Rethinking the parking needs of people with disabilities

Disabled drivers clearly need access to parking spaces near their destinations but do they also need to park for free? A recent article in the magazine Access argues that policies allowing disabled permit holders to park for free and for unlimited time in metered parking spaces create a number of problems without generating significant benefits for disabled people.

Making room for the slugs

The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) is now taking slugs—otherwise known as “casual carpoolers”—into account when designing commuter parking lots. Although Virginia law prohibits people from soliciting rides on the side of the road, when it comes to slugging, VDOT has recognized the congestion benefits and does not interfere.

Finding the middle – balancing public and private interests with P3s

Many agencies have been slow to adopt a public private partnership model for transportation financing, which offers both funding opportunities and shortened timelines. One problem is that municipalities and states may not have the capacity to match the right private partner to the appropriate project and assess taxpayer impacts. Is it time to consider dedicated offices to handle P3s?

An environmentalist’s call to curb the federal role in transportation

In the post-Interstate-building era, questions about the role of the federal government in funding surface transportation have become more common. Most of these arguments have come from conservatives. A new call for eliminating the federal role comes from a different perspective, though—a green one.

Virginia governor proposes scrapping gas tax, raising sales tax to fund transportation

Most discussion of possible solutions to the problem of stagnant gas tax revenues has focused on increasing user fees in some way – e.g., by raising fuel taxes, adding tolls, and/or adding VMT-based fees. Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell’s proposal to eliminate the gas tax and pay for transportation with an increased sales tax, thereby abandoning the decades-old concept of funding transportation with user fees, seems to have united both the left and right in opposition.

Accelerated Bridge Construction offers less hassle for drivers and faster implementation for DOTs

Accelerated bridge construction (ABC) techniques are transforming the replacement and construction of bridges across the country, and commuters are benefiting from shorter construction schedules. The central component of accelerated bridge construction is the use of prefabrication technologies which allow the production of bridge components off-site.