Recent Streetsblog USA posts about U.S. DOT

Meet Your Next Transportation Secretary

By Tanya Snyder | Apr 29, 2013 | 10 Comments

Charlotte Mayor Anthony Foxx just accepted President Obama’s nomination to be the next transportation secretary. Before we get into the details of Anthony Foxx’s résumé and policy positions, let’s just take a moment to appreciate this: The White House has nominated a mayor to be secretary of transportation. There is often a wide gulf between […]

TIGER’s Love Affair With Freight — And Bikes

By Tanya Snyder | Apr 26, 2013 | 4 Comments

This article is the second of a two-part series about how U.S. DOT’s Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery program — TIGER, a discretionary grant program that got its start under the Recovery Act in 2009 — has made transportation planning more strategic, based on a benefit-cost analysis and national goals. Read the first part here, about […]

Pretty Please: U.S. DOT Asks Carmakers to Limit Onboard Distractions

By Tanya Snyder | Apr 25, 2013 | 6 Comments

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood’s signature issue has been distracted driving. He’s spent the last four years amplifying the heartbreaking voices of those who have suffered the consequences of this highly dangerous habit. The stories of the needless loss of so many people, especially children and teens, are tragic. Clearly, it’s time to take decisive action to stop […]

How TIGER Transformed Transportation Planning — And Lived to Tell About It

By Tanya Snyder | Apr 25, 2013 | 7 Comments

When the buzz about a new, stimulus-funded, discretionary transportation grant program started to circulate in 2009, some environmentalists opposed it. They worried it would be a slush fund for the Federal Highway Administration, used to build unnecessary roads that would aggravate sprawl and pollution. But insiders knew that wasn’t how the new Obama administration would […]

Sparks Fly as Lawmaker Grills LaHood on Columbia River Crossing Transit

By Tanya Snyder | Apr 16, 2013 | 35 Comments

From the beginning of today’s hearing, Republicans on the House Appropriations Committee made it clear they weren’t going to let Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood’s last appearance before them be an easy one. While the hearing’s purpose was to examine the department’s budget request, the tough questions LaHood fielded on the budget were nothing compared to […]

Is Federal Bike Lane Guidance Working in Your City?

By Angie Schmitt | Apr 12, 2013 | 1 Comment

Do you design bike infrastructure for a city, as either staff or a consultant? If so, Bikes Belong’s Green Lane Project wants to hear from you. The Green Lane Project is hosting a survey that seeks to gauge how well federal transportation guidance is meeting the needs of planners and engineers involved in bike projects. […]

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