Wisconsin DOT and U.S. DOT recently reached a landmark agreement to settle a lawsuit brought in 2012 by the Black Health Coalition of Wisconsin and the Milwaukee Inner-city Congregations Allied for Hope, challenging the $1.7 billion Zoo Interchange highway reconstruction project. This case may help lead to more balanced and inclusive transportation decisions in the future. But because it ended in a settlement and not an opinion of the court, whether it will result in changes in other states is still to be seen.
equity
Maintaining Diversity In America’s Transit-Rich Neighborhoods: Tools for Equitable Neighborhood Change (Dukakis Center for Urban and Regional Policy, 2013)
As communities across the country plan for and build transit-rich neighborhoods there is a growing need for planning and policy tools to guide this effort. This report provides a detailed analysis of how the introduction of high quality transit can spark neighborhood change, positive and negative. This change may have the unintended consequences of displacing existing residents or not meeting transit ridership goals. The report introduces an on-line tool kit to help planners and policy makers address these and other concerns.
Getting on Board for Health (Alameda County Public Health Department, 2013)
This health impact assessment informed the development of the San Francisco Bay Area’s Regional Transportation Plan. It focused specifically on transit-dependent populations and the expected health outcomes that may result from changes to bus access as determined by RTP.
Are you being served? Reserving your space on the roadway
For transportation professionals focusing on improving automobile commute times, the idea of enabling a driver to reserve space on a roadway at specific times may seem too good to be true—and it may be. Such a scheme may be too complicated to implement—at least right now.
Ohio city may lose federal road funding over refusal to install bus stops
Beavercreek, OH, could lose $10.7 million in federal transportation funding for roads because of its refusal to install bus stops requested by the RTA near a large mall. FHWA gave the city 90 days to take steps to comply with their request that the city approve a stop application process that did not violate federal discrimination guidelines.
Are We There Yet? Creating Complete Communities for 21st Century America (Reconnecting America, 2012)
This report that tracks progress in America’s regions toward a vision of complete communities. The report highlights the benefits that complete communities offer all Americans, tells stories about the work being done across the country to create complete communities, and measures progress in every region with a population above 55,000. Transportation plays a key role in this report, including gauging access for low-income and disadvantages communities, whether cities have invested in fixed guideways, and the development implications of in transit, bicycling and walking infrastructure.
Mileage-Based User Fee Winners and Losers An Analysis of the Distributional Implications of Taxing Vehicle Miles Traveled, With Projections, 2010–2030 (Rand Corporation, 2012)
Equity is a commonly raised public acceptance concern regarding MBUFs. The research finds that a flat-rate MBUF would be no more or less regressive than fuel taxes, now or in the future. The findings are significant because they suggest that equity considerations based on ability to pay will not be a significant reason to oppose or support the adoption of MBUFs. Further, it is possible to structure an MBUF that provides incentives for fuel efficiency while maintaining other favorable qualities of MBUFs such as their economic efficiency and fiscal sustainability.
Dangerous By Design (Transportation For America, 2011)
Although nearly 12 percent of traffic deaths are pedestrians, little public attention – and even less in public resources – has been committed to reducing pedestrian deaths and injuries in the United States. This report outlines …