Transportation

Reauthorization or Gridlock in 2012?0
- November 22, 2011
Speaker of the House John Boehner announced last week that House Republicans will soon introduce a surface transportation reauthorization bill called the American Energy and Infrastructure Jobs Act. The good news is that the plan (now available only in outline form) would eliminate New Starts and other slush funds that encourage cities to waste money. […]
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Technology-Neutral Energy Savings 0
- November 17, 2011
The EPA estimates the Toyota Prius gets 50 miles per gallon. But, judging from other cars that are made in both hybrid and regular versions, much of that high efficiency is not due to the hybrid engine. The Toyota Camry hybrid, for example, gets 39 mph on the highway, while the non-hybrid version gets 35 […]
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Even the Washington Post Opposes California High-Speed Rail 0
- November 15, 2011
Once a supporter, now the Washington Post‘s editorial page says, “Somebody, please, stop this train.” With projected costs escalating from $15 billion in 1996 to $98.5 billion fifteen years later, just how bad do things have to get before supporters admit the plan is foolish?
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Brown’s Folly 0
- November 14, 2011
Jerry Brown didn’t think up the idea of a California high-speed rail line, but he endorsed it last week despite the estimated doubling of its price tag. Brown has recommended that the legislature release funds so construction can begin in 2012. “Lincoln built the transcontinental railroad during the Civil War, and we built the Golden […]
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Everybody Wants a Streetcar 0
- November 11, 2011
The streetcar craze is just insane. Los Angeles wants one; so does San Antonio. It was bad enough when cities all over the country were building light rail, an expensive, obsolete form of transportation that at least has the virtue of providing slightly better service than the local buses it usually replaced. But streetcars have […]
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Max Crashes 0
- November 9, 2011
Vancouver voters apparently bought claims that C-Tran needed a tax increase to maintain bus service. Meanwhile, TriMet is so eager to reach Vancouver that it crashed a light-rail train into the buffers at the end of the line that could eventually cross the Columbia. Few knew about the accident until someone sent the security camera […]
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