Author Archive
Mining public funds for (minimal) private gain
Lawmakers in Nevada have recently introduced legislation to set aside Carbon Reduction Program funds—about $3.9 million per year—for medium- and heavy-duty vehicle (MHDV) electrification. Although MHDV electrification is essential, assembly bill AB184’s method for doing so is inefficient, ineffective, and unnecessarily generous to private actors at the expense of taxpayers.
TRB: Transportation’s Really Broken
The Transportation Research Board’s Annual Meeting was held earlier this January in Washington, D.C. Despite claiming to be at the forefront of innovation, most of the conference avoided the truth: any system based primarily on moving cars as quickly as possible will leave many people behind.
Doing justice to Justice40
USDOT has finally added more substance to their plan to implement the Biden administration’s Justice40 Initiative. Despite some questions about how many programs can meet Biden’s goal of spending 40 percent on disadvantaged communities, the projects and programs they’ve moved toward Justice40 suggest a real effort to improve equity.
Fix the damn roads: Why politicians should prioritize potholes
Gretchen Whitmer first won election to Michigan’s governorship four years ago on a simple promise: she would fix the damn roads. For Whitmer, and Michigan policymakers before her, this has meant repairing existing roads before building new ones. Unfortunately, not all politicians define “fixing” the same way.
SMART grants could make transportation smarter, or not
The Strengthening Mobility and Revolutionizing Transportation (SMART) competitive grant program offers communities funds to apply new technologies to solve their transportation challenges. How smart this program ends up being depends on whether it treats the application of new technology as a tactic, or as a goal in and of itself.
We’re living in an arterial world
The 99% Invisible podcast discussed the Netflix show Old Enough, where Japanese children run their first errands, explaining how street design lets the show’s participants be both safe and independent from a young age. We explore the flip side of this coin in the United States, where convenience for cars becomes a major inconvenience for anybody who can’t drive one.
Our three principles
It’s past time to elevate the national conversation about infrastructure beyond just the price tag.
Learn more about our platformLatest From The Blog
The stakes in the states
Mar 22nd, 2023
Mining public funds for (minimal) private gain
Mar 16th, 2023
Steps taken toward first expansion of passenger rail…
Mar 10th, 2023
A proposed bridge is haunting the Bay Area
Mar 8th, 2023
Think creatively, go bold, iterate time and again…
Mar 8th, 2023
in states such as RI most people drive…
Mar 25th, 2023
Concerning the Heartland Flyer, it would be great…
Mar 23rd, 2023
This is a logical expansion of Amtrak service…
Mar 23rd, 2023
Maybe when I retire in five+ years, I'll…
Mar 22nd, 2023
