Image via TRB - Beckman Center -- Click here to register and for additional event details.

This year’s ITS Committee mid-year workshop will focus on IntelliDrive(SM) and is planned for September 21-22 at the Beckman Center in Irvine, California. Visit the link above to register and reserve your hotel room. The deadline for reduced hotel rates is August 13.

The goal of the mid-year workshop is to consider the potential impact of IntelliDrive, and the data it will generate, on the various components of the transportation enterprise, including agency organization, finances, and staffing, in addition to planning, operations, safety, and maintenance.  The workshop will bring together public and private sector transportation thought leaders and practitioners to develop research statements that explore how IntelliDrive will affect the work of infrastructure owners and operators.

In addition to the ITS Committee workshop, the ITS Joint Program Office will convene a one-day workshop on Monday September 20, (preceding the TRB meeting) to explore the impact of emerging trends and innovations, shifting priorities and changing requirements on the evaluation of ITS.  The release in early 2010 of the U.S. DOT ITS Strategic Research Plan lays out new goals and initiatives in the ITS Program that impact national and local ITS projects.

The ITS Evaluation Program managers are keenly interested in the input from the transportation community on advancing the practice and increasing the value of ITS evaluation, and identifying the evaluation needs of the transportation community.  The workshop will give participants the opportunity to provide feedback on the Evaluation Program, share innovative evaluation practices, and identify evaluation needs.This intense and engaging two-part event promises workshop participants a great opportunity to learn and to contribute to the continuing evolution of the ITS program.

Click here to access the TRB ITS Committee website.

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(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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• Watch and Engage: A Conversation on Sustainable Communities (whitehouse.gov)

The U.S. Department of Transportation‘s (USDOT) Intelligent Transportation Systems Joint Program Office (ITS-JPO), part of the Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA), will hold a three-day workshop to present and discuss IntelliDrive ^SM* Safety program research roadmaps, including applications, technical and policy activities from July 20-22, 2010 in Chicago, IL.

Safety is critical to the mission of the transportation industry. This workshop is intended as an opportunity for stakeholders to review and provide feedback for refinement on the safety program roadmaps, including technical and policy issues.

There will also be a Professional Capacity Building Workshop (PCB) to engage stakeholders on setting a new strategic direction for the ITS PCB program considering the goals of the new ITS Strategic Research Plan, gather stakeholder input on learning needs, and discuss the future goals for the program.

The sessions and your participation are essential in assisting the ITS-JPO to advance transportation safety.

USDOT has adjusted the agenda based on stakeholder feedback from recent workshops. The new modified agenda features:

Tuesday, July 20 – 9:00-5:00 CDT (webinar available – See webinar info. below)
IntelliDrive Safety Program Roadmaps and Discussion (V2V, Safety Pilot, DSRC Device Certification, V2I Safety)

Wednesday, July 21 – 9:00-noon CDT

• Professional Capacity
• Building Workshop

Wednesday, July 21 – 9:00-noon CDT
DSRC Device Bidder’s Conference

Wednesday, July 21 – 1:00-5:00 CDT IntelliDrive Safety Policy Roadmaps Discussion focused on V2V and V2I

Thursday, July 22 – 8:30-2:30 CDT (webinar available – See webinar info. below)
Breakout Sessions on IntelliDrive Policy Topics and V2I Roadmap – A series of discussion sessions will be held on Thursday morning (July 22nd) to answer questions and elicit feedback on the Safety Program Policy Roadmap (presented on Wednesday afternoon).   The discussion sessions will provide workshop participants with an opportunity to explore details and provide input on expected requirements.  The workshop designers have identified two areas of interest for discussion that are described below.  However, time will be set aside on Wednesday afternoon to identify additional discussion sessions based on the interest of participants.

Breakout 1.  Vehicle-to-Infrastructure Roadmap Discussion – The focus of this discussion session is to carry forward questions from the Tuesday afternoon presentation on Vehicle to Infrastructure (V2I) and provide the time for an in-depth Q&A.  The objective of this session discussion is to validate the technical roadmap and identify policy issues associated with moving the technical research forward.

Breakout 2. Cost-Benefit Analysis – Cost-benefit-analysis (CBA) is an essential step in deriving the societal benefits of IntelliDrive for the Nation. However, CBA is comprised of different types of analysis that, overall, provide stakeholders with an understanding how IntelliDrive benefits their organizations.  The purpose of this breakout session is to present on the different approaches proposed for IntelliDrive CBA and to stimulate discussion with stakeholders on their perspective on the opportunities and direct financial impacts of IntelliDrive.  The session will explore specific cases; for example, the case wherein IntelliDrive could enhance or substitute for older technologies such as loop detectors.  The objective of this session discussion is to validate the CBA and seek input as to the most efficient methods of seeking data from stakeholders.

Policy Breakout Session Descriptions – DOC

Who Should Attend

• Transportation Industry Professionals
• Transportation System Operators
• Government Transportation Specialists
• Academia Transportation Specialists
• Roadway Safety Activists
• Wireless Communication Device Manufacturers
• Auto Manufacturers
• Anyone interested in learning about IntelliDrive safety practices and their practical implementation in improving transportation sector safety.

Registration Cost
All attendees FREE

On-site registration will be available but pre-registration is encouraged.

To Pre-Register contact:

ITS America Staff: Brei Whitty
E-mail: bwhitty@itsa.org
Fax: 202-484-3483
Website: www.intellidriveusa.org

Hotel Information/ Meeting Location

Participants are responsible for their own hotel reservations. Please mention the room block “IntelliDrive” when booking by June 28, 2010.

Hilton Chicago Northbrook
2855 North Milwaukee Avenue
Northbrook, IL 60062-6103
Phone: 847-480-7500
Fax: 847-480-0827
www.northbrook.hilton.com

WEBINAR Info:

Meeting Name: IntelliDriveSM Safety Workshop
When:  Tuesday – 07/20/2010 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM and Thursday – 7/22/2010 8:30 AM – 3:00 PM
Time Zone:  (GMT-06:00) Central Time (US and Canada)
Website:  http://itsa.na5.acrobat.com/intellidrivews/
If you have never attended a Connect Pro meeting before:
Test your connection: http://itsa.na5.acrobat.com/common/help/en/support/meeting_test.htm
Get a quick overview: http://www.adobe.com/go/connectpro_overview

AUDIO Conference Details:
Conference Number(s): 1-866-502-8312
Participant Code: 175569

Click here for our one-page workshop flyer.

*IntelliDrive is a service mark of the U.S. Department of Transportation.

(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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June 22-23, 2010

Washington Dulles Airport Marriott, Dulles, Virginia

Dates: Tuesday-Wednesday, June 22-23, 2010
Times: Tuesday:  1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. & Wednesday:  8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Purpose: The U.S. Department of Transportation, Research and Innovative Technology Administration, ITS Joint Program Office will hold a two-day workshop to present and discuss its four draft IntelliDrive^SM deployment scenarios that have been recently developed in response to key stakeholder input. The purpose of the meeting is to provide input to the U.S. DOT as it refines IntelliDrive research plans about potential futures paths for IntelliDrive deployment.  Discussion will be framed around four scenarios developed through stakeholder inputs. The workshop will engage participants to identify advantages and disadvantages of each of the draft scenarios and critical policy and institutional research needs.  The Tuesday session will provide an overview of the four draft scenarios. The Wednesday session will consist of break out groups to explore each of the four scenarios in detail as well as a concluding session that summarizes the findings from the workshop.

Draft Agenda: http://www.itsa.org/itsa/files/pdf/Scenario%20Agenda-Rev1.pdf

Intended audience: This workshop is for all interested parties.

Registration: This workshop is free of charge using the ITS America registration process. The registration page can be found athttp://www.itsa.org/itsa/files/pdf/Registrtion%20Form%20Deployment%205-13-10.pdf Please email your completed registration form to Brei Whitty at bwhitty@itsa.org or fax it to 202-484-3483.

Webinar: The Tuesday session will be broadcast live as a webinar for those who are not able to attend in person.  Webinar information TBA.

Hotel Information:
Washington Dulles Airport Marriott
45020 Aviation Drive, Dulles, VA, 20166-7506
Reservations: 1-800-228-9290 or (703) 471-9500

Event Name: Intellidrive
Rate: $139/night + taxes (less than the government rate!)
Please use the code Intellidrive when reserving your room so that you can get the room block rate.  Thank you for reserving your room within the official room block. It helps us meet the hotel contract minimum. The cut-off date to reserve a room is June 1,2010. Please contact Brei Whitty if the room block becomes full.

Contact: Brei Whitty, ITS America, 202-721-4236, bwhitty@itsa.org

The Rudin Center for Transportation Policy and Management is pleased to announce High Speed Rail: Leveraging Federal Investment Locally, a symposium to be held on June 16th, 2010.

Following the January 2010 rail funding announcement by the U.S. Department of Transportation, interest in rail investment – and what it means for American communities – has continued to expand. Conversations are taking place across the country, bringing in new participants as well as experienced professionals from around the world to discuss the new corridors. In focusing on how to implement new rail corridors there is a risk of overlooking the need to manage the regional impacts of the nodes that comprise these systems. Leveraging Federal Investment Locally will enhance the national dialogue on high-speed rail investment through a focus on how new facilities will be linked to existing regional transportation infrastructure and economic development efforts. In addition, there will be an examination of the political context of establishing new rail infrastructure in a democratic nation where land use is controlled locally.

Presenters include:

• Polly Trottenberg, Assistant Secretary for Transportation Policy at the U.S. Department of Transportation
• David Levinson, University of Minnesota
• Anthony Perl, Simon Fraser University
• Frank Zshoche, Managing Director, Civity Management Consultants, Hamburg Germany

The event is co-sponsored by Parsons Brinckerhoff and presented in Partnership with the American Public Transportation Association (APTA).

When: 6/16/2010 8:30am-2:00pm
Location: The Kimmel Center, Rosenthal Pavilion, 60 Washington Square South, New York, NY 10012  map

To participate, click here

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.

Wednesday, June 9, 2010 1:00 PM – 2:30 PM EDT

In December 2009, an international scan was conducted to identify new ideas and practical, workable models for integrating variable road pricing approaches into state, local, and regional policies, programs, and practices.  Scan team members interacted with host city and country experts from Stockholm, Sweden, London, England, Singapore, Germany, the Czech Republic, and the Netherlands. Specifically, the scan team explored the political, institutional, and technical factors that contributed to the successful implementation of road pricing and, in some cases, to their rejection.

Panelists will present the findings of the scan and will address the potential for road pricing to be a part of a sustainable twenty-first century transportation system.  The scan was conducted under the auspices of the International Technology Scanning Program, which is conducted by the Federal Highway Administration in cooperation with the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials and the National Cooperative Highway Research Program.

Session presenters:

• Robert Arnold, Federal Highway Administration
• Vance Smith, Georgia Department of Transportation
• Patrick DeCorla-Souza, Federal Highway Administration

Moderated by: John Doan, SRF Consulting  (Questions may be posed any time during the Webinar, and are answered at the end of the session).

Registration: Participants must register 24 hours in advance. There is no fee for Chairs of TRB Standing Committees, Sections, or Groups.  There is also no fee for employees of TRB Sponsors: http://bit.ly/9tduwj. TRB Sponsors: Please use your work email to register for the session. Others must pay $99 per site.

There may be situations where a webinar may need to be rescheduled due to unforeseen events.  If a webinar needs to be rescheduled, TRB will contact you via email to provide information about rescheduling the session.

Problems signing in? Contact Reggie Gillum at rgillum@nas.edu or 202-334-2382.

Click here to register.

(Sources: Consumer Reports, Detroit Free Press, Wall Street Journal & CNN Money)

Consumer Reports magazine dealt Toyota Motor Corp. a blow Tuesday issuing a rare “don’t buy” recommendation for the 2010 Lexus GX 460 sport-utility vehicle.

Four of the magazine’s auto engineers found a safety risk during their standard emergency-handling tests.  The specific problem, according to the magazine’s testers, involved the slow reaction of the vehicle’s electronic stability control system when a driver takes it through a turn while quickly lifting his or her foot off the accelerator. Consumer Reports explained the problem in detail on its website as follows:

In real-world driving, lift-off oversteer could occur when a driver enters a highway’s exit ramp or drives through a sweeping turn and encounters an unexpected obstacle or suddenly finds that the turn is too tight for the vehicle’s speed. A natural impulse is to quickly lift off the accelerator pedal. If that were to happen in the GX, the rear could slide around far enough that a wheel could strike a curb or slide off the pavement.

Either of those scenarios can cause a vehicle to roll over. And because the GX is a tall SUV with a high center of gravity, our concern for rollover safety is heightened.

Like almost all current SUVs, the GX has standard ESC. That system is designed to prevent a vehicle from sliding out in a turn and has generally worked very effectively in the vehicles we’ve tested. It does that by applying individual brakes and cutting engine power to help keep the vehicle on its intended path. But the GX’s system doesn’t intervene quickly enough to stop the slide, and the rear end swings around too far.

“All four of Consumer Reports’ auto engineers who conducted the test experienced the problem in an exercise used to evaluate what’s called lift oversteer,” the magazine said in a statement.

The special designation given to the GX 460 by Consumer Reports — “Don’t Buy: Safety Risk” — is rarely given by the magazine. The last time it was used was in 2001, on the Mitsubishi Montero Limited.

“We’re concerned with the results,” said Toyota in a statement, adding that the company will try to duplicated Consumer Reports’ test “to determine if appropriate steps need to taken.”

About 5,000 GX 460s have been sold in the roughly three months the model has been on sale, the magazine said. It advises current owners of this vehicle to approach exit ramps with caution, and to call Toyota demanding a fix for the problem.

The recommendation comes as Toyota tries recover from a safety crisis that has hurt its reputation as a quality leader amid concerns that its Toyota and Lexus products are prone to sudden acceleration.

Click here to read more.

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