Elana Schor
Recent Posts
LaHood Wants More TIGER Aid in the Congressional Jobs Bill
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Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood made a splash yesterday by announcing that the U.S. DOT would look at the environmental and community-building benefits of transit projects, not just their adherence to a government cost-effectiveness standard. Washington D.C.’s proposed K Street transitway, pictured above, is one of many projects vying for TIGER money. (Photo: The City Fix) […]
Big Transit News: Bush-Era Rule Tossed, Enviro Benefits on the Table
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Transportation reformers and members of Congress have long clamored for changes to the federal government’s major transit grant program, otherwise known as "New Starts," and Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood answered today with an announcement of sweeping changes in the works. LaHood made his announcement today at the Transportation Research Board conference. (Photo: AP) The first […]
State DOTs: We Back National Transport Goals — If We Get to Write Them
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Congressional efforts to set national goals for the American transportation system are stalled for now, but the U.S. DOT said today that it is preparing for an eventual transition to a world where performance targets are the norm for transit, roads, bridges, and ports. (Photo: UVA) "National goals should be set by U.S. DOT in […]
Bailout Beneficiary Wells Fargo Loses Transit Tax-Shelter Lawsuit
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The tax tricks known as SILOs — in which major banks snapped up rail cars and other pieces of public infrastructure from cash-strapped localities, only to lease them back and claim a tax write-off — has prompted an outcry from the Hill as Wall Street’s biggest players invoked obscure claims to wring money from local […]
Pelosi: Gas Tax Hike Doesn’t Have Majority Support in Congress
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After touring the Detroit Auto Show yesterday with fellow lawmakers, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) took one question yesterday: Why are Democrats not pursuing a federal gas tax hike, given its potential to cut carbon emissions and its support from auto industry players aiming to stoke demand for efficient cars? House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) […]
Baltimore Rolls Out Free, Fully Funded Downtown Bus Service
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Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon is on her way out of office, thanks to a deal with prosecutors pursuing a corruption case against her, but she’s leaving something positive in place for local transit riders. Sheila Dixon, outgoing Baltimore mayor, with a new city bus. (Photo: Baltimore Skyline) The city’s new free bus line, dubbed the […]
White House and Congress Take Issue With AP’s Transport Stimulus Claims
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The Associated Press published a piece today that, after putting "economists and statisticians" to work on analyzing $21 billion in federal stimulus money for transportation, reached a volatile conclusion: (Photo: WBEZ) Local unemployment rates rose and fell regardless of how much stimulus money Washington poured out for transportation, raising questions about Obama’s argument that more […]
Should a Climate Bill Even Try to Fight Sprawl?
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The potential for a cap-and-trade climate bill to set aside significant amounts of money for reforming local land use and transportation planning is often touted by Democrats, environmental groups, and this particular Streetsblogger. Should the approach California used in SB 375 (being signed into law above) be applied to a congressional cap-and-trade climate bill? (Photo: […]
Obama Administration Working on Its Own Six-Year Transportation Bill
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The annual powwow of thousands of transportation workers, planners, and wonks that’s known as the Transportation Research Board (TRB) conference kicked off in the capital yesterday with a candid admission from some senior U.S. DOT officials: reorienting American transport planning to accommodate the overlap with housing and environmental sustainability is proving pretty difficult. U.S. DOT […]
Does Transit-Oriented Development Work Even Without Transit?
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Yes, says urban planner Neil Payton. From his guest column today on Reconnecting America’s blog: Denver’s light rail, in the background, ended up increasing the value of nearby homes. (Photo: Denver Post) Either [local planners] view [transit access] as too distant a possibility to factor in or, ironically, they view rail transit as a means […]
Transport Economist Challenges Claim That ‘VMT Causes Growth’
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The claim to a link between economic growth and vehicle mileage — that, in other words, auto travel is essential to keeping U.S. productivity high — remains controversial and much-debated in transportation policy circles. One notable recent flare-up in that debate took place on National Journal’s blog after road lobbyist Greg Cohen, referring to an […]
The U.S. Transportation Financing Crisis: A Snapshot From the States
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Washington transportation policymaking can often resemble an unwieldy soup of anywhere between 50 and 535 local perspectives, as lawmakers from different states and districts vie for a fixed (or even shrinking) amount of federal funding. Congress isn’t eager to raise fuel taxes to pay for transportation — but what about the states? (Photo: Pop and […]