Reviews (3)

The Great Society Subway
The book is obviously well-researched and the chapter on The Riders was interesting.However, the author included a lot of details that just really didn't matter-as if he threw in the entire contents of his research rather than sifting out the relevant facts.The photos and illustrations that he used were illuminating and contributed to the educational value of the book.
The creator of DC Development
This is a wonderful history of the DC Metro System.This subway has provided the underground infrastructure to relieve mis-guided highway construction that threatened the District.Metro has provided the impetus for development in the Dupont Circle, 7th Street, and New York Avenuecorridors.When the new basebal stadium is constructed, it will be served by 2 Metro stations and new development will occur there.

A Toughtful History
The author obviously spent a great deal of time doing research in preparation for writing this volume.It not only covers the history of the capitol's subway system, but the social and economic factors leading up to its construction.A very throught provoking history of a unique transportation system. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Earth Sciences - Geography    2. General    3. History    4. History - U.S.    5. History: American    6. Local transit    7. Public Transportation    8. Social aspects    9. Subways    10. Transportation    11. United States - General    12. United States - State & Local - Middle Atlantic    13. Washington Metropolitan Area    14. District of Columbia (Washington, DC)    15. Psychology & Psychiatry / General    16. Trains & railways: general interest    17. USA   

Subjects:  1. Freight Transportation    2. Freight and freightage    3. General    4. Political Freedom & Security - International Secur    5. Political Freedom & Security - Law Enforcement    6. Politics / Current Events    7. Public Transportation    8. Security measures    9. Transportation    10. Transportation Policy And Planning    11. True Crime    12. United States    13. Crime & criminology    14. Highway & traffic engineering    15. True Crime / General   

Subjects:  1. Architecture    2. Case studies    3. Environmental Conservation & Protection - General    4. Land use, Urban    5. Local transit    6. Planning    7. Political Science    8. Politics/International Relations    9. Public Policy - City Planning & Urban Dev.    10. Public Policy - Regional Planning    11. Public Transportation    12. Transportation and state    13. United States    14. Architecture / Planning    15. Transport planning & policy    16. Transportation / Public Transportation   

Reviews (10)

Evans takes on the holy cows and golden calves
This wonderful book--always by my side-- is essential reading for those who want to know what to do about the US's dismal failure to reduce its road death toll in the last decade. The centerpiece of the book is an angry chapter in which Evans asks why the US has not introduced speed camera networks which reduced deaths in absolute numbersfell by 40-50% in Australia, the UK and France. Evans applies models derived from Newtonian physics, which relate mass, velocity and kinetic energy, to assess the proportional contributrion of an array of countermeasures for reducing road deaths and injuries. He comes to some conclusions which shake the groupthink Ptolemaic mindset of US injury prevention specialists, a tribe publishing more and more about interventions which yield less and less. The book contains a wealth of information, recommendations and insights on alcohol, seat belts, air bags, vehicle safety standards and much more in road safety, and demonstrates a glittering ability to cut through a lot of nonsense and get to the core of the issue on what works and what doesn't.Again a must read. A detailed review is available by this reviewer in Israel Med Assoc Journal.(IMAJ: 2005: 7: 62-3)Elihu D Richter MD, MPH Hebrew University

The Definitive Traffic Safety Reference
Whether you are a traffic safety researcher, professional or advocate, Leonard Evans' new book on the subject is essential reading.Dr. Evans draws both upon his own and other reputed scientists in the field to present baseline information to researchers across the comprehensive sub-disciplines of traffic safety.The facts are not shrouded in scien-tific jargon, however, and will be understandable to non-academics and decision-makers alike.In the closing chapters, Dr. Evans fearlessly moves from the scientific facts to the personalities that shape the commonly held paradigms in the traffic safety community.He provides concrete examples of the reasons that current efforts have fallen short, and he clearly demonstrates that the only way to make definitive progress in traffic safety is to provide a hard linkage between the applied countermeasures and the root causes of the problem itself.
Essential reading for researchers, clinicians, and engineers
Leonard Evans has put into straightforward and easily understandable terms the reasons why traffic crashes are the most frequent cause of traumatic death in first world societies. His ways of turning problems inside out and examining real causes while identifying confounders helps turn even the casual reader into something of an expert in traffic safety. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. General    2. Government policy    3. Public Transportation    4. Traffic safety    5. Transportation    6. United States    7. Personal & public health   

Reviews (3)

Exceptional
You can't say enough about this excellent survey of modern transit. Expect this book to inspire you!

paradigm shifter
I read this book a few years ago and it opened my eyes forever.Instead of moaning, "What will we do about all of these cars?" I have framed the question, "What the h. is wrong with the United States?"Prior to reading this book, I had only the faintest ideas about what democratic transit planning would look like on a large scale.The answer, Switzerland!
Excellent book with broad scope.
Cervero does an excellent job presenting each case study and its lessons with regard to urban transportation.He studies cities from the United State, Europe, Asia, and Latin America which makes the book especiallyvaluable.He introduces and explains different types and categories ofurban transportation alternatives and their respective benefits anddrawbacks. Excellent book, worth reading. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. City planning    2. General    3. Industries - Transportation    4. Land use    5. Local transit    6. Planning    7. Political Science    8. Politics/International Relations    9. Public Policy - City Planning & Urban Dev.    10. Transportation    11. Urban Planning    12. Urban Transportation    13. City & town planning - architectural aspects    14. Transport industries    15. Transportation / Public Transportation   

Reviews (1)

Getting to school
Of the many problems Americans frequently complain about, one has been lurking under the radar over the last several decades, and has occasionally surfaced in nasty fights at the state and local government level.This problem is that of transportation to and from college campuses.As the US population grows, the availability of open land goes down, and the number of college students increase, physical access to colleges has become a perennial issue in many states.I came to discover this in the past decade.First as a student, and now as a staff scientist at Arizona State University, I have been at ASU since 1994.In that time, I have watched parking at ASU go from great, to downright horrible.
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Subjects:  1. Administration - General    2. Aviation - General    3. Campus parking    4. College students    5. General    6. Local transit    7. Politics / Current Events    8. Public Policy - City Planning & Urban Dev.    9. Public Transportation    10. Transportation    11. Transportation demand management    12. United States    13. Higher & further education    14. Political Science / City Planning & Urban Development    15. Transport planning & policy   

Reviews (9)

when the mta shuts down, new york city shuts down...
new yorkers learned first hand how vital the iron horsesare to the city when the mta went on strike for three days last year. i have never taken the work the subway operators do for granted. coming from a small town, i think it's cool to jump on the train at any time and go anywhere. of all the transportation systems i have ridden, MBTA, Chicago Transit Authority, San Francisco MUNI, Paris Metro, London Underground, etc, mta transit is hands down the best...randall kennedy's essays cover the exploits of the subway workers, the people who ride the trains and the underground characters who bring life to the subway. kennedy, a new york times writer, also gives you a history of the new york city subway, which is also quite cool...it was interesting to discover that the g train is the only train that doesn't go into manhattan or that the travel time on the a train can take over an hour, it being the longest route in the subway system, going from queens to manhattan or that the mayor rides the iron horse once a week...this book is cool...

A little flavor of the Big Apple
I've traveled a bit but I've never spent any time in NYC.I am going to spend a week in the city in October and besides some good tour books I wanted to read something that made me feel like I lived in the city.This book was a nice journey.The essays are well written and amusing but also help explain, for those of us who live elsewhere some of the humanity and heart of the city and why people love to live there...

A great compilation of NYC facts, personalities and stories
For years, Randy Kennedy's columns were the most enjoyable part of the NY times.Their combination of humor, sociology, and history made them a great window on life in NYC.
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Subjects:  1. Description and travel    2. General    3. Ground Transportation    4. New York    5. New York (N.Y.)    6. New York (State)    7. Public Transportation    8. Social life and customs    9. Subways    10. Transportation    11. Travel - United States    12. United States - Mid Atlantic - New York City    13. United States - State & Local - General    14. United States Local History   

Subjects:  1. Europe - France    2. France    3. General    4. History    5. History - General History    6. Local transit    7. Names    8. Paris    9. Public Transportation    10. Subway stations    11. Travel   

Reviews (1)

NYC Subway Fan's Delight!!!
I'm a native New Yorker, born in Brooklyn and raised in Queens, so the NYC subway system means a great deal to me. I'm also a railfan, so my interests in the inner workings of the IND, BMT, and IRT run very deep as well. That's why I can say that Evolution of New York City Subways truly is a subway fan's delight. Gene Sansone has written an incredibly fact-filled, engaging chronicle of the rolling stock of the MTA and its predecessors, as only an insider can. The comprehensive text is accompanied by excellent interior and exterior photos, plus detailed diagrams and specifications. I predict that this book will soon become the reference standard on this subject. I sincerely urge all subway fans to get a copy immediately: they won't be able to put it down! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. History    2. Local transit    3. New York    4. New York (State)    5. Railroads - General    6. Railroads - History    7. Rapid And Mass Transit Systems    8. Subways    9. Transportation    10. United States - General    11. Literary Criticism & Collections / Theory    12. New York City    13. Trains & railways: general interest   

Reviews (1)

excellent introduction to how residential streets evolved
This books describes the history and evolution of residential streets in the US and Britain.It remains very objective, until the last chapter when the authors push for the shared streets concept.As a transportation planning professional, I found it very informative and compelling.It didthe impossible: it changed my mind on the value of cul-de-sacs. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. City planning    2. Design    3. Development - Sustainable Development    4. General    5. Nature/Ecology    6. Planning    7. Political Science    8. Politics / Current Events    9. Public Policy - City Planning & Urban Dev.    10. Public Policy - Regional Planning    11. Standards    12. Streets    13. Urban Planning    14. Urban Transportation    15. Architecture / Planning    16. City & town planning - architectural aspects    17. Transportation / Public Transportation    18. USA    19. United Kingdom, Great Britain    20. Urban & municipal planning   

Reviews (3)

Saved by the photos
The City Beneath Us is a superb collection of photos weighed down by a less-than-stellar text.The text reads like it was assembled by a committee, with each committee member writing a chapter.A more thorough editing could have smoothed the transitions and given the book a more unified feel.Though, the contributing writers are unified in one thing -- they are sure of who the New York subway's enemies were throughout the years.This strident finger-pointing also detracts.But then there are the pictures.Nearly all is forgiven in the face of these wonderful images.If you get geeked by trains or things underground, this is a great, if flawed, book.

No Maps!
The book presents an illustrated history of the NY subway in the first 81 pages with the remainder of the 160+ pages devoted to historic photographs. Since it was published by the NY Transit Museum I had high hopes. After reading the book, I felt that the history narrative was somewhat condensed being that 100 years were covered in 81 pages including photos.I was disappointed that there is not a single map or line drawing of the NYC transit system in the entire book! (I still find this hard to believe.) Having lived in NYC for 25 years I am familiar with the geography and layout of the subway system.But without a map, readers who are unfamiliar with the layout will be totally lost. How is one supposed to know the how the BRT, IRT and IND lines relate to each other geographically without a map? I had hoped that the book would illustrate how the subway expanded over time using maps and diagrams which it did not. I also expected more engineering drawings or diagrams. If you are looking for some great photos of building the subway then this book has hundreds of excellent pictures.If you are looking for a more detailed explanation of the history to include maps of how the subway expanded over the first 40 years then look for another book.I gave this book 4 stars because of the excellent photographs.

Not as impressed as I thought I'd be
I had high hopes for this book, after several delays and all the hype.But I was somewhat disappointed by the very poor quality of materials (especially the dustjacket), despite it being printed in Italy.The photos are worth 5 stars, but I expected more of them and a more coherent presentation.There are plenty of good histories of the NYC Subway--this book was supposed to be a treasure trove of photos.
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Subjects:  1. Design and construction    2. History    3. History - U.S.    4. New York    5. New York (State)    6. Pictorial works    7. Railroads - History    8. Railroads - Pictorial    9. Rapid And Mass Transit Systems    10. Subways    11. Transportation    12. United States - State & Local - Middle Atlantic    13. Trains & railways: general interest   

Editorial Review

Packet switching works well for moving data -- why not use it for moving humans? In a nutshell, the French Aramis transit project proposed packet switching as a solution to human transport problems (though, so far as I can tell, neither the author nor any reviews I have yet read have made this connection). Read more

Reviews (4)

Cool!
Well, like it or not - you have to read it. Clear books are boring propaganda. Insightful thoughts are never quite clear. For the clear read your bank statement.

Save yourself, you're the only one who can
I hated this book for all the same reasons that the previous reviewer loved it.Latour's voice changes add some depth to the story, but are done in a manner so convoluted that much of the substance is lost.Using Aramis itself as the voice of martyred technology just becomes increasingly absurd throughout the book.There are much better books than this out there about man's relationship with technology, do yourself a favor and find one of them.

Save yourself, you're the only one who can
I hated this book for all the same reasons that the previous reviewer loved it.Latour's voice changes add some depth to the story, but are done in a manner so convoluted that much of the substance is lost.Using Aramis itself as the voice of martyred technology just becomes increasingly absurd throughout the book.There are much better books than this out there about man's relationship with technology, do yourself a favor and find one of them. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Europe - France    2. France    3. General    4. Local transit    5. Paris Metropolitan Area    6. Personal rapid transit    7. Rapid And Mass Transit Systems    8. Science/Mathematics    9. Sociology    10. Industrial applications of scientific research & technological innovation    11. Railway technology & engineering    12. Technology / Engineering / Civil    13. Technology: General Issues   

Reviews (3)

Very interesting!
This book has great photos as well as very interesting history of the New Look bus, the pictures are very well done, and do the subject good.
Good companion volume to the photo archive.
I buy, and will continue to buy, any and all Iconografix bus books. I found this book to be as interesting as John's first effort on the subject. His other book was also the first bus book from this publisher. With his passing, and the loss of a good friend and fellow enthusiast, we will see no more of his prolific writing as he did in these and the SF MUNI books. We all hope that his fellow author and others will carry on.

Welcome Aboard The GM New Look Bus
An easy reading and informative reference book on the GM New Look bus.Pictures are very nice.Pages in particular with color pics were a definate plus!Without going into great detail of how this bus came into reality. John McKane gives us a brief history of Yellow Coach & GM Bus production, and how it lead to the creation of the New Look.A must for every bus fan or transporation historian! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Automotive    2. Public Transportation    3. Transportation    4. Transportation / Automotive / General   

Reviews (1)

Overview of British Railroading
"Practical Railway Engineering" by Clifford Bonnett is an elementary, non-technical overview of railroad structures, facilities, rolling stock, control systems and maintenance.Based on British railroad experience the focus is on passenger trains and terminals rather than the heavy-haul railroads and freight yards common in North America.The reader is not confronted with the basic theory and engineering principles for route location and design, train operating characteristics, track and bridge design, or the system dynamics of yard operations.Bonnett does not cover either container and piggy-back freight equipment or the design of the complex terminals for the interchange of these important railroad commodities.This book would be excellent value at one-quarter the price as we expect a solid engineering text from Imperial College Press. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Engineering - Civil    2. Public Transportation    3. Railroad engineering    4. Railroads - General    5. Science/Mathematics    6. Technology & Industrial Arts    7. Transportation    8. Railway technology & engineering   

Reviews (3)

Book long overdue
As books go it was a fair read.If you live in Cincinnati or have ever lived there, you would want to read it if you have any interest in the history of the city.There's more pictures than text in this 128 page book.I did enjoy the pictures and captions and learned much about the ill-fated subway.I had only seen the tunnel entrances along the Mill Creek Expressway.

A Most Comprehensive Visit To The Cincinnati Subway
Allen Singer presents one of the best reviews of the famed Cincinnati Subway.The book features outstanding photographs of the subway system that was never to be. The text is very comprehensive and well researched.I learned much about the subway system.This book belongs on the shelf of every Cincinnati history buff.A great read.

More than a subway story
This is an excellent book for anyone interested in learning about the challenges of mass transit construction and city planning. More than that, however, the author reveals the human struggle to build the infrastructure of a subway system and the frustrating political and economical forces that ultimately undermined that labor.
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Subjects:  1. History - U.S.    2. Public Transportation    3. United States - State & Local - Midwest   

Subjects:  1. Public Transportation    2. Sailing - General    3. Sailing - Navigation    4. Sports    5. Sports & Recreation    6. Sailing   

Features

• Illustrated

Reviews (2)

A political-financial history of the "Dual Contracts"
Peter Derrick's book covers the "Dual Contracts" era of subway construction in New York, when numerous lines were built between 1910 and 1931 by the IRT and the BRT /BMT. Derrick focuses on the interactions between executives of the then-existing subway companies and municipal politicians. Only a few paragraphs cover the "Independent" subway system, which was built after 1931. New York City's Pivotal Moment
No other historian has identified so important a piece of NYC's history on which so little is known, and written so lucidly about it.This is not just enjoyable history.You cannot understand New York City today without reading Derrick's book.Read more

Subjects:  1. History    2. History - General History    3. History - U.S.    4. History: American    5. New York    6. New York (N.Y.)    7. New York (State)    8. New York - Local History    9. Public Transportation    10. Railroads - History    11. Rapid And Mass Transit Systems    12. Subways    13. United States - State & Local - General   

Reviews (1)

Just the Dry, Disjointed Facts
As a life-long Chicagoan, I grew up riding buses and the El.For 16 years after I graduated from law school, I lived on the North Side and didn't own a car -- public transit and cabs were all I needed (and I didn't have to worry about parking).Over the years, I've come to love the City's transit system, and if you ride long enough and pay attention, you have to become curious about its history -- you'll notice El spurs that go nowhere, rail tracks peeking through street pavement, and so on.And of course the politics of fare increases, capital improvements, expansion or contraction of routes, and regional planning and cooperation are all fascinating.Read more

Subjects:  1. Chicago    2. Chicago Transit Authority    3. History    4. History,    5. Illinois    6. Industries - Transportation    7. Local transit    8. Railroads - History    9. Rapid And Mass Transit Systems    10. Transportation    11. United States - State & Local - General    12. American history    13. City & town planning - architectural aspects    14. Transport industries    15. USA   

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Economics - Macroeconomics    5. Public Transportation    6. Transportation    7. Business & Economics / Macroeconomics    8. Transport industries    9. Transportation / General    10. Transportation-Public Transportation   

Subjects:  1. Government - U.S. Government    2. Political Science    3. Politics / Current Events    4. Politics/International Relations    5. Public Finance    6. Public Policy - City Planning & Urban Dev.    7. Public Transportation    8. United States    9. Urban transportation policy    10. Transport industries