From WSDOT: http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/News/2011/02/15_goodtogo520passsales.htm New passes and account signups are available for the Good to Go electronic tolling system that will be used on the SR 520 floating bridge and is currently used on the Tacoma Narrows Bridge. More: http://www.goodtogo520.org Ben
From Tri-Met: http://trimet.org/contest/valentines-stories.htm Read the stories from people who met on the bus or train in Portland. Ben
From The News Tribune: http://www.thenewstribune.com/2011/02/10/1538371/lot-attracting-more-cars.html Slowly, more cars are using the Puyallup Fair Red Lot that was improved for Sounder riders. As ridership grows, existing parking is more and more strained. It is good to see people continue to utilize the system. Ben
Ran across this site from a post at work: http://www.mta.me/ It uses real-time transit information to make dynamic musical maps. Seeing that it used the MTA’s API to get the realtime data, I did some more digging and found this: http://www.kizoom.com/standards/siri/ Yes, SIRI is a XML schema for exchanging realtime transportation data… Ben
From the City of Boston: http://www.cityofboston.gov/news/default.aspx?id=4979 Our friends on the East Coast have developed a smartphone app that automatically detects when you go over a pothole, tracks it and sends a report to public works. While I can see issues with the implementation, if this works what a great idea it is. Especially out here [...]
From US News and World Report: http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2011/02/08/10-best-cities-for-public-transportation A list of the top 10 best cities in the US for public transportation. Portland, Oregon is #1. Congratulations Portland and Tri-Met! Ben
From The News Tribune: http://www.thenewstribune.com/2011/02/08/1536520/voters-soundly-rejecting-pierce.html With the defeat of Proposition 1, bus service would be cut up to 35%, including all special event service to Freedom Fair and the Puyallup Fair. While I understand the reluctance to pay more taxes, and yes you can find efficiencies anywhere, this is a really bad idea. Not only [...]
From the Capitol Hill Seattle Blog: http://www.capitolhillseattle.com/2011/02/08/analysis-behind-sdot-paid-parking-decisions-shows-strong-capitol-hill-parking-demand Blog post suggests that the increase in parking rates won’t have a huge effect on Capitol Hill due to the strong demand for parking there that already exists. And these guys have done a TON of research. Ben
From MSNBC: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/41021318/ns/business/ President Obama has proposed a 53 billion plan to improve and start high speed rail lines in the United States. Given my experiences with high speed rail in Europe, this is a great idea. Most modern countries have made major investments in their rail systems, and it is perfect for regional travel. [...]
From The News Tribune: http://www.thenewstribune.com/2011/02/08/1535288/fix-jblm-traffic-report-urges.html A panel has suggested the Pentagon spend some money to ease traffic congestion around Joint Base Lewis – McChord, due to heavy traffic from the growth of the base. This is a notorious choke point. The base sits between the water and Puyallup. With only Interstate 5 as a North-South [...]