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The Planetizen News Brief - 3/5/09

5 March 2009 - 5:00am
Smart City Radio

The Planetizen News Brief is a weekly rundown of some of the most interesting and important news and issues of the past week.

The Planetizen News Brief airs every week on the nationally-syndicated radio program "Smart City", which is broadcast in cities across the U.S. Learn more about Smart City and listen to archived shows.

Full Transcript

In a move that’s been applauded by pedestrians, urbanists and livable streets advocates across the country, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan have announced plans to block vehicle traffic on a large portion of Broadway in Midtown Manhattan. The proposed section of street closure buffers Times Square, and officials are planning to put the wheels in motion as early as May, according to an article in The New York Times. The intention is to create more pedestrian friendly areas within the city, and also to improve traffic flows. Broadway runs diagonally across the city’s modern grid street pattern, so planners are hoping the closure will eliminate the clogs the intersections have created near Times Square. Some critics fear businesses will suffer as a result of the closure, but many others say this is a commendable move for the pedestrians of New York City. The experimental closure is set to last until the end of the year for evaluation.

Meanwhile, another controversial idea is getting some major support at high levels. The National Surface Transportation Infrastructure Financing Commission has advised Congress to raise the federal gas tax and begin a conversion to a fee based on vehicle miles traveled. The New York Times reports that the Commission is calling for an additional 10 cents in federal taxes on every gallon of gas, and an additional 15 cents on diesel fuel. The move is necessary, they say, to fund the nation’s aging transportation infrastructure, which has fallen into a quote ‘crisis of neglect’. Transitioning to a VMT-based fee has been touted recently as a more effective way to raise the money needed to pay for road and transportation projects, but despite a mention of support from Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, President Barack Obama has reportedly shot down both options.

There are plenty of transportation projects, however, that the Obama Administration is squarely in favor of. As officials look at ways to create jobs and boost the economy, rebuilding transportation infrastructure is high on the list. In an address to the Department of Transportation, President Obama announced that the economic stimulus plan’s focus on transportation projects would save or create 150,000 jobs by the end of 2010, the majority of them in the private sector. Though the breakdown of the actual jobs created puts only 95,000 in direct relation to transportation projects, the mere creation of those jobs is projected to boost other sectors of the economy, such as the goods and services that will be needed by new workers. But for many Americans struggling through the economic recession, the purpose of new jobs is likely less important than the quantity.

Stories discussed in this week's Planetizen News Brief

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