Ray LaHood

Outgoing U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said a few parting words yesterday at the National Press Club, just an hour before his successor, Anthony Foxx, was confirmed by the full Senate. The theme of LaHood's prepared remarks was bipartisanship, but he admits he's not seeing enough of it these days in Washington.

In 2010, DOT Secretary Ray LaHood mounted a table at the National Bike Summit and proclaimed, "I’ve been all over America, and…people want alternatives. They want out of their cars, they want out of congestion, they want to live in… livable communities." He added, to thunderous applause, "You've got a partner in Ray LaHood."

For years, the federal government has adopted roadway guidelines that fall far short of what's needed -- and what's possible -- to protect cyclists and pedestrians. By "playing it safe" and sticking with old-school engineering, U.S. DOT allowed streets to be unsafe for these vulnerable road users.

It’s been almost a month since Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced his resignation -- and longer than that since he tipped off the president that he was planning his exit -- but no replacement has been named yet. They haven’t named an acting secretary and let him go, as happened in the Labor Department when Hilda Solis left. Not only that, but buzz about who might move into the secretary’s office has actually quieted. It’s as if the administration is hoping that if it just doesn’t bring it up, LaHood will simply stay.

This is the third and final installment of our exit interview with departing U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood. In the first, he talked about his proudest accomplishments, why he decided to leave, and why it’s important to fund bike/ped improvements with federal dollars – and he made it clear he’s still not giving us any answers about where to find more money for transportation. In the second, he talked about Republicans who get it, why TIGER was a game-changer – and he let slip some good news about the Chicago Riverwalk. Part three is more of a grab-bag -- I hadn’t expected to get almost 40 minutes one-on-one with the secretary!

What follows is the second installment of an exit interview I conducted with departing Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood on Tuesday. In the first installment, he talked about what he's proudest of, why he decided to leave, and why it's important to fund bike/ped improvements with federal dollars. I also gave him one last chance to duck a question about how to increase revenues. We'll run the third part tomorrow.

I had the chance to sit down with Ray LaHood yesterday morning before he spoke to the U.S. High-Speed Rail Association. Our conversation covered a wide range of topics, looking back on his four years at the helm of the U.S. Department of Transportation. We'll publish the interview in three installments over the next few days. Here's the first part.

He strung it out long enough, but Ray LaHood has finally announced that he’s resigning as Transportation Secretary. Speculation has been rampant for months about who could replace him, and now it kicks into high gear.

After a few false alarms, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood has finally come out and said it: He's leaving the administration.