Sarah Goodyear suggests that rejecting Federal funds for transit projects has become a badge-of-honor for Republican Governors. In fact, right-wing idealogues are not the only ones sabotaging Federally-funded transit projects. It was one year ago that Berkeley City Council turned down a $200 million FTA grant for a new BRT system. Before BRT got nuked, [...]
Archive for February, 2011
Ohio, Wisconsin, New Jersey, Florida…and Berkeley
Posted in transit, tagged AC Transit, Berkeley, ideologues on February 19, 2011 | 1 Comment »
Caltrain Labor Productivity
Posted in transit, tagged Caltrain on February 16, 2011 | 3 Comments »
Caltrain has hit an iceburg. Due to declining tax revenues, the agency faces a $30 million deficit next year. One might think this would be an ideal time to modernize the system, and to fix long-standing labor productivity problems. But nope, the only solution up for consideration is massive service cuts. And just how archaic [...]
FRA’s “New and Improved” High-Speed Rail Regulations
Posted in transit, tagged FRA, high-speed rail, idiocracy on February 11, 2011 | 4 Comments »
The FRA (Federal Railway Administration) has issued new Proposed Rules for “High-Speed and High Cant Deficiency Operations”. In layman’s terms, that means how fast trains are permitted to travel around curves. Obviously, faster is better, especially as the Administration has announced an ambitious $50 billion plan for high-speed rail. The FRA has long been known [...]
Sea of Parking Planned for Diridon Station
Posted in planning, transit, tagged Diridon, San Jose, TOD on February 7, 2011 | 4 Comments »
Some $10 billion in Federal, State, and regional funding will be spent building new BART and high-speed rail lines into San Jose Diridon Station. Given that unprecedented level of transit investment, we can expect San Jose to make major zoning changes, right? Well last Tuesday, council was presented the Staff recommendation. And as you read [...]
Eyesore of the Month
Posted in planning, tagged Affordable Housing, Oakland, Public Housing on February 3, 2011 | 3 Comments »
With its narrow windows and blank walls, one might mistake this for a penitentiary. Or perhaps a psychiatric ward for the criminally insane. But it is in fact a new public housing project under construction in Oakland. Some things never change: for stupendously ugly architecture, one can’t beat a public housing project. This award winning [...]
