An occasional update on items from the Transit City.
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THE TECHNOLOGY DEBATE: BRT VS LRT
Bus rapid transit, in which buses in dedicated lanes perform like rail lines, can not only spur development, but can do so far more efficiently than light rail and streetcars, according to a study due out later this month from the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy. …
“Per dollar of transit investment, and under similar conditions, BRT can leverage more (development) investment than LRT or streetcars.”
The institute’s report is scheduled to be available Sept. 27 here.
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THE UNIQUE GENIUS OF HONG KONG’S TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM
The Mass Transit Railway (MTR) Corporation … is considered the gold standard for transit management worldwide. In 2012, the MTR produced revenue of 36 billion Hong Kong Dollars (about U.S $5 billion)—turning a profit of $2 billion in the process.
How can Hong Kong afford all of this? The answer is deceptively simple: “Value Capture.”
Like no other system in the world, the MTR understands the monetary value of urban density—in other words, what economists call “agglomeration.” … The Hong Kong metro essentially functions as part of a vertically integrated business that, through a “rail plus property” model, controls both the means of transit and the places passengers visit upon departure. …
This model of transit management works partly because Hong Kong is a closed system: There are no suburbs from which people can commute by car, so there are strong incentives for everyone within the territory to use the system. This feature, combined with other regulations, has kept car ownership low: 6 of every 100 vehicles in Hong Kong are for personal use, whereas the number in the U.S. is closer to 70.
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MORE THAN JUST MOVEMENT
Planning and Design for Sustainable Urban Mobility argues that … urban planning and design should focus on how to bring people and places together, by creating cities that focus on accessibility, rather than simply increasing the length of urban transport infrastructure or increasing the movement of people or goods.
Urban form and the functionality of the city are therefore a major focus of this report, which highlights the importance of integrated land-use and transport planning.
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