2010 Capitol Hill Round-up: Cast Your Vote for the Streetsie Awards

streetsies_2010Which lawmakers have been naughty in 2010? Which have been nice? Who deserves goodwill from supporters of sustainable transportation, and who should get nothing but a lump of coal?

This is your chance to decide. The Streetsie awards are a Streetsblog tradition, offering the bests and worsts of the year, determined by Streetsblog readers.

Voting opens now and stays open till December 30. We’ll announce the winners January 3.

Lawmaker Who’ll Be Missed the Most in the 112th

Total Voters: 87

Most Short-Sighted Governor or Governor-Elect

Total Voters: 91

Most Important Action Congress Failed to Take in 2010

Total Voters: 90

Best TIGER Grant

Total Voters: 77


(you can find a PDF with a complete list of TIGER I grantees here and TIGER II grantees here)

Best Moment for Transportation Reform

  • LaHood’s "Tabletop Speech" and declaration of “the end of favoring motorized transportation at the expense of the non-motorized" (39%, 32 Votes)
  • TIGER grants released, providing over $2 billion to states for innovative transportation projects (22%, 18 Votes)
  • DOT dumps Bush-era practice of evaluating New Starts proposals only on cost; looks at congestion, environmental impacts, economic benefits (19%, 16 Votes)
  • Feds begin redefining affordable housing to include transportation costs, illustrating the greater affordability of urban areas despite higher home prices (17%, 14 Votes)
  • Centers for Disease Control says transportation reform is health reform, points to myriad connections between health and mobility (4%, 3 Votes)

Total Voters: 83

Best Cause for Optimism

  • All young people want are iPhones, not cars (44%, 35 Votes)
  • Bike-sharing goes viral: DC launches the nation’s biggest program, New York announces one that makes it look trivial (35%, 28 Votes)
  • Dan Maes, who thinks bicycles are a step toward UN control and worldwide socialism, bites it in Colorado governor election (11%, 9 Votes)
  • First Lady Michelle Obama recognizes the importance of biking and walking in the fight against childhood obesity (10%, 8 Votes)

Total Voters: 80

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