Streetsblog USA

For decades, researchers going back to Robert Putnam have drawn connections between total leisure time and individuals' level of political and community involvement. New findings published in American Politics Research say the amount of time spent commuting is especially important in determining whether Americans vote, take part in political campaigns, and otherwise engage in politics.

A few months ago, we told you that Building America's Future had released an app called, "I'm Stuck!" It allowed you to send a quick email to your Congressional representatives, telling them that you were stuck in traffic, or on an overcrowded bus or a delayed train, and you wanted Congress to approve more funding to upgrade infrastructure. At the time, we noted that there was no bike/ped component to the app, but BAF has changed that -- halfway, at least.

Transportation for America has been in hiding. Perhaps you’ve noticed.

This table, showing the top 10 U.S. cities where cycling is growing fastest, comes from a new report from the League of American Bicyclists that analyzes census data. Though the census only tracks bicycle commuting -- and thus understates how many people are cycling -- the results tell an interesting story about cycling trends.

Senator Mike Lee (R-Utah) and Congressman Tom Graves (R-Georgia) have introduced a bill to eliminate federal involvement in transportation policy, which would spell disaster for funding that supports transit, biking, and walking. A largely symbolic vote in favor of "devolution" will allow Republican members of Congress to demonstrate their conservative bona fides.

After a long period of inaction on Capitol Hill, the wheels are beginning to turn again. Lawmakers introduced not one but two good transportation-related bills yesterday: one that aims to improve the safety of walking and biking and one that would establish a national infrastructure bank.

In a small but symbolically important step for a state transportation agency, the Oregon DOT held a "Drive Less Challenge" from late October through November 1. Events like this one are held regularly in cities around the country, but it's the first time a statewide department of transportation has hosted one, according to ODOT.

The official 2012 death toll is out for our nation's poorly-designed, auto-centric transportation system. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, traffic injuries on the nation's roadways claimed the lives of 33,561 people. The headline of the agency's press release, "NHTSA Data Confirms Traffic Fatalities Increased In 2012," is quickly walked back by the subhed, which attempts a silver lining: "Highway deaths over the past 5 years remain at historic lows."

Welcome to the second edition of the new Streetsblog podcast, which we're calling Talking Headways. Reconnecting America’s Jeff Wood and I return as your hosts, talking about everything from bicycle carnage to Texas sprawl, and from misguided transportation priorities in Tennessee -- one place that ought to know better -- to motorcycle-riding assassains in Bogotá. (With a brief, emotional interlude about Gabe Klein leaving Chicago.) And then we go to our happy place.