Today’s Headlines

  • Another analysis reveals that U.S. DOT road money isn’t being routed first to economically distressed areas (AP)
  • Why not institute a National Design Policy for housing? (NYT)
  • Between D.C. suburbs and Baltimore, Maryland governor is pulling double shifts in the transit aid hunt (WaPo)
  • Brookings’ Robert Puentes and Adie Tomer explore how current road funding formulas shortchange bigger, bluer states (TNR)
  • The 10 most dangerous foods to eat while driving, courtesy of the insurance industry (Autopia)
  • Inside the White House’s meticulous climate lobbying push (Politico)

ALSO ON STREETSBLOG

The Airtight Case for Road Diets

By Angie Schmitt |
Bill Lindeke at Streets.mn calls them “death roads.” Four-lane roads in urban areas can indeed be perilous. An 11-year-old boy was struck by a motorist on one of these roads recently in St. Paul. The media and others responded in typical fashion, deeming the crash an unavoidable “accident.” But the truth is these types of collisions are easy […]

Is the Lord For or Against a Texas County Road Bond? Opinions Mixed

By Angie Schmitt |
Things are really getting heated in Montgomery County, Texas, just outside Houston, over a proposal to issue $350 million in bonds to maintain and expand roads. Like fire-and-brimstone heated. Earlier this week, at a county commissioners meeting, volunteer Mary Hammer Menzel referred to road bond opponents as “tools of satan” in her opening prayer, reports the Montgomery County Courier. […]

“Share the Road” Signs Don’t Work

By Tanya Snyder |
Delaware got rid of its “Share the Road” signs about two years ago. Though the signs were designed to affirm cyclists’ rights to the road, they were widely misinterpreted — by both motorists and cyclists — as an exhortation to cyclists to stop “hogging” the road, or as a recommendation that drivers and cyclists share a lane (leading to tight squeezes and […]

Study: Most Roads Don’t Pay for Themselves

By Angie Schmitt |
Most American roads — even the most highly trafficked — are financial losers. That’s a major finding from a new study by the Center for American Progress [PDF]. A financial analysis by the think tank found that about four out of 10 U.S. highways don’t carry enough traffic to generate sufficient revenue to pay for their maintenance […]

Drivers Cover Just 51 Percent of U.S. Road Spending

By Angie Schmitt |
There’s a persistent misconception in American culture that transit is a big drain on public coffers while roads conveniently and totally pay for themselves through the magic of gas taxes. And that used to be true — at least for interstate highways, a fraction of the total road network. But that was many, many failed […]

In Austin and Around the Nation: Big Stakes for Green Transportation

By Angie Schmitt |
This is a big moment for transportation reform. Today at the polls, voters will re-shape Congress just as the Obama administration is getting ready to make its push for infrastructure investment. In key states — including Florida, Wisconsin, Ohio, California, Texas, Maryland, Colorado, and Tennessee — governor races will influence the future of passenger rail, smart […]