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Congress Reconvenes With Transportation Deadlines Fast Approaching
Speaker John Boehner called the House of Representatives back into session yesterday, while the Senate will reconvene next Tuesday. And not a moment too soon: A number of major transportation laws will expire shortly, with calls to action coming from both sides. After all, many of these laws are extensions of extensions, and each side is hoping to claim a victory in an election year.
January 19, 2012
SC DOT Responds to Cyclist Death By Considering Bike Ban
For almost two decades Charleston cyclists have been using the James Island Connector -- a highway-like corridor that is one of the only points of entry to the peninsula that is the city of Charleston. After the recent death of a cyclist, the South Carolina Department of Transportation decided it might not be legal for cyclists to use the road.
January 19, 2012
Getting Around Near and Far — The Supercharged Bike-Sharing Card
Ah, the convenience of a bike-sharing membership. With the swipe of a card, you can get from one side of the city to another, or simply from your home to the metro stop. And in the near future, your bike-sharing bona fides could get you a lot farther.
January 18, 2012
A Safety Fail From the Federal Railroad Administration
On the Streetsblog Network today, Systemic Failure highlights an obscure federal regulation that makes walking and biking less convenient. At issue is the Federal Railroad Administration's requirement that trains to sound their horns when approaching a site where tracks intersect with a road.
January 17, 2012
In Maryland, Marginalizing Pedestrians Under the Guise of Safety
Oh, the creative tactics cities, counties and states employ to make themselves dangerous for pedestrians and cyclists. Today we have an especially ostentatious example.
January 13, 2012
Fracking to Take a Heavy Toll on New York Roads
It's all over the news right now -- the collateral damaged caused by fracking, or the propulsion of chemical compounds into the earth's crust to release natural gas.
January 12, 2012
Celebu-Economist: Drunk Driving Safer Than “Drunk Walking”
(Local note: our friend Josef Bray-Ali published his own rebuttal to the Freakonomics article at Flying Pigeon L.A.)
January 11, 2012
The Design Tragedies That Pass for Road “Improvements”
Let's say a cash-strapped city invests a quarter of a million dollars to speed traffic on a road. But those precious local resources would only serve to make the road more dangerous for pedestrians and cyclists -- and might even lengthen wait times for people in cars.
January 10, 2012
Will a Shorter Light Rail Line Work for Detroit?
As far as transit projects go, Detroit light rail has had more than its share of drama and intrigue.
January 9, 2012
Seattle Bridge Toll Eases Traffic. Will It Boost Transit, Too?
Located on a pair of peninsulas, the city of Seattle isn't so easy to reach from its eastern suburbs. Only two bridges cross Lake Washington. Newly-installed tolls across one of the two, the SR-520 bridge, have the potential to seriously reshape travel patterns in the region.
January 6, 2012