Matthew Roth
Recent Posts
Will Senator Boxer Give in to Global-Warming-a-Hoax Inhofe on Stimulus?
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Inhofe takes aim at transit funding A $5.5 billion discretionary fund for transit projects is in danger of being handed over to the highway lobby by Senators James Inhofe, Kit Bond, and Max Baucus. Inhofe you will recall is the former Chair of the Senate Environmental and Public Works (EPW) Committee who boasted in 2005, […]
Does Car Sharing Reduce Your Driving?
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A spirited debate broke out a few weeks back on the Car-free Living listserv run by Livable City about the merits of car sharing. Does it reduce driving and car ownership or increase the impetus to drive among the car-free? One poster who didn’t own his own car called car-sharing a gateway drug that encouraged […]
The Impending Failure of San Francisco’s Pilot Bike Share Program
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Which will San Francisco’s bike-share program resemble? Lest it appear that Streetsblog doesn’t support bike-sharing in San Francisco, I should say from the outset that I love the successful bike-sharing programs that I’ve used, believe they are one of the more innovative new transit models available, and know that San Francisco is ripe for the […]
Paradise LOSt (Part III): California’s Revolutionary Plan to Overhaul Transportation Analysis
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Transportation consultants and planners associated with the San Francisco Transportation Authority’s (TA) ATG working group sent excited bursts of email to each other earlier this month about a new development coming from the state Office of Planning and Research (OPR), the body responsible for writing and amending the CEQA guidelines related to transportation and traffic. […]
Watch Now: House Rules Committee Debating Stim Package
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For the C-SPAN junkies out there, watch the live discussion in the House about the merits of the Stimulus Plan. As Streetsblog NYC reports, New York Rep Nadler and Oregon Rep. Peter DeFazio have delivered their testimony for the Nadler amendment (PDF). Rules Chair Louise Slaughter and committee members Matsui, McGovern, and Diaz-Balart responded very […]
Paradise LOSt (Part II): Turning Automobility on Its Head
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One of the unintended consequences of San Francisco’s bicycle injunction, which Rob Anderson and fellow NIMBYs will likely rue for some time to come, is the arduous thought and labor that advocates and professional planners have invested in doing away with LOS all together. Two arguments in the debate over LOS have emerged. One […]
Two Action Alerts to Improve Stimulus Package for Transit Today
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Which one gets the stimulus money? NACTO Action Alert We’ve all been disappointed with the tiny margin of transit funding in the $825 billion Obama stimulus package, what amounts to only 1% of the total, despite the fact that 80% of us live in metropolitan regions and transit ridership is booming. Meanwhile highway expansion and […]
Paradise LOSt (Part I): How Long Will the City Keep Us Stuck in Our Cars?
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The idea that the speed and free-flow of cars is the proxy that is being used across the state of California to measure whether a project is [environmentally] impactful is in the long run undermining the very quality of life [we] are working to protect.
Eyes on the Street: DIY Street Furniture Enlivens Potrero Hill Street
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Joel Bleskacek sweeping the sidewalk in front of Ruby Wine Potrero hill merchant Joel Bleskacek came up with a clever solution in 2003 to provide more seating for customers outside of his Ruby Wine Shop and former Scoops ice cream parlor on 18th Street. He built simple wooden benches edging the tree trunks in front […]
Market/Octavia Debate: Safety by Numbers or Safety in Numbers?
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A blue bike lane in Copenhagen. Though Superior Court Judge Peter J. Busch ruled the MTA will not get an immediate exemption to the bike injunction to remove the eastbound segment of the bike lane at Market and Octavia because he didn’t think an “adequate case has been made that there’s a public safety crisis,” […]
Today’s Headlines
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U.S. Needs Long Term Vision for Stimulus Spending on Transpo Infrastructure (Bloomberg) Oberstar: Transit Pushed Aside for Tax Cuts in Stimulus Bill (TPM) House Stimulus Bill Would Give CA $2.8B for Roads, $950M for Transit (LA Times) Schwarzenegger lobbies DC for CA Tailpipe Restrictions, Enviros Thrilled (NY Times) Chronicle Editorial Supports Gov’s Bid to Enforce […]
Today’s Headlines
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LaHood Gets Softball Questions at Confirmation Hearing (WaPo, NYT, AP) Senate Coalition to Push for More Transit Funding in Stimulus Bill (Open Left) CA High Speed Rail Chair Calls for Better Commuter Rail at Transpo Forum (NL Times) Schwarzenegger Asks Obama for Tougher Tailpipe Emissions Restrictions (SF Gate) SFO Launches "Green" Rental Car Program, Incentives […]