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How Mayor Mick Cornett Fought Oklahoma City’s Brain Drain and Weight Gain
Mick Cornett, Oklahoma City's Republican mayor, has made it his mission to make his city healthier and less obese, in part by improving its walkability. The city lost a million pounds during his weight-loss campaign -- and then they took a freeway out of the middle of downtown and overhauled its built environment.
January 25, 2013
Seattle “Bikelash” Largely Invented, Poll Finds
Like a lot of cities, Seattle has seen a much-hyped "bikelash" against efforts to make the city safer for cycling. But it turns out that this bikelash might be just that: hype.
January 24, 2013
Drivers Cover Just 51 Percent of U.S. Road Spending
There's a persistent misconception in American culture that transit is a big drain on public coffers while roads conveniently and totally pay for themselves through the magic of gas taxes. And that used to be true -- at least for interstate highways, a fraction of the total road network.
January 24, 2013
Today’s Transit Dreams May Come True — 78 Years From Now
By the looks of it, my humble hometown of Washington, DC is winning the transit space race. The region currently has 45 transit projects either planned or underway -- and one that's stalled. You may have heard of the Silver Line to Dulles Airport, but a new map from Reconnecting America proves that that's just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to transit starts in the DC area.
January 23, 2013
Outgoing AASHTO Director: Assess Gas Tax By the Dollar, Not By the Gallon
When the federal gas tax was set at 18.4 cents per gallon, it represented 17 percent of the cost of a gallon of gas. Now it's barely 5 percent.
January 18, 2013
Glenn Beck: Double Agent for Agenda 21?
Yesterday, we couldn't help poking fun at Glenn Beck's red alert about the words he associates with an imaginary UN plot to take away our cars and our freedoms. But it gets better: Everyone's favorite conspiracy-monger is touting his newest project -- a "city-theme park hybrid" called Independence, USA that in some ways bears a shocking resemblance to the urbanism he sneers at, and in other ways seems far more coercive than the planning ideas he wants people to fear.
January 17, 2013
Pro-Bike Republican Tom Petri to Chair Key House Transpo Panel
The Republican co-chair of the Congressional Bicycling Caucus is getting a leadership position with some real gravitas. Rep. Tom Petri (R-WI) was just named the new chair of the Highways and Transit Subcommittee in the House -- the epicenter of the chamber's surface transportation legislation.
January 16, 2013
Today in Foreign Policy: American Interests Demand Walkable Communities
If you’ve had your head stuck inside street design manuals or engineering guides – if you’ve been thinking at the level of the bulb-out or the bollard – I’ve got a present for you.
January 15, 2013
Agenda 21 Alert: Glenn Beck’s Words to Watch
Sure, we know the movement for "sustainable" transportation and development is a front for Agenda 21, a.k.a. The UN Plot to End Private Property in the United States. But what to do?
January 15, 2013
GAO: Mileage Fee Could Be More “Equitable and Efficient” Than Gas Tax
While governors debate raising (or eliminating) their states' gas taxes, buzz is building about mileage-based fees, or a vehicle-miles-traveled charge. A House provision to ban U.S. DOT from studying such a fee has gone away (along with its sponsor), while Rep. Earl Blumenauer is trying to get the Treasury Department to look into how it could work. And a new report from the Government Accountability Office says that would be a good idea.
January 15, 2013