INDOT has long been known for favoring road expansion above all other forms of transportation. And if their Long Range Plan is any proof, this will continue to be the case. It’s actually a joke that this was released to the public. To wit: High Speed Rail High speed rail, also known as commuter light-rail …
So it is now early April and the bickering over social issues has reached a fever pitch in the Indiana legislature. There has been a little bit of news in the local media regarding proposed cuts to mass transit funding from the state totally nearly 18% which would deal a critical blow to transit agencies …
Recently, the Center for Transit Oriented Development released a report about 3 relatively new light rail lines. The Blue Line in Charlotte, the Hiawatha in Minneapolis and the SE Corridor in Denver. The timing of this report is perfectly aligned with the release of 2010 census results. According to the summary of the TOD report, …
I was recently contacted by Railvolution to help spread awareness about this year’s event. Specifically, to help spread the word here in Indy. We may not have a world class transit system, but there are some topics worth talking about at the national level and the organizers of Railvolution are looking for you. If there …
An interesting blog post over at Portland Transport recently got my gears turning. The post in question, put to the test the argument that nearly ALL road expansion projects tout the ability to be able to move freight quickly and efficiently. The post also points out that freight does not always win out, yet if …
What started as a squeak in November has turned into a low roar. What is this low roar? The dying gasp of transit projects across the nation. In case you have not noticed, there is a bit of political turmoil going on here in America. It seems that no one is immune to the affects …
As many Urban Indy readers are well aware by now, the 2010 Census information for Indiana was released, giving the general public a statistical snapshot of the state’s economic and demographic standing. Indiana is one of the first states to have their 2010 numbers released, with many other states coming online throughout the duration of …
 When does perception become reality? When a preconceived notion trumps all logic and becomes the first thought associated with a specific topic. Why is it then, that “light rail” seems to be the favored quarter when it comes to alternative transportation modes?  Last week, I tackled the first half of why we perceive light rail to be …
When Indyconnect released their latest revised plan, “light rail” was gutted from the 25 year vision and “commuter rail” routes previously slated for the NE and S corridors, were lengthened from their originally proposed routes. The basis for the removal of light rail wasn’t against the merits of commuter rail over light rail; it was for the geographic …
Today, I had the luck of squeezing my way into the listening session for the transportation surface bill in Indianapolis. I say luck because the seats were spoken for 4 days ago. I stood the entire time, and had to hang around after a baliff told the couple dozen people standing outside to please leave. …