Kate Hinds

Seattle may create transportation taxing district (Seattle Times)

Transit Workers Union to run dollar-van service in Brooklyn (Wall Street Journal)

Early findings from government investigation into runaway Toyotas shows no electronic problems (AP)

Idaho's congressional delegation supports heavier trucks on interstates -- despite new study showing that trucks aren't shouldering their share of highway costs (Idaho Statesman)

T party: Boston's MBTA comes in under budget this fiscal year (Metro Boston)

Drunken boating makes steep decline in New Jersey; strict penalties and mandatory water-safety course credited with change (Press of Atlantic City)

Bus drivers in Korea demand safety measures; threaten boycott following explosion of  Seoul bus running on compressed natural gas (Korea Herald)

Mosque controversy coming soon to a bus near you: NYC's MTA approves ads opposing the construction of a mosque near Ground Zero (New York Times)

Portugal gives itself a clean energy makeover--but is it sustainable?  (New York Times)

CT State Supreme Court rules on vehicle ornaments, says police need a higher threshold when it comes to determining how distracting fuzzy dice are.   (Hartford Courant)

City Limits deconstructs the cause and effect of NYC's transit funding crisis.

Bergen County (NJ) police receive grant to target aggressive drivers (The Record)

Williamsburg "vigilante" says he's fed up with bikes parked everywhere, says "no bike is safe" and promises to continue gluing bike locks in his neighborhood. (Brooklyn Paper)

Massachusetts graphic designer imagines subway lines in places without public transportation. All aboard the Martha's Vineyard T!  (WBUR)

Transportation Nation's own Andrea Bernstein guest-hosted today's Brian Lehrer Show. One of the segments talked about plans to demolish the Sheridan Expressway, reconnect local streets, and use the expressway's land for open green space and affordable housing. The plan is controversial -- especially with WNYC's listeners. Can Steve, a truck driver from West Babylon who drives through the Bronx a couple of times a week, be won over? Listen below! (And keep your ears peeled for Steve, who calls in about 12 minutes in.)

According to the Denver Post, Colorado Republican gubernatorial candidate David Maes has accused Denver mayor John Hickenlooper of "converting Denver into a United Nations community." Maes was referring to...Hickenlooper's support for Denver's bicycle sharing program. "These aren't just warm, fuzzy ideas from the mayor," Maes said. "These are very specific strategies that are dictated to us by this United Nations program that mayors have signed on to." Before you dismiss Maes, remember: "That's exactly the attitude they want you to have."

Read the full story here.

Driver, follow that hot spot: a plan is in the works to bring Wi-Fi to NYC cabs (WNYC)

Subway made you late to work? The MTA will provide an excuse for you, online (WNYC)

Let my data go: a video plea for transportation agencies to end their data monopoly. Which apparently some are.  (Streetfilms)

The elderly and disabled must pay full fare. Oh wait, they don't. DC Metro reverses paratransit fare decision.  (Washington Examiner)

The Sheridan Expressway's possible dismantling to be discussed on today's Brian Lehrer Show.

Potholes: they're not just for spring anymore, as one Massachusetts highway is erupting after years of neglect (Boston Globe)

How is the Brooklyn Bridge spending its summer vacation? Being draped in canvas to prepare for being repainted.

Canvas being draped over the Brooklyn Bridge

You can see more pictures here.

(And yes, we did ask a NYC Department of Transportation staffer if there was any chance the canvas would be, say, Christo orange, or hot pink. The response: "Not on my bridge!")

What a difference a week makes: the last time we were on the bridge, no canvas was in sight.  But now the draping of the bridge has begun in earnest.   Workers are installing canvas to be as part of the paint removal containment system.  As Hasan Ahmed of the NYC Department of Transportation promised, "it will be lots of material."  One coworker who bikes over the bridge reported this morning that the canvas is surprisingly disorienting for pedestrians.  On the walkway, "you can see the sky, not the water," she said. 

We were out on the bridge yesterday taking pictures--see the slideshow here. 

Delhi has quite the public buy-in for transportation.  Some residents volunteer to monitor the subway to help enforce rules.  Now, it's bringing its battle for traffic safety to Facebook.

According to this New York Times article, the Delhi Traffic Police (which have the rather enigmatic, if Debbie Gibson-esque, motto of "With You! For You! Always!") started a Facebook page a couple of months ago.   It was immediately flooded with residents' complaints, admonishments, and reports of traffic jams, as well as cell phone pictures of vehicles that, in their opinions, were flouting the law.

"Unauthorized Taxi Stand near Rohini (west) Metro Station red light...numbers of taxi causes obstruction to traffic.  Pedestrians are forced to walk on busy road, " is one typical, recent post. 

Two men were convicted of plotting to blow up jet fuel tanks at JFK Airport. (WNYC)

The highest paid DC Metro board member attends the least amount of meetings (WAMU).  Meanwhile, one NPR employee on his morning commute snaps a pic of a rather graphic road safety ad on the Metro. Walk defensively, pedestrians.

New Jersey's Transportation Trust Fund is almost bankrupt, but Governor Christie has said that a gas tax hike is off the table.   Current plan: refinance bonds, hope for less potholes.   (Star Ledger)

Pennsylvania Governor Rendell begins a four-day intrastate bus tour to lobby residents for transit funds.  (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

Bus strike. In Tucson. In August.  (Arizona Daily Star)

Has bringing a bike lane to Prospect Park West reduced automobile speeding by 95%? One group's answer is an emphatic yes; others say not so fast.  (Brooklyn Paper)

A four-year, $508 million dollar renovation of the Brooklyn Bridge is currently underway.  But beyond some lane closures and a few construction signs, you might not have noticed much ...

One of Brooklyn's most recognizable landmarks, the Brooklyn Bridge is not just a static monument to innovation in the borough. It continues to undergo developments and WNYC has been following the recent, $508 million renovation project. But we've also been looking at its early beginnings.

If you toll it, they won't car pool: Bay Bridge traffic decreases after car pool toll goes into effect (San Francisco Examiner).

Bumpy ride in store for Pennsylvanians? As stimulus funds dwindle for the state's transportation projects, future spending on roads and bridges to be cut by 32% (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

New aviation safety legislation would require six times as much flight experience from pilots (Bloomberg)

Where's the pork? The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee releases searchable earmark database; download the spreadsheet here.

New York's Transit Workers Union suing city to keep commuter vans from taking over slashed bus routes (NY1)

Reaction to the National Transportation Safety Board's report on last year's DC Metro crash. (Washington Post)

The New York City MTA is giving riders two choices:  higher fares, or higher fares.  (WNYC)

Massachusetts thaw:  the Federal Transit Administration has lifted its freeze on funding for Springfield's Union Station project after FTA says local transit authority has shown a "remarkable turnaround."  (The Republican)

Check out "Life in the Bike Lane," WNYC's short video about navigating the city on two wheels.

The National Transportation Safety Board's announcement on the June 2009 DC Metro crash will come today. And the implications might be national. (Washington Post)

New York City's commuter railroads say 96% of them are on time. Commuters -- and the New York Times -- beg to differ.

The Takeaway wants to know: has BP affected the way we consume gasoline?

Sacramento County may open 20,000 acres of land to future development. The county says it needs the space; detractors say it's transit-unfriendly sprawl. (Sacramento Bee)

Charlotte's city council narrowly approved the construction of its $37 million streetcar line. (Charlotte Observer)

As part of the station’s role as a watchdog of government transparency, WNYC has been following the $508 million renovation of the Brooklyn Bridge. So when a database detailing exactly what New York City is spending went live this month, we took it for a test drive.

Will the Tesla become the DeLorean of electric cars?  (New York Times)

Senator Schumer wants to make the mass transit tax break--which is due to expire at the end of the year--permanent.  (WNYC)

Alabamans brace for the largest --and most expensive--road project in Birmingham-area history: the $169 million link between Corridor X and I-65.  (Birmingham News)

Auto accidents soar on one Tuscon road; state DOT says it's because drivers aren't obeying a yield sign.  And not that many offenders are being ticketed for this offense, either.  (Arizona Star)

Your NYC subway commute may get even louder: a plan to bring cell service and Wi-Fi to underground stations is back on track.  (New York Daily News)

Parsing Nevada's rail proposals:  mag lev versus high speed versus good old fashioned diesel.  (Las Vegas Review-Journal)

New Jersey's free roadside assistance program  may be on the way out.  "I can take that $12 million and use it for asphalt," says one official.  (The Record)

As part of the station’s role as a watchdog of government transparency, WNYC has been following the $508 million renovation of the Brooklyn Bridge.  So when a database detailing exactly what New York City is spending went live this month, we took it for a test drive.

A new Federal Transit Administration study says that it would cost $77.7 billion to bring rail and transit systems into "a state of good repair." And then they would still need $14.4 billion for maintenance. Meanwhile, 80% of the nation's transit agencies are raising fares and cutting services. (Washington Post)

High speed rail in California: one reporter drives the proposed route from SF to LA in an attempt to figure out why big infrastructure projects keep turning into money-sucking boondoggles. (KALW)

PA Gov. Rendell may "flex" highway funds to bail out mass transit. (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review)

A new shuttle bus service in Kalaeloa, Hawaii, will service the homeless. (KGMB/KHNL)

Back to black: US Airways reports $279 million second quarter profit--breaking string of losses that dates back to 2007. (Arizona Republic)

Stick it or ticket: suburban Illinois towns are using new software to ferret out drivers who haven't purchased village vehicle stickers. (Chicago Tribune)

Chinese are gaga over G.M:  sales rise almost fifty percent over last year.  (New York Times)

Budget cuts in one Idaho school district mean school buses will have to travel 315,000 fewer miles. Bottom line: more kids will be walking. Five miles uphill, each way, in a blizzard. (Idaho Statesman)

In Boulder, where bicycle commuting is 18 times the national average, biking "verges on a religion." (The Denver Post)

Could saving the US auto industry cost less than originally thought? A Detroit Free Press analysis says that taxpayers could recoup $74 billion of the $86 billion the government spent on the bailout.

If the game goes into overtime, turn the dial: listening to sports on the car radio can be dangerous. (Kansas City Star)

The Takeaway wants to know: why do we still drink and drive?

The NYC MTA has to close a $400 million budget gap. One of the proposals on the table: pulling all funding from Long Island Bus, which would gut the system. (Newsday) Meanwhile, west of the border, the controversy over how the Pennsylvania State Transportation Committee should close their $500 million funding gap rages on. (WDUQ)

The New York State DOT warns: close the Sheridan, prepare for more traffic. (New York Daily News) but New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu says a highway teardown there could be a "game-changer" (in a good way).  (Times-Picayune.)

And the New York Times reviews one local museum's exhibition "Cars, Culture, and the City."

President Obama travels to Michigan today for the groundbreaking of a plant that will make batteries for electric cars (NPR). But don't apply for a job there just yet -- it should take about 18 months before it begins hiring. Which is faster than the impact of the stimulus on the new green economy.

For Vancouver residents, it often makes financial sense to go south of the border to catch a flight. Helllooo Bellingham! (Vancouver Sun)

The success of the High Line has other cities thinking about what to do with their abandoned rail lines. (New York Times)

New Jersey Transit's new budget okays the purchase of 100 new multilevel rail cars. (The Record)

Toyota admits that sticking accelerator pedals and interfering floor mats caused some of the sudden acceleration incidents, but the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has reached "no conclusions" in its own examination. (New York Times)