In almost every state, politicians beat the drum for hundreds of millions of dollars to “solve congestion” by widening highways. After spending the better part of a century doing this, we know that thanks to induced demand, soon after the asphalt sets on the new lanes, people will drive more and congestion will return. The whole exercise is a […]

It’s not that unusual to see politicians approaching the problem of traffic congestion with a childlike simplicity. But Oregon gubernatorial candidate Bud Pierce’s “solution” to eliminate gridlock in the Portland area might be the most infantile of them all. Pierce wants to add a lane to every major freeway in the region and “Presto!” — problem solved. […]

Seattle’s bike-share system, Pronto, is in trouble. Pronto is currently run as a private non-profit, but to continue operations, it needs a $1.4 million injection of city funds by the end of March, Tom Fucoloro at Seattle Bike Blog reports. The system’s ridership has not met projections — in a city with a mandatory helmet law, that’s not very […]

An office developer wants to rehab a derelict 88,000-square-foot historic building right along Cincinnati’s almost-finished streetcar line. This is exactly what should happen, right? Except the agency charged with protecting the city’s historic structures might actually sink the project. Guess why? Parking, of course! John Yung at Urban Cincy reports: An Over-the-Rhine development has hit a potential challenge after a 3-3 […]

Late last year Congress finally moved to boost the maximum commuter tax benefit for transit riders to the same level that car commuters receive. That means transit riders can buy up to $255 in fares each month with pre-tax income, just like drivers can pay for $255 in parking expenses with pre-tax income. Great news, right? Well, it’s definitely a step in […]

Protected intersections are the best new thing in American bike infrastructure since, well, protected bike lanes. They greatly reduce the potential for turning conflicts between drivers and cyclists — left turns on a bike, especially, become easier and less stressful — and they make pedestrian crossings much safer too. So far, a few cities around the country have […]

Republicans in the Washington State Senate are sending a message: Don’t mess with our socialized highways. To show they’re serious about subsidizing roads, they ended the tenure of Washington DOT chief Lynn Peterson. Senate Republicans used their confirmation authority to give Peterson “one week notice” that she would be fired, as one Democrat put it. Josh Feit at Publicola explains: [State […]

Imagine 20 percent of commuters getting to work by bike in a major U.S. city. No entire city is close yet (Portland, with the highest rate, is at about 6 percent), but some neighborhoods are getting there. Dan Malouff at Beyond DC shares new data from DDOT showing that in a few areas of Washington, the bike commute mode share […]