Helping kids get active and healthy by “keeping them moving”
We’re facing an epidemic of childhood obesity, and this could very well be a generation of children who live shorter, less healthy lives than their parents. A healthier transportation system for America’s kids requires change in federal policy. But change will remain out of our grasp without a sense of urgency from everyday people on the ground. So where’s the meeting point between policymakers in Washington and citizens in their neighborhoods?
American Conservative magazine “rails against the machine,” promotes alternatives to the automobile
William Lind, a respected figure in right-wing circles, is adamant that public transportation shouldn’t be politically divisive, explaining why in “Rail Against the Machine,” featured in this month’s American Conservative magazine — part of a special package on public transportation with contributions from a host of special authors.
Active transportation, more walking and biking can help us confront obesity
Obesity is on the rise in 28 states and one of the biggest public health challenges facing America, but boosting walking and biking could help turn the tide. That is the conclusion of “F as in Fat: How Obesity Threatens America’s Future 2010.”
America’s military families have diverse transportation needs
Photo courtesy of the U.S. Department of Defense. Just as America’s veterans rely on transportation options to access crucial health care, military families face unique travel challenges as well. One challenge is getting kids to school and recreation in new locations. The average child in a military family moves and switches schools three times as […]
America’s veterans need more and better transportation options
As we celebrate the birth of our country this Fourth of July, we should also remember to honor the men and women who have served in uniform. Keeping our promise with America’s veterans mean giving them the resources they need when they return home, and that includes their transportation needs.
Innovation and competition make the housing-transportation connection work
A map of the Chicago Transit Authority system. Note: a version of this post was also published on the National Journal’s Transportation Experts blog. This country is in desperate need of innovation. We are still mired in a recession triggered by a collapse in real estate that was driven in no small part by the […]
Secretary LaHood, members of Congress celebrate Pennsylvania Avenue’s new bike lanes
LaHood with Mayor Fenty, DDOT Director Gabe Klein and Reps. Blumenauer and Oberstar. Photo courtesy of USDOT. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood has made a point of championing bicycling as a legitimate travel option everywhere, but he is also keeping an eye on his own backyard, including Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington DC. LaHood joined DC Mayor […]
Transportation for America proposal creates more jobs than current transportation law, Economic Policy Institute finds
What if we could re-design our nation’s transportation policy to increase travel choices, reduce oil dependency and create more jobs? According to an Economic Policy Institute study, we could do just that if Congress adopts Transportation for America’s proposal.
New York Senator Chuck Schumer stumping for $2 billion transit aid bill
Last week, New York Senator Chuck Schumer, a top Democrat in Washington and influential policy player, spoke out forcefully in favor of the Public Transportation Preservation Act, a $2 billion lifeline for the nation’s transit agencies. The Act would provide emergency operating aid for buses, subways and other systems throughout the country and would give a significant boost to the tri-state region.
Making Normal, Illinois the new “norm” for transportation planning
Last week, Transportation for America Director James Corless was in Normal, Illinois, a town of 45,000 and recipient of a $22 million grant for a new city transportation hub, touting the project as a model for smarter federal transportation spending in the next six-year transportation bill.
Video: John Robert Smith on helping politicos see the importance of passenger rail
In this short video, Former Meridian, Mississippi Mayor and current T4 America co-chair John Robert Smith talks about the project to build a new multimodal train station in downtown Meridian when he was mayor, proposed cuts to Amtrak that happened shortly afterward, and how a few key Senators championed funding for Amtrak after seeing how ordinary people outside of D.C. depended on that service.
Farewell to a reliable D.C. transportation reporter
We noted this on twitter earlier today and yesterday, but we would be remiss if we didn’t also say thank you to Elana Schor and Streetsblog for her terrific year of coverage on transportation issues under the Capitol dome and elsewhere in D.C circles.
Dozens of bicyclists ride to USDOT Friday to tell Secretary LaHood “thanks”
Transportation for America was proud to co-author and circulate a letter thanking Secretary Ray LaHood for USDOT’s policy statement elevating walking and biking in national policy. Last Friday, several of us at T4 cycled with a handful of national partners to DOT Headquarters across town to thank the Secretary in person.
“I don’t know what this talk around DC is about livability not having anything to do with rural areas…”
Earlier this week, we hosted 15 of our partners from rural areas across America for a two day “fly-in” focusing on the transportation needs of rural areas and small towns. We hosted a briefing at the Capitol in the morning and then these partners from all over the country, from Virginia to California, took the […]
T4 America’s rural and small town partners take their transportation message to Capitol Hill
Tuesday’s Congressional lobby day hosted by Transportation for America on the needs of rural and small-town America displayed a growing urgency for transportation options, livable communities and good access to jobs and opportunity — as great as one would find in any of our nation’s urban and metropolitan centers.
American Public Health Association outlines hidden health costs of transportation
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act signed by President Obama earlier this year was a down payment on expanding health coverage and lowering costs. But the work does not stop there. A truly comprehensive approach to health must account for transportation’s role in how we move and our levels of physical activity. The American Public Health Association tackles just that in a new report titled “the Hidden Health Costs of Transportation.”
Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move” report says walking and biking key to healthier kids
Earlier this month, we highlighted two reports on the integral link between health and transportation. First Lady Michelle Obama’s recent Let’s Move report on childhood obesity goes one step further — endorsing a new surface transportation bill that encourages more walking and biking.
Guest post: public transit made accessible in Mississippi’s capital city
In the midst of discouraging news from hundreds of transit agencies across the country facing difficult choices in the midst of budget crises (see our map), we bring some encouraging news from Mississippi, and an update to a story we’ve covered previously in this guest post.
Business Leaders Emphasize Economic Potential of a Renewed Vision for the Nation’s Transportation Program
Business and transportation industry leaders today joined Transportation for America for a briefing on Capitol Hill to underscore the potential of a reformed, multi-year transportation bill to boost the economy and create lasting jobs across the country. Business leaders from Siemens, IBM and the Silicon Valley Leadership Group, which represents more than 300 major companies in the Silicon Valley including Yahoo!, Microsoft and AT&T, highlighted the power of new and innovative policies to revolutionize the transportation sector, make our country more economically competitive for the 21st century and provide working Americans the affordable options they need to get to their jobs every day.
Nationwide reports identify transportation policy as essential to improving health
Two reports out this week highlight growing awareness of the integral link between health and transportation. The CDC report acknowledges what T4 America has stressed for months: not only is our nation’s approach to transportation outdated and inefficient, it also takes a toll on our health and quality of life.
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