Tanya Snyder

Everyone's trying to figure out why, after decades of consistent growth, the amount Americans drive is leveling off and even declining. The decline started during the recession, to be sure, but was more dramatic than in previous recessions. As the economy began to get back on its feet, vehicle miles traveled (VMT) just barely ticked upward -- and then fell again.

Five Wishes For the Final Transportation Bill, From Transportation for America Why the Coal Ash Amendment to the Transportation Bill Matters: A Personal Tale (Hill) Heavy Reliance on Local Funding Makes For Inequitable Transit Systems (WaPo) The Cost of an Hour of Bike-Share in Ten Cities (Transpo Nation) Detroiters File Civil Rights Suit Over Transit Cuts … Continued

Would stricter fuel economy rules bankrupt transportation funding in America? The Congressional Budget Office seems to think so, but environmentalists are quick to say that the system was hurtling toward bankruptcy anyway.

5:41 Adjourned. Thanks for following our live-blog coverage -- all 3,276 words of it.

The first meeting of the transportation bill conference committee is today at 3:00. (To familiarize yourself with the participants, see Ben's reports on the House and Senate conferees.) We'll be live-blogging it, beginning to end.

Five Things to Watch For in Conference Meeting Today (Politico) Rs and Ds Could Both Benefit From Keystone Passage — Except Leaders (National Journal) High Ridership and Gas Prices Don’t Save Transit Agencies From Deep Cuts (Transport Politic) Drilling and Regulations Won’t Impact Gas Prices (News9) “We’ve Never Had a Drop in Vehicle Miles Traveled Like This” … Continued

Obama Launches Campaign With Pro-Car Hoopla, Plus, Go Ride a Bike, Plus Yay Trains! (HuffPo) LaHood Calls For Federal Oversight Over Transit Safety (WAMU) Mica May Join Rahall In Calling For Reinstatement of Earmarks (Florida Political Press) An Even More Polarized Congress Would Spell Disaster For Transportation (Trans Issues Daily/Politico) Road Traffic ‘Single Biggest Source … Continued

Though many transportation reformers, economists and environmentalists would say that gas prices aren’t nearly high enough to disincentivize single-occupancy-vehicle use and to pay for the external harms, Republicans and Democrats on Capitol Hill take it for granted that gas prices are too damn high. In fact, it's one of the very, very few things that they do agree on these days. And it's a message that resonates with their constituents, who are suffering under a sluggish economy.