What do Americans really think about spending on transportation?
Parade Magazine has a misleading poll up about transportation, asking their readers, “should America divert some funding from highways and bridges to invest in public transit?” There are a few faults with such a simple question, namely making it sound like there’s something written in stone determining that federal transportation money is “roads” money — instead of money that should be spent on whatever can best keep us moving and give us the most bang for our buck. Rather than asking Americans if we should “take” money from roads, what happens when you ask Americans the positive, “where should we spend our transportation money?”
Rep. Oberstar releasing outline of transportation bill Wednesday
House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Chairman James L. Oberstar (Minn.) will release a white paper next week (6/17) to outline plans for the new surface transportation authorization bill. The news conference is scheduled for Wednesday, June 22, at 11:00 a.m. The event will be held in Room 2167 of the Rayburn House Office Building. The news conference also will be webcast live on the Committee’s website, http://transportation.house.gov.
Stay up-to-date on transportation with Streetsblog Capitol Hill
We’re happy to announce that our good friends at Streetsblog have launched Streetsblog Capitol Hill — a new site delivering news on transportation with an insider’s knowledge but an outside-the-beltway voice — to help make sense of the complicated process of making federal transportation policy. It’ll be a daily read for all of us here at Transportation for America, and we’ll be pointing you to their content from time to time. Drop by and say hello to Elana and their new team.
Today’s briefing on Complete Streets — and the view from Decatur, Georgia
With the Environmental and Energy Study Institute and a few of our key partners this morning, Transportation for America held a briefing on Capitol Hill about Complete Streets — and how putting complete streets into the next transportation bill will go a long way towards improving health, safety and livability for Americans. Decatur, Georgia Mayor Bill Floyd, one of the panelists, told the story of how building complete streets in Decatur have made the city safer and more livable for its residents and visitors.
Highway Trust Fund could need as much as $17 billion to stay in the black
News broke yesterday that the Obama administration is telling Senators that the Highway Trust Fund — that pays for the projects approved in the transportation bill — will go broke by August if an emergency infusion of at least $7 billion isn’t approved. The system is broke, but it’s also broken. We need a federal transportation system that works, not the same broken thing at twice the price.
Help Dan. Save Traffic
Dan loves traffic. But Congress could take it all away when they consider this year’s reauthorization of the federal transportation bill. Will they give us the kinds of transportation options that could suck the lifeblood right out of traffic? Or will they simply pump more money into a broken system. Dan is waiting to find […]
New policy paper: Transportation in small towns and rural regions
Our current transportation program leaves rural communities stranded. Providing access to jobs and the economy is critical for these rural areas and smaller towns. With little local control over how transportation money is spent, local transportation initiatives are often made in small towns and rural communities with little attention to local preferences and concerns. (Download our latest policy brief on Transportation, Small Towns and Rural Communities.)
Webinar Series: Transportation and the Economy
Can smarter transportation investments play a part in bringing about an economic recovery? Join us as we discuss the connections between transportation and economic opportunity tomorrow, Friday, April 29 from 1-3 p.m. EDT. Speakers will explore how the transportation sector drives the economy and creates employment opportunities for American workers. Topics will include the transportation sector’s ability to create good jobs and sustain global growth, and the use of transportation as a driver of neighborhood revitalization.
Where should our transportation dollars go?
USA Today’s “Snapshot”on yesterday’s front page used data from a a poll conducted in January by Transportation for America and the National Association of Realtors. Source: USA TODAY
Choosing where to invest transportation dollars in Houston
We wanted to highlight this piece from Reuters’ Infrastructure Summit — especially an appearance by T4 America Partner The Citizens’ Transportation Coalition. Chairwoman Robin Holzer and the CTC have been working hard to bring attention to one of the most wasteful projects receiving money from the stimulus, using it as one more example to show how “the federal transportation funding system is broken, it’s just broken.”
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