National links: Work is changing. Can transit keep up?

Transit systems aren’t built for a work-from-home world. Chemicals from car tires are killing fish. Transit and affordable housing aren’t linking up.

Preparing transit for modern work: Before the pandemic, just 5% of all worked hours were from home. After the pandemic, that number is expected to increase to 28%, an abrupt and remarkable societal shift. This is likely to have a huge impact on urban transportation as transit systems in many cities are organized primarily around work trips. Now, transit agencies have an opportunity to re-organize to support a new routine. (Nick Caros | Eno Center for Transportation)

Tire chemicals are killing fish: Researchers following up on a study that showed salmon were impacted by a tire chemical found in runoff have also found other fish such as trout are impacted by the same chemical in streams near roads. The chemical, which has been used in tires since the 1950s, acts to keep fish from processing oxygen when they breathe. Just a small amount in an urban stream is enough to suffocate and kill trout. (Bob Weber | Toronto Star)

Transit and housing aren’t coordinating: The importance of connecting affordable housing and transportation is well known but having them connected in practice is another matter. New research from the Transit Cooperative Research Program discusses the challenges residents face in education, employment, and health care when transit is not as accessible as it should be. The work also shares solutions some agencies have been using to bridge the gap. (Mariia Zimmerman | MZ Strategies)

Infrastructure bill a watershed moment for buses: Typically buses are replaced every 12 years and agencies have used limited federal funds for replacement and building facilities. But thanks to federal infrastructure legislation there is now $2.35 billion available for buses. That means agencies should start thinking bigger about how to provide better bus service through capital improvements that might not have been available in the past, including bus stops, stations, and ADA improvements. (TransitCenter)

The legacy of Christopher Alexander: Urban design pioneer Christopher Alexander passed away last week at the age of 85. His books, including his best known work, “A Pattern Language,” are still must-reads for architecture students and computer coders around the world, and his ideas still bear lessons for us today. (Michael Mehaffy | Planetizen)

Quote of the week:

“When asked to estimate their annual state gas tax expenditure, only one in five participants came within 10% of the calculated cost. 55% of respondents underestimated their gas taxes by more than 10%. The other 24% overestimated, sometimes by huge margins… People often couldn’t guess how much they paid in state gas taxes, but 52% of respondents still thought it was too high.”

Catie Gould in Sightline discussing how Washington State voters have no idea how much gas taxes are.

This week on the podcast, Adie Tomer from Brookings talks about how transit-oriented development and active transportation play into climate strategies.