skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Friday, March 29, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

The latest on the Key Bridge collapse, New York puts forth legislation to get clean energy projects on the grid and Wisconsin and other states join a federal summer food program to help feed kids across the country.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Republicans float conspiracy theories on the collapse of Baltimore's Key Bridge, South Carolina's congressional elections will use a map ruled unconstitutional, and the Senate schedules an impeachment trial for Homeland Secretary Mayorkas.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Tech is Changing How AZ Folks Get Around

play audio
Play

Tuesday, October 1, 2013   

PHOENIX - Arizonans are driving fewer miles these days, and technology and ride-sharing programs are making it easier to get around without relying on a car. A report released today by the Arizona PIRG Education Fund examines how these developments are changing travel behavior. According to PIRG's public interest advocate, Serena Unrein, smartphone apps are making public transit more attractive.

"There are smartphone-based tools that enable riders to find the best way to get to their destination, help check on the arrival of their bus or light-rail train, and are really helping people to drive less and use public transit more."

Unrein said Arizonans have reduced their driving by more than 9 percent per person since 2006, and that's due mostly to the high cost of driving and parking, combined with increased availability of options such as transit, bike-sharing and car-sharing.

Unrein remarked that one impact of technology is making the time spent in transit more productive.

"Having amenities like WiFi on public transit will allow riders to be able to get work done, and they can't or shouldn't do that while they're driving."

Unrein noted that in December, Phoenix will join some 30 other cities that offer bike-share programs.

"They can pick up a bike at a kiosk and use it for a set amount of time and pay by the hour, and then return the bike to that kiosk or to another location in the city."

Among its recommendations, the PIRG report urges public transit agencies to use information technology to provide open access to real-time scheduling and operations data. Overall, the report calls for expanding alternatives to driving.

"Our policies should reflect that people want to be able to walk, bike, take public transit," Unrein said. "And we should really be investing in those modes of transportation, and providing the necessary resources to make sure that those are well-funded."

The report also notes that younger Americans have been quickest to embrace the technologies and practices that lead to reduced vehicle use.

The report is at ArizonaPIRGEdFund.org.




get more stories like this via email

more stories
The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments this week about the popular abortion pill Mifepristone and will weigh in on whether the U.S. Food and Drug Administration was correct in how it can be dosed and prescribed. (Ascannio/Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Missouri residents are worried about future access to birth control. The latest survey from The Right Time, an initiative based in Missouri…


Social Issues

play sound

Wisconsin children from low-income families are now on track to get nutritious foods over the summer. Federal officials have approved the Badger …

Social Issues

play sound

Almost 2,900 people are unsheltered on any given night in the Beehive State. Gov. Spencer Cox is celebrating signing nine bills he says are geared …


The U.S. teaching workforce remains primarily white while the percentage of Black teachers has declined. However, the percentage of Asian and Latinx teachers is rising.(WavebreakMediaMicro/Adobestock)

Social Issues

play sound

Education advocates are calling on lawmakers to increase funding for programs to combat the teacher shortage. Around 37% of schools nationwide …

Environment

play sound

New York's Legislature is considering a bill to get clean-energy projects connected to the grid faster. It's called the RAPID Act, for "Renewable …

Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021