Trains, Buses, People, Second Edition : An Opinionated Atlas of US and Canadian Transit

“Gets right to the point: put [transit] where the people are...The author combines detailed knowledge and a refreshing frankness...Keep this book within easy reach.” -Planning In some US and Canadian cities, transit has quietly been expanding and improving over the last few years, despite funding and ridership challenges. How do we assess the advances and failures of our current systems to move forward strategically and wisely? The first edition of Trains, Buses, People was dubbed “a transit wonk's bible” and guided “a smarter conversation about urban transit” in the US. This second edition is fully updated and expanded to include eight Canadian cities and two new US cities (Indianapolis and San Juan, Puerto Rico). In Trains, Buses, People, Second Edition: An Opinionated Atlas of US and Canadian Transit, transit expert and “transportation hero” Christof Spieler provides a new section on inclusivity to help agencies understand how to welcome riders regardless of race, gender, income, or disability. Select cities include new maps overlaying transit and poverty data, and systems that have started construction since the first edition in 2018 have been added. Other new sections address network typologies, guideway types, station types, and fares. Spieler has spent over a decade advocating for transit as a writer, community leader, urban planner, transit board member, and enthusiast. He strongly believes that just about anyone—regardless of training or experience—can identify what makes good transit with the right information. In the fun, accessible, and visually appealing Trains, Buses, People, Second Edition: An Opinionated Atlas of US and Canadian Transit, Spieler shows how cities can build successful transit. He profiles the 49 metropolitan areas in the US and eight metropolitan areas in Canada that have rail transit or BRT, using data, photos, and maps for easy comparison. Spieler ranks the best and worst systems and he offers analysis of how geography, politics, and history complicate transit planning. He shows how the unique circumstances of every city have resulted in very different transit systems. Trains, Buses, People, Second Edition is intended for non-experts—it will help any citizen, professional, or policymaker with a vested interest evaluate a transit proposal and understand what makes transit effective. It shows that it is possible, with the right tools, to build good transit. "In some US and Canadian cities, transit has quietly been expanding and improving over the last few years, despite funding and ridership challenges. How do we assess the advances and failures of our current systems to move forward strategically and wisely? The first edition of Trains, Buses, People was dubbed "a transit wonk's bible" and guided "a smarter conversation about urban transit" in the US. This second edition is fully updated and expanded to include eight Canadian cities and two new US cities (Indianapolis and San Juan, Puerto Rico). In Trains, Buses, People, Second Edition: An Opinionated Atlas of US and Canadian Transit, transit expert and "transportation hero" Christof Spieler provides a new section on inclusivity to help agencies understand how to welcome riders regardless of race, gender, income, or disability. Select cities include new maps overlaying transit and poverty data, and systems that have started construction since the first edition in 2018 have been added. Other new sections address network typologies, guideway types, station types, and fares. Spieler has spent over a decade advocating for transit as a writer, community leader, urban planner, transit board member, and enthusiast. He strongly believes that just about anyone--regardless of training or experience--can identify what makes good transit with the right information. In the fun, accessible, and visually appealing Trains, Buses, People, Second Edition: An Opinionated Atlas of US and Canadian Transit, Spieler shows how cities can build successful transit. He profiles the 49 metropolitan areas in the US and eight metropolitan areas in Canada that have rail transit or BRT, using data, photos, and maps for easy comparison. Spieler ranks the best and worst systems and he offers analysis of how geography, politics, and history complicate transit planning. He shows how the unique circumstances of every city have resulted in very different transit systems. Trains, Buses, People, Second Edition is intended for non-experts--it will help any citizen, professional, or policymaker with a vested interest evaluate a transit proposal and understand what makes transit effective. It shows that it is possible, with the right tools, to build good transit." -- Provided by publisher Front Cover About Island Press Subscribe Title Page Copyright Dedication Table of Contents Metro Areas by Population Contents Acknowledgments Introduction: Transit Where the People Are What Transit Does Well Why We Get It Wrong Part 1: How Transit Works The History of Transit Drawing a Line Networks Modes Guideways Stations Fares Governance Funding Riders and Destinations Hopes and Fears Part 2: Basics of Successful Transit Density Activity Walkability Connectivity Frequency Travel Time Reliability Capacity Legibility Inclusivity Good Ideas from Abroad Part 3: Metro Areas Best and Worst Intercity Rail The 57 Transit Areas in the United States and Canada that have rail transit or BRT 1. New York 2. Los Angeles 3. Chicago 4. Washington 5. San Francisco 6. Boston 7. Dallas 8. Houston 9. Philadelphia 10. Miami 11. Atlanta 12. Toronto 13. Detroit 14. Phoenix 15. Seattle 16. Orlando 17. Montreal 18. Minneapolis 19. Denver 20. Cleveland 21. San Diego 22. Portland 23. Tampa 24. St. Louis 25. Charlotte 26. Salt Lake City 27. Sacramento 28. Pittsburgh 29. Kansas City 30. Vancouver 31. Indianapolis 32. Las Vegas 33. San Juan 34. Cincinnati 35. Austin 36. Nashville 37. Milwaukee 38. Norfolk 39. Jacksonville 40. New Orleans 41. Oklahoma City 42. Hartford 43. Calgary 44. Memphis 45. Ottawa 46. Edmonton 47. Richmond 48. Buffalo 49. Albuquerque 50. Tucson 51. El Paso 52. Honolulu 53. Little Rock 54. Winnipeg 55. Waterloo 56. Eugene 57. Fort Collins Conclusion: A Transit Agenda Index Island Press | Board of Directors In the fun, accessible, and visually appealing second edition of Trains, Buses, People, Christof Spieler shows how cities can build successful transit. Using data, photos, and maps for easy comparison, he critiques the forty-nine United States and eight Canadian metropolitan areas that have rail transit or Bus Rapid Transit. Fully updated and expanded, select cities inlcude new maps overlaying transit and poverty data, and systems that have started construction since the first edition. Other new sections address inclusivity, network typologies, guideway types, station types, and fares. Comprehensive and accessible, it will help any citizen, professional, or policy maker understand what makes transit effective and, with the right tools, possible