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Road congestion wastes 1.9 billion gallons of gas USA Today - March 28th, 2012 By Gary Stoller As Americans pay about $4 per gallon for gasoline, they're wasting 1.9 billion gallons of it annually in traffic on congested roads, a new Treasury Department report says. Traffic congestion costs drivers more than $100 billion annually in wasted fuel and lost time, according to the report released Friday. Link to article
Pressure Mounts on House to Take Up Senate Bill. Does the House Care? Streetsblog Capitol Hill - March 28th, 2012 By Angie Schmitt The U.S. Conference of Mayors, Congressional Democrats, some Congressional Republicans, unions, industry groups, politicians from New Jersey, Chicago and Louisiana - they all have one message for the House of Representatives: Pass the Senate transportation bill. President Obama made it a key part of his weekly address this Sunday, pointing out that the economy would "take a hit" without a full reauthorization. Link to article Two More Down! SoCal and Sacramento do right in regional sustainability plans NRDC Switchboard - March 26th, 2012 By Amanda Eaken Last Thursday, the implementation of SB 375 hit another milestone with the Air Resources Board's (ARB) review of two more Sustainable Communities Strategies (SCS)-from Southern California and Sacramento. ARB members heard staff presentations on the two plans, asked questions of the regional agency directors, and heard stakeholder reactions. Link to blog Bid to appease bullet train critics may violate law Los Angeles Times - March 26, 2012
By Ralph Vartabedian and Dan Weikel
A series of concessions over the last year to quiet opposition to the California bullet train has created a potentially lethal problem: the revised blueprint for the system may violate requirements locked into state law when voters approved funding for the project in 2008. The Legislature packed the law with an unusual number of conditions intended to reassure voters, protect the project from later political compromises and ensure that it would not end up a bankrupted white elephant.
Link to article Pre-Recess Redevelopment Bill Status Update (Updated) California Planning and Development Report - March 23rd, 2012 By California Planning and Development Staff Perhaps more quickly than anyone would have thought, the California Legislature is already considering a collection of bills designed to both smooth the process of dissolving redevelopment agencies and to introduce new tools that cities can use in redevelopment's absence. For supporters of redevelopment, Senate Bill 1585 (Perez) is the Holy Grail. Or, if not the Holy Grail, at least a big help. It both cleans up some of the challenging aspects of Assembly Bill X1 26, thus making the dissolution process clearer for successor agencies, and expands the definition of enforceable obligations. Link to article Why Bicyclists Are Better Customers Than Drivers for Local Business Streetsblog Capitol Hill - March 23rd, 2012 By Tanya Snyder Do local and state officials tune out when you try to talk to them about bicycling? Are they unconvinced by arguments about public health, transportation options, or clean air? Do business leaders send you packing when you suggest building new bike lanes and bike parking, fearing that the loss of car parking will keep customers away? Then show them the money. Link to article How Can Cities Reverse Urban Sprawl, Increase Transit Use, Reduce Emissions? The Sacramento Bee - March 22nd, 2012 By Mineta Transportation Institute The Mineta Transportation Institute has published The Impact of Center City Economic and Cultural Vibrancy on Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Transportation. It documents that vibrant downtown areas are associated with lower greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from driving, and with greater public transit use. Link to article How To Talk About Cities Without Ticking Off Folks Who Don't Live There The Altantic Cities - March 22nd, 2012 By Emily Badger Mitchell Silver spends a lot of time traveling the country in his role as the president of the American Planning Association. In that time, he has learned that there are certain words you just don't use with audiences outside of the urban core. For instance: urban. "The minute I open about 'urban,' they say it's time for me to leave," Silver says, referring to crowds in smaller towns and rural com Link to article
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