Today’s Headlines

  • Did Obama Team, Democrats Make Deal to Trim Stimulus Money for Public Transit? (Grist)
  • Mayors Worried Stimulus Money Won’t Reach Cities (Reuters)
  • State Controller says Special Election May Be Needed to Break Budget Impasse (SF Gate)
  • Debate Continues Over Schwarzenegger Proposal to Gut CEQA (Merc)
  • Federal Judge Blocks Oil and Gas Leases Near National Parks (NYT)
  • Transportation Forum Held for Central Alameda County (Coco Times)
  • More on BART Plan to Cut Service and Raise Fares (CBS 5)
  • South San Francisco Ferry Terminal Approved But Construction On Hold (Coco Times)
  • More on Last Week’s Rally to Save Market/Octavia Bike Lane (EcoLocalizer)
  • Five Examples of Better Bicycle Infrastructure (Tree Hugger)

ALSO ON STREETSBLOG

New Dem Campaign Brands Stimulus Critics as ‘Highway Hypocrites’

By Elana Schor |
Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) joined others in her party in voting against the stimulus before praising its local impact. (Photo: Seattle Times) As more media outlets note the phenomenon of GOP lawmakers who voted against the Obama administration’s economic stimulus law before seeking — and taking credit for winning — a share of its […]

White House and Congress Take Issue With AP’s Transport Stimulus Claims

By Elana Schor |
The Associated Press published a piece today that, after putting "economists and statisticians" to work on analyzing $21 billion in federal stimulus money for transportation, reached a volatile conclusion: (Photo: WBEZ) Local unemployment rates rose and fell regardless of how much stimulus money Washington poured out for transportation, raising questions about Obama’s argument that more […]

Report: Cities Not Getting Their Share of Stimulus Transpo Money

By Elana Schor |
The nation’s largest metropolitan areas — which account for 63 percent of the U.S. population and 73 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP) — have received less than half of the surface transportation money allocated so far under the Obama administration’s economic stimulus plan, according to a new report compiled for the U.S. Conference […]

New Analysis: Major Cities Still Shortchanged by Transportation Stimulus

By Elana Schor |
The Obama administration’s awarding of $1.5 billion in competitive transportation stimulus grants on Wednesday sparked elation in cities such as Kansas City and New Orleans. But those celebrations were more than just anecdotal evidence of the so-called TIGER program‘s urban impact, according to a new analysis from the Brookings Institution’s Rob Puentes. (Chart: The Avenue) […]

Killing the Myth of the ‘More Shovel-Ready’ Road Stimulus

By Elana Schor |
During debate over the White House’s $787 billion economic stimulus law, transit advocates watched as their projects were shortchanged and more "shovel-ready" road projects got the lion’s share of the transport pot — about $8.4 billion, compared with $26.5 billion for highways and bridges. (Photo: DMI Blog) But transit money is getting put to use […]