The old saying is that he who has the gold, rules. The fact that Orange County motorists have a toll road carving through a magnificent canyon while rich folks in Malibu get to live next to scenic hillsides proves the rule, writes Bill Fulton.
"The San Joaquin Hills Toll Road helps meet an undeniable regional need. The preservation of Ahmanson Ranch ensures a pastoral scene along Highway 101 will remain untouched. Both the toll road and a housing project on Ahmanson Ranch were very controversial during lengthy review processes.
Construction of the road and preservation of the ranch arguably are good for the region. However, the real reason the road got built, Fulton writes, was 'more power and money went toward building the toll road than toward not building it, whereas more power and money went toward not building Ahmanson Ranch than went toward building it.'"
FULL STORY: Southern California: Money, Power And Guilty Pleasures
Tolling Gaining Traction for Highway Projects in Kansas
After the state broke ground on a tolled express lane project at the eastern edge of Kansas, near Kansas City, tolls are also under consideration in the nascent stages of a corridor study located at the southwest edge of the same region.
Congestion Pricing Could Be Coming to L.A.
The infamously car-centric city is weighing a proposed congestion pricing pilot program to reduce traffic and encourage public transit use.
Houston Tollway Could Get Transit Options
Officials will assess multiple options for increasing capacity on a key route between downtown Houston and southwestern communities.
Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage
Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
The 120 Year Old Tiny Home Villages That Sheltered San Francisco’s Earthquake Refugees
More than a century ago, San Francisco mobilized to house thousands of residents displaced by the 1906 earthquake. Could their strategy offer a model for the present?
In Both Crashes and Crime, Public Transportation is Far Safer than Driving
Contrary to popular assumptions, public transportation has far lower crash and crime rates than automobile travel. For safer communities, improve and encourage transit travel.
Report: Zoning Reforms Should Complement Nashville’s Ambitious Transit Plan
Without reform, restrictive zoning codes will limit the impact of the city’s planned transit expansion and could exclude some of the residents who depend on transit the most.
Judge Orders Release of Frozen IRA, IIJA Funding
The decision is a victory for environmental groups who charged that freezing funds for critical infrastructure and disaster response programs caused “real and irreparable harm” to communities.
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