Transit
“The Twilight of the Appropriations Process”: House GOP Gets Its Knives Out
Constrained by Paul Ryan's budget and the sequester, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation and HUD passed a $44 billion spending bill for 2014 – 15 percent lower than 2013 enacted levels. The bill contains $15.3 billion in discretionary appropriations for the Department of Transportation, also 15 percent below enacted 2013 levels and amounting to about two-thirds of the president’s request. It passed the subcommitee this morning on a voice vote.
June 19, 2013
Conservative Think Tank: Invest in Transit to Boost Metro Economies
Here's a refreshing take on metropolitan economic health from the right side of the aisle: The conservative Free Congress Foundation says it's time America got serious about investing in transit in its metro areas.
June 17, 2013
NC Gov. McCrory Sets Out to Let Highway Money Flow While Blocking Transit
A new transportation plan put forward by North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory will make it "almost impossible to find money for passenger trains, sidewalks, bicycles and regional transit," according to the Raleigh News Observer.
June 12, 2013
Bi-Partisan Lawmakers Push Permanent Tax Equality for Transit Commuters
Right now, transit riders get the same commuter tax benefits as drivers: $245 a month in pre-tax income to spend to get to work. But next year, straphangers might go back to second-class status, getting just $125 for their ride.
June 7, 2013
Salt Lake City: How a Remote Red-State City Became a Transit Leader
It's number one in the nation in per-capita transit spending. The only city in the country building light rail, bus rapid transit, streetcars and commuter rail at the same time. And that city -- Salt Lake City -- is a town of just over 180,000 in a remote setting in a red state.
June 5, 2013
Is Your Rep a Member of the New Public Transportation Caucus Yet?
The answer to that question is: Probably not. Reps. Daniel Lipinski, a Democrat from Chicago, and Michael Grimm, a Republican representing Staten Island and a little slice of Brooklyn, announced their new transit-focused Congressional caucus just last week, and this week the House has been in recess.
May 31, 2013
Where’s the National Business Voice for Transit?
At the local level, business has been a key force in cementing transit victories. But at a national level, the business voice has been largely absent from heated, high-stakes debates about transit. With a new report called “Bosses For Buses,” Good Jobs First investigates the disparity between local- and national-level organizing efforts by employers.
May 30, 2013
Solo Driving Drops in DC as Transit and Biking Soar
We’ve been writing a lot this week about the national shift away from car travel and toward transit, biking, and walking. Yesterday, Washington area officials released new data that indicates the DC region is at the forefront of that trend.
May 16, 2013
Seven Ways Technology Is Rendering the Automobile Obsolete
As we try to understand why young people are so much less jazzed about driving than previous generations, one possible explanation always comes up: Kids today just love their smart phones.
May 15, 2013