The combination of suburban sprawl, growing populations, and an ever-increasing reliance on automobiles has made for nightmarish commutes in many U.S. cities. To combat the gridlock, some cities are investing in new ways to move residents from point A to point B. Since taking office in 2008, Salt Lake City’s Democratic Mayor Ralph Becker has helped push for greater transit options in his city. As a result, a major expansion of the area’s light rail system, as well as the introduction of streetcars to the city, are currently underway. He recently talked to U.S. News about why his city has invested so heavily in improving transit, and what a successful public transportation system looks like.Our entrepreneurial approach to developing transit and the cooperative approach we’ve had for transit development has enabled an enormous leapfrogging kind of development of transit. Some of it is the way our transit agency is set up. [The Utah Transit Authority is] a statewide agency that local governments opt into, with a sales tax option. It is the taxpayers, the voters, who vote on that contribution to transit, and as we’ve developed light rail, which really is now only 11 years old, people have seen how much they like it and want to use it and use it far beyond projections. They’ve been willing to go to the voting booths and increase taxes on themselves continue
President Obama is calling for $8 billion to go towards high-speed rail, as part of a six-year, $53-billion plan. The administration is hoping that the program will create jobs and boost American competitiveness in the long run. But on a smaller scale, an effective public transportation system can simply increase the quality of life in a city. By transporting people to work, school, local attractions, and healthcare facilities, public transit can reach into nearly every area of city life, from public health to tourism. Statistics show that public transit has experienced rapid growth, providing economic benefits to individuals and municipalities alike. Public transit systems have become a part of daily life in many U.S. cities; the number of public transportation systems in the United States has increased more than sevenfold in the last 30 years, from 1,044 in 1980 to 7,700 in 2009. According to the American Public Transportation Association, a nonpartisan organization that advocates for public transit improvement, that increase in transit has spurred an increase in economic activity. The association estimates that for every one dollar invested in public transportation, four dollars are generated in economic returns continue
It’s a distinctly American trait to want what’s next—even before it’s here. Yes, Americans are spoiled, with too many choices in every genre of product, especially cars. But so what? This is the place where cars blossomed, where the first (and arguably best) car culture still exists. And where we haven’t stopped loving—and lusting after—the cool car around the next bend. With that in mind, here’s PM’s calendar of 12 cool cars under $50,000 that will go on sale in the next 18 months. Note that the exact dates may not be 100 percent accurate: The timetable is based on what the notoriously vague car flacks told us. So we’ve pried free what info we could, and we share it with you here. The new Focus is at last debuting in the U.S., with a 2.0-liter, direct-injected, 160-hp motor and variable valve timing, as well as a five-speed manual. But, the car to wait for is the 2013 Focus ST, which debuts in early 2012. It gets a six-speed manual with the same EcoBoost (turbocharged) 2.0-liter as the much larger Edge continue
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