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Tag Archives: public transportation

Our Urban Challenge: Build It First

I swear I’m not making this up. The following is a snippet of conversation I heard at the Mudshouse. The interlocutors were high school kids: Kid 1: “There’s just too much sprawl here.” Kid 2: “Yeah, not enough density.” Kid 3: “It doesn’t matter. We’re not going to live here anyway.” How do we make [...]

Posted 16 May 2010 † Andy Cline § advocacy § ecology § policy ‡ Comments Off ° Also tagged: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Rail Dreams

From Planetizen comes word that 88 percent of Americans want high-speed rail. Sounds like good news to me. But the numbers may be a bit suspect as they come from a survey conducted by HNTB Corporation. HNTB, based in Kansas City, would be just the outfit to design, build, and maintain such infrastructure. Now, just [...]

Posted 28 February 2010 † Andy Cline § ecology § news § policy ‡ Comments (11) ° Also tagged:

What MO Citizens Want

The Missouri Transportation Alliance has been studying what sorts of MoDOT policies citizens will support. Click here for a report on the findings by Brent Hugh of the Missouri Bicycle and Pedestrian Federation: The good points from our point of view: MoTA is recognizing that people want to be able to have the choice to bicycle, [...]

Posted 09 February 2010 † Andy Cline § advocacy § ecology § policy ‡ Comments (7) ° Also tagged: , , ,

Multi-modal Tuesday

I had to go to Kansas City yesterday to take care of business. I decided to go multi-modal. Mode #1 was our Honda Civic. One could fly to KC from Springfield if one wished to pay more than $600 to do so (according to my search of Expedia for a booking with 5 days advanced [...]

Posted 16 September 2009 † Andy Cline § ecology ‡ Comments Off ° Also tagged: , , , , , ,

Civilization Now

I love living in an under-developed country because I know it’s possible to go from this uncivilized state… Los Angeles Rush Hour At $4.70 gallon, regular from videorizing on Vimeo. …to this civilized state… Convenience from Amsterdamize on Vimeo. …once we finally come to our senses. It’s only a matter of time really. We’ll either [...]

Posted 10 September 2009 † Andy Cline § advocacy § ecology § policy ‡ Comments (2) ° Also tagged: , , , , , , , , , ,

Price of Gas?

Up until a few minutes ago I had no idea about the price of gas these days. My daughter and I walked to school this morning because it’s sprinkling. I’m good to go in the rain on my bicycle. But I don’t make her ride in the rain. It’s a teenage hair thing. Ah, I [...]

Posted 02 September 2009 † Andy Cline § ecology § policy ‡ Comments (13) ° Also tagged: , , ,

Big City Sans Cars

Here’s a fascinating look at… hmmmmm… what to call this? The future? A future? In any case, vehicle design student Marten Wallgren and his group recently won a Seymour Powell award for best concept in the “Future City Mobility” competition. They created a city system in which a futuristic bicycle is at the heart of [...]

Posted 25 June 2009 † Andy Cline § ecology ‡ Comments (6) ° Also tagged: , , , , ,

T & I Press Conference Webcast

The following is a press release from the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure: WASHINGTON — House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Chairman James L. Oberstar (Minn.) will release a white paper next week to outline plans for the new surface transportation authorization bill. The news conference is scheduled for Wednesday, June 17, at 11:00 [...]

Posted 16 June 2009 † Andy Cline § news ‡ Comments Off ° Also tagged: , , , , , ,

Shovel Ready

Suppose you want to spend some money — call it stimulus — on projects that will 1) employ people who badly need employment, 2) give citizens real transportation options, and 3) do a lot of good things for the envionrment and public health (just to name a few). Hmmmmm… what could you build? How about [...]

Posted 09 February 2009 † Andy Cline § ecology § news § policy ‡ Comments (8) ° Also tagged: , , , , , , , , , ,

I’m a Bus Noob

Today I used a Springfield city bus for the first time. I rode downtown to Stick It in Your Ear to buy the new Bruce Springsteen CD. I’m listening to it as I write this. I missed buying it yesterday when it was first released because we had an ice storm followed by about four [...]

Posted 28 January 2009 † Andy Cline § ecology ‡ Comments (8) ° Also tagged: , ,

Right for the Wrong Reasons?

Here’s interesting news from the North American International Auto Show: Automobile manufacturers would like the federal government to raise the tax on gasoline. From USA Today: The carmakers acknowledge that raising the gas tax is an unpopular idea, but they also saw how fast consumer preference shifted toward small cars when gasoline prices topped $4 [...]

Posted 13 January 2009 † Andy Cline § news § policy ‡ Comments (4) ° Also tagged: , , , ,

More on (a / the) Tipping Point

I highlighted a few columns from the papers last Sunday that seemed to me to indicate a “tipping point.” That’s not the best term to use. It’s merely trendy and, perhaps, a bit optimistic. Today I want to comment on How High Gas Prices Can Save the Car Industry, by Daniel Sperling and Deborah Gordon. [...]

Posted 20 November 2008 † Andy Cline § business § news § policy ‡ Comments Off ° Also tagged: ,

New Online Tool for Locals

Looking for a carpool? Want to find a friend for walking and/or cycling? Want to keep track of how gloriously green your transportation choices are? Then you need to visit the new OzarksCommute.com, a new service of the Ozarks Transportation Organization. Technorati Tags: bicycle commuting, green transportation, public transportation, sustainability, walking

Posted 19 November 2008 † Andy Cline § ecology § news ‡ Comments Off ° Also tagged: , , ,

The Future of Springfield

The Springfield City Council met for a “brainstorming” lunch yesterday in order to discuss visions for Springfield’s future. Here’s an encouraging moment from the article by the News-Leader this morning: Council members mostly suggested the typical qualities associated with a desirable place to live: high-paying jobs, fiscally responsible government, engaged citizenry, family-friendly neighborhoods, good traffic [...]

Posted 19 November 2008 † Andy Cline § ecology § news § policy ‡ Comments (5) ° Also tagged: , , ,

Tipping Point

Has the concept of a tipping point become cliché? Perhaps. One problem with the concept is the image of a “point.” Social, political, cultural, and economic realities are just never neat enough to fit the confines of a point. This metaphor, however, does seem useful to me as long as we understand that the point [...]

Posted 16 November 2008 † Andy Cline § ecology § policy ‡ Comments (8) ° Also tagged: ,