The Best Tool for Reducing Traffic Deaths? More Transit!
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There's a clear relationship between transit use and reduced traffic deaths. So why do federal safety efforts ignore it?
Recent Streetsblog USA posts about APTA
Rising or Falling, Volatile Gas Prices Underscore Importance of Transit
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When gas prices go up, it can be a big motivator for people to start taking transit more frequently. But according to a study released by the American Public Transportation Association and Building America’s Future [PDF], even when gas prices start to go down, the newly converted keep riding transit. The report, “Volatile Gas Prices […]
LaHood to House: “Get on the Bus” With a Bipartisan Transportation Bill
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This morning, at the American Public Transportation Association’s annual legislative conference, Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood said he was recently asked by the House Appropriations Committee if he prefers a two-year transportation bill or a five-year transportation bill. Neither, he said: “I prefer a bipartisan bill.” “Bipartisanship is the reason the Senate bill is a […]
APTA: How to Talk to a Detractor of High-Speed Rail
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Stop me if you’ve heard these before: “Most Americans don’t use railroads, they use cars.” “There’s no better example of excessive government spending than the $53 billion President Obama allocated for high-speed rail in his 2012 budget.” “Would you pay $1,000 so that someone — probably not you — can ride high-speed trains 58 miles […]
Even the Godfather of Rail~Volution Wouldn’t Raise the Gas Tax Right Now
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At Rail~Volution yesterday, Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) — also known as the godfather of the “rail~volution” — said even he wouldn’t raise the gas tax right now. “We should make some adjustments to a gas tax that hasn’t increased since 1993,” Blumenauer said. “Half the people think the gas tax goes up every year.” He […]
Get on the Bus (With Everybody Else)
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Has your morning bus commute gotten a little more crowded lately? Sharing the light rail car with a few more folks? That’s because transit ridership just keeps rising, according to the American Public Transportation Association. Americans took 85.7 million more trips on public transportation in the first six months of this year than they did during […]