-
Monthly archive for August, 2011
The Daily Dig: What Did Irene Leave Behind in Our Water?
Wednesday, August 31st, 2011
• Irene may have caused environmental damage by dumping sewage, pesticides and other contaminants into waterways along the East coast. (NYT Green Blog) • Four articles cover just how devastating Irene was for parts of Vermont and other rural parts Read more ›
The Road Signs Are A-Changin’: Part 2
Wednesday, August 31st, 2011
Well the road signs will still be a-changing, just not as fast as they seemed to be last fall. That’s when the Department of Transportation opened a public review period on new road sign standards established by the latest Manual Read more ›
The Latest on Maryland’s Grand Anti-Sprawl Plan
Tuesday, August 30th, 2011
In April the Maryland Department of Planning released a draft of a statewide development plan called PlanMaryland. It’s basically an anti-sprawl plan, and the draft itself (pdf) makes no attempt to hide this position: When we look back, it is clear that Marylanders Read more ›
The Daily Dig: Vermont & Upstate New York Recover from Irene
Tuesday, August 30th, 2011
• Upstate New York and Vermont were particularly hard hit as the storm wreaked havoc on mountain and rural communities. (AP) (Reuters) (AP) (NYT) (NYT) (Bloomberg) • Here are two slideshows of what Irene’s damage looked like. (TheAtlantic.com) (Boston.com) • Read more ›
The Daily Dig: East Coast Tries to Resume Normalcy After Irene
Monday, August 29th, 2011
• East Coast residents are going back to work today as people collectively agree that the storm could have been worse. (AP) (NYT) (Reuters) (McClatchy) (Bloomberg) • Flooding is the main concern as Tropical Storm Irene moved into Canada on Read more ›
Will Irene Raise Gas Prices Across the Country?
Monday, August 29th, 2011
Tropical Storm nee Hurricane Irene certainly made its mark on transportation throughout the East Coast this weekend, and will continue to do so for days ahead, but some fear its impact on travel won’t be limited to those who live Read more ›
Report: Mobile Carriers Impose Handicaps on Smartphones
Friday, August 26th, 2011
Even the most dimwitted individual with advanced degrees in network engineering and computer science understands the impact “middleboxes” have on smartphones. The rest of us should rush over to Technology Review, where Christopher Mims writes with admirable clarity about the “suboptimal Read more ›
The Daily Dig: Hurricane Irene Bears Down on East Coast
Friday, August 26th, 2011
• Tens of millions of Americans are in the path of Hurricane Irene as the huge storm swirls up the East Coast this weekend. (AP) (NYT) (Reuters) • New York City and the tri-state region are preparing their emergency contingency Read more ›
The Daily Dig: Feds Pledge $745 Million to Northeast Rail Corridor
Thursday, August 25th, 2011
• Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said earlier this week that almost $745 million in federal rail money will be used to upgrade the heavily-used Northeast corridor. (AP) (FastLane) • The East Coast is preparing for heavy winds and rain from Read more ›
What’s Better for the Environment: Raising the Gas Tax or Fuel-Efficiency Standards?
Thursday, August 25th, 2011
The Obama administration recently announced that it was gradually raising fuel-efficiency standards to 54.5 miles per gallon by 2025. That’s good news for the environment, but it’s not the best possible news for the environment, argues Eric Morris at Freakonomics. Read more ›
The Daily Dig: East Coast Rocked by 5.8 Earthquake
Wednesday, August 24th, 2011
• Office workers in D.C. and along the East Coast briefly evacuated buildings, but fortunately few were injured and only minor damage was reported after the most powerful quake in living memory hit the region. (AP) (McClatchy) (Reuters) (WashPost) (NYT) Read more ›
New Report: There Are Now 1 Billion Cars on the Road
Wednesday, August 24th, 2011
A year ago yesterday an unfortunate line of drivers in China spent their ninth straight day stuck in traffic. If the country keeps adding cars to its roads the way it did in 2010, that type of congestion might seem Read more ›
The Daily Dig: When Obama Comes to Town, So Does Cell Service
Tuesday, August 23rd, 2011
• The U.S.D.A. announced on Monday that it will give more than $100 million in grants to expand broadband Internet coverage across the rural U.S. in an effort to expand economic opportunity in those areas. (AP) • When President Obama travels Read more ›
For and Against High-Speed Rail, Part VI: California Cost-Overrun Edition
Tuesday, August 23rd, 2011
Today’s episode of “For and Against High-Speed Rail” weighs reaction to the news that construction costs for the first section of California’s bullet line were recently revised way upwards. In initial reviews, the cost of building fast track through the Central Read more ›
The Daily Dig: The Panama Canal Is Getting Bigger
Monday, August 22nd, 2011
• A $5.25 billion project to add another set of locks for the Panama Canal is scheduled to be completed in 2014. (NYT) • Hurricane Irene hit the island of Puerto Rico overnight and could be heading to Florida later Read more ›
New Report: Atlanta Has Worst Transit Coverage for ‘Zero-Vehicle Households’
Monday, August 22nd, 2011
Last week Brookings released an analysis (pdf) of car ownership and transit access in the 100 largest metro areas in the United States. Some of the report’s findings were encouraging: of the 7.5 million households without access to a private Read more ›
Is Detroit the Next Brooklyn?
Friday, August 19th, 2011
NPR recently wondered if Detroit will become the next Brooklyn. Correction: the headline wonders if Detroit will become the next Brooklyn. The radio piece itself does not address that comparison directly. But insofar as Brooklyn is a euphemism for formerly Read more ›
The Daily Dig: The Link Between Autistic Kids and Trains
Friday, August 19th, 2011
• A good article looks at the reasons why children with autism often find an outlet with the details of transit systems. (NYT) • Midwestern governors are meeting today to try to prevent another round of devastating flood from the Read more ›
Bring Your Questions for U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood
Thursday, August 18th, 2011
We’re big fans of Ray LaHood – we make no attempt to hide it. From his passionate stances on topics like eradicating distracted driving to his focus on accessibility to the public (he posts regularly on his official blog, the Read more ›
The Daily Dig: Everyone Wants a High Line!
Thursday, August 18th, 2011
• Following New York’s lead with the High Line, cities like Chicago, Philadelphia and St. Louis are advancing plans to turn old rail tracks into attractive public spaces. (NYT) • The National Weather Service said severe weather in the U.S. Read more ›
