Comments on: Meet the New AASHTO? http://www.streetsblog.org/2009/02/10/meet-the-new-aashto/ Covering the New York City Streets Renaissance Fri, 10 Feb 2012 16:07:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Komanoff http://www.streetsblog.org/2009/02/10/meet-the-new-aashto/comment-page-1/#comment-62838 Komanoff Tue, 10 Feb 2009 19:23:04 +0000 http://www.streetsblog.org/?p=5437#comment-62838 I'm probably as vociferous an advocate of raising gasoline taxes as can be found. But the argument for this position, and against higher-mpg cars, by 1000 Friends of Connecticut (see link in article) -- that higher-mpg cars will be driven so much more that they will "use up" the gasoline savings -- has been proven specious by empirical evidence. I've posted a comment to this effect on the 1000 Friends site, which you can find via the same link. I’m probably as vociferous an advocate of raising gasoline taxes as can be found. But the argument for this position, and against higher-mpg cars, by 1000 Friends of Connecticut (see link in article) — that higher-mpg cars will be driven so much more that they will “use up” the gasoline savings — has been proven specious by empirical evidence. I’ve posted a comment to this effect on the 1000 Friends site, which you can find via the same link.

]]> By: Chris in Sacramento http://www.streetsblog.org/2009/02/10/meet-the-new-aashto/comment-page-1/#comment-62835 Chris in Sacramento Tue, 10 Feb 2009 18:54:40 +0000 http://www.streetsblog.org/?p=5437#comment-62835 A very high-ranking AASHTO official once confided to me that the reason they don't go after Enhancements and such is that these small programs put a positive glow on the otherwise dreary federal transportaton program. Enhancements (and Safe Routes to School) motivate numerous nontraditional partners--preservationists, PTAs, health and safety advocates, etc-- to tinker on the edges of the process and implicitly endorse the policy as a whole without really changing anything. In this sense, the walk-bike community polishes for consumption by the public the rotten apple that is the federal transportation program. That's not to pass judgment upon walk-bike advocates, as alternative strategies--national critical mass, $8 gasoline, direct action, etc-- pose challenges of legality, morality or movement capacity. A very high-ranking AASHTO official once confided to me that the reason they don’t go after Enhancements and such is that these small programs put a positive glow on the otherwise dreary federal transportaton program. Enhancements (and Safe Routes to School) motivate numerous nontraditional partners–preservationists, PTAs, health and safety advocates, etc– to tinker on the edges of the process and implicitly endorse the policy as a whole without really changing anything. In this sense, the walk-bike community polishes for consumption by the public the rotten apple that is the federal transportation program.

That’s not to pass judgment upon walk-bike advocates, as alternative strategies–national critical mass, $8 gasoline, direct action, etc– pose challenges of legality, morality or movement capacity.

]]> By: John Boyle http://www.streetsblog.org/2009/02/10/meet-the-new-aashto/comment-page-1/#comment-62818 John Boyle Tue, 10 Feb 2009 15:49:51 +0000 http://www.streetsblog.org/?p=5437#comment-62818 I would throw my support behind AASHTO if they dropped their plan to add 40,000 lane miles to the National Highway System. I would throw my support behind AASHTO if they dropped their plan to add 40,000 lane miles to the National Highway System.

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