How Much Driving Is Avoided When Someone Rides a Bike?
If Jane Doe rides her bike a mile to the post office and then back home, is it fair to assume she just avoided two miles of driving? And can we then assume that she prevented 2.2 pounds of carbon dioxide from being emitted?
March 29, 2013
Congress to U.S. DOT: The Roads Aren’t Safe Until They’re Safe For Everyone
Yes, traffic fatalities have been (mostly) going down, but as long as cyclist and pedestrian fatalities keep going up, we can’t truly say our streets and roads are getting safer. That’s the message from 68 members of Congress to one pretty receptive audience: Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.
March 28, 2013
More March Madness: REI Pits Cycling Cities Against Each Other
We hope you're enjoying our Parking Madness Sweet 16-style tournament to determine the most soul-killing parking crater in a U.S. downtown. Here's another one you might like: REI is holding a tournament to determine the best cycling city. Today, Denver and Washington, DC square off in the Suit & Tie Dye region. Tomorrow, it's New York vs. Minneapolis: Concrete Jungle Region.
March 28, 2013
Another Slanted High-Speed Rail Story From Anderson Cooper
Not one to back away from a terrible argument, CNN’s Anderson Cooper is sticking with his series exposing the “boondoggle” of federal high-speed rail funding. In a segment aired Monday night, he and reporter Drew Griffin hammered away yet again at their argument that high-speed rail has been a waste of money. Under the tagline “Keeping Them Honest,” Cooper and Griffin hope to raise public ire about the taxpayer money “dumped” into a program sold as high-speed rail but is really just moving slow trains “a little faster.”
March 27, 2013
Will New Oil Supplies Slow the Transition to Green Transportation?
What if peak oil doesn't take care of gas-guzzling by cutting off the supply?
March 25, 2013
Study: Homes Near Transit Were Insulated From the Housing Crash
If you live close to a transit station, chances are you’ve weathered the recession better than your friends who don’t.
March 22, 2013
Freeways Without Futures: CNU Is Taking Nominations!
We're suckers for a good contest and here's a great one: Congress for the New Urbanism is seeking video submissions to determine the most hopeless disaster of a freeway in America.
March 21, 2013
Is ASCE Failing to Tell America to Spend Wisely on Infrastructure?
The American Society of Civil Engineers released its new report card for U.S. infrastructure yesterday. The topline grades: The country’s “GPA” has gone from a D four years ago to a D+; roads have gone from a D- to a D; transit has stayed steady at a D; and rail made the biggest leap, from a C- to a C+.
March 20, 2013
Obama’s Clean Energy Policy Elevates Efficient Cars Over Efficient Modes
It has a nice ring to it: using oil and gas revenue to shift transportation off oil and gas dependence. President Obama announced a plan to do just that on Friday — but the details of his plan are disappointing if you want to see the conversation on clean transportation go beyond cars. The Energy Security … Continued
March 18, 2013
CDC: Americans Drive Distracted Waaaay More Than Europeans
If you've been on a U.S. street anytime in the past few years, it comes as no surprise to hear that way too many Americans are yammering away on their cell phones -- or worse, OMG'ing and LOL'ing with their friends on text and email -- while driving. A new report from the CDC -- from their "Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report" -- shows just how bad the American habit is.
March 15, 2013