(Source: RAND & Progressive Railroading.com)

The U.S. freight transportation system’s long-term efficiency and effectiveness is “threatened” by capacity bottlenecks, inefficient use of some components of the freight infrastructure, interference with passenger transport, the system’s vulnerability to disruption, and the need to address important emission and energy constraints, according to a study recently released by RAND Corp.

Despite the global financial crisis, experts continue to estimate that there will be increased demand for freight transportation in the future, even as the capacity of the nation’s highways, port and railroads are nearing their limits in key urban areas and transportation corridors.  The annual average road delay in the United States for rush hour travelers increased from 14 hours per year in 1982 to 38 hours per year in 2005. And the Association of American Railroads predicts that by 2035, more than half of the national rail network will be operating near or above capacity, resulting in significant travel delays and limiting the ability to maintain tracks and equipment. This would limit the opportunity to increase rail’s share of freight, which could help tackle environmental concerns and road congestion.

Titled “Fast Forward: Key Issues in Modernizing the U.S. Freight Transportation System for Future Economic Growth,” the study was supported by the Dow Chemical Co., U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, and Union Pacific Railroad.  The authors provide a broad overview of U.S. freight transportation, discuss its role in the supply chains of various types of businesses, and provide data about its capacity in relation to demand for goods movement. They conclude with a discussion of the need to modernize the freight-transportation system and the overarching issues this involves: increasing capacity through operational improvements and infrastructure enhancement, making the system more adaptable and less vulnerable to disruption, addressing the energy and environmental concerns associated with freight transportation, and building support for public and private investment in the system.

The report description on RAND’s website offers the following: Efficient movement of freight within the United States and across its borders is a critical enabler of future U.S. economic growth and competitiveness.

Freight transportation system delays and “uncertainty in the performance of the system” have meant higher prices for consumers and reduced productivity, according to the study.

RAND researchers determined there are four freight transportation and infrastructure issues that need to be addressed:

• increasing national and international freight system capacity through a combination of operational improvements and selected infrastructure enhancements;

• creation of an adaptable, less-vulnerable and more-resilient freight transportation system;

• critical energy and environmental issues associated with freight transportation; and

• the pursuit of public and private investments in supply-chain infrastructure, and sustainable funding priorities.

The study also recommends that “responsible” agencies conduct system-level modeling of the freight transportation system to determine where bottlenecks occur and to understand vulnerabilities, and shippers be encouraged to use alternative ports to reduce strain on the system.

Increasing the nation’s freight transportation capacity can be done by using a variety of strategies, not just through a massive program of adding new roads or rail lines. Suggested strategies include regulations, pricing, technology, improved operating practices and selective infrastructure investments. Examples of these improvements include adopting congestion pricing to promote more highway transportation during non-peak hours, encouraging more goods to be shipped by rail instead of truck and expanding some port operations to run 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

To make the system more flexible and less vulnerable to disruption, the report recommends that responsible agencies conduct system-level modeling of the freight transportation system to determine where bottlenecks occur and to understand its vulnerabilities. Encourage shippers to use alternative ports, instead of relying on just the largest, also would reduce strain on the system.

Transportation accounts for 25 percent of the nation’s hydrocarbon fuel use; of that amount, about 25 percent is freight transportation. So while passenger vehicles are the primary energy users and emitters of pollution, the freight transportation industry also must consider environmental effects as it develops expansion plans. Methods to reduce pollution include increasing the operational efficiency of freight transportation (which also increases capacity) and such direct mitigation measures as cleaner fuel, better engines and more-aerodynamic vehicles.

Finally, the report suggests that a greater effort needs to be focused on developing sustainable priorities for public investment in the freight transportation system.

Click here to access the PDF version of the Full Report or the Executive Summary.

(Source:Autobloggreen & Wired)

Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla Motors, is no stranger to controversy and has proved it time and again.  Be it labelling a poor reporter “douchebag” or calling the Toyota Prius “not a true hybrid,” he has always had a way to get into controversies. Appearing at WIRED’s business conference, Disruptive by Design, in Manhattan yesterday and said the following while declaring that he’d like a chance to run Detroit:

It’s not out of the question to have unions, but if there’s going to be a union, they’d better understand that they’re on the same side as the company. I’m against having a two-class system where you’ve got the workers and then the managers, sort of like nobles and peasants […] Most of our experienced factory workers come from unionized environments, and we asked them what benefit did they see in unions. They said, ‘Well, if their boss was an asshole, they had recourse.’ “I said, ‘Let’s make a rule: There will be no assholes.’ I fired someone for being an asshole. And I only had to do that once, actually.

(Source: Autoblog & Consumer Reports)

With Congress on the verge of passing some kind of ‘cash-for-clunkers’ legislation, it’s time to take a look at what cars are worth trading in for the scrappage credit and what models would be better to sell by other means. To help the average Joe Sixpack on the street, Consumer Reports has compiled a list that outlines the Make, model EPA combined mpg rating, etc.  The used cars listed are the newest vehicles likely to be available for less than $3,500, the minimum voucher value. For this to be worthwhile to the consumer, the vehicle’s trade-in value would need to be less than the voucher. Older versions of these vehicles are likely to be worth less, making the vouchers even more appealing. Many of the models have mechanical twins sold by another brand that may qualify, but we have not listed them here. The CR staff has examined the prices and concluded that pre-1993-94 Cadillac DeVilles, Eldorados and Sevilles are all solid candidates.

Make	Model	Older than model year	EPA combined mpg	Category
Cadillac	DeVille	1994	17	Car
Cadillac	Eldorado	1994	17	Car
Cadillac	Seville	1993	17	Car
Jaguar	XJ6	1996	18	Car
Lincoln	Continental	1999	18	Car
Lincoln	LS V8	2001	17	Car
Lincoln	Town Car	1996	18	Car
Mercury	Grand Marquis	1998	18	Car
Oldsmobile	Aurora	1998	18	Car
Pontiac	Firebird	1992	18	Car
Chevrolet	Astro	2000	16	Truck
Chevrolet	Blazer 2dr 4WD	1995	16	Truck
Chevrolet	Blazer 4dr 4WD	1999	16	Truck
Chevrolet	S10 4WD	1997	16	Truck
Chevrolet	Silverado 4WD	1998	16	Truck
Dodge	Dakota	2001	14	Truck
Dodge	Durango	1998	13	Truck
Dodge	Ram 4WD	1994	12	Truck
Dodge	Grand Caravan	2000	18	Truck
Ford	Aerostar	1996	17	Truck
Ford	F150 V8 4WD	1995	14	Truck
Ford	Expedition 4WD	2000	17	Truck
Ford	Explorer 4WD	1999	15	Truck
Ford	Windstar	2001	18	Truck
Isuzu	Rodeo 4WD	1996	15	Truck
Jeep	Grand Cherokee V8	1997	14	Truck
Jeep	Wrangler	1995	16	Truck
Kia	Sedona	2002	16	Truck
Mitsubishi	Montero Sport 4WD	2001	17	Truck
Nissan	Pathfinder	1998	15	Truck
Nissan	Quest	1999	18	Truck
Toyota	4Runner 4WD	1992	13	Truck

Click here to read the entire article. In a related news, US Senator Robert P. Casey Jr. (D-PA) has introduced legislation into the Senate that would add motorcycles to the controversial Cash for Clunkers program that was recently passed by both the US House and Senate, though with significantly reduced funding of $1 billion. If passed, the new amended bill would offer a $2,500 rebate for the purchase of a new motorcycle when an older trade-in is scrapped. FYI, Pennsylvania is the home for Harley Davidson, the renowned American motorcycle maker.

(Source: Autoinsane)

How often do we have a crazy coincidence lie this one? Unless such a thing you are about to read happened in a Toyota Prius dealership.  Now, lets read the story.  A 75-year old Maple tree came crashing down Monday in the middle of Broadway Street in Boulder, Colorado. Nothing unusual until you consider it fell on not one, but two, Prius. Our friends at AutoInsane got a video of the aftermath (via YouTube).

Diana Barnett was driving her light-green Toyota Prius with her 18-year old daughter in the passenger seat when she saw a large green blur fall in front of her followed by a “big crash.” In the aftermath Barnett’s Prius was impaled by a large branch from a 75-year old Maple tree blown over by a strong microburst of wind. The branch came down so violently it pierced the front windshield and traveled to the floor-board. Luckly Barnett and her daughter were not seriously injured, although Barnett did go to the hostpital with back pain.  Strange enough, another light-green Prius traveling in the opposite direction, driven by Lisa Bennett was also hit.

BTW, what’s the plural for Prius?  I think Priuses.  Please correct me if I am wrong.

Tuesday, June 16, 2009 – ISSN 1529-1057

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Registration Now Open for IBTTA’s 77^th Annual Meeting and Exhibition: The Transformation of Transportation

IBTTA’s 77^th Annual Meeting & Exhibition, September 13-16, 2009, in Chicago, Illinois is the most significant gathering of toll industry professionals and business partners in the world. Delegates from 25 countries on six continents will meet in Chicago to examine best practices and critical innovations in toll industry finance, marketing, technology and innovation, customer service, sustainability, operations, and related issues. Register by August 14 and receive a $100 discount off your registration fee. This meeting is hosted by the Illinois Tollway and will be held at the Hyatt Regency. For more information on registration, hotel reservations, exhibiting or sponsorship, visit IBTTA’s website at www.ibtta.org. Register online today!

AVIATION

1) Data on Airlines’ On-Time Performance Raises Questions

Link to story in The New York Times:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/16/business/16flights.html?partner=rss&emc=rss&pagewanted=all

2) EU Air Traffic Scheme Gets Off the Ground

Link to story on EurActiv:

http://www.euractiv.com/en/transport/eu-air-traffic-scheme-gets-ground/article-183181

CAMERAS

3) New Jersey State Police Hit ‘Eject’ on VHS

Digital recorders to replace obsolete cameras and tapes in patrol cars.

Link to story in The Star-Ledger:

http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/jersey/index.ssf?/base/news-14/1245038739305980.xml&coll=1

GPS / NAVIGATION

4) Google Gives Android Voice Maps Search

Link to story in InformationWeek:

http://www.informationweek.com/news/internet/google/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=217801294

ROADWAYS

5) Sign of the Times?

Electronic signs begin to display pictograms on motorways.

Link to BBC News story:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/berkshire/content/articles/2009/06/15/traffic_feature.shtml

6) Texas Transportation Institute Promotes Regular Roadsign Replacement

Link to story in The Battalion:

http://media.www.thebatt.com/media/storage/paper657/news/2009/06/16/News/Texas.Transportation.Institute.Promotes.Regular.Roadsign.Replacement-3747798.shtml

SAFETY / SECURITY

7) Coastal Evacuation Plan Coordinates Exodus

Plan will give Monmouth County tools in event of natural disaster.

Link to story in Atlanticville:

http://atlanticville.gmnews.com/news/2009/0611/front_page/002.html

TRANSIT

8) Utah Transit Authority Adopts Ordinance on Accessing Web Sites

Link to AP story:

http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_12595715

9) Arizona’s Valley Metro Launches Online Commuter Tools

Link to story in Metro Magazine:

http://www.metro-magazine.com/News/Story/2009/06/Valley-Metro-launches-online-commuter-tools.aspx

Link to ShareTheRide site:  https://sharetheride.valleymetro.org

TRAVELER INFORMATION / TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT

10) Traffic Alerts Still Need Fine Tuning in New Mexico

Link to story from the Albuquerque Journal:

http://www.forconstructionpros.com/online/article.jsp?siteSection=41&id=13133

11) Florida Traffic Reporter Marks 40 Years on the Job

Link to story in the St. Petersburg Times:

http://www.tampabay.com/news/humaninterest/article1010418.ece

VEHICLES

12) Going Mobile with In-Car Wi-Fi

Link to Fox News story:

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,526611,00.html

13) BMW Working on Collision Prevention System

Link to story in The New York Times:

http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/06/15/bmw-working-on-collision-prevention-system/?nl=wheels&emc=wheelsa1

News Releases

1) Call to Action Leads to Improvements in Pilot Training and Better Access to Pilot Records

2) Washington Metro Expands Basic Spanish Class for Employees

Upcoming Events

16^th ITS World Congress – September 21-25 – Stockholm, Sweden

http://www.itsworldcongress.com/

Today in Transportation History

1909 **100^th anniversary** – The Golden Flyer, took its first flight in the Bronx, New York.

http://www.centennialofflight.gov/essay/Wright_Bros/Patent_Battles/WR12.htm

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

The Transportation Communications Newsletter is published electronically Monday through Friday.

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

Questions, comments about the TCN?  Please write the editor, Bernie Wagenblast at i95berniew@aol.com.

© 2009 Bernie Wagenblast

(Source: AP via Google,  Fox Toledo, CSM & Toledo On the Move)

Often we have come across stories that involve strange politicians and sometimes even the stupidest one who make dumb decisions that will make you wonder what on earth was he/she thinking to do something like this.   We have one such pol from Ohio that beats everyone of them dumb politicians out there.

Some residents of Toledo, Ohio, are complaining that they received $25 tickets for parking their vehicles in their own driveways. Residents along North Holland-Sylvania Road were ticketed for parking in the gravel part of their driveways.   Toledo, Ohio Mayor Carty Finkbeiner (FINK’-by-ner), who is already up for a recall vote says he stands by the citations handed out last week by the Division of Streets, Bridges and Harbor. He says the tickets were issued under a city law against parking on unpaved surfaces, including gravel driveways. How can they do that? They just found an old law prohibiting drivers from parking on “unpaved” surfaces.. and technically gravel is unpaved.

During a news conference Monday, Finkbeiner ignored a reporter’s question of whether the crackdown and fines were related to the city’s budget crisis.

Although not outlined in the city charter, a city memo has allowed workers with the city of Toledo’s Division of Streets, Bridges and Harbor to issue parking citations to citizens.

It’s not as though Toledoans are hell-bent against paved driveways. It’s just that the decision to enforce a little known regulation is taking them by surprise. Take Charles Robertson, for example. He’s lived in the same house (with the same gravel driveway) for 43 years. He got his first ticket last week.

“I just can’t reach into my magic box of tricks and get 5 or 6 grand to pave my driveway,” he said.

Thankfully City Councilman Michael Collins disagrees with the tickets, calling them “Micky Mouse nonsense”. He has promised residents he’ll try to have the tickets recinded.

In a move that will make some of his residents happy, Collins has taken the tickets from residents and says he will pay for them. He also referred to the Finkbeiner administration as a psych ward. Collins says the city itself is in violation of the law because the city tow lot is only gravel.

After his fiasco, Mayor Finkbeiner can be assured that he wrote his own ticket for his recall vote. (Note the cars parked on gravel in the background of this story’s image).

(Source: USDOT)

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Shaun Donovan, U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Secretary Ray LaHood, and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lisa Jackson today announced a new partnership to help American families in all communities –- rural, suburban and urban – gain better access to affordable housing, more transportation options, and lower transportation costs.

Earlier this year, HUD and DOT announced an unprecedented agreement to implement joint housing and transportation initiatives.   With EPA joining the partnership, the three agencies will work together to ensure that these housing and transportation goals are  met while simultaneously protecting the environment, promoting equitable development, and helping to address the challenges of climate change.

Testifying together at a Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee hearing chaired by U.S. Senator Christopher J. Dodd, Secretary LaHood, Secretary Donovan and Administrator Jackson outlined the six guiding ‘livability principles’ they will use to coordinate federal transportation, environmental protection, and housing investments at their respective agencies.

DOT Secretary LaHood said, “Creating livable communities will result in improved quality of life for all Americans and create a more efficient and more accessible transportation network that serves the needs of individual communities.  Fostering the concept of livability in transportation projects and programs will help America’s neighborhoods become safer, healthier and more vibrant.”

“As a result of our agencies’ work, I am pleased to join with my DOT and EPA colleagues to announce this statement of livability principles” said HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan. “These principles mean that we will all be working off the same playbook to formulate and implement policies and programs. For the first time, the Federal government will speak with one voice on housing, environmental and transportation policy.”

“It’s important that the separate agencies working to improve livability in our neighborhoods are all pointed in the same direction.  We’re leading the way towards communities that are cleaner, healthier, more affordable, and great destinations for businesses and jobs,” said EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson. “This partnership provides a framework to guide decisions that affect all communities.  This way, investments of financial and human resources by any one of our agencies will meet shared goals and confront significant challenges we all face together.”

The Partnership for Sustainable Communities established six livability principles that will act as a foundation for interagency coordination:

1. Provide more transportation choices.
Develop safe, reliable and economical transportation choices to decrease household transportation costs, reduce our nation’s dependence on foreign oil, improve air quality, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and promote public health.

2. Promote equitable, affordable housing.
Expand location- and energy-efficient housing choices for people of all ages, incomes, races and ethnicities to increase mobility and lower the combined cost of housing and transportation.

3. Enhance economic competitiveness.
Improve economic competitiveness through reliable and timely access to employment centers, educational opportunities, services and other basic needs by workers as well as expanded business access to markets.

4. Support existing communities.
Target federal funding toward existing communities – through such strategies as transit-oriented, mixed-use development and land recycling – to increase community revitalization, improve the efficiency of public works investments, and safeguard rural landscapes.

5. Coordinate policies and leverage investment.
Align federal policies and funding to remove barriers to collaboration, leverage funding and increase the accountability and effectiveness of all levels of government to plan for future growth, including making smart energy choices such as locally generated renewable energy.

6. Value communities and neighborhoods.
Enhance the unique characteristics of all communities by investing in healthy, safe and walkable neighborhoods – rural, urban or suburban.

Click here to access the USDOT Press Release on this new partnership.  Also check out the Secrtary of Transportation’s blog post on this significant interacgency partnership in his FastLane blog.

(Source: U.S. Global Change Research Program)

New Report Provides Authoritative Assessment of National, Regional Impacts of Global Climate Change Details Point to Potential Value of Early, Aggressive Action.

Climate change is already having visible impacts in the United States, and the choices we make now will determine the severity of its impacts in the future, according to a new and authoritative federal study assessing the current and anticipated domestic impacts of climate change.

The report, “Global Climate Change Impacts in the United States,” compiles years of scientific research and takes into account new data not available during the preparation of previous large national and global assessments. It was produced by a consortium of experts from 13 U.S. government science agencies and from several major universities and research institutes. With its production and review spanning Republican and Democratic administrations, it offers a valuable, objective scientific consensus on how climate change is affecting—and may further affect—the United States.

“This new report integrates the most up-to-date scientific findings into a comprehensive picture of the ongoing as well as expected future impacts of heat-trapping pollution on the climate experienced by Americans, region by region and sector by sector,” said John P. Holdren, Assistant to the President for Science and Technology and director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. “It tells us why remedial action is needed sooner rather than later, as well as showing why that action must include both global emissions reductions to reduce the extent of climate change and local adaptation measures to reduce the damage from the changes that are no longer avoidable.”

Some key findings includes:

• Climate changes are underway in the United States and are projected to grow. Climate-related changes are already observed in the United States and its coastal waters. These include increases in heavy downpours, rising temperature and sea level, rapidly retreating glaciers, thawing permafrost, lengthening growing seasons, lengthening ice-free seasons in the ocean and on lakes and rivers, earlier snowmelt, and alterations in river flows. These changes are projected to grow.
• Crop and livestock production will be increasingly challenged. Agriculture is considered one of the sectors most adaptable to changes in climate. However, increased heat, pests, water stress, diseases, and weather extremes will pose adaptation challenges for crop and livestock production.
• Threats to human health will increase. Health impacts of climate change are related to heat stress, waterborne diseases, poor air quality, extreme weather events, and diseases transmitted by insects and rodents. Robust public health infrastructure can reduce the potential for negative impacts.
  

Here are the key messages of the report pertinent to Transportation:

• Sea-level rise and storm surge will increase the risk o • f major coastal impacts, including both temporary and permanent flooding of airports, roads, rail lines,and tunnels.
• Flooding from increasingly intense downpours will increase the risk of disruptions and delays in air, rail, and road transportation, and damage from mudslides in some areas.
• The increase in extreme heat will limit some transportation operations and cause pavement and track damage. Decreased extreme cold will provide some benefits such as reduced snow and ice removal costs.
• Increased intensity of strong hurricanes would lead to more evacuations, infrastructure damage and failure, and transportation interruptions.
• Arctic warming will continue to reduce sea ice, lengthening the ocean transport season, but also resulting in greater coastal erosion due to waves. Permafrost thaw in Alaska will damage infrastructure. The ice road season will become shorter.

Click here to download a copy of the full report.  Alternatively, you can specific sections of the report here.

(Source: NY Times – Green Inc.)

Having shipped hundreds of electric vehicle charging stations, and with repeat orders now coming in from Europe, Coulomb Technologies, a privately-held Silicon Valley company, expects to be profitable by the 2010 introduction of the Chevy Volt, according to its chief executive, Richard Lowenthal.

(Mr. Lowenthal appears in the video above, explaining the company’s ChargePoint Network.)

“Our plan was to sell a thousand stations, but we will probably double that,” he told NY Times’ Green Inc. last week after the company secured its third Bay Area order this year. “Our company is structured to be profitable based on early adapters.”

Founded in 2007, Coulomb is looking to crack the chicken-and-egg riddle that bedeviled the hydrogen fuel cell industry. Without a refueling infrastructure, consumers won’t buy vehicles. But no one invested in refueling stations without potential customers on the road.

“It is a very fundamental issue for the business,” Mr. Lowenthal said. “What do you do about the road trip?”

With electric vehicles, the additional problem is that in cities like San Francisco, where almost half of all vehicles park on the city’s streets, many potential buyers couldn’t recharge their cars overnight.

Mr. Lowenthal, a Cisco veteran who served as mayor of Cupertino, said that municipalities, parking companies and condo developers represent the first tranche of customers for charge points that will be deployed on city streets and in garages. They sell for $2,500 to $4,000 and can recharge an electric vehicle battery in four to ten hours.

In what might shape up to be the VHS/Betamax duel of the industry, a Coulomb rival, Better Place of Palo Alto, is looking to develop refueling stations where consumers on road trips can swap batteries in a matter of minutes. Still other companies are building rapid recharge points.

Mr. Lowenthal predicted the next three years would define the nascent charging station industry. By 2012, he said, the car industry will have an understanding of the early adoption rate for electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles.

Click here to read the entire article.

(Source: Daily Mail Online, UK)

In almost all parts of the globe, traffic enforcement personnel (men and women) are often seen as stern, well-turned out authority figures. But there seems to be a rare exception in Britain.  The appearance of this pictured traffic warden from Hove, Sussex came as a surprise to beachgoers today (copyright issues prohibit publishing the pictureshere).  The traffic warden looks more like a runway model than an authority figure, with his long, flying locks.  UK’s Daily Mail likens him to the celebrities that appear on the famous L’Oreal adverts (which have seen a bevy of stars, including Jennifer Aniston) flicking their manes to the company’s famous slogan ‘Because I’m worth it’.

The hairy worker flouted his auburn locks as he patrolled the seafront in Hove pausing to take pictures of improperly parked vehicles.

At one point he even removed his cap and shook out his crowing glory, allowing the wind to whip through it as he strolled along the promenade.

Brighton and Hove Council were unable to provide any information about the whiskery warden, but admitted they were aware of the stir caused by his wild-man tresses.

It’s not known if the worker is breaking any dress code rules with his unique hairstyle, but it’s good to see authority figures letting down their hair.

Women folk on this side of the Atlantic would really be happy if they got ticketed by a fashionable traffic enforcer like this one.