U.S. DOT
Streetsblog Basics
Will US DOT’s Self-Driving Car Rules Make Streets Safe for Walking and Biking?
This week, U.S. DOT released guidelines for self-driving cars, a significant step as regulators prepare for companies to bring this new technology to market. Autonomous vehicles raise all sorts of questions about urban transportation systems. It's up to advocates to ensure that the technology helps accomplish broader goals like safer streets and more efficient use of urban space, instead of letting private companies dictate the terms.
September 22, 2016
FHWA’s New Goal: Eliminating Pedestrian and Cyclist Deaths in America
The Federal Highway Administration wants to eliminate pedestrian and cyclist fatalities "in the next 20 to 30 years." In a new strategic plan [PDF], the agency calls for reducing serious injuries and deaths 80 percent in the next 15 years, which would be an intermediate goal on the way to zero.
September 15, 2016
Engineers to U.S. DOT: Transportation Is About More Than Moving Cars
A trade group representing the transportation engineering profession thinks it's high time for American policy makers to stop focusing so much on moving single-occupancy vehicles.
August 26, 2016
Stark Divisions Between Dems and GOP on Climate Impacts of Transportation
How polarized are the two political parties on key questions about transportation policy and climate change? As you can imagine, the answer is "very."
August 22, 2016
State DOTs to Feds: We Don’t Want to Reveal Our Impact on Climate Change
Every year state DOTs receive tens of billions of dollars in transportation funds from the federal government. By and large, they can do whatever they want with the money, which in most states means wasting enormous sums on pork-laden highway projects. Now that U.S. DOT might impose some measure of accountability on how states use these funds, of course the states are fighting to keep their spending habits as opaque as possible.
August 18, 2016
Anthony Foxx to Local Officials: Transport Policy Should Tackle Segregation
Local transportation officials should actively work to reduce segregation and promote equal access to quality schools, three Cabinet members say in a "dear colleague" letter released last week [PDF].
June 16, 2016
Will U.S. DOT Get Serious About Climate Change? Here’s Cause for Optimism.
Last fall, national environmental advocates sat down with officials from U.S. DOT to talk about how federal transportation policy can address climate change.
June 3, 2016
House Panel Calls on U.S. DOT to Measure Access to Economic Opportunity
A bill working its way through Congress may prompt federal officials to get a better handle on how transportation projects help or hinder access to jobs, education, and health care.
May 27, 2016
It Just Got Easier for Cities to Design Walkable, Bikeable Streets
We probably haven't seen the last of engineers who insist on designing local streets like surface highways. But at least now they can't claim their hands are tied by federal regulations.
May 13, 2016
U.S. DOT Wants to Show America How to Heal Divides Left By Urban Highways
Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx opened up earlier this spring in a refreshingly personal speech about how highway construction in American cities isolated many neighborhoods -- especially black neighborhoods -- and cut people off from economic opportunity. Now U.S. DOT is following up with an effort to demonstrate how those wrongs can be righted.
May 5, 2016