Recent Streetsblog NYC posts about Transportation Policy

Petition: Support a Climate Bill That Invests in Green Transportation

By Ben Fried | Apr 15, 2009 | 7 Comments

At the end of March, representatives Henry Waxman and Ed Markey introduced an ambitious federal climate bill. This is the real deal — the legislative centerpiece of President Obama’s effort to combat global warming. Transportation contributes about a third of all greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S., so any climate bill will have to green […]

Is “Cash for Clunkers” a Good Idea, Ever?

By Brad Aaron | Apr 7, 2009 | 22 Comments

Photo: bondidwhat/Flickr The New York Times today endorsed a bill from Senator Chuck Schumer, and its companion in the House, co-sponsored by Long Island Democrat Steve Israel, which would offer up to $4,000 in vouchers to drivers who give up their gas guzzlers (averaging 18 miles-per-gallon or worse) in exchange for "a new or used […]

Back to the Grid, Part 2: John Norquist on Reclaiming American Cities

By Ben Fried | Mar 30, 2009 | 2 Comments

Brady Street, which boasts some of the best street life in Milwaukee, has flourished thanks in part to the defeat of a nearby freeway spur and the redevelopment that followed. Photo: Steve Filmanowicz. As mayor of Milwaukee from 1988 to 2004, CNU President John Norquist made urbanism and livability top priorities. Some of his most […]

Back to the Grid: John Norquist on How to Fix National Transpo Policy

By Ben Fried | Mar 26, 2009 | 17 Comments

How can federal policy encourage walkable street networks instead of highways and sprawl? Image: CNU The news coming out of Washington last week jacked up expectations for national transportation policy to new heights. Cabinet members Ray LaHood and Shaun Donovan announced a partnership to connect transportation and housing policy, branded as the "Sustainable Communities Initiative." […]

Wiki Wednesday: Funding Green Transportation With CLEAN TEA

By Ben Fried | Mar 18, 2009 | 2 Comments

The decline in driving makes the gas tax less reliable as a transportation funding stream. VMT graph: FHWA. One of the big challenges that federal policymakers will soon have to address is how to pay for a new generation of transportation investment. The federal gas tax, pegged at 18.4 cents per gallon since 1993, just […]

Obama: America “Cannot Walk Away” From the Automobile

By Brad Aaron | Feb 25, 2009 | 27 Comments

In his first address to a joint session of Congress, President Barack Obama last night emphasized his administration’s commitment to keeping the domestic auto industry afloat, while offering only a passing mention to the nation’s mass transit systems. Said Obama: As for our auto industry, everyone recognizes that years of bad decision-making and a global […]

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