Category Archives: Transit

Langford’s had a busy day…

Posted on April 22, 2008 | Leave a comment

Langford with school children. acnatta/Flickr

Mayor Langford speaks to students at Phillips Academy during Wachovia’s Way2Save event on April 22. acnatta/Flickr.

Larry Langford’s been a busy individual this morning. Here he’s seen talking to area school children during today’s Wachovia Way2Save event. Representatives from four area schools each received $2,000 for their scholarship funds at the event. The mayor spent most of the time he was at the event taking pictures with the children and answering questions about this morning’s approval of his proposal to pay for free bus rides in Birmingham beginning in May and running through August by the City Council.

According to the blog post made earlier today by The Birmingham News, the BJCTA board still needs to approve the proposal during their board meeting tomorrow.

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Posted in Citywide, Education, Transit

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Get to the airport without driving?

Posted on April 18, 2008 | Leave a comment

Among the improvements being made to the regional transit system in the near future (due in part to Mayor Larry Langford‘s $9 million pledge earlier this year) is the start of a shuttle that would connect downtown Birmingham, AL with its international airport. Similar services currently exist in many regional cities. No word on the cost of the ride out to the state’s busiest airport.

According to the story published in this week’s Birmingham Times, the service will begin shortly after the BJCTA receives its first allocation of the funds, $4.5 million, in July.

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Posted in Business, Regionwide, Transit

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Think we’ll make the revised map?

Posted on December 10, 2007 | Leave a comment

Transit Maps of the World cover

Screenshot of book cover. Courtesy of Strange Maps.

Based on the some of the comments included in this morning’s Birmingham News story about new MAX chairman Brian Hamilton, it may happen sooner than we think.

This is an image from a promotional e-card going around for a new book about cities around the world with existing or planned rail systems. The folks over at Strangemaps have more details about the book, titled appropriately enough, Transit Maps of the World.

Their post also talks about some of the really weird things about the map…

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Posted in Quirky, Transit

my Birmingham: The joys of transit

Posted on November 28, 2007 | Leave a comment

Well, you may not think so yet (and you probably may not think so after reading my commentary about it today), but there are some joys to having reliable mass transit. Perhaps the better question to ask today is , “Are you ready to ride?“

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Posted in Birmingham, Magic City Question, My Birmingham, Transit

It’s time to get transit rolling

Posted on October 14, 2007 | 2 comments

NABI bus demo

Photo credit: André Natta

Wouldn’t it be great if we had some sort of rapid transit connecting the BJCC/downtown with UAB/Five Points South? It’s actually in the works, and you have a chance to be part of the planning process this coming week.

According to this article by Eddie Lard on al.com, the In-Town Transit Partnership Project has been planning this since 2005. Buses have been brought in for demonstration purposes, including the one pictured above that visited the city last November.

Currently the idea is to have free buses (larger ones than usual) running up and down a dedicated lane on 18th Street, with 10 bus stations along the way at spots including the Railroad Reservation Park and Central Station. The concept here is that transit attracts people, which means foot traffic, which means development–stores, restaurants, condos, offices, etc.

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Posted in 35203, Alabama, Birmingham, Transit, Uncategorized

Transit riders get a reprieve

Posted on October 5, 2007 | Leave a comment

It appears that Councilman (and mayoral candidate) William Bell‘s question about whether or not the transit rate hike that went into effect on Monday morning being legal has led to good news for passengers and questions of timing by those running against him for the mayor’s office.

The Birmingham Jefferson County Transit Authority’s board yesterday voted to rescind the 25¢ hike, returning the charge to ride on the system to $1. The increase would have been the first one for the system in 12 years.

Proponents say that the fare increase is necessary due to increasing costs and that without additional funding sources, reductions in staffing and routes may be needed.

Even though we already know what the Magic City Question is going to be today, we figured we’d ask one a little early:

What would it take to get you to use our transit system more than you do now (if at all)? 

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Posted in Alabama, Birmingham, Magic City Question, Regionwide, Transit