Infrastructure in the News: May 7, 2012

NATIONAL NEWS

WAMU: LaHood Calls For Increased Federal Oversight On Transportation
http://wamu.org/news/12/05/03/lahood_calls_for_increased_federal_oversig...
The Federal Aviation Administration is in charge of laying down safety regulations for airlines. The federal government also controls highways in the U.S. The same is not the case for the nation's transit systems. U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood is trying to change that. "The terrible crash that occurred here in Washington where people were actually killed I think was a wakeup call for everybody in transit and the public," said LaHood.

Huffington Post: Jobs, Jobs, Jobs and Green Too: Can Transportation Drive the Future?
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-rose/jobs-jobs-jobs-and-green-_b_1...
But the discussions about our transportation future shouldn't just be about keeping the shovels turning and autoworkers on the job. Yes, we need to look at jobs, but we also need to see we are not in this alone. The United States should be part of a global move toward interconnected, seamless transportation that, in addition to creating jobs locally, reduces the threat of global climate change, enhances trade and improves the health and livability of our rapidly urbanizing world while making sure we don't leave less populated areas behind.

Los Angeles Times: Schwarzenegger: GOP, take down that small tent
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/editorials/la-oe-schwarzenegger-gop-...
Some Republicans today aren't even willing to have conversations about protecting the environment, investing in the infrastructure America needs or improving healthcare. By holding their fingers in their ears when those topics arise, these Republicans aren't just denying themselves a seat at the table; in a state such as California, they also deny a seat to every other Republican.

STATE NEWS

Sacramento Bee: The Conversation: 10 steps to making Sacramento a cycling Shangri-La
http://www.sacbee.com/2012/05/06/4467259/steps-to-making-sacramento-a-cy...
The Sacramento region is naturally good for bicycling, and parts are very good thanks to bikeways and other human efforts. We fall short of being great. What would it take to make Sacramento a cycling Shangri-La for transportation and a Lycra lotus land for recreational cycling? Here's my Top 10 list.

Switchboard: Impressive Denver study on equity & transit should become national model
http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/kbenfield/impressive_denver_study_on_e...
Transit analysts Reconnecting America and the Denver equity coalition Mile High Connects have released an impressive compendium of maps and research showing how expansion of that city’s transit system could bring major opportunity to traditionally underserved populations – if local agencies take the necessary steps to prepare and coordinate.  Called the Denver Regional Equity Atlas, the data-rich report is among the more sophisticated uses of GIS mapping that I have seen.

DC Streetsblog: As Chicago Forges Ahead With BRT, Congress Holds Up Key Rail Project
http://dc.streetsblog.org/2012/05/04/as-chicago-forges-ahead-with-brt-co...
The transportation news has been flying out of Chicago lately. Last week, in a 41-9 vote, the City Council approved Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s Chicago Infrastructure Trust, which will be used to build projects with private financing. Earlier this week, Emanuel and transportation commissioner Gabe Klein just unveiled a plan for a downtown bus rapid transit loop that will serve six different routes. Those bus lanes will open within two years. In the meantime, 2012 will see the inauguration of a 300-station bike share system and the city’s first enhanced bus service on Jeffrey Boulevard.

Fast Lane: Olver Transit Center a new star in Western Massachusetts
http://fastlane.dot.gov/2012/05/olver-transit-center.html
Today is a big day for public transit and energy innovation in Western Massachusetts as Federal Transit Administrator Peter Rogoff joins Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick and Congressmen John Olver and James McGovern for the opening of the John W. Olver Transit Center in Greenfield. This is no ordinary bus depot. It's what we call an intermodal hub because it was designed to offer people access to several different options and connections for getting where they need to go--all in one place.

Transportation Nation: In Detroit, You Can Wait 3 Hours for a Bus
http://transportationnation.org/2012/05/05/in-detroit-you-can-wait-3-hou...
How long would you be prepared to wait for a bus? Ten minutes – maybe twenty. Try three hours. Here in Motor City, for the many thousands of people here who don’t have a car, and that’s about a third, getting from A to B is proving almost impossible. Some riders say the poor service has cost them their jobs, others are having to drop classes because they can’t get where they need to go. Yet, Mayor Dave Bing says he’ll do “whatever it takes” to fix the problem. So far, no dice.

Transportation Nation: Members of NY Infrastructure Bank Board Announced
http://transportationnation.org/2012/05/03/members-of-ny-infrastructure-...
Here’s the list of who will be on the New York Works board. No big heads of transit agencies or transportation authorities on the list, but you’ll note the Governor did name Bob Yaro, of the Regional Plan Association, a longtime transit advocate. There’s also an environmentalist, Peter Goldmark, and Felix Rohatyn, the man who “saved” New York after former President Gerald Ford infamously told the bankrupt city to “drop dead.”