Making Public Transport Work

People have always traveled, but over the last century there has been an unprecedented increase in mobility. Hundreds of millions commute daily between home and work, relying more and more on cars and less on urban and intercity public transport. Faced with environmental concerns and the negative cultural and social effects of urban sprawl, governments and other agencies have attempted to reverse the decline in public transport use. In Making Public Transportation Work P.M. Bunting examines why problems have arisen and how they might be corrected. Bunting shows that transportation providers have failed to identify target customers and have not organized these services efficiently. He demonstrates that public transport providers must address organizational issues and define customer needs and preferences, arguing that customer needs can best be served by private, rather than public, carriers offering door-to-door (rather than station-to-station) transportation. In contrast, public agencies can best support public transportation by addressing not direct delivery of services but such matters as equitable safety and environmental regulation and effective, fair management of roads.

An examination of urban and intercity transport, looking at the changes that need to be made to give transit renewed life.

Public transit is a powerful tool for addressing a huge range of urban problems, including traffic congestion and economic development as well as climate change. But while many people support transit in the abstract, it's often hard to channel that support into good transit investments. Part of the problem is that transit debates attract many kinds of experts, who often talk past each other. Ordinary people listen to a little of this and decide that transit is impossible to figure out. Jarrett Walker believes that transit can be simple, if we focus first on the underlying geometry that all transit technologies share. In Human Transit, Walker supplies the basic tools, the critical questions, and the means to make smarter decisions about designing and implementing transit services. Human Transit explains the fundamental geometry of transit that shapes successful systems; the process for fitting technology to a particular community; and the local choices that lead to transit-friendly development. Whether you are in the field or simply a concerned citizen, here is an accessible guide to achieving successful public transit that will enrich any community.

Imagine a bus system that is fast, frequent, and reliable--what would that change about your city? Buses can and should be the cornerstone of urban transportation. They offer affordable mobility and can connect citizens with every aspect of their lives. But in the US, they have long been an afterthought in budgeting and planning. Transit expert Steven Higashide uses real-world stories of reform to show us what a successful bus system looks like. Higashide explains how to marshal the public in support of better buses and argues that better bus systems will create better cities for all citizens. With a compelling narrative and actionable steps, Better Buses, Better Cities describes how decision-makers, philanthropists, activists, and public agency leaders can work together to make the bus a win in any city.

"The Transit Street Design Guide sets a new vision for how cities can harness the immense potential of transit to create active and efficient streets in neighborhoods and downtowns alike. Building on the Urban Street Design Guide and Urban Bikeway Design Guide, the Transit Street Design Guide details how reliable public transportation depends on a commitment to transit at every level of design. Developed through a new peer network of NACTO members and transit agency partners, the Guide provides street transportation departments, transit operating agencies, leaders, and practitioners with the tools to actively prioritize transit on the street."--Site Web de NACTO.

This report was prepared for policy makers searching for ways to boost public transit use in U.S. urban areas and wishing to know what can be learned from the experiences of Canada and Western Europe. Describes the differences in public transit use among U.S., Canadian, and Western European cities; identifies those factors, from urban form to automobile usage, that have contributed to these differences; and offers hypotheses about the reasons for these differences--from historical, demographic, and economic conditions to specific public policies, such as automobile taxation and urban land use regulation.

The Routledge Handbook of Public Transport is a reference work of chapters providing in-depth examination of the current issues and future developments facing public transport. Chapters in this book are dedicated to specific key topics, identifying the challenges therein and pointing to emerging areas of research and concern. The content is written by an international group of expert contributors and is enhanced through contributions from practitioners to deliver a broader perspective. The Handbook deals with public transport policy context, modal settings, public transport environment, public transport delivery issues, smart card data for planning and the future of public transport. This comprehensive reference work will be a vital source for academics, researchers and transport practitioners in public transport management, transport policy and transport planning.

The Global Street Design Guide is a timely resource that sets a global baseline for designing streets and public spaces and redefines the role of streets in a rapidly urbanizing world. The guide will broaden how to measure the success of urban streets to include: access, safety, mobility for all users, environmental quality, economic benefit, public health, and overall quality of life. The first-ever worldwide standards for designing city streets and prioritizing safety, pedestrians, transit, and sustainable mobility are presented in the guide. Participating experts from global cities have helped to develop the principles that organize the guide. The Global Street Design Guide builds off the successful tools and tactics defined in NACTO's Urban Street Design Guide and Urban Bikeway Design Guide while addressing a variety of street typologies and design elements found in various contexts around the world.