Recent Streetsblog SF posts about Transportation Policy

Boxer, LaHood to Discuss Federal Transportation Bill at L.A. Town Hall

By Damien Newton | Feb 10, 2010 | No Comments

As transportation reformers continue to wait for the Senate to join the House in offering a new federal transportation bill, Senate environment committee chair Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood will hold a town hall meeting at the headquarters of L.A.’s Metro transit authority on Friday, February 19. Boxer and LaHood get on […]

The Gas Tax Versus a VMT Tax: Is ‘All of the Above’ an Option?

By Elana Schor | Feb 10, 2010 | 15 Comments

(Chart: Oregon DOT) The prospect of an eventual move away from the gas tax and towards a fee on vehicle miles traveled (VMT) has sparked consternation from some well-known bloggers this week, with Matt Yglesias asserting that "a VMT [tax] has no advantages whatsoever over higher gasoline taxes" and Andrew Samwick suggesting that declining fuel […]

New Report Maps a High-Speed Rail Link For Every Major U.S. City

By Elana Schor | Feb 9, 2010 | No Comments

(Image: U.S. PIRG) Now that the Obama administration has awarded $8 billion in high-speed rail grants to more than two dozen states, with $2.5 billion more coming soon, why not keep thinking big when it comes to bullet-train expansion? That’s the ethos of a new report released today by the U.S. Public Interest Research Group […]

Two Troubling Transportation Numbers for the Obama Administration

By Elana Schor | Feb 4, 2010 | No Comments

Today brought news of two grim transportation numbers from the Obama administration: 2 and $53 million. Atlanta’s Metro won a share of the emissions-cutting transit grants that the White House proposes to cut next year. (Photo: Atlanta Metblogs) The first figure is the percentage of federal transport stimulus contracts that have gone to disadvantaged and […]

Senate Dems to Call Up Jobs Bill Monday … With Transport Details TBA

By Elana Schor | Feb 4, 2010 | No Comments

Senate Democratic leaders appeared this morning to tout their commitment to passing a job-creation bill by the end of next week — but the substance of their jobs measure, including the fate of pivotal transportation provisions, remains up in the air. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) (Photo: LV City Life) Harry Reid (D-NV), the […]

A Modest Proposal: Ask Developers to Help Pay For Better Transport

By Elana Schor | Feb 2, 2010 | No Comments

At today’s debate on conservative support for transit, developer Chris Leinberger had a modest proposal for lawmakers who are desperately seeking new transportation financing strategies in an era of diminishing gas tax returns: Ask real-estate developers to pay for projects that will increase their profits. Chris Leinberger at last year’s Walk21 conference. (Photo: M. Katz) […]

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