All Mayors Should Try This

Berkeley's mayor goes carfree.



No doubt he'll become one of many who knows that AC Transit (Berkeley's bus system) needs some major improvements.

Surcharge for Passenger Drop Off

Passengers who arrive at airports via rail have always paid a surcharge for, well, being awesome, for not clogging up curb sides, for not parking in eyesores, etc. Just think of the subway to JFK airport - normally $2 per ride in Queens, it costs $7.00 to the airport. Or BART to SFO, the price spikes for the airport but dips again to Millbrae, a station further along the line. You probably know countless other examples.



Now one airport finally has the sense of fairness to charge drivers to drop off at the airport, too.

Share the Intersection

GOOD Magazine did a take on what a more "livable" street in Manhattan would look like. Unfortunately it isn't carfree, but it's worth checking out.

My favorite recommendation is the traffic light with LPI, "leading pedestrian interval," tip #7 on GOOD's graphic. My least favorite recommendation is #8, the bollard. Sidewalks in Amsterdam are an example of how bollards can be overused and obstruct pedestrians. What do you think?


(Thanks, Erica C. Barnett from The Stranger's Slog Blog for the link.)

Obama Is Jealous

...of European trains. He asks, "Why can't we have high speed rail?"



(April 3 Town Hall in Strasbourg)