Over the next few months, Congress will continue to debate health insurance reform, and in particular, whether to create a "public option"- a government-financed insurance company which would compete with private
health insurers. Opponents of the public option fear that the government package might drive private insurers out of business. Are such concerns legitimate? American transportation history may give ammunition to both supporters and opponents of the public option.
Transportation
FasTracks Hitting Fiscal Bumps in Denver
Denver's FasTracks light rail system was set to be the nation's most aggressively constructed transit system when it was approved in 2004. But five years into the 12 year plan, budget issues and delays are calling the system's future into question.
The New York Times
Chrysler Bails on Electric Cars
Despite taking billions in stimulus funds with the promise of forging ahead on electric vehicles, Chrysler has dissolved the engineering team working on their three proposed electric offerings.
USA Today
A Sea of Infrastructure
An ex-pat American returns home to Milwaukee, and is overwhelmed by the extensive auto-oriented infrastructure needed to support the U.S. lifestyle, very different from his life in Almeria, Spain.
Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel
CAFE Or Gas Tax? How Best To Increase Fuel Efficiency.
The current government strategy to increase fuel efficiency is to mandate it through increases in the Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards, currently set for 35.5 mpg by 2016. In this piece, auto executives suggest a better way - using gas taxes.
Automobile
The Unlikely Savior Of NYC Cabs
Private industry often points to governmental regulations as a source of added expense that makes them less competitive. In this case, NYC's requirement two years ago that taxis accept credit cards has resulted in growth in ridership and revenue.
The New York Times - N.Y/Region
Alternative Vehicles Evolve, Infrastructure Still Lags
A group of industry and policy leaders discuss the current state of the technology and infrastructure that will drive change for the auto industry.
The Planning Report
Walkscore to Get Bus Points
Transit stops are now included on Walkscore, the map-mashup website that scores neighborhoods based on their accessibility and walkability.
NRDC Switchboard
Talking 'Bout a RailVolution
The Urbanophile reports from RailVolution in Boston, including a video interview with John Robert Smith, CEO of Reconnecting America.
The Urbanophile
The History of the Parking Lot
An exhibit currently at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C. explains how the architecture and design of parking lots evolved, and why. Meanwhile, the Parking Show of Shows conference takes place nearby with a different take.
The Washington Post
Driverless Cars are the Solution, Says Randal O'Toole
Promoting his upcoming book on transportation planning, Randal O'Toole says his central argument is that rail is a dead end and driverless car technologies are the answer to our congestion problems.
The Antiplanner
When The Auto Columnist Gives Up His Car
What's this? The Wall Street Journal's 'car guy' - the reporter who writes about cars and roads, is .....without a car? As difficult as it may be to believe, Joseph White is now a carless urbanite in DC. Here is his first column in his new lifestyle.
The Wall Street Journal
The True Cost of Commuting from the Exurbs
A new study from ULI details the transportation costs for households around the San Francisco Bay Area, and finds that SFers spend on average $500 less each month than suburban dwellers in the area.
The San Francisco Chronicle

Public Options in Transit and Health Care
Thu, 11/05/2009 - 10:15
Car-Free Sundays Coming to L.A.?
A group of cyclists in Los Angeles is hoping to move forward in talks with the city to establish car-free days, based on the ciclovia street closures originated in Colombia.
Los Angeles Times
Maryland's Smart Growth Law A Dud According To University Study
Maryland's 1997 landmark smart growth, hailed as one of the most innovative policies in the nation, has turned out to have failed in what it hoped to accomplish - preserve open space and cluster urban growth, according to a just-released report.
Washington Post
Bus Becomes Bus Stop
Sculptor and designer Christopher Fennell takes scrapped school buses and repurposes them into bus shelters.
The Design Blog
Changes Ahead for Rails and Air
Changes to a 75-year old rule, which says nonvotes must count as 'no' votes in labor elections, could make it easier for workers to organize in the railroad and airline industries.
The Wall Street Journal
Kunstler: Rebuild the Passenger Rail System
In his forward to James McCommons' new book, Waiting on a Train: The Embattled Future of Passenger Rail Service, James Howard Kunstler lays out the case for investing in a revival of passenger rail.
AlterNet
Buffett Buys BNSF
Billionaire Warren Buffett took full ownership of the Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) railroad yesterday, calling his move "a bet on the country." Some say it's a bet on coal and against clean energy.
Streetsblog
One Transportation Agency to Rule Them All in Mass.
It is now official: the new Massachusetts Department of Transportation will be the singular transportation and transit agency for the entire state. With the swearing in of its five-member board, the agency can begin its work.
The Boston Herald


















