Tanya Snyder

"Innovative" might not be the first word you think of when you think of state DOTs. But Smart Growth America and the State Smart Transportation Initiative are out to change that. The two groups have published a menu of options for states looking to get out of the cash-for-highways rut. "The Innovative DOT: A Handbook of Policy and Practice" outlines myriad ways states can save money and create better transportation options for their residents. If states take note, we could see a lot more innovation coming out of some unlikely places.

USA Today reported today that more and more homes are being built without garages or carports. That stands to reason, as developers are (belatedly) building what the market wants: denser housing in walkable urban centers near transit. Copious parking and driveway curb cuts simply don't mesh with that model.

Martin Kelly Jones makes his living suing transit agencies and other entities for violating his patents on real-time tracking technology. His lawsuits have been an expensive nuisance for the companies and agencies he sues, usually settling for $50,000 to $75,000. But a movement to stop him is gaining traction.

What is it with kids today? They just don't seem to be that interested in driving.

Transpo Cuts Caught in Congressional Crossfire (The Trucker) Women’s Bike Summit Exceeds Wildest Dreams (Bike League) Transit-Oriented Development Threatens Gentrification in DC’s Ward 7 (Transpo Nation) LaHood OK’s Tolling on Virginia’s New Express Lanes (WTOP) If a Big Box Store Sheds Its Big Box, Can It Be a Positive Part of the City? (GGW) LA … Continued

UPDATE 9/18 with comments from DOT officials.

U.S. DOT Gives $59.3M to Clean Transit (Fast Lane)  WSJ Outlines Options For Replacing the Gas Tax “Riding the Bus Is Like a War Zone”: How Sexual Harassment Turns Women Off to Transit (LAist) New Mexico DOT Confirms That MAP-21 Will Mean Less Bike/Ped Funding (KOB) Everyone Is Going Crazy for This Danish Bus Ad Study: … Continued

The Republicans have retreated from their insistence on cutting transportation spending by 35 percent to match Highway Trust Fund revenues -- for now. But the problem is far from solved. As a reminder of the dangers such a policy presents, the Bipartisan Policy Center and the Eno Center for Transportation put out a new report yesterday on the potential consequences of a 35 percent cut in transportation spending.

Chris Leinberger wears too many hats to count – real estate developer, George Washington University professor, Brookings fellow – but he has one message: “Walkable urbanism is the future.”

The MAP-21 transportation bill was just signed two months ago, and its funding levels, agreed to by a difficult and fragile compromise between warring political parties, are already under attack.