Transbay Blog
Beyond the Bay
Obama FY 2011 Budget Includes Transit Funding for the Bay Area
The Obama Administration has released its proposed budget for FY 2011. The U.S. Department of Transportation’s portion of the budget, which accounts for $78.8 billion, mostly perpetuates the status quo approach to transportation spending. In particular, it includes requests for FHWA ($42.1 billion), FAA ($16.5 billion), FTA ($10.8 billion), the National Infrastructure Innovation and Finance … Continue reading
High-Speed Rail Stimulus Grants Announced
After almost a year of anticipation throughout the United States, the recipients of the discretionary high-speed rail stimulus grants have finally been announced, to time with President Obama’s State of the Union address. California has been especially excited by the opportunity to obtain much-needed federal money to add to the portfolio of funds that will … Continue reading
“Stranded at the Station”
Transportation for America and the Transportation Equity Network have released a new joint report, Stranded at the Station, that is only a few dozen pages (including colorful pictures) and well worth your time to read. The report, which builds on T4America’s well-circulated maps that compile transit budget crunches from around the nation, clarifies the perverse … Continue reading
Obama Administration Unveils HSR Strategic Plan
Yesterday’s big news item (alas, I had not a scrap of free time to write about this yesterday, but better late than never) in the world of transportation was the Obama Administration’s unveiling of its strategic plan for a national high-speed rail system. The so-called “down payment” on this system is $13 billion: $8 billion … Continue reading
Transit Ridership Increases in 2008
Transit ridership has reached a 52-year high, reports APTA, with 10.7 billion transit trips taken in the year 2008. This represent a 4% increase over 2007, and vehicle miles traveled decreased 3.6% nationwide during the same period of time; it also represents a 38% increase since 1995, a rate that outpaces growth in both population … Continue reading
Change We’ll Believe In When We See It
Courtesy of Politico.com. So now that outgoing Mary Peters will officially be replaced by Republican Illinois Rep. Ray LaHood as the new U.S. Secretary of Transportation, all we can say is: seriously? The news comes right on the heels of news that the much-anticipated federal stimulus package will be hastily applied to shovel-ready road projects that will only prompt … Continue reading
Freeway Revolts of the Future
The Congress for the New Urbanism has issued a list of the top ten freeways in the United States whose demolition, as CNU has aptly phrased it, would “stimulate valuable revitalization by replacing aging urban highways with boulevards.” These are the freeways on the list: 1. Alaskan Way Viaduct, Seattle, WA 2. Sheridan Expressway, Bronx, … Continue reading
On Walkability, Density, and Transit Villages
It’s official: according to the WalkScore.com rankings, San Francisco has been determined to be America’s most walkable city, as reported by the Chronicle. Our fair city’s score of 86 out of 100 just edged out New York’s 83, Boston’s 79, Chicago’s 76, and Philadelphia’s 74. The WalkScore algorithm does have some shortcomings (which the site … Continue reading
New York Assembly Approves Citywide Surface Parking Lots
Which citywide surface parking lots would these be? Why, the congested streets of Manhattan, of course. Members of the Assembly, you ought to be ashamed of yourselves: ashamed of your unwillingness to improve quality of life for millions of New Yorkers, and ashamed of your utter lack of vision. Even Mary Peters — Mary Peters! … Continue reading
London is on the Move
London is on the move. London, a city that is famous around the world for the bold steps it has taken to curb congestion and encourage use of alternative transportation, continues to prove its worth as a global model for mobility policy, as it strives for a goal to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 60% … Continue reading
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