Recent Streetsblog NYC posts about U.S. DOT

3 Highlights From Elaine Chao’s Very Vague Confirmation Hearing

By Angie Schmitt | Jan 11, 2017 | No Comments

Chao gave a tight-lipped performance that didn't reveal much about how she would use the regulatory and approval power at her disposal, but here are three instances where you can try to read the tea leaves.

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Trump’s Pick for U.S. DOT Is GOP Insider Elaine Chao

By Angie Schmitt | Nov 29, 2016 | No Comments

Chao was secretary of labor under George W. Bush and is married to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. Her family owns an international shipping empire.

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Will US DOT’s Self-Driving Car Rules Make Streets Safe for Walking and Biking?

By Angie Schmitt | Sep 22, 2016 | No Comments

This week, U.S. DOT released guidelines for self-driving cars, a significant step as regulators prepare for companies to bring this new technology to market. Autonomous vehicles raise all sorts of questions about urban transportation systems. It’s up to advocates to ensure that the technology helps accomplish broader goals like safer streets and more efficient use of urban space, […]

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FHWA’s New Goal: Eliminating Pedestrian and Cyclist Deaths in America

By Angie Schmitt | Sep 15, 2016 | No Comments

The Federal Highway Administration wants to eliminate pedestrian and cyclist fatalities “in the next 20 to 30 years.” In a new strategic plan [PDF], the agency calls for reducing serious injuries and deaths 80 percent in the next 15 years, which would be an intermediate goal on the way to zero. FHWA also calls for boosting the share of […]

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Engineers to U.S. DOT: Transportation Is About More Than Moving Cars

By Angie Schmitt | Aug 26, 2016 | No Comments

A trade group representing the transportation engineering profession thinks it’s high time for American policy makers to stop focusing so much on moving single-occupancy vehicles. U.S. DOT is currently deciding how it will assess the performance of state DOTs. Will it continue business as usual and equate success with moving huge numbers of cars? That’s […]

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Stark Divisions Between Dems and GOP on Climate Impacts of Transportation

By Angie Schmitt | Aug 22, 2016 | No Comments

How polarized are the two political parties on key questions about transportation policy and climate change? As you can imagine, the answer is “very.” The senior Democrat and Republican on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee — California’s Barbara Boxer and Oklahoma’s Jim Inhofe, respectively — each wrote an opinion this week for the Eno Center for […]

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