The Peculiar Federalism of Transit Safety: No National Standards Exist
The recent crash of two D.C. Metro trains has laid bare a glaring
lack of authority at the obscure local committee that is supposed to
ensure transit riders' safety, as the Washington Post reported today.
But the problem is bigger than the nation's capital: The Federal
Transit Administration (FTA) has not issued broad safety rules for rail
transit, leaving the issue in the hands of state oversight agencies.
August 10, 2009
Electrified Transportation’s Big Week in Washington
While lawmakers were approving
billions of dollars to entice auto buyers into moderate fuel-efficiency
progress this week, the Obama administration was ramping up its push
for electrified transportation.
August 7, 2009
Audit Finds U.S. DOT’s Transit Record-Keeping ‘Unreliable,’ ‘Inaccurate’
The disjointed state of "New Starts," the Federal Transit Administration's (FTA) program to fund new rail and bus lines, is well-known
on the Hill -- in fact, House transportation committee chairman Jim
Oberstar (D-MN) recently quipped that it ought to be renamed "small
starts, low starts, and no starts."
August 6, 2009
Portland’s Transport Research Guru Headed to Obama Administration
The U.S. DOT is expected to announce today that it has tapped Robert Bertini,
a Portland State University professor who headed Oregon's state-wide
transport research effort, as the No. 2 at the Research and Innovative
Technology Administration -- the government's home for stats on all
things transportation.
August 5, 2009
Following ‘Cash for Clunkers’ with ‘Riches for Rail’
Robert
Menendez (D-NJ), a senior member of the Senate Banking Committee, began
his hearing on transit today by displaying the above cartoon by
Pulitzer prize-winner Tom Toles. The senator's message parallels
Toles': In a world where the auto industry can get $2 billion more in one week, what's to be done about rail's $50 billion backlog?
August 4, 2009
Separating Myth from Fact on “Cash for Clunkers”
As
debate rages on in the capital over whether to keep assisting the auto
industry by giving out more "cash for clunkers" rebates, two assertions
are becoming commonplace: the program is helping diminish U.S. oil
consumption, and the program is not paid for with new money.
August 4, 2009
How — and When — Can D.C. Help Local Transport Reform Happen?
In a new op-ed
for Citiwire, former Indianapolis mayor and GOP member of Congress Bill
Hudnut suggests six ways that Washington can train the nation's
350-plus metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) into tools for
smart and environmentally sound transportation policymaking.
August 3, 2009
Federal Government Racing to Give $2 Billion More for Cash for Clunkers
The "cash for clunkers" rebate program, which promises new auto buyers up to $4,500 for fuel-efficiency upgrades as small as 2 miles per gallon, is back to life after burning through $1 billion in taxpayer money.
July 31, 2009
‘Cash for Clunkers’ Out of Cash — But Not Quite Finished
The U.S. DOT may have notified car dealers last night that its watered-down
"cash for clunkers" plan was already out of cash, but that doesn't mean
the rebates are on their last legs. With the White House vowing to protect the program, Congress soon could have to decide whether to keep the good times rolling for auto companies.
July 31, 2009