State DOTs Want More Money, Fewer Regulations
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AASHTO-ld you so! State DOT association wants the same funding for highway construction — and no provisions to make roads safer.
Recent Streetsblog LA posts about DC Streetsblog
Caving to Resentment Politics, Oregon Enacts a Bike Tax
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A straw man erected by bike infrastructure opponents has morphed into official policy in what’s supposedly one of the most bike-friendly corners of the United States. The accusation that people who ride bikes don’t pay for roads is familiar to anyone who’s tried to argue for bike infrastructure in a public setting. Never mind that […]
It’s Time to Stop Pretending That Roads Pay for Themselves
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If nothing else, the current round of federal transportation legislating should end the myth that highways are a uniquely self-sufficient form of infrastructure paid for by “user fees,” a.k.a. gas taxes and tolls. With all the general tax revenue that goes toward roads in America, car infrastructure has benefited from hefty subsidies for many years. […]
Planning for Less Driving, Not More, Would Lead to Big Savings
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What if, instead of basing policy around the presumption that people will drive more every year, transportation agencies started making decisions to reduce the volume of driving? And what if they succeed? A new report from the Massachusetts Public Interest Research Group quantifies what would happen in that state if driving rates come in one percentage point lower than the state […]
Feds Propose Major Rule Changes to Eliminate Barriers to Safer Streets
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Applying highway design standards to city streets has been a disaster for urban neighborhoods. The same things that make highways safer for driving at 65 mph — wide lanes, “clear zones” running alongside the road that have no trees or other “obstacles” — make surface streets dangerous and dreadful for walking, killing street life. The one-size-fits-all approach to […]
Detroit Bus Driver Contract Offers Bonuses When Ridership Rises
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A new labor contract between the Detroit Department of Transportation and ATU Local 26 explicitly ties bus driver bonuses to ridership increases. If farebox revenue goes up, 30 percent of the increase will belong to drivers, up to a certain point, DDOT announced earlier this week. Individual drivers’ bonuses are capped at $350 per year the first year and can rise […]