Month: December 2009

On the issue of clean transportation, from transit to bike paths to water quality, few members of Congress are as knowledgeable or active as Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR). Chairman of the Congressional Bicycle Caucus and founder of the new Livable Communities Task Force, the Portland lawmaker is on the front lines of Washington's biggest infrastructure debates. Streetsblog Capitol Hill spoke with him yesterday about the prospects for transportation in the coming jobs bill, which he has said could be paid for in part with Wall Street bailout money. Below is a lightly edited transcript of the discussion.

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The now Streetsblog-Famous Lt. Andre Dawson gave me a call last night to discuss where the LAPD is in working on its bike policy after we traded messages about last Friday's incident between the LAPD and Critical Mass.  We discussed a couple of issues, including last week's clash, and there's a couple of quick notes he agreed that I should pass on.

It seems that every year when the car show rolls into town that there's at least one moment that makes me want to bang my head into a cement wall.  Remember when the Sierra Club and other environmental groups named an SUV the "green car of the year" in 2007?

It began a few months ago when rumors reached my ears that the word circulating among Metro employees at the bus yards was that the Sectors were about to be dissolved.

Tonight at 6:30, the Transit Coalition will host former Caltrans Director and current OCTA CEO Will Kempton at their annual meeting.  The meeting is open to the public and takes place at Phillipe the Original, 1001 Alameda Street, in the Downtown.  If memory serves, there are pretty specific directions about how to find the meeting once you arrive, so if this is your first time, print the directions found here.

One year ago today, we announced the launch of the Streetsblog Network -- a national and international network of blogs covering transportation policy, sustainable planning, smart growth and active transportation. We conceived of the network as a way to get people who are passionate about these issues literally on the same page.

During a visit to New Orleans, where city planners are seeking nearly $100 million in federal stimulus money for three new streetcar lines, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood today announced plans to award $280 million in grants for streetcar and bus networks.

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