The Ohio River Bridges project prioritizes car & truck dependence for the region at the cost of all other transportation alternatives. Your last chance to tell the government to find us better options is now through July 13. Follow this link and let them know what you think of their three options, none of which include significant increases to public transit service.

Updated Again: new time has been found!

Updated: Event has been cancelled!

Cancelled: Thursday, May 5th Transportation/Public Works Committee Meeting, 2pm - please plan to attend

Probably Cancelled: Thursday, May 12th Metro Council Meeting, 6pm - please plan to attend

Study shows that highway lobby metrics lack common sense

In Report: Want to Ease Commuter Pain? Highways and Sprawl Won’t Help, Streetsblog asks the question:

Imagine two drivers leaving downtown to head home. Each of them sits in traffic for the first ten miles of the commute but at that point, their paths diverge. The first one has reached home. The second has another twenty miles to drive, though luckily for her, the roads are clear and congestion doesn’t slow her down. Who’s got a better commute?

The answer, if you're the highway lobby, is the second driver. They go on to detail a study return sanity to the way we measure transportation efficiency. And an amazing thing comes out of that: though "congestion" is getting worse every year, overall efficiency in cities that invest in forward-thinking transportation and land-use policies is getting better:

Featuring the first ever Benefit-Cost analysis of the project, in an appendix we're still waiting to see. Share and enjoy!

Motion introduced opposing the levying of tolls on existing infrastructure in order to pay for new motoring infrastructure. The motion has over 16 co-sponsors in a 26-seat body, so it is sure to pass. See the C-J article. Louisville will join New Albany, which passed a similar measure, opposing tolling and the construction of a new I-65 bridge if tolls would be required.

For fun, I decided to do a rush-hour traffic count of the only intersection between me and my primary grocery. That's the corner of Baxter Ave and Goddard Ave, for my internet stalker fan-base. In that hour, I recorded 1167 crossings. 

• 95.7% were in cars (including 2 commercial trucks and one paratransit van)
• 0.8% were on motorcycles or scooters
• 1.3% were on bicycles
• 2.2% were people on foot*

The people on foot had a very hard time crossing Baxter - 77% were the victims of failure to yeild by motorists.

Running on Empty from Ross Ching on Vimeo.

Indystar.com:

Officials today launched Indy Connect: Central Indiana’s Transportation Initiative, a more than $10 billion proposed mass transit plan that includes rail systems, an expansion of the region’s highway system, expanded bus service and tolled express lanes.

Commuter Rail, Light Rail, massively beefed up bus service, and roads, oh my! Be sure to check out their interactive graphic that lets you see the systems overlayed.

If you give people nothing, they will go into the street.

Here's a sketch solution that gives the citizens of Louisville the same protection we give our road workers. This doesn't have to be the solution, but it seems workable based on my four visits to the site:

The good folks at the Ad Council recently help create the Speak Up Or Else campign to address reckless driving amongst teens.  The site asks teens to use peer pressure to confront their friends' bad driving:

Why speak up? Because reckless driving is the #1 killer of 15-20 year olds. Speaking up could save your life.  Look, we get it. You don’t want to make it a big deal when your friends are driving recklessly. But, you don’t have to seem like a downer, lecture them or sound like their mom. Speak up in your own way. Just remember, it doesn’t matter what you say, if your friends are driving recklessly, say something.

The site has several suprisingly fun PSA's, and teen-friendly features like videos that can be IM'ed (Instant Messaged) as pranks.