New report from TransForm and NRDC puts equity at the center of the congestion pricing conversation. Carter Rubin , January 29, 2019 The Silver Line bus is funded in part from revenue from high-occupancy toll lanes on the I-10 and I-110 freeways. Los Angeles County Metro What do clogged roads, polluted air, slow transit and dangerous streets add up to in cities around …
L.A. may charge drivers by the mile, adding freeway tolls to cut congestion
By LAURA J. NELSON, LA Times JAN 22, 2019 Morning commuters face heavy traffic on the express lanes on the 10 Freeway. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s focus on congestion pricing could lead to similar lanes on other freeways across Los Angeles County. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) For years, Southern California lawmakers have tried to steer clear of decisions that make …
A global minimum wage: If capitalism is going to be globalised, it makes sense that we should globalise the rules and standards that protect people from it as well
There’s an obvious solution: a global minimum wage. If capitalism is going to be globalised, it makes sense that we should globalise the rules and standards that protect people from it as well. Economist Thomas Palley recommends a floor set at 50% of each country’s median wage, so it would be tailored to local economic conditions and cause minimum disruption to comparative …
Scientific publishing is a rip-off. We fund the research – it should be free
George Monbiot in The Guardian, Thu 13 Sep 2018 Illustration: Eva Bee Never underestimate the power of one determined person. What Carole Cadwalladr has done to Facebook and big data, and Edward Snowden has done to the state security complex, the young Kazakhstani scientist Alexandra Elbakyan has done to the multibillion-dollar industry that traps knowledge behind paywalls. Sci-Hub, her pirate web scraper service, has done more …
Congestion Pricing Will Help Stop Climate Change, but the direct tailpipe emissions impact of congestion pricing is outweighed by its force multiplier effect
By Charles Komanoff, StreetsBlog, Jan 12, 2018 With congestion pricing, New York will function better, enabling many more people to live and do business in low-carbon NYC instead of Anytown, USA. Photo: TransitCenter Will congestion pricing deter climate change? I ponder that a lot, both as an ordinary citizen and as founder-director of the Carbon Tax Center, which promotes robust carbon taxes as …
Congestion pricing and new revenue for transit in Virginia and DC
By Aarian Marshall, 9 Dec 2017 Drivers who choose to drive alone on Northern Virginia’s Interstate-66 express lanes get charged based on how far they’re traveling—and how much traffic is already on the road. GETTY IMAGES THERE ARE PLENTY of reasons for outrage coming out of Washington, DC, these days, but this week the divided region found a common enemy. The …
The 2018 Zayed Future Energy Prize (ZFEP) finalists in the Small and Medium Enterprise (SME), Nonprofit categories have just been announced
28 October 2017 by Zachary Shahan on Clean Technica The 2018 Zayed Future Energy Prize (ZFEP) finalists in the Small and Medium Enterprise (SME), Nonprofit, and Global High Schools categories have just been announced. The next step in the ZFEP evaluation process is that the ZFEP Jury, led by Ólafur Grímsson, the 5th President of the Republic of Iceland, will debate the merits and limitations of …
How Big Corporations Game Our Democracy into Their Plutocracy. Also, Highlights from “The Rich Don’t Always Win: The Forgotten Triumph over Plutocracy that Created the American Middle Class” by Sam Pizzigati
When public institutions are governed by private interests. By Ralph Nader, 4 Oct 2017 on Common Dreams A major chapter in American history – rarely taught in our schools – is how ever larger corporations have moved to game, neutralize and undermine the people’s continual efforts to protect our touted democratic society. It is a fascinating story of the relentless exercise …
Pricing cuts traffic. Massachusetts lawmakers have already proposed a tax on driverless vehicles to prevent zombie cars. The bill calls for a per-mile fee of at least $0.025.
By Danielle Muoio, Business Insider, 4 Jun 2017 A fleet of self-driving Ubers in Pittsburgh. Business Insider/Corey Protin Self-driving cars might make your future commute a lot more pleasant, but they won’t eliminate traffic. Execs like Google cofounder Sergey Brin have touted traffic reduction as one of the many benefits of having self-driving cars on the road. The idea is that autonomous cars will eliminate accidents caused by …
Including avoided cost for electricity when valuing local generation by wind and solar
September 11th, 2017 by John Farrell Originally published at ilsr.org. A federal policy enacted nearly 40 years ago has breathed life into an ongoing argument at the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission over utility opposition to a wind-solar hybrid project proposed in the rural city of Red Lake Falls. The law, known as PURPA, was designed to promote local renewable generation by requiring utilities — even monopolies — …