Trains, Buses, People: An Opinionated Atlas of US Transit

264 Pages·2018·149.197 MB·English

by  Christof Spieler

TRAINS, BUSES, PEOPLE
AN OPINIONATED ATLAS OF US TRANSIT
...........................................................................................................................
CHRISTOF SPIELER

TRAINS, BUSES, PEOPLE

TRAINS, BUSES, PEOPLE
AN OPINIONATED ATLAS
OF US TRANSIT
CHRISTOF SPIELER

Washington | Covelo | London
Copyright © 2018 Christof Spieler
All rights reserved under International and
Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without
permission in writing from the publisher: Island Press, 2000 M Street NW, Suite 650, Washington, DC 20036
Island Press is a trademark of The Center for Resource Economics.
Library of Congress Control Number: 2018946756
All Island Press books are printed on environmentally responsible materials.
Manufactured in the United States of America
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2
Keywords: Activity, Albuquerque, Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Buffalo, Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), Charlotte, Chicago,
Cincinnati, Cleveland, commuter rail, Dallas, density, Denver, Detroit, El Paso, Eugene, Fort Collins, Hartford, heavy
rail, Honolulu, Houston, Jacksonville, Kansas City, Las Vegas, light rail, Little Rock, Los Angeles, Memphis, Miami,
Milwaukee, Minneapolis–St. Paul, modal equality, monorail, Nashville, New Orleans, New York, Norfolk, Oklahoma
City, Orlando, peoplemover, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, Portland, Richmond, Sacramento, Salt Lake City, San
Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, streetcars, St. Louis, Tampa, transit connectivity, transit frequency, travel time, Tucson,
Washington, DC
FOR KIMBERLY,
without whose encouragement this book would not exist,
and also for Al, who loves urbanity.

CONTENTS
Acknowledgments xi
Introduction: Transit Where the People Are 1
PART 1
THE ROLE OF TRANSIT IN THE US 5
What Transit Does Well 6
The History of Transit 8
Modes 10
Hopes and Fears 12
Funding and Governance 14
PART 2
BASICS OF SUCCESSFUL TRANSIT 17
Density 18
Activity 20
Walkability 22
Connectivity 24
Frequency 26
Travel Time 28
Reliability 30
Capacity 32
Legibility 34
Good Ideas from Abroad 36
PART 3
METRO AREAS 38
The Best and the Worst 42
The 47 Transit Areas (See detail on following page) 44
Conclusion: A Transit Agenda for the Future of our Cities 242
Index 245
x Contents
Metro Areas by Population Metro Areas in Alphabetical Order
1. New York (NY) 44 1. Albuquerque (NM) 226
2. Los Angeles (CA) 58 2. Atlanta (GA) 128
3. Chicago (IL) 68 3. Austin (TX) 202
4. Washington, DC 76 4. Boston (MA) 92
5. San Francisco (CA) 84 5. Buffalo (NY) 224
6. Boston (MA) 92 6. Charlotte (NC) 180
7. Dallas (TX) 100 7. Chicago (IL) 68
8. Philadelphia (PA) 106 8. Cincinnati (OH) 198
9. Miami (FL) 118 9. Cleveland (OH) 148
10. Houston (TX) 122 10. Dallas (TX) 100
11. Atlanta (GA) 128 11. Denver (CO) 152
12. Detroit (MI) 132 12. Detroit (MI) 132
13. Seattle (WA) 134 13. El Paso (TX) 232
14. Phoenix (AZ) 140 14. Eugene (OR) 238
15. Minneapolis–St. Paul (MN) 144 15. Fort Collins (CO) 240
16. Cleveland (OH) 148 16. Hartford (CT) 212
17. Denver (CO) 152 17. Honolulu (HI) 234
18. San Diego (CA) 158 18. Houston (TX) 122
19. Portland (OR) 162 19. Jacksonville (FL) 210
20. Orlando (FL) 166 20. Kansas City (KS) 192
21. Tampa (FL) 168 21. Las Vegas (NV) 196
22. St. Louis (MO) 170 22. Little Rock (AR) 236
23. Pittsburgh (PA) 174 23. Los Angeles (CA) 58
24. Charlotte (NC) 180 24. Memphis (TN) 220
25. Sacramento (CA) 184 25. Miami (FL) 118
26. Salt Lake City (UT) 188 26. Milwaukee (WI) 200
27. Kansas City (KS) 192 27. Minneapolis–St. Paul (MN) 144
28. Las Vegas (NV) 196 28. Nashville (TN) 206
29. Cincinnati (OH) 198 29. New Orleans (LA) 214
30. Milwaukee (WI) 200 30. New York (NY) 44
31. Austin (TX) 202 31. Norfolk (VA) 208
32. Nashville (TN) 206 32. Oklahoma City (OK) 218
33. Norfolk (VA) 208 33. Orlando (FL) 166
34. Jacksonville (FL) 210 34. Philadelphia (PA) 106
35. Hartford (CT) 212 35. Phoenix (AZ) 140
36. New Orleans (LA) 214 36. Pittsburgh (PA) 174
37. Oklahoma City (OK) 218 37. Portland (OR) 162
38. Memphis (TN) 220 38. Richmond (VA) 222
39. Richmond (VA) 222 39. Sacramento (CA) 184
40. Buffalo (NY) 224 40. Salt Lake City (UT) 188
41. Albuquerque (NM) 226 41. San Diego (CA) 158
42. Tucson (AZ) 230 42. San Francisco (CA) 84
43. El Paso (TX) 232 43. Seattle (WA) 134
44. Honolulu (HI) 234 44. St. Louis (MO) 170
45. Little Rock (AR) 236 45. Tampa (FL) 168
46. Eugene (OR) 238 46. Tucson (AZ) 230
47. Fort Collins (CO) 240 47. Washington, DC 76