Ben Goldman
Recent Posts
Under the Economic Microscope, Highway Expansion Loses Appeal
| | No Comments
Despite the common refrains about transportation spending creating jobs, most states don’t actually give serious thought to the economic impact of transportation projects. More often than not, they’re content to sink money into freeways despite a wealth of research that shows that transit, bikeways, and sidewalks deliver a much bigger economic bang for the taxpayer’s […]
Broad Coalition Urges Congress to Support Local Control of Bike-Ped Funds
| | No Comments
A coalition of 70 organizations, including the US Conference of Mayors, American Heart Association, and the National PTA, have signed on to a letter from AmericaBikes urging Congress to preserve the Cardin-Cochran amendment — a provision in the Senate transportation bill that allows local agencies to directly access funds street safety projects. The letter is addressed to […]
Fate of Bike-Ped Compromise Still Unknown as House Reconvenes
| | No Comments
The Senate has left town for their traditional late-May nine-day weekend, while the House has just returned from their own week off. Amid these comings and goings, work continues on the transportation bill, which has been concealed inside the conference committee’s secret underground lair since the beginning of May. Last week, we reported that several […]
Ray LaHood Answers Your Questions in This Month’s “On The Go”
| | No Comments
Last month, Streetsblog put the word out that Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood would be fielding questions from readers. You submitted your questions. And today, the answers are in. This is the second time LaHood’s office has reached out to Streetsblog readers for a Q&A in his monthly video segment, “On the Go.” Like last time, more […]
The Unintended Consequences of Michigan Students’ Bike-to-School “Prank”
| | No Comments
Tuesday morning, a group of intrepid high schoolers in the western Michigan city of Walker got onto their bikes and into a heap of trouble. The Kenowa Hills High School students, eschewing a tradition of senior pranks that often destroy school property (spray-painting lockers and super-gluing doors, for example), opted to ride their bikes to […]
One More Time: Here Are 4.6 Billion Reasons to Support Bike Infrastructure
| | No Comments
Cyclists may only account for 1 percent of all trips taken in the U.S., but that’s still good enough to save the American people a total of $4.6 billion per year, according to research recently released by the League of American Bicyclists, the Sierra Club, and the National Council of La Raza. The announcement coincided […]
Rising or Falling, Volatile Gas Prices Underscore Importance of Transit
| | No Comments
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 […]
New Survey Shows Overwhelming Support for Federal Investment in Bike-Ped
| | No Comments
At a press conference outside the Capitol this morning, where gusty winds nearly carried off the visual aids (if it weren’t for a few diligent supporters), bicycle advocates joined members of Congress to unveil the results of a new survey about federal funding for bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure. The telephone poll of 1,003 Americans, commissioned […]
Let the Debate Begin: NYC, SF Snag Top Spots in First Transit Score Rankings
| | No Comments
Today, Walk Score — developer of the popular method for evaluating neighborhood walkability (and filling out NCAA tournament brackets) — announced its first ranking of cities by Transit Score, a measure of the “usefulness” of a city’s transit system. On a 100-point scale, New York and San Francisco took the top two spots with scores of […]
What Happened to John Mica, Pro-Transit Republican?
| | No Comments
House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee ranking member John Mica knew the value of good transit. “I became a mass transit fan because it’s so much more cost effective than building a highway,” he told PBS in 2009. “Also, it’s good for energy, it’s good for the environment – and that’s why I like it.” Flash […]
How the House Transpo Extension Hurts the Senate’s Two-Year Bill
| | No Comments
Congress has five days in which to pass an extension of transportation funding. That means there will be a flurry of activity on the Hill this week to avoid a shutdown of federal transportation programs on April 1. (It also means there will also be a flurry of “April Fools” references directed by and at […]
House to Vote on 9th Transpo Extension Right Before Time Runs Out
| | No Comments
Reps. John Mica, Dave Camp, and John Duncan have formally introduced a bill that would extend federal transportation programs until June 30, without any changes to funding, policy, or gas taxes. It is officially known as H.R. 4239. The 90-day extension would be the ninth passed since the last long-term transportation bill, SAFETEA-LU, expired in […]