Originally uploaded by pgengler to Flickr. The New York Times resolutely defended high-speed rail in an editorial this morning, characterizing the elimination of remaining funds for the program this fiscal year as “harebrained.” The budget deal reached by the White House and Congress zeroed-out the $1 billion allocated for high-speed rail in fiscal year 2011 [...]

A month ago, we noted that the Long Island Bus system in New York’s Nassau County was slated to cut service in half without a funding deal between state and local officials. Fortunately for the 33 million annual riders on the LI Bus, the New York State Senate on Friday announced an $8.6 million cash infusion to prevent these cuts.

When filmmakers envision the future of our transportation system, they often seem to come up with one enduring image — millions of layers of flying cars breezing effortlessly through impossibly dense cities, surrounded by mile-high skyscrapers. There’s a good chance the future may not look quite so, well, futuristic. But that doesn’t mean that advanced computer technology — namely, wireless networks known as Intelligent Transportation Systems that feed through our transportation infrastructure — won’t have a huge role to play in helping move people and goods safer, more efficiently, and with less pollution in the 21st Century.

Minneapolis, MN light rail photo by Metro Transit For the millions of Americans who waited for a bus last year to find it filled to capacity or boarded the subway train and saw it packed with fellow commuters, one thing should come as no surprise: 2008 was an incredible year for public transportation. The American [...]

With many cities and states facing huge deficits and a need for vast infrastructure upgrades, private investors are looking to finance a “tidal wave” of projects across the country. (New York Times — Jenny Anderson)

Barack Obama and John McCain have found plenty of time to talk about foreign policy, but New York Times‘ columnist Bob Herbert — along with a handful of city mayors — has noticed that urban policy and infrastructure investments have been conspicuously left out of the conversation.

Despite significant fare increases in recent years for the New York City MTA, the city and state governments have neglected to raise their own contributions to the Authority — a fact that some say obligates the mayor and governor to do more to help the struggling agency. (New York Times — William Neuman)

With big city officials across the country warming to the idea of revitalizing downtown with convenient public transportation, at least 40 cities are developing plans for streetcar service. (New York Times — Bob Driehaus)

Americans may be welcoming a temporary drop in the price of fuel, but few are looking to hop back into gas-slurping SUV’s. For U.S. automakers like Ford and General Motors, that’s one more item to add to their list of worries. (New York Times — Nick Bunkley)

On the New York Times Freakonimics blog, a host of experts wonder aloud what America’s suburbs will look like in 40 years, and come to some vastly different conclusions.