Tanya Snyder

Happy Bike to Work Week, everybody! It's a great time to give a gentle nudge to someone who you think would benefit from biking. In that vein, personal trainer and fitness coach Stephanie Averkamp of San Diego posted this infographic to her personal health website. She says she especially hopes to convince overweight and obese people to bike more.

U.S. DOT Nominee Anthony Foxx: A Primer (AllGov) The Coming GOP Civil War Over Climate Change (National Journal, Grist) Illinois Dem Dan Lipinski Wants to Raise the Federal Gas Tax (CBS) Electric Cars: The Scratch That Became a Festering Wound in the Transpo Funding System (CS Monitor) AP Previews NYC Bike-Share Launch Wichita, Oklahoma City … Continued

In a recent study out of Seattle, researchers Erica Wygonik and Anne Goodchild found that having groceries delivered by truck can cut mileage by up to 85 or 95 percent compared to driving a car. "It's like a bus for groceries," Goodchild told NPR. "Overwhelmingly, it's more efficient to be sharing a vehicle, even if it's a little larger."

When we saw that Washington's news-traffic-weather radio station, WTOP, was holding a "Commuter Idle" contest for the worst commute in the DC area -- and rewarding it with $1,000 in gas money -- we couldn't resist. We went looking for the best "Commuter Idyll" -- the trips to work that made people happy, got them fresh air, helped them fit exercise into their day, gave them some extra time to sleep or read, and brought them to work more clear-headed and ready to tackle the day. And Streetsblog readers had lots of great stories to share of ditching long car commutes for transit, biking, or walking. We shared some of them yesterday.

A bill moving through Congress could help struggling transit systems around the country.

Some of you have some fabulous commutes. Rather than watch the stress-filled minutes and hours tick by stuck in traffic, you go outside, get exercise, and connect with your community.

If your idea of the American dream is to spend your mornings and evenings alone in an idling car surrounded on all sides by other lonely people in other idling cars, by all means, buy a house.

Anthony Foxx “Connects the Dots Between Environment, Sustainability, and Transit” (Switchboard) Does It Matter That Foxx Is Not a Transportation Expert? (National Journal) Government Rescue of GM Will Be Finished in Early 2014 (The Hill) Will States Pay to Continue Amtrak Service or Let It Disappear? (NYT) Colorado Can Finally Use Gas Taxes For Something … Continued

For many troops who have served in U.S. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, combat is just one of many dangers they face. Upon returning home, they have higher rates of suicide, homelessness, and mental illness. Now we can add another threat to the list:  Car crashes.

DOT Nominee Foxx’s Transit Company Flubbed DOT Contracts… (Charlotte Observer) …But the GOP May Not Even Care (Politico) Shuster’s Dad and Brother Represent Transpo Industry — But “Don’t Lobby” Bill (Altoona Mirror) Retiring Finance Chair Max Baucus Is “Doubling Down” on Tax Reform (Christian Post) How Is a Growing, Urbanizing America Becoming Less Dense? (Reuters) … Continued