America Always Gets This Wrong (when building transit)
Not Just Bikes・13 minutes read
Public transit in North America lags behind global counterparts like cities in Europe and Asia, with small to midsize cities in the US and Canada often using population size as an excuse for lack of efficient systems. Urban planning priorities and car-centric development contribute to the failure of public transit in North America, highlighting the importance of transit-oriented development to create successful and widely used systems.
Insights
- The inefficiency of public transit in North America is linked to urban planning that prioritizes cars over transit, leading to low ridership and unpopularity.
- Successful public transit systems in cities like Innsbruck, Austria, challenge the belief that population size is a barrier to implementing efficient transit projects, emphasizing the importance of land use planning and transit-oriented development for effective transportation systems.
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Recent questions
How is public transit viewed in North America?
Public transit in North America is often criticized for being inefficient, slow, and unpopular, leading to low ridership in many cities.
What challenges do small to midsize US and Canadian cities face with rapid transit projects?
Small to midsize US and Canadian cities often claim their populations are too small to support rapid transit projects, hindering the development of efficient public transit systems.
What is the importance of land use planning in successful transit systems?
Land use planning around transit stops is crucial for successful transit systems, with the concept of a "walkshed" being emphasized to ensure convenient access for commuters.
How does the design of cities in North America impact public transit?
The failure of public transit in North America is attributed to cities being primarily designed for cars rather than transit, leading to underutilization of valuable land near transit stops.
What solution is highlighted for integrating transit and development?
Transit-oriented development (TOD) is highlighted as a solution, allowing for mixed-use developments within walking distance of rapid transit stations to improve the efficiency and popularity of public transit systems.
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Summary
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Transforming Urban Transit: Lessons from Global Successes
- Public transit in North America is criticized for being inefficient, slow, and unpopular, with low ridership in many cities.
- Many other cities worldwide have successful public transit systems that are clean, efficient, and widely used.
- Small to midsize US and Canadian cities often claim their populations are too small to support rapid transit projects.
- Examples from cities like Innsbruck, Austria, with a population under 150,000, having extensive tram lines challenge the notion that population size is a barrier.
- Historical presence of tram lines in smaller German cities compared to the lack of such infrastructure in North American cities raises questions about urban planning priorities.
- The failure of public transit in North America is attributed to cities being designed primarily for cars rather than transit.
- The importance of land use planning around transit stops is emphasized, with the concept of a "walkshed" being crucial for successful transit systems.
- Stricter regulations in the US and Canada prioritize car-centric development, leading to underutilization of valuable land near transit stops.
- Transit-oriented development (TOD) is highlighted as a solution, allowing for mixed-use developments within walking distance of rapid transit stations.
- Examples from cities like Chongqing, China, and Amsterdam, Netherlands, showcase successful integration of transit and development, emphasizing the need for good land use planning alongside transit projects.
