Where They Stand: Obama and McCain on Transportation
With a few hours to go until what will be the season's first presidential debate, we're looking over a report from the Brookings Institution, which outlines each candidate's positions on transportation.
The six-page report [PDF]
holds few if any surprises for Streetsbloggers, but it nicely
highlights respective statements from McCain and Obama on topics like
federal spending, road pricing and public transportation, with links to
source materials.
One category in particular caught our attention: "Smart Growth Considerations," from page five.
"Obamawill build upon his efforts in the Senate to ensure that moreMetropolitan Planning Organizations create policies to incentivizegreater bicycle and pedestrian usage of roads and sidewalks. Aspresident, Obama will work to provide states and local governments withthe resources they need to address sprawl and create more livablecommunities." –BarackObama.com
"McCain hasn't released a formal policy identified as targeting urban issues." –WSJ.com
While
it's true that much of "heartland" America still couldn't care less
about bike lanes and sidewalks, as we've seen, livable streets issues
are pushing further into the mainstream.
Whether those issues, and the often starkly differing views held by the
candidates, will emerge as part of the national discussion over the
next five weeks remains to be seen.
As confirmed in many
respects by the Brookings breakdown, one thing is a near certainty: the
composition of next year's federal funding package will vary
dramatically based on who takes the White House.
Photo: Chesi - Fotos CC/Flickr
Stay in touch
Sign up for our free newsletter
More from Streetsblog Los Angeles
No, L.A. City Does Not Always Add Required ADA Ramps During Resurfacing, But They Should
StreetsLA GM Keith Mozee "Any time we do street resurfacing, it is considered an alteration, which requires ADA ramps to be installed."
LAPD Was Crossing Against Red Light in Crash that Killed Pedestrian and Injured Six in Hollywood
The department says the officers had turned on their lights and sirens just before crossing, but won't say why they did so.
