Induced Demand Boosts Active Transportation

Entrance to a raised, protected bike lane on W. Becher Street. Photo by Jeramey Jannene.

Every day at The Overhead Wire we sort through over 1,500 news items about cities and share the best ones with our email list. Each week, we take some of the most popular stories and share them with Urban Milwaukee readers. They are national (or international) links, sometimes entertaining and sometimes absurd, but hopefully useful.

Induced demand works for active transportation: Researchers at the University of Cambridge in England found that building more bike lanes and transit infrastructure will induce demand for active transportation. It shows that induced demand is real across many modes, not just road expansion for motor vehicles and that transportation demand can be reduced at the same time as emissions. (Kea Wilson | Streetsblog USA)

The first fixed transit route: Famous mathematician Blaise Pascal created the first fixed route transit system in 1662 and it operated quite successfully in Paris France. But success of the system and classism led to restrictions on who could use it to “people of merit”. Once new class restrictions were enacted, locals led violent demonstrations that were met with police force and new laws. Ultimately the reduced demand led to higher prices and system failure. (Keith Van Sickle | France Today)

Toronto’s airport redevelopment: An abandoned 370 acre airport property about 8 miles from the Toronto CBD is being sold and plans for a $30B CN redevelopment project are coming together. The future project once completed will be home to 60,000 residents and 20,000 jobs creating a new destination node in the region. The development also plans to follow the region’s net zero development goals and use green infrastructure. (Soo Kim | Newsweek)

North America’s elevator problem: A new video explains why among rich countries, the United States and Canada have the fewest elevators. The answer is too many unique standards and bespoke regulations that make it harder and much more expensive to build them. Elevators in North America cost three to four times more than those in other comparable countries. (Michael Andersen | Sightline Institute)

LA Metro’s care division: LA Metro has opened a new Care Based Services Division that will bring together the agencies homeless outreach, crisis intervention, and ambassador programs. The new division will be lead by Craig Joyce, a clinical social worker, and will work closely with other divisions that deal with enforcement. In 2024 the agency created a Department of Public Safety that will be fully operational in 2029 with in house officers and specialists which include this new division. (Los Angeles Sentinel)

Quote of the Week

You can spend just as much time sitting in an electric vehicle as you can in a gas one. Every hour in a car will still be a 6% increase in the likelihood of obesity.

-UC San Diego professor Dr. Lawrence Frank in The University of California News discussing the physical health impacts of driving instead of being more active.

This week on the Talking Headways podcast, we’re back at the Mpact Transit + Community Conference in Portland Oregon at the Mpact Innovators Poster Sessions.

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