Recent Streetsblog LA posts about Transportation Policy

Density, Car Ownership, and What It Means for the Future of Los Angeles

By Damien Newton | Dec 13, 2010 | 29 Comments

Density. Vehicle Ownership. The number of cars packed into a small area. These are concepts that we discuss often on Streetsblog. Thanks to a UCLA research project undertaken by Professors Mike Manville and Donald Shoup, we can get an idea of some of the challenges Los Angeles’ planners face in trying to ween our city […]

FTA: Transit Maintenance — Not Just Expansion — Will Grow Ridership

By Tanya Snyder | Oct 5, 2010 | 1 Comment

Aging infrastructure across the country has become an enormous safety risk. It’s also becoming an economic hazard. Last year, the Federal Transit Administration announced that the seven largest rail transit systems had a backlog of $50 billion in maintenance needs to bring them into a state of good repair. In June, the agency determined that […]

Musing on Trends and Challenges of Increased Transit Use

By Dana Gabbard | Jun 2, 2010 | 6 Comments

Metro Rapid map. Photo: RJM Connel/Flickr David Lazarus, in one of his recent L.A. Times columns on public transit, off-handly laments neglect of the "long-term promotion of public transportation as a practical alternative to traveling by car". Is that what transit in Southern California in the modern age has had as its goal? My long held suspicion is that […]

Tracing the Fault Lines Between Public and Private Transit Operators

By Elana Schor | May 25, 2010 | No Comments

Should private transit companies enjoy the same federal gas tax exemption that many public operators receive? How does the existence of private inter-city bus service affect the government’s development of new high-speed rail lines? And does it matter that private transit firms are eligible for public subsidies, even if at a much smaller rate than […]

Feds to Start Scoring Transportation Potential of Housing Grant Applicants

By Elana Schor | May 24, 2010 | No Comments

Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Shaun Donovan said late Friday that his agency will soon start gauging the "location efficiency" of its grant applicants, determining each project’s potential for connecting residents to surrounding neighborhoods — and mirroring the recommendations of a recent report that found a correlation between homeowners’ foreclosure risk and their dependence […]

On National Bike to Work Day, U.S. DOT and Cycling Advocates Eye New Moves

By Elana Schor | May 24, 2010 | No Comments

In addition to the announcement of a new local bike-share system, today’s D.C. Bike to Work Day found both the U.S. DOT and the nation’s leading bike advocacy groups positioning themselves to claim new victories for cyclists in the coming days. FTA chief Peter Rogoff addressing cyclists at this morning’s Bike to Work Day events. […]

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