An excellent graphic (sadly non-embeddable) illustrating the typical transit mix in states matched against obesity rates in those states.

A Freakonomics post referencing some of that same data, and connecting it to a recent study from North Carolina showing lower obesity rates among streetcar users (blogged about previously).

A new study from the American Public Transportation Association (PDF) exploring the links between transit and longer, healthier lifespans. (Via the always excellent Bobulate.)

In case you didn’t know, auto accidents are the number 1 cause of death among 1-34 year olds. Here in Illinois, about three people die on the roads every day, with approximately eleven traffic-related injuries occurring every hour. I’m all in favor of seat belts and airbags, and all the traffic calming we can muster. But choosing to go places on foot, by bike, or on mass transit is often the safest decision you can make.

(Via Yglesias.)

These cuts have definitely made life a little more challenging for transit-dependent Chicagoans, and I’d like to see all of them restored. But I’d like to highlight the elimination of virtually all of the X routes as among the most problematic and short-sighted.

The CTA hasn’t always had X routes, but in recent years had begun heavily featuring these variations on local routes that bypassed minor streets for quicker travel times on major thoroughfares. These buses provided important supplementary service along streets like Ashland and Western that serve as key conduits among rail lines, and more generally for a series of increasingly dense neighborhoods, particularly between Grand Avenue and Irving Park Road, but in parts of the south side as well.

In my opinion, eliminating these routes was a mistake, and instead, the CTA should have reduced (not eliminated) local service to retain express service. In addition to adding important service along major streets, X buses make buses more attractive than driving for certain types of riders; X buses have a lower impact on traffic than local buses; and express service may have collateral health benefits by encouraging some riders to add some additional walking to their commute in exchange for a faster ride.

To be fair, less local service on these routes would have a negative impact on some riders, particularly those with less mobility due to age or disability. But much of that could be counteracted through expansion of bus tracking and employing other methods to reduce time spent waiting at a bus stop.

Of course, the other alternative as written up nicely by Matt Yglesias is general reduction of bus stops while maintaining relatively high stop density. With the caveat that we have to take the needs of all riders into consideration, that’s an experiment for which I’d happily sign up.