TRANSPORTATION - Miscellaneous - Independence Institute

Are Supertankers Worthwhile or Just PR?0
- July 20, 2011
Due to budget cuts, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection–CalFire for short–is canceling its contract for exclusive use of two DC-10 supertankers. These supertankers are “perhaps [the] most effective tool” the agency has for fighting fires, says the news story. That’s not just an exaggeration, it is probably completely wrong. When the Antiplanner […]
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House Votes to Take Back High-Speed Rail Funds 0
- July 19, 2011
One more nail in the high-speed rail coffin: The House of Representatives voted to redirect $833 million from high-speed rail to Midwest flood relief. This is money that the Department of Transportation had awarded to Amtrak and Northeast Corridor states in May, but since Secretary Ray LaHood hasn’t actually signed the checks yet, Congress can […]
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Omaha’s Unlivable Plan 0
- July 18, 2011
Three years ago, the Antiplanner reviewed the regional transportation plans for the nation’s 70 largest metropolitan areas and found that 40 of them had some form of “smart-growth,” anti-auto policies built in. One that did not was for Omaha. Omaha planners are eager to rectify that situation. Perhaps in response to Ray LaHood’s direction that […]
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Mica’s Retort to U.S. C. of C.0
- July 15, 2011
In recent months, the Antiplanner has wondered if Representative John Mica, chair of the House Transportation Committee, would act as a true fiscal conservative or revert to his old ways of pork barreling for his state and district. The reauthorization proposal he made last week provides one answer; another can be found in his response […]
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Why Some People Support High-Speed Rail 0
- July 14, 2011
One reason some people support high-speed rail is that it provides an opportunity for all sorts of fact-finding missions, such as this trip to Europe. “High-speed rail is becoming a reality in the U.S.,” says the Transportation Research Board (a part of the National Acadamies, a supposedly private but actually government-funded and government-created group of […]
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Food Deserts Don’t Make You Fat 0
- July 13, 2011
Among the wacky ideas held by many urban planners is the notion that “food deserts”–that is, areas of cities without supermarkets–contribute to obesity. According to this theory, people who lack access to supermarkets eat many unhealthy meals at fast food restaurants. This reasoning is used to justify subsidies to supermarkets–often financed through TIF–in those areas. […]
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