While New York City has been in the news lately for their plan to implement congestion pricing in Manhattan, what you don’t know about the experiment may surprise you. It wasn’t just the brainchild of a progressive city government committed to reducing vehicle traffic and congestion in a portion of the city with great transit … Continued
Dan loves traffic. “It’s about the journey, and this way, the journey takes forever,” he says. “In 2009, Congress will decide whether to continue to spend billions on highways and roads to generate more traffic. Or whether they’re going more money on trains and buses — that suck the lifebblood right out of traffic. Help … Continued
“Despite occupying just 12 percent of U.S. land mass, the nation’s 100 largest metro areas account for 65 percent of its people and 75 percent of its economic output. They hold the keys to America’s future prosperity…” As a nation where economic success or failure hinges firmly on the backs of our largest metropolitan areas, … Continued
In two separate blog posts, U.S. News and World Report writer Marianne Lavelle crunches some of the numbers on the effect gas prices will have on the latest economic stimulus package that President Bush recently approved. (Part I, Part II) Based on projected increases in gas and other petroleum-related energy prices, Lavelle finds that as … Continued
Complete streets consider the needs of all users — and are safer for walkers, bikers, and drivers. Updated: a few edits made below, and links to bill and factsheet added. The push for livable streets achieved a victory this week, as Sen. Tom Harkin (Iowa) introduced an important piece of legislation, co-sponsored by Sen. Carper … Continued
Last month, President Bush proposed a federal budget that cuts funding for a number of critical programs that help revitalize communities, provide transportation and affordable housing choices, and protect the environment. (Note: Our budget analysis can be found here) Perhaps most shocking is the Bush administration’s budget proposal to transfer an estimated $3.2 billion from … Continued
There’s a commercial airing frequently for a Dodge minivan these days. Maybe you’ve seen it: An unhappy family sits around their very nice home, all doing their best to ignore each other. The cynical teenage daughter is on the phone, asking her friend, “Did you see what she was wearing? Eww!” The youngest boy approaches … Continued
Click the video to watch a recent CBS News piece on the growing use of passenger rail Retailers of scale like Wal-Mart and Target survive on small margins. The rate of profit may be small, but selling a bazillion units of everything adds up to a tidy sum at the end of the day. In … Continued
Highways like these in San Antonio get built with federal highway funds. President Bush’s proposed budget for the 2009 fiscal year contained an alarming provision for “fixing” the transportation funding crisis. Unfortunately, the solution is akin to putting a band-aid on a gaping wound while also cutting off an arm. Without getting too deep into … Continued
The Alaskan Way Viaduct is a three story barrier, separating Seattle from its historic waterfront. Continuing the thread started yesterday on urban freeways and the CNU Teardown Survey, we have a guest blogger today. Cary Moon is the co-founder and director of the People’s Waterfront Coalition, which is a grassroots group that formed a few … Continued