Light Rail Information:

Light Rail Central http://www.lightrail.com
The ultimate source for North American light rail info and photos. Lots of data and updates on current projects, constantly updated.

American Public Transit Association http://www.apta.com/
The leading private trade organization for US transit systems. Another great source for info on LIght Rail and other forms of public transit. You can spend hours here and not get to everything.

Light Rail Progress http://www.lightrailnow.org/progress/index.htm
A terrific site from Austin, TX, updated more-or-less-monthly, with news, features, events, and facts.

The New New Electric Railway Journal http://trolleycar.org/
A regularly updated web newsletter produced by the conservative Free Congress Foundation in support of Light Rail and other high-quality forms of public transit.

Valley Connections (The Phoenix Light Rail Project) http://www.valleyconnections.com/
Phoenix's first Light Rail line is on its way, funded by a .4% sales tax approved by 65% of Phoenix voters. Learn more about their system as it develops on this official site.

Light Rail News http://www.lightrail.com/news/news.htm
The latest news and project reports about Light Rail systems all over the country, updated almost daily!

Light rail Update 2001
This article in Mass Transit Magazine summarizes the progress of North American LRT projects since 1995 and provides a look ahead at key milestones to be reached in the next several years.

Light Rail Atlas http://www.xs4all.nl/~rajvdb/lra/
A Dutch graphic-oriented collection of photos and articles about Light Rail systems all over the world, if you want an international perspective.

Impact of rail on property values http://www.apta.com/info/briefings/briefing_1.html
Links to an overview and case studies from Dallas, Chicago, Boston, San Francisco, DC, and Atlanta.

Light Rail's benefits over systems with buses only http://danenet.wicip.org/bcp/benefits.html
A white paper prepared by the New Transportation Alliance full of quotes from researchers in the field.

Friends For Expo Transit http://www.friends4expo.org
A successful grassroots organization which has convinced Los Angeles to develop a new Light Rail line from Santa Monica to Downtown. Huge list of links, good photos of other US systems, and good comparison between Light Rail and Bus Rapid Transit.

Denver Transit Alliance http://www.transitalliance.org
An excellent example of a metro area with careful transit planning throughout the region, spearheaded by Light Rail. Also a good online slideshow and a place to order a great video.

Responses to Arguments Against Light Rail:

Does Transit Work? A Conservative Reappraisal by Paul Weyrich http://www.apta.com/info/online/weyrich2new.htm|
A leading conservative thinker makes the case for public transit and Light Rail from a conservative point of view.

Light Rail Claims vs. Facts http://members.aol.com/friends4expo/lrp922.htm
A terrific page from Austin, TX, which counters anti-rail rhetoric with facts & figures.

Light Rail Myths http://www.lightrailnow.org/myths.html
Another good page from Austin which counters anti-rail myths.

How to Respond to Anti-Transit Rhetoric http://www.apta.com/info/online/weyrich_blumenauer.htm
A transcript of a talk given by a left-wing Congressman and a right-wing think-tank founder in which each responds to anti-transit comments on a mock- radio talk show.

Funding Options:

Federal Transit Association Innovative Financing Handbook http://www.fta.dot.gov/library/money/inovhnbk.html
A guide to how federal dollars can be used to provide up to an 80% match to 20% local funds for transit projects.

Report #31: Funding Strategies for Public Tranportation http://www4.trb.org/trb/onlinepubs.nsf/web/TCRP_Reports
One of 67 reports published by the Transportation Research Board (an arm of the National Academies of Science & Engineering). Many of the other reports are also excellent, but this one from 1998 (which can be downloaded in PDF form by scrolling down to #31 on the list) is the best review of funding sources I've yet seen anywhere. It is loaded with case studies, so read all 7 parts!

Other transit modes:

The Monorail Society http://www.monorails.org/
A site dedicated to the promotion of monorails as public transit.

Bus Rapid Transit http://brt.volpe.dot.gov/
A site run by the Federal Transit Administration which promotes a mode which "combines the flexibility of buses with the quality of Light Rail."

Arizona Rail Passenger Association http://www.azrail.org/
A great Arizona news and feature site from Scottsdale run since 1978 by a volunteer group of concerned citizens working for better rail passenger service in the Desert Southwest, including commuter rail and intercity rail between Tucson and Phoenix. See also their August 2000 White Paper which calls for specific interconnections among various rail modes throughout Arizona, including Tucson.

Friends of Transit http://www.friendsoftransit.org
A new non-profit organization created this year in Phoenix to educate about and support transit in the Maricopa County region. Founded by a broad-based coaltion of business, government and neighborhoods to promote transit as a solution to congestion problems.

Sierra Club Transportation Issues Pages http://www.sierraclub.org/sprawl/transportation/
Another excellent and deep site with lots of links and reports on how alternative modes of transit, including light rail, can help build more livable communities.

The Surface Transportation Policy Project http://www.transact.org
A nonprofit organization working to ensure a diversified transportation system. Excellent news, research and reports.

Walkable and Bikeable Communities:

America WALKs. www.americawalks.org

Walkable Communities. www.walkable.org

National Center for Bicycling and Walking. www.bikefed.org

City of Tucson bicycle coordinator: Shellie Ginn 791-4372

Traffic Calming & Community Reclamation:

www.trafficcalming.org
Tips to help calm traffic in neighborhoods and reduce the amount of heat-retaining paving in our community:

City Repair www.cityrepair.org
City Repair, a dynamic and innovative organization based in Portland, Oregon that helps neighborhoods build community and create gathering places. One of their programs called "intersection repair" is a citizen-led conversion of an urban street intersection into a public square. Check them out at and get inspired!