Critical Transit
83 episodes - English - Latest episode: over 5 years ago - ★★★★ - 3 ratingsCritical analysis of transportation topics and interviews with planners and advocates working for high quality transit.
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Episodes
56: "Where do you sleep?"
March 12, 2019 07:42 - 56.5 MBRegular listeners may know that I’ve been hesitant to commit to more frequent episodes (or blog posts) as I’ve struggled to keep it up when working or traveling. One of the main reasons I’m not a location-independent “digital nomad” is that I prefer not to spend large chunks of time at my computer. However, due to popular demand, I am starting a podcast series to answer common listener questions such as … “Where do you stay on tour?” I know I’m not the only nomad with a blog but hopefully my...
55.10: Oregon Coast Bike Tour 2018
February 11, 2019 12:00 - 16 minutes - 15.4 MB#10, Eureka, Calif. In September 2018, I rode south along the Pacific Coast from Lincoln City, OR to Crescent City, CA plus a few bonus days in the Redwoods. I put together some audio and photos from along the way. Let me know what you think or ask questions in the comments. from wikimedia commons from wikimedia commons from wikimedia commons
55.9: Oregon Coast Bike Tour 2018
February 09, 2019 13:00 - 12 minutes - 5.72 MB#9, Arcata, Calif. In September 2018, I rode south along the Pacific Coast from Lincoln City, OR to Crescent City, CA plus a few bonus days in the Redwoods. I put together some audio and photos from along the way. Let me know what you think or ask questions in the comments.
55.8: Oregon Coast Bike Tour 2018
February 08, 2019 12:00 - 24 minutes - 22 MB#8, Redwoods National Park, Northern California. In September 2018, I rode south along the Pacific Coast from Lincoln City, OR to Crescent City, CA plus a few bonus days in the Redwoods. I put together some audio and photos from along the way. Let me know what you think or ask questions in the comments.
55.7: Oregon Coast Bike Tour 2018
February 07, 2019 12:00 - 18 minutes - 16.7 MB#7, Brookings, Oregon to Crescent City, California. In September 2018, I rode south along the Pacific Coast from Lincoln City, OR to Crescent City, CA plus a few bonus days in the Redwoods. I put together some audio and photos from along the way. Let me know what you think or ask questions in the comments.
55.6: Oregon Coast Bike Tour 2018
February 06, 2019 10:00 - 21 minutes - 19.8 MB#6, Humbug Mountain State Park. In September 2018, I rode south along the Pacific Coast from Lincoln City, OR to Crescent City, CA plus a few bonus days in the Redwoods. I put together some audio and photos from along the way. Let me know what you think or ask questions in the comments.
55.5: Oregon Coast Bike Tour 2018
February 05, 2019 10:00 - 32 minutes - 29.9 MB#5, Seven Devils Road to Port Orford. In September 2018, I rode south along the Pacific Coast from Lincoln City, OR to Crescent City, CA plus a few bonus days in the Redwoods. I put together some audio and photos from along the way. Let me know what you think or ask questions in the comments.
55.4: Oregon Coast Bike Tour 2018
February 04, 2019 10:00 - 27 minutes - 24.8 MB#4, Reedsport to North Bend. In September 2018, I rode south along the Pacific Coast from Lincoln City, OR to Crescent City, CA plus a few bonus days in the Redwoods. I put together some audio and photos from along the way. Let me know what you think or ask questions in the comments.
55.3: Oregon Coast Bike Tour 2018
February 03, 2019 10:00 - 19 minutes - 17.8 MB#3, Yachats to near Florence. In September 2018, I rode south along the Pacific Coast from Lincoln City, OR to Crescent City, CA plus a few bonus days in the Redwoods. I put together some audio and photos from along the way. Let me know what you think or ask questions in the comments.
55.2: Oregon Coast Bike Tour 2018
February 02, 2019 13:00 - 22 minutes - 20.1 MB#2, Newport to Waldport. In September 2018, I rode south along the Pacific Coast from Lincoln City, OR to Crescent City, CA plus a few bonus days in the Redwoods. Here is some audio and photos from along the way. Let me know what you think or ask questions in the comments.
55.1: Oregon Coast Bike Tour 2018
February 01, 2019 21:38 - 22 minutes - 20.3 MB#1, Lincoln City to Newport. In September 2018, I rode south along the Pacific Coast from Lincoln City, OR to Crescent City, CA plus a few bonus days in the Redwoods. I put together some audio and photos from along the way. Let me know what you think or ask questions in the comments.
Podcast 53.14: Utah Bike Tour (overview)
December 17, 2017 14:00 - 7 minutes - 3.81 MBThis final Utah bike tour journal was recorded after the tour ended. I went over the experience and consider some lessons learned. Let me know what you think. This spring I rode my bicycle across southern Utah to view the spectacular remote desert landscape and explore seven national parks: Colorado NM, Arches NP, Canyonlands NP, Capitol Reef NP, Grand Staircase-Escalante NM, Bryce Canyon NP and Zion NP. My friend Ross and I left April 30 from Breckenridge, Colorado, and took 3 weeks to ri...
Podcast 53.13: Utah Bike Tour Recap with Ross, from Zion National Park
December 10, 2017 14:00 - 14 minutes - 3.34 MBPart 13: Ross and I recap our tour. We decide it was a success: we had a great time, learned a lot and experienced beautiful landscapes -- through the climbs, the heat and the cold, the isolation, the food deserts (and literal desert) and more. Listen for the highs and lows, what we learned, and where we're headed next. This spring I rode my bicycle across southern Utah to view the spectacular remote desert landscape and explore seven national parks: Colorado NM, Arches NP, Canyonlands NP, ...
Podcast 53.12: Zion National Park, part 2
December 08, 2017 14:00 - 20 minutes - 9.54 MBPart 12: I spent the day riding around Zion and later hiking via shuttle bus, then reconnected with Ross after we had split up at Bryce. (Ross finally joins me on air in the next episode.) In the adjacent town of Springdale, I picked up my summer sleep sack (it's 95 degrees here), ate a vegan breakfast burrito, took a yoga class and visited the library where we met (and shared our campsite with) Gianni on his Brompton. Edit: I snuck in a bit of audio at the end about the end of the trip. Ro...
Podcast 53.11: Zion National Park, part 1
December 06, 2017 16:05 - 28 minutes - 6.77 MBPart 11: I made it to Zion! So excited to explore the canyon and walk around an actual town. I lucked out with a campsite cancellation (really wish they had hiker/biker sites!) and plunked down out my stuff to ride around unloaded. This spring I rode my bicycle across southern Utah to view the spectacular remote desert landscape and explore seven national parks: Colorado NM, Arches NP, Canyonlands NP, Capitol Reef NP, Grand Staircase-Escalante NM, Bryce Canyon NP and Zion NP. My friend Ross...
Podcast 53.10: Still on the road in SE Utah, pedaling toward Zion.
December 03, 2017 14:00 - 6 minutes - 1.43 MBPart 10: Audio from a short lunch stop in Orderville, Utah, as I was eager to reach Zion the same day. I said goodbye to a Swiss couple I had been leapfrogging (see their bikes at the grocery store), before pushing on into Zion (next episode). This spring I rode my bicycle across southern Utah to view the spectacular remote desert landscape and explore seven national parks: Colorado NM, Arches NP, Canyonlands NP, Capitol Reef NP, Grand Staircase-Escalante NM, Bryce Canyon NP and Zion NP. My...
Podcast 53.9: Back on the road. Destination: Zion.
December 01, 2017 14:00 - 21 minutes - 5.05 MBPart 9: I rode a 12-mile paved trail west from Bryce Canyon en route to Zion, in the heat but with all my gears now working (finally!). No food stops today and no nice photos. Not the easiest ride, and by this point I was ready to be done. This spring I rode my bicycle across southern Utah to view the spectacular remote desert landscape and explore seven national parks: Colorado NM, Arches NP, Canyonlands NP, Capitol Reef NP, Grand Staircase-Escalante NM, Bryce Canyon NP and Zion NP. My fri...
Podcast 53.8: Trail Wisdom from Bryce Canyon National Park
November 29, 2017 14:00 - 19 minutes - 4.67 MBPart 8: Hiking some trails on my third and final day in Bryce Canyon National Park. ** EDIT: I uploaded the wrong audio file by mistake; this is now the correct one. ** This spring I rode my bicycle across southern Utah to view the spectacular remote desert landscape and explore seven national parks: Colorado NM, Arches NP, Canyonlands NP, Capitol Reef NP, Grand Staircase-Escalante NM, Bryce Canyon NP and Zion NP. My friend Ross and I left April 30 from Breckenridge, Colorado, and took 3 we...
Podcast 53.7: revisiting winter in Bryce Canyon National Park
November 27, 2017 14:00 - 7 minutes - 1.81 MBPart 7: Climbing back up to 9,000 feet (2,500m) elevation. A low temperature of 24F/-5C and a temporary illness forced me to find indoor accommodation for two nights. I took full advantage of the park's hiking trails while awaiting replacement bike parts, then camped a third night. This spring I rode my bicycle across southern Utah to view the spectacular remote desert landscape and explore seven national parks: Colorado NM, Arches NP, Canyonlands NP, Capitol Reef NP, Grand Staircase-Escala...
Podcast 53.6: Return to civilization & bike problems
November 27, 2017 04:18 - 16 minutes - 4.01 MBPart 6: Emerging from the historic Burr Trail into Boulder and Escalante, but not before a broken gear cable changes things up. I wasn't able to ride between the Kiva Coffeehouse (pictured, not a bad spot to break down on a cold morning) and Canonville. The descent between Boulder and Escalante was too scary to take photos (think 25 mph sidewinds on a narrow road on a cliff with no shoulder, heavy traffic and construction) so I found a few online for you. This spring I rode my bicycle acro...
Podcast 53.5: Riding the Burr Trail, Utah
November 22, 2017 14:00 - 24 minutes - 5.82 MBPart 5: the historic Burr Trail in all its glory and struggle (info), through Capitol Reef National Park & Grand-Staircase-Escalane National Monument. This spring I rode my bicycle across southern Utah to view the spectacular remote desert landscape and explore seven national parks: Colorado NM, Arches NP, Canyonlands NP, Capitol Reef NP, Grand Staircase-Escalante NM, Bryce Canyon NP and Zion NP. My friend Ross and I left April 30 from Breckenridge, Colorado, and took 3 weeks to ride nearly...
Podcast 53.4: Crossing the Colorado River at Bullfrog, Utah
November 20, 2017 14:00 - 18 minutes - 8.39 MBPart 4: from Blanding to Bullfrog, camping before crossing the Colorado River on the Lake Powell Ferry. Complete with climbing and headwinds. This spring I rode my bicycle across southern Utah to view the spectacular remote desert landscape and explore seven national parks: Colorado NM, Arches NP, Canyonlands NP, Capitol Reef NP, Grand Staircase-Escalante NM, Bryce Canyon NP and Zion NP. My friend Ross and I left April 30 from Breckenridge, Colorado, and took 3 weeks to ride nearly 1,000 mi...
Podcast 53.3: Moab, Utah
November 18, 2017 14:00 - 8 minutes - 1.91 MBPart 3 from Moab, the last large town on our route. This spring I rode my bicycle across southern Utah to view the spectacular remote desert landscape and explore seven national parks: Colorado NM, Arches NP, Canyonlands NP, Capitol Reef NP, Grand Staircase-Escalante NM, Bryce Canyon NP and Zion NP. My friend Ross and I left April 30 from Breckenridge, Colorado, and took 3 weeks to ride nearly 1,000 miles / 600 km to Zion National Park in Springdale, Utah — taking in the sights and spending...
Podcast 53.2: Arches & Canyonlands National Parks by bike
November 16, 2017 14:00 - 33 minutes - 15.1 MBPart 2: from Fruita, Colorado into Utah, camping in Moab, then a side tour into Arches & Canyonlands National Parks. View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View ful...
Podcast 53.1: Bike Tour 2017: Utah
November 14, 2017 20:38 - 26 minutes - 11.9 MBThis spring I rode my bicycle across southern Utah to view the spectacular remote desert landscape and explore seven national parks: Colorado NM, Arches NP, Canyonlands NP, Capitol Reef NP, Grand Staircase-Escalante NM, Bryce Canyon NP and Zion NP. My friend Ross and I left April 30 from Breckenridge, Colorado, and took 3 weeks to ride nearly 1,000 miles / 600 km to Zion National Park in Springdale, Utah — taking in the sights and spending some quality time on the road and in camp, plus a few...
Podcast 52: Winter Bike Camping in Denver
April 20, 2017 04:38 - 29 minutes - 13.7 MBI made an appearance on this week's episode of Pedalshift with Tim Mooney, which reminded me I hadn't shared this episode from my winter bike overnight in February on my Brompton folding bike. It was perhaps more successful than Tim's most recent ride on the C&O Trail, albeit shorter, a few degrees warmer and solo (sans dog). Notice how there was no snow in Denver but about four feet at my apartment just 75 miles west (and 4,000 feet higher) in Breckenridge. Breakfast ...
Podcast 50f: The Bike Tour comes to an end + local transit insights
March 13, 2017 15:00 - 14 minutes - 6.68 MBSome strange twists as a train mishap leaves me walking around Northampton, Mass., and exploring/spending the night in Holyoke, Mass. This episode includes musings on transit with two old advocate friends I bumped into. Then it's off to some new adventures. Spoiler alert: I've been in Colorado since then. INTRO: In late August I moved out of my apartment in Boston, put about 8 boxes into storage, and took a bus to Brunswick, Maine with my bike and camping gear. By popular request for tour u...
Podcast 50e: Bike Touring in Vermont, Part 2, Burlington & beyond
March 10, 2017 16:11 - 24 minutes - 11.2 MBI made it to Burlington! It's one of those places you always read about and want to experience for yourself. I did a fantastic loop around Lake Champlain, dealt with churches and the police, and spent a few days back in town decompressing before continuing west. INTRO: In late August I moved out of my apartment in Boston, put about 8 boxes into storage, and took a bus to Brunswick, Maine with my bike and camping gear. By popular request for tour updates, I decided to record a series of brie...
Podcast 50d: Bike Touring in Vermont, Part 1
March 09, 2017 04:10 - 17 minutes - 8.11 MBAn update from my fall tour of northwestern Vermont: starting in Rutland and heading north to Burlington and beyond. Not quite as hilly as the rocky Maine coast but even better views and more ferries. INTRO: In late August I moved out of my apartment in Boston, put about 8 boxes into storage, and took a bus to Brunswick, Maine with my bike and camping gear. By popular request for tour updates, I decided to record a series of brief, daily, mostly unedited episodes to share here. Let me know ...
Podcast 51.2: Free Transit follow-up with listener feedback (Fixed Missing Audio)
February 21, 2017 05:09 - 38 minutes - 17.9 MBHere is some listener feedback on free transit. First I chat with transportation activist Eli Damon from Northampton, MA, who wrote in about free transit and also shares some insight into the transit environment in Western Massachusetts. Then I read a listener email. UPDATE: Corrected version. The previous file was missing the interview due to an editing error. If you downloaded the show in the first few days, try this one instead. Hopefully the repost will make it appear in iTunes again. T...
Podcast 50c: Bike Tour of Coastal Maine, Part 3
February 16, 2017 06:52 - 28 minutes - 13.2 MBAt long last, here is Part 3 of my bike tour of Coastal Maine in September. This episode included Acadia National Park and the final days before a two-week hiatus. INTRO: In late August I moved out of my apartment in Boston, put about 8 boxes into storage, and took a bus to Brunswick, Maine with my bike and camping gear. By popular request for tour updates, I decided to record a series of brief, daily, mostly unedited episodes to share here. More episodes coming soon!
Podcast 51: The Case for FREE Public Transit Everywhere
November 11, 2016 06:02 - 52 minutes - 23.8 MBDespite its tremendous value and egalitarian mission, public transportation remains the only essential public service that charges a fare. The only reason we still collect fares is because we always have, ever since the early days of horse-car transit. Now, user fees make up only a small portion of total revenue yet create a significant barrier to people of all incomes and lifestyles, slow down transit and cost millions to collect -- all without any justification. I explain why cities and t...
Podcast 50b: Bike Touring, Part 2: Coastal Maine
September 24, 2016 14:00This episode covers from Belfast to Blue Hill, one day before reaching Bar Harbor. INTRO: In late August I moved out of my apartment in Boston, put about 8 boxes into storage, and took a bus to Brunswick, Maine with my bike and camping gear. By popular request for tour updates, I decided to record a series of brief, daily, mostly unedited episodes to share here. Note that at the time of upload, I have completed my tour in Burlington, Vermont, and I will be compiling and uploading the remain...
Podcast 50a: Bike Touring, Part 1: Coastal Maine
September 19, 2016 18:47In late August I moved out of my apartment in Boston, put about 8 boxes into storage, and took a bus to Brunswick, Maine with my bike and camping gear. This episode covers from Brunswick to Belfast. By popular request for tour updates, I decided to record a series of brief, daily, mostly unedited episodes to share here. Note that at the time of upload, I have completed my tour in Burlington, Vermont, and I will be compiling and uploading the episodes very soon.
CT 49 - MBTA, News, Fares, Solutions & Why Everyone Depends on Transit
January 09, 2016 20:27 - 41 minutes - 18.8 MBRecent MBTA news and advocacy battles encouraged me to record a podcast to counter the dominant narrative. Let's review what's causing this mess and how to stop the bleeding and operate a reliable and effective network. Why a well functioning and affordable T should matter to everyone, because we all depend on transit even if we never use it (some of the reasons). And right now it's neither. The population of Boston has increased 10 percent since 2004 and T ridership is up 30 percent on ma...
Podcast 48: Jeff Wood from The Overhead Wire & The Direct Transfer
November 29, 2015 18:56 - 1 hour - 41.5 MBExpanding our focus beyond Boston, we speak with Jeff Wood, a San Francisco-based consultant (The Overhead Wire) and operator of The Direct Transfer, a daily news source on transit, cities and urban design. Jeff also hosts Talking Headways, a weekly transportation podcast, and his work includes media, cartography, data analysis and research on transit modes and land use strategies. He also contributed to a new TCRP report on transit and land use connections (PDF). Some topics include findin...
Podcast 47: urban planning, transportation, environment and social justice with Nick Pendergrast
October 26, 2015 16:27 - 52 minutes - 24.2 MBCritical Transit resumes with Nick Pendergrast, sociologist, one-time urban planner and co-host of Progressive Podcast Australia. Nick is a lecturer in Sociology and Anthropology at Curtin University in Perth, Western Australia. We talk about transportation and urban design, housing, demographics, social and environmental justice, related structural issues, and the importance of connecting public transit and urban planning with other progressive issues. Also, how we might go about solving t...
I'm back ... in Boston ... and Critical Transit continues!
September 12, 2014 13:00Critical Transit is back after an unplanned break, and we're moving in a new (local) direction as part of a push for better transit in Boston. Learn all about the future of Critical Transit in this mini episode. Subscribe to the blog and podcast (iTunes), follow my thoughts on @criticaltransit on Twitter, like the Facebook page, and stay in tough with your reactions, discoveries and suggestions for topics or guests. Email feedback-at-criticaltransit.com or use the contact form.
Episode 45: TRB recap: light rail, design, walking, technology ...
January 23, 2014 14:00This is the first of several episodes featuring content from TRB Annual Meeting sessions in Washington, DC, starting with the common themes of transport data, automation and the idea that technology will solve more than a few of our problems. From the sessions, we learn how to successfully insert a light rail transit (LRT) line into a city streetscape dominated by car culture, informed by experience in small French and Spanish cities; why industrial design matters at every stage of a projec...
Episode 44: Transit Data, Marketing & Communication with Aaron Antrim
January 09, 2014 18:16Our guest today is transit data and communications consultant Aaron Antrim of Trillium Solutions. We learn how to manage, present and use transit information to improve mobility and expand freedom by making transit networks easier to use. Find Aaron's work at Trillium Solutions, including his analysis of social media for transit and what makes a great transit website. Or find him on Twitter. Other links include: Detroit Bus Company; Rome2rio international trip planner; San Francisco Bay Are...
Transit Tips: a new feature
January 06, 2014 14:00Transit Tips is a new feature on Critical Transit, offering quick suggestions to improve transportation services and bike and pedestrian safety. Some are cheap and easy; others take time to implement, but all are simple strategies intended to help us make real improvements for transit users in a practical manner without compromising our values. Further discussion is encouraged. Transit Tips will be posting several times each week. Have an idea for a Transit Tip, or thoughts on an existing t...
Episode 43: Traffic signals with Matt Steele
January 02, 2014 08:03 - 1 hourA new year, a new challenge to the deity of traffic engineering: the traffic light. Streets.mn contributor and recent Minneapolis City Council candidate Matt Steele says we have too many traffic signals and explains why that's a big problem for everyone. Choosing alternative measures of traffic control offers significant benefits to pedestrians, bicyclists, cars and trucks, and even help transit run more reliably. Links include Strong Towns, the relation between speed and death, roundabou...
Episode 42: Bike Winter
December 24, 2013 03:25An informative panel discussion with four winter bicycling veterans in Minneapolis. We cover bike handling, what to wear and how to prepare your two-wheeled vehicle for our favorite season. Sneak away from the holiday dinner for this special episode and get ready to ride across a frozen lake, visit an ice shanty, ride a ski bike, go mountain biking, make your own DIY winter tire solution or just buy a fat bike and impress your friends. Alternatively, you could stay inside and read Kat's exc...
Episode 41: Rail Transit Safety with Marc Ebuna
December 15, 2013 21:54In light of the latest Metro-North Railroad derailment, fellow New Yorker Marc Ebuna, now a Boston-based transit advocate and editor of Transit Matters, joins me to explain what we can learn from the recent series of incidents this year on the nation's busiest commuter rail network. Topics include technology, maintenance, funding, regulations and more, including considering whether bus and train operators should continue working the split shifts that are standard practice throughout the in...
Episode 40: Bicycling in the Rain with The Sprocket Podcast
December 02, 2013 14:00Brock Dittus and Aaron Flores take a break from hosting The Sprocket Podcast to join me from rainy Portland, Oregon, for a discussion of biking in cold and wet weather. We discuss the three elements -- clothing, bike setup, behavior -- of a warm and dry trip, without any fancy gear or sacrifices. Most importantly, do what works for you. And if you want to avoid the rain altogether you might try saving up for a velomobile. Head over to The Sprocket Podcast for more info on these fine Casca...
Episode 39: Safe bike driving with CyclingSavvy co-founder Keri Caffrey, and bikes in the news
November 14, 2013 22:09Fear of cycling in traffic is the greatest barrier to bicycle transportation, but safe bicycling is possible when you take control of your space and drive defensively. Our guest today is cycling instructor Keri Caffrey, co-founder of CyclingSavvy and editor of Commute Orlando. She is working to increase confidence and prevent crashes by educating bicyclists on how to safely operate a slow, narrow vehicle on roads designed for fast, wide vehicles. Also check out this video in which Keri revie...
Guest appearance on the Streets.mn podcast
November 13, 2013 22:00Oh look ... guess who's on the latest Streets.mn podcast? Yep, yours truly. We discuss the effects of last week's Minneapolis city election, politics and transportation. It's mostly with a local focus but most things also apply elsewhere. Go listen here. Remember you can also find my local transit writing on the same site. Hopefully the impending cold weather will mean more writing.
Episode 38: Americans for Transit & debunking the small/electric car delusion
November 01, 2013 21:21Andrew Austin stops by from Americans for Transit (twitter: @A4Transit) to share some impacts of the government shutdown and how it fits in with the ongoing austerity culture. We learn about transit diversity, labor issues and the BART strike, and review why it's critical for transit agencies to support their employees and maintain a positive work environment. That means listening to employees and riders, such as by hosting town hall meetings on buses. Later, why smaller cars, electric cars,...
Episode 37: Community Transportation with CTAA, another BART strike, and the government shutdown.
October 22, 2013 07:45Scott Bogren of the Community Transportation Association of America (CTAA) joins us to discuss their work supporting and advocating for the growing number of small urban, suburban and rural transportation services. He interviews transit operators on his own CT Podcast and spends a lot of time on Twitter. The second transit strike in just a few months has halted Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) subway service in San Francisco, Berkeley and Oakland, with no progress made since the last time. We...
Episode 36: Open Streets Minneapolis
October 02, 2013 19:46As cities respond to growing calls for safer streets and more open space, many have begun holding a series of Open Streets events where streets are closed to cars and opened to everyone else (people, bikes, skates and other non-motorized users). In most cases there is special programming including vendors, music, demonstrations and fun activities, but a few just put up some cones and let people have the street. And of course marathons, road races and charity walks are some examples of active...