Advocates for passenger rail in America are excited. The stimulus bill provided $8 billion for high speed rail construction, California has passed a bond for nearly $10 billion to build a system in that state, and other projects from Florida to Chicago are moving forward. The Federal government is planning to issue the grants to […]
Planetizen Post: Why is it so hard to build a train?
I consider how our regulatory process affects transit planning in my latest Planetizen post.
National Journal Asks: Gas Tax $ For Bike Trails?
Here’s my answer to the question “Should the next surface transportation bill allow states and municipalities to use a greater share of scarce Trust Fund dollars on non-highway projects such as bike lanes and pedestrian walkways?” on the National Journal’s Transportation “Expert” Blog. For more background, see my post “Fixing America’s Federal Transportation Policy.”
Shared Vans Already Here … and Illegal
Over a year ago I described Cape Town’s minibus shared van transit system, where licensed drivers provide shared rides along designated routs. At the time, I suggested such a system, common in many countries around the world, should be considered in the U.S. I was wrong — there are examples of similar service in the […]
New York Subway Vs. D.C. Metro
A recent visitor to this website asked this question on a previous post: hello, i am a New Yorker who relocated moved to DC last year. in my decades of riding the NYC subway, at $70/month unlimited rides, I have probably experienced a handful of delays and/or major issues with the tracks. in my one […]
Bank, Commission, Capital Budget, or Business as Usual?
My latest Planetizen post: Getting the Transportation Infrastructure We Need
Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Public Transit
From a speech to the annual meeting of the American Public Transportation Association: Last year, public transportation ridership reached its highest level in 50 years. While this upward trend is tremendously encouraging, it is overloading many of your systems, and making the need for infrastructure investment all the more pressing. The question is not whether […]