Recent Streetsblog USA posts about Streetsblog Capitol Hill

New Report Maps Link Between Overseas Transit Attacks and Domestic Risk

By Elana Schor | Apr 13, 2010 | 2 Comments

Transit networks around the world beefed up security measures in the wake of last month’s fatal bombing of a Moscow subway car, but the relevance of circumstances and tactics used in overseas terrorist attacks to U.S. rail and bus security remains unclear, according to a new report partly funded by the U.S. DOT. A police […]

New Report Puts a Price on Suburbia and Rental Housing in One U.S. City

By Elana Schor | Apr 12, 2010 | 5 Comments

How much various Boston area neighborhoods are spending on total household transport and housing bills. (Graphic: Center for Neighborhood Technology) Boston mayor Thomas Menino joined Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-MA) today for the release of a new Urban Land Institute (ULI) report that maps the combined housing and transportation burden of living in the metro area’s […]

Planner Calls For ‘Fight’ Against High-Speed Rail Sharing Track With Freight

By Elana Schor | Apr 12, 2010 | 15 Comments

As federal and local officials plot out the future of U.S. high-speed rail, a prominent speaker at this week’s American Planning Association conference is urging fellow urban planners to "fight" the prospect of high-speed rail sharing roadbed with freight lines — a significant dilemma for Amtrak, which must split an estimated 70 percent of its […]

Transport Contractors Urge White House to Revamp Enviro Review Rules

By Elana Schor | Apr 12, 2010 | 7 Comments

The trade group representing private-sector transportation contractors is urging the Obama administration to change the way environmental reviews are conducted for infrastructure projects, proposing to favor "categorical exclusions" (CEs) from federal review rules over the lengthier process of measuring the environmental impact of construction work. Environmental reviews added an estimated $1 million to the cost […]

Nevada Becomes Newest Battleground in Mileage Tax Debate

By Elana Schor | Apr 9, 2010 | 3 Comments

Nevada’s state DOT is in the early stages of a years-long study aimed at mapping a possible transition from the gas tax to a vehicle miles traveled (VMT) fee, a shift urged last year by a congressionally chartered panel on infrastructure financing and encouraged by Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR). In-vehicle GPS units, such as the […]

New Analysis Tracks 40 Years of Changes in How Kids Get to School

By Elana Schor | Apr 9, 2010 | 7 Comments

(Chart: NCSRS/SRSNP) The percentage of U.S. students between ages five and 14 who walk or bike to school has remained stable over the past 15 years but remains three-quarters below where it stood 40 years ago, according to a new analysis of government data by two groups working on the Safe Routes to School (SRtS) […]

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