Kate Hinds

(Kate Hinds, Transportation Nation)  Crossing the streets around New York City's Union Square got a little bit easier today, with the official completion of the redesign of the sidewalks and streets surrounding the area. The neighborhood, which hosts the city's flagship Greenmarket four days a week, sees tens of thousands of visitors on a daily basis, and there have been 95 pedestrian injury crashes from 2004 to 2008. The updates include a bike line and changes to the traffic pattern, and a pedestrian plaza has been added to the east side of Broadway between 17th and 18th Streets.

Looking north on Broadway from Union Square (Kate Hinds)

San Francisco's Municipal Transportation Agency wants to "focus on moving people, not cars," says agency head. (San Francisco Chronicle)

Lights out, Minnesota: some towns are turning off streetlights to save money.  (Minnesota Public Radio)

Freight railroad companies balk at sharing rails with high speed passenger trains.  (Wall Street Journal)

Did Governor Christie say that he'd replenish NJ's Transportation Trust Fund with the Hudson rail earmark?  What he meant to say was that he was waiting for recommendations.  (Star Ledger)

The Infrastructurist reports on a (fairly unscientific) trial to determine: which makes you crazier, commuting by bus or by car?

New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg takes helm of the C40 Climate Leadership group, an association of cities working to reduce carbon emissions and slow climate change. (WNYC)

(Washington, DC — Todd Zwillich, Transportation Nation)  Commercial interstate truckers hauling cars or chickens are already banned from texting while behind the wheel. So you'd think it would be a no-brainer that rig drivers hauling gasoline or other flammable materials would be banned too.

In fact, federal rules laid down last year prohibiting texting while driving in the federally-regulated commercial trucking industry left out rigs hauling hazardous materials. Now that loophole has been closed, under planned new regulations announced by the Department of Transportation Tuesday.

In addition to the trucking ban, Obama Administration officials also said they want to lean on private companies to do more to curb distracted driving in their vehicle fleets.

Starting Tuesday, one of the three shuttle trains running between Grand Central Station and Times Square has what the MTA calls a subway first: an advertiser-sponsored video campaign. The ten-inch screens are promoting TBS's coverage of the baseball post-season.

(Detroit -- Noah Ovshinsky, WDET) Supporters of mass transit are touting a new study that looks at the economic impact of high-speed rail in the Midwest. According to the Public Interest Research Group In Michigan (PIRGIM), a new rail network would create 58,000 jobs and tap into the manufacturing base that already exists in Michigan. Several Midwest states, including Michigan, have received stimulus money to help establish high speed train routes.

Meghan Hess of PIRGIM says she hopes the report keeps the issue in the public eye. “There is some money coming in from the recovery act but its not enough to fund the whole system," she says. "It needs the political will and the public pressure behind that political will to make that system a reality.”

Michigan is using stimulus money to build new train stations in several cities along the Chicago-Detroit rail corridor. Advocates say a new high speed rail system would allow passengers to travel between the two cities in less time than it takes to drive.

(Kate Hinds, Transportation Nation) Beginning today, one of the three shuttle trains running between Grand Central Station and Times Square has what the MTA says is a subway first: an advertiser-sponsored video campaign. The ten-inch screens will be running highlights of the previous night's baseball games. Although the screens are just repeating a commercial right now, subway rider Janet Vasquez appreciates it.

"I think it's great," she says. "I mean, I enjoy baseball, so it's a little different than looking at the regular, everyday mundane."

The MTA says it earns more than $100 million dollars a year from advertising -- but isn't saying how much it will earn from the video commercials. The baseball campaign will run on the Times Square Shuttle for a month.

Today the Department of Transportation kicks off its second Distracted Driving Summit. Members of the Transportation Nation team are there and will be posting later on today.

But in the meantime: there's no need to let, say, your work schedule interfere with your desire to follow the proceedings. A recent Ray LaHood tweet reads: "Can't watch at work? Staff blogging distracted driving summit live at http://fastlane.dot.gov You can participate w/comments!"

The NYPD is monitoring 500 subway cameras, 24/7. (WNYC)

Houston's Metro has been criticized for a lack of transparency.  So it's now streaming board meetings live. (KUHF)

The New York Times wrote an editorial that's critical of the Koch brothers efforts to overturn California's clean energy law on the November ballot.

NJ Transit officials are in the hot seat for bad service this summer. Just how bad? "We encountered a series of events that caused 1,400 delays," says the executive director. (Asbury Park Press)

Also in New Jersey: the money that had been allocated for the rail tunnel under the Hudson River may be used to shore up the Transportation Trust Fund. (Star Ledger)

It's like magic: with a wave of your hand, you can ride the San Francisco Muni for free. D'OH! (San Francisco Weekly)

New York's state Public Transportation Safety Board wants subway motormen to have an early warning system to reduce track deaths. (NY Daily News)

And just in time for the UN General Assembly: it's Climate Week NYC, a series of events focused on global warming.

(Washington, DC — David Schultz, WAMU) A new regional bike sharing program launches today. Riders can rent a bicycle for a few hours at several dozen stations in D.C. and Northern Virginia.

Marti Reinfeld is a big BikeShare fan. She can now easily make short trips within the city, instead of having to commute in all the way from home. "I can ride it in a skirt and heels - that's what I'm most excited about - so I don't have to change after work to ride my bike," she says.  Ed Neugent says - as he rides one of the red and yellow BikeShare bikes - he'll use the service to get to work meetings. "Sometimes our meetings are held in other buildings and a lot of times we can probably hop on a bike and go to the meeting if we can't get a vehicle to travel. Plus, it's a good form of exercise too," he says.

Are we finally ready to become pod people? Personal rapid transit systems, or P.R.T.s, are being piloted in London, jealously eyed by San Jose.  "Just get in the car, punch in a destination and the pod car travels directly there without stopping at other stations along the way." (New York Times)

Philadelphia's SEPTA wants to capture the energy made by braking subway cars. (Philadelphia Business Journal)

Alexandria considers add-on tax to fund transportation projects. (WAMU)

Second Avenue Sagas writes: "Yet again, a conflict between Nassau County and the MTA is boiling over, and officials on both sides of the table are digging in for a great game of chicken."

The Allegheny Trail Alliance wants "roll-on/roll-off" service for bikers who use Amtrak's Pittsburgh-to-DC line. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)  Alternatively, you could just bike the whole 300 miles.

The Jonas Brothers appear in a video urging young drivers to pledge to "X the TXT" -- an Allstate-funded campaign to stop texting while driving.   Sample comment on the Facebook page: i took the pledge even tho i cant legally drive yett!! ♥

California drivers are still texting while behind the wheel. At approximately twice the rate they were texting before the state ban went into affect last year. (Los Angeles Times)  Meanwhile, a battle is shaping up over a ballot initiative that would suspend that state's stringent greenhouse gas emissions rules. (New York Times)

Oil boom in North Dakota drives up revenue -- and rents. (Minnesota Public Radio)

BART votes to approve the Oakland Airport Connector.  Again.  (SF Streetsblog)

Shareholders of United and Continental Airlines vote today on the proposed merger.  (Marketplace)

Where do old NYC subway cars go?  Hint: their passengers now include black sea bass and flounder. WNYC takes a look at a photo exhibit of their watery graves.

(Washington, DC — Todd Zwillich, Transportation Nation) Funding for some high-profile public transit projects could be on the line in Maryland's upcoming race for governor.

Now that former governor Bob Ehrlich has defeated Tea Party favorite Brian Murphy for the GOP nomination, battle lines may forming around transit projects in Baltimore and in the Maryland suburbs around Washington, DC.

Do railroads have too much pricing power over farmers? Some say yes, and the head of the federal Surface Transportation Board says he's considering new rules governing freight rail pricing. (Wall Street Journal)

A penny for your thoughts: most Fulton County mayors say they support a one-cent sales tax to fund transportation. But since the referendum is two years away, let the legislative games begin! (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

Streetsblog takes a look at three "transit villains" who went down in this week's New York primary. Meanwhile, the New York Times wonders if Eric Schneiderman's past as a public-interest lawyer suing the MTA will win him votes in November.

X Prize marks the fuel-efficient spot: three teams split $10 million prize to create fuel efficient cars. (NPR)  Hey, one of the winners is from Virginia!  (WAMU)

For the first time since state transportation officials began documenting road conditions, more than half of all Colorado's DOT-maintained highways are in poor condition. (Denver Post)

New Yorkers, get your lawn chairs and astroturf and prepare to reclaim some parking spaces: Park(ing) Day NYC is tomorrow. Click here to find a Park(ing) spot.

(Houston — Wendy Siegle, KUHF)   There may be a moratorium on deepwater drilling, but that doesn't mean the Gulf of Mexico's shallow waters are immune from stricter regulation. More stringent rules mean the federal government is now taking longer to grant permits to operate in the shallow waters, and drillers aren't pleased.

(Oil Rigs near Huntington Beach/Aaron Logan)

(Detroit - Noah Ovshinsky, WDET) -  The proposed second bridge crossing between Detroit and Windsor has been in limbo in recent months. The legislation that essentially authorizes the project--commonly called the DRIC (Detroit River International Crossing)--is stalled in the state senate. Critics say the bridge is unneeded and too expensive. But in Ontario, the project is moving full steam ahead--even though its U.S. partner has yet to commit.

Who halted the Trans-Hudson tunnel?  NJ Governor Christie owns up, says: "If I can't pay for it, then we'll have to consider other options." (Newark Star-Ledger)

Cash for Clunkers...a clunker?  Two economists say that the spending program failed to achieve the desired economic boost.  (Freakonomics/New York Times)

The effect of the program on auto purchases was significantly more short-lived than previously suggested. We also find no evidence of an effect on employment, house prices, or household default rates in cities with higher exposure to the program.

One Wisconsin restaurateur hopes to start the "bike restaurant movement" in Madison.  Bike-themed Velo Bahn to open next year, replete with locally produced food...and indoor bike parking.  (Wisconsin State Journal)

Say your electric car runs out of juice while you're driving.  When you call roadside assistance, will they have a way to boost your battery?  One company has developed what it says is "on-the-go EV charging." (Fast Company)

(Houston — Wendy Siegle, KUHF)  Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst was in Houston today to discuss the state of Texas transportation. He says the Texas Department of Transportation needs to make some serious changes if it wants to tackle the state's congestion problems.  While Dewhurst gave some praise to the Texas Department of Transportation, he also had some harsh words for the agency.  “I’ve never seen a state agency in my seven and half years as Lieutenant Governor that has such poor public relations with the legislature, and most Texans.”

Virginia residents get their first look at the plans to build a new Metro line out to Dulles Airport. (WAMU) Meanwhile, Metro shows off how it plans to spend some of its $202 million in federal stimulus dollars: 48 new hybrid buses and expanding transit services for the disabled. (Washington Post)

But maybe DC transit should talk to Boston: the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority's new hybrid buses haven't quelled riders' discontent with overall service. (Boston Globe)

The New York City MTA held its first public hearing about the upcoming fare hikes. Perhaps unsurprisingly, attendees seem to skew towards being...unsupportive. (WNYC)

Crowdsourcing roadkill: one university in California is trying to gauge the impact of vehicles on wildlife. (New York Times)

Time is money, especially on I-680: starting next week, California begins piloting a program that would allow drivers to pay to drive in a traffic-free lane. (KALW)

(Houston, TX – Wendy Siegle - KUHF)  It’s been four months since the Federal Transit Administration launched its investigation into METRO's procurement practices. The results of the inquiry are in, and it doesn’t look good for the Houston transit agency. FTA officials say METRO violated both federal purchasing laws and Buy America requirements when it handed over two light rail contracts to a Spanish rail car vendor. FTA Administrator Peter Rogoff called METRO’s purchasing process “alarming and disturbing” in letter he delivered in person to Houston Mayor Annise Parker and METRO officials.