Transit Outsourcing Booms — But Are There Safety Trade-offs?
The Wall Street Journal reports
today on the growing number of cities around the country that are in
talks to outsource local transit systems to cope with the budgetary
pressures of the recession.
July 13, 2009
Bachmann Says Walking and Biking Have Nothing to Do With Public Health
Back when the Senate kicked off its health care debate, Republicans tested out a new line of attack
against health committee chairman Edward Kennedy's (D-MA) draft bill:
Its investment in encouraging walking and biking amounts to inexcusable
government waste.
July 10, 2009
Did Pelosi Just Side With Oberstar Over Obama on the Transpo Bill?
That's the implication of a Roll Call story today that states: "Momentum Builds for Transportation Bill."
July 9, 2009
Top 20 Metro Areas Get 28% of Road Stimulus, 61% of Transit Stimulus
Cities are getting a disproportionately small share
of the road money given out by the White House's stimulus plan, but the
nation's top 20 metro areas are doing better when it comes to transit
-- taking in 61 percent of the transit stimulus cash allocated so far,
according to an analysis by Streetsblog Capitol Hill.
July 9, 2009
Boxer Delays Senate Climate Bill Until September
This was supposed to be a big week
for action on climate change in the Senate -- but it's ending with
Republicans rubbing their hands in glee as the Environment and Public
Works Committee delays its unveiling of legislation on carbon emissions.
July 9, 2009
Lawmakers Aim to Bring ‘Sustainable Communities’ From Talk to Action
When three agencies in President Obama's Cabinet -- DOT, Housing and
Urban Development, and the Environmental Protection Agency -- banded together to promote "sustainable communities," the initiative sounded promising but somewhat lacking in concrete ideas.
July 8, 2009
Senate Starts Climate Push With Nods to Jobs, Energy, and Transportation
The Senate is taking its first public steps toward combating climate
change -- and while the U.S. DOT was absent from this morning's
hearing, the chiefs of the Energy Department and Environmental
Protection Agency reminded lawmakers that transportation must play a
key role in any emissions reduction plan.
July 7, 2009
New Report on Old Roads Uses Old Assumptions
A new report on the costs of aging roads [PDF] has gotten a lot of attention over the past week, with both Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and the Washington Post touting its conclusion on the danger of "deficient roadways."
July 6, 2009
Obama Administration’s Transportation Goals: Read Them Here
When the Obama administration proposed an 18-month delay
in drafting the next federal transportation bill, U.S. DOT chief Ray
LaHood called for Congress to include "critical reforms" alongside the
extension of the existing law. But details on those reforms have been kept under wraps -- until now.
July 2, 2009
Cities See Population Gains — But What About Political Power?
The Census Bureau has just released new data showing a resurgence of the nation's cities, with New York leading the way and Chicago reversing five years of population decline.
July 1, 2009