news rodeo (bonus)

story: In praise of small transportation projects. The Washington Post ran a story the other day reporting that Northern Virginia was going to focus on small fixes that could result in big improvements for the area's drivers.
PHG take: I love it! In fact, at some point I want to do an in depth study on micro transportation planning. My interest in this subject goes back over a decade when some genius (and I'm being serious) added a second left turn lane off of the Interstate 66 exit near my childhood home. This small improvement that cost almost no money improved the transportation network for thousands of people who each day made this journey. I also love mini-planning because it requires planners to be intensely familiar with the areas they are working in and really understand what is going on. This is opposed to plopping down some grandiose plan without much regard to the daily experiences of the people who drive on the roads or utilize the transportation systems.

story: New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg proposes congestion fee.

PHG take: Any billionaire that regularly rides the subway to work is A-ok in my book. In terms of the plan, Bloomberg is suggesting that cars would pay $8 and trucks $21 to enter Manhattan below 86th street during peak hours. Due to finals here at school I haven't been able to follow this story to see what the response has been, but if there is a place for a congestion fee 'starter project' in the United States it certainly is Manhattan.

transportation songs: sad but true

The other day I advocated for including directions in songs. Today, I'm highlighting a second song that includes detailed directions, and this completes my anthology of songs with directions in them. If you are aware of other songs with directions, please let me know of them.

The song is Sad But True by the Transplants, whose singer Tim Armstrong's primary band Rancid is one of the Great Transit Bands (post forthcoming). Sad But True, like the other song I profiled, gives directions starting in Berkeley. Berkeley it seems, even in the realm of punk songs, is the center of transportation planning. The route offered by Armstrong is a circuitous one but it eventually takes you to Harmon Street in South Berkeley. Anyone familiar with Berkeley know what's on Harmon St?

In a dream we take a trip
down Shattuck to Durant
up the hill, to the steps, Sproul Plaza and Telegraph
we pass Channing, we pass Derby
we go to Ashby, down to Adeline
take MLK to 54th and go down to Genoa
yeah and follow the BART tracks
to Harmon street, ahhhh Harmon street,
Harmon Street, Harmon Street
it's reoccurring, it's like a dream
I live a thousand times, yeah
and it's always like the very first time

transportation songs: carry on

Are you a band or singer looking to better incorporate transportation planning into your songs? I bet we all are to some extent. Here's one easy suggestion: add directions to your lyrics! Take for example, the song Carry On by Common Rider which features directions to get from Berkeley to the place where my brother got married in addition to other locations along route 1 south of SF.

There ain't no dream like the one that's real
Ashby to Eighty
Eighty to the Bridge
Bridge down to One
Route One carry on
We ate the night up and we shot the big coast
'cause the shoreline makes a heart open like a rose