The C-J deduces that state gas tax revenue loss from high oil prices might impact our ability to buy new or maintain old automotive infrastructure: Falling gas sales could hurt state road projeccts. In related news, Ford management declares focus on smaller vehicles is 'permanent', bad news for the local SUV plant workers.

The New York Times has a good overview of American passenger rail

"Amtrak set records in May, both for the number of passengers it carried and for ticket revenues"

Just got back from Metro Council Budget, where there was a lively debate on transit options.  Download the entertaining audio files:

1. Barry Barker's Initial Remarks - 13m
2. Hybrids versus Clean Diesel - 9m
3. TARC Senior Shopping trips, Charter busses, Q&A, TARC outside Jefferson Co. - 14m
4. Commuter Rail on the Paducah & Louisville line, || Dixie Highway. "the Easiest way to add capacity to Dixie Highway" -BB. also: Louisville - Shelbyville - Frankfurt - Lexington line? - 2m
5. Bus Rapid Transit corridors and neighborhood circulators - 2m
6. Tina Ward-Pugh: More P&L, Dusting off T2 Light Rail, reasons for failure of T2 - 4m
7. Grants, yet more P&L, Heiner: "Light Rail: the Sexiest Option" but expensive. Light Rail's effectiveness at blunting oil shock. - 5m
8. TARC's Focus: BRT, not taxes. P&L cost estimate, Nite Owl, T.W-P on bridges - 14m

Haven't gotten an LG&E Energy Audit yet--what are you waiting for? You can sign up at http://www.eon-us.com/rsc/lge/dsm_home_audit_application.asp or call 1-800-251-7808 to schedule an appointment. The audit costs $15 but pays for itself quickly if you make the recommended improvements, which range from ceiling fan adjustment and new lightbulbs to installing more insulation. 

Greyhound is considering restoring service between Louisville and Lexington. Greyhound spokesperson Tim Gardiner says the major obstacle to Greyhound service right now is a lack of buses. In the fall, if they have more buses, they will consider that route.

Currently, to get between the two cities requires a time-consuming transfer in Cincinnati.

Hat tip to John Owen for the heads up.

If true: Ho lee cow!

It's hard to walk more than two blocks without running into a bike rack, which helps explain why the program has already yielded a 5% drop in car traffic. Paris has also removed lots of parking spots to make way for bike stations.

Source: Time Magazine

Dear Metro Council Representative:

We urge you to act immediately to increase funding for TARC!

Higher Gas Prices Rob Our Local Economy;
“Keep it Local” Through Public Transit Investment

Three big transportation events occur on Monday June 16th:

TARC Board of Directors Meeting

1pm, TARC Board Room, Union Station: This is the board meeting where TARC is expected to vote in both the high rate cuts and the $2 million in cut service. They're busted and simply have no alternative. This is also where CART will formally ask TARC for a plan on how they would spend an additional source of revenue to increase operations.

Metro Council Transportation & Public Works Committee

5pm, Council Chambers, City Hall: They will hear a report from Barry Barker, executive director of TARC, about the fare increase and service cuts.

Confident Cycling Class

6pm, Downtown YMCA: Bicycling for Louisville will begin it's all-singing, all-dancing bicycle urban skills class. In cooperation with the YMCA, enrollment in this class also comes with four day passes to use the Y. Bicycling for Louisville has more information and a link to enroll online.

Via the Environmental Law and Policy Center:

The U.S. House just a few moments ago passed HR-6003, the Passenger Rail Investment & Improvement Act of 2008, by a veto-proof majority.... 311 to 104.

You'll recall the Senate passed its version of the bill (S-294) by a 93 to 6 margin late last year.

The next step will be for the bill to go to a joint House-Senate Conference Committee. The conferees have not yet been named.

This bill, if it becomes law, will not only greatly increase funding for Amtrak, but carries the first-ever state matching grant program that can advance the Ohio Hub Plan and state-generated passenger rail plans like it around the nation.

Good news indeed!

This article is from a year ago in the New York Times, but it is still a good overview on why low gasoline prices are bad for America and the world.

For a long time I have felt the price of gasoline in the United States was way too low. Pretty much all economists believe this. Greg Mankiw blogged back in October about the many reasons why we should raise gas taxes.

The reason we need high gas taxes is that there are all sorts of costs associated with my driving that I don’t pay — someone else pays them. This is what economists call a “negative externality.” Because I don’t pay the full costs of my driving, I drive too much. Ideally, the government could correct this problem through a gas tax that aligns my own private incentive to drive with the social costs of driving.

Read the whole article....