The Footnote to All Those Complaints About Tax Cuts as Stimulus
Transportation reformers and status quo-lovers alike smacked their
foreheads in frustration when the White House's first stimulus plan
lowballed infrastructure to make
room for tax breaks that had little demonstrable effect on job creation
-- particularly the $70 billion adjustment of the alternative minimum
tax (AMT).
December 15, 2009
On the Pitfalls and Benefits of National Transit Safety Standards
The second hearing in three days on the Obama administration's
proposal for national transit safety rules made headlines mostly for
its affect on the Washington D.C. area, where Sen. Barbara Mikulski's
(D-MD) blistering critique of the local Metro rail system prompted high-level management switches.
December 15, 2009
Bus vs. Rail: Transit’s Quiet Culture Clash?
The question of running buses or building rail has preoccupied transit
planners in many an American town, with Maryland's Montgomery County
being the latest locality to choose between trains and bus rapid transit (BRT), which tends to be the less expensive option.
December 14, 2009
‘Cash for Clunkers’ Backer Sutton Steps it Up for Ohio Transit
Rep. Betty Sutton (D-OH) was one of the prime movers behind the economically and environmentally misguided "cash for clunkers" program, but she is switching gears to help save transit in Lorain County, Ohio, where bus service could be canceled in 2010 after voters rejected a sales tax increase to raise operating funds.
December 11, 2009
Congressional Black Caucus Calls for Bypassing States on New Jobs Bill
As the $787 billion stimulus law nears its one-year anniversary,
Congress' choice to route the lion's share of recovery funds through
state capitals -- including state DOTs where misplaced priorities are
all too common -- remains a sore spot for mayors and urban advocates.
December 11, 2009
McCain & Coburn: Inadvertent Transportation Reformers?
Sens. John McCain (R-AZ) and Tom Coburn (R-OK) are no fans of dedicated
federal spending on cleaner transportation. From bike and pedestrian safety to local transit funds, the duo has made a habit of attacking non-road projects as wasteful "pork."
December 9, 2009
House and Senate Agree on $2.5B for High-Speed Rail — And More
After lengthy negotiations, the House and Senate agreed last night on a massive "omnibus" spending bill [PDF]
that includes $2.5 billion for high-speed rail -- a compromise between
the two chambers -- as well as $150 million for the Obama
administration's sustainable communities effort and $150 million for the Washington D.C. Metro system.
December 9, 2009
NY’s Sadik-Khan Joins Blumenauer, Byrne for “Cities for Cycling” Launch
Addressing a packed house in Washington last night, Rep. Earl Blumenauer, founder of the Congressional Bike Caucus, posed a Zen-like 'universalist cyclist question'.
December 9, 2009
White House Backs $50B For ‘Merit-Based Infrastructure Investment’
President Obama today threw his weight behind significant new
transportation spending as part of a broad jobs bill taking shape in
Congress, with $50 billion slated for transit, roads, bridges, and
ports and the administration endorsing "merit-based infrastructure
investment that leverages federal dollars."
December 8, 2009
White House Unveils Transit Safety Bill to Cautious Praise on the Hill
Lawmakers on the House transportation committee today greeted details of the Obama administration's transit safety plan
with approval, but some sounded skeptical notes about the costs of
state compliance with new federal rules even as transit agencies cope
with billions of dollars in maintenance and repair backlogs.
December 8, 2009