Skip to Content
Streetsblog New York City home
Streetsblog New York City home
Log In
Streetsblog

Obama’s Stimulus: Too Much Emphasis on Roads and Bridges?

There's a lot of reaction from members of the the Streetsblog Network to President-elect Obama's address this weekend. Some transit advocates, like The Transport Politic, are putting a positive spin on it, and Ryan Avent at The Bellows says, "it’s really amazing to see the wave of public intellectual criticism [for] Obama’s potential stimulus plan." Avent adds, in another post:

I have yet to see is any evidence that Obama intends to embark on amajor program of new road construction. And until we see definitiveevidence of something like that, transit supporters really ought tocalm down.

But others -- like Cap'n Transit -- are hearing the refrain "roads and bridges" way too many times. Trains for America puts it this way:

We here at TFA, along with practically every other blog about non-autotransportation, have been holding our breaths waiting for anything atall substantive about how the Obama administration is going to takeadvantage of this unique time to refocus attention on our overcrowdedand underfunded transit systems.

What do you think?

Also on Streetsblog.net today, a post from The Overhead Wire about the lack of transit power brokers with the political will of Robert Moses.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

INTERVIEW: MTA Chair Janno Lieber Talks to Streetsblog to Mark Four Years at the Top

The MTA chairman talked with Streetsblog about his tenure, congestion pricing, bus stops, Babe Ruth and more.

January 21, 2026

OPINION: To Move Past the ‘Agony and Terror’ of the Adams Years, DOT Must Lean Into Research

Ex-Mayor Adams sandbagged DOT's capacity to explain why it pursue street redesigns in the first place, and the ability to inform New Yorkers, in clear and honest terms.

January 21, 2026

Wednesday’s Headlines: Talk is Cheap Edition

We're hawking half-priced tickets to a New York Focus transportation event. Plus other news.

January 21, 2026

F150 Driver Kills Cyclist in Queens

The carnage continues in the World's Borough.

January 20, 2026

Central Park Changes Have Eased Crossings for Pedestrians, New Data Shows

Pedestrians are waiting less time to cross the bustling six-mile loop after the city shortened crossing distances and replaced "stop" lights with yellow "yield" signals.

January 20, 2026

Memo to Mamdani: Rescind Central Park’s New 15-MPH Bike Speed Limit

The lower speed limit misapplies state law and sets a troubling precedent for cycling in New York City.

January 20, 2026
See all posts