Recent Streetsblog USA posts about Livable Streets

Rich People Love Sidewalks, And Other Livability Lessons From USDOT

By Tanya Snyder | Jul 18, 2011 | 2 Comments

When asking people what transportation options are important in their communities, why do poll-takers never ask them to choose between different options? Here comes another survey in which people say they want everything and are never asked to make the tradeoffs that come in the real world. USDOT’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics asked 1,000 households […]

Lawmakers Introduce Reality-Based Plan to Achieve “Freedom From Oil”

By Tanya Snyder | Jun 2, 2011 | 12 Comments

Members of Congress of all stripes are trying to show that they’re concerned and responsive to the financial strain caused by high gas prices. Some are recommending more oil drilling. Some want to end subsidies to oil companies. Today, members of the Congressional Livable Communities Task Force suggested that providing more diverse transportation options to more people […]

Why (Much of) Obama’s Transpo Plan Can Survive the GOP Knife

By Tanya Snyder | May 6, 2011 | 3 Comments

Yesterday, anti-rail curmudgeon Ken Orski of Innovation Briefs quoted me in his latest diatribe against the administration’s transportation proposal, in which he explains why the Obama plan is unrealistic. Indeed, I think it’s safe to say the dollar amount of the administration’s bill is a non-starter in today’s political and economic climate, given that it’s […]

President Obama’s Transportation Bill Prioritizes Livability, High-Speed Rail

By Tanya Snyder | May 4, 2011 | 15 Comments

A draft of the president’s full transportation bill [PDF], obtained by the semi-underground Transportation Weekly, has started floating around Beltway policy circles. This draft is more informative than the partial bill that started making the rounds last week, but it’s still undated and it’s not necessarily the final proposal. The draft bill closely follows the […]

$100 Million for HUD Sustainability Program Survives in This Year’s Budget

By Tanya Snyder | Apr 18, 2011 | 2 Comments

With multiple versions of two years’ worth of federal budgets flying around, some details are still emerging about what’s in and what’s out. At the end of last week we heard that the FY2011 budget, which has been sent to the president for his signature, includes $100 million for the Partnership for Sustainable Communities. According […]

FedEx Chair, New Mexico City Official Ask Senate for Multimodal Transpo Bill

By Tanya Snyder | Apr 14, 2011 | No Comments

Congressional committees charged with drafting the new transportation bill have been holding hearings to seek input from stakeholders around the country. In today’s installment, the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee heard from five state DOT chiefs, one city official, and the chair of FedEx. Those witnesses’ pleas to the committee ranged from bike trails […]

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