The Ray LaHood Exit Interview
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.
February 13, 2013
Obama Proposes a “Fix-It-First” Program For Roads
In last night’s State of the Union address, President Obama launched a “Fix-It-First” program to repair aging infrastructure and put people to work.
February 13, 2013
McClatchy Muckrakers Expose Seedy Underbelly of the Highway Bonanza
The work of a sustainable transportation reporter can be a lonely lot. But it’s a lot less lonely now that two McClatchy reporters, Curtis Tate and Greg Gordon, have taken up the mantle of exposing wasteful road expansion.
February 12, 2013
Gary Toth: TTI Congestion Scores Prove Road Expansion Isn’t the Answer
In response to our critique of the Texas Transportation Institute's congestion rankings, which take traffic delays out of context and risk being used to justify road expansions, former New Jersey DOT leader Gary Toth raised this question: What if, instead of getting frustrated with the report, we reframe its interpretation?
February 7, 2013
How Will the Next Transpo Secretary Build on Ray LaHood’s Legacy?
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.
January 30, 2013
It’s Official: LaHood Is Out
After a few false alarms, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood has finally come out and said it: He's leaving the administration.
January 29, 2013
How Mayor Mick Cornett Fought Oklahoma City’s Brain Drain and Weight Gain
Mick Cornett, Oklahoma City's Republican mayor, has made it his mission to make his city healthier and less obese, in part by improving its walkability. The city lost a million pounds during his weight-loss campaign -- and then they took a freeway out of the middle of downtown and overhauled its built environment.
January 25, 2013
Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett: We Have to Build This City For People
In 2008 Mick Cornett, the Republican mayor of Oklahoma City -- ranked as one of the fattest cities in the country -- stood in front of the elephants at the zoo and announced he was going on a diet, and taking the rest of the city with him. Oklahoma City lost a million pounds, 37 of which were his.
January 24, 2013
Today’s Transit Dreams May Come True — 78 Years From Now
By the looks of it, my humble hometown of Washington, DC, is winning the transit space race. The region currently has 45 transit projects either planned or underway -- and one that's stalled. You may have heard of the Silver Line to Dulles Airport, but a new map from Reconnecting America proves that that's just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to transit starts in the DC area.
January 22, 2013