(Source: ITS America Newsletter & White House Office of Urban Affairs)

Shelley Poticha - Image Courtesy: Planetizen

On Thursday, July 15, the White House Office of Urban Affairs will host a live chat with the leadership of the Sustainable Communities Partnership, an agreement between HUD, Transportation, and EPA to coordinate federal housing, transportation, and environmental investments. Last month, the Partnership released a joint notice of funding availability — $35 million in TIGER II Planning grants and $40 million in Sustainable Community Challenge grants — for local planning activities that integrate transportation, housing, and economic development. And, HUD also announced $100 million in funding for Sustainable Communities Regional Planning grant program that will support regional planning efforts that integrate housing, land use, economic development, and transportation.

What:
Sustainable Communities Live Chat

Who:
Shelley Poticha, Director of the Office of Sustainable Housing and Communities, HUD
Beth Osborne, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Policy, Department of Transportation
Tim Torma, Deputy Director of the Office of Sustainable Communities, EPA
Moderated by Derek Douglas, Special Assistant to the President on Urban Policy, White House

When:
2:00PM EST, Thursday, July 15, 2010

How:
Watch and participate at www.whitehouse.gov/live
Send questions in advance to Planetizen.

For more information on the partnership, read their latest blog that summarizes their work and accomplishments.

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June 2010

Prepared by the Office of Planning, Environment and Realty Federal Highway Administration: www.fhwa.dot.gov/hep/climate/

To view PDF files, you need the Acrobat® Reader®.

Recent Events

Report Highlights Roadway Corridor Energy Efficiency Strategies. Environmental Corridor Management was prepared as part of the NCHRP 25-25 “quick turnaround” research. The chapter “the Energy Efficient Highway: How Efficient Are Our Corridors?” includes a lengthy and informative discussion of Oregon’s experiences implementing their Oregon Solar Highway program. Among numerous other sustainability strategies, the document also reports on experiences with:

• wind generation in highway rights of way
• solar powered LED and compact fluorescent lighting for signs,
• LED luminairs and signals,
• highly retroreflective sign material in place of sign lighting,
• increased energy efficiencies from operations,
• minimizing need for new construction via operational improvements,
• more efficient fleets, and
• recycled materials in roadway construction.

EPA Announces 2009 Clean Air Excellence Award Winners. Several of the 2009 winners have demonstrated or are working toward transportation greenhouse gas emissions reductions. The District Department of Transportation was recognized for launching the SmartBikeDC bike sharing program, and Car2Go and the city of Austin were recognized for their car sharing program. Sunline Transit Agency in CA was honored as the first agency to own and operate a hydrogen generating and dispensing station. They have upgraded the facility so that it can serve commercial customers as well as the transit agency’s own busses. More details on these and other award winning initiatives are available on EPA’s Clean Air Excellence Awards website.

FHWA/AASHTO Climate Change Adaptation Peer Exchange Report Released. FHWA with the support of AASHTO convened a peer exchange on current climate change adaptation activities and strategic needs in Schaumburg, Illinois, on December 8, 2009. This workshop included senior officials of state departments of transportation, FHWA headquarters and division offices and AASHTO. This report summarizes the results of the exchange, and is one of series of FHWA reports documenting the results of national peer exchanges on integrating climate change considerations into the transportation planning process.

State and Local News

Northeast and Mid-Atlantic States Launch Transportation and Climate Initiative. On June 16, 11 Northeast states and the District of Columbia launched a Transportation and Climate Change Initiative “to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions, minimize our transportation system’s reliance on high-carbon fuels, promote sustainable growth, address the challenges of vehicle-miles traveled and help build the clean energy economy.” More information and a copy of the signed declaration of intent are available on the Georgetown Climate Center website.

MassDOT Announces Comprehensive Sustainable Transportation Initiative. On June 2, MassDOT launched GreenDOT, an effort to incorporate sustainability into all of the DOT’s activities. The initiative has a goal of reducing GHG emissions by over 2 million tons by 2020. The DOT aims to combat climate change by measures such as balancing highway expansion projects with projects that promote biking, walking, public transit, and smart growth. The DOT will also make investments in a green fleet and renewable power. The policy directive includes an illustrative list of the initiatives that MassDOT is implementing to achieve the GreenDOT goals. For more information, see the MassDOT Policy Directive or the press release.

New York City Panel on Climate Change Releases Adaptation Resources. The NPCC has released Climate Change Adaptation in New York City: Building a Risk Management Response, to provide a “foundation” for climate change adaptation in New York City and tools to start formulating an adaptation response. The document includes a brief analysis of NYC’s transit system vulnerabilities. NPCC’s eight step Adaptation Assessment Guidebook is included as Appendix B. And a workbook on “Incorporating Climate Change into Design and Performance Standards” is Appendix C.

California Air Resources Board Releases Draft Regional GHG Reduction Targets. CARB has released the draft GHG emission reduction targets for passenger vehicles for the state’s 18 MPOs as part of the implementation of SB 375. The 2020 and 2035 targets are expressed in per capita ghg emissions range compared to 2005 levels. The targets were informed by scenario planning analyses. As most of the infrastructure decisions affecting the 2020 network have already been made, the nearer term targets are based largely on operational improvements. Many MPOs also adjusted their 2020 forecasts to take the economic downturn into account. The four largest MPOs have a draft 2020 reduction target of 5-10 percent.

Announcements

FHWA Seeks Pilot Locations For Climate Vulnerability/Risk Assessment. FHWA is soliciting interested DOTs and MPOs to partner with us in piloting approaches to conduct climate change vulnerability and risk assessments of transportation infrastructure. The purpose of the pilots is twofold; 1) to assist State DOTs and MPOs more quickly advance existing adaptation assessment activities and 2) to assist FHWA in “test-driving” the model. Based on the feedback received through the pilots, FHWA will revise and finalize the model for national application. It is anticipated that 3-4 awards will be made at approximately $200,000 to $300,000 each. By Federal statute, a 50% non-Federal match is required for these funds to be awarded to the pilot areas. In-kind contributions such as staffing can be counted towards the match requirement. Applications are due to the relevant FHWA Division Office by July 30. For more information, see the solicitation announcement and the conceptual model which will soon be available on the FHWA Climate Change Activities Webpage.

FTA Seeks Applicants for Greenhouse Gas and Energy Reduction Projects. FTA has $75 million in FY10 funds available in its Transit Investments for Greenhouse Gas and Energy Reduction (TIGGER) Program for grants to public agencies. The grants are for capital projects that reduce GHG emissions or energy use from public transit systems. Projects must request between $1,000,000 and $25,000,000. Applications for projects less than $1,000,000 may be applied for if they are part of a consolidated proposal submitted by the State DOT that, in total, meets or exceeds the $1,000,000 threshold. Applications are due August 11. For more information, see the announcement on the grants.gov website.

Northern Transportation and Air Quality Summit to be Held Aug 24-26 in Cambridge, MA. Registration is now open for NTAQS, the biennial Air Quality conference sponsored by FHWA and EPA Regions 1, 2, and 3. Several presentations on climate change are planned. The Boston MPO and NESCAUM are co-sponsors of this years’ event.

EPA Seeks 2010 Clean Air Excellence Award Nominations. In a June 21 Federal Register Notice, EPA issued a call for nominees to recognize efforts toward achieving cleaner air. These recognition awards are open to both the public and private sector. Applications must be postmarked by August 13.

If you have any suggestions for inclusion in future issues of Transportation and Climate Change News, or if someone forwarded this newsletter to you and you’d like to receive it directly in the future, please send your suggestions or request to Becky Lupes at Rebecca.Lupes@dot.gov.

FHWA HQ Contacts in the Office of Planning, Environment & Realty:

Office of Natural and Human Environment, Sustainable Transport & Climate Change Team
Diane Turchetta, Acting Team Leader Diane.Turchetta@dot.gov
Kathy Daniel, Kathy.Daniel@dot.gov
John Davies, JohnG.Davies@dot.gov
Connie Hill Galloway, Connie.Hill@dot.gov
Robert Kafalenos, Robert.Kafalenos@dot.gov
Faiz Khan, Faiz.Khan@dot.gov
Becky Lupes, Rebecca.Lupes@dot.gov

Office of Planning
Robin Smith, Robin.Smith@dot.gov

Office of Project Development & Environmental Review
Shari Schaftlein, Shari.Schaftlein@dot.gov

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• AASHTO Launches Transportation and Climate Change Resource Center Website (greencarcongress.com)

(Cross posted on The Young Professionals in Transportation Blog)

Click the image to access the report

AASHTO released its latest report, Unlocking Freight, at a national news conference in Des Moines, Iowa, and at two regional news conferences in Tennessee and Pennsylvania on July 8th. The report includes new data, state examples of urgent capacity needs, and solutions to solve the pending transportation crisis in America’s freight system.  The reports shows that investments are well below what are needed to maintain – much less improve – the movement of freight in this country.  As a result, according to this report released, the transportation system that supports the movement of freight across America is facing a crisis.

The transportation system that supports the movement of freight across America is facing a crisis. Our highways, railroads, ports, and waterways require investment well beyond current levels to maintain – much less improve – their performance. Millions of jobs and our nation’s long-term economic health are at risk.

• Significantly more freight will be moved across the country and around the world in the 21st century.
• The current capacity of our nation’s roads, rails and seaports is not keeping pace with demand.
• The nation’s freight transportation system directly affects economic development, current and future jobs, and the quality of life in our communities.
• Greater investment, better planning and more highway and rail capacity are needed to address these problems.
  – Expand the capacity of the Interstate Highway System.
  – Create and fund a national freight program that could include multi-state freight corridor organizations at the state, regional, and multi-state level.
  – Invest in Intermodal Connector Improvements.

In 10 years, an additional 1.8 million trucks will be on the road; in 20 years, for every two trucks today, another one will be added. Already bottlenecks on major highways used by truckers every day are adding millions of dollars to the cost of food, goods, and manufacturing equipment for American consumers.

Unlocking Freight finds our highways, railroads, ports, waterways, and airports require investments well beyond current levels to maintain – much less improve – their performance. The report identifies key projects in 30 states that would improve freight delivery and dependability, and offers a three-point plan to address what is needed to relieve freight congestion, generate jobs and improve productivity.

Despite more long-distance freight being moved by intermodal rail, the report finds that trucks will still carry 74 percent of the load. On average, 10,500 trucks a day travel some segments of the Interstate Highway System today. By 2035, this will increase to 22,700 commercial trucks for these portions of the Interstate, with the most heavily used segments seeing upwards of 50,000 trucks a day. Yet between 1980 and 2006, traffic on the Interstate Highway System increased by 150 percent while Interstate capacity increased by only 15 percent. The report identifies the 1,000 miles of most heavily traveled highways used by trucks.

Each year, 147 million tons of freight pass through Tennessee by way of trucks, rail cars and barges. Nearly half of Tennessee’s Gross Domestic Product comes from the movement of goods and more than half of the statewide employment is in goods-dependent industries. The segment of I-40 through Tennessee and Arkansas alone accounts for nearly one-third of the nation’s busiest truck miles.

A current strain on the movement of freight in the Tri-State region is the lack of vehicular and rail crossings along the Mississippi River, according to Nicely. Tennessee, Mississippi and Arkansas are currently working to develop a third Mississippi River bridge crossing – dubbed the Southern Gateway Project. Environmental studies on the project are now underway and include consideration of a multi-use bridge that would include both vehicle and rail access.

Unlocking Freight is the second in a series of reports generated by AASHTO to identify the need to increase capacity in our transportation system. For more information and to see state examples of freight capacity needs, go tohttp://expandingcapacity.transportation.org.

To view the first report in the series, Unlocking Gridlock, go to http://expandingcapacity.transportation.org.

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(Source: Brookings Institution; The New Republic)

Click image to access the report

The comprehensive report The State of Metropolitan America is a signature effort by Brookings Metropolitan Policy Program portrays the demographic and social trends shaping the nation’s essential economic and societal units—its large metropolitan areas—and discusses what they imply for public policies to secure prosperity for these places and their populations.

The report shows that while Americas still drive to work alone in far greater numbers than any other way, the share of Americans that commute by transit actually increased from 2000 to 2008. That’s the first time that’s happened in 40 years. The map shows that part of the increase is due to big gains metropolitan areas with large transit systems and extensive rail networks such as New York and Washington.

Here is a compilation of the report’s findings on “commuting”:

• Reversing a pair of 40-year trends, the share of Americans that commute by transit increased from 2000 to 2008, while the share of those that drive alone to work fell slightly. However, driving alone remains the method by which fully three-quarters of Americans get to work. Transit usage increased among whites and Asians, while carpooling dropped significantly among blacks and Hispanics.
• Regional differences distinguish metropolitan commuting modes. Commuters drive alone to work in high proportions in mid-sized Midwestern and Southern metro areas like Youngstown and Baton Rouge. Carpooling is most popular in Southern and Western metro areas, including many with large Hispanic populations like Bakersfield and McAllen. Public transit commuting is concentrated in the nine large metro areas that have rates above the metropolitan average (7 percent), including New York, San Francisco, Washington, and Boston.
• Metropolitan areas with large transit systems were not alone in seeing increased transit usage during the 2000s. While metropolitan areas such as New York and Washington with extensive rail networks saw the largest increases in the share of commuters using transit, metro areas that opened light rail lines this decade such as Charlotte and Phoenix saw upticks as well. Others that rely almost exclusively on buses for transit commuting (Colorado Springs, Albuquerque, and Seattle) also experienced notable increases.
• In only 19 of the 100 largest metro areas did more than a quarter of the workforce in 2008 commute by a mode other than driving alone. In only two of those metropolitan areas (New York and San Francisco) did more than a quarter of workers commute other than by car. Carpooling is an important alternative to driving alone in both mid-sized (Honolulu, Stockton) and large (Los Angeles, Seattle) metro areas.
• Residents of cities and older, high-density suburbs are more likely to use transit than commuters elsewhere in metro areas. Suburban transit users have higher incomes than both city transit users and suburbanites overall. Rates of working at home are roughly the same across cities and all types of suburbs, though more common among higher educated workers.

Rob Puentes, one of the authors of this report, observes in his article on the New Republic: It is important to note that while two-third of metros saw increases in commuting by transit during the 2000s, most of these increases were very small. Only four were more than 1 percent and important places like Houston, Memphis, Las Vegas, and Milwaukee saw transit drops. But at the same time, the only decrease in transit use larger than 1 percent was in the New Orleans metro area, due to the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

Click here to access the entire report.

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(Source: Washington Post)

Everyone, say hello to “A Whale”, the  world’s largest oil-skimming vessel.  It is the newest addition to the fleet of vessels working in the oil spill cleanup in the Gulf of Mexico.

The Taiwanese-flagged former tanker named the “A Whale” is the length of 3 1/2 football fields and stands 10 stories high. It just emerged from an extensive retrofitting to prepare it specifically for the Gulf, where officials hope it will be able to suck up as much as 21 million gallons of oil-fouled water per day.

“It is absolutely gigantic. It’s unbelievable,” said Louisiana State University environmental sciences professor Ed Overton, who saw the ship last week in Norfolk, Va.

The ship looks like a typical tanker, but it takes in contaminated water through 12 vents on either side of the bow. The oil is then supposed to be separated from the water and transferred to another vessel. The water is channeled back into the sea.

Click here to read more about this floating giant on the high seas.

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Yesterday (June 15, 2010), I had the chance to attend “Online Engagement for Sustainable Urban Mobility”, a panel discussion and roundtable organized by EMBARQ, the sustainable transportation arm of the World Resources Institute, at its headquarters in Washington, D.C. Part of a week-long citywide festival focused on technology and innovation, the event brought together citizen activists and representatives from government agencies and non-profits to discuss open data, online citizen engagement and collaboration – while looking at the nation’s capital as a case study.  The agenda, as seen on the invitation

How urban transportation can be made more sustainable through:

• Open Data
• Blogging and Citizen Journalism
• Government Transparency and Civic Engagement
• Citizen Collaboration

This was a great forum to share/listen best practices, lessons learned, failure stories and ideas of how to put theory into practice, as it relates to the following over-arching questions: What online tools exist in the D.C. area to make transportation more efficient, user-friendly and sustainable? What are some examples of Web-based innovation and collaboration in the D.C. transport sector? How can government, technology and civil society work together to improve the way we move around – by foot, by car, by bike, and by transit – in the nation’s capital?

The awesome panel consisted of the following individuals:

Moderator: Christian Madera (Columnist, Next American City)
Host: Erica Schlaikjer (Online Engagement Coordinator, EMBARQ)

Panelists:

• Bryan Sivak (Chief Technology Officer, District of Columbia)
• Lance Schine (Chief Information Officer, District Department of Transportation)
• David Alpert (Blogger, Greater Greater Washington)
• Justin Jouvenal (Web Editor, Postlocal.com)
• Nick Grossman (Director of Civic Works, OpenPlans)

Roundtable Discussion Leaders:

• Eric Gundersen (Development Seed)
• Harriet Tregoning (Office of Planning)
• Nat Bottigheimer (WMATA)
• Dan Silverman (Prince of Petworth)
• Zvi Band (FixMyCity DC)
• Philip Ashlock (OpenPlans)

Here are some  interesting observations worth sharing, courtesy of Moderator Christian Madera and fellow participant Kara Hadge, contributing author of New America Foundation’s Sustaining Democracy in a Digital Age blog,  who sat right next to me and offered great input to our discussion group.  For a detailed recap/summary, I seriously recommend you to check out Christian column on Next American City and Kara’s blog post titled Wired Cities .

• While the local city government has been at the forefront of releasing its municipal data for the public and developers to utilize, most of the region’s transportation falls under the jurisdiction of WMATA, the regional transit agency.
• DDOT is involved is now sharing an API for real-time location data for the city’s small fleet of circulator buses, and embarking on the use of QR codes on buses and shelters to assist both passengers and transit managers
• DC Circulator will shortly be launching an Open Data Challenge for developers, featuring three categories: Public Apps (Web and/or Mobile;), Visualization (currently there is no dashboard to monitor what’s happening on all lines), and an unknown internal app to be used by WMATA/DDOT.
• DC Capital Bikeshare #CaBi website  http://capital-bikeshare.appspot.com/ is expected to be launched soon
• DDOT is looking to add (someday) these MIT conceived futurisitic looking, networked, read again – networked, bus stops called Eyestop

In all, it was a great experience meeting and listing to some of the best minds in business about the use of social media tools and emerging opensource efforts in transportation.  Thanks to EMBARQ and the Digital Capital Week community for putting together this event.  I’ll certainly keep you informed of  other resources/products resulting from this event as they become available.

Early Registration deadline extended to April 30!

This conference brings together more than a dozen TRB Energy and Environmental committees meeting jointly with the AASHTO Standing Committee on the Environment and serves as a platform to develop better transportation solutions through the integration of diverse environmental (human and natural) and transportation perspectives.

Join nationally recognized experts in transportation along with forward-thinking professionals in environmental, planning, community and economic analysis, environmental justice, land use, sustainability, climate change, and transportation fields in a frank and open discussion aimed at sharing experiences, examining the realities of major complex issues, and developing common sense approaches to environmental and transportation challenges.

A preconference workshop on Sunday, June 6, will provide participants with the opportunity to identify critical environmental research needs.

The Conference will be held at the Raleigh Convention Center, a beautiful new facility, centrally located in downtown Raleigh, NC.

Registration

• Early Registration has been extended!
• The conference registration fee of $350 will be in effect until April 30.
• After April 30, the fee will increase to $425.  Conference Participants should register now to save!

Conference Hotel

• A block of rooms will be reserved at the new Raleigh Marriott Hotel City-Center adjacent to the convention center. A conference rate of $92/night plus tax has been established but you must reserve your room by May 8, 2010.

Be a Sponsor

• Overall conference sponsorship provides significant opportunities for relationship building among agency, university, corporate, and non-governmental professionals. Let participants know who you are by getting your information prominently displayed. Find out how you can be a sponsor!

Click here to access the event website for preliminary program and other event related details.

Source: Prepared by the Office of Planning, Environment and Realty  – Federal Highway Administration (www.fhwa.dot.gov/hep/climate)

Recent Events

Obama Administration Officials Release Progress Report on Work of Climate Change Adaptation Task Force. On March 16, the CEQ, NOAA, and the Office of Science and Technology Policy released an interim progress report of the Interagency Climate Change Adaptation Task Force.  The report recommends key components to include in a national strategy on climate change adaptation.  It calls for a national adaptation strategy that has a “flexible, forward thinking approach” shifting away from using past conditions to predict the future.  It also calls for adaptation responses to be included in current U.S. government plans, processes and approaches, so that adaptation and resilience approaches become part of existing activities.  Comments on the report are being accepted through May 15.  For full text of the report and to submit a comment, see the Interagency Adaptation Task Force website.

FHWA Posts Study of State Climate Action Plans. This study, completed last summer, reviews progress on state climate action plans in all 50 states.  The report provides a basic summary and analysis of the data gathered on transportation emission reduction strategies. It also assesses the level of certainty in estimates of strategies’ impacts on GHG emissions.  The report, accompanying data spreadsheet, and summary PowerPoint presentation are available on the research page FHWA’s Climate Change Website.

NCHRP Publishes Study on Mechanisms for Integrating Transportation-Related Greenhouse Gas Reductions into Transportation Decision Making. This study provides a factual basis for State DOTs and MPOs to weigh alternatives for managing GHG emissions from transportation.  The report covers five dimensions of GHG management policy: geographic level of implementation, target metric, sources covered, reduction target base, and regulatory nature of target (voluntary or mandatory).  The web-only study is available here.

Social Cost of Carbon for Regulatory Impact Analysis. The “social cost of carbon” (SCC) is an estimate of the monetized damages associated with an incremental increase in carbon emissions in a given year. It is intended to include (but is not limited to) changes in net agricultural productivity, human health, property damages from increased flood risk, and the value of ecosystem services.  The estimates presented in the report are meant to allow agencies to incorporate the social benefits of reducing CO₂ emissions into cost-benefit analyses of regulatory actions that have small, or “marginal,” impacts on cumulative global emissions. The report assists agencies in complying with Executive Order 12866, which requires a cost-benefit analysis of intended regulation. DOT Participated in the interagency process that produced this document.  The report is available here.

State and Local News

Oregon Legislation Calls for a Statewide Transportation Strategy to Achieve Greenhouse Gas Emission Reduction Goals. On March 18, Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski signed Senate Bill 1059 which calls for the Oregon Transportation Commission in consultation with MPOs, other state agencies, local governments, and other stakeholders to adopt a statewide transportation strategy to reduce GHG emissions. It also calls for the DOT and the Department of Land Conservation and Development to establish guidelines for alternative land use and transportation scenarios that may reduce GHGs.  The legislation also calls for the Department of Land Conservation to establish a light-duty vehicle GHG reduction target in each MPO Region.  Local governments within MPO areas will be required to consider how regional transportation plans could be altered to reduce GHG emission. Full details of the bill are providedhere.

North Carolina Holds Climate Change Adaptation Workshop. On March 2-3, the North Carolina Interagency Leadership Team hosted this workshop on how the state can increase its resilience to projected climate threats.  The workshop was sponsored in part by FHWA and NCDOT.  Presentations and additional information are available here.

Midwest Transportation and Air Quality Summit Conference Proceedings Posted.  On October 27-29, 2009, the Illinois Department of Transportation hosted this summit which included several presentations on climate change.  The proceedings are available here.

Announcements

2010 TRB Energy and Environment Conference, June 6-9 in Raleigh. This conference serves as a platform to develop better transportation solutions through the integration of diverse environmental and transportation perspectives.  Many conference sessions relating to climate change are planned:

• Addressing Climate Change Impacts at the Transportation Project Scale
• Integrating Climate Change Preparedness into State DOT Activities
• Impact of Climate Policy on Transportation
• The Global Supply Chain and Green House Gases
• Adapting Transportation to Climate Change
• Emerging State Approaches to Regulating Climate Change Impacts of Land Development
• How to Achieve a Low Carbon Transport System in 2050
• Multi-Pollutant and Other Co-Benefits of Climate Change Policy
• Balancing Energy, Security, Carbon Mitigation, and Sustainability
• Air Quality and Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Freight Transportation

An early registration rate is available until April 30.  Registration, an agenda, and additional conference information is available here.

Reminders

CEQ Draft NEPA Guidance on Considerations of Effects of Climate Change and Greenhouse Gas Emissions – Comments due May 24.  The guidance covers when and how Federal agencies should analyze the environmental impacts of GHG emissions and climate change when they describe the environmental impacts of a proposed action under NEPA.  Text of the draft guidance and a comment submittal form are available here on the CEQ website.

Note: If you have any suggestions for inclusion in future issues of Transportation and Climate Change News, or if someone forwarded this newsletter to you and you’d like to receive it directly in the future, please send your suggestions or request to Becky Lupes at Rebecca.Lupes@dot.gov.

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(Sources: Transportation for America)

Image Courtesy: T4America

Today, I came across a tweet from someone that talked about T4America’s latest national poll results that said majority Americans support  increased access to public transportation and safe walking and biking.  As a curious mind would do it, I went on to explore the survey results and the press release issued by T4America and here is the summary of what I saw: American voters overwhelmingly support broader access to public transportation and safe walking and biking, according to this new national poll conducted for Transportation for America.  This must be a ton of good news for pro-transit & bike-ped folks, especially given all the activities that are happening on the next transportation re-authorization bill.  My favorite finding of this survey:  79% of rural folks support improved public transportation.  Now, who would have expected that from our American voters!

Here are some interesting findings:

• More than four-in-five voters (82 percent) say that “the United States would benefit from an expanded and improved transportation system, such as rail and buses” and a solid majority (56 percent) “strongly agree” with that statement.
• On a personal level, two-thirds (66%) say that they “would like more transportation options so they have the freedom to choose how to get where they need to go.” Along these same lines, 73% currently feel they “have no choice but to drive as much as” they do, and 57% would like to spend less time in the car.
• A majority (58 percent) say that more should be allocated to public transportation, while 35% feel that this is about the right amount. Only 5% say that less should be allocated to other transportation options.

Image Courtesy: T4America

As I said earlier, it will be interesting to see how these findings play into the next reauthorization bill.  While we wait to find that out, let’s take a moment to check out some more survey findings. You can download by clicking here.

(Sources: Wired; RTTNews, Associated Press, The Detroit News GM Press Release)

Image Courtesy: GM

General Motors always dreams big, no matter how much money they have in their bank account.  Now that Uncle Sam’s treasury is backing up the financial future,  GM continues its tradition of dreaming big and the latest outcome of this is a future where people navigate crowded cities in big Segways that look kinda like a Dyson vacuum cleaner and can drive you home when you’ve had one too many after a long day at work. . Seriously.

Today, GM unveiled a trio of electric “urban mobility vehicles,” built with help from the über-geeks at Segway, today in Shanghai. They’re called Electric Networked Vehicles (EN-V) and they’re designed for cities bursting at the seams with traffic.  The EN-V, pronounced “envy,” is GM’s latest effort to burnish its credentials as a future-focused, environmentally friendly company and shed its image as the bastion of the gas guzzling Hummer. The automaker is in the process of winding down Hummer after a deal collapsed to sell it to a Chinese heavy equipment maker. The helmet-shaped two-seater vehiclesunveiled today in Shanghai will be now showcased at world expo 2010 to be held in Shanghai starting May 1 through October 31. The pavilion will be shared by GM with its Chinese partner SAIC Motor Corp.  There will be three models on display in Shanghai:

• Red – Jiao, or Pride – Created by designers at GM Europe, the vehicle was influenced by bullet trains and Chinese opera masks.
• Black – Miao, or Magic –  Sculpted by designers at GM’s Advanced Design Studio in California and influenced by the consumer electronics industry’s sleek, masculine looks.
• Blue –  Xiao, or Laugh –  Created by GM Holden’s designers in Australia, who took a more lighthearted approach to the vehicle’s “gumball blue” paint and nautical design.

Shanghai is the perfect place to show the funky runabouts because China is the largest automobile market on the planet. A lot of thought is going into figuring out how all those people buying all those cars will get around. Sixty percent of the world’s population will live in urban areas by 2030 and there will be 2 billion cars on the road. Automakers are looking for ways to build cars that pollute less and take up less space.

Here are some interesting nuggets gleaned from the above sources:

• To that end, the two-seater concepts are about one-sixth the size of a conventional car.
• They’re made of lightweight materials like carbon fiber and weigh just 1,000 pounds apiece. GM says you can squeeze five of them into a single parking space.
• The 1.5 meter by 1.5 meter (about 5 foot by 5 foot) EN-V appears to build on GM’s earlier work with Segway Inc. in developing the Personal Urban Mobility and Accessibility (PUMA) concept vehicle. It will use the same types of battery cells as the Segway and the same battery supplier, Valence Technology Inc.
• The propulsion technique employed in the prototype was, however, introduced earlier by GM on its Hy-wire concept, introduced at the Paris Motor Show 2006.  The forward-thinking concepts build upon we saw last year in New York.
• Powered by Lithium-ion batteries and enriched with capabilities like dramatically smaller turning radius, the zero-emission vehicle is designed to travel at least 40 kilometers on a single charge.
• GM notes that the operating costs are one-fifth to one-sixth the price of a conventional motor vehicle and one-third to one-fourth the operating cost of a passenger car.
• The EN-Vs are super-connected. They’ll use GPS, distance-sensing technology and vehicle-to-vehicle communications to ease congestion and reduce the risk of accidents. GM says the vehicles can “sense” what’s around them and react quickly to obstacles or changes in driving conditions.
• There’s a motor in each wheel and a lithium-ion battery. It’s got “dynamic stabilization technology” so it can balance on two wheels, and GM says it can “literally turn on a dime.” It also says the vehicles have a range of 25 miles and a top speed of 25 mph, which it says is more than adequate for daily city driving.
• There will be an estimated 1.2 billion vehicles worldwide in 2030. That’s up from 844 million three years ago, according to the Motor & Equipment Manufacturers Association.
• People living in major cities will have a more difficult time commuting because in 20 years, 60 percent of the world’s population will live in urban areas, according to GM.
• In major cities, 30 percent of fuel is wasted while drivers hunt for parking spots, which adds to the cost associated with operating vehicles.

Click here for some interesting pictures and a detailed scoop.  If you are interested in reading more about the concept and have the time to enjoy some cool videos that demonstrate the technology and vision, click here.

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