Senate hopefuls see need for transit but, after Blago, will not offend oil industry

Daily Herald | Senate hopefuls agree on transit needs, disagree on funding: "The two men who want to be Illinois' next U.S. senator both say improving public transportation for suburban residents is a top priority, though they have different ideas about how to implement and pay for some major projects.

'Talking with residents of the collar counties, one of their main complaints is sitting in traffic, wasting their time,' Chicago Democrat Alexi Giannoulias said."

Disabled Veterans Ride Free in Superior Wisconsin

DULUTH, MINN. -- Minnesota provides Disabled Vets with free public transportation on DTA buses and now Superior Wisconsin will follow suit. NorthlandNewsCenter

Cars are literally killing us

A new report , released by the American Public Transportation Association, which surveys current research has found that people who live in communities with high-quality public transportation drive less, exercise more, live longer, and are generally healthier than residents of communities that lack quality public transit.

Evaluating Public Transportation Health Benefits, a study conducted for APTA by Todd Litman of the Victoria Transport Policy Institute aggregates the findings of several recent studies and concludes that people living in transit-oriented "smart growth" communities enjoy several health benefits, not seen in other communities, including residents drive less, exposing them to a lower risk of fatal vehicle accidents.

Such communities also have less pollution, because public transportation produces far less emissions per passenger mile than private automobiles. In addition, people who live near quality public transit are more likely to undertake regular physical activity than residents of automobile-dependent communities. APTA