In this video, Jason Slaughter of Not Just Bikes walks through many of the common mistakes that America and Canada make when planning and investing in transit. Some of the big ones are banning transit-supportive densities, building vast park-and-ride lots, and making transit inaccessible for people wanting to arrive by walking, rolling, and biking. But there are many other major flaws with the North American approach to transit, such as low frequencies, lack of direct connections to destinations, and building transit as just a tertiary solution. Most of the flaws Slaughter outlines are readily apparent in the Puget Sound region’s approach to transit.
Stephen is a professional urban planner in Puget Sound with a passion for sustainable, livable, and diverse cities. He is especially interested in how policies, regulations, and programs can promote positive outcomes for communities. With stints in great cities like Bellingham and Cork, Stephen currently lives in Seattle. He primarily covers land use and transportation issues and has been with The Urbanist since 2014.