Today’s Headlines

By Elana Schor
Dec 18, 2009

Very bad news for train riders in the northeast: The Obama administration’s first rounds of high-speed rail money are unlikely to help improve Acela service, due to lengthy environmental reviews required by U.S. DOT (Globe)

Two disparate takes on the House jobs bill: Does it represent "room for
real debate" on a new federal transportation bill or "Groundhog Day" for entrenched bureaucracy? (GreenWire, HuffPost)

Pennsylvania state legislators head to the Hill to lobby against state leaders’ push to toll I-80 (Pocono News)

Embattled head of Washington D.C.’s transit agency vows to win back public confidence and work with Obama administration on its new safety bill (WaPo)

Virginia becomes the latest state to slash transportation spending in a rough economy (AP)

Maryland edges closer to approving per-mile tolls for its massive new ICC highway, sparking one Democratic candidate to rage against a "drive-to-work tax" (Gazette, Arora for Delegate)

A less sexy but cheaper electric-car company is quietly making inroads (SFGate)

Not transportation-related, but telling just the same: LaHood goes to bat for longtime friend Rahm Emanuel, White House chief of staff (Bloomberg)

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Good News: Cardin-Cochran Amendment Incorporated Into Senate Bill

By Ben Goldman | Mar 2, 2012

Majority Leader Harry Reid has incorporated much of the Ben Cardin/Thad Cochran amendment into the so-called “manager’s mark” of the Senate transportation bill. The move means that the amendment’s provisions letting local governments directly access funding from popular bicycle and pedestrian programs will be included in the bill without having to come up for a separate […]

McCaskill-Collins: Tax Cuts With a Side of Infrastructure, but Hold the Transit

By Ben Goldman | Dec 13, 2011

Congress has already delayed their holiday recess by a week, and members are hoping another delay won’t be necessary. Among the yet-unfinished business: an extension of the payroll tax cut. House Speaker John Boehner plans to hold a vote today on his bill, which marries an extension of the payroll tax cut to the controversial […]

Rep. Joe Crowley Announces Pedestrian Safety Bill — The Third in Six Months

By Tanya Snyder | Apr 1, 2014

Rep. Albio Sires has his New Opportunities for Bicycle and Pedestrian Infrastructure Financing Act (HR 3978). Rep. Earl Blumenauer has his Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety Act (HR 3494). And now, Rep. Joe Crowley has unveiled his Pedestrian Fatalities Reduction Act. The New York City Democrat, a supporter of Vision Zero, made the announcement yesterday morning […]

States Begin to Consider the Benefits of a Two-Year Transportation Bill

By Tanya Snyder | Apr 20, 2011

As we reported yesterday, the buzz around a two year transportation bill seems to be growing, and there are sound reasons to set our sights on a shorter-term bill, despite the obvious pitfalls. Pro: Preserve higher yearly funding levels Start fresh on a longer-term bill in 2013 under a new administration or Obama’s second term, either […]

Why Are State Senators Holding Up Indianapolis’s Transit Plans?

By Angie Schmitt | Apr 4, 2013

In Indianapolis, like many American regions, some important changes to transportation policy are off-limits without approval from the state government. In the case of a proposed transit funding package that would raise revenue through a 0.3 percent income tax levy, that means a bill needs to get through the statehouse before the people of Indianapolis […]

Cycling So Popular in Georgia That Lawmaker Carl Rogers Wants to Ban It

By Angie Schmitt | Oct 7, 2013

Responding to a cycling boom in northern Georgia, a bill introduced in the state house would require bicyclists to purchase license plates and limit how and where they ride. House Bill 689 was purportedly introduced in response to complaints from north Georgia drivers, whose chief grievance seems to be that it is inconvenient to encounter […]