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June 21, 2009
Trixi Mirror
'Trixi mirror' in London
(Photo courtesy The Guardian)


Highlights

  • Deal may bring end to Turnpike agency (Boston Globe, Mass Trans for Tomorrow)
    Legislative leaders agree on overhaul
    By Noah Bierman and Matt Viser -- Top state lawmakers agreed last night on a sweeping transportation overhaul that includes elimination of the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority, an agency that has long been a symbol of bloat and inefficiency. The extensive plan, reached after weeks of closed-door negotiating, is expected to be voted on today by the House and Senate, giving rank-and-file lawmakers only hours to review complex legislation that their leaders have labeled historic.
    Related: Legislature approves transportation bill despite union concerns (Boston Globe)

  • Walking School Bus (FOX 25)
    Wakefield, MA -- It's a new day, and Wakefield mother Sherri Carlson is taking the troops to school -- about three dozen of them. Sherri “drives” a walking school bus, which is a people-powered express to Dolbeare Elementary School. “The biggest worry is to make sure they stay on the sidewalk and don't start veering into the street and watch out for dog poop. That's the two main concerns,” Carlson says. From the Carlson’s house, it's a half mile march. Kids and parents board at two stops along the way.

  • Allston commuter rail station most likely at Cambridge or Everett St. (Allston-Brighton TAB, Bulletin Newspapers)
    By Matt Seidner -- The Executive Office of Transportation has identified Cambridge Street and Everett Street as two of the strongest contenders for a new commuter rail station in Allston-Brighton. Both locations would serve a large and growing population of commuters and provide access to Allston-Brighton’s commercial areas. The EOT evaluated each proposed stop along the line based on several factors, including cost, accessibility by existing roads and public transportation, and the expected daily ridership for each location.

  • A (Radical) Way to Fix Suburban Sprawl (TIME)
    By Lesa Selin Davis -- Tysons Corner, VA -- There's something deeply wrong with Tysons Corner. For starters, Virginia's bustling commercial district — the 12th biggest employment center in the nation — has more parking spaces than jobs or residents. What was a quaint intersection of two country roads 50 years ago is now a two-tiered interchange with 10 lanes of traffic-choked hell; try to cross it on foot, and you're taking your life into your hands. Located about 14 miles west of downtown Washington, the nearly 1,700-acre area is home to fortresses of unfriendly buildings surrounded by oceans of parking lots, as well as single-story car dealerships, strip malls, fast-food joints, highways and a big toll road. Pedestrians are personae non gratae here. What few sidewalks exist often abruptly end.

  • A Short-Term Fix for Transportation (New York Times, US DOT)
    By Michael Cooper -- With plans for a six-year, $450 billion transportation bill hung up over the question of how to pay for it, the Obama administration said Wednesday that it wanted to put off the thorniest questions for now. Instead, officials proposed essentially extending the existing law for 18 months and finding a short-term way to pay for highway and transit projects. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said in an interview that he thought it was unlikely that the House and the Senate could agree on a new bill before the current law expires at the end of September. Rather than face a series of three-month extensions of the law, which has happened in the past, Mr. LaHood said it would be less disruptive for everyone to plan for an year-and-a-half extension now.

  • Boris Johnson planning traffic light mirrors to save cyclists from lorries (Guardian)
    Mayor of London wants to improve bike safety as he seeks to quadruple number of cycle trips
    By Helene Mulholland -- Boris Johnson, the mayor of London, is seeking government approval to place mirrors at traffic lights to prevent collisions by revealing cyclists and pedestrians hidden in lorries' blind spots. Transport for London confirmed it is in talks with the Department for Transport to get the go ahead for the so-called "Trixi" mirrors in light of a series of accidents involving lorries turning left at junctions. Johnson, who has described himself as "militant" in his desire to promote cycling in the capital, wants to improve cycle safety because of concerns that his campaign to quadruple the number of cycle trips between 2000 and 2025 could result in a big increase in accidents.

"Streets"

Walking

Bicycling

Transit

Cars/Parking

Transportation financing/Government

Parks

Development projects

Land Use/Zoning

  • Shadows, discussion, and intrigue at 'Can Height Make Right?' (South End News)
  • Letter: Very term 'greenway' snags development (Boston Globe)

Out-of-state

  • A (Radical) Way to Fix Suburban Sprawl (TIME)
  • How closing Broadway to cars could solve a century of traffic woes (Slate)
  • With a Little Help, Greens Come to Low-Income Neighborhoods (New York Times)
  • Eyes on the Street: Broadway Improved Beyond Times Square (Streetsblog)
  • Phoenix's METRO Light Rail Takes Flight (Streetfilms)
  • DOT's New Safety Ads: "Look" Doesn't Flinch (Streetsblog)
  • Doing density right (Crosscut)
  • Complaint Box | No Standing (New York Times)
  • Readers Weigh In on Parking-Sign Confusion (New York Times)
  • Car-Free Challenge Participants Buck Stereotypes (Streetsblog SF)
  • Bus Rapid Transit -- Can It Make It in NYC? (WNYC)

National trends

  • US cities may have to be bulldozed in order to survive (Telegraph)
  • Report: Nation's Cities Getting Stiffed on Stimulus (Streetsblog LA)
  • GOP's New Attack on Health Care Reform Bill: It Promotes Walking! (Streetsblog LA)
  • In the Works: Senate Bill to Promote Sustainable Development (Streetsblog)
  • Some Transit Aid May Be Freed Up for Operating Costs (New York Times)
  • "Livability Principles" will guide Federal housing, environmental and transportation policy (US DOT)
  • DOT moves U.S. High-Speed Rail closer to reality (US DOT)
  • A Short-Term Fix for Transportation (New York Times, US DOT)
  • Congressman Oberstar's Transportation Bill Outline (Transport Politic)

International news

  • On the Streets of China, Electric Bikes Are Swarming (TIME)
  • Sustainable Transport that Works: Lessons from Germany (The City Fix)
  • Boris Johnson planning traffic light mirrors to save cyclists from lorries (Guardian)
  • Cyclists to face big fines or prison under tough new laws [Victoria, Australia] (Herald Sun)
  • Electricification Suddenly in Vogue Again (Transport Politic)