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China Racing Past Competitors to Expand City Subways
More than 100 years ago, workers making next to nothing built New York City's first subways using pick axes, dynamite, and steel wheelbarrows. At a recent trip to New York's Transit Museum, I had to marvel at the exhibit "Steel, Stone and Backbone," which details the conditions under which these workers labored and the shockingly limited technology that was at their disposal.
September 12, 2012
Almost Every State Chooses to Retain Recreational Trails Funding
Since Congress passed a disappointing transportation bill in June, all eyes have been on the states, which were granted new leeway to forgo investments in safe walking and biking.
September 11, 2012
Bike-Share and Bike Lanes: The Chicken and Egg Debate
Which should come first, good bike infrastructure or bike-share? This is a matter of some debate, and we don't pretend to have a definitive answer. But we do have some instructive research.
September 10, 2012
Mexico City Bike-Share Goes Big
Quick, what cities are the North American leaders in bike sharing? Montreal, Washington and, soon, New York City, right?
September 7, 2012
One Man’s Push to Require Bike Licenses in Oregon
Strange news out of Oregon: Jonathan Maus at Bike Portland is reporting on one local businessman's effort to require additional licensing for cyclists -- something that could have a real dampening effect on "America's Bike Capital."
September 6, 2012
What If We Supplied Hamburgers the Same Way We Supply Roads?
The concept of "induced demand" for road space essentially means that new, or widened, highways will entice more drivers onto the roads, negating any congestion-reducing benefits of the new road.
September 5, 2012
In Miami, Cloaking an Anti-Cycling Proposal in Bike-Friendly Language
A county commissioner in Miami has introduced legislation to "provide greater flexibility to the Florida Department of Transportation related to bicycle lanes." In other words, flexibility not to include them, even though federal rules require state DOTs to give "due consideration" to bike facilities in all federally-funded projects -- a directive that US DOT clarified in 2010, saying that decisions should start with "the presumption that bikes will be accommodated."
September 4, 2012
The Big Deception in Mitt Romney’s Global Warming Brush-Off
Well, Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney declined to get into details about his plans for the nation's transportation system during his big speech in Tampa last night. Romney has been tight-lipped about actual policy recommendations throughout his campaign, although a platform released by the GOP this week was basically a worst case scenario for sustainable transportation and had the hallmarks of a Big Oil-fueled propaganda campaign.
August 31, 2012
No More Suburban Office Parks for Downtown Cincinnati
Cincinnati, a midsized river city in the generally anti-urban state of Ohio, is -- surprise! -- becoming a real leader in sustainable urban development. Work on the city's hard-won streetcar project is underway now, to the ire of the state's governor and the region's congressman.
August 30, 2012
A View of the Suburban Ghost Towns Surrounding Charlotte
The decline of the exurbs -- how real is it? Images like this, from Charlotte photographer Nancy Pierce, offer a compelling glimpse of how recent development spread too far before the bust. The photos were shot about 20 miles from Charlotte.
August 27, 2012