Ray LaHood: “Sitting on the Sidelines Doesn’t Accomplish Anything”
What follows is the second installment of an exit interview I conducted with departing Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood on Tuesday. In the first installment, he talked about what he's proudest of, why he decided to leave, and why it's important to fund bike/ped improvements with federal dollars. I also gave him one last chance to duck a question about how to increase revenues. We'll run the third part tomorrow.
February 14, 2013
The Ray LaHood Exit Interview
I had the chance to sit down with Ray LaHood yesterday morning before he spoke to the U.S. High-Speed Rail Association. Our conversation covered a wide range of topics, looking back on his four years at the helm of the U.S. Department of Transportation. We'll publish the interview in three installments over the next few days. Here's the first part.
February 14, 2013
Mica Won’t Let His Grudge Against Amtrak Die, Revives Privatization Scheme
Rep. John Mica (R-FL) no longer chairs the House Transportation Committee, but that doesn’t mean he’s eased up on his crusade against Amtrak. Calling the company a “Soviet style monopoly,” Mica used his afternoon address to the U.S. High Speed Rail Association to announce his plan to revive his despised and defeated measure to privatize parts of Amtrak.
February 13, 2013
McClatchy Muckrakers Expose Seedy Underbelly of the Highway Bonanza
The work of a sustainable transportation reporter can be a lonely lot. But it’s a lot less lonely now that two McClatchy reporters, Curtis Tate and Greg Gordon, have taken up the mantle of exposing wasteful road expansion.
February 12, 2013
Cycling Advocates to President: We’d Like Another Ray LaHood, Please
Next month, outgoing Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood will speak at the National Bike Summit -- he never misses one -- and I'll bet the standing ovation lasts 10 minutes. His support for biking and walking has been unprecedented at U.S. DOT. Now cyclists are worrying about who could replace him, and whether that person will bring the same zeal for livability and sustainable transportation.
February 11, 2013
Gary Toth: TTI Congestion Scores Prove Road Expansion Isn’t the Answer
In response to yesterday's story on the Texas Transportation Institute's congestion rankings, which take traffic delays out of context and risk being used to justify road expansions, former New Jersey DOT leader Gary Toth raised this question: What if, instead of getting frustrated with the report, we reframe its interpretation?
February 7, 2013
Secretary Villaraigosa? Not So Fast.
A favorite for transportation secretary has stepped out of the race. Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa released a statement late Friday saying he is "flattered and humbled" by the buzz around his candidacy but is "firmly committed to remaining in LA and finishing [his] term.”
February 4, 2013
What Is Obama Looking For in a New Transportation Secretary?
He strung it out long enough, but Ray LaHood has finally announced that he’s resigning as Transportation Secretary. Speculation has been rampant for months about who could replace him, and now it kicks into high gear.
January 30, 2013