Elana Schor
Recent Posts
Why Buy More Trains If You Can’t Afford to Run Them?
| | No Comments
Down in balmy South Florida, D-Day is approaching for riders of the the popular Tri-Rail transit system. A looming $18 million shortfall has forced the Tri-Rail board to approve a budget that slices daily service and stops all trains by 2011 — although ridership has doubled since 2005. Tri-Rail trains like these could stop running […]
Portland Congressman to George Will: Let’s Debate
| | 3 Comments
Will vs. Blumenauer: Battle of the bowties. Just when you thought George Will’s pouty, ill-informed tirade against new Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood was going to stand unchallenged, here comes Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR). Blumenauer, co-chief of the Congressional Bike Caucus and a Streetfilms favorite, released a statement this morning that dares the conservative pundit to […]
Watson One of Four Lawmakers Who Show Up To Pitch Local Projects
| | No Comments
Members of the House had an open invitation today from the panel in charge of annual funding for transportation and housing: Any lawmaker could come and personally make the case for why their local bridge, road, or transit project should get a share of the federal money. You might expect, given transit’s historically difficult path […]
Illinois Congressman Pushes For Pro-Bike Transportation Bill
| | No Comments
Rep. Daniel Lipinski (D-IL), an early supporter of the congressional "complete streets" bill, is circulating a letter to his House colleagues that urges support for pro-bike provisions in the upcoming federal transportation bill. Here’s how Lipinski put it: Rep. Daniel Lipinski (D-IL) (Photo: Washington Post) There is growing national interest in bicycling, and there is […]
The Long, Ugly Road to a Federal Transportation Plan
| | 2 Comments
You’ve likely been hearing a lot, on this blog and others, about the coming expiration of the federal transportation bill. Come September 30, Congress has to have a plan in hand to fund the nation’s trains, buses, bikes, bridges and roads — or pass an extension of the 2005 federal bill, locking in the same […]
Congress Reluctant to Shine Light on Transportation Earmarks
| | No Comments
The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee is about to unveil a massive bill that will re-authorize federal transportation programs for the next six years. The bill will also include funding for a large number of "earmarks," the congressional pet projects that can include everything from bike trails to Bridges to Nowhere. Earmarks grew largely in […]
Obama’s Energy Secretary Reclaims His Bike, For A Day
| | No Comments
Energy Secretary Steven Chu was dismayed about having to give up his bike-commuting habit in order to join the Obama Cabinet, but security concerns didn’t stop him from participating in Friday’s Bike to Work Day in the nation’s capital. As the Wall Street Journal reports: Energy Secretary Steven Chu (center) with colleagues, before he joined […]
Will: Government Shouldn’t Interfere — Except To Benefit Big Highways
| | 3 Comments
Conservative columnist George Will’s angry screed against the Obama administration’s transportation policy is worth digging into this morning — not just to bring one’s blood to a healthy boil, but also to provide a window on the lack of coherent opposition to expanding transit options and diminishing auto dependence. George Will (Photo by newsweek.com) Will […]
Waxman’s Climate Bill Includes ‘Complete Streets’ But Not CLEAN TEA
| | No Comments
Energy and Commerce Committee, has just struck a deal on his long-awaited climate change bill — and though the agreement makes a number of concessions to polluters, it also takes a step forward towards popularizing the cause of "complete streets". House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Henry Waxman (D-CA). Photo: pbs.org. The House climate bill […]
Congress Takes a First Step Towards Reshaping Transportation Policy
| | No Comments
Could Washington’s long, unhealthy love affair with the automobile be coming to an end? An encouraging sign of change came today from two powerful Democratic senators who released a proposal that sets out progressive goals for the upcoming federal transportation bill. Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) (Photo by Washington Post) Today’s proposal, sponsored […]
Senators Hear From Obama’s Transit Chief-in-Waiting
| | No Comments
One of the Capitol’s sad, secret truths is that members of Congress often skip committee hearings on issues of vital importance to their states — and today’s confirmation session with Peter Rogoff, the president’s nominee to lead the Federal Transit Administration (FTA), was no exception. Just three members of the Senate Banking Committee showed up […]
Less Than One Percent of Transpo Stimulus Money Paid Out So Far
| | No Comments
The New York Times reports this morning that the Obama administration’s $787 billion economic stimulus package has hit a few snags: Some states and cities are beginning to complain that the money has yet to reach them. Others have been slow to get their paperwork to Washington; Virginia has yet to send the Transportation Department […]