Americans across the country, in towns large and small, are being hurt by fare increases and draconian cuts in public transportation service, an epidemic that did not have to happen, according to a report released today by Transportation for America and the Transportation Equity Network.

A new report from Transportation for America and the Transportation Equity Network takes a closer look at the cuts that public transportation agencies across the country are facing and how they’ve have impacted the people in those communities. Stranded at the Station: The Impact of the Financial Crisis in Public Transportation is the first systematic analysis of the issue, and the story is not a pretty one.

Every morning in New York City, hundreds of thousands pass quickly and nearly invisibly through tunnels and across bridges into Manhattan’s Central Business District via New York’s well-traveled transit system. Though the sidewalks are still full of walkers and the streets full of cabs, buses, and cars, the real action is happening below the surface where the number of people traveling into the CBD is almost just beyond comprehension. Michael Frumin looked at the numbers at fruminator and tried to put it in perspective for you:

The U.S. transportation sector produces one-third of our carbon emission, yet the House-passed climate bill would direct just one percent of revenues to cleaner transportation options that can help us cut transportation emissions. The Senate has a chance to make a serious investment in greener transportation – up to 10% of funding in the climate bill. Call your Senator today and tell them to support CLEAN-TEA.

Seattle opened a new light rail system this weekend, and it was a smashing success by all accounts. Ridership from the inaugural weekend was over 90,000, and the system is settling into normal revenue service today. Read all about it from fellow Streetsblog Network member Seattle Transit Blog, and check out a huge batch of photos from opening weekend in their Flickr group pool.

We noted transportation’s impact on health care costs and how expanding access to public transportation and investing more money in complete streets safe for walking and biking can improve overall health and lower healthcare costs. We should remember that having transportation options and the ability to easily get where you need to go have a huge impact on whether or not you receive care. How does access to transportation affect the health of Americans?

Americans are taking the train (and the bus) like never before, and public transportation ridership reached its highest level in more than 50 years in 2008. Cities of all sizes are looking to meet the burgeoning demand for quality public transportation service. With Chairman James Oberstar’s 90-page proposal for the next transportation bill coming out this morning from the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, we are left with an important question — how would these current or future transit systems fare under his proposed program?

…Glennis was expected at work at 7:00. It was 6:25, and she had been waiting at the stop for 30 minutes when I showed up. Glennis told me that once she got off at Santa Monica Blvd, she would still have about one mile to walk to get to her job. Her chances of getting there on time were looking pretty slim at that moment, and I could see the worry mounting on her face.

The Environmental Defense Fund held a news conference Thursday morning to release a new report profiling 10 innovative public transportation systems. Rep. Rep. James Oberstar of Minnesota, who heads up the House committee responsible for writing the transportation bill this year, was invited to give remarks. So where was Rep. Oberstar when the press conference kicked off Thursday morning on Capitol Hill? Stuck in gridlocked DC traffic, according to the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.

One of the first stops on our cross-country town hall meeting tour was Google’s headquarters in California. Last week, several of Google’s developers shared the latest in transit-tracking technology and real-time traffic mapping with our staff, and we got a chance to dig deep into the federal policy changes that could make our nation a more livable place for drivers, riders, and walkers.