Like the voice of one crying in the wilderness, former New York City traffic commissioner urges his fellow traffic engineers to adapt and evolve, or risk becoming marginalized. (Engineering News-Record) Gannett “uncovers” the fact that federal transportation dollars are given out to states with little accountability for how the money is spent. (LoHud.com) Does MAP-21 [...]

Yesterday’s release of NHTSA road fatality data showed that pedestrian fatalities went up about 4 percent, though U.S. road deaths have dropped. T4′s David Goldberg is quoted in this national story that asks whether cellphones are to blame, though it does point out that there is no data backing up that assertion. (USA Today) Politico’s [...]

U.S. road deaths fall to lowest levels since 1949, though deaths among pedestrians and other smaller groups actually rose. Would that be attributable to the rise in walking across the country? (LA Times) Public transit ridership continues its upward trend with a 2 percent increase in third quarter compared to 3Q last year. Agencies still [...]

While visiting the U.S., the Chinese Commerce Minister stated China’s desire to invest in “renovating American roads and subways. (AP) Five former U.S. Secretaries of Transportation talked about the future of investing in America’s transportation system at an event sponsored by the UVA Miller Center here in Washington, D.C. (Miller Center, Streetsblog) Kaid Benfield of [...]

T4 America weighed in on the Raquel Nelson story in the Washington Post op-ed pages, pointing out that the conditions she faced are all too common in places across the country. (Washington Post) The gas tax stories continue to circulate. Grover Norquist is quoted again in a CNN story suggesting that there could be opposition [...]

Just 4 years after opening it, San Diego County is buying a public-private partnership toll road back from the operator after they filed for Chapter 11 protection. (LA Now) Streetfilms partners with NACTO to produce a short film about the phenomenal success of Capital Bikeshare in Washington, DC. (Youtube) With the gas tax set to [...]

Congress and the White House finally agree in principle on a deal to raise the debt ceiling. (New York Times) The Raquel Nelson story continues. NPR examines some of the larger issues, namely the auto-centric design of suburbs not matching up with the lifestyle of many living in them who are walking and taking public [...]

White House under fire for unspent stimulus cash, and though contractors are working and hiring now based on payments to come, some are asking those payments to be cancelled. (Wall Street Journal) Fueled by a combination of stimulus money, bond funds and low bids, an almost unprecedented explosion in big-ticket projects is happening across the [...]

Census shows fewer Americans drove to work alone last year.  (New York Times) Americans are taking advantage of the “cash for clunkers” program to trade in their trucks and SUVs  (Detroit Free Press) Arlington (VA) has secured $1.5 million in stimulus funds to buy hybrid buses, upgrading from a diesel-powered fleet.  (Washington Business Journal) Southern [...]

AASHTO’s president says gas taxes need to go up. (Baltimore Sun) Protecting our climate and gaining more energy independence begins, and doesn’t end, with the climate bill making its way through Congress. (Reuters) The speed of spending federal stimulus dollars remains a contentious issue. (USA Today) Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman James Oberstar looks to [...]