Month: April 2011

Of all the anti-transit zealots in office right now, Ohio Governor John Kasich really stands out from the rest.

Like everyone else, Safe Routes to School advocates are scaling back. Last year, a bill introduced in the Senate asked for $600 million to enhance pedestrian and bike safety near schools. “We were working in a pretty different environment,” said Margo Pedroso, deputy director of the Safe Routes to School National Partnership. “Everybody was talking about a $500 billion transportation bill. So we figured, we don’t know what the full bill will be in the end, but let’s go for the funding we feel like we need.”

It says a lot about the state of politics in this country that the health of America's cities has become a political wedge issue. Particularly in this latest round of budget debates, we saw program after program of particular importance in urban centers get the ax.

It says a lot about the state of politics in this country that the health of America's cities has become a political wedge issue. Particularly in this latest round of budget debates, we saw program after program of particular importance in urban centers get the ax.

Gas Prices on Pace to Break All-Time Record (USA Today) Rick Scott’s Lawyer Wrong About Key Fact in Florida HSR Lawsuit (SPT) DeMint Mired in Quarrel Over Port Earmark (TPM) Reports: Natural Gas Not as Clean as Thought (Infrastructurist) When Did Breathing Stop Being Good for the Economy? (Grist) David Simon: We Live or Die … Continued

Congressional committees charged with drafting the new transportation bill have been holding hearings to seek input from stakeholders around the country. In today’s installment, the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee heard from five state DOT chiefs, one city official, and the chair of FedEx. Those witnesses’ pleas to the committee ranged from bike trails and transit to highways and deregulation.

The Columbia River Crossing is a mega-project by any standard. A bridge replacement, a highway widening, and light rail project wrapped into one, the CRC is a proposal to span the distance between Portland, Oregon and Vancouver, Washington. With a $3.2 billion price tag -- by conservative estimates -- it would be the largest public works project the region has ever undertaken.

Opponents of transportation progress would have you believe there is nothing so sacrosanct as the relationship between businesses and parking spaces. While customer access is quite valuable for merchants, in many cases, car parking isn't the best way to provide it. As this story from Portland illustrates, it's time to rethink how we allocate space for street parking.

Members of Congress React to Obama’s Deficit Reduction Speech (WaPo) Community Preference Survey: McMansions Are On Their Last Legs, Driving is a Pain (The Atlantic) Despite Being in The Most Dangerous State For Cyclists, Miami Embraces the Bicycle (Herald) Missouri Republicans Try to Overrule Governor on High-Speed Rail (Riverfront Times) New Mexico Governor Vetoes Vulnerable … Continued