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Study: For Americans With Lower Incomes, Long Commutes Sap Will to Vote
For decades, researchers going back to Robert Putnam have drawn connections between total leisure time and individuals' level of political and community involvement. New findings published in American Politics Research say the amount of time spent commuting is especially important in determining whether Americans vote, take part in political campaigns, and otherwise engage in politics.
November 22, 2013
Stuck With No Bike Lane? Your Complaint to Congress Is Three Clicks Away
A few months ago, we told you that Building America's Future had released an app called, "I'm Stuck!" It allowed you to send a quick email to your Congressional representatives, telling them that you were stuck in traffic, or on an overcrowded bus or a delayed train, and you wanted Congress to approve more funding to upgrade infrastructure. At the time, we noted that there was no bike/ped component to the app, but BAF has changed that -- halfway, at least.
November 21, 2013
Transformation for America: T4A Reemerges With Focus on Local Control
Transportation for America has been in hiding. Perhaps you’ve noticed.
November 20, 2013
The U.S. Cities Where Cycling Is Growing the Fastest
This table, showing the top 10 U.S. cities where cycling is growing fastest, comes from a new report from the League of American Bicyclists that analyzes census data. Though the census only tracks bicycle commuting -- and thus understates how many people are cycling -- the results tell an interesting story about cycling trends.
November 20, 2013
New York Times Blows a Chance to Tackle America’s Broken Traffic Justice System
In the United States, it's pretty much legal to drive into and kill a cyclist, as long as you're sober and stay at the scene. Writer Daniel Duane made that point last weekend in a New York Times op-ed titled, "Is it O.K. to Kill Cyclists?"
November 13, 2013
HUD and U.S. DOT Embrace Housing + Transportation Metric for Affordability
A few years ago, the Center for Neighborhood Technology gave a wonderful gift to urbanists and planners: the Housing + Transportation Index. This simple calculation clarified and popularized a key concept: that transportation costs must be taken into account in any measurement of “affordability.”
November 12, 2013
WSJ Invites More Ignorant Anti-Bike Zealots to Sully Its Pages
Law professor Frank H. Buckley seems to want to be the next Dororthy Rabinowitz. That is, he wants to gain notoriety by clinging to old and unsafe street designs while, simultaneously, shoring up the Wall Street Journal's reputation as a bastion of change-averse curmudgeons. Done and done.
November 12, 2013
Train Maker Sues Wisconsin for $66 Million for Canceling Rail Project
Train maker Talgo is suing the state of Wisconsin for $65.9 million as a result of Governor Scott Walker's decision to cancel passenger rail plans connecting Madison to Milwaukee.
November 8, 2013
Tuesday’s Quiet Transit Victories
Yesterday was a relatively quiet election day for transportation-related ballot measures, but of the six transit initiatives that came before voters yesterday, five six passed, with a sixth seventh too close to call. That’s in line with last year’s 79 percent success rate -- 71 percent since 2000. When asked, voters overwhelmingly choose to raise their own taxes to improve public transportation.
November 7, 2013
Setbacks and Victories For Urbanism in Yesterday’s Mayoral Races
Mayoral elections broke both ways for livability in American cities yesterday: The results of some may slow progress on transit and street safety, while one-midsized city elected an executive who campaigned strongly on light rail expansion and bikeability.
November 6, 2013