October 19, 2011 | Author: John Fineran
Maryland's Blue Ribbon Commission on Transportation Funding, appointed by Governor Martin O'Malley to come up with recommendations to address Maryland's transportation funding crisis, is close to wrapping up its work. Its recommendations will be finalized at their October 25th meeting, then conveyed to the Governor and state legislators. According to the preliminary draft presented to the Commission this week, a package of some $870 million in new transportation investment is being recommended. This is welcome news! Key elements of the package appear to be: Protecting the Transportation Trust Fund from further "raids" for non-transportation purposes;...regional poll of 800 residents in Maryland, DC and Virginia support:
Read MoreSeptember 27, 2011 | Author:MoveMDweb
The latest rankings by the Texas Transportation Institute place the Washington DC region at the top of the list, among all major metropolitan areas in the United States, in average travel delays. Last year, we were tied with Chicago for first place, with an average of 70 hours wasted by each of us from sitting in traffic delays. This year, the amount of time we waste in traffic has grown to a whopping 74 hours a year, nearly two full work weeks. When you add up all the lost productivity, tons of wasted fuel, and other costs, each...regional poll of 800 residents in Maryland, DC and Virginia support:
Read MoreSeptember 19, 2011 | Author: John Fineran
Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley has announced a new mixed-use development near the largely underutilized (from a land-use-planning standpoint) New Carrollton Metro station for the new headquarters for the State Department of Housing and Community Development. See the Washington Post Story today for details. This is good news for Prince George's County. It is also a good example of sound, transit-oriented development to bring more jobs to parts of the region that need more employment opportunities, already have a large supply of workforce housing nearby, and that are near current or planned transit centers. The proposed new development will include a mix...regional poll of 800 residents in Maryland, DC and Virginia support:
Read MoreSeptember 15, 2011 | Author:MoveMDweb
The Senate has finally acted to extend the authorization for federal spending on the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and other vital transportation programs, including roads, bridges, and mass transit projects all over the United States. The bill extends the FAA’s operating authority through January. Highway and transit programs, and the federal gasoline tax that pays for most of them, were all due to expire on Oct. 1, but now the deadline has been extended through March of 2012. Expiration of the federal gas tax would deal a crippling blow to what is left of Maryland's transportation program,...regional poll of 800 residents in Maryland, DC and Virginia support:
Read MoreJuly 11, 2011 | Author: John Fineran
In the Metro section in Sunday's Washington Post, transportation reporter Robert Thompson invited the two groups to "define the problem, propose solutions and tell us how we would know if their ideas worked." While there were commonalities in the solutions proposed, only SMTA had a realistic answer to addressing all modes of transportation and measurably reducing congestion, which continues to be the top threat to our economy and quality of life. Here's a brief summary: SMTA Lays Out Balanced List of Transportation Priorities: Citing the need for comprehensive solutions to our...regional poll of 800 residents in Maryland, DC and Virginia support:
Read MoreJuly 10, 2011 | Author:MoveMDweb
This week, House Transportation Committee Chairman John Mica (R-Fla.) presented his outline for the new transportation bill that sets transportation policies for both highway and transit funding for the next six years. From early reports, the new transportation funding bill will not contain sufficient funding to meet the needs that have been identified, especially in the nation's heavily congested urban corridors (including the Nation's Capital). This could mean a critical loss of funding for key projects in our region, including the Purple Line and CCT, as reported in Robert McCartney's column in today's Washington Post. ...regional poll of 800 residents in Maryland, DC and Virginia support:
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