Day: February 2, 2009

A spirited debate broke out a few weeks back on the Car-free Living listserv run by Livable City about the merits of car sharing. Does it reduce driving and car ownership or increase the impetus to drive among the car-free? One poster who didn't own his own car called car-sharing a gateway drug that encouraged him to increase the number of times he uses a vehicle for all manner of trips, while others argued that VMT is reduced when fewer people own their own cars and share more.

Senator Chuck Schumer has unveiled an amendment to the Senate stimulus bill that would increase transit funding by $6.5 billion -- to $14.9 billion overall. This would direct $2.9 billion more to transit, in total, than the House stimulus bill that passed last week. For the wonks out there, transit funding would break down like so, if the amendment is adopted: $10.4 billion for capital grants, $2 billion for rail modifications, and $2.5 billion for new starts. From the press release issued by Schumer and Congressman Jerrold Nadler:

Today's featured post on the Streetsblog Network comes from WalkBikeCT. Looking at the European model for encouraging cycling and walking, it argues that infrastructure can't do the job alone -- to change attitudes toward driving will require changing the law:

New York’s Schumer Supports $5 Billion More for Transit in Stimulus (NYT) Stimulus for the ‘Next American Dream’ (SF Gate) Auto Industry to Court Obama Adminstration, Barbara Boxer at DC Car Show (Detroit News) BART Deal to Provide WiFi Systemwide for $30 a Month, $300 a Year (SF Gate, CNET) Parking Fees Go Up Today … Continued