News & Notes

Reclaiming the center [The Boston Globe]

Today, the principle behind revitalization efforts is to make downtowns not just shopping areas, but 24-hour neighborhoods with homes, offices, and entertainment venues where residents can shop, dine, and mix at movies and concerts. Such efforts helped transform downtown Providence, for example, into a thriving cultural center and business district with local artists, new restaurants, and popular retail stores.

Understanding the Republican Party’s Reluctance to Invest in Transit Infrastructure [The TransportPolitic]

Conservatives in Congress threaten to shut down funding for transit construction projects and investments in intercity rail. One doesn’t have to look far to see why these programs aren’t priorities for them.

If you’re so happy in your car, why are you so mad at the people walking? [The Grist]

Pedestrian advocates sometimes talk about an attitude called “windshield perspective.” That’s the point of view people develop when their ass is planted firmly in the driver’s seat|a point of view in which people on the other side of the glass are somehow always responsible for everything that happens to them.

Once you’re aware of the concept, windshield perspective turns out to be everywhere. Cops have it. Courts have it. Reporters have it. You can develop it yourself surprisingly quickly.

Rail study on track [The Barnstable Patriot]

Also on Jan. 24, the MPO approved a $300,000 study of restoring weekend rail service to the Cape from Boston and New York. Cape Cod Regional Transit Authority Administrator Tom Cahir said if it’s found feasible, the trains could run from Memorial Day to Labor Day in 2012.

When rail service between Cape Cod and New York last ran in 1996, it went via Providence. Of course since then, we have opened a train station at the Airport as well. Previous service was run by Amtrak and as of yet, we do not have an agreement with Amtrak for their trains to stop at T.F. Green. Perhaps RIDOT should be speaking with the CCRTA about that.

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