vehicle miles travelled

There’s No Free Ride Anymore

I had a telling conversation with an old friend several months ago, a devoted environmentalist who’s a community college biology teacher living south of San Francisco in a pleasant small town abutting the Pacific. I don’t recall how it came up, but she declared, “We’ve just got to get more people out of their cars.” Then came a pregnant pause, followed by her admission that of course, because of where they lived and worked and their packed daily schedules, she and her husband drove themselves and their children everywhere. I’ve been thinking about this lately because, well, the roads are still chock full of cars and trucks, and despite an uptick in transit and bicycle use, traffic is still congested Read More ›

Beyond The Gas Tax

“We must respond to the reality that the gas tax, the traditional source of revenue for transportation investments at both the state and federal level, is not expected to keep pace with transportation needs in the future.”  With these words, New York Transportation Commissioner Astrid C. Glynn ( pictured below, right) welcomed participants to a  New York State DOT-sponsored symposium, “Beyond the Gas Tax: Funding Future Transportation Needs.” We moderated a panel on “Options Beyond the Gas Tax.” An edited text of our remarks follows.  * * *       A modest boost in the federal gas tax – and only a modest increase has a chance of passing muster with the congressional tax writing committees and obtaining a filibuster-proof majority support in the Senate – Read More ›