Recent Streetsblog NYC posts about Economics

Measuring the Value of Livable Streets

By Ben Fried | Jul 31, 2008 | 2 Comments

Ever wonder how much New York stands to gain by making its streets more livable? Transportation Alternatives has been gathering evidence measuring the economic and social benefits that accrue when cities put pedestrians first. Their report is coming out next week, but the Observer published a sneak preview (headline: "The Woonerf Deficit") this Tuesday: The […]

The U.S. Wants to “Borrow” From Transit to Pay for Highways

By Aaron Naparstek | Jul 29, 2008 | 17 Comments

U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary Peters said yesterday that due to declining gas tax revenues, the Highway Trust Fund would need to borrow money from its mass transit account to pay for road projects. Today’s big news story was buried at the bottom of page A17 in the New York Times: Gasoline tax revenue is falling […]

The Biggest Fare Hike Factor? It Could Be MTA Debt

By Ben Fried | Jul 28, 2008 | 8 Comments

Saturday’s Times delved into the history of the MTA’s mounting debt burden, which, along with rising fuel costs and plummeting revenues from the real estate transactions tax, has severely squeezed the authority’s finances: Debt payments are the system’s largest single cost after payroll, and by 2012 they will account for one of every five dollars […]

$36,000,000,000 for Corn. $0 for Transit.

By Aaron Naparstek | Jul 25, 2008 | 16 Comments

The House of Representatives recently passed a bill that would provide emergency funding to local transit systems facing simultaneous increases in ridership and fuel costs. The legislation is now stalled in the Senate and the Bush Administration has expressed concern that "transit operators risk becoming permanently reliant upon this type of assistance." Meanwhile, when it […]

The Pentagon Burns 395,000 Barrels of Oil Per Day

By Aaron Naparstek | Jul 25, 2008 | 6 Comments

It’s always a bit of a mind-boggler when some statistics emerge showing how much oil the U.S. military consumes. From yesterday’s Politico: So, you think you’ve got the gas prices blues. Just consider Al Shaffer, the man in charge of drafting an energy strategy for the gas-guzzling Pentagon. With wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and […]

Livable Streets Projects Getting Hung Up in Budget Bureaucracy?

By Aaron Naparstek | Jul 23, 2008 | 2 Comments

From today’s Crain’s Insider: The city is weighing a new set of street design guidelines that would make installation of pedestrian-friendly elements, like curb extensions, easier. The Department of Transportation has developed a number of new street and traffic plans in Madison Square Park and other places around the city. But each one requires special […]

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