Recent Streetsblog USA posts about DOT

Drawing Ideas From Reformers, Obama Gets Behind 6-Year Transpo Plan

By Tanya Snyder | Oct 11, 2010 | 7 Comments

President Obama told reporters today that he’s committed to a six-year plan to rebuild 150,000 miles of roads, lay and maintain 4,000 miles of railways, restore 150 miles of runways, and create a national infrastructure bank. He made his remarks after meeting with Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, former Secretaries Samuel Skinner and Norman Mineta, L.A. […]

Without a Plan, Sprawl Will Continue to Hollow Out Cleveland Region

By Angie Schmitt | Sep 13, 2010 | 25 Comments

If you want to get a sense of how devastating sprawl has been to the urban areas of northeast Ohio, head over to Woodlawn Avenue in East Cleveland. Between the rows of boarded up buildings, a house collapses onto itself. Graffiti pays homage to dead loved ones — “R.I.P. Fife.” Nearby, stuffed animals have been […]

Livable Communities Act Clears Senate Committee

By Ben Fried | Aug 4, 2010 | 10 Comments

The Senate Banking Committee voted 12-10 yesterday in favor of the Livable Communities Act, legislation that would bolster the Obama administration’s initiatives to link together transportation, housing, economic development, and environmental policy. Shaun Donovan, Ray LaHood, Lisa Jackson: Together forever? The Livable Communities Act would codify the partnership between HUD, US DOT, and the EPA. […]

Streetsblog Q&A: Bush DOT Chief Backs Transport Tech Funding

By Elana Schor | Oct 8, 2009 | No Comments

Former Transportation Secretary Mary Peters, who served for eight years in George W. Bush’s DOT, sat down with Streetsblog Capitol Hill yesterday to urge that Congress add a dedicated funding stream of $1 billion each year for transportation technology to the next long-term infrastructure bill. Since leaving office, Peters has transitioned to private consulting work […]

Feds Still Forcing Transit Agencies to Bow to Private Charter Buses

By Elana Schor | Sep 3, 2009 | 2 Comments

Streetsblog Capitol Hill reported yesterday that the U.S. DOT would end a Bush-era mandate to reward new transit projects for using private contractors — but a similar pro-privatization rule for bus service remains in effect, preventing local transit agencies from competing with private charter companies. Fairgoers in Minnesota depart a private charter bus that benefited […]

A Last Word on ‘Cash for Clunkers’

By Ryan Avent | Sep 2, 2009 | 1 Comment

One thing the government’s CARS program — a.k.a. "cash for clunkers" — has clearly stimulated is commentary. For a policy involving a shade under $3 billion in federal spending, it has enjoyed no shortage of media coverage. (Photo: Newsday) In part this is because the program looks like a big success, and certainly congressional leaders […]

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