Center for Public Integrity on the transportation lobby
The Center for Public Integrity’s Transportation Lobby project visited South Florida to discuss the grassroots impact of lobbying activity in the nation’s capital, featuring a nice mention of Transportation for America. Video is 7 minutes long, but well worth your time. Narrated by CPI’s Matthew Lewis.
Reports from AASHTO and U.S. PIRG highlight an unsustainable transportation status quo
Two reports out this week speak, in quite different ways, to the urgent need for a fresh approach to federal transportation policy. In “Road Work Ahead”, U.S. PIRG sounds the alarm on the escalating deterioration of America’s infrastructure and the need to get serious about repair and restoration. The “Unlocking Gridlock” report from AASHTO emphasizes the problem of congestion in our increasingly urbanized nation, offering highway expansion as the solution.
Ohio Congressman recants, decides LaHood’s complete streets policy is not so “radical” after all
In an Associated Press story on April 15, Ohio Congressman Steve LaTourette was quoted decrying the apparently “radical” idea that the safety and comfort of people on foot or bicycle deserve as much consideration as those in cars. To his credit, LaTourette has fully recanted the statement and apologized for any misunderstanding, a result due in part to significant pushback from the bicycling community in his 14th Congressional District and throughout the country
T4 America outlines priorities in letter to key Senate Environment and Public Works Committee members
With the health care debate resolved and the U.S. Senate facing a full plate for the remainder of the year, Transportation for America joined with nearly 50 partners to explain our campaign priorities to a key Committee. The letter was addressed to Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Chair Barbara Boxer, Ranking Member Jim Inhofe and senior members Max Baucus and George Voinovich. In it, we outlined how America’s transportation policies have not kept up with changing priorities.
Task force on childhood obesity should look at increased opportunity to walk and bike
Photo courtesy of the California Department of Transportation In the last couple of weeks, we suggested First Lady Michelle Obama’s Task Force on Child Obesity consider transportation and the built environment. Another important component is enhancing infrastructure for walking and bicycling. Infrastructure to support walking and biking includes bike lanes, shared-use paths, and routes on […]
St. Louis County approves half-cent sales tax for public transit
Light-rail system in St. Louis (Photo courtesy of Matthew Black Americans are continuing to open their wallets and vote with their feet in support of increased transportation options, despite a tough economic climate. On Tuesday, a half-cent sales tax to fund the Metro transit system in St. Louis County in Missouri was approved by a […]
Secretary LaHood on T4 America’s poll: “People want better options”
We got some superb media coverage last week on the release of our national poll and there’s an engaging discussion underway today on the National Journal experts blog, but we wanted to especially highlight a terrific post today from Ray LaHood, U.S. Secretary of Transportation, on his official DOT blog.
Secretary LaHood says that our poll echoes the same drumbeat he’s heard all around the country from people in big cities, small towns and all the places in between during his first 14 months in office: “people want better options.”
Active living means housing choices that get people moving everyday
As First Lady Michelle Obama’s Task Force on Childhood Obesity gets to work identifying policy changes and recommendations for federal agencies, the impact of city design on childrens’ health is one of the first places they ought to look. Current laws and incentives drive where schools, grocery stores, health centers, and parks are located – […]
Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move campaign a positive step, but must emphasize transportation voices
In February, First Lady Michelle Obama announced her exciting “Let’s Move” campaign and the goal of seriously confronting childhood obesity in the United States within a generation. Now, the campaign – more formally known as the Presidential Task Force on Childhood Obesity – is getting to work on an action plan to influence federal policy. This is a great start, but there’s an omission: the task force does not include a representative from the U.S. Department of Transportation.
Housing and transportation squeeze hitting rural America, new reports concludes
When the Center for Neighborhood Technology released its revised Housing and Transportation Index last week, much of the focus naturally tilts toward cities due to the measurement of metropolitan areas. But CNT’s rural companion report on transportation costs in less-populated areas deserves ample attention as well. More than 1.6 million rural households do not have access to a car, making routine trips a strain on a family’s time and budget. For those who do drive, high gas prices take a big chunk out of monthly incomes.
New poll shows Americans strongly support public transportation; more walking & biking
American voters overwhelmingly support broader access to public transportation and safe walking and biking, according to a new national poll.
Reconsidering how we measure housing affordability by including transportation costs
Americans have spent the last several decades moving farther and farther away from urban centers, in search of affordability. Rapidly growing communities ranging from the sunbelt cul-de-sacs of greater Phoenix to the exurban fringes of Northern Virginia have sold people on a lower cost of living. The decades of “drive-til-you-qualify” resulted in millions moving out for supposedly cheaper housing. But was it actually more affordable? A new tool from CNT reexamines housing affordability.
HIRE Act a down payment on transportation priorities
When President Obama signed the HIRE Act into law last week, he ushered in important progress on several important transportation initiatives. The Act extends current transportation law until December 31, 2010 and restores $19.5 billion in interest to the Highway Trust Fund. This works out to $14.7 billion for highways and $4.8 billion for mass […]
The potential economic and personal impacts of oil dependence
There isn’t a state in the union that doesn’t depend on oil for transportation. But states have varying levels of dependence, making some far more vulnerable to dramatic economic impacts as the price of oil goes up or down. This new report from the National Resources Defense Council analyzes the vulnerability of each of the 50 states to changes in oil prices.
T4 America co-chair testifies before Senate on rural transportation
Mayor John Robert Smith, T4 America co-chair and President of Reconnecting America, testified before a Senate committee today about the transportation challenges facing rural areas and small towns — and offered six practical suggestions for how the federal government can help them meet these challenges head-on. Far from being left behind or left out of federal transportation policy, Mayor Smith’s testimony provides a clear road map for boosting the economies of Main Streets across America.
Atlanta-area transit system 14 days from shutting down, 2 million rides disappearing
Clayton County, one of metro Atlanta’s five core counties, will terminate all transit service in 14 days. The transit service, which provides over 2 million rides each year on buses “full to bursting” with riders, according to MARTA CEO Beverly Scott, will shut down service entirely, leaving the 50% or more of C-Tran riders with no regular access to a car stranded.
Speeding up, cleaning up freight movement in the U.S.
Since Chairman Oberstar introduced the Surface Transportation Authorization Act (STAA) last summer, we’ve increasingly heard that addressing freight congestion is going to be a major component of any national transportation policy. We face a choice in how the nation will step up to meet the coming demand — and how clean those solutions will be. The upcoming reauthorization of the federal transportation bill is a great opportunity to help achieve a smarter, greener freight system. The innovative freight projects highlighted in this week’s “Good Haul” report by the Environmental Defense Fund demonstrates the practical solutions that are economically smart, protect us from harmful air pollution, and provide jobs for American workers.
U.S. Transportation Department makes good on promise to ensure our streets are made safer
Sec. LaHood issued a new directive yesterday that officially shows DOT’s support for improving safety for walking and bicycling — treating them as equal modes of transportation. Last fall we released a report chronicling the 76,000 preventable pedestrian deaths over the last 15 years on streets unsafe for walkers or bikers. Today, DOT made some progress on the issue.
Transit grants out the federal door, but what about the cuts?
Secretary LaHood is (rightfully) touting the news on his blog this morning that the FTA met their deadline for distributing 100% of the transit grants from the stimulus package. That’s great news, but it should be accompanied by the sobering reminder that these public transportation systems that get people to work each day couldn’t use that money to keep from having to cut service at a time when it’s needed the most.
Transit riders in Atlanta face massive cuts, “wholesale restructuring” of service
Transit riders in Metro Atlanta will soon require a new system map, because the current map is about to be ancient history. Of course, this would only apply to those who still have a bus or train to wait for after MARTA potentially cuts a shocking 25-30 percent of all their service.
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