Tanya Snyder
Tanya became Streetsblog's Capitol Hill editor in September 2010 after covering Congress for Pacifica Radios Washington bureau and for public radio stations around the country. She lives car-free in a transit-oriented and bike-friendly neighborhood of Washington, DC.
Recent Posts
Feds Call “All Hands On Deck” For Detroit Transit
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For the last two days, transit experts from around the country have been hunkered down in Detroit to devote their collective expertise to making the Motor City a better city for transit. The Federal Transit Administration convened the panel, which included current and former transit agency leaders from Salt lake City, Denver, Portland, Atlanta and […]
Alex Steffen: We Can’t Avert Climate Change Without Dense Cities
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Alex Steffen goes by the title “planetary futurist,” which makes me realize I should probably spruce up my title to something that makes me sound like I should be wearing a cape, too. What he does is write about sustainable cities, on WorldChanging.com for seven years and more recently in his book, Carbon Zero. He […]
Report: Get Out of the Highway-Obsessed Eisenhower Era
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Building America’s Future, led by former Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, and former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, has added their voice to the chorus calling for greater investment in U.S. infrastructure, lest the country fall behind its global competitors. In a new report, Falling Apart and Falling Behind, BAF recommends more […]
The Latest Target of House Spending Cuts: EPA’s Smart Growth Office
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For much of this week, the House has been debating next year’s appropriations bill for Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies. The bill includes harsh cuts to many key safety and environmental programs, including the EPA’s Smart Growth Office. According to the Obama administration’s statement of policy on the bill, “The bill terminates funding for EPA’s […]
Mica and Rail Supporters Meet Halfway
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At a meeting with members of the U.S. High-Speed Rail Association Tuesday, House Transportation Committee Chair John Mica softened his stance somewhat on his plan to privatize the Northeast Corridor. He acknowledged that the proposal is “controversial” and said that was why he framed it in a separate bill, apart from the rest of the […]
Onion: Al-Qaeda Would Reduce U.S. Infrastructure to Rubble But It’s Too Late
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You can always count on The Onion to call attention to the sorry state we’re in. Today’s story: “Al-Qaeda Claims U.S. Mass Transportation Infrastructure Must Drastically Improve Before Any Terrorist Attacks.” According to The Onion, al- Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri has demanded that the U.S. make significant repairs and upgrades to its roads, bridges, and […]
Gas Tax Expires September 30
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Ben Smith of Politico mentioned a little tidbit that has eluded some of us: The federal gas tax expires September 30, at the same time as the current reauthorization extension. Most of it, anyway — 4.3 cents of the current 18.4-cent-per-gallon tax will stay. The gas tax isn’t part of the reauthorization; it’s just a […]
Bike League: “Eligibility” for Bike-Ped Isn’t the Same As “Dedicated Funding”
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At this point, we’re not expecting any movement on a transportation bill, in either house, before the August recess. (After that, get ready for a panicked frenzy of activity ahead of the September 30 deadline.) From what we hear from Sen. Barbara Boxer’s staff, the EPW bill includes dedicated funding for bicycle and pedestrian projects. […]
Raquel Nelson Likely to Opt For a New Trial, Her Lawyer Says
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The last thing the jury heard from Raquel Nelson’s defense lawyer, before they convicted her, was the tape of her frantic 911 call after her son, A.J., was hit by a car. “1-2-3-4-5-6, doing chest compressions on her son, screaming,” recalls attorney David Savoy. “There was not a dry eye in that court room.” The […]
Chamber of Commerce: Empty Asphalt = Good Transportation Performance
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The Chamber of Commerce released its annual Transportation Performance Index (TPI) last week [PDF], and you can tell it’s due for a total overhaul, because according to the Index, recession-battered 2009 was a banner year for transportation performance. Using 2009 data, the Chamber, a powerful lobbying group that represents millions of American businesses, determined that […]
Raquel Nelson Speaks on the Today Show About Her Son and Her Court Case
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We’ve written quite a bit about Raquel Nelson over the past week or so, but now, we’ll let her speak for herself. The Today Show devoted an eight-minute segment to her case this morning, including an interview with Raquel. Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy Nelson’s lawyer, David Savoy, […]
The Streets and the Courts Failed Raquel Nelson. Can Advocacy Save Her?
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Last week, we reported on the horrific story of Raquel Nelson, whose four-year-old son was killed as she attempted to cross the street with him to reach their home. Nelson was convicted of reckless conduct, improperly crossing a roadway and second-degree homicide by vehicle, all for the crime of being a pedestrian in the car-centric […]