Ben Goldman

Sen. Barbara Boxer Sees Progress in Conference, Transpo Bill Possible by End of June (Hill) Larry Ehl Breaks Down What Trucking/Ag, Cities, and 26 Congressmen Want From the Bill New Jersey Gov., Who Canceled Megaproject in 2010, Wants More Transpo Money (Bloomberg) Live in Redwood City, CA? Obama’s Visit Means Impromptu Open Streets Today! (Cyclelicious) … Continued

Cyclists may only account for 1 percent of all trips taken in the U.S., but that's still good enough to save the American people a total of $4.6 billion per year, according to research recently released by the League of American Bicyclists, the Sierra Club, and the National Council of La Raza. The announcement coincided with National Bike to Work Day, observed last Friday as part of Bike Month.

2012 Bicycle Friendly State Rankings: WA Still on Top, CO and DE Surge (LAB) Exiting Rep. Dennis Kucinich: Approving KXL Pipeline Will Raise, Not Lower, Gas Prices (Hill) NRDC’s Kaid Benfield Takes You on a Google Street-View Walk Through Copenhagen The Most Delay-Prone Highway Corridors in the U.S. Are Mostly Near L.A., NYC (Atlantic Cities) … Continued

When gas prices go up, it can be a big motivator for people to start taking transit more frequently. But according to a study released by the American Public Transportation Association and Building America's Future [PDF], even when gas prices start to go down, the newly converted keep riding transit.

In Transpo Conference Committee, All Eyes on the Kids in the Back of the Room (Fox News) More Signs That Builders and Developers Are Reversing 60 Years of Sprawl (USA Today) Congress Ponders Elimination of Bicycle Commuting Census Info (LAB) Think Gas Is Expensive? Think Again (HuffPo) U.S. DOT Awards $5.1 Million Bus Rapid Transit … Continued

Federal Employee Union Wants Transpo Conference’s Hands Off Pensions (Hill) High-Ranking GOP Rep. Predicts Transpo Bill, Keystone Pipeline to Pass This Fall (TranspoNation) Understanding, Valuing Human Life Can Help Cyclists and Drivers Share the Road (GGW) Speaking of Which: AAA Unveils New Bicycle Safety Resources for Bike Week (LAB) Derelict Freight Railroad Line in Upstate … Continued

At a press conference outside the Capitol this morning, where gusty winds nearly carried off the visual aids (if it weren't for a few diligent supporters), bicycle advocates joined members of Congress to unveil the results of a new survey about federal funding for bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure. The telephone poll of 1,003 Americans, commissioned by the advocacy group America Bikes and conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates, was unequivocal: 83 percent said that federal bike-ped funding should increase, or at the very least be maintained.

Transpo Bill, Now in Conference, Already Comes Up Short (CSM) Conference Committee Off to Slow Start (Hill) Infrastructure Backlog Crippling Public Services (Palo Alto Patch) Fox News‘ Neil Cavuto (Cross-)Talks Infrastructure Spending With Mayor of St. Paul, MN To Sell Trains and Transit, Try a Little Tenderness (HuffPo) West Virginia Latest State to Ask for … Continued

As more cities look to revive or expand their transit networks in the face of rising gas prices and maddening congestion, planners have had to remain vigilant to ensure that underprivileged communities are not displaced or adversely affected by the same transit improvements that could offer them numerous benefits.

The transportation news has been flying out of Chicago lately. Last week, in a 41-9 vote, the City Council approved Mayor Rahm Emanuel's Chicago Infrastructure Trust, which will be used to build projects with private financing. Earlier this week, Emanuel and transportation commissioner Gabe Klein just unveiled a plan for a downtown bus rapid transit loop that will serve six different routes. Those bus lanes will open within two years. In the meantime, 2012 will see the inauguration of a 300-station bike share system and the city's first enhanced bus service on Jeffrey Boulevard.