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(CNSNews.com) - Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx told a crowd in North Carolina Tuesday that “only 49% of low-income neighborhoods have sidewalks” while more affluent areas have near 90%. In order to have a society where “everyone has a shot at the American Dream, than it’s imperative that we acknowledge these challenges.” Foxx made the comments to the Charlotte Rotary Club where he discussed the ways that infrastructure should connect people to opportunity. During his speech, Foxx referenced a map of Atlanta that showed areas of pedestrian and bicycle accidents. “The grey areas represent communities of concentrated poverty. This is representative...

WASHINGTON — Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood told The Daily Caller that his department is “making reductions everywhere” to deal with the sequester, including furloughing Federal Aviation Administration workers. But less than seven months ago, LaHood said he was “very proud” of putting 65,000 people to work with $48 billion in federal stimulus funds — a figure that amounted to $738,461 per job. (RELATED VIDEO: LaHood boasts of DOT stimulus spending) On Tuesday TheDC asked LaHood why his agency is closing as many as 238 air traffic control towers instead of cutting its $179 million travel budget.

After years of negative votes in Congress and the opposition of the American people, on Oct. 21 Barack Obama allowed the first Mexican truck to cross the border at Laredo, Texas, and head north to deliver door-to-door service of its industrial equipment. This was implemented by an agreement quietly signed by Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood in Mexico City on July 6 with Mexico's secretary of Communications and Transportation. Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., calls this deal a major anti-jobs program saying, "We're literally taking good jobs here in America and passing them over the line to Mexico." Todd Spencer, executive vice...

Virginia received preliminary approval from the Federal Highway Administration last week to implement tolls on Interstate 95. FHWA Administrator Victor Mendez granted the conditional approval in a letter dated Sept. 14, but the commonwealth announced the news Monday morning. Gov. Robert F. McDonnell (R) has sought the approval to toll on the southern reaches of I-95 to raise revenue to improve the congested corridor. “I-95 is one of the most important and heavily traveled highway corridors in the country, linking population and commercial centers up and down the East Coast,” McDonnell said in a statement. “Limited funds and growing capital...

The US government may require cars to include scrambling tech that would disable mobile-phone use by drivers, and perhaps passengers. "I think it will be done," US Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood said on Wednesday morning, according to The Daily Caller. "I think the technology is there and I think you're going to see the technology become adaptable in automobiles to disable these cell phones." LaHood is on a self-described "rampage" against distracted driving, and if making it impossible to use a mobile phone while in a car can save lives, he's all for it — although, according to TDC,...

"@SenatorCollins and I and others are introducing a free standing bill to repeal #DADT today."

The Obama administration will take away high-speed-rail stimulus money originally awarded to Wisconsin and Ohio after their incoming Republican governors indicated that they wouldn’t continue with the projects.

A $293 million investment announced today by U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood means that residents in dozens of communities nationwide will soon enjoy major transit improvements, including new streetcars, buses, and transit facilities. The nearly $300 million investment is part of the Obama Administration's livability initiative to better coordinate transportation, housing and commercial development investments to serve the people living in those communities. It is being made through two competitive grant programs, the Urban Circulator Grant Program and the Bus and Bus Livability Grant Program. "This investment by the Obama Administration in our nation's communities will create jobs, boost economic...

Toyota Motor Corp. “knowingly hid a dangerous defect” that caused sudden acceleration and should be fined the maximum civil penalty of $16.4 million, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said. Toyota, the world’s largest automaker, waited at least four months before it told the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration about vehicle accelerator pedals that may stick, LaHood said today in an e-mailed statement. “We now have proof that Toyota failed to live up to its legal obligations,” LaHood said in the statement. “Worse yet, they knowingly hid a dangerous defect for months from U.S. officials and did not take action to...

"Obama Transportation Secretary: ‘This Is the End of Favoring Motorized Transportation at the Expense of Non-Motorized’" Wednesday, March 24, 2010 By Terence P. Jeffrey, Editor-in-Chief SNIPPET: "(CNSNews.com) - Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood has announced that federal transportation policies will no longer favor “motorized” transportation, such as cars and trucks, over “non-motorized” transportation, such as walking and bicycling. LaHood signed the new policy directive on March 11, the same day he attended a congressional reception for the National Bike Summit, a convention sponsored by a bicycling advocacy group, the League of American Bicyclists. LaHood publicly announced his agency’s new direction four...

Rest of title: at the Expense of Non-Motorized' Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood has announced that federal transportation policies will no longer favor “motorized” transportation, such as cars and trucks, over “non-motorized” transportation, such as walking and bicycling. LaHood signed the new policy directive on March 11, the same day he attended a congressional reception for the National Bike Summit, a convention sponsored by a bicycling advocacy group, the League of American Bicyclists. LaHood publicly announced his agency’s new direction four days later in a posting on his blog—“Fast Lane: The Official Blog of the U.S. Secretary of Transportation”--where he effusively...

Supposed pro-life Democrat Bart Stupak may well have been bribed in order to buy his vote to support Barack Obama's health care "reform." Late Sunday, meticulous research by accountability-minded bloggers first brought to light a stealthy press release from Stupak's own office this past Friday. The release announced a US Department of Transportation Federal Aviation Administration grant in the value of $726 409 for three airports in northern Michigan, meant to go to maintenance and improvements; Stupak represents Michigan's 1st district. Suspicions have only increased with greater fervor since Stupak represented the so-called "pro-life" bloc of Democrat holdouts who wanted...

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Congressman Bart Stupak (D-Menominee) announced three airports in northern Michigan have received grants totaling $726,409 for airport maintenance and improvements. The funding was provided by the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Aviation Administration. “This federal funding will help these airports better provide critical services to communities in northern Michigan,” Stupak said. “I am pleased the FAA has made this investment in our local airports and the individuals and businesses they serve.” Alpena County Regional Airport received a grant of $85,500 to acquire friction measuring equipment, specifically a decelermeter and tow vehicle, to replace equipment that has...

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Congressman Bart Stupak (D-Menominee) announced three airports in northern Michigan have received grants totaling $726,409 for airport maintenance and improvements. The funding was provided by the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Aviation Administration. “This federal funding will help these airports better provide critical services to communities in northern Michigan,” Stupak said. “I am pleased the FAA has made this investment in our local airports and the individuals and businesses they serve.” Alpena County Regional Airport received a grant of $85,500 to acquire friction measuring equipment, specifically a decelermeter and tow vehicle, to replace equipment that has...

Abstract: President Barack Obama has committed the United States to building at least 13 high-speed rail (HSR) lines, one of the most expensive forms of transportation that a nation could choose. Even in a strong economy, building HSR makes little sense, offering minimal reductions in travel times at exorbitant costs. In the current weak economy and with the government facing massive budget deficits, the country simply cannot afford to squander $8 billion in stimulus funding, $5 billion over the next five years, and billions of dollars in matching state funding on a transportation system that will at best serve a...

As we ponder how to fight global warming (ho ho ho), become less dependent on foreign oil and get our economy back in gear consider that highway congestion costs us about $76 billion annually in wasted time and fuel, and the remember that our interstates are a bit behind in maintenance, according to Robert W. Poole, Jr., an M.I.T-trained engineer who directs transportation studies at Reason Foundation. Washington taxes us 18.3 cents per gallon and there are those who would lead you to conclude that that is not enough since the maintenance shortfall is between $60 and $90 billion per...

(NAPSI)-Many believe that transforming this nation's transportation network can put the country on track for new jobs, a healthier economy and more mobility.The Interstate Highway System began more than 50 years ago. And just as that vision led to a system of highways that was the envy of the world and an economic engine for America, the nation may soon embark on an ambitious plan that will lead to a network of high-speed rail corridors.Investing in environmentally friendly and energy-efficient high-speed rail projects will:• Support and create highly skilled jobs in the transportation industry and revitalize domestic industries supplying transportation...

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- The U.S. Department of Transportation is investigating new complaints of sudden acceleration in Toyota Motor Corp. vehicles that have been repaired as part of the company's recent recalls, The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday. ... The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reportedly received several reports about sudden acceleration in vehicles even after Toyota had fixed them. ... However, a Transportation Department spokeswoman was cited in the report as saying none of the incidents has been confirmed. See full WSJ.com story.

On Feb. 23, a House Energy & Commerce subcommittee held lengthy hearings on the Toyota situation. Their first witnesses after the committee members' opening statements were Eddie and Rhonda Smith of Sevierville, Tenn., who related the story of their 2007 Lexus ES 350. Ms. Smith claimed she had been driving toward Interstate 40 when, immediately after entering the highway, her Lexus started accelerating out of control. Ms. Smith related how the cruise-control light came on, so she turned that system off. She put the automatic transmission into all of its gears, including neutral and reserve. She put both feet on...

There I was, harmlesly Olympics-watching something called the "men's snowboard parallel giant slalom"—quite a cool event, actually—when some nanny-state advertising broke out. We were suddenly subjected to a commercial telling us not to phone or text while driving. And of all people, it was terminally un-cool Obama Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood inflicting the message and directing us to some website called www.distraction.gov. View video here.