Washington DC Legislative Update on Transportation Reform Stuff

1. SAFETEA-LU extension ends mid-December. House and Senate leadership interest in pushing a jobs bill (aka stimulus II) front loaded with transportation. Bipartisan senate group urging for 6 month SAFETEA-LU extension. T4America is one group that is working hard to get as much info as possible on how jobs bill will shape up and its implications for our reform goals.
See below articles:
http://dc.streetsblog.org/2009/11/17/three-gop-senators-ask-reid-to-call-up-six-month-transport-bill-extension/#more-50221

http://thehill.com/homenews/house/68135-hoyer-jobs-bill-by-christmas

2. Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act. Boxer/Kerry’s climate bill allocated 2.4% of proceeds from auctioned emissions permits to fund clean transportation. No clear timetable for passing a climate-change bill, but Kerry’s statement this week said Senate Dems will “attempt” to pass it “early spring” of 2010 after approving legislation to revamp the U.S. healthcare system and financial industry.

3. 6 marker bills still worth mentioning to your Congressperson
http://blog.tstc.org/2009/10/27/federal-policy-six-bills-to-watch/

Pedestrian deaths at Yale University continue, even in face of 4 public orders to slow traffic

Check out this issue at http://www.seeclickfix.com/issues/23.html - it says "No Pedestrian Signal" but its actually about the entirety of Frontage Road near Yale New Haven Hospital (YNHH), where a $500 million new Smilow Cancer Center just opened intending to be the best Cancer Center in the country.

But you can't walk there apparently. Scroll down to the bottom. pRetty cool the way this is all documented here, with community people and local medical researchers commenting about the dangers, about their kids not being able to walk ONE BLOCK through the city, and other stuff. a local architect or planner even posted a diagram of the place and needed improvements.

there is also a list of yale students and staff injured or killed on the streets of New Haven over the past few years. scary! looks like local activists are busy trying to make the streets safer, it just is hard fightin'

Inspiration for the future Buffalo Subway

An average subway station in Stockholm, Sweden...