Innovations at Work: Transit and the Changing Urban Landscape

This first part of a two part article examines some forward thinking ideas and technologies that will ensure that public transit remains a good neighbor at a reasonable cost. It cites a study conducted for American Public Transportation Association (APTA) that concluded that if Americans emulated Europeans in the percentage of trips taken by public transit, the United States (U.S.) would eliminate the need for Saudi Arabian oil. It studies the changing landscape for cost effectiveness that has in part contributed to several changes in the Federal Transit Administration's (FTA) New Starts Program evaluation process. Accordingly, beginning in FY 2006, most projects in the New Starts pipeline are in the lower density metropolitan regions that are essentially car-centric. Light rail transit (LRT) and bus rapid transit are, to some degree , what many communities are beginning to long for as funding issues force them to turn away from existing or future rail networks.