Author Archive
Ohio Congressman recants, decides LaHood’s complete streets policy is not so “radical” after all
In an Associated Press story on April 15, Ohio Congressman Steve LaTourette was quoted decrying the apparently “radical” idea that the safety and comfort of people on foot or bicycle deserve as much consideration as those in cars. To his credit, LaTourette has fully recanted the statement and apologized for any misunderstanding, a result due in part to significant pushback from the bicycling community in his 14th Congressional District and throughout the country
T4 America outlines priorities in letter to key Senate Environment and Public Works Committee members
With the health care debate resolved and the U.S. Senate facing a full plate for the remainder of the year, Transportation for America joined with nearly 50 partners to explain our campaign priorities to a key Committee. The letter was addressed to Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Chair Barbara Boxer, Ranking Member Jim Inhofe and senior members Max Baucus and George Voinovich. In it, we outlined how America’s transportation policies have not kept up with changing priorities.
St. Louis County approves half-cent sales tax for public transit
Light-rail system in St. Louis (Photo courtesy of Matthew Black Americans are continuing to open their wallets and vote with their feet in support of increased transportation options, despite a tough economic climate. On Tuesday, a half-cent sales tax to fund the Metro transit system in St. Louis County in Missouri was approved by a […]
Housing and transportation squeeze hitting rural America, new reports concludes
When the Center for Neighborhood Technology released its revised Housing and Transportation Index last week, much of the focus naturally tilts toward cities due to the measurement of metropolitan areas. But CNT’s rural companion report on transportation costs in less-populated areas deserves ample attention as well. More than 1.6 million rural households do not have access to a car, making routine trips a strain on a family’s time and budget. For those who do drive, high gas prices take a big chunk out of monthly incomes.
Reconsidering how we measure housing affordability by including transportation costs
Americans have spent the last several decades moving farther and farther away from urban centers, in search of affordability. Rapidly growing communities ranging from the sunbelt cul-de-sacs of greater Phoenix to the exurban fringes of Northern Virginia have sold people on a lower cost of living. The decades of “drive-til-you-qualify” resulted in millions moving out for supposedly cheaper housing. But was it actually more affordable? A new tool from CNT reexamines housing affordability.
HIRE Act a down payment on transportation priorities
When President Obama signed the HIRE Act into law last week, he ushered in important progress on several important transportation initiatives. The Act extends current transportation law until December 31, 2010 and restores $19.5 billion in interest to the Highway Trust Fund. This works out to $14.7 billion for highways and $4.8 billion for mass […]
IBM imagines a smarter planet with smarter transportation
“The systemic nature of urban transportation is also the key to its solution. We need to stop focusing only on pieces of the problem: adding a new bridge, widening a road, putting up signs, establishing commuter lanes, encouraging carpooling or deploying traffic copters. Instead, we need to look at relationships across the entire system—and all […]
TIGER Grants Offer Critical Support to Communities with Innovative Transportation Projects
The Obama Department of Transportation today broke historic ground in unveiling projects chosen in a first-ever program to award federal dollars on a competitive basis to innovative projects that address economic, environmental and travel issues at once. The 51 projects announced under the TIGER grant program, funded by $1.5 billion included in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), meet a broad array of challenges.
Building America’s Future brings bipartisanship to rebuilding the country
For two years now, Building America’s Future has been beating the drum for substantive investment in our nation’s roads, bridges, railways and ports. This week, the bipartisan coalition ramped up its message to Washington with a press conference pushing for a National Infrastructure Bank.
East Tennessee doctor weighs in on the health-transportation connection
Our transportation decisions have a huge impact — positive or negative — on the health and well-being of all Americans. This idea that health and transportation are connected is gaining traction all across the country due in large part to groups (and T4 America partners) like the American Public Health Association, Prevention Institute, Partnership for Prevention and Health by Design. An influential doctor wrote a smart op-ed for an Eastern Tennessee newspaper this week asking some pointed questions on behalf of Tennesseans.
It’s past time to elevate the national conversation about infrastructure beyond just the price tag. Learn more about T4America's three simple principles for federal transportation investment.
Read our new principles