April 2009 - Page 9 of 19 - TransportGooru

To help improve the energy efficiency and overall environmental sustainability of the U.S. transportation system, we will need to adopt policies that foster changes in the way Americans travel. A new Brookings report “Making Transportation Sustainable: Insights from Germany” finds that Germany may offer valuable lessons. Like the United States, Germany is a federal republic but it has taken impressive steps to improve transportation options, link transportation planning to land use, and advance other reforms – all while empowering metropolitan action.

Lessons for the United States:

Public policy can play a major role in reshaping America’s transportation system. The German experience offers five lessons to the United States for improving transportation sustainability through changes in travel behavior:

Get the Price Right in order to encourage the use of less polluting cars, driving at non-peak hours and more use of public transportation
Integrate Transit, Cycling, and Walking as Viable Alternatives to the Car, as a necessary measure to make any sort of car-restrictive measures publicly and politically feasible
Fully Coordinate and Integrate Planning for Land Use and Transportation to discourage car-dependent sprawl and promote transit-oriented development
Public Information and Education to Make Changes Feasible are essential in conveying the benefits of more sustainable policies and enforcing their results over the long term
Implement Policies in Stages with a Long Term Perspective because it takes considerable time to gather the necessary public and political support and to develop appropriate measures.

Click here to download the report. Here is the read-only version of the report.

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Bulging waistline a risk for obese wallets – United Airlines to Charge Obese Fliers Twice on Full Jets

April 17, 2009 at 11:04 am

(Source: Bloomberg & Guardian, UK; Photo: Daily Mail, UK)

Carrier received more than 700 complaints last year
Two-thirds of Americans are considered overweight
UA may boot obese fliers off full planes and charge them for two tickets on the next departure.

United Airlines, the third-largest U.S. carrier, may force some obese travelers to buy a second seat when flights are full and other passengers complain about being cramped.

The policy brings practices at UAL Corp.’s United in line with those at the other five biggest U.S. carriers including Delta Air Lines Inc. The rule took effect today after being adopted in January, said a United spokeswoman.

United passengers previously “had to share their seat with the oversized guest” on full planes, Urbanski said. Chicago- based United acted after receiving “hundreds” of public complaints each year, she said.

“It’s going to perpetuate that negative stigma that’s already associated with obesity,” said James Zervios, a spokesman for the Obesity Action Coalition, a nonprofit advocacy group in Tampa, Florida. Airline seats already “could use a few extra inches of room on all sides,” he said.

Urbanski said obese passengers on United will be reassigned to a pair of empty seats and won’t be charged for an extra ticket on flights that aren’t full. Travelers must be able to put the arm rest between seats down to its normal position and buckle a seat belt with one extension belt, she said.

United spokeswoman Robin Urbanski said the policy applies to passengers who cannot buckle up with a single seatbelt extender or lower the armrests or who infringe on their neighbours.

Zervios of the Obesity Action Coalition said cramped airline cabins cause many disruptions.

“What if the person in front of me puts back their seat and encroaches into my space, or if the person next to me has a puffy coat or leaves their light on when I want to take a nap?” he said. “We need to keep in mind that it’s just a form of transportation from Point A to Point B.”

U.S. Obesity Rate

About 34 percent of Americans are obese, double the rate from 30 years ago, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Only one state, Colorado, has an obesity rate of less than 20 percent.

“I don’t happen to be overly wide but I am tall, and as far as I’m concerned I’d like to charge the guy in front of me every time he reclines his seat into my knees,” he said. ‚”There are a lot of dimensions to this problem.”

Obesity is defined as having a “body mass index,” a measure of body fat based on height and weight, of 30 or more. Using that calculation, a person who is 5 feet 9 inches tall (175 centimeters) and weighs at least 203 pounds (92 kilograms) would be considered obese, according to the CDC.

But aviation industry analyst and consultant Robert Mann said it remains unclear how aggressively flight attendants will implement it.

United spokeswoman Robin Janikowski said the policy applies to passengers who cannot buckle up with a single seatbelt extender or lower the armrests or who infringe on their neighbours.

Note: TransportGooru would like to point the readers to a legal battle in Canada on this issue. Click here to read all about it.

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EPA Considers Higher Ethanol Mix for Gasoline

April 17, 2009 at 12:11 am

(Source: Wall Street Journal)

Allowing 15% Gasoline Blends Would Help Industry, but Poses Car-Warranty Issue

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has opened the door to allowing higher mixes of ethanol in gasoline, a potential boon to farmers and the struggling ethanol industry, but opposed by auto makers whose consumer warranties typically are tied to the current EPA standard.

The agency Thursday said it is seeking comment on whether to allow ordinary gasoline to consist of as much as 15% ethanol, an additive that has been heavily promoted by farm states. For decades, the EPA has allowed gasoline to include up to 10% ethanol.

The EPA’s move came in response to a petition filed last month by the trade group Growth Energy to allow motor fuel ethanol blends of as much as 15%, citing an Energy Department study that found “no operability or driveability issues” with blends as high as 20% ethanol.

Corn is loaded into a truck at a farm in Valley Springs, S.D. Higher percentages of ethanol mixed into gasoline would be a boon to farmers. About one quarter of all corn produced in the U.S. is used to make the fuel additive.

Most car warranties, however, have followed the 10% standard, which means consumers who use blends with greater than 10% ethanol could get stuck paying the bills if there’s damage to fuel lines or other components unless auto makers agree to shoulder the costs.

Auto makers offer so-called flex-fuel vehicles designed to accept up to 85% ethanol fuels. But many current and older model cars aren’t designed for ethanol concentrations above 10%.

Alan Adler, a spokesman for General MotorsCorp., said if the EPA allows higher ethanol blends “we want to be sure that we’re not on the hook for vehicles” that end up having problems with higher blends.

Earlier this year Toyota Motor Sales USA Inc. recalled 214,500 Lexus vehicles sold in the U.S. that were vulnerable to corrosion problems in their fuel-delivery pipes when some ethanol fuels were used.

Pushing against the auto industry’s objections are farmers, investors in ethanol-fuel start-ups, big agricultural commodities companies and some environmental groups that argue the U.S. would be better off substituting home-grown biofuels for foreign oil.

Click here to read the entire article.

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Eco-Motorists Slow Down, Coast, for Big Mileage Gains, but Their Strategies Might Drive Others on the Road Crazy

April 16, 2009 at 11:49 pm

(Source: Wall Street Journal)

Efficient Drivers Cut Emissions, but Stir Up Hot Air

Cruising around this desert metropolis in her four-door pickup truck, Morgan Dresser doesn’t look like an environmental trendsetter.

Recently, though, the 26-year-old did something revolutionary. She began “eco-driving” — a technique that combines a racecar driver’s skill with the proverbial grandmother’s pace. By learning to drive all over again, Ms. Dresser estimates she has boosted her truck’s fuel economy to 21 miles per gallon from 15, a jump of 40% that surpasses the mileage advertised by its manufacturer, Toyota Motor Corp. With that shift in behavior, she has done more to curb oil consumption than most people zooming around in the latest hybrid cars.

“Who would have thought a truck could get good gas mileage?” she says. “It’s possible with any vehicle, big or small.”

A new technique to curb fuel consumption is on the rise: “eco-driving.” Eco-driving teaches drivers not to slam the gas pedal and brakes, but rather, learn how to maintain a more constant speed. Jeffrey Ball reports.

Even without futuristic technologies, drivers can achieve eye-popping fuel economy in their current cars with nothing fancier than their brains and some lighter feet. The idea is to maintain momentum much as on a leisurely bicycle ride: accelerating only gradually, coasting whenever possible and constantly adjusting speed to minimize the need to stop.

The challenge will be to get Americans, who love the open throttle as much as the open road, to ease up instead of variously slamming on the gas and the brakes. In the meantime, as early eco-drivers lower their own emissions, they are certain to raise some hot air from the impatient drivers around them.

“I’ve been honked at. I’ve been flipped off. I’ve been yelled at: ‘Grandma!'” says Ms. Dresser, a former back-country firefighter. “I just laugh.”Trials in Europe, Japan and the U.S. are finding that drivers commonly improve their fuel economy upwards of 20% after deploying a handful of eco-driving techniques. Among them: Driving more slowly on highways, shifting gears earlier in cities and shutting off the engine rather than idling at long stops.

Click here to read the entire article.

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GM calls for plug-in vehicle standards, says Standards Necessary for Consumer Acceptance of Electric Vehicles

April 16, 2009 at 7:55 pm

(Source: Autobloggreen & GM Fast Lane )

One of the factors that has helped to make cars so ubiquitous over the past century is standards. By standardizing things like fuel fillers, inflation nozzles on tires, 12V power sockets and countless other elements, automakers have been able make owning and operating a car much more practical. After all, if you had to drive around to 20 different gas stations to find one with a nozzle that fits your tank, it would be a real nuisance to drive. Most of those industry standards are defined by committees of the Society of Automotive Engineers. One of the standards currently being worked on is SAE J1772 which will define standard connectors for plug-in vehicles. GM’s Fast Lane blog notes “with SAE J1772™, we’re defining what a common electric vehicle conductive charging system architecture will look like for all major automakers in North America, but more importantly, we’re working to resolve general physical, electrical and performance requirements so these systems can be manufactured for safe public use.

Through SAE, our industry is working together to answer fundamental questions about plug-in electric vehicles such as battery electrochemistry, optimal battery-size and state of charge, and lifecycle among other issues, but zeroing in on the ergonomics, safety and performance of the charging interface is one of the most basic ways we can help build consumer confidence in plug-ins.

Think about it, if you have no reservations or confusion about charging your vehicle, you’re probably going to be more likely to drive one. Drivers shouldn’t have to worry about electromagnetic compatibility, emission and immunity when they need to plug-in – that’s what engineers like me get paid to do.”

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Convenience is King – You can take the train to work, but your office is still a mile away from the station. Might as well drive, right? How we can solve the last-mile problem?

April 16, 2009 at 7:28 pm

(Source: Good Magazine)

A couple of months after the presidential election, and a couple of weeks after Barack Obama signed his stimulus bill, the giddiness among transport advocates was enough to induce a contact high: $8 billion for high-speed trains, and another $8.4 billion for mass transit! They were excited for good reason: For years, the country has starved for any attempt to develop green transit, and finally we had the money.

But what if most mass transit is doomed to fail? It isn’t the mere lack of trains and subways that keep people in their cars. It’s what urban planners call the first- and last-mile problem. You know it, intuitively. Let’s say you’d like to commute on public transit. But if you live in a suburb—and ever since 2000, over half of Americans do—it’s unlikely that you live close enough to a station to walk. The same problem arises once you get to your destination: You probably don’t work anywhere near the closest bus or train station. So even if public transit is available, commuters often stay in their cars because the alternative—the hassle of driving, then riding, then getting to your final destination—is inconvenient, if not totally impossible. “Denser areas don’t have these same problems,” says Susan Shaheen, who heads the Innovative Mobility Research group at the University of California, Berkeley. “The problem is really about land use in the United States.”

It sounds nearly impossible to fix: Our suburbs won’t soon disappear, even if some are withering in the present housing decline. But here’s the good news: For the first time in three decades, solving the last-mile problem seems just within reach, owing to vehicle fleets and ingenious ride-sharing schemes that lean on mobile computing, social networks, and smart urban planning. “To make public transit viable, you have it make it just as easy as getting in a car,” says Shaheen. “It can be done.”

The challenge, according to Dan Sturges, the founder of Intrago Mobility, which creates vehicle-sharing technology, is that “no one’s yet putting these innovations together as a system, and the public doesn’t understand the broader problem. But if implemented all together, the things being invented now will make owning a personal car into a joke.” The enemy is really the car’s unequaled convenience; commuters need multiple, equally easy choices before they’ll give up the steering wheel. Several such choices are in the works.

“Right-Size” Fleets

Zipcar—which is now being copied by Hertz and U-Haul—is a godsend for city dwellers who only occasionally need a car. But it can also be used to solve the last-mile problem, when linked with public transit. “We’re at the tip of the iceberg with those systems,” says Sturges. However, for many commutes, a car is overkill. What if the closest bus is just a mile and a half away? A “right-sized” vehicle, suited to your particular last-leg commuting need, is ideal. These might be anything from a Segway (dorky as it may be) to an electric bike or a high-powered electric golf cart. But the vehicles themselves aren’t the solution, since commutes can change every day (say you’re visiting a client one day, and eating lunch at your desk the next).

Click here to read the entire article.

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PBS Blueprint America’s The No 13Line Blog: Reauthorization 2009: The Year of Transportation

April 16, 2009 at 7:16 pm

(Source: PBS Blueprint America’s The No 13Line Blog)

This is our year. Infrastructure is no longer just a word thrown about by policy wonks and engineers. The public, and more importantly politicians, have made public works, especially transportation, a front and center issue. The White House brings a fresh outlook on transportation policy and land use decisions – US Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood has recently announced his “2-foot NM” rule which would require all business trips by US DOT workers of less than two miles to be made on two feet. Already, President Obama’s American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (known to most as the Stimulus Package) provided approximately $46 billion directly to transportation and much of that to green transportation. And, just as we’re beginning to put that money to use, we’re also beginning to launch into high gear on the reauthorization of the Federal Transportation Bill. The reauthorization will provide a longer-term strategy for building up an innovative, sustainable transportation policy.

The 2005 Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETY-LU), the current authorization of federal transportation policy included $287 billion in approved funding and expires on September 30, 2009. We strongly urge legislators to act quickly on reauthorization to avoid further injuring our financially-strapped transportation system. They must also “think big” (say $500+ million big) and think wisely and efficiently.

The new administration clearly talks a good game when it comes to sustainable transport; reauthorization is the perfect opportunity to “walk the talk.” But, it’s not just a matter of money – transportation investments can be constructive, or destructive, to our nation’s resources. Poor funding decisions can also increase our dependence on foreign oil which affects, in turn, foreign policy. Where and how we spend is key to a sagacious program. In short, we must rely less on cars and trucks and more on rail and bus. We must live closer to where we work and be able to walk, bike or take transit there. We must end our culture of “consuming a gallon of gas to buy a gallon of milk.”

We were pleasantly surprised to find $8 billion in the stimulus bill for high-speed rail. Reauthorization should quintuple that number to spark at least five and maybe 10 high-speed rail corridors. It should be noted that China is spending over $1 trillion on high-speed rail, the largest public works project in the world next to President Eisenhower’s Interstate Highway System. Our goal is to make rail between large cities competitive with air travel for short-haul trips of less than 500 miles. This would reduce our carbon footprint and increase efficiency at overloaded airports. The United States rail system should also be strengthened to accommodate a much larger share of freight traffic. Rail is more energy-efficient than trucks and one freight train can potentially remove 200 trucks from the highway system.

Current transportation policy allocates much of its funding to Departments of Transportation (DOTs). But as most DOTs are run at the state, rather than at the city level, the objective of the DOT is generally to efficiently move people between cities. And besides the rail initiatives discussed above, this typically means investment in highway infrastructure. Very few cities actually have their own DOTs. However, approximately 80 percent of Americans currently live in metropolitan areas. Therefore, there should be a much greater emphasis on providing funding for efficiently moving people within cities. But even the city DOTs that do exist are bound within the physical city limits. The new transportation bill should establish funding and authority at the regional level to ensure that all metropolitan areas modernize across city borders to incorporate the full range of transportation modes. Further, each regional transportation planning entity should be required to establish a clear statement of objectives and be accountable.

Click here to read the entire post.

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Bernie’s Transportation Communications Newsletter – April 16, 2009

April 16, 2009 at 7:00 pm

Thursday, April 16, 2009 – ISSN 1529-1057

Registration is now open for IBTTA’s Upcoming Summit – The Future of Tolling: ORT and the Path to Interoperability, June 14-16, 2009 in Tampa, FL

Join IBTTA in Tampa, FL and receive cutting-edge information from agencies and toll service providers around the globe on the latest in all-electronic tolling, toll traffic management, and achieving full interoperability. This is the only Summit in the world in 2009 focused on the critical topics of Open Road Tolling, All-Electronic Tolling and Interoperability and will feature more than 100 of our industry’s most experienced and knowledgeable speakers, panelists and exhibitors. What matters most is your customer’s experience driving your roads, the quality of service they receive during the payment process and your success in collecting those payments. Are your customers satisfied? Visit IBTTA’s web si te to view the preliminary agenda and register today!

AVIATION

1) Tucson Airport Ambassadors Help Guide the Way

Link to story in Inside Tucson Business:

http://www.azbiz.com/articles/2009/04/15/news/doc49df899562c2f786093595.txt

BUSES

2) Bus Priority, Real-Time Arrival System Timetabled for 2010 in Dublin

Link to story in the Irish Times:

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/frontpage/2009/0416/1224244812782.html

CAMERAS

3) Traffic Cameras Help Emergency Crews in Charlotte, North Carolina

Link story and video report on News 14:

http://www.news14.com/content/local_news/charlotte/607842/traffic-cameras-help-emergency-crews/Default.aspx

ELECTRONIC TOLLING

4) Fast Lane Users Rise after Massachusetts Turnpike Jams

Link to story in the Boston Herald:

http://news.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view/2009_04_16_Fast_Lane_users_rise_after_jams:_Pike:_Requests_spike/srvc=home&position=also

OTHER

5) Earmark Requests by Californians in Congress Get Increased Public Scrutiny

The House now requires members to post their requests online. The special spending used to be quietly slipped into legislation.

Link to story in the Los Angeles Times:

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-earmarks16-2009apr16%2C0%2C1913191.story

6) High-Tech Paint to Combat Air Pollution

Ecopaint absorbs gases from vehicle exhausts.

Link to story in the Bury Times:

http://www.burytimes.co.uk/news/burynews/4294349.Hi_tech_paint_to_combat_air_pollution/

ROADWAYS

7) Hawaii Looks at Taxing Miles Traveled

Link to AP story:

http://www.usatoday.com/weather/environment/2009-04-16-hawaii-driving-tax_N.htm

SAFETY / SECURITY

8) Cloud Computing Moves Into Public Safety

Companies introduce software as a service for communications between fire, police and other emergency agencies.

Link to story in Federal Computer Week:

http://fcw.com/articles/2009/04/16/cloud-computing-moving-into-public-safety-realm.aspx

TRANSIT

9) All MBTA Buses Equipped with GPS

Link to AP story:

http://news.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view/2009_04_16_MBTA_buses_equipped_with_GPS

TRAVELER INFORMATION / TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT

10) Taking Control – Intelligent Design

Editorial questions if computerized traffic signal management in Delhi is better than traffic policemen.

Link to editorial in The Times of India:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Opinion/Editorial/TAKING-CONTROL—Intelligent-design/articleshow/4410875.cms

VEHICLES

11) New Mexico Looks to Upgrade Online Motor Vehicle Services

Link to AP story:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/16/AR2009041602991.html

News Releases

1) Idaho Transportation Department Honors Vaisala RWIS Partnership

Upcoming Events

IX Spanish Congress on Intelligent Transport Systems – June 2-4 – Andorra La Vella, Andorra

http://www.itsspain.com/itsspain/index.php/evento/35 (in Spanish)

Today in Transportation History

1964 **45^th anniversary** – Thirteen people involved in the 1963 Great Train Robbery in the UK were sentenced.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/1310271.stm

=============================================================================================

The Transportation Communications Newsletter is published electronically Monday through Friday.

To subscribe send an e-mail to: TCNL-subscribe@googlegroups.com

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TCN archives: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/transport-communications

Questions, comments about the TCN? Please write the editor, Bernie Wagenblast ati95berniew@aol.com.

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Ford Europe’s market share registers double digits since September 2001; Ford Fiesta winning hearts and minds – and wallets

April 16, 2009 at 5:38 pm

(Source: Ford, Autoblog)

Ford of Europe increased its market share in March in the Euro 19 markets to 10.0 per cent, up 0.2 percentage points versus the same month last year, consolidating its position as Europe’s number two best-selling brand.

This is the first time Ford of Europe’s market share has been in double digits since September 2001 and it continues the company’s upward trend.

In total in March Ford of Europe sold 163,000 vehicles in the Euro 19 markets and
increased market share in 16 out of its 19 main European markets, with only France, Spain and Switzerland showing declines.
“It is very encouraging to see Fiesta doing so well and also our market share developing so positively, given the declining market we are continuing to face in Europe,” said Ingvar Sviggum, vice-president marketing, sales and service, Ford of Europe.

“With 56 per cent of our March sales generated by retail customers – up from 43 per cent in March 2008 – we have clear evidence of consumer confidence in our Ford product range,” he added.

According to Autoblog, in all but three of Europe’s 19 markets, Ford says it has improved its showing. Already this year, there have been 108,000 Fiestas sold, with 52,800 of those coming in March alone. The market share triumph is even sweeter seeing that overall industry sales took a double-digit fall, but Ford is getting more of what’s left. There was no cheating with fleet sales, either: retail sales were up 13% year-on-year. Only France, Switzerland, and Italy showed declines.

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TransportGooru

Bernie’s Transportation Communications Newsletter – April 17, 2009

New report from Brookings Institute – “Making Transportation Sustainable: Insights from Germany”

Bulging waistline a risk for obese wallets – United Airlines to Charge Obese Fliers Twice on Full Jets

EPA Considers Higher Ethanol Mix for Gasoline

Allowing 15% Gasoline Blends Would Help Industry, but Poses Car-Warranty Issue

Eco-Motorists Slow Down, Coast, for Big Mileage Gains, but Their Strategies Might Drive Others on the Road Crazy

GM calls for plug-in vehicle standards, says Standards Necessary for Consumer Acceptance of Electric Vehicles

Convenience is King – You can take the train to work, but your office is still a mile away from the station. Might as well drive, right? How we can solve the last-mile problem?

“Right-Size” Fleets

PBS Blueprint America’s The No 13Line Blog: Reauthorization 2009: The Year of Transportation

Bernie’s Transportation Communications Newsletter – April 16, 2009

Ford Europe’s market share registers double digits since September 2001; Ford Fiesta winning hearts and minds – and wallets

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