Tonight: PBS on Transit, States, and the Stimulus
Streetsbloggers will want to tune in to PBS tonight for the latest installment in the Blueprint America series. NOW will look at where all that stimulus cash is headed. Here's the teaser:
February 13, 2009
Final Stimulus Bill Slaps Transit Riders in the Face
The final tally is in, and we now have a breakdown for transportation funding in the stimulus bill that President Obama will sign, barring some unforeseen turn of the screw. Via Transportation for America: $29 billion for highways and bridges $8.4 billion for transit $8 billion for high-speed rail $1.3 billion for Amtrak To compare … Continued
February 12, 2009
Reports of Vélib’s Demise Greatly Exaggerated
If you've read this BBC story currently making the rounds, you'd be forgiven for thinking that Vélib,
Paris's wildly popular bike-share system, has suddenly been afflicted
by an epidemic of theft and vandalism that threatens its very
existence. Vélib bikes have been "torched," strung up from lamp-posts,
and smuggled across borders, the Beeb reports in alarmist tones. A
spokesman for JCDecaux,
the outdoor advertising firm that operates Vélib, calls its contract
with the city of Paris "unsustainable," and the whole system is
referred to in the past tense.
February 12, 2009
Wiki Wednesday: The Story of the Stimulus
Looks like the conference committee made quick work of the stimulus bill, with Harry Reid announcing that a deal has been reached much sooner than expected (perhaps a bit too prematurely). We'll have the specifics on transportation funding later tonight or early tomorrow. For now, relive the stimulus saga with StreetsWiki.
Contributor DianaD has added some nice narrative chunks to the entry.
Remember stemming the tide of Asphalt Age amendments in the Senate?
February 11, 2009
Cartoon Tuesday: Two Steps Forward, Two Steps Back?
Hat tip to David Alpert for this Tom Toles toon, which nails the disconnect between the brave green world we're supposedly entering and the dramatic cutbacks plaguing transit systems across the country. Click through for the punchline (I kind of gave it away already).
February 10, 2009
Obama: The Days of “Building Sprawl Forever” Are Over
Obama in Ft. Myers This is encouraging. On the stump in Fort Myers, Florida to campaign for the stimulus bill, President Obama took a detour from his well-worn “roads and bridges” infrastructure spiel to deliver some brief remarks on transit and land use. Obama’s answer came in response to a city council member who said … Continued
February 10, 2009
Senate Approves Stimulus Bill — On to Conference Committee
The Senate approved its version of the stimulus bill this afternoon
by a 61-37 vote. Attention now turns to conference committee
negotiations, where differences between the House and Senate bills will
get ironed out. Politico has the scoop on who will be negotiating on the Senate side, and they're not exactly an urban bunch:
February 10, 2009
Cartoon Tuesday: Political Suicide
This word of warning from cartoonist Mike Luckovich to Republicans in Congress feels all the more timely on the heels of today’s action in the Senate. Click through for the punchline.
February 3, 2009
Streetfilms: Timing Streets for Cyclists, Pedestrians, and Everyone Else
From the new San Francisco branch of Streetfilms, Janel Sterbentz takes a look at one of the city's main bicycle routes -- Valencia Street -- and asks how it would function if signals were timed to give cyclists the "Green Wave" instead of cars. Cyclists would get a smoother ride and feel less compelled to roll through red lights. Pedestrians would benefit from slower vehicle speeds and more predictable cyclist behavior. As for transit vehicles, Janel reports, average travel times for trams and buses have improved on Amsterdam streets with a cyclist green wave. Even motorists, it turns out, should be rooting this on:
February 2, 2009
Nadler Amendment: The Ayes Have It
The House just passed an amendment to add $3 billion for transit
investment to the stimulus bill. There's a lot more work coming up very
soon -- in the Senate and in conference committee -- but this was a
hard-fought win and everyone who helped push it through should take a
minute to pat yourself on the back.
January 28, 2009