(Source: TheCityFix.com)

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced a 3 percent decrease in road fatalities between 2009 and 2010, which still adds up to 32,788 deaths. According to LaHood, last year’s traffic fatalities fell to the lowest levels since 1949, despite a 0.7 percent increase in the number of miles Americans drove—about 20.5 billion extra miles—and an 11 percent increase in congestion in the country’s 100 biggest metropolitan areas, making the decrease in traffic fatalities especially noteworthy.

Here is the USDOT’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Press Release:

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood today announced that the number and rate of traffic fatalities in 2010 fell to the lowest levels since 1949, despite a significant increase in the number of miles Americans drove during the year.“Last year’s drop in traffic fatalities is welcome news and it proves that we can make a difference,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. “Still, too many of our friends and neighbors are killed in preventable roadway tragedies every day. We will continue doing everything possible to make cars safer, increase seat belt use, put a stop to drunk driving and distracted driving and encourage drivers to put safety first.”

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) early projections, the number of traffic fatalities fell three percent between 2009 and 2010, from 33,808 to 32,788. Since 2005, fatalities have dropped 25 percent, from a total of 43,510 fatalities in 2005. The same estimates also project that the fatality rate will be the lowest recorded since 1949, with 1.09 fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles traveled, down from the 1.13 fatality rate for 2009. The decrease in fatalities for 2010 occurred despite an estimated increase of nearly 21 billion miles in national vehicle miles traveled.

A regional breakdown showed the greatest drop in fatalities occurred in the Pacific Northwest states of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana and Alaska, where they dropped by 12 percent. Arizona, California and Hawaii had the next steepest decline, nearly 11 percent.

“The decrease in traffic fatalities is a good sign, but we are always working to save lives,” said NHTSA Administrator David Strickland. “NHTSA will continue pressing forward on all of our safety initiatives to make sure our roads are as safe as they can possibly be.”

The Department of Transportation (DOT) has taken a comprehensive approach to reducing roadway fatalities by promoting strong traffic safety laws coupled with high-visibility enforcement and through rigorous vehicle safety programs and public awareness campaigns.

In 2009, Secretary LaHood launched a national anti-distracted driving campaign modeled on other successful NHTSA efforts to reduce fatalities, such as its “Over the Limit. Under Arrest.” and “Click It Or Ticket” campaigns to curb drunk driving and increase seat belt use. The U.S. DOT has launched a dedicated website, Distraction.gov, to provide the public with a comprehensive source of information on distracted driving. DOT has also hosted two national summits devoted to the issue, crafted sample legislation which states can use to adopt distracted driving laws, and initiated pilot law enforcement programs in Hartford, Conn., and Syracuse, N.Y.

NHTSA has also taken action to improve vehicle safety. The agency has urged automakers to swiftly and voluntarily report safety defects to keep the driving public safe. NHTSA has also encouraged the development and use of technologies to prevent crashes, such as electronic stability control, forward collision warning and lane departure warning systems. The agency also unveiled an updated 5-star rating system in 2010, which established more rigorous crash-test standards and began providing consumers with improved information about which cars perform best in collisions.

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has also been encouraging the use of Safety Edge technology — which reduces drivers’ risk of running off the road by shaping pavement edge — on new road and highway projects. FHWA has also promoted the use of rumble strips and cable median barriers to separate opposing directions of traffic to reduce the incidence of crossover head-on collisions.

To view NHTSA’s latest statistical projections of traffic fatalities in 2010, including regional estimates, click here.

(Source: Street Films)

This nice video from StreetFilms provides a brief overview of the concept of traffic calming and highlights some examples from cities across the country.  Do check out the other videos from the Moving Beyond Automobiles series. Have you ever observed such “calming” measures in your neighborhood?  Now that you have seen this, the next time you step out onto the streets you may notice a few of these measures deployed in your neighborhood.  If you don’t recognize them, would you like to share with us what traffic calming features work well in your neighborhood?

(Sources: Washington Post, FAA, & WSJ)

The Federal Aviation Administration plans to order immediate inspections of older-model Boeing 737 jetliners that are the workhorse of domestic air travel, a precaution after a hole opened in the hull of a Southwest Airlines plane flying at 34,400.

The FAA on Monday announced (See FAA press release below) a speedy, but limited, response: It said it intends to issue an emergency safety directive calling for stepped-up structural inspections affecting about 170 of aircraft giantBoeing Co.’s workhorse 737s world-wide.

Image Courtesy: WSJ.com

FAA Presser

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The FAA will issue an emergency directive tomorrow that will require operators of specific early Boeing 737 models to conduct initial and repetitive electromagnetic inspections for fatigue damage. This action will initially apply to a total of approximately 175 aircraft worldwide, 80 of which are U.S.-registered aircraft. Most of the aircraft in the U.S. are operated by Southwest Airlines.

“Safety is our number one priority,” said Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. “Last Friday’s incident was very serious and could result in additional action depending on the outcome of the investigation.”

“The FAA has comprehensive programs in place to protect commercial aircraft from structural damage as they age,” said FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt. “This action is designed to detect cracking in a specific part of the aircraft that cannot be spotted with visual inspection.”

The FAA airworthiness directive will require initial inspections using electromagnetic, or eddy-current, technology in specific areas of the aircraft fuselage on certain Boeing 737 aircraft in the -300, -400 and -500 series that have accumulated more than 30,000 flight cycles. It will then require repetitive inspections at regular intervals.

Last November, the FAA published a rule designed specifically to address widespread fatigue damage in aging aircraft. The rule requires aircraft manufacturers to establish a number of flight cycles or hours a plane can operate and be free from fatigue damage. The rule requires aircraft manufacturers to incorporate the limits into their maintenance programs.

Click here to read more.

(Source: ITDP & Streetfilms)

Cities worldwide are demonstrating innovation in transport planning by integrating bike, BRT and metro systems, with Guangzhou in China announced as winner of the 2011 Sustainable Transport Award. Guangzhou’s new world-class BRT system integrates with bike lanes, bike share and metro stations, raising the bar for all cities.

Last year the city made major strides to cut carbon emissions and reclaim space for people, opening new bus rapid transit and public bike sharing systems.  It now carries 800,000 passengers a day, seamlessly connecting riders to both the metro system and the city’s new bike-share network.

Editor’s Note: It will be interesting to see how the other mega cities in Asia (New Delihi, Mumbai, Shanghai, Jakarta, etc) will adopt this successful and sustainable transportation option into the existing mix.   With growing prices for petroleum products and rising congestion, the cities will be forced to explore/adopt this model sooner than later.

(Source: Think Progress)

As Montana’s legislators are debating this week on a series of bills related to Driving Under the Influence (DUI) laws, including one that wants to count older DUI offenses against a defendant in sentencing, this gem of an argument was made by a legislator arguing against the bills.  How responsible!

Earlier this week, Republican Rep. Alan Hale took to the floor of the Montana legislature to slam these bills. The legislator — who actually runs a bar in Basin, Montana — declared that the new DUI laws are harming small businesses and destroying a way of life:

HALE: These DUI laws are not doing our small businesses in our state any good at all. They are destroying them. They are destroying a way of life that has been in Montana for years and years.

Editor’s note:  Was he really thinking before uttering these words?  I suspect a DUI (Delivering Under Influence) here.  Come on, Rep. Hale.  You can’t be advocating for your community’s well being only from an economic perspective.

Candidate Qualifications
Candidates should have a strong interest in transportation policy. Because Eno has a small staff, interns are expected to take on a variety of tasks to support the overall organization.

What is the Eno Transportation Foundation?
We are a nonprofit operating foundation recognized by the IRS as a 501(c)(3) organization. The Foundation’s programs cover all modes of transportation, public and private sectors, and carriers as well as passengers and shippers. To enhance its effectiveness, the Foundation often conducts its activities in partnership with others in government, industry, or academia. The Foundation engages in three primary activities:

•    It conducts policy forums with transportation leaders to discuss emerging issues and to assist in building the understanding needed to address them effectively.
•    It tailors leadership development programs to prepare public- and private-sector professionals with the skills needed to understand and manage our most pressing transportation issues.
•    It publishes research materials on transportation and the challenges the sector faces.

Salary
Interns will be paid a stipend of $2,000 per month toward their living expenses and/or to reimburse the cost of credit hours earned by the internship.

How to Apply
Please send resume and cover letter to lrobertson@enotrans.com by April 22, 2011.

ICLEI is a worldwide association of more than 1200  metropolitan regions, cities, towns, counties and municipal associations in 70 countries that are dedicated to implementing sustainable development.  We work in a highly multicultural environment and in a truly global fashion with partners around the globe. We are offering a post-graduate internship in the field of EcoMobility. The intern will be part of ICLEI World Secretariat in Bonn, Germany. The World Secretariat also serves as the Secretariat for the Global Alliance for EcoMobility. For more information, visit http://www.ecomobility.org.

(Source: Jalopnik)

The story goes like thiss:  Back in the 70s Libya’s new-embattled ruler – Gaddafi – pays millions of dollars for some 8 US built planes. He never got full possession of the machines due to various geo-political games that got played over the decades, leading up to the machines rotting away in an airfield in Georgia. Now the dictator wants his money back and the US is saying a big, Thanks but No Thanks. Read up the full story here.

Eight U.S.-built C-130 Hercules military transports bought by Libya are sitting in a field on the grounds of Dobbins Air Reserve Base in Georgia. Moammar Gaddafi bought the planes but, when politics shifted, the U.S. military grounded them. Now the crazy dictator wants a $70 million refund.

The planes are the ultimate ran-when-parked proposition, appearing to have not been used in the last 30+ years. Though they technically belong to the Libyan government, who purchased them in the early 1970s, the current military action in the country and the “no fly zone” make it unlikely they’ll be leaving any time soon.

(Source: USA Jobs)

Dedicated to delivering results that matter to the American people, the FTA supports, improves, and promotes effective public transportation, the Nation’s fastest growing mode of travel. Through the administration, management, and oversight of a $10 billion annual grant program, FTA supports the development and construction of subway, light rail, and bus systems to help communities provide travel choices; improve access to jobs and health care; drive economic growth; and protect the environment.

This position is located in the Office of Transit Programs of the Office of Program Management (TPM). The Office is responsible for the development and management of the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) formula and discretionary grant programs, oversight of regional office capital and formula grant making processes, and management of FTA’s electronic grant making system as business process owner.

You will serve as the director of the Office of Transit Programs and will be personally responsible for the supervision, management, and execution of all activities of the Office. You also will represent and negotiate for FTA in meetings in Washington and the field with top level representatives of Federal, State, regional and local agencies, organizations, and transit operators.

This position is ideal for a Senior Level, professional transportation program specialist who has excellent communication skills, analytical skills, and leadership skills.

Click here for additional information and to apply.