Category Archives: Research Rest-Stop

Designing a Comfortable and Convenient Subway Car (No Middle Seats!)

Posted on June 5, 2013 by

If you’re a regular bus, trolley, or el rider, you probably know of the best places to stand or the most coveted seats in a transit vehicle. You might favor a seat with a window or that spot by the … Continue reading →

Posted in Research Rest-Stop

Measuring the Impact of Public Transportation Access and Funding Decisions on Public Health

Posted on May 23, 2013 by

Public transportation operators must frequently make decisions on how to much service to run, where to run it, what amenities to offer, and how to set fares.  In a time of limited budgets, these decisions usually involve difficult trade-offs.  Alameda … Continue reading →

Posted in Research Rest-Stop | Tagged , , ,

Could Grocery Delivery be More Efficient Than a Trip to the Store?

Posted on May 15, 2013 by

Most research and investment toward improving transportation in cities has traditionally addressed the commute to and from work.  However, less than 20% of our everyday travel is work-related, while the rest are for shopping, social, and personal purposes.  Efforts to … Continue reading →

Posted in Research Rest-Stop | Tagged , , ,

Reducing Auto Dependency

Posted on May 1, 2013 by

This letter came into MOTU not too long ago: Hey MOTU, I thought you might find this interesting. My parents moved from Narberth to San Francisco last week. They took with them three cars (2 low-rise sports cars, which make … Continue reading →

Posted in Research Rest-Stop | Tagged ,

Do people bike in the rain?

Posted on April 24, 2013 by

A common argument against investing in bicycling infrastructure is that as soon as it starts to rain, there are no bicyclists on the street.  This argument makes intuitive sense – if the weather is not pleasant, most people are not … Continue reading →

Posted in Research Rest-Stop | Tagged

Does Bike Share Make Bicycling More Popular?

Posted on April 3, 2013 by

When comparing bicycling to driving, there are many benefits to bicycling.  These include health benefits through active transportation, environmental benefits through reduced emissions, and traffic benefits through fewer automobiles on city streets.  However, many people are hesitant to try biking … Continue reading →

Posted in Research Rest-Stop | Tagged ,

What Streets do Bicyclists Take?

Posted on March 27, 2013 by

Check out this great map that Jon Sinker from the Philadelphia Department of Health put together showing the number of bicyclists and pedestrians that move through the city. This interactive map shows not only the number of bicyclists or pedestrians who … Continue reading →

Posted in Research Rest-Stop | Tagged , , , ,

New Census Data Describes How Philadelphia Commutes

Posted on March 8, 2013 by

The US Census recently released new data around transportation and how people commute to and from work.  The Philadelphia Inquirer looked at this newly released census data and found that approximately 253,000 people commute into Philadelphia everyday!  The Philadelphia Inquirer article also describes … Continue reading →

Posted in Research Rest-Stop | Tagged , , , , ,

What’s the Link Between Consumer Behavior and Travel Mode?

Posted on February 1, 2013 by

The conventional thinking for retail businesses such as convenience stores, restaurants, bars, and supermarkets is that customers will be traveling to the establishment by way of private automobile.  Unfortunately, this has also led to business owners fearing that they would … Continue reading →

Posted in Research Rest-Stop | Tagged , , , , , ,

Complete Streets Slow Traffic to Increase Activity

Posted on January 25, 2013 by

Last month, the City of Philadelphia passed a Complete Streets Bill, which mandates the use of the City’s Complete Streets handbook when developing property in order to design streets that will accommodate all transportation modes and increase safety. Complete Streets … Continue reading →

Posted in Research Rest-Stop | Tagged , ,