Month: April 2011

The media loves drama, of course. As your high school English teacher explained it, if Hamlet doesn’t get pissed about his dad’s murder or if Atticus Finch doesn’t step up to defend a black man falsely accused -- that is, if somebody doesn’t say no, you’ve got no story. So the vociferous opposition of a handful of people to a handful of bike lane projects in New York City has been dramatized, through a series of news stories and op-eds, into a full-blown citizens’ backlash against the complete streets movement.

We wrote last week about how critics of transit projects often demand that urban developers contribute to the funding of new infrastructure, while interchange-profiteers like Wal-Mart and Olive Garden are rarely asked to pay a cent.

Obama Pushes for Parks, Clean Energy (Miami Herald, Politico) During Safest Year in Decades, 32,788 Still Die on American Roads (The Hill) Commuters Adapt in the Sprawling City of Atlanta (USA Today) Rolling Stones Keyboardist Weighs in on Smart Growth (SmartPlanet) Potholes Ahead for New Jersey with Gov. Christie’s Transportation Plan (NJ.com) Slow Start for … Continued

Economic competitiveness and sustainability -- when it comes to the performance of North America's freight system, the two terms are nearly synonymous. That is the key finding from a new report by NAFTA's Secretariat of the Commission for Environmental Cooperation.

A government shutdown is looking like a real possibility as both sides dig in their heels in the budget debate for the year that's already half over. Funding for transportation, livability programs, and everything else remains a question mark as Senate Democrats try to moderate the House Republicans' budget cuts.

Editor's note: These are the highlights from this week's hearings on the upcoming transportation bill, where people made the case to Congress for sustainable transportation options. I'll follow up with the Bad and the Ugly, like those who want to kick transit out of the Highway Trust Fund.

From around the Network today, a potential transit funding breakthrough, the unequal impacts of air pollution and a state steps back from TOD:

Senator Chuck Schumer broke his long public silence on the redesigned Prospect Park West in dramatic fashion this morning, leading members of Congress on a two-wheeled tour of the physically separated bike lane that runs past his Brooklyn home. Schumer used the occasion to announce that he'll be introducing new legislation to promote investment in bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure.

Kerry: Infrastructure Bank Needed as a  Catalyst for Investment (Politico) Obama Veto Threat Looms Over FAA Bill (The Hill, Politico) What Worries Greens About Obama’s Energy Plan (NYT) Old Stereotypes About the Inner City Fading Away (USA Today) Déjà Vu Anybody? Metro Mulls Service Cuts (Examiner) Talking Buses That Warn Pedestrians Being Tested in Maryland (Ibtimes) Chinese … Continued