Transportation Policy
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Transport Economist Challenges Claim That ‘VMT Causes Growth’
The claim to a link between economic growth and vehicle mileage --
that, in other words, auto travel is essential to keeping U.S.
productivity high -- remains controversial and much-debated in
transportation policy circles.
January 7, 2010
The U.S. Transportation Financing Crisis: A Snapshot From the States
Washington transportation policymaking can often resemble an
unwieldy soup of anywhere between 50 and 535 local perspectives, as
lawmakers from different states and districts vie for a fixed (or even shrinking) amount of federal funding.
January 7, 2010
New Report Finds American Auto Fleet Shrinking
Could the nation be turning away from its decades-old yen for auto
ownership? Americans got rid of more cars than they purchased in 2009,
reversing a trend that saw total U.S. vehicles exceed the number of
drivers more than 35 years ago, according to a report released today by the Earth Policy Institute (EPI).
January 6, 2010
Dodd and Dorgan Retiring: The Consequences For Transportation Policy
In a surprising one-two punch, Democratic Sens. Byron Dorgan (ND) and Chris Dodd (CT) have let slip their plans to leave Congress at the end of this year.
January 6, 2010
Transit Fare Inflation Hitting Health Insurance-Like Levels?
That's the implication buried in a roundup
of dismal news from urban transit agencies that ran in Saturday's Wall
Street Journal. After noting the overall ridership decreases tallied by APTA and the specter of punitive service cuts in many cities, the newspaper noted:
January 5, 2010
A Step Towards Pricing of Pollution? 11 States Back Low-Carbon Fuel Rules
While many in Washington spent their holiday breaks wondering if Senate Democratic opposition would deal a major blow to progress on a climate change bill, 11 northeastern governors were agreeing on a deal that suggests otherwise.
January 4, 2010
Bay Area Transportation Commission Starts Climate Sustainability Fund
Transportation advocates were thrilled last week when the nine-county Bay Area regional transportation planning and funding body, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC), established a fluid pot of money for innovative transportation projects, from Safe Routes to School programs and bicycle educational campaigns, to parking policies and demand management strategies meant to reduce the over-reliance on automobiles [pdf].
December 21, 2009
New Report: Minority-Owned Businesses Left Out of Transport Stimulus
Women and minorities are getting shortchanged in the chase for transportation stimulus contracts, according to a report released today by the Transportation Equity Network (TEN) and Good Jobs First.
December 15, 2009
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
Enforcement, Paint Solve 19th Avenue Sidewalk Parking Problem
Some San Francisco drivers have turned over a new leaf on 19th Avenue in the Sunset, where they have adopted the habit of parking on the street, in stark contrast to the previous widespread practice of parking partially or entirely on the sidewalk.
December 14, 2009