DC Metro service going downhill, while US spends $9 million a day bombing for oil

"WAMU 88.5 has received scores of emails and tweets from Metrorail riders who are quitting the system after the lousy summer that ended on a regrettably fitting note: on Sept. 21 a transformer fire at Metro’s power substation near Stadium-Armory will cause service disruptions for at least six months on the Blue, Orange, and Silver Lines."

Baltimore free circulator service to expand to more areas

Best (And Only) Public Transportation Expansion: The Circulator's Purple Route - Baltimore City Paper: "After years of being on the table, the Circulator’s Purple Route is finally going to be extended north to 33rd Street, bringing the free bus service to Charles Village, Old Goucher, and the surrounding neighborhoods. "

How slugging works in Washington DC suburbs - sharing rides to work

Fredericksburg.com: "A form of Washington commuting. People assemble at meeting points and form a line. Drivers stop at the line and shout, “Pentagon!” “14th Street and F!” “Rosslyn!” The first people in line headed for these destinations hop in the car. Drivers gather enough people to use the I–95 express lanes for a free ride to work. The “slug” lines work in reverse in the afternoon, forming at the morning drop-off locations. There’s no fee or paperwork required to participate, for drivers or slugs. Just get in line. Veteran slugs carry laminated signs listing their morning and afternoon destinations. Visit slug-lines.com for a complete list of meeting places, times and social norms surrounding this practice."

Baltimore fare-free circulator a success

Baltimore Sun: "Even in its somewhat budget-trimmed version, the Charm City Circulator has injected a welcome burst of fresh air into a stagnant urban transit picture. The jaunty Circulator has made a difference along the Charles Street corridor. It has done an amazing job of knitting neighborhoods together. I've been amazed at the way it has been embraced and defended."

Public transportation is vital in Prince William

Potomac Local: "Public transportation is a vital service to any community that hopes to thrive and attract residents and job creators.  As our children grow up, start families of their own and enter the workforce, it is very clear that their needs and values are different than ours were.  They want town centers and activities.  They prefer communities with the option of public transportation.  If Prince William County hopes to be a community of choice in the years to come, to offer the value proposition that will attract families and businesses, our local government must invest in public transportation."

New APP helps you commute #carfree in DC

Car-Free Commuting Just Got a Whole Lot Easier in D.C. - CityLab: "“People are looking for options to get to work. Particularly options that don't involve driving their car.”"

Injustice at the Intersection

Dissent Magazine: "Beneath a veneer of scientific neutrality, traffic engineering operates to the prejudice of anyone on foot. The objective is to move motor vehicles; those who walk, whether they do so by choice or by necessity, are little more than obstacles. Dissidents within the traffic engineering profession have begun to challenge this philosophy, but innovation, even when it revives the practices of a century ago, encounters fierce resistance from highway traditionalists."



photo Georgia pedestrians (Stephen Lee Davis / Transportation for America)