Greg Parker, CEO of The Parker Companies, in Sunday’s Savannah Morning News: Retail fuels prices are ultimately determined by four related expenditures: crude oil costs, taxes, refining costs and distribution/marketing. By far, crude oil prices have the biggest effect over…
Tag: Transportation
Public transit use increasing as Americans have been driving less
I’ve written before about the decline in vehicle miles traveled by Americans since the recession of 2007 to 2009. Even amidst the recovery, total miles driven has continued to fall or stagnate, which distinguishes this recovery from every other since…
AJC: mounting opposition in DeKalb for 1% transportation tax
This July, voters across the state will be voting for regional 1% sales taxes (much like SPLOST and ESPLOST) for transportation infrastructure — roads, transit, etc. You’re going to be hearing a lot more about that. The battle in the…
Let’s hope Slow Ride controversy is behind us
I was extremely critical of city of Savannah staff for pushing a proposed ordinance to ban alcohol on the Savannah Slow Ride. I don’t know which was worse — the needless overreach to regulate exciting entrepreneurship or the apparent lack…
How high are gas prices headed?
A few more thoughts on the evolution of Price Street
I have to say that I’m weary of writing about Price Street.
I’ve been writing for years about the dangers of having that two-lane, one-way, underutilized road slicing through two miles of historic neighborhoods, and I’m thrilled that we finally have an arrangement that will be of benefit to residents throughout the neighborhoods to the east and west.
Online shopping playing an important role in Americans driving less?
I’ve been following the trend of Americans driving less. Click here for a post from just a month ago. Normally, if there is a decline in driving in a recession, there’s a fairly quick rebound once the economy starts to…
Even more on the detrimental effects of surface parking lots in urban settings, especially Jacksonville
Last August I wrote More thoughts on the detrimental effects of large urban parking lots after hearing the news that a current surface level lot at Drayton and Charlton in downtown Savannah looks to become semi-permanent. I didn’t know at…
Streetcars to return to Washington D.C. in 2013
I’m a big advocate of streetcars, and I think an investment in an integrated network over the coming decades could fuel Savannah’s economy and culture for decades to come. The Washington Post has a great piece today — primarily a…
One of the biggest stories not being widely reported: Americans driving less
I’ve written on this subject before, and I plan to keep doing monthly updates when the U.S. Dept. of Transportation Federal Highway Administration releases data. From the info released today: Travel on all roads and streets changed by -0.9% (-2.1…
Los Angeles Magazine, NYT take long looks at parking — and all those spaces sitting idle
I don’t know what my life is coming to. Friends sent me two lengthy and interesting pieces about parking today — and I read them both in their entirety. From Between the Lines in LA Mag, which focuses largely on…
Grist.org: Driving has lost its cool for young Americans
I’ve been posting regular updates about the decline in vehicle miles driven in the United States over the last few years. The most recent post is here. Obviously, much of the decline is related to the weak economy of the…
A look at gas prices in 2011
Here’s the chart of gas prices for Savannah, Atlanta, and the U.S. for the last 12 months from GasBuddy.com. The relatively steep rise in gas prices in the first part of the year was a key reason (but not the…
Almost 4 years after recession began, Americans still driving less
I follow a lot of monthly economic data that I don’t post here on the blog, but I’ve been paying regular attention to the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration estimates of total traffic volume. The prolonged decline in…