http://dc.streetsblog.org/2009/09/15/more-on-mccains-anti-transit-and-coburns-anti-bike-amendments/ Your daily source for national transportation policy news and analysis. Thu, 09 Feb 2012 23:57:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 http://dc.streetsblog.org/2009/09/15/more-on-mccains-anti-transit-and-coburns-anti-bike-amendments/comment-page-1/#comment-82591 fpteditors Wed, 16 Sep 2009 14:33:15 +0000 http://dc.streetsblog.org/?p=28201#comment-82591 Looking at the little picture, we miss the big picture. Public transit investment is considered "spending" while the $billions for oil/gas/pipeline wars, which are a direct subsidy of the fossil-fuel industry, are voted through again and again. If the U.S. did not have the wasteful autosprawl system, which was forced upon us, we would not have to care who controls the pipeline routes to the Caspian gas. Investing in public transit is the way to undo the autosprawl system. That is the fight that is happening in the Senate. Don't get your hopes up. It will take tons of political capital to get one streetcar. The best approach is to focus on your local community and implement gradual rebalancing by making public transit fare-free. Looking at the little picture, we miss the big picture. Public transit investment is considered “spending” while the $billions for oil/gas/pipeline wars, which are a direct subsidy of the fossil-fuel industry, are voted through again and again.
If the U.S. did not have the wasteful autosprawl system, which was forced upon us, we would not have to care who controls the pipeline routes to the Caspian gas.
Investing in public transit is the way to undo the autosprawl system. That is the fight that is happening in the Senate. Don’t get your hopes up. It will take tons of political capital to get one streetcar.
The best approach is to focus on your local community and implement gradual rebalancing by making public transit fare-free.

]]> http://dc.streetsblog.org/2009/09/15/more-on-mccains-anti-transit-and-coburns-anti-bike-amendments/comment-page-1/#comment-82571 DavidG Wed, 16 Sep 2009 01:59:17 +0000 http://dc.streetsblog.org/?p=28201#comment-82571 Elana, can you parse the politics of McCain's move? Clearly this is not a principled stance, since his stated goal of keeping the highway trust fund is affected not a whit by his proposed assault on communities working toward transit and other clean options. Elana, can you parse the politics of McCain’s move? Clearly this is not a principled stance, since his stated goal of keeping the highway trust fund is affected not a whit by his proposed assault on communities working toward transit and other clean options.

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