Kate Hinds

Top stories on TN:
US Chamber of Commerce: House transit cuts could pass (link)
Crossing Delancey Street will soon get safer (link)
LaHood says high-speed rail in California is all about jobs (link)
FTA head Peter Rogoff joins list of officials who hate the transportation bill (link)
Photo: the ugliest rat (link)

DC Metro Station (photo by Jill Robidoux)

TN's Andrea Bernstein talks about the House's transit cuts on this morning's Brian Lehrer Show. (WNYC)

A New York Times editorial provides a "brief and by no means exhaustive list of the (transportation) bill's many defects"; calls it "uniquely terrible." (New York Times)

And: NYT critic: move Madison Square Garden to far west side to fix Penn Station. (New York Times)

A TSA program that pre-clears passengers --and lets them keep their shoes on while being screened by airport security -- is being expanded to more airports. (Star-Ledger, The Hill)

California labor groups are running ads that hammer home U.S. DOT head Ray LaHood's message that high-speed rail=jobs. (Sacramento Bee)

Pennsylvania's governor didn't budget for transportation because its problems are too overwhelming. "This is not a budget item. It is too large for that. Transportation must be confronted as its own distinct and separate topic." (Philadelphia Inquirer)

A German carpooling website plans to enter the U.S. market. “We think all trips by car could be shared,” says the founder. “Whenever you want to go with your car, you could take people with you, and therefore reduce carbon emissions and your costs.” Everybody say Mitfahrgelegenheit! (The World)

The four consortiums picked to bid on New York's Tappan Zee Bridge rebuild include some of the world's most successful construction companies -- and some with histories of delays and millions of dollars in cost overruns. (Journal News)

Why is there an uptick of cracked rails on the DC Metro? (Washington Post)

A pair of lawmakers from New York and New Jersey are pushing legislation to roll back last summer's Port Authority toll and fare hikes. (Star-Ledger)

Manhattan's Hudson Square neighborhood sees bike boom, installs more racks. (DNA Info)

Megabus is moving its Manhattan pickup site -- and doesn't have to pay rent. (DNA Info)

A map that replaces London Underground station names with anagrams is getting second life. You can get from Arcadian Noodle to Satan Dew, and you don't even have to transfer at Mind Eel!

Delancey Street — a busy multi-lane street on Manhattan’s Lower East Side — will be getting a major safety overhaul.

Delancey Street (photo by Joseph A. via flickr)

Delancey Street -- a busy multi-lane street on Manhattan's Lower East Side -- will be getting a major safety overhaul.

"We've got a plan to make it even easier to cross Delancey and really make it more of a street again," said New York City Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan.

The city will widen sidewalks and change the timing of lights to give pedestrians more time to cross. All told, 14 of the street's 19 crosswalks will be shortened.   Some left turns will now be restricted, and a service lane will be eliminated. "We're going to make it much clearer for pedestrians and drivers to understand how to cross and use the street," said Sadik-Khan, who called it "the most concerted effort that's ever been brought to bear on Delancey Street."

She said the redesign will add 14,000 square feet of additional pedestrian space to Delancey between Norfolk and Clinton Street. Large planters, maintained by the local business improvement district, will help delineate the space.

The street leads to the Williamsburg Bridge and is considered among the city's most dangerous; in a statement today, Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer called it "a nightmare for pedestrians." The city has made safety improvements over the years, but the issue vaulted to the forefront last month when a 12-year old girl was killed while crossing the intersection of Delancey and Clinton Streets.

“The problems along Delancey have been hidden in plain sight for decades,” said Sadik-Khan.  On Wednesday night, the proposed changes will be presented at a special meeting of Community Board 3.

New York State Senator Daniel Squadron, who said he created the Delancey Street Working Group last year in order to make the street safer, was pleased with the DOT's response. "These changes on their own don't solve every problem, and we're going to need to monitor them," he said. "What they are is they are a dramatic change in a short time frame, and it's going to make a real improvement."

The city said it wants to implement the changes this June. To see the plan, go here (pdf).

Top stories on TN: the Senate will move its highway bill Thursday. An audit of the Port Authority called it a "challenged and dysfunctional organization" and found cost overruns at the World Trade Center. Houston is a leading purchaser of green energy. Gas prices are creeping higher -- especially in D.C. And: listen to what happens when a subway platform becomes a musical instrument.

(courtesy of NASA)

The high-speed rail project that Florida's governor killed last February would have made an annual surplus of $31 million to $45 million within a decade of operation, according to a state report. (TBO)

The boom in shale oil and natural gas is moving the U.S. closer to energy independence -- but cheap natural gas means less incentive to invest in cleaner energy. (Marketplace)

New York City will unveil a pedestrian safety plan for Delancey Street, nearly a month after a 12-year-old was killed while crossing the busy intersection at the entrance to the Williamsburg Bridge. (DNA Info)

Toronto's city council is preparing to kill the mayor's transit plan. (Toronto Sun)

Four consortiums of engineering and construction companies have been found qualified to bid on the $5 billion project to replace the Tappan Zee Bridge. (Times Herald-Record)

An Ohio building constructed around the first Wright brothers' bicycle shop has been declared a public nuisance and may eventually be demolished. (AP via ABC)

Meanwhile: Newt Gingrich, campaigning in Ohio, says the Wright brothers rose from bicycle mechanics to world renowned inventors – without the assistance of government funding. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

U.S. DOT head Ray LaHood is blogging enthusiastically about Denver's light rail expansion. (FastLane)

Some DC Metro bus signs are telling passengers to "alight" instead of "exit." (Washington Post)

Just what is Detroit? A city, an industry, or an idea? (Forbes)

The World Trade Center site in late August 2011 (photo by Stephen Nessen/WNYC)

More analysis after we've finished reading, but the first phase of an audit of the bi-state authority finds an 'organization at a crossroads' and says the Port Authority needs a top-to-bottom overhaul of its management structure.

More findings: " a challenged and dysfunctional organization suffering from a lack of consistent leadership, a siloed underlying bureaucracy, poorly coordinated capital planning processes, insufficient cost controls, and a lack of transparent and effective oversight of the World Trade Center program that has obscured full awareness of billions of dollars in exposure to the Port Authority."

Read the Port Authority Audit (pdf).

Christopher Janney's "Reach," in the 34th Street N/R subway station (photo by Kate Hinds)

Manhattan's 34th Street/Herald Square subway station is not among this TN correspondent's favorites -- the platforms are narrow and it's usually crowded (hello, Macy's shoppers). Until last week.

While waiting for the N/R train, I decided to investigate the compelling burbling sounds pouring out of a green metal box suspended above the platform.

Reach New York: An Urban Musical Instrument is an audio installation by artist/architect/composer Christopher Janney. It was permanently installed in the station in 1996. Located on both the uptown and downtown platforms, when people put their hands in front of the instrument: "a burst of musical notes are released on the opposite side, playing to the person on the other side. The hand motions elicit an outpouring of sounds that evoke urban life and bring about duets between strangers waiting for their respective trains."

We had a lot of fun with it last week. You can listen to some audio of "Reach" below. (The sound gets really interesting about 30 seconds in.)

Top stories on TN: The Senate gave final approval to a four-year authorization of the Federal Aviation Administration. The world may be falling apart, but at least you'll be safe in your car: that was the theme of ads during the Super Bowl. And: a group of New York officials painted a doomsday scenario if a Republican plan to slash transit funding comes to pass.

Megabus (photo by Anz-i via flickr)

A federal judge denied a request to roll back a toll hike by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey -- while also refusing to dismiss a lawsuit against the agency. (Star-Ledger)

Meanwhile: New York politicians -- like their colleagues across the Hudson -- want to pass legislation that aims to rein in the Port Authority. (Staten Island Advance)

More unhappiness with recent transportation legislation comes from New York Congressman Nadler, who writes an opinion piece calling the GOP bill "a dagger aimed at the hearts of urban and suburban areas across the country." (The Hill)

Megabus' fleet of double-decker buses exceed the legal weight limit for NYC streets, according to a New York State police study. (DNA Info)

Was Clint Eastwood's "it's halftime in America" Chrysler ad pro-Obama? (Slate, Wall Street Journal)

Hills? No problem! San Francisco will test drive an electric bike share program. (New York Times)

Why does it take decades to build a subway system in the U.S.? Seven reasons, from Salon.

Italy has imposed emergency measures on businesses to conserve gas supplies as freezing weather continues to grip the country and much of Europe. (BBC)

A strike by French aviation workers is now in its second day. (CNN International)

Airline passengers are getting creative about how to save on baggage fees. (New York Times)

Illinois' governor signed a law that allows Chicago to use automatic speed enforcement cameras to monitor drivers around the city's parks and schools. (WBEZ)

To keep people from riding on the roofs of trains, Indonesia will swat them with "brooms drenched in putrid goop." (AP)

Top stories on TN: NYC plans to make cell phone service available at more subway stations. The House Ways and Means Committee voted to to remove funding for transit from the highway trust fund. Houston ports say they need more truck drivers to move goods. And: a corrugated fence under a NYC bridge becomes an art project.

(photo by fluffy_steve_2 via flickr)

New York City officials will flood Grand Central Terminal today to protest a House vote to remove a dedicated stream of transit funding. (AM NY, Second Avenue Sagas)

Star-Ledger editorial: "The...GOP strategy pits cars and trucks against buses and trains — and mass transit loses. That ideological shift threatens to undo decades of New Jersey transit growth."

Toronto's mayor and city council are at odds over that city's transit plan. (Toronto Sun)

Egypt will prosecute a group of U.S. NGO workers -- including Sam LaHood, the son of U.S. DOT head Ray LaHood. (Washington Post)

The CEO of Zappos is spending $350 million of his own money to revitalize downtown Las Vegas. (Marketplace)

Nearly a third of Metro's 11,490 bus stops are not handicapped accessible. (Washington Examiner)

Three cruise ships that docked in Florida and Louisiana have seen outbreaks of a stomach bug known as norovirus. (AP via Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

Auto industry commercials scored big at the Super Bowl. (Wall Street Journal)

Top stories on TN: New York's MTA announced the winners of its app contest. The MTA and the transit workers union formally resumed contract talks -- but not without some controversy. Efforts to preserve the surface transportation bill's  dedicated bike/pedestrian funding failed yesterday. U.S. DOT head Ray LaHood hates the bill. Senator Harry Reid says next week will be a big one for transportation. And: an expert in infrastructure financing has been tapped to head the California High Speed Rail Authority.

(photo by Patricia Towne via flickr)

Yesterday's markup of the five year, $260 billion surface transportation bill lasted 18 hours. Congresswoman Corrine Brown: "This has been the worst day of my life...This is the worst bill I have ever seen." (Politico)'

And: the bill's truck weight increase was killed. (The Hill)

Los Angeles Times on transpo bill: It's a "legislative train wreck."

And: the House Ways and Means Committee is scheduled today to debate and vote on ending the 30-year policy of devoting 2.86 cents of the 18.4- cent gasoline tax paid by U.S. motorists to public transportation. "The money would instead go toward keeping a U.S. account for road and bridge construction solvent." (Bloomberg)

Meanwhile, after four years of wrangling and one shutdown, the FAA will soon get a bill of its own (NPR). Tweet from  the AP's Joan Lowy: "What will aviation lobbyists do now?"

In other news...when will New York State release the names of the bidders for the Tappan Zee Bridge project? (Wall Street Journal)

NJ lawmakers -- still fuming over last year's toll hike -- released four bills from committee intended to rein in and open up the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. (Star-Ledger)

California's legislature restored $248 million for school bus transportation that was particularly crucial for small and rural school districts. (Los Angeles Times)

Madison's buses set a ridership record in 2011. (Wisconsin State Journal)

Is there a NYC ticket blitz? (NY Times)

Carjackings in Newark rose for the third straight year in 2011. (Star-Ledger)

A House committee defeated an attempt to mandate federal funding for bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure Thursday morning.

As TN reported earlier this week, the House wants to eliminate so-called transportation “enhancements” that require states to spend up to 10% of surface transportation money on non-highway projects like bike paths or beautification projects.

At least two congressmen tried to insert an amendment that would restore that dedicated funding, and bicycle, pedestrian and environmental groups hastily mounted an effort to support it. But those efforts failed, according to reports. "Petri Amendment goes down by two votes, 29-27," tweeted T4America. A staffer for Congressman Petri (R-WI) said three Republicans voted for it.

(UPDATE) According to the staffer, funding for the Transportation Enhancements and Safe Routes to School Activities program would not have come from new funds. The states would have been directed to find funding from any of the other programs funded by the overall transportation bill. For the country as a whole, this translates to about $1 billion out of the $260 billion bill.

The Transportation and Infrastructure Committee is marking up its part of the 842-page, five-year, $260 billion surface transportation bill. Earlier Thursday morning, U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood told Politico it was "the worst transportation bill” he’s seen in decades.

Top stories on TN: Contract talks resumed between NY's MTA and the transit union. The House's transpo bill got a storm of criticism. And one Bay Area resident gets a lesson in urban cycling.

(photo by willandbeyond via flickr)

Watch a live markup of the transportation bill starting at 9am. (House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee)

Learn more about the transportation bill -- and how it will affect cyclists and pedestrians -- on this morning's Brian Lehrer Show. (WNYC)

And: one provision of the bill that's getting a lot of attention: increasing the weight of trucks on highways. (CNN)

American Airlines wants to lay off 13,000 workers--15% of its workforce -- and terminate pension plans. (New York Times)

New Jersey's Assembly is considering four bills that would increase oversight and transparency of the Port Authority. (New Jersey Newsroom)

Meanwhile, NJ Democrats have also recommended people for jobs at the Port Authority. Gov. Christie spokesman: "I feel like saying something about people with glass houses." (Star-Ledger)

No transit legislation for Indiana, at least this session. (Indianapolis Star)

New York's MTA has paid $105 million in fees to the state for borrowing from private investors over the past six years. (New York Daily News)

Capital Bikeshare is expanding into the DC suburbs...(Washington Post)

...and users explain why they ride: “Unless you walk to work, there’s simply no cheaper way to go,” said one. “The cost savings have been ridiculous.” (Washington Post)

The New York State Assembly is investigating the NY Metropolitan Transportation Council -- a "little-known government body that plays a major role in setting transportation policy in New York City and its suburbs." (New York Times)

London is using "green walls" to reduce air pollution. (CNN)

Women are better at parking than men, at least in the U.K. (Chicago Tribune)

Top stories on TN: NYC held its first bicycle station community planning workshop. How the stimulus revived the electric car. One academic says NJ Governor Chris Christie’s hiring recommendations at the Port Authority far outpace his predecessor’s patronage hires. House Republicans rolled out parts of a $260 billion transportation infrastructure bill. President Obama dropped by the DC auto show. Karachi has the most beautiful buses in the world.  And: the history of Critical Mass rides.

Tappan Zee Bridge (photo by icadrews via flickr)

Lawmakers say they've reached an agreement on a $63 billion, four-year bill to extend the Federal Aviation Administration's operating authority and the agency's air traffic modernization effort. (AP via NPR)

The U.S. DOT is making $500 million available for a fourth round of TIGER grant funding. (DOT)

Engineers and transportation wonks are crunching numbers for the $5.2 billion Tappan Zee Bridge project to see what drivers might pay if toll revenue alone funds it. Worst-case scenario: $30 tolls by 2022, up from the current $5. (Crain's New York Business)

New York's MTA and the transit workers union will resume contract talks tomorrow. (Wall Street Journal)

Security video in the NYC death of cyclist Mathieu Lefevre differs from the description in the police report. (Streetsblog, New York Times)

The Motor City loses one of its rarest breeds: a woman car executive. (Forbes)

Florida Congressman John Mica needs to decide what district he'll run in. (Orlando Sentinel)

Boston's transit system set a modern ridership record in 2011 -- but those numbers will almost surely dip this year, as the T considers fare increases and service cuts. (Boston Globe)

General Motors’ bankruptcy unit has agreed to pay nearly $24 million to resolve environmental liabilities at Superfund sites in New Jersey, Maryland and Missouri. (Star-Ledger)

Dozens of people gathered at the city's first bike share program planning workshop at in midtown Manhattan Tuesday night, poring over maps of Manhattan and carving out locations for some of the 600 share stations to be installed before the program begins this summer. 

Given all the sturm and drang that has accompanied New York's bike lane expansion, you might think the first meeting to discuss where to put 600 bike share station when New York rolls out its bike share program in July, tempers would be hot.

After all, in a place where every inch of space is contested, figuring out where to locate 600 bike share stations is no small task.

But you'd be wrong.

Tuesday night the city held what will be the first of many planning workshops. About 50 people gathered in an overheated room on West 42nd Street to pore over large maps of Community Board 4, which stretches from 14th Street to 59th Street on Manhattan's west side.

People taking part in a NYC DOT-led planning workshop (photo by Kate Hinds)

“We’re very excited,” said Corey Johnson, the chair of CB4. “I’m glad New York is finally catching up to something that has performed quite well in other cities across the country and across the globe.”

That attitude seems typical:  ever since the city put up an online map requesting ideas, more than 8,000 locations have been suggested.

City Department of Transportation employees walked community members through a presentation about the bike share program, then unveiled a large map of the district that had suggested bike share station locations on it. There had already been some vetting.  "We have technical criteria," said DOT policy director Jon Orcutt. "You’re not going to put one that blocks a fire hydrant, you’re not going to block a narrow sidewalk." He said there's no one-size-fits-all approach to station siting. Some will be on wide sidewalks, some will be in the street, some will be in plazas.

Renderings of types of bike share station locations (photo by Kate Hinds)

Corey Johnson said for him, pedestrian space trumped parking. “[Bike share stations] may eliminate a parking space or two on a residential block, but it’s not going to eliminate sidewalk space for pedestrians,” he said. “So is it worth having a dozen bicycles that are easy access on a residential block and give up one or two parking spaces? I believe the answer is yes.”

Orcutt said the DOT had held over 100 meetings about the bike share program so far. "We're talking to property owners, talking to everybody we can, and carving out space here and there," he said. "You can't just say they're all going to be 15 feet from odd-numbered street corners. There's no way. You have to go and plan each single one of these."

Members of the community were invited to put green arrows on the station locations they liked, red on the ones they didn't, and black on locations where they wanted to suggest one. (Photo by Kate Hinds)

So dozens of people gathered around six separate tables and scrutinized the map, block by block. "This specific site, I think, is very challenging," said Ben Donsky, the vice president of the Chelsea Improvement Company, as he put a red arrow on the map at 14th Street and Ninth Avenue. He said there was already scant space for pedestrians to relax, and that the sidewalk there is too narrow. "However, I think there are probably a dozen great locations right nearby."  Richard Gottlieb, who lives on West 44th Street, put a black arrow on West 57th Street. Why?  “West 57^th Street is a very busy area and it would strike me as a good place to have a stop. It’s that simple.”

Others were thinking more macro. "I really like the idea of using the bike share as a means of expanding the transportation network," said Tyler Gumpright, who lives in Jackson Heights. He'd like to see stations "both close to existing transit options, like the subway, and putting them a little bit further away from existing transit."

Those long crosstown blocks between Eighth Avenue and the waterfront were also on the mind of Steven Collado, who works in Herald Square. "People will come in from the subway and want to get to say all the way down to the Hudson River or even 11th Avenue, they'd have a long walk. If they had a bike share, they would definitely take advantage of that."

They were singing Orcutt's tune. "One of the places we think this will really serve are the parts of the city are developing fast away from the traditional subway spines, like the waterfronts and other former industrial places," he said, "so you’re seeing a lot of feedback there.   Like ‘hey, it’s really hard to get anywhere from here,' or ‘I can’t get to the next neighborhood without taking a bus that takes all day.’"

Jess Berlin, who lives on the Upper West Side and works near Herald Square, said after the workshop that the experience was valuable. "I really liked the fact that they had a large map that we could really envision how the system would work," she said. She lives in a fifth-floor walk-up, she said, and didn't own a bike because she didn't want to have to carry it up and down stairs.  Bike share "makes someone like me able to have a bike in the city," she said.

Orcutt said the next step is to take all the public feedback and "synthesize it into a recommendation, and then come back to community boards, business improvement districts, electeds, and get further input, make some further adjustments." He said the city would have a final station siting plan by early summer.

Top stories on TN: a California lawmaker wants to put high-speed rail back on that state's ballot. For the first time ever, NYC gets a subway map that actually shows what trains are running late at night when three lines shut down. And: Why do some cities get car share while others don't?

(photo by Theo La Photo via flickr)

Amtrak funding, ANWR drilling, and the Keystone XL pipeline are shaping up to be the major differences between the House and Senate versions of the transportation bills. (Politico)

And: the House Republican version would spend about $260 billion over the next four and a half years -- and substantially increase the size of trucks permitted on highways. (AP)

NJ Governor Chris Christie defended recommending 50 people — including dozens with ties to his administration — for Port Authority jobs. (The Record)

Gridlock reigns in the skies over New York City. (USA Today)

Sam LaHood -- son of U.S. DOT head Ray LaHood -- is being sheltered in the U.S. embassy in Cairo after Egypt barred him from leaving the country. (Los Angeles Times)

The auto industry is taking a second look at diesel engines. (NPR)

A recent New York law designed to speed infrastructure projects will be put to the test on the Tappan Zee Bridge. (Bloomberg/BusinessWeek)

A 2010 federal audit of Atlanta's transit system raised safety concerns that included the death of a passenger, faulty third rail indicator lights, and a near miss between a train and a work vehicle in a rail yard. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

The NYC intersection where a 12-year-old was recently struck and killed by a minivan has a shorter crossing time than 20 major intersections across the city. (DNA Info)

Why are Chinatown buses so popular? Riders liken it more to an "attractive cultural experience than to an objective travel choice." (Atlantic Cities)

A NY State Senator -- who has made the city's rodent problem one of his biggest issues -- wants to ban eating on subways. (WABC)

Olympic organizers want Londoners to change their travel patterns during the games to ease the strain on public transit. One recommendation: stop and have a beer on your way home from work. (Washington Post)

A program that uses police pace cars to reduce traffic congestion on Colorado's Interstate 70 in the mountains this winter was suspended after too many skiers and other mountain visitors jammed the highway, creating a bottleneck. (The Republic)

LeBron James: basketball player, bike commuter. '"You guys drove here?" James said to reporters after the game. "You guys are crazy."' (Wall Street Journal)

Top stories on TN: House Republicans intend to use their upcoming highway and infrastructure bill to push for approval of the Keystone XL oil sands pipeline.  Congressman John Mica says he will unveil a major five-year transportation bill to allow more public private partnerships to expand the capacity of interstate highways. Transportation Nation got a fan-composed jingle. Florida's SunRail commuter line broke ground. And: everything you ever wanted to know about biking in the Bay Area.

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Repairing DC streetcar tracks, 1941. (photo courtesy of Farm Security Administration - Office of War Information Photograph Collection via Wikimedia Commons)

Patronage at the Port Authority? Dozens of people with ties to NJ Governor Christie have been hired at the agency. (The Record)

California governor Jerry Brown calls $100 billion high-speed rail estimates "way off," and says cap-and-trade will help fund the program. (Sacramento Bee)

Bus rapid transit may come to Nashville (The Tennessean) and Des Moines (Des Moines Register).

California's low-carbon fuel rule has become embroiled in a fierce public battle and has been barred from being enforced. (Washington Post)

Streetcars will roll out once again in DC in 2013 -- so it's time for a look back at the District's system, 50 years ago. (Washington Post)

San Francisco has removed public seating from almost the entire city to discourage the homeless from using it. (Bay Citizen)

A rail transit hub in downtown Minneapolis that officials want to begin building this year will go up for public review this week. (Star Tribune)

Trading places: London police are running safety events which give bicyclists the chance to experience exactly what a truck driver can -- and can't -- see. (The Guardian)

NYT Economix blog: the way to unsnarl city traffic -- especially in the face of more taxis on the streets -- is congestion pricing. (New York Times)

In New Jersey, toll cheat violations have dropped from 9 percent to 3 percent since photo enforcement began to target scofflaws in the exact change lanes on the Garden State Parkway. (AP via NJ.com)

A Basque company wants to manufacture an electric car that folds upward when parked. (The Economist)

Is President Obama's 2005 Chrysler worth $1 million? (The Takeaway)

A journalist whose bike was stolen -- twice -- puts technology to use for a sting operation. (Outside)

It's not often that Transportation Nation receives musical fan email. We're more used to getting missives from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics or press releases from elected officials. (Or emails from publicists asking "are you a SERIAL RELATIONSHIP KILLER? How to stop the sabotage!" or offering to teach us "how to winterize your dog" -- but that's another story.)

So we weren't sure what to expect when we got an email from a reader named John Fauller, who said he was a fan. And as a gift, he wrote, he had composed a jingle for TN. We opened the file with trepidation...and then were immediately delighted. Give it a listen, below. And John: THANK YOU! Hope your boss wasn't angry with you for being late to work!

Top stories on TN: a Chinatown bus company that ignored a shut down order in December now has a restraining order to prevent it from operating. A new Chevy Volt ad conveys the message 'it's morning in Hamtramck.' And a senator is introducing a bill that would require a new health study of x-ray body scanner machines used in airports.

Frank Sinatra Park in Hoboken, NJ (photo by incendiarymind via flickr)

Ray LaHood's gloomy prognosis for a long-term surface transportation bill has set off a flurry of activity on Capitol Hill...(Washington Post)

...and improved his outlook, at least for the Senate bill. (Politico)

Question to Ron Paul in Thursday's Florida Republican presidential debate: Are you fit enough to be president?  Answer: "I'm willing to challenge any of these gentlemen up here to a 25-mile bike ride any time of the day in the heat of Texas."  (Video; YouTube)

New York State legislators are frustrated by the State DOT's lack of information on funding major infrastructure projects. (Poughkeepsie Journal)

...which worries some: just where is this $15 billion going to come from? (AP via Wall Street Journal)

Hoboken and Jersey City may collaborate on a bike share system. (Jersey Journal)

If the United States wants to continue to be the major player in the global economy, it needs an efficient, robust aviation system. (Marketplace)

Concerns over transportation continue to plague the London Olympics, which are just six months away. (Washington Post)

When it comes to buying cars, women do their homework -- and they generally get better deals than men. (NPR)

NY MTA head: subway stations need more entrances. (New York Daily News)

Ford Motor Co. reported $20.2 billion in net income for 2011 Friday — its best year since 199. (Detroit News)

What's so bad about a little public (sticker) shame -- especially if it helps deter illegal parking? (New York Times)

The Texas Transportation Commission approved raising the speed limit to 75 mph on about 1,500 miles of interstate highways in the state. (American Statesman, KUHF)

Alaska Airlines has ended its 30-year practice of giving passengers prayer cards with their meals. (USA Travel)

Federal transportation officials have obtained a restraining order against a charter bus company that serves Chinatown.

A discount bus (Wikimedia Commons)

Double Happyness - a Philadelphia-based bus company -- now can add a restraining order to its growing pile of legal notices from the federal government.

Last month the U.S. Department of Transportation ordered the company to immediately cease operations after declaring it an "imminent hazard to safety." On Thursday, the feds put some teeth into that order: the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania issued a temporary restraining order prohibiting the company from "operating in or affecting interstate passenger transportation service."

DOT head Ray LaHood said in a statement: “We will not tolerate irresponsible bus companies that jeopardize the safety of bus passengers and other motorists.”

The DOT says it sought the temporary restraining order "based on evidence that Double Happyness was selling bus tickets and conducting bus trips in direct violation of the agency’s previous orders to immediately cease all transportation operations. "

The company runs buses from Albany, Baltimore, and Wilmington, Delaware, to midtown and Chinatown in New York City.