Eight Senate Dems Offer $2B Plan for Emergency Transit Operating Aid
Transit agencies forced to raise fares or cut service to close budget gaps would be eligible for $2 billion in emergency operating funds under legislation unveiled today by Senate Banking Committee Chairman Chris Dodd (D-CT) and seven other Democratic senators, including two members of the party's leadership.
May 25, 2010
Tracing the Fault Lines Between Public and Private Transit Operators
Should private transit companies enjoy the same federal gas tax exemption that many public operators receive? How does the existence of private inter-city bus service affect the government's development of new high-speed rail lines? And does it matter that private transit firms are eligible for public subsidies, even if at a much smaller rate than public rail and bus agencies?
May 25, 2010
Today’s Headlines
As tempers mount over BP’s massive Gulf oil spill, the case for giving ground on offshore drilling to secure passage of the Senate climate bill (TNR’s The Avenue) Philly area transit authority, a shareholder of BP, sues over its role in the spill (Bloomberg) Shortage of durable road paint could curtail the spring-summer repair season … Continued
May 25, 2010
Feds to Start Scoring Transportation Potential of Housing Grant Applicants
Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Shaun Donovan said late Friday that his agency will soon start gauging the "location efficiency" of its grant applicants, determining each project's potential for connecting residents to surrounding neighborhoods -- and mirroring the recommendations of a recent report that found a correlation between homeowners' foreclosure risk and their dependence on car ownership.
May 24, 2010
Today’s Headlines
Oberstar presses for use of a natural, Minnesota-made peat-based substance in oil spill cleanup (Star Trib Blogs) Next stop on LaHood’s transportation listening tour: Bismarck, North Dakota … (GF Herald) … while Jesse Jackson takes his campaign for more urban transit aid to Cleveland (Plain Dealer) Northeastern states call for in-depth federal study of rail … Continued
May 24, 2010
On Bike to Work Day, U.S. DOT and Cycling Advocates Eye New Moves
In addition to the announcement of a new local bike-share system, today's D.C. Bike to Work Day found both the U.S. DOT and the nation's leading bike advocacy groups positioning themselves to claim new victories for cyclists in the coming days.
May 21, 2010
Four House Republicans Join Dems in Hailing LaHood’s Support for Bike-Ped
Four House Republicans yesterday joined 24 Democratic colleagues in a letter praising Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood for his public support of federal bicycling and pedestrian investment -- a stance that had generated some bad blood between LaHood and the trucking industry.
May 21, 2010
Today’s Headlines
Politico sits down with LaHood for a lengthy interview on distracted driving … … as the U.S. DOT chief kicks off a campaign to get more women involved in transport careers (Prog. RR’ing) Obama to order the start of work on a post-2017 round of auto fuel efficiency standards (Free Press) House GOP’s earmark moratorium … Continued
May 21, 2010
Blumenauer to Celebrate Bike to Work Day Despite Delay in PA Ave. Lane
Several of the capital's most famous cyclists will be on hand tomorrow to help Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), founder of the Congressional Bike Caucus, celebrate the local Bike to Work Day -- an event that was originally set to mark the unveiling of the new Pennsylvania Avenue bike lane, which was delayed by city officials this afternoon.
May 20, 2010
APHA Tallies ‘Hidden Health Costs’ of Transportation Status Quo
The nation's transportation planning process fails to account for more
than $200 billion per year in "hidden health costs" imposed by traffic and air
pollution, according to a new report from the American Public Health
Association (APHA) that maps the nexus between infrastructure and
health care.
May 20, 2010