Ben Goldman
Recent Posts
A Comic Take on The Sustainability of The Word “Sustainable”
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From brainy web comic XKCD: Personal note: Between the time I matriculated at graduate school and the time I finished, the word “sustainable” had been added to my official concentration.
Virginia Bike Advocate Cries Foul Over Streetsblog’s Criticism of Eric Cantor
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A few weeks ago, Streetsblog wondered aloud if House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) was coerced into riding a bicycle during a recent interview on 60 Minutes. It was a tongue-in-cheek question prompted by Cantor’s outspoken opposition to federal bike-ped programs. But it did not amuse Thomas L. Bowden, Sr., chairman of Bike Virginia and […]
Bike-Ped Traffic, Funding, and Fatalities All Inch Upward
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One day before President Obama’s State of the Union Address, the Alliance for Biking and Walking has released its 2012 Benchmarking Report. Once again, the report indicates, nonmotorized transportation is getting shortchanged by federal funders, while pedestrians and cyclists make up a disproportionately large share of all traffic fatalities. The Alliance looks at all 50 […]
State of the Union 2012: What Will Obama Say About Transportation?
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Place your bets! The State of the Union address is on Tuesday, and Transportation Nation has put together an interactive chart that displays how many times Obama has used words like “trains,” “roads,” and “bridges” in his speeches over the last year. In last year’s State of the Union, you may recall, Obama announced his […]
Cold Climate Can’t Stop Minneapolis’s Surging Bike Rates
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Good news out of the Sierra Club Green Transportation Campaign, whose national conservation organizer Rachel Butler brings our attention to Minneapolis’s first ever Bicycle Account [PDF]. The compilation of cycling-related data shows a marked increase in the number of cyclists and a steadily decreasing injury rate to go along with substantial investments in bicycle infrastructure […]
Do Brookings and Heritage Agree on Public-Private Partnerships?
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When government types start to talk about expanding infrastructure, you’re likely to hear the phrase “public-private partnership” thrown around a lot. PPPs (or P3s, or 3Ps) are one of the “innovative financing tools” that policymakers love to hold up as a way to expedite expensive infrastructure projects that taxpayers want but aren’t willing to pay […]
Congress Reconvenes With Transportation Deadlines Fast Approaching
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Speaker John Boehner called the House of Representatives back into session yesterday, while the Senate will reconvene next Tuesday. And not a moment too soon: A number of major transportation laws will expire shortly, with calls to action coming from both sides. After all, many of these laws are extensions of extensions, and each side […]
Trains, Buses, Bikes, and Sandwiches… There Should Be an App For That
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Earlier today we brought you a story about a new and potentially dangerous technological innovation – Facebook in cars. To help end the week on a higher note, here’s some far more encouraging news on the transportation tech front. The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority has partnered with the Massachusetts Department of Transportation in issuing a […]
Dislike? Mercedes-Benz Wants to Put Facebook in Your Dashboard
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Earlier this week, at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Mercedes-Benz USA unveiled “mbrace2,” an in-dashboard service that enables the use of Facebook, Yelp, and Google behind the wheel. The service will likely be available in all 2013 models. Mbrace2 will be the latest entry in a growing list of built-in communications interfaces currently […]
Despite December Agreement, DC Streetcar Won’t “Buy America” After All
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Back in December, Clackamas, Oregon-based United Streetcar won an $8.7 million contract to build two vehicles for Washington, DC’s streetcar system, currently under construction. The timing could not have been better for House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Ranking Member Nick Rahall, who had just introduced legislation to tighten “Buy America” requirements on future transportation investments. […]
APTA: How to Talk to a Detractor of High-Speed Rail
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Stop me if you’ve heard these before: “Most Americans don’t use railroads, they use cars.” “There’s no better example of excessive government spending than the $53 billion President Obama allocated for high-speed rail in his 2012 budget.” “Would you pay $1,000 so that someone — probably not you — can ride high-speed trains 58 miles […]
Amtrak Chief Outlines “Aggressive” Plan for 2012 Investment
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Amtrak has spent the past year as a sort of punching bag for some members of Congress, not to mention the GOP presidential candidates. So it’s refreshing to hear that they’re coming out swinging, confidently, in 2012. President and CEO Joseph Boardman announced this morning that Amtrak would pursue an “aggressive” agenda for 2012, including […]