CodeRedTO welcomes back Christof Spieler, author of Trains, Buses, People, Second Edition: An Opinionated Atlas of US and Canadian Transit, to speak with the CodeRedTO community on September 27 about lessons Toronto and the GTHA could learn from other cities’ experiences.

Christof Spieler is an engineer and planner, a senior lecturer at Rice University in the architecture and engineering schools, and spent eight years on the board of Houston’s Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County (METRO). He’s also a member of the American Public Transit Association’s Sustainability and Urban Design Working Group, which drafts national standards on transit and urban design, a contributor to NACTO’s Transit Street Design Guide, a member of the Central Houston Transportation Committee, and a board member at TransitCenter in New York.

Christof Spieler presented at a CodeRedTO event in 2019 and we are thrilled to welcome him back (virtually!) to launch Trains, Buses, People, Second Edition: An Opinionated Atlas of US and Canadian Transit, which now covers every rail transit and bus rapid transit system in the United States and Canada!

How does Bay Area transit compare with the systems of other North American regions? On September 21 at 5:00 p.m. PT, join Seamless Bay Area for a conversation with transit and urban planning expert Christof Spieler where we’ll explore this question and more.

During the discussion, we’ll get Spieler’s insights on a range of issues covered in the newly-issued second edition of his book Trains, Buses, People: An Opinionated Atlas of US and Canadian Transit -- like fare policies, wayfinding, transit governance structures, customer experience, how to create inclusive transit systems that work for all riders. We’ll also highlight opportunities for Bay Area transit riders to get engaged in these issues over the coming months.

Trains, Buses, People has been dubbed “a transit wonk’s bible” that has guided “a smarter conversation about urban transit” in the U.S. The second edition of the book, released in August 2021 by Island Press, is fully updated and expanded to include eight Canadian cities and two new US cities (Indianapolis and San Juan, Puerto Rico). The second edition also includes new sections on inclusivity in transit, as well as all-new maps and additional content focused on network typologies, guideway types, station types, and fares.

This virtual event is free and open to all, presented as part of Bay Area Transit Month. See full list of Transit Month events here. A Zoom link will be provided to all who register for the event at least 24 hours prior to the event date.

About Christof Spieler: Christof Spieler, PE, LEED AP, is a Vice President and Director of Planning at Huitt-Zollars and a Senior Lecturer at Rice University. Spieler is the author of the Trains, Buses, People: An Opinionated Atlas of US Transit, now released in a fully updated second edition by Island Press. Spieler has spent over a decade advocating for transit as a writer, community leader, urban planner, transit board member, and enthusiast. He strongly believes that just about anyone—regardless of training or experience—can identify what makes good transit with the right information.

About Seamless Bay Area: Seamless Bay Area was founded in 2018 with the mission of transforming the Bay Area’s fragmented and inconvenient public transit into a world-class, equitable, and rider-friendly system. The group has built a broad and diverse coalition of elected officials, community partners, advocates, and volunteers working together to advocate for the structural reforms required to create a world-class public transit system for the Bay Area.

Join Capital Bike and the Better Transit Alliance in welcoming Christof Spieler for a webinar, "Having the Right Conversation About Transit".

Christof Spieler is the author of one of Island Press' best-selling transit books, Trains, Buses, People: An Opinionated Atlas of US and Canadian Transit. This second edition of the book was published on August 24th. Updated features in this revised edition include information on fares, governance, funding, and stations, plus a new section on inclusivity to help all readers understand how to welcome riders regardless of race, gender, income, or disability. Eight metropolitan Canadian areas have been added and all the U.S. regions have been updated.

Spieler asserts that "we need to have the right conversations about transit. We need to talk about what matters—to focus on the quality of service, not the technology that delivers it." This webinar will focus on having productive conversations about public transit, walking and cycling.

This book is intended for non-experts. Anyone with a vested interest in making a more effective transit system can use the tools provided in this book. The maps and data for the 57 metro areas make it easy to compare each region to its peers, see which area is doing well, and highlight the gaps in transit service. That said, Capital Bike, Better Transit Alliance, and their supporters will find the book particularly useful, given the local context it provides.

Join 5th Square, South Street Head House District and Transit Forward Philadelphia in welcoming Christof Spieler author of Trains, Buses, People. The revised edition features updated information on fares, governance, funding, and stations, plus a new section on inclusivity to help all readers understand how to welcome riders regardless of race, gender, income, or disability. Eight metropolitan Canadian areas have been added and all the U.S. regions have been updated.

This book is intended for non-experts. Anyone with a vested interest in making a more effective transit system can use the tools provided in this book. The maps and data for the 57 metro areas make it easy to compare each region to its peers, see which area is doing well, and highlight the gaps in transit service.

Light food and drinks will be provided. This is a Vax only event for ages 12+ and children under 12 will be expected to wear a mask.

The Coalition for Smarter Growth is hosting a book talk with Christof Spieler for the recently released second edition of the wildly popular book Trains, Buses, People. His original book was dubbed “a transit wonk’s bible” that has guided “a smarter conversation about urban transit”. Christof will discuss the evolving conversation around transit in the past three years since the book originally published. He’ll also briefly cover updates around fare policies, wayfinding, transit governance structures, customer experience, how to create inclusive transit systems that work for all riders. 

Christoff Spieler is the vice president and director of planning at Huitt-Zollars, a consulting firm with offices across the US. His new book, Trains, Buses, People, Second Edition: An Opinionated Atlas of US and Canadian Transit profiles the 49 metro areas in the US and 8 in Canada that have rail transit or BRT, using data, photos, and maps.

In this talk, Spieler discusses how agencies can better welcome riders regardless of race, gender, income, or disability.

Moderated by Assistant Professor in the School of Geographical Science and Urban Planning Huê-Tâm Jamme. 

You can purchase Trains, Buses, People from the independently owned Changing Hands Bookstore, HERE.

Christof Spieler, PE, AICP, LEED AP, has examined more than 50 metropolitan areas in the United States and Canada with rail or bus rapid transit to explore why the systems were built, how well they are working and what makes transit successful.

Join the Maryland Department of Planning and the Smart Growth Network as Spieler shares his findings and outlines the evolving conversation about fare policies, wayfinding, transit governance structures, customer experience and the future of transit, and what he has learned from his work.

January 19, 2022 2:00pm to 3:00pm ET

Christof Spieler has recently released the second edition of his wildly popular book Trains, Buses, People. Christof’s new book now covers eight Canadian cities and two new US cities (Indianapolis and Puerto Rico). His original book was dubbed “a transit wonk’s bible” that has guided “a smarter conversation about urban transit.” Christof will discuss the evolving conversation around transit in the past three years since the book originally published. He’ll also briefly cover updates around fare policies, wayfinding, transit governance structures, customer experience, and how to create inclusive transit systems that work for all riders.

Speakers:
Christof Spieler, PE, LEED AP, Vice President and Director of Planning, Huitt-Zollars and Senior Lecturer, Rice University
Robert Puentes, President and CEO, Eno Center for Transportation 

In its first edition, Trains, Buses, People was billed as “an opinionated atlas of U.S. transit” as it profiled 47 different metropolitan rail transit and bus rapid transit systems from around the country. In the recently released second edition, author Christof Spieler reexamines those same systems, adds new U.S. cities and expands his focus to eight metropolitan areas in Canada, but continues to unequivocally compare each through the application of a pragmatic and thorough analysis. The result is an honest look at what makes for good, and for bad, transit and a presentation of how geography, history, politics and the ongoing pandemic have impacted transit planning across the United States. Come learn about these updated findings and hear what data shows to be the best and worst systems in North America.