In a previous blog post, my discussion of externalities, public goods and roads spurred an unexpectedly lengthy set of posts and repostes. In this article, I want to address a trickier topic: Whether road users have effectively shifted the burden for paying for roads to non-users and whether the reason we pay for roads out of general taxes is a result of that lobbying effort.
Roads
Much of Future Measure R Money to Pay For "L.A. Roadworks"
Mayor Villaraigosa plans to borrow against future Measure R money to fund one massive, two-year road improvement project before he leaves office.
Los Angeles Times
County Wants to Use Transit Funds to Repair Potholes
In Modesto CA, a portion of sales tax is used to support the Local Transportation Fund (LTF) which is used for dial-a-ride, trains, and other transit services. Instead, the county wants to use this money for road fixtures.
American Planning Association
Vermont's Top Priority In Wake of Irene: Road Rebuilding
While the photos of the flooded towns in New England captivated our attention, it is the devastation to the roads and bridges that has become the priority in the rebuilding effort - as they must be repaired or replaced to allow relief and rebuilding.
The New York Times - U.S.
The High Cost of Status Quo Infrastructure
Infrastructure costs are towering in the U.S., but much of that could be because of old habits in road building. This column looks at how cities and states can reduce their infrastructure costs.
Citiwire
Urban Roads May Be Safer than Rural Ones
A new study of federal data on fatalities per 100,000 people and per 100 million miles driven finds significant differences in urban and rural roads.
USA Today
Journalists Missing that Road Design is Key to Pedestrian Safety
The Governor's Highway Safety Association released a report citing an uptick in pedestrian fatalities in the first half of 2010 and speculates on all sorts of reasons for this except poor road design.
Greater Greater Washington
Replacing Costly Asphalt With Sand
Could sand be the next great paving material? Thomas Kosbau and Andrew Wetzler recently won a design competition in Korea with their idea to combine sand with a bacteria that turns sand to stone.
Next100
A Traffic Engineer Questions His Profession
Charles Marohn is a traffic engineer. Despite years of training and millenia of precedents, Marohn now feels that the common practice of traffic engineering is creating bad and even unsafe streets.
Strong Towns
Managed Roads Favored Over Expansion in Twin Cities
Officials in the Twin Cities are looking to shift away from major road expansion projects and focus more on creating managed lanes that are intended to put a price on avoiding traffic within the two cities.
Minneapolis-St.Paul Star Tribune
Paying for Roads: Drivers Versus Cyclists
This piece from The Vancouver Sun asks who pays their fair share for roads and transportation infrastructure costs: car drivers or cyclists?
The Vancouver Sun
Rough Roads Cost Drivers
A new report from TRIP, a transportation research group based in Washington D.C., cites San Jose, Los Angeles and San Francisco-Oakland as the urban regions where rough roads lead to higher vehicle operating costs.
tripnet.org
Report Finds Driving Down, Roads In Good Condition
A new report from The Reason Foundation finds that the nation's roads and highways are in the best shape of the last 19 years. The authors contend that this fact is largely a result of fewer people driving due to the recession.
The Reason Foundation
Interactive Map Documents Road Quality
A new interactive map shows wear-and-tear on city roads, color-coding where work needs to be done and where smooth rides can be found.
Treehugger
Is There Enough Room For Everyone On America's Roads?
Tom Madigan asks: "is it still possible to promote new bicycling and walking options in harmony with vehicular traffic? Or as city space gets more limited, will planners have to take sides?"
National Journal Transportation
Tapping the Crowd to Solve America's Transportation Problem
Slate is soliciting ideas from its readers to improve the nation's transportation system.
Slate
Paint Shortage Slows Road Projects
Though funding is usually the limiting factor in road projects, the current shortage of a chemical is creating a sharp undersupply of the paint used to paint road lines.
The New York Times
Road Lobbyists Take Hit From Livability Movement
The concept of "livability" seems to be catching on -- both at a local level and up in the federal government. This is especially true in the Department of Transportation. That could mean bad news for the road building lobby.
Center for Public Integrity
The New World of Roads in China
The New York Times reviews a new book about driving in China, and how the vastly expanding roadways are changing the Chinese way of life from the farms to the cities.
The New York Times
Like LEED, But For Roads
The niversity of Washington and CH2M HILL have released a new sustainability rating system for roads.
Environmental Leader
Planetizen picks
Contribute
- The Benefits of Creating Hybrid Zoning Codes
- The Appeal of In-Town Big Box
- The Growing Appeal of Drinking From the Toilet
- How and Why Does an Architect Become Famous?
- Could Good Design Have Prevented the Housing Crisis?
- NY Times Defends the Port Authority
- Expanding the Hong Kong Subway, One Blast at a Time
- Can An Electric Bike Replace A Car?
- The Growing Popularity of Women-Only Mass Transit
- Putting the Bloom Back on the Rose Bowl
Information Sources in Planning: Principles -- Michael Dudley
Optimal Transport Policy For An Uncertain Future -- Todd Litman
Faculty Using Web 2.0 to Show Images -- Ann Forsyth
Information Sources in Planning: Introduction -- Michael Dudley
Liveblog: ULI Rose Center Kansas City Study Visit -- Jess Zimbabwe
Volunteerism Plays Critical Role in Reaching World’s Millennium Development Goals
Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs, Cleveland State University
Feb 10, 2012
Web Seminar: Economic Development in a Digital World: Home-Based Businesses and Virtual Workers
International Economic Development Council
Feb 08, 2012
www.flickr.com
|
