Network Roundup
Happy 35th Birthday, D.C. Metro
Highlights from the Streetsblog Network today: commentary on how transit investment and demographic change are shaping cities.
March 28, 2011
Newsflash: Highways Are Handouts for Developers, Too
In the annals of anti-transit nonsense, there's a particularly ill-considered line that goes like this: No public investment should go toward this streetcar/light rail line, because it's going to pay off for private developers.
March 25, 2011
State DOT "Improvements" Imperil Pedestrians in Florida
It's been pointed out many times that state DOTs often seem blind to any mode of transportation other than the single occupancy vehicle. But the Florida Department of Transportation is making it too easy.
March 9, 2011
House Republicans Threaten Critical Transit Expansions Across the Nation
Since the 1940s, civic leaders have dreamed of extending Bay Area Rapid Transit between San Francisco and San Jose. Ten years ago, Santa Clara County residents even voted to tax themselves an extra half-cent for 30 years to pay for the connection. But despite its merits and popular support, the project has never managed to clear a hurdle that just about all transit expansion projects face: the large upfront infrastructure investment. Until this week.
February 18, 2011
Transportation Reformers Applaud Obama's Six-Year Transpo Plan
A fix-it-first policy for roads. More support for livability programs. Additional transit investment. Competitive infrastructure grants. In his new six-year, $556 billion surface transportation proposal, President Obama is hitting all the right notes with transportation reform advocates.
February 15, 2011
What Does John McCain Have Against Bikes at Airports?
Cycling advocates are scratching their heads over a proposal from Arizona Senator John McCain that targets bike infrastructure at U.S. airports.
February 2, 2011
Making Room for Modes Other Than Cars
When we talk about competing modes of transportation we're usually focused on the strained relationship between drivers and cyclists, or drivers and transit, or drivers and pedestrians.
January 20, 2011
Cycling Up 70 Percent on London's Bike Superhighways
Figures are starting to come in from London's investment in "cycle superhighways," and the data make a strong argument for more robust dedicated bike infrastructure. A Transport for London study found that cycling is up 70 percent along routes where the city's beefed-up bikeways were installed, reports Network blog Cyclicio.us. Part of the increase is probably attributable to the debut of London’s bike-share system and all the new “Boris bikes” available to the public since summer 2010.
January 12, 2011
Highway Expansion Rampant in Wisconsin, Which "Can't Afford" Rail
Just a few months ago, a handful of governors made a big show of their "budget consciousness" by torpedoing passenger rail projects.
January 11, 2011
In Iowa, Another Midwest HSR Plan in Jeopardy
Will Iowa join Ohio and Wisconsin in rejecting federal funds for passenger rail?
January 7, 2011