DC Streetsblog
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The Power of Transit-Oriented Development
Back in the late 1970s, when Washington's Metrorail system first
began operating in Arlington County, Virginia, the future of Arlington
and other old, inner suburbs was far from certain. Across the Potomac,
the District of Columbia was suffering from depopulation, rapidly
rising crime rates, and serious fiscal difficulties.
August 26, 2009
Know Your Transportation Lobbyists: Transit Beats Roads — Sort Of
Transportation lobbying is a complicated universe, in which multi-issue
environmental groups can be as active as organizations that exist only
to influence infrastructure decision-making.
August 19, 2009
Tracking Transport Subsidies: As Tough as Following the Stimulus Money
The $787 billion economic stimulus effort was intended to be a model of
government transparency -- but a privately run website called
Recovery.org soon began beating out the government in the race to trace federal dollars. Now, as the Pew Charitable Trusts begins to expand its Subsidyscope fiscal monitoring project, some similar gaps in spending data are emerging.
August 17, 2009
Oil Industry Tears Page from Health Care Playbook to Battle Climate Bill
Thanks to conservative groups that have worked for months to stoke false rumors about Congress' health care effort, a wave of negative "town hall" stories
is now dominating the media -- and inspiring the oil industry to work
up a similar campaign of its own against the climate change bill.
August 17, 2009
Distracted Driving Laws Lack Teeth in Some States, Not CA
For a story today
on the political challenge of outlawing texting behind the wheel, the
Washington Post sent its reporter to a downtown intersection to track
whether drivers were obeying the city's ban on hand-held cell phones.
August 13, 2009
Obama Administration Touts Nation’s First All-Electronic Toll Road in N.C.
The U.S. DOT dispatched Federal Highway Administrator Victor Mendez to North Carolina yesterday to kick off construction of the $1 billion Triangle Expressway, the state’s first toll road and the nation’s first to use per-mile electronic tolling. The scene at yesterday’s N.C. toll road groundbreaking. (Photo: WRAL) The highway was financed by a package of … Continued
August 13, 2009
Electric Cars and the Future of the Gas Tax
GM's highly publicized claim to triple-digit fuel efficiency for its new Chevy Volt has sparked a debate over the solidity of the estimate as well as the lack of charging stations where non-garage-owners could charge a Volt. But another byproduct of the rise of electric vehicles is getting less attention: its effect on the nation's transportation funding crisis.
August 12, 2009
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