Federal Policy
Basics
Electric Bicycle Incentives Go Local, But Feds Can Do More
Unfortunately, federal leaders still have a ways to go — many legislators have yet to acknowledge the e-bike’s demonstrated ability to replace car trips.
March 28, 2022
Chicago Auto Show producers sponsor contest that produces awful victim-blaming PSAs
Recently Streetsblog contributor A.J. LaTrace discussed the absurdly large SUVs and pickup trucks on display at the Chicago Auto Show. These machines have massive blind spots that make it difficult to detect a child in front of the vehicle, and their absurdly high grilles that basically ensure that a struck pedestrian or bike rider will […]
March 10, 2022
Talking Headways Podcast: The Annual Prediction Show with Yonah Freemark
Yonah Freemark, a senior research associate at the Urban Institute, chats about the effects of the pandemic on office work and makes predictions about next year’s transportation policies and projects.
March 3, 2022
USDOT Tackles Overlooked Barriers to ‘Complete Streets’ — And Sparks Debate
No "complete streets" policy will truly be complete until federal agencies dismantle the structural barriers that make safe transportation networks so hard to build in the first place, new U.S. DOT guidance says.
March 3, 2022
How my Chicago Auto Show tweets reignited the debate over unsafe vehicle design
It’s virtually impossible to ignore the increasing size of trucks and SUVs on the roads today. And seeing these vehicles up-close hammered home just how ridiculous this all is.
February 23, 2022
McConnell Tells States To Just Ignore Biden’s Progressive New Road Priorities
After the Biden administration told states that they should spend federal transportation dollars on projects that put safety, sustainability, equity, and road repair first, Sen. Mitch McConnell and Shelley Moore Capito told GOP governors to ignore the guidelines and spend the money any way they want.
February 11, 2022
Six Ways AVs Could Reshape Our Cities — And Not for the Better
A recent Congressional hearing on "the road ahead for automated vehicles" largely ignored the potentially devastating effect that personally owned AVs could have on the neighborhoods those cars drive through.
February 10, 2022
How the U.S. Transportation System Fuels Inequality
Transportation policies prioritizing private vehicle use leave the poor and people of color behind.
February 4, 2022
New Fed. Law Requires Some (But Not All!) States to Improve Bike/Walk Safety
The new-and-slightly-reformed Highway Safety Improvement Program could represent a turning point on U.S. roads, at least in the states that are required to spend the money right.
February 3, 2022
Here’s why Pritzker’s plan to skip this year’s scheduled gas tax hike is a bad idea
The proposal, which is projected to cost the state $135 million in revenue, is unfair to people who don't drive. And it may not even save much money for drivers.
February 1, 2022
