It turns out there is VERY little room available for onlookers in the house judiciary. As such, I wouldn’t recommend coming down unless you are really interested in the legislative process. We were under the impression that numbers would help our cause, unfortunately the are unlikely to make much of a difference. Sorry for sounding… read more
Advocacy
H5074 – PBC Recommendations
At our meeting with Representative Gemma, we proposed a combination of some changes to existing laws and wording for a completely new law based on the Orgeon Vulerable Roadway User legislation. These recommendations are what Representative Gemma will be presenting to the House Judiciary tomorrow instead of the original 3-foot legislation. If you plan to… read more
RIPTA Trying to Revive Ferry Service
According to a Providence Journal article, State transit officials said yesterday that they will try to revive the Providence-to-Newport ferry, and one ferry operator said he’s interested. I find it hard to believe that during these tough economic times, they will be able to pull this off, but it would be nice to see it… read more
H5074 Hearing Postponed
Representative Gemma, the sponsor of H5074 has agreed to request the bill be postponed to give us a bit more time to provide him with suggested modifications. We will let everyone know when there is a new hearing date.
Congressman Kennedy to Join Congressional Bike Caucus
As some of you may know, I had the opportunity to attend the National Bike Summit in Washington, DC a few weeks back. There were four participants from Rhode Island. As part of the summit, we spent a day on The Hill talking with our Sentors, Representatives, and their associated staff members. I will follow… read more
H5074 Scheduled to be Heard – March 24th!
The time is upon us… The 3-foot legislation is scheduled to be heard by the House Committee on Judiciary: House Bill No. 5074 BY Gemma, Flaherty, Ferri, Trillo ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO MOTOR VEHICLES AND OTHER VEHICLES — PASSING, USE OF LANES, AND RULES OF THE ROAD {LC98} 01/13/09 Introduced, referred to House Judiciary… read more
A Radical Thought
I don’t know about you, but I’m really concerned about the amount of money being given to various companies to bail them out as a result of their own failures. I’ll fully admit, I don’t understand the complete economic picture, but I’m willing to concede that having these big companies fail could have a significant… read more
Climate, energy debates must factor in transit policy
From today’s Energy & Environment Daily 03/20/2009 Josh Voorhees, E&E reporter Any congressional debate on climate change and energy independence must take into consideration the nation’s transportation systems, Rep. Edward Markey (D-Mass.) said yesterday. “A discussion of climate change legislation and transportation reauthorization would be incomplete without examining transportation infrastructure policies and practices,” said Markey,… read more
DOT, HUD secretaries push transit-oriented development during approps hearing
From today’s Energy and Environment Daily (03/19/2009) Josh Voorhees, E&E reporter Creating “livable communities” by linking transportation planning with housing development is a top priority of the Obama administration, two of the president’s Cabinet members told lawmakers yesterday. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan told House appropriators of their… read more
CLEAN-TEA on the horizon?
From today’s ClimateWire MASS TRANSIT: Carrying more riders and getting less money, urban systems seek help (03/18/2009) Saqib Rahim, E&E reporter In two weeks, the van will stop coming. And at that point, Bren Pathenos doesn’t know how her son will get to work. Her son, 30-year-old William Jenkins, has cerebral palsy, a brain condition… read more
LaHood, lawmakers hype mass transit and sustainability
From Today’s Environment and Energy Daily (03/13/2009) Josh Voorhees, E&E reporter Increasing mass transit options around the country is a priority as the nation moves toward more sustainable transportation and land use, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood told lawmakers yesterday. “To me, it is clear that our transportation system and the development it enables must be… read more
Oberstar says bike projects will be part of next authorization bill
From Energy & Environment Daily(03/12/2009) Phil Taylor, E&E reporter Cycling advocates and their allies in Congress are fighting to ensure that provisions for biking projects will be included in the next federal transportation authorization bill. Rep. James Oberstar (D-Minn.), a longtime supporter of bicyclists, has pledged to carve out provisions in the bill to provide… read more