New Year resolution? Study says #publictransit means weight loss

Public transit systems contribute to weight loss and improved health, study finds: "In a study published in the August issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, researchers from the University of Pennsylvania, Drexel University and the RAND Corporation found that construction of a light-rail system (LRT) resulted in increased physical activity (walking) and subsequent weight loss by people served by the LRT. These findings suggest that improving neighborhood environments and increasing the public's use of LRT systems could improve health outcomes and potentially impact millions of individuals."

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Drexel professor details massive secret investment to oppose #climate awareness

theguardian.com: "The anti-climate effort has been largely underwritten by conservative billionaires, often working through secretive funding networks. They have displaced corporations as the prime supporters of 91 think tanks, advocacy groups and industry associations which have worked to block action on climate change. Such financial support has hardened conservative opposition to climate policy, ultimately dooming any chances of action from Congress to cut greenhouse gas emissions that are warming the planet, the study found.

“I call it the climate-change counter movement,” said the author of the study, Drexel University sociologist Robert Brulle. “It is not just a couple of rogue individuals doing this. This is a large-scale political effort.”"

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Enormous sprawl bill comes due in PA

Main Line Media News: "Over the next 10 years, there will be 77 bridge projects, 52 maintenance projects, 26 highway-improvement projects, six intersection projects, 10 signal projects, 14 public transportation assistance projects and 16 studies in Montgomery County."

Not investing in transportation costs more than investing

Pennsylvanians will see up front benefits from transportation funding law: William Adolph | PennLive.com: "Data also shows that doing nothing is a greater cost to residents. According to a May 2013 report by TRIP, a national nonprofit transportation research group, Pennsylvania’s failing transportation infrastructure costs Pennsylvania motorists $20.60 a week. TRIP reports that Pennsylvania’s 8.79 million drivers pay an additional $9.4 billion annually in the form of additional vehicle operating costs, the cost of lost time and wasted fuel due to traffic congestion and traffic crashes."

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