Tanya Snyder

Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick got wild applause last night when he told the Democratic Convention audience:

Why do traffic delays jump in September? Obviously, fewer people are on vacation. But it's not just commuters back to the grind getting to and from work. It's parents dropping their kids off at school, often with even less forgiving start times than an adult workday.

President Obama spent Labor Day touting his rescue of the U.S. auto industry, and today, like a chorus of backup singers, the Big Three automakers posted double-digit sales increases in perfect unison. Meanwhile, the Democrats kicked off their convention in Charlotte.

Judge: Wisconsin Violated Civil Rights By Favoring Road-Building Over Transit (Journal Sentinel) LA Mayor Villaraigosa Wants to Continue Transit Tax Until 2069 (Transport Politic) Penn Designers Recommend HSR Tunnel Under Long Island Sound (Hartford Courant) Car-Saturated Mexico City Turns to Bike-Share (ZeeNews) Despite T-SPLOST Defeat, Transit Governance Reform Can Go Forward (Creative Loafing) Extremist Republican … Continued

Professional innovation guru Dominic Basalt wondered aloud in yesterday's Washington Post, "Has the new golden age of transportation arrived?"

In the late eighties and nineties, every traffic issue the Tennessee Department of Transportation faced was assigned the same solution: a bypass. But over the years, the department has come around to a new way of doing things, according to 40-year TDOT veteran Ralph Comer. Comer says the current commissioner, John Schroer, wants to become known as the “no-bypass commissioner.” He simply believes there are usually more cost-effective ways of solving transportation problems.

You’ve got to hand it to the Republicans. Even the party of transit haters had to admit that the only logical way to move delegates around in the congested streets around the GOP convention was by bus. And they would have been right, except they had a little snafu that will undoubtedly convince everyone involved that transit is, indeed, an utter failure.

In all issue areas, the Republicans outdid themselves on far-right-wing pandering with their new platform, approved yesterday in Tampa. Transportation is no exception.

As the country watches Hurricane Isaac’s massive spiral head straight for the Gulf Coast, we are all experiencing post-traumatic symptoms of Katrina, which, seven years ago today, was heading for the same target. But I’m also remembering a severe weather event that hit closer to home (for me) somewhat more recently: Snowpocalypse, followed by Snowmageddon, followed by Snoverkill. The three storms hit DC during the winter of 2009-2010, dumping a combined 55 to 72 inches of snow on the area (depending which airport you measure from).

Transit Needs to Be at the Table As MAP-21 Is Implemented (Passenger Transport) Why Does It Cost So Much to Build Transit In the U.S.? (Bloomberg) Privately Run High-Speed Rail Is Possible in Florida and Texas (Yes, Texas!) (Planetizen) Most Transit Driver Assaults Go Unreported (CBC) The Next Generation of DIY Urbanism Projects Is Cooler … Continued