Federal Policy
Basics
Transportation planning needs better language accessibility, and more coalition building
In a field like planning, that is technical and political, and requires community participation, language accessibility is one necessary tool, but it does not guarantee that the voices of the community will have an impact.
December 31, 2021
Feds Considering if Gig Workers are Independent Contractors or Employees
A federal board may give workers more power ... or maybe not.
December 30, 2021
Infrastructure Law Helps Fix Amtrak Funding Woes, Rail Exec. Tells House
An infusion of $22 billion for Amtrak would allow the system to offer more reliable service, upgrade stations and work on its backlog of deferred maintenance.
December 27, 2021
Year In Review 2021: Now For the Good News
This year was not a good one for big wins. But it may go down in history as a critical turning point for our national transportation future.
December 24, 2021
Year In Review 2021: The Bad News
It's time for our year-in-review. Let's get the bad news out of the way first.
December 23, 2021
Lemonade From Lemons: Six Improvements Worth Celebrating Within Flawed Infrastructure Bill
These are some of the IIJA's most notable successes — even if some of them are pretty incremental.
December 9, 2021
Advocates Hope ‘Inspired’ RAISE Grants are a Taste of Things To Come
Last Friday, the U.S. DOT wowed sustainable transportation advocates with its list of grantees for the RAISE discretionary grant program, which will funnel $1 billion dollars into transportation capital and planning projects across America — and stoked optimism for how the agency would spend the historic $100 billion in discretionary funding it just won with the passage of the latest infrastructure bill.
November 23, 2021
‘Small Victories’ For Vulnerable Road Users In Infrastructure Bill
Active transportation advocates are celebrating modest but potentially powerful new policies in the newly passed transportation infrastructure bill — but more needs to be done.
November 8, 2021
OP-ED: New Fed Road Guide Enshrines Danger into Law
A writer's public records search reveals that Congressional requirements to design safer streets went unheeded.
November 8, 2021
The Infrastructure Bill: What’s In It For Us?
President Biden's $1.2-trillion "infrastructure" bill passed the House late on Friday evening and was hailed by a POTUS needing a win as a “once-in-a-generation investment.” But what's really in it?
November 7, 2021
