Recent Streetsblog USA posts about Elections

6 Transportation Ballot Initiatives to Watch Next Tuesday

By Tanya Snyder | Oct 29, 2014 | 2 Comments

Next week, voters in Maryland and Wisconsin may tell state officials to keep their greedy paws off transportation funds. Louisianans will consider whether to create an infrastructure bank to help finance projects. Texans will weigh the wisdom of raiding the state’s Rainy Day Fund for — what else? — highways. And Massachusetts activists who have […]

#MinimumGrid: Toronto Advocates Move Politicians Beyond Bike Platitudes

By Michael Andersen | Sep 25, 2014 | 5 Comments

Michael Andersen blogs for The Green Lane Project, a PeopleForBikes program that helps U.S. cities build better bike lanes to create low-stress streets. Almost all urban politicians will tell you they think bikes are great. But only some actually do anything to make biking more popular. In Toronto’s current mayoral and city council election, a […]

Missouri Says No to Amendment 7’s Monster Tax Hike for Roads

By Tanya Snyder | Aug 6, 2014 | 4 Comments

Last night, Missourians decided overwhelmingly to reject a ballot initiative that would have raised the sales tax by three-quarters of a cent to pay, almost exclusively, for roads. It would have been the largest tax increase in the state’s history. Voters voted 59 percent to 41 percent to reject the tax. “It’s difficult to pass […]

Talking Headways Podcast: A Butterfly Flaps Its Wings In the Metro

By Tanya Snyder | Jun 13, 2014 | 3 Comments

The metro is coming to Loudon County, Virginia. Eventually. The Silver Line expansion that opens this summer will only go as far as Reston, but by 2018 it’ll be in Loudon, one of the nation’s fastest-growing — and wealthiest — counties. As the county’s population continues to grow — especially among communities of color — will […]

It Could Cost More to Shut Down Cincy Streetcar Than Finish It

By Tanya Snyder | Nov 21, 2013 | 10 Comments

Cincinnati Mayor Mark Mallory is frustrated that all his work to bring the streetcar to fruition might be for naught, now that anti-streetcar John Cranley has been elected to take his place. “I’m from the tough part of town,” Mallory joked. “I will take the guy in a dark alley. I’m not afraid to use […]

UPDATED: Last Night’s Quiet Transit Victories

By Tanya Snyder | Nov 6, 2013 | 5 Comments

Yesterday was a relatively quiet election day for transportation-related ballot measures, but of the six transit initiatives that came before voters yesterday, five six passed, with a sixth seventh too close to call. That’s in line with last year’s 79 percent success rate — 71 percent since 2000. When asked, voters overwhelmingly choose to raise […]

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