Webinar Alert – A New Approach to Traffic Signal Timing Education and Training: Mobile Signal Timing Training (MOST)

March 18, 2009 at 2:00 pm

 A New Approach to Traffic Signal Timing Education and Training: Mobile Signal Timing Training (MOST) Webinar

When:  April 15, 2009
Time:  1:00-2:30 P.M. ET
Cost:  All T3s are free of charge

For more information and to register:  http://www.pcb.its.dot.gov/t3/s090415_most.asp

 Please forward this announcement to colleagues who may be interested in attending this webinar.

 •  T3 Webinars are brought to you by the ITS Professional Capacity Building, a program of the U.S. DOT’s ITS Program.  Visit the ITS PCB website for more information about T3 webinars and other ITS learning opportunities:  http://www.pcb.its.dot.gov/default.asp

 •  Visit the T3 archives to view presentations and to listen to audio transcripts from previous T3 webinars:  http://www.pcb.its.dot.gov/res_t3_archive.asp

 •  Cut and paste links into your web browser if they fail to open the webpage.

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 Important Information for Federal T3 Webinar Participants

 Federal Desktop Core Configuration (FDCC) requirements are currently being implemented in federal agencies.  Please contact your IT staff to determine if these requirements affect your ability to connect to T3 webinars via Microsoft Live Meeting from your federal PC or laptop.  This link contains information about Live Meeting and can be provided to your IT staff for further reference:  http://www.pcb.its.dot.gov/t3/info_requirements.asp

House Budget Writers told $545 Billion Needed for Nation’s Transportation Programs

March 18, 2009 at 1:02 pm

The US Capitol Against a Pink and Purple Morning Sky (71/365)(Source:  AASHTO)

Enactment of the FY 2010 budget resolution “will be the starting point as the House considers the new surface transportation authorization bill,” Kansas Secretary of Transportation Deb Miller testified today before the House Budget Committee.

Appearing on behalf of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, Miller outlined a six-year, multi-modal transportation investment that includes:

  • $375 billion for highways;
  • $93 billion for transit;
  • $42 billion for freight, from outside the Highway Trust Fund; and
  • $35 billion for intercity passenger rail, also from outside the Highway Trust Fund.

Miller noted that even before addressing authorization, however, the Congress must ensure that the Highway Trust Fund has sufficient revenue to fund the current program. An $8 billion transfer made by Congress last September may not be sufficient to last through the year, she said.   

Miller’s complete testimony may be accessed at tinyurl.com/miller-2009-03-17. For information on AASHTO’s authorization recommendations go to www.transportation.org.

Click here to read the entire article.

USDOT’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) releases 2009 Comparison of Insurance Costs

March 12, 2009 at 6:56 pm

(Source: NHTSA)

The website states ” The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has provided the information in this booklet in compliance with Federal law as an aid to consumers considering the purchase of new vehicles. The booklet compares differences in insurance costs for different makes and models of passenger cars, utility vehicles, light trucks, and vans on the basis of damage susceptibility for the vehicle. However, it does not indicate a vehicle’s relative safety for occupants. ”

Click here to print or download a PDF.    Shown below is the PDF version for viewing:

Freakonomics Special: Los Angeles Transportation Facts and Fiction – Driving and Delay

March 12, 2009 at 6:43 pm

(Source: Freakonomics,New York Times via Planetizen; Photo Courtesy: respres@Flickr)

 TransportGooru recommends reading Eric Morris’s  six-part series that discusses stereotypes about Los Angeles transportation.   So, start with the Introduction first and read up the rest.

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Here is the article on Driving and Delay:

Time to bring the quiz to a close. We’ve seen in past posts that, by the standards of U.S. cities, Los Angeles is not sprawling, has a fairly extensive transit system, and is decidedly light on freeways. The smog situation has vastly improved. The final two stereotypes await.

Thanks to the great distances between far-flung destinations, and perhaps Angelenos’ famed “love affair” with the car, Angelenos drive considerably more miles than most Americans. 

Answer: False.

 According to the Federal Highway Administration, Angelenos drive 23 miles per resident per day. This ranks the Los Angeles metro area 21st highest among the largest 37 cities. The champions (or losers) are probably Houston, followed by Jacksonville and Orlando, all of which are over 30 miles per day. New Yorkers drive the fewest miles (17 VMT per resident per day), thanks in large part to relatively high transit ridership and lots of walking trips.

Despite our reputation, we Angelenos don’t exhibit any particularly great predilection for freeway travel either. Los Angeles ranks 14th out of the 37 largest metro areas in terms of highway miles driven per resident per day. To be sure, this is above the median, but it hardly points to the sort of unique freeway fetish Angelenos are accused of harboring.

Click here to read th entire article.  

AASHTO: Budget Change Could Cripple Multi-Year Transportation Contracting Leaders Warn

March 12, 2009 at 5:22 pm

(Source: AASHTO)

In a letter this week which commended President Barak Obama for his “expressed support for significant increased investment in transportation infrastructure,” eight major transportation and construction organizations also warned the President that a proposal contained in the Administration’s budget request to eliminate multi-year contract authority, “would undermine the very fabric of the financing mechanisms” for transportation at the very time that the nation is looking to transportation investments to help rebuild the economy.

Contract authority is a little-known budget keeping mechanism which allows states to plan and execute projects that take several years for completion. It is based upon the fact that transportation programs are funded by dedicated user fees, such as the motor fuel tax, rather than by annual appropriations. The contract authority solution for multi-year capital investment was first enacted in 1956 for highways and later extended to transit and aviation.

In a letter to President Barack Obama, the transportation leaders state, “The predictability that contract authority provides is essential for states and local governments to make long term commitments to major transportation investment projects. In 1998 with the passage of the TEA 21 legislation, Congress recognized this unique budget situation and established funding guarantees tied to the trust funds.”

Click here to read the entire press release and/or click here to download the PDF letter. 

Put in Perspective: Amount of Space Required to Transport People by Car, Bus, or Bicycle

March 12, 2009 at 5:04 pm

This image below has been going around the internet for quite a while and is quite popular in teh urban planning circles.  Treehugger had a post today and I captured it for you all.  Here is that striking picture from Muenster, Germany.   I am sure you will think twice before you start the car tomorrow..

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(Source: TreeHugger)

amount of space required cars bus bicycles poster image

Image: Press-Office City of Müenster, Germany

And That’s Just Space…
They say an image is worth a thousand words. In this case, it really is. You can write about urban planning and air pollution and traffic congestion, but the three photos above show you at a glance the difference between these three means of transportation. And space isn’t everything: Cars also cost more money, pollute more, increase risks of obesity and all kinds of diseases, etc.

Click here to read more.

Challenges Facing the Department of Transportation and Congress – The GAO’s Congressional Testimony

March 11, 2009 at 5:01 pm

(Source: GAO)

 The Department of Transportation received about $48 billion of recovery funds for investments in transportation infrastructure from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. As with other executive agencies, DOT is faced with the challenges of using these funds in ways that will aid economic recovery, making wise funding choices while spending the money quickly, and ensuring accountability for results. GAO will report to Congress bimonthly on how states and localities use the recovery funds received from DOT.

DOT and Congress will also be faced with numerous challenges as they work to reauthorize surface transportation and aviation programs.

Click here to read the HTML version of the entire report.  Or download the PDF file here

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Wondering how to spend your Stimulus money wisely? Look no further..

March 11, 2009 at 12:09 pm

(Source: Smart Growth America)

A detailed report titled, “Spending the Stimulus: How Your State Can Put Thousands Back to Work by Jumpstarting a 21st Century Transportation System” published by Smart Growth America (you can find the full report here) illustrates the breadth of investments that a state can make with the STP funds it receives through ARRA, by outlining 20 project types in 5 main categories, and providing an example for each.

The website says “Smart Growth America is launching an immediate, six-month campaign to support our state partners in shaping stimulus spending and state DOT budget decisions. The need and opportunity are clear. States and DOTs, asked to develop lists of “ready to go” projects, have developed lists that consist almost entirely of road and other conventional projects. Without this campaign, the stimulus money will likely fund destructive road expansion projects rather than providing a down payment on a clean, green transportation infrastructure for the 21st Century.

This campaign aims to:

  1. Influence how state DOTs and governors spend the substantial amounts of money they receive from the federal government,
  2. Hold the state DOTs and governors accountable on the stimulus spending; and
  3. Increase the capacity of state advocacy groups for subsequent state, local, and federal campaign work.”

Click here to read the entire article.  Also click here to read a related write-up by our Sarah Goodyear, at Streetsblog.

 Transportgooru encourages readers to Donate to Smart Growth America today and help in furthering its mission and to ensure that the future for America is a bright one. Click the Donate button to proceed.

 

Attached is the detailed report called Spending the Stimulus published by Smart Growth America:

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Transportation and Infrastructure Chair James Oberstar endorses a gas tax increase and mileage tax

March 10, 2009 at 11:15 am

(Source: Greenwire via New York Times)

A temporary hike to the federal gas tax and a controversial plan to charge Americans for every mile they drive will be part of the funding mix for future roadwork, the chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee said today.

Rep. James Oberstar (D-Minn.), whose committee is drafting the House bill that will finance the bulk of the nation’s surface transportation for the next six years, said because federal revenues from fuel taxes have fallen, his committee has no choice but to use new financing mechanisms to make up the difference.

“We will have multiple revenue sources as we go into the authorization period,” Oberstar told reporters today. “Vehicle miles traveled will be one.”

 Charging drivers a small fee for every mile they travel is “a more efficient, more effective, more beneficial way to generate revenues into the Highway Trust Fund because it will more accurately measure the effect on the roadways of congestion, of wear and tear on our road and bridge surfaces than a simple gas tax,” he added.

Click here to read the entire article.

Transportation and Climate Change Newsletter – February 2009

March 10, 2009 at 10:16 am

(Source: Office of Planning, Environment and Realty Federal Highway Administration)

Recent EventsCome Hell or High Water 1

U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer Announces Principles for Global Warming Legislation. On February 3, S

en. Barbara Boxer (D-CA) announced her intent to move quickly on global warming legislation and issued principles that she would like to see included. These include setting short and long term emissions targets that are certain and enforceable, using a carbon market to fund various efforts to reduce GHG emissions, and ensuring a level global playing field so that countries contribute their fair share to GHG emissions reductions. For more information including a link to Sen. Boxer’s Principles, see the Committee’s press release.

House Subcommittee Receives Testimony on Surface Transportation Energy Reduction.On January 27, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Highways and Transit heard from nationally recognized transportation experts and a panel of industry representatives about ways to reduce energy consumption and promote sustainability in the surface transportation sector.  Video of the proceedings and written testimonies (scroll down) are available on the Subcommittee website.

United Nations Conference on Trade and Development Holds Meeting on Maritime Transport and the Climate Change Challenge. On February 17, FHWA’s Mike Savonis presented (via videoconference) results from USDOT’s Gulf Coast Study Phase I to an international audience in Geneva.  Additional information and presentations from the three-day event are available on the meeting website.

U.C. Davis Provides Congressional Briefing on Low-Carbon Transportation Policies & Strategies. On January 12, 2009, the University of California at Davis (UC Davis) Institute of Transportation Studies provided a briefing to Congressional staffers on the future of low-carbon transportation. More information about UC Davis climate change activities is available on the UC Davis ITS website.

House Subcommittee Conducts Hearing on Monitoring GHG Emissions.  On February 24, the House Science and Technology Subcommittee on Energy and Environment conducted a hearing on how to monitor, report and verify greenhouse gas emissions.  The purpose of the hearing was to determine the federal role in the funding of research and development of monitoring technologies as well as models to support reliable baseline data for GHG emissions.  The subcommittee heard testimony from businesses, government agencies, and localities on procedures and methods that can be used to monitor, report, and verify greenhouse gas emissions.  More information can be found on the Committee’s website at: http://science.house.gov/publications/hearings_markups_details.aspx?NewsID=2359

State News

Oregon Governor Introduces VMT Fee Legislation. Following a study on charging a Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) fee in place of a state gas tax, the Governor of Oregon introduced legislation that could move the state closer to adopting a per mile road user fee in place of the 24-cent per gallon gas tax. Governor Kulongoski’s Jobs and Transportation Act of 2009 requires the Oregon DOT to develop VMT fee collection technology that could be used to replace the gas tax.  The Act also directs Oregon DOT to further study gas tax alternatives.

Click here to read the entire newsletter.