Kate Hinds

(Houston, TX – Wendy Siegle - KUHF)  It’s been four months since the Federal Transit Administration launched its investigation into METRO's procurement practices. The results of the inquiry are in, and it doesn’t look good for the Houston transit agency. FTA officials say METRO violated both federal purchasing laws and Buy America requirements when it handed over two light rail contracts to a Spanish rail car vendor. FTA Administrator Peter Rogoff called METRO’s purchasing process “alarming and disturbing” in letter he delivered in person to Houston Mayor Annise Parker and METRO officials.

(Kate Hinds, Transportation Nation) Another start to another school year, another debate about grading systems. So it's a good time for Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood to unveil proposed changes to fuel economy labels.

The current label --which hasn't received a major overhaul for decades-- lists estimated miles per gallon for city and highway driving, the estimated annual fuel cost, and how the vehicle's fuel economy compares to other vehicles. What the government says it lacks is a way to take new technology into account. So the United States Department of Transportation and the Environmental Protection Agency have jointly announced plans to revamp the label, which would theoretically be displayed on new cars beginning in 2012.

The agencies have laid out two options, and they're taking public comment on them (click through to see labels)

There are teachers who say it's hard to set expectations and make it a real school day when the students have just one day of class this week.

Is this the first of the UK's "austerity strikes?"  London Underground workers begin a series of 24-hour strikes.   (Marketplace).  Meanwhile, across the channel, French transit employees are also striking.  (NPR)

Shhhh:  NJ Transit launches "quiet car" pilot program.  Put down the cell phones, commuters.  (Star Ledger)

New York's construction industry likes the president's $50 billion infrastructure plan.  Republicans, not so much.  (WNYC)

The Federal Aviation Administration is mulling over the National Transportation Safety Board's request to require children under two years old to have their own seats.  (AP)

Camden Yards fans aren't riding the rails to get to the stadium -- which isn't helping Baltimore achieve its light rail passenger goals.   (WTOP)

The Great Pollinator Project aims to get members of the public — “citizen scientists” in Great Pollinator parlance — to observe bees and report what they see and where they see it. Th...

Seattle may create transportation taxing district (Seattle Times)

Transit Workers Union to run dollar-van service in Brooklyn (Wall Street Journal)

Early findings from government investigation into runaway Toyotas shows no electronic problems (AP)

Idaho's congressional delegation supports heavier trucks on interstates -- despite new study showing that trucks aren't shouldering their share of highway costs (Idaho Statesman)

T party: Boston's MBTA comes in under budget this fiscal year (Metro Boston)

Drunken boating makes steep decline in New Jersey; strict penalties and mandatory water-safety course credited with change (Press of Atlantic City)

Bus drivers in Korea demand safety measures; threaten boycott following explosion of  Seoul bus running on compressed natural gas (Korea Herald)

Mosque controversy coming soon to a bus near you: NYC's MTA approves ads opposing the construction of a mosque near Ground Zero (New York Times)

Portugal gives itself a clean energy makeover--but is it sustainable?  (New York Times)

CT State Supreme Court rules on vehicle ornaments, says police need a higher threshold when it comes to determining how distracting fuzzy dice are.   (Hartford Courant)

City Limits deconstructs the cause and effect of NYC's transit funding crisis.

Bergen County (NJ) police receive grant to target aggressive drivers (The Record)

Williamsburg "vigilante" says he's fed up with bikes parked everywhere, says "no bike is safe" and promises to continue gluing bike locks in his neighborhood. (Brooklyn Paper)

Massachusetts graphic designer imagines subway lines in places without public transportation. All aboard the Martha's Vineyard T!  (WBUR)

Transportation Nation's own Andrea Bernstein guest-hosted today's Brian Lehrer Show. One of the segments talked about plans to demolish the Sheridan Expressway, reconnect local streets, and use the expressway's land for open green space and affordable housing. The plan is controversial -- especially with WNYC's listeners. Can Steve, a truck driver from West Babylon who drives through the Bronx a couple of times a week, be won over? Listen below! (And keep your ears peeled for Steve, who calls in about 12 minutes in.)

According to the Denver Post, Colorado Republican gubernatorial candidate David Maes has accused Denver mayor John Hickenlooper of "converting Denver into a United Nations community." Maes was referring to...Hickenlooper's support for Denver's bicycle sharing program. "These aren't just warm, fuzzy ideas from the mayor," Maes said. "These are very specific strategies that are dictated to us by this United Nations program that mayors have signed on to." Before you dismiss Maes, remember: "That's exactly the attitude they want you to have."

Read the full story here.

Driver, follow that hot spot: a plan is in the works to bring Wi-Fi to NYC cabs (WNYC)

Subway made you late to work? The MTA will provide an excuse for you, online (WNYC)

Let my data go: a video plea for transportation agencies to end their data monopoly. Which apparently some are.  (Streetfilms)

The elderly and disabled must pay full fare. Oh wait, they don't. DC Metro reverses paratransit fare decision.  (Washington Examiner)

The Sheridan Expressway's possible dismantling to be discussed on today's Brian Lehrer Show.

Potholes: they're not just for spring anymore, as one Massachusetts highway is erupting after years of neglect (Boston Globe)

How is the Brooklyn Bridge spending its summer vacation? Being draped in canvas to prepare for being repainted.

Canvas being draped over the Brooklyn Bridge

You can see more pictures here.

(And yes, we did ask a NYC Department of Transportation staffer if there was any chance the canvas would be, say, Christo orange, or hot pink. The response: "Not on my bridge!")

What a difference a week makes: the last time we were on the bridge, no canvas was in sight.  But now the draping of the bridge has begun in earnest.   Workers are installing canvas to be as part of the paint removal containment system.  As Hasan Ahmed of the NYC Department of Transportation promised, "it will be lots of material."  One coworker who bikes over the bridge reported this morning that the canvas is surprisingly disorienting for pedestrians.  On the walkway, "you can see the sky, not the water," she said. 

We were out on the bridge yesterday taking pictures--see the slideshow here. 

Delhi has quite the public buy-in for transportation.  Some residents volunteer to monitor the subway to help enforce rules.  Now, it's bringing its battle for traffic safety to Facebook.

According to this New York Times article, the Delhi Traffic Police (which have the rather enigmatic, if Debbie Gibson-esque, motto of "With You! For You! Always!") started a Facebook page a couple of months ago.   It was immediately flooded with residents' complaints, admonishments, and reports of traffic jams, as well as cell phone pictures of vehicles that, in their opinions, were flouting the law.

"Unauthorized Taxi Stand near Rohini (west) Metro Station red light...numbers of taxi causes obstruction to traffic.  Pedestrians are forced to walk on busy road, " is one typical, recent post. 

Two men were convicted of plotting to blow up jet fuel tanks at JFK Airport. (WNYC)

The highest paid DC Metro board member attends the least amount of meetings (WAMU).  Meanwhile, one NPR employee on his morning commute snaps a pic of a rather graphic road safety ad on the Metro. Walk defensively, pedestrians.

New Jersey's Transportation Trust Fund is almost bankrupt, but Governor Christie has said that a gas tax hike is off the table.   Current plan: refinance bonds, hope for less potholes.   (Star Ledger)

Pennsylvania Governor Rendell begins a four-day intrastate bus tour to lobby residents for transit funds.  (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

Bus strike. In Tucson. In August.  (Arizona Daily Star)

Has bringing a bike lane to Prospect Park West reduced automobile speeding by 95%? One group's answer is an emphatic yes; others say not so fast.  (Brooklyn Paper)

A four-year, $508 million dollar renovation of the Brooklyn Bridge is currently underway.  But beyond some lane closures and a few construction signs, you might not have noticed much ...

One of Brooklyn's most recognizable landmarks, the Brooklyn Bridge is not just a static monument to innovation in the borough. It continues to undergo developments and WNYC has been following the recent, $508 million renovation project. But we've also been looking at its early beginnings.

If you toll it, they won't car pool: Bay Bridge traffic decreases after car pool toll goes into effect (San Francisco Examiner).

Bumpy ride in store for Pennsylvanians? As stimulus funds dwindle for the state's transportation projects, future spending on roads and bridges to be cut by 32% (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

New aviation safety legislation would require six times as much flight experience from pilots (Bloomberg)

Where's the pork? The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee releases searchable earmark database; download the spreadsheet here.

New York's Transit Workers Union suing city to keep commuter vans from taking over slashed bus routes (NY1)

Reaction to the National Transportation Safety Board's report on last year's DC Metro crash. (Washington Post)

The New York City MTA is giving riders two choices:  higher fares, or higher fares.  (WNYC)

Massachusetts thaw:  the Federal Transit Administration has lifted its freeze on funding for Springfield's Union Station project after FTA says local transit authority has shown a "remarkable turnaround."  (The Republican)

Check out "Life in the Bike Lane," WNYC's short video about navigating the city on two wheels.

The National Transportation Safety Board's announcement on the June 2009 DC Metro crash will come today. And the implications might be national. (Washington Post)

New York City's commuter railroads say 96% of them are on time. Commuters -- and the New York Times -- beg to differ.

The Takeaway wants to know: has BP affected the way we consume gasoline?

Sacramento County may open 20,000 acres of land to future development. The county says it needs the space; detractors say it's transit-unfriendly sprawl. (Sacramento Bee)

Charlotte's city council narrowly approved the construction of its $37 million streetcar line. (Charlotte Observer)

As part of the station’s role as a watchdog of government transparency, WNYC has been following the $508 million renovation of the Brooklyn Bridge. So when a database detailing exactly what New York City is spending went live this month, we took it for a test drive.