ANALYSIS
Infrastructure spending is critical, but not on bridges to nowhere
New York Times Nov 19, 08 10:02 AM CST
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Recently the House passed an $18 billion infrastructure bill, and Barack Obama has indicated that he'll ask for billions more in spending to create jobs while improving the nation's roads and bridges. But as New York Times columnist David Leonhardt writes, insufficient investment is only part of the problem. At the moment federal projects aren't linked to any goals, such as reducing congestion or pollution; instead we're building "Bridges to (Almost) Nowhere."
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Big Brown targets customers with ad buy, in talks to add DHL load
Atlanta Journal-Constitution Nov 11, 08 11:13 AM CST
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After DHL announced yesterday it was vacating the US express-mail market, UPS and FedEx ratcheted up efforts to snare as many of the Belgium-based company’s customers as possible, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. DHL handles 1.1 million shipments per day, 5% of the express and ground market in which UPS and FedEx are by far the top two players.
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glossies
New generation can tell grandkids they walked to school
Newsweek Sep 7, 08 7:55 PM CDT
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As high gas prices strangle US school budgets, more officials are cutting back where it hurts student scores least: school buses. Some schools are limiting or redesigning bus routes, but others have nixed busing entirely, leaving thousands of kids to hoof it under adult supervision. Some parents object, but many are thrilled to see kids walking like they did, Newsweek reports.
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Popularity soars, but safety issues could sideline vehicles
Fort Wayne Journal Gazette Sep 2, 08 5:04 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Faced with high fuel prices, many Americans are leaving the hot rod at home and zipping around town in golf carts. But the country club staple’s trip from the fairway to Main Street hasn't been entirely smooth, the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette reports. Rules governing their use vary from municipality to municipality, and as safety concerns grow, law-enforcement agencies are being forced to rethink the rules of the road.
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Social service delivery, rides for elderly hit by skyrocketing prices
Reznet News Jun 17, 08 2:26 AM CDT
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Higher gas prices are forcing Native American tribal governments to cut back on transportation services, reports Reznet News. The Rosebud Sioux tribe provides its police, education and social services departments with transportation, as well as rides for the elderly and trips to medical appointments. But with coffers running on empty, the South Dakota tribe is changing its driving practices, reallocating funding—and may be forced to shelve programs entirely.
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Mass transit winning converts across the country as gas price soars
New York Times May 10, 08 6:10 AM CDT
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The soaring price of gas is driving people across America out of their cars and onto mass transit, the New York Times reports. Buses and trains are up 5% or more in cities like Boston and New York, where mass transit is already a popular alternative, but the biggest leap in rider numbers—10-15%— has been in cities in the South and West where car culture is strongest.
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Feds double amount passengers can receive over overbooked planes
Los Angeles Times Apr 16, 08 6:09 PM CDT
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Passengers who get bumped off overbooked flights will be eligible for up to $800 for their inconvenience, the Los Angeles Times reports. The US Department of Transportation today doubled the amount passengers can receive, with the exact figure depending upon the ticket price and how long it takes passengers to reach their intended destination. The rule goes into effect next month.
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Constant gab has drivers, riders at odds
Washington Post Apr 13, 08 6:18 PM CDT
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Where cabbies and riders once chatted, they now gab on cellphones—and it's getting under people's skin. "Sometimes passengers, they don't even stop talking to tell me where to go," one cabbie said. But one rider blames the drivers, who often speak in other tongues: "I always assume they're talking about me," she said. How much love has really been lost? Quite a bit, the Washington Post reports.
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Driving and flying is about to get
more unpleasant
Newsweek Mar 12, 08 7:05 PM CDT
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As if the notion of heat waves and rising sea levels weren't bad enough, climate change also has the potential to royally screw up your travel plans. A new report shows that increased flooding in coastal areas could put a serious kink in road and rail travel, not to mention washing out the occasional bridge. And hotter days will make it tougher for airplanes to take off with their usual payload, which could cause major headaches, reports a Newsweek science blog.
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Zipcar and Flexcar to merge into 50-city, 5,000 car network
Washington Post Oct 31, 07 5:26 AM CDT
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Car-sharing firms Zipcar and Flexcar will merge this week under the Zipcar brand, which has the largest network of the two. The firms, both 7 years old, rent cars by the hour, rolling gas, insurance, parking, and maintenance costs into a $7-$15 hourly rate and an annual membership fee. Cambridge-based Zipcar has 3,500 cars in 35 cities and most of Seattle-based Flexcar’s 1,500 cars are in 15 West Coast cities.
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Flights on time just 72% of time, government survey shows
Associated Press Oct 3, 07 5:30 PM CDT
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Customer complaints about airlines were up sharply in August—double the level a year before—as delays hit nearly 30%, according to a government report released today. The on-time rate was 71.7%, down from 75.8 last year, a survey of the 20 largest US carries showed, less than a week after President Bush said he would help fix the problem with new government regulations.
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Panel will produce plan to cut traffic at Kennedy Airport by end of year
New York Times Sep 28, 07 8:28 AM CDT
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After a summer of nightmarish ordeals for airline passengers, President Bush yesterday ordered his transportation secretary to sit down with the airlines and do something to reduce delays and improve treatment of travelers by next summer. “There’s a lot of anger amongst our citizens about the fact that, you know, they’re just not being treated right,” Bush said.
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But Ventura, Inland Empire are catching up
Los Angeles Times Sep 18, 07 5:23 PM CDT
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Los Angeles and Orange counties are still tied for No. 1 in the nation in traffic delays, a study published today by the Texas Transportation Institute concludes. Motorists in either county lost an average of 72 hours in rush hour traffic in 2005—almost 2 work weeks. LA and Orange have lead the competition 23 out of the last 24 years.
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Writer protests claim that bike funding harms roads and bridges
Salon Sep 14, 07 6:17 PM CDT
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Bicyclists and green activists beg to differ with Mary Peters, the US transportation secretary who decreed last month that bicycle and walking paths shouldn’t fall under her funding purview, and spending on them may be to blame for the poor state of roads and bridges. Advocates of pedal power have been in an uproar ever since Peters said biking and walking are "are really not transportation," Salon reports.
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Most of city's subway shut down as workers protest pension cuts
Times (UK) Sep 4, 07 10:14 AM CDT
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A transit strike has shut down almost all of London's Underground subway system and has left commuters scrambling for alternate transportation. The Rail, Maritime and Transport union hopes to resolve a pension dispute today, the Times of London reports, but the city remains crippled, with service on 10 of 12 Tube lines suspended.
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