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.

10 November 2009 - 6:00am

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.

10 November 2009 - 5:00am

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.

9 November 2009 - 12:00pm

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.

9 November 2009 - 11:00am

Automobile

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7 comments

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.

9 November 2009 - 6:00am

The New York Times - N.Y/Region

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1 comment

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.

8 November 2009 - 11:00am

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.

7 November 2009 - 1:00pm

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.

7 November 2009 - 5:00am

The Urbanophile

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1 comment

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.

6 November 2009 - 1:00pm

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.

6 November 2009 - 9:00am

The Antiplanner

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3 comments

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.

6 November 2009 - 7:00am

The Wall Street Journal

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1 comment

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.

5 November 2009 - 1:00pm

The San Francisco Chronicle

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4 comments

Michael Lewyn

Public Options in Transit and Health Care

Thu, 11/05/2009 - 10:15

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.

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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.

5 November 2009 - 8:00am

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.

5 November 2009 - 7:00am

Washington Post

Bus Becomes Bus Stop

Sculptor and designer Christopher Fennell takes scrapped school buses and repurposes them into bus shelters.

5 November 2009 - 6:00am

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.

5 November 2009 - 5:00am

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.

4 November 2009 - 2:00pm

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.

4 November 2009 - 12:00pm

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.

4 November 2009 - 11:00am

The Boston Herald