Weekend links: Full of potential
The art of bikeshare redistribution
How does CaBi redistribute bikes when a station gets full or empty? Alta’s contract requires keeping no station full or empty more than 3 hours, though that’s still a long time. The best solution is many stations close together. Paris also created an extra incentive to drop bikes at the tops of hills, where they were suffering from too many one-way trips. (TheCityFix)
Streetcars and intensification
Roger Lewis asks, Are trolley lines more than just a fashionable bit of nostalgia? Basic answer: Yes, as long as cities use them to drive economic development and more intense land use. Richard Layman notes some of the challenges around intensification near rail transit. (Post, RPUS)
What’s up with conservatives and transit? Another view
Cap’n Transit outlines a conservative and libertarian argument (more a libertarian one than a conservative one, really) for transit and against road subsidies. Why don’t most conservatives embrace this argument? Misinformation that roads pay for themselves or some vague sense that sprawl is “good” and transit “socialist,” suggests the captain.
Secret garden
Since September’s hostage standoff in Silver Spring, Discovery has closed its public garden, contradicting the site plan approved along with the development. County officials are giving Discovery some time to figure it out. (TBD)
Liquor license newspeak
In DC, restaurateurs applying for liquor licenses usually sign “voluntary agreements” in which the owner agrees to more restrictive terms as a condition of getting the license. Sommer Mathis objects to the term “voluntary agreement” since restaurants often feel strong-armed into them. Will the phrase “cooperative agreement” catch on? (TBD, Eric Fidler)
Evicted from a bike locker?
WABA says they’re hearing some WMATA bike locker users have been getting evicted without notice. Anyone had any experiences like this? (Facebook via WashCycle)
Healing the freeway gash
Dallas is stitching together neighborhoods separated by a downtown freeway by decking over sunken sections, installing LED art in underpasses, and beautifying the space under an interchange. (Dallas Morning News, Eric Fidler)
Stop removal courage
San Francisco is considering cutting bus stops to improve travel times. Even though stop removal is fraught with politics, a survey found that 61% of riders support stop reduction if it will improve travel times. Back in May we found an inverse correlation between stop density and route speed. (Streetsblog SF, Eric Fidler)