Recent Streetsblog USA posts about MAP-21

There’s a Lot Riding on U.S. DOT’s Definition of “Congestion”

By Tanya Snyder | Aug 15, 2012 | 13 Comments

Congress has done its job, such as it is, and passed a transportation bill. Now it’s handed off the policymaking to U.S. DOT, which must issue a raft of rules, definitions, and guidance to accompany the new law, known as MAP-21. According to sources with intimate knowledge of this process, much depends on how DOT […]

MAP-21 Puts the Squeeze on Bridge Repair and Bikes

By Tanya Snyder | Jul 25, 2012 | No Comments

One of the most popular elements of the new transportation authorization is its consolidation or elimination of 60 federal programs. But this cleanup is not without its casualties. One of those casualties is the off-system bridge program. And another one, indirectly, is bicycle and pedestrian programming. As you can see, the Highway Bridge Program is […]

How State DOTs Got Congress to Grant Their Wish List

By Tanya Snyder | Jul 24, 2012 | 1 Comment

Bike and pedestrian funding got slashed. Federal assistance for transit operations was rejected. Even the performance measures – arguably the high point of the recently passed federal transportation bill – are too weak to be very meaningful. For Americans who want federal policy to support safe streets, sustainable transportation, and livable neighborhoods, there were few […]

The Awful Truth About the Transpo Bill’s Bike/Ped Loophole

By Tanya Snyder | Jul 12, 2012 | 4 Comments

In the immediate, panicked moments after the MAP-21 conference report was released, I missed some of the nuances of just how bad a deal this bill is for bike policy. Three things stand out: States can use their Transportation Alternatives (TA) money on anything they want. Bike/ped programs are facing anywhere from a 33 percent […]

We’re Still Living in the SAFETEA-LU Era For Three More Months

By Tanya Snyder | Jul 10, 2012 | 1 Comment

Something that escaped my attention until recently is the fact that MAP-21 is really only a 24-month transportation bill. Folded into the bill is an extension of SAFETEA-LU for another three months, until September 30 — the end of this fiscal year. The bill was signed into law last Friday and it expires September 30, […]