Today’s Headlines

  • Massachusetts transit officials like the sound of the Obama administration’s pitch to help oversee light rail and subway safety (Globe)
  • In addition to its transit safety push, the administration has also issued safety rules for motorcoach buses (Bloomberg)
  • Even conservative Dems such as Sen. Ben Nelson (NE) are open to new transportation spending to help boost employment (HuffPost)
  • Meanwhile, Perlmutter joins the ranks of House Dems backing DeFazio’s Wall Street transpo tax (The Hill)
  • Better infrastructure is an important legacy to leave to the next generation — but we’re falling behind (NYT)
  • New study finds 1 in 3 teens confessing to a "frightening" habit of texting while driving (WashPost)
  • The nation’s senior transportation safety official decries the media’s focus on salacious, context-free details of crashes (CBS News)

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Obama Aide Defends Transit Safety Plan as Different from Rail Rules

By Elana Schor |
Federal Transit Administration (FTA) chief Peter Rogoff today mounted a defense of the White House’s transit safety plan, assuring some skeptical members of Congress that he does not want to "replicate" inter-city rail safety rules that have taken flak for impeding the development of viable U.S. train networks. As of last year, D.C.’s Metro had […]

America Has a Terrible Traffic Safety Record Because We Drive Too Much

By Angie Schmitt |
Even though the U.S. traffic fatality rate per mile driven has fallen by two-thirds in the last 50 years, America today still has the deadliest road system per capita in the developed world. Much of the improvement from safer driving and better emergency care has been wiped out by increases in total traffic. The American approach to traffic safety has emphasized seatbelt use, vehicle standards, […]

Federal Transportation Law Expired Over the Weekend: What’s Next?

By Elana Schor |
A new month begins today without rules in place to govern federal transportation programs, thanks to an objection by Sen. Jim Bunning (R-KY) to quick approval of a short-term extension of existing law. The Natchez Trace Parkway, where trail construction is set to stall today thanks to inaction on federal transport law. (Photo: TheFunTimesGuide.com) The […]

House and Senate Split on Approach to Obama’s Transit Safety Plan

By Elana Schor |
After a year marked by discord between the House and Senate over the timing of the next federal transportation bill, another split emerged yesterday over the timetable for taking up the Obama administration’s plan for federal involvement in transit safety oversight. Rep. John Mica (R-FL) opposes the White House safety plan, but he also wants […]