May 2012 - Stop and Move

Why is Fresno Bee being so critical of HSR?

On May 30, 2012February 19, 2018 By jamesinclair

And why hold the project to a higher standard than anything else?

The Fresno Bee has taken to writing a front-page article about the California High Speed Rail (HSR) project every Sunday. On their part, it’s an excellent idea. HSR is a huge project, not just for Fresno, but for the entire state and the country. Because Fresno is ground zero for the project, as construction is slated to start here first, it makes sense for the Bee to stake their claim and try and become the authoritative source on all news related to it. Not only will that preserve their subscription base, but it grows web readership as their articles are linked into from around the country. Click to read more!

Categories : UncategorizedTags : bag ban bag tax fresno los angeles media news plastic bagLeave a comment

Reaction to LA bag ban shows same old story

On May 28, 2012February 19, 2018 By jamesinclair

Just a couple of days ago, the city of LA decided to implement a ban of disposable plastic bags over the course of the next year. The news caught me by surprise, as I try and follow developments regarding movements to ban or tax plastic bags.

What didn’t catch me by surprise are the comments that followed the decision. I’d seen them all before.

The reason is, it’s just another example of how in the internet age, ideas still travel slowly. When I wrote that just a week ago, I focused on transportation projects, but the bag ban is the exact same deal.

Banning or taxing plastic bags isn’t a new idea, not even in the US. According to a 2010 article, when LA County (this time it’s the city) banned the bags… Click to read more!

Categories : UncategorizedTags : bike lanes bike parking fresno state fsu shade sidewalks trees11 Comments

Fresno State: $4 million to turn trees to asphalt

On May 25, 2012February 19, 2018 By jamesinclair

If you’ve heard only one thing about the California State University system in the past couple of years, then it’s probably the words “budget cuts”. Details like “enrollment slashed” or “tuition hiked”. “Classes eliminated”. Remaining classes “doubling in size”. That’s what we’ve been reading in the news every month for the past few years.

So it’s especially maddening to see this piece of news which hit every station in Fresno today.

Fresno State faculty members gathered Thursday to express dismay and confusion over the university’s decision to chop down 160 mature trees, making room for 600 more parking spaces on the east side of campus. Click to read more!

Categories : UncategorizedTags : bike lanes bike licensing bike registration clovis pd gettysbyrg2 Comments

Clovis PD launches bike registration program, profiling included

On May 23, 2012February 19, 2018 By jamesinclair

The local ABC news station has a good story about Clovis PD taking bike theft seriously. Due to an increase in bike thefts, one of which I talked about here, the city is pushing to get people to register their bike serial numbers with the city so it can be easier to recover them.

Since the beginning of the year, 100 bikes have been reported stolen and even though 30 have been recovered, a very small percentage have been returned to their owners.

That’s because many people don’t know their bike’s serial numbers. The new program launched by the Clovis Police Department allows people to register their bikes with the police department so they can be more easily returned. Click to read more!

Categories : UncategorizedTags : bike lanes city council fresno gettysbyrg road dietLeave a comment

Final Gettysburg bike lane community meeting today

On May 22, 2012February 19, 2018 By jamesinclair

When Fresno makes changes to a road, there is usually very little public outreach. What typically happens is that Public Works says a change is needed, it goes out to bid, the council approves the bid, and the change comes. That’s how it has typically been for small changes like repaving and larger changes like widening roads. Many times, the public doesn’t find out about the proposal until they read the city council agenda where the bid will get voted on.

Last year, councilman Larry Westerlund decided that the process wasn’t working well, at least when the project in question was a road diet/bike lane repaving project. So he ordered up a community meeting which allowed him to delay the bike lane project for a good six months. (Part of that delay was because paving season ended). Click to read more!

Categories : UncategorizedTags : Fresno area express FAX fail google maps mbta route signage transit wayfinding2 Comments

MBTA station interiors added to Google Maps

On May 16, 2012February 19, 2018 By jamesinclair

If you’ve ridden a subway in a new city, you’ve certainly found yourself exiting a train and not knowing which way to go. Many stations offer a multitude of exit options, but which one takes you closer to your destination? It can be a confusing experience, as there are no landmarks to guide you.

Apparently, the folks at Google know that feeling well, because they have teamed up with the MBTA to offer maps of the inside of stations on the Android version of Google Maps. Previously, all that the maps would offer was a single subway station logo, giving you a good idea of where the station was, but no details on the many exit options. Now, every hallway, stair, restroom and information booth has been mapped. Click to read more!

Categories : UncategorizedTags : FAX fresno area express Fresno Bee route signage tiger5 Comments

The new FAX bus signs

On May 14, 2012February 19, 2018 By jamesinclair

A few weeks ago I wrote about FAX taking out an ad in the Fresno Bee to promote new signs coming to bus stops. I thought it was absurd. The sign itself wasn’t very good, and the concept of a bus agency taking out an ad in the paper to tell people about a new sign was baffling.

There is some good news. Kiel Famellos-Schmidt of archop posted a picture of a new sign today and I was happy to see that large route numbers were included, even though the ads didn’t mention them.

Where do those routes go? What is the service frequency? What are the service hours? Who knows, but at least the sign does do the bare minimum and inform people of the routes that stop there. Click to read more!

Categories : UncategorizedTags : expo line los angeles orange line reason foundation ridershipLeave a comment

One more post about Reason and Expo

On May 9, 2012February 19, 2018 By jamesinclair

I know I said any time spent discussing the Reason article proclaiming terrible Expo Light Rail ridership is time wasted, and yet here I am, typing away. They’ve gone out of their way to link to me, so I might as well point out a couple more problems I have with their critique of the Expo line. But then no more, I’ve got too much of a backlog of stuff I’ve been wanting to talk about.

Here is their response to my previous post on the subject, which Streetsblog picked up on.

The too-early-to-judge complaint is one you hear all the time about rail, but curiously never about cars, movies, burgers, condominiums, software, new fashion lines, tech gadgets, or pretty much any other product that is brought to market. For all the palaver about “soft launches,” “slow rollouts” and the like, your opening sales figure is almost always a good indicator of how you’re going to do over the Long Tail. That’s why they call it the “Long Tail” and not the “Long Trunk” or the “Long Opposable Thumb.” Click to read more!