Tanya Snyder
Tanya became Streetsblog's Capitol Hill editor in September 2010 after covering Congress for Pacifica Radios Washington bureau and for public radio stations around the country. She lives car-free in a transit-oriented and bike-friendly neighborhood of Washington, DC.
Recent Posts
Five Ex-Secretaries Map Out a Communications Strategy For Transportation
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If 80 percent of the American people agree that federal infrastructure investment will create jobs, and two-thirds say better infrastructure is important, why is the call for a robust transportation bill being made in whispers? And why is Congress already two and a half years late in producing one? There are many political reasons — […]
This Week: Conference Gladiators Could Be Named, Senate Budget Stalls
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This week, the House and Senate are expected to name the people they’ll send to conference to come up with a new transportation bill. The Senate will be bringing its bipartisan bill; the House is bringing a bunch of poison pills. The president says he will veto anything with a Keystone pipeline approval in it, […]
Celebrate Earth Day the FTA Way, With a Map of Sustainable Transpo Projects
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The Federal Transit Administration has launched a new website for Earth Day (this Sunday), showcasing the agency’s efforts for livability and clean energy. It’s all good Earth Day reading, but what stands out is this useful map of sustainable transportation projects. They note that the map is just a “selection” of federally-funded projects, so don’t […]
Lautenberg Brawls With Port Authority Exec Over Tolling
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New Jersey Senator Frank Lautenberg has been spoiling for a fight ever since the Port Authority raised tolls to cross into New York. And yesterday, he got it. Lautenberg invited Bill Baroni, the deputy director of the Port Authority, to testify at a Commerce Committee hearing that turned into little more than a showdown between the […]
Calculate the Precise Amount of Your Support For Streetsblog
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Public radio interrupts programming with its pledge drives. The Girl Scouts’ fundraising cookie sales clog your arteries and make you fat. Here at Streetsblog, we don’t do either. We just put up a post once in a while to remind you that we need your support. (This is that post.) And lucky for you, we’ve […]
Patent Troll Sues Transit Agencies For Releasing Real-Time Transit Info
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Lloyd Dobbler, John Cusack’s generation-defining character in Say Anything, notably said, “I don’t want to sell anything, buy anything, or process anything as a career.” Martin Kelly Jones lives by a similar creed. He doesn’t make or sell anything. Instead he makes his living by attacking transit agencies for using real-time tracking technologies that he […]
House GOP Tries to Horse-Trade Senate Bill For Keystone Pipeline
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In another desperate attempt to push forward their fossil fuel agenda, House Republicans have indicated that even though they’ve been incapable of passing a transportation bill, they’re willing to go to conference committee and pass the Senate bill. All the Senate Democrats have to do in return is approve the Keystone XL pipeline. Our sources […]
Census Breaks the News We Already Knew: The Exurbs Are History
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Last week, the New York Times and USA Today reported that Census numbers had confirmed the death of the outer ring suburbs, or exurbs. The latest numbers, capturing the year (actually 15 months, April 2010 to July 2011) since the last Census, showed a major shift away from the settlement patterns from 2000 to 2010. […]
HUD: Now’s the Time to Tell Congress Why Smart Planning Matters
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I don’t know how many RSVPs a HUD conference call usually gets, but everyone seemed pretty floored that a stakeholder teleconference yesterday got upwards of 400. Officials said it was a testament to the popularity of HUD’s Office of Sustainable Housing and Communities and the grant programs it runs together with EPA and U.S. DOT. […]
Live-Blogging the House Transportation Extension Debate & Vote
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After a long night’s wrangling over the budget, the House convened early (for them) at 9 this morning to tackle a 90-day 60-day 90-day extension of the transportation bill. Despite some fierce opposition from House Democrats who wanted to vote on the bipartisan Senate bill instead of another extension, the measure passed. We’re brought you the fireworks as […]
Can a 100% Private Passenger Rail Line Turn a Profit?
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Public-private partnerships have recently become a popular policy prescription for the prospect of reviving inter-city passenger rail. But now, a private company is setting out to do it alone – no public support needed. Florida East Coast Industries has announced that it will start operating passenger service between South Florida and Orlando in 2014. They’re calling […]
Why Bicyclists Are Better Customers Than Drivers for Local Business
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Do local and state officials tune out when you try to talk to them about bicycling? Are they unconvinced by arguments about public health, transportation options, or clean air? Do business leaders send you packing when you suggest building new bike lanes and bike parking, fearing that the loss of car parking will keep customers […]