Transportation Policy
Streetsblog Basics
Gasoline Shortages Fuel Panic and Rage in the South
Here's a disturbing story from the Associated Press on gas shortages in Asheville, North Carolina, where hot-tempered drivers are waiting in long lines to fill up, only to find in some cases that the pumps are tapped. Asks one flustered motorist:
October 1, 2008
Where They Stand: Obama and McCain on Transportation
With a few hours to go until what will be the season's first presidential debate, we're looking over a report from the Brookings Institution, which outlines each candidate's positions on transportation.
September 26, 2008
Streetfilms: Interview With the Transportation Engineer
In his storied career at New Jersey DOT, Gary Toth played an indispensable role changing the culture of the agency, promoting a place-based ethic instead of the auto-centric transportation planning dogma. Today Toth heads transportation initiatives at Project for Public Spaces, where he has written "A Citizen's Guide to Better Streets." The book, which will be published by AARP, serves as a how-to for working constructively with your local transportation and planning agencies. (It is not yet available for purchase.)
September 26, 2008
Brookings: Feds Should Stop Giving Transit Projects the Run-Around
Americans are moving to areas with better transit access, but their options are limited.
September 18, 2008
Ravitch Commission Faces Difficult Task of Shoring Up MTA’s Future
The panel headed by former MTA chief Richard Ravitch held its first public hearing yesterday at NYU's Kimmel Center. Representatives of advocacy groups, local government, think tanks, trade associations, and unions gave the commission a variety of proposals, including but certainly not limited to road pricing, to help the MTA navigate its funding crisis.
September 16, 2008
At Grand Central, Sen. Clinton Calls for Funding Mass Transit
Clinton was joined by (l-r) Larry Hanley, of the Amalgamated Transit Union, NYC DOT Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan, Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney and MTA chief Elliot Sander
September 15, 2008
What If a Rep From NYC Chaired the Assembly Transpo Committee?
As the Ravitch Commission's first public hearing on how to fix the MTA's budget woes gets underway, this paragraph from today's Times story on the Rochester Regional Transit Service (annual budget: $62 million) bears mentioning:
September 15, 2008
Urbanism: Not Just for Lefties
The American Prospect reports on a bi-partisan panel at the University of Minnesota last week where some dyed-in-the-wool Republicans declared their affinity for urbanism and opposition to sprawl:
September 11, 2008
U.S. Senate Getting Serious About Transit Stimulus
The Wall Street Journal reports that momentum is building in the Senate for additional federal transit funding:
September 9, 2008
Palin to RNC: It’s Drill or “Do Nothing at All”
If there was any question as to where a John McCain-Sarah Palin White House would stand on transportation, the prospective VP's speech to the Republican National Convention left little room for doubt. Here's Palin from last night, via Grist:
September 4, 2008