Sarah Goodyear

Today we're going to go just a bit off-topic and look at a post from Streetsblog Network member Aaron Renn on his blog The Urbanophile about "The New Grass Roots." It examines in depth a few things that are near and dear to our hearts here at Streetsblog and the The Open Planning Project, including the ability of the Internet to transform the public policy debate:

Today we've got a disturbing story from Missouri about the influence exerted by the Missouri Department of Transportation on the legislative process in that state. From Missouri Bicycle News:

Lots of blogs around the Streetsblog Network are tackling issues related to bike commuting this week in honor of the upcoming Bike to Work Day on Friday. Baltimore Spokes weighs in with a post about how employers can tailor workplaces to encourage employees to ride in. Here are a few of their ideas:

The details of Rep. Jim Oberstar's plans for the next federal transportation bill are starting to come into focus. Last Friday, The Infrastructurist ran an item about a document on the subject that has made its way into the public eye:

How much should passengers pay for mass transit? What with the financial woes of transit systems around the country, it’s been a hot topic. Today on the Streetsblog Network, we’re looking at the question from a couple of different angles. First, Yonah Freemark of The Transport Politic looks at the role of mass transit in … Continued

Today Transportation for America is releasing a 100-page document called “The Route to Reform,” in which they outline policy recommendations related to the upcoming reauthorization of federal transportation funding legislation (download the executive summary here or the full report here).  From the executive summary:  The next transportation program must set about the urgent task of … Continued

It's amazing how easy it is to be a radical when you talk about changing any aspect of car culture in the United States.

In more and more communities around the country, the benefits of complete streets -- designed for the benefit and safety of all users, not just automobiles -- are becoming clear. The latest advance comes in Hawaii, where the governor has signed legislation that makes building complete streets a state policy. Today on the Streetsblog Network, Transportation for America has the news, and a reminder that change at the national level is still possible:

We always like to hear about people jettisoning their cars for other modes of transportation, and there are several blogs on the Streetsblog Network that chronicle efforts to give up the personal automobile. They include Carless Parenting, based in Salt Lake City; The MinusCar Project, in Sioux Falls, South Dakota; and Car Free with Kids, based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. All are filled with inspiration and strategies for those who would like to go the same route.

Photo by pawpaw67 via Flickr. When she wrote a column for the New York Sun last year about letting her nine-year-old ride the subway on his own, Lenore Skenazy was pilloried by many as an irresponsible mom. She stuck to her guns, though, and started a blog dedicated to “sane parenting”, advocating the idea that … Continued