After Years of Unchecked Sprawl, Employment Inches Closer to the City
To hear some urbanists talk, you’d think the outer suburbs have been abandoned wholesale, lawn-mowers still running with no one to drive them, picket fences left open in the owners’ haste to beat it to the city.
April 19, 2013
How Amtrak Can Provide World-Class Service on the Northeast Corridor
Yesterday was a tough day to try to get attention for a Senate hearing on the future of Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor. After all, at least one senator had gotten a poisonous letter and everyone on Capitol Hill was on high alert. What’s more, the Amtrak hearing coincided with the vote on gun control, one of the most dramatic and high-stakes votes in the body so far this session.
April 18, 2013
Sparks Fly as Lawmaker Grills LaHood on Columbia River Crossing Transit
From the beginning of today’s hearing, Republicans on the House Appropriations Committee made it clear they weren’t going to let Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood’s last appearance before them be an easy one. While the hearing's purpose was to examine the department's budget request, the tough questions LaHood fielded on the budget were nothing compared to the fight one lawmaker picked about the Columbia River Crossing.
April 16, 2013
Reps. Duncan and Nadler Will Lead New T&I Panel on Freight
MAP-21 pushed U.S. DOT to get serious about freight: In recent months, the agency has announced the creation of a national freight policy, a National Freight Advisory Committee, and a Freight Policy Council, as mandated by the bill.
April 16, 2013
Today’s Headlines
East Coast Transit Agencies on Alert After Boston Explosions (Daily Record, The Hill x2) NYC Citi Bike Starts Enrolling Members (Streetsblog NYC) Cobb County Officials Struggle to Bring Transit Back From the Brink (AJC) Washington Gov. Wants to “Right-Size” Transportation Projects (Transpo Issues Daily) Nonprofit Wants to Put Climate Change Warning Labels on Gas Pump … Continued
April 16, 2013
Could Transportation Spending Become a Core Conservative Value?
Sen. James Inhofe has always said that, although he’s one of the most conservative members of the Senate, he’s a “big spender” on two things: national security and infrastructure. An influential conservative group appears to be humming the same tune.
April 15, 2013
Today’s Headlines
President Obama’s Budget Proposal is a Lovely Fantasy (Transpo Issues Daily) Toronto Wrestles With E-Bikes in Bike Lanes (Star) California HSR Infrastructure Will Be Made in the USA (World News) Massachusetts Senate Passes Transit Funding Bill (Globe) Are San Francisco’s Iconic Cable Cars Worth All These Expensive Injuries? (AP) 11,368 Capital Bikeshare Trips: All in … Continued
April 15, 2013
Counting Bikes and Cars Without a Clipboard
Liberate yourself from government transportation data that doesn’t tell you what you need to know!
April 12, 2013
Congress, Administration Trade Gimmicky Ideas For Keeping Amtrak Afloat
At today’s hearing on Amtrak’s budget proposal, the nation’s rail leaders met with a different kind of Congressional leadership than in it has in recent years. The vibe of the meeting was significantly less combative -- with the primary exception being Rep. John Mica’s reprise of his famous role as Amtrak villain. Here are some highlights:
April 11, 2013
Tampa Bike Safety Summit Proves (Finally) to Be No April Fools’ Joke
Bike advocates got yet another reason to love Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood last month when he announced that U.S. DOT would hold two bicycle safety summits this year. The summits would examine why bicycle fatality rates are rising when automobile fatalities are falling.
April 9, 2013