Opinion
-
Why Pleas to Increase Infrastructure Funding Fall on Deaf Ears
Opinion -Letting the nation’s roads and bridges deteriorate may worsen traffic congestion and add to our commuting woes, but when water and sewer systems begin to fail our very civilization is at risk. -
High Speed Rail Poses Immense Financial Risk, California Panel Concludes
Opinion -California’s plans to build a high-speed rail system present the state with “immense financial risk,” concludes an explosive new report from an independent review panel. -
Fate of Transportation Bill, California Rail Funding Remain in Doubt
Opinion -Putting aside the major imponderable—the outcome of the presidential and congressional elections that inevitably will impact the federal transportation program -- what can the transportation community expect in 2012? -
Speed-Enforcement Cameras in Chicago—For Safety or Money?
Opinion -The Illinois General Assembly has sent to Gov. Pat Quinn (D) a bill that, among other things, would authorize speed-enforcement cameras on roads within one-eighth of a mile of Chicago's schools and parks. -
Independent Panel Sees ‘Immense Risk’ in California High-Speed Rail
Opinion -Transportation experts and taxpayer advocates are hailing an independent review panel’s recommendation against borrowing to build a high-speed rail line in California, but the state’s rail authority indicates it plans to keep rolling with its plans. -
A Devastating Verdict Against California High-Speed Rail
Opinion -Like many other observers, we have found the California High-Speed Rail Peer Review Group to have made a convincing case for a fresh look at the feasibility of the California high-speed rail project. -
Transportation Bill Math Shows Neither Party Has the Money
Opinion -An October 26 letter from Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA) to Rep. John Mica (R-FL) has brought to the surface the confusion over funding of the multiyear surface transportation authorization. -
California’s High-Speed Train Wreck
Opinion -President Obama's dream of a high-speed rail future for California is dead. The only question now is whether the state government will kill it in time to save taxpayers billions of dollars. On Nov. -
San Antonio Council Okays Streetcar Rail
Opinion -The San Antonio City Council has approved a multi-million dollar battery-powered streetcar service that critics say could put the city on “a dangerous fiscal path. -
Cabbies Sue Milwaukee Over Permit Limits Blocking Competition
Opinion -Three Milwaukee taxi drivers have filed a federal lawsuit alleging the city has outlawed competition in the taxi market, causing permits to rise in price from $85 to a staggering $150,000. -
California High-Speed Rail Sets Record—for Fastest Cost Escalation
Opinion -California's high-speed rail project is setting speed records—not on tracks, but in cost escalation. -
Vote Suggests End of the Line for High-Speed Rail
Opinion -With its Sept. 21 vote, the Senate Appropriations Committee ended rail boosters’ hopes of getting a meaningful appropriation for high-speed rail in Fiscal Year 2012. -
Texting Monitors: Greater Safety, or Big Brother?
Opinion -An employee is driving an employer’s fleet vehicle and glances away from the road to text a message. A crash occurs, a victim’s family sues, and said employer pays millions of dollars in damages. A preventable loss? -
How Smart Growth and Livability Intensify Air Pollution
Opinion -The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) wants to implement stronger air pollution restrictions on ozone (smog) for the stated purpose of improving public health. -
Election Does Not End Debate Over Maryland’s Purple Line Rail Project
Opinion -Debate continues in Maryland over a proposed new metro transit line to be jointly financed by the Old Line State and Washington, DC metro. The conflict spilled over into the recent campaign between candidates in the state's gubernatorial race. -
Minnesota Rail Proponents Push Ahead Despite High Costs, Low Ridership
Opinion -Proponents of subsidized commuter rail are trying to extend a little-used line in Minnesota despite budget difficulties in the cities and towns whose taxes help support it. -
Great Train Robbery: Minnesota Rail Line Rolls Over Taxpayers
Opinion -Now that all of the hoopla, celebration, and hype over the opening of Minnesota’s Northstar Commuter Rail line have subsided, it’s time to examine the facts. -
Questions Remain as Wisconsin Takes Lead on Midwest Rail Line Push
Opinion -It would reach downtown Milwaukee, but stop nearly six miles shy of downtown Madison.Nobody really knows how many people would ride. -
High-Speed Rail Is an Unprofitable Train Wreck
Opinion -One of the most frequently mouthed claims about high-speed rail is that it is enormously profitable. Judging by the claims made by proponents, you might wonder why all the world’s capital has not “beaten a path” to the station. -
Red-Light Cameras Boosted Village’s Green, But Not Safety
Opinion -One of the largest municipalities in Illinois, home to one of the largest shopping malls in the nation, has decided to unplug its red-light enforcement cameras even though they brought in more than $1 million at one intersection in just a few months. -
Mississippi Bans Red Light Cameras
Opinion -Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour (R) has signed a bill banning the use of automated cameras that take pictures of drivers who run red lights.All red light cameras must be removed from the state’s streets by October 1. -
Chicago Mayor Puts Brakes on ‘Super Station’ Project for Now
Opinion -After spending $213 million, the City of Chicago has decided to suspend indefinitely construction of an underground "super station" for express train service to and from the city's major airports and downtown.Mayor Richard M. -
New South Dakota Measure Favors Railroads Over Private Property Rights
Opinion -Railroads operating in South Dakota will have an easier time seizing private property under state Senate Bill 174, which became law July 1. -
Iowa Takes Up Transportation Finance Reform
Opinion -In December, the Iowa Department of Transportation (IDOT) issued its "Study of Iowa's Current Road Use Tax Funds (RUTF) and Future Road Maintenance and Construction Needs" to the Iowa legislature.