Category Archives: transportation

Meetings to discuss BJCTA service changes continue

BJCTA February 2012 meetingApproximately a dozen regular users of the BJCTA gathered in the transit authority’s board room at Central Station on Friday evening to learn more about proposed service changes.

It was the second of four meetings scheduled through the middle of this week to go over the changes and to receive additional public input. The last two meetings will take place February 21 at the Hawkins Park Recreation Center (8920 Roebuck Blvd., Birmingham – map) from 5:30-7 p.m. and February 22 at the Bessemer Public Library (400 19th St., N., Bessemer – map) from 10-11:30 a.m. The changes will then be voted upon by the transit authority’s board on the afternoon of the 22nd.

Proposed changes (PDF) include: the renumbering and combining of Route 1 (as Routes 10 and 11); the simplification of Route 20 (essentially creating an airport shuttle that runs hourly along Messer Airport Highway, including Saturdays); modifications to Routes 17, 25, 26, 28 44, and 45 that will enable them to stop directly in front of Walmarts located on their routes; and a change in DART service that will provide service up to Vulcan Park.

That abbreviated list of the proposed changes is probably making you want to read about the rest of them as described on the detailed attachment handed out at the meeting, isn’t it? We’ve also got photos of the maps showing the proposed changes in the downtown, western, and eastern sections of the county.

Cruising and guzzling around metro Birmingham

Soho Square development, downtown Homewood. via City-Data.comIt’s time again to take a look at the most walkable cities in the state of Alabama as rated by walkscore.com.

While the 2010 scores were only posted on this site back in mid-December, the new scores were released today and reported on by the Birmingham Business Journal.

Homewood repeats as the state’s most walkable city scoring a respectable 53 – down from last year’s score of 55. Birmingham’s score remained steady at 40. While the score stayed the same, the city is now tied for second statewide with Selma and Florence.

The release of this year’s rankings coincided with the unveiling of an infographic created by online money management service Mint.com earlier this week. It lists Birmingham as the No. 2 Guzzler city among its users, with them averaging $216/month for gas.

We figured we’d do a comparison similar to the one we conducted in December – sharing the average amount spent per month in the cities visited by the Birmingham Regional Chamber of Commerce as part of the B.I.G. trips taken between 2002-2008. They’re again listed in the order they were visited:

  • St. Louis – $136 – Teetotaler
  • Baltimore – $136 – Teetotaler
  • Charlotte – $195 – Guzzler
  • Nashville – $149 – Sipper
  • Pittsburgh – $155 – Sipper
  • Denver – $112 – Teetotaler
  • Austin – $169 – Gulper
It may be helpful to check out how Fast Company’s Co.Design blog presented and interpreted the data – specifically how it related to lists of the best places to live.

Le Tour de Birmingham arrives on Saturday

bici coop logoBiCi Coop has announced an alley cat cycling series that will take place throughout the streets of metro Birmingham during the month of July.

Le Tour de Birmingham will take place each Saturday of July (on July 3, 10, 17, and 31) with additional information available on the organization’s blog (you’ll also be able to help them out by letting them know that you’re willing to volunteer). The buy-in for the stages will be $5 each and it will benefit the 1+ year old organization. Le

They currently plan to announce each stage a few days before, providing information like altitude changes, et. al. They’ve already announced this week’s prologue stage; it will be a 2-minute TT from BiCi Coop‘s home on Southside to Parkside Café across from Avondale Park beginning at 8 p.m. There will be some prizes but as they’ve stated on the site, “this race is for the glory not a gift card.”

Birmingham to Atlanta high-speed rail study announced

Earlier today, Birmingham Mayor William Bell joined the Regional Planning Commission of Greater Birmingham‘s executive director Charles Ball as plans were formally announced for a feasibility study that could lead to the creation of a high-speed rail link between Birmingham, AL and Atlanta, GA.

Ball stated during prepared remarks that the study would cost $500,000 with half of the funds available due to a portion of the federal stimulus bull. It will be a partnership between the RPCGB, the Georgia Department of Transportation and Norfolk Southern. The study is scheduled to begin on July 1 and take one year to complete.

The video includes portions of Ball’s comments and all of Bell’s comments to those gathered.

Building our way out of traffic

US 31/280 sign The proposal to build metro Birmingham out of the traffic congestion that is Highway 280 has been seeing a lot of attention recently.

This morning’s Birmingham News talked about the idea of flex tolls on the elevated portion. The plan being presented by ALDOT officials continues to do the rounds, with varying results. The Birmingham Business Alliance issued a press release last week strongly supporting the project while members of the Birmingham City Council have strongly voiced concerns about the project.

Groups are still organizing both for and against this project (including this memo from Homewood written last month) that will undoubtedly change the face of the metropolitan area’s Southernmost regions and they’re still trying to get a better understanding about just how the road will operate once constructed.

We were wondering if you’d share your opinions over on Magic City Question

Everyone’s been ReThinking 280

Photo courtesy of ReThink 280 Forbes Magazine recently published a report listing Birmingham, AL as one the worst city for a commute in the United States (granted it was 52nd out of the top 75). Folks in the metropolitan area have felt that way for a long time, fueling proposals from several groups about what to do to alleviate traffic along one of the major routes, U.S. 280.

Our state department of transportation and Gov. Riley have presented a proposal to make the well-traveled thoroughfare into a toll road with elevated lanes between I-459 and Double Oak Mountain. Another group has voiced concern about that proposal, calling themselves ReThink 280. Their blog currently serves as a clearinghouse of information for those wanting to keep track of the proposed changes and what work is already taking place. They also present their own solution for the road.

There’s no doubt that some of those in support of the group’s efforts will be at the presentation being made on March 8 at 10 a.m. at Mountain Brook City Hall by ALDOT representatives and project consultant Linda Figg.

Photo: Courtesy of ReThink 280 website.

On the agenda: Vulcan, jazz and transit

New Birmingham, Alabama logoThis morning’s Birmingham City Council agenda is the longest in some time, consisting of some 44 pages.

Item 21 asks the Council to approve an amendment to their contract with the Birmingham-Jefferson County Transit Authority (better known to most of us as MAX). It would allow the council to provide up to an additional $3 million to the cash-strapped agency, increasing their allocation to more than $8 million. The routes and hours are to be established by the City Council Transportation Committee.

Item 28 gives us a first glance at the Jazz in the Park Concerts sponsored by Magic City Smooth Jazz. The free concerts would be held every Sunday from July 4-25, 2010 at several locations throughout the city. The item includes the city agreeing to provide up to $10,000 towards the cost of the series.

Item 33 allows The Big Guy atop Red Mountain to have some necessary repair work done to his pedestal. Vulcan Painters of Bessemer submitted the low (and only) bid of $27,672 and acceptance of the item allows repair work to the pedestal to proceed.

The meetings are streamed live via the city’s website and archived.