Today’s Headlines

  • A new study reinforces the open secret of distracted driving — legislation requiring hands-free cell phones won’t do the job (WSJ)
  • More proof that the vice president was correct in calling high-speed rail grants apolitical: Pennsylvania’s Democratic-rich leadership is upset to see their state got shut out (Trib-Review)
  • In Tampa, meanwhile, joy over rail money is giving way to questions over how to connect the bullet train to new local transit options (St. Pete Times)
  • And in Connecticut, high-speed rail backers aren’t getting discouraged by their $40m award (Courant)
  • Oberstar’s home-state editorial board laments the federal government’s transport funding crisis (Star-Trib)
  • LaHood: Toyota’s fix for its gas-pedal defect disaster is satisfactory (Reuters)

ALSO ON STREETSBLOG

Republican Response to USDOT’s High-Speed Rail Grantees

By Tanya Snyder |
In my last story about the allocation of high-speed rail funds, I said House Transportation Committee Chair John Mica (R-FL) must be pleased to finally see the Northeast Corridor get its due. In a statement hot off the GOP’s presses, Mica didn’t sound exactly pleased. Once again, the Administration has scattered funding to numerous slower-speed […]

LaHood: High Speed Rail Will Be Our Generation’s Legacy

By Tanya Snyder |
Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood published an op-ed in the Sunday edition of the Orlando Sentinel, arguing for a vigorous campaign of high speed rail building. He said, “If we work together, a national high-speed-rail network can and will be our generation’s legacy.” Why run the op-ed in the Sentinel and not a national paper like […]
Lyon HSR station

How France Makes High-Speed Rail Stations Meld With Cities

By Jeff Wood |
As France develops its high-speed rail network, the areas around stations are treated not just as transportation initiatives but as city-building projects. This discussion centers on how public agencies plan high-speed rail station areas in France, integration of the stations into districts as a whole, and the importance of a comprehensive vision for integrating transportation and land use in the station district.

Talking Headways Podcast: High-Speed Rail Lessons from France and Germany

By Jeff Wood |
This week we’re joined by Eric Eidlin, a community planner and sustainability lead at the Federal Transit Administration. Over the last few years Eric has also been studying high-speed rail in Germany and France as a fellow with the German Marshall Fund. He recently published a report, “Making the Most of High-Speed Rail in California: Lessons from France and Germany.” Eric […]