The Hub 10/26/18: Clean Air Council’s Weekly Round-Up of Transportation News
“The Hub” is a weekly round-up of transportation related news in the Philadelphia area and beyond. Check back weekly to keep up to date on the issues Clean Air Council’s transportation staff finds important.
PlanPhilly: Good news and the bad in Philadelphia’s transportation plan – Philadelphia is a bustling city with very old street infrastructure. The city’s new transportation plan seeks to update these narrow streets to move more people and things than ever before. The formation of the University City Transportation Management Association (TMA) is a key part of the strategy.
Strong Towns: Can the Dutch Strategy for Cycling Work in North America? – Building the Cycling City: The Dutch Blueprint For Urban Vitality is a new book of strategies planners can use to encourage safer cycling. One concept shows a well designed cycling infrastructure actually compliments a city’s transit system rather than decreasing ridership.
Mobility Lab: Climate change doesn’t stop people from driving alone. But behavior modeling can. – People are more likely to change a habit because it benefits them directly than if they only see it as benefiting society as a whole. Commutes are no different. Focus on why commuting sustainably is important to you and you will be more successful in breaking the automobile habit.
Streets Blog: Study: Uber and Lyft are Increasing Traffic Deaths – Not only are ride hailing companies clogging our streets, they are making them inherently more dangerous. The study shows that Uber and Lyft have increased traffic 2-3% nationwide, which translates to an increase in traffic fatalities. The study also claims Uber and Lyft have had no effect on the rates of impaired driving.
City Lab: France Plans Congestion Pricing for Big Cities – French cities are taking bold steps to reduce air pollution. France is currently drafting legislation that would allow cities of over 100,000 to levy a congestion charge of €2.50 for personal vehicles and up to €10 for commercial vehicles. The fees could be up to double in cities of 500,000 or more. The scale of the French plan is ambitious, even though the fees are much lower than London’s congestion pricing.
Image Source: Strong Towns
