Transit Funding Solutions, Parisian Edition
We want mass transit in American cities, right? Right. So how are we going to pay for it?
March 5, 2009
Just Words, Mr. President?
Barack Obama is justly renowned for his speaking style; he chooses his words with professorial precision. But on today's featured Streetsblog Network post, the NRDC's Deron Lovaas, writing at The Infrastructurist, points out that the president used the "H" word -- that would be "highways" -- inaccurately during a recent visit to the USDOT:
March 4, 2009
Public Spaces, Now More Than Ever
Is the whole plummeting economy thing forcing you take stock of what you truly value in life? Yep, us too. And we'll take a wild guess that accessible, beautiful public spaces are on the short list for you as well.
March 3, 2009
Declining Traffic: How Will It Affect U.S. Transportation?
Several Streetsblog Network members, including the Bicycle Coalition of Philadelphia and Decatur Metro, have blogged about the latest numbers from traffic information firm INRIX, which show declining congestion in 2008 vs. 2007 in nearly every metro area surveyed (Baton Rouge, LA, bucks the trend; go figure). INRIX reports "peak hour congestion on the major roads in urban America decreased nearly 30% in 2008 versus 2007."
March 2, 2009
Transportation for America Launches Its Campaign Platform
Yesterday was a big day for livable streets and progressive transportation advocates -- and not just because of what happened in New York City.
February 27, 2009
A High-Speed Rail Roundup
Today, The Transport Politic continues its excellent coverage of high-speed rail proposals around the country with a comprehensive roundup of the projects that will be vying for federal funds in the months to come. As Yonah Freemark writes,
February 26, 2009
The Case Against Home Ownership
This morning on the Streetsblog Network, we're featuring a thoughtful post from Greater Greater Washington in which David C dares to challenge the very foundation of the "American Dream" -- home ownership.
February 25, 2009
What Does Beauty Have to Do With Sustainability?
Today on the Streetsblog Network, we step back and take a look at a philosophical question, courtesy of Kaid Benfield at NRDC Switchboard. As we go forward into the 21st century, trying to create sustainable communities, how do we deal with the aging relics of the 20th century's development patterns?
February 24, 2009
The Mileage Tax Genie Is Out of the Bottle
Last week, Obama DOT Secretary Ray LaHood caused quite a buzz by discussing, in an interview with an AP reporter, the idea of taxing motorists on the number of miles they travel rather than the amount of gas they burn. White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs quickly came out and publicly contradicted LaHood, saying a miles-driven tax "is not and will not be the policy of the Obama administration."
February 23, 2009
The Definition of Speeding Shouldn’t Be Relative
Streetsblog Network member blog Greater Greater Washington has been ramping up coverage of crashes that result in pedestrian and cyclist injuries and fatalities (they've got a new safety beat reporter, Stephen Miller), and in a recent post they highlighted the car-centric thinking of local law enforcement:
February 20, 2009