TransportGooru

GM ready to let Opel go for free?…GM, Earnings/Financials, OpelGeneral Motors wants out of Opel, and according to new reports, it is willing to let the German automaker go without receiving any money for it. The only requirement is that the buyer must inject €500 million (around $652M USD) into Opel for operations. While GM CEO Fritz Henderson has said there are six serious inve…

 GM To Cut 190,000 Units, Shut 13 Plants, Some Permanently [Carpocalypse]

EMBASSY OF  SWITZERLAND INVITES YOU TO A BIKE-TO-WORK WEEK FORUM & RECEPTION

Building a Bicycle-Friendly World

As a completely emission-free form of transportation, bicycling is one of the simplest ways to reduce our carbon footprint and make our communities more livable. Yet, to make bicycling feasible requires specific infrastructure, financing, and a commitment of political and public will. Please join Swiss and American experts from government and the private sector to discuss strategies for making our cities and nations more bicycle friendly. Panel presentation will  be followed by audience Q & A and discussion:

When:        

Wednesday, May 13, 2009, 

4:30 p.m. (Doors Open/Bicycling Exhibit)

5:00- 6:30 p.m.(Expert Panel & Discussion)

Reception to follow at Ambassador’s residence

Who:          

Elmar Ledergerber-Mayor of Zurich, Switzerland

Consistently voted “Word’s Most Liveable City,” Zurich has a proactive bicycle plan overseen by Ledergerber, its “Bicycling Mayor.”

Tommy Wells-Councilmember, Washington, D.C.

A long-time advocate of green transportation, Mr. Wells sits on D.C.’s committees on Public Works & Transportation and Government Operations & The Environment

Michelle Kranz-Manager, Media Relations, Switzerland Tourism

Switzerland Tourism is a partner in Switzerland’s national network of bicycle trails, created by a unique public-private cooperation.

Thomas Gotshi, Ph.D.-Director of Research, Rails-To-Trails Conservancy

Dr. Gotschi authored the report “Active Transportation for America,” which quantifies the nationwide benefits from walking and bicycling.

Michael Jackson, (Moderator)-Director, Bicycle/ Pedestrian Access Committee

Office of Planning and Capital Programming, MDOT

Congressman Earl Blumenauer-(D, OR)

Congressman Blumenauer was instrumental in forming the Congressional Task Force on Livable Communities and the bipartisan Bicycle Caucus.

Where:      

Embassy of Switzerland

2900 Cathedral Avenue, N.W.

Washington, D.C. 20008

The forum is free and open to the public; reservations required at was.events@eda.admin.ch.

Ride Your Bike and Receive a Special Gift!

For more information, please visit the Embassy of Switzerland’s website. 

Also join us for Bike-To-Work Day, Friday, May 15, 2009   Join Switzerland at the Bike-to-Work Day celebration on Freedom Plaza at 9 a.m. when we will dedicate our gift of 10 artistic bicycle racks to the city of Washington, D.C.                           Bicycle Racks by Swiss-American Artist Annina Luck

 These events are produced by the Embassy of Switzerland in Washington, D.C. as part of the U.S.-wide program ThinkSwiss-Brainstorm the Future. As a leading country in science, research and technology, Switzerland is working with its American counterparts to address key global topics like public transportation, to better understand trends and arrive at solutions.

The ThinkSwiss program is produced under the auspices of the Swiss Confederation.

For further information, visit the website www.thinkswiss.org or contact: 

Suzanne Zweizig 

Communications Manager

Embassy of Switzerland

2900 Cathedral Ave. NW, Washington, D.C. 20008

Tel +1 (202) 745-7920

Suzanne.Zweizig@eda.admin.ch

 
Co-Sponsors:
      

U.S. DOT Requests Public Comments on ITS Program. The Research and Innovative Technology Administration is requesting public comments on the strategic direction of its Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Program. Comments will be used to shape the next, multi-year, ITS research agenda. Specifically, the Department seeks comment and insight on a set of proposed goals and objectives for the ITS Program. Additionally, the Department is interested in exploring new opportunities for research and development, technology transfer, and evaluation of next generation ITS technologies. Responses should take into account the critical role of advanced technologies in achieving transformative change in the areas of safety, mobility, environmental stewardship, and deployment policy. A Request for Information along with instructions for submittal can be found athttp://www.regulations.gov under docket number RITA 2009-0001.  Alternatively, you can visit:

http://www.regulations.gov/fdmspublic/component/main?main=DocumentDetail&o=090000648095e55e

Should you have any questions, please contact Ms. Riddle: 202-366-5128.

Here is a copy of the RFI. Please visit the above links to submit your comment. 

Wednesday, April 22, 2009 – ISSN 1529-1057

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TIC for Traffic Plans and Simulation – Create and Operate with Live and Historic Data
TIC can be used in off-line mode with historic data to create, simulate, and compare pre-defined traffic plans for expected traffic situations. TIC can then be used in on-line mode with both live and historic data to monitor the network.  Once a situation is identified, TIC can recommend the best plans to operators within minutes, and if an unexpected situation is identified, TIC can be used to create and recommend new traffic plans, such as during evacuations. TIC can consider the complete road network, traffic patterns, weather, work zones, social events, sensors, CO2, NOx, and particle emissions, and more. TIC is a commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) solution proven in over 100 projects operating worldwide, and can be deployed faster, more affordably, and with less risk than build-your-own solutions.

See the new TIC3 at GEWI booth #329 at the ITS America Conference or contact jim.oneill@gewi.com to discuss your requirements.

AVIATION

1) US Department of Transportation Reverses FAA on Bird Strike Data

Link to story in The Washington Post:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/22/AR2009042202057.html

Link to blog entry from Secretary of Transportation, Ray LaHood:

http://fastlane.dot.gov/2009/04/public-disclosure-is-our-job.html

2) FAA Video Makes Case for Air Traffic Control Revamp

Link to story in Wired:

http://blog.wired.com/cars/2009/04/faa-makes-case.html

3) Program Looks to Boost Image of Private Aviation

Link to story in the Wichita Business Journal:

http://www.bizjournals.com/wichita/stories/2009/04/20/daily20.html

Link to further information from the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association:

http://www.aopa.org/advocacy/articles/2009/090420gaservesamerica.html

4) Alaska Air Approved as First Airline to Conduct Own Required Navigation Performance Flight Validation

Link to story in Air Transport World Magazine:

http://atwonline.com/news/story.html?storyID=16354

OTHER

5) All States Now Have Stimulus-Tracking Web Sites

Link to story in Federal Computer Week:

http://fcw.com/articles/2009/04/20/news-recovery-links.aspx

SAFETY / SECURITY

6) Homeland Defense: Actions Needed to Address Management of Air Sovereignty Alert Operations to Protect US Airspace

Link to testimony from the US Government Accountability Office:

http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d09612t.pdf

TRANSIT

7) Interactive Maps Debut on Tokyo Subway

Link to IDG News Service story:

http://www.pcworld.com/article/163473/interactive_maps_debut_on_tokyo_subway.html

TRAVELER INFORMATION / TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT

8) Virginia Officials Pull from Previous Incident to Streamline Response

Link to story in The Northern Virginia Daily:

http://www.nvdaily.com/news/2009/04/officials-pull-from-previous-incident-to.html

9) New South Wales Opposition Slams Slow F3 Response

Opponents say government took too long to respond to the traffic chaos caused by a fatal truck accident on a major freeway.

Link to story on 9News:

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/national/804839/nsw-opposition-slams-slow-f3-response

News Releases

1) Intelligent Transportation Society of America Introduces New Online Supplier Directory for ITS Industry

Upcoming Events

15^th International Conference on Urban Transport and the Environment – June 22-24 – Bologna, Italy

http://www.wessex.ac.uk/09-conferences/urban-transport-2009.html

Today in Transportation History

1969 **40^th anniversary** – Robin Knox-Johnston completed the first single-handed non-stop circumnavigation of the globe in a sailboat.

http://www.robinknox-johnston.co.uk/

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The Transportation Communications Newsletter is published electronically Monday through Friday. 

To subscribe send an e-mail to:  TCNL-subscribe@googlegroups.com

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

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

© 2009 Bernie Wagenblast

(Source: Autoblog)

Ford’s dealer development program works to help people become dealer principles who might not otherwise have the chance. The 64 members of the program, most of them black or Hispanic, are set up with stores by Ford and then buy out Ford’s interest in the dealership with revenues. To give them a boost and, presumably, free up Ford money, Automotive News is reporting that Ford is offering dealers in the program an offer they’ll have a hard time refusing: complete ownership of their stores for $1.

To take advantage, though, the dealers will need to have private financing for their operating capital in place by September 30. If they can prove to Ford that they have enough private resources, they will take complete control of their stores and Ford will forgive any money the dealer still owes to The Blue Oval. Even though Ford would technically lose money on any dealer who accepted the offer, the automaker would no longer need to be involved in the dealership or in its floorplan financing.

Click here to read more.

(Source: AutoBlog, New York Times, Jalopnik)

 REPORT: Bill Ford, Jr. “shocked” at Wagoner’s ousting…Some say GM taking government loans (as opposed to private sector loans) changed the rules, and the government needed to protect its investment; others say it was government interference. Regardless, the way things are going, we would be surprised if that were the last “shocking” development in the car industry saga.[Source: The Detroit Free Pre…

(Source: Washington Post; USA Today & Airsafe.com)

 The people should have access to this kind of information

Department of Transportation is preparing to reject a proposal by the Federal Aviation Administration that would keep secret data about where and when birds strike airplanes.   Among the high-profile boosters of releasing the information is Transportation Secretary  Ray LaHood, whose agency oversees the FAA.  He said the comments ran “99.9 percent” in favor of making such information accessible.  

“I think all of this information ought to be made public, and I think that you’ll soon be reading about the fact that we’re going to, you know, make this information as public as anybody wants it,” LaHood said in an interview for The Washington Post’s “New Voices of Power” series. “The people should have access to this kind of information.

“The whole thing about the bird strike issue is it doesn’t really comport with the president’s idea of transparency,” the secretary said. “I mean, here they just released all of these CIA files regarding interrogation, and . . . the optic of us trying to tell people they can’t have information about birds flying around airports, I don’t think that really quite comports with the policies of the administration. . . . It’s something that somebody wanted to put out there to get a reaction. We got the reaction, and now we’re going to bring it to conclusion.”

Here is the Secretary’s interview to Washington Post’s Lois Romano on this issue:

 The FAA last month quietly posted a proposal in the federal register, requesting public comment, that would bar the release of its records on bird collisions. The proposal followed a prominent incident in January when a flock of geese brought down a commercial flight, forcing the pilot to make an emergency landing on the Hudson River. The agency immediately came under fire because the recommendation runs counter President’s Obama vows of government transparency.

For those interested in reading the FAA’ proposal on Federal register, here it is:

 Note: TransportGooru appreciates the Sec. of Transportation’s stand against this move by FAA.  Public have the right to know and it is not nice that FAA can withhold  sharing this data, even after the overhwleming public response.

Transportation for America’s webinar on Transportation and Housing took place last week.  This is the third one in a series of webinars that explore the deep impacts of our transportation system on our housing and job markets, public health, energy needs, climate, economic competitiveness, and nearly every other pressing issue facing our country today.   This particular webinar on Transportation and Housing/Development had almost 300 people in attendance, who heard from development experts on the connections between transportation policy, real estate development, and affordable housing.  The following links will take you to the products (policy briefs and A/V recordings) from the session.

• Policy Brief: Transportation and Housing (pdf)
• Policy Brief: Transportation and Development (pdf)
• Audio and video recording of the entire webinar
• Podcast audio file (.mp3)
  
• Podcast video file (.mp4)

With economic crisis putting jobs in jeopardy, homes in foreclosure and entire communities in peril, Americans are facing extraordinary challenges in finding affordable and accessible housing options. Now more than ever, we need federal leadership to help make the critical link between our housing and transportation policies and creating revitalized communities where people can find good places to live and convenient ways to get around.

Shelley Poticha, President and CEO of Reconnecting America and the Center for Transit Oriented Development moderated the discussion and provided an overview of the Transportation for America Campaign.

Christopher Leinberger, Visiting Fellow at the Brookings Institution and Partner of Arcadia Land Company; discussed the benefits of walkable urbanism and the linkages between land value and transportation systems. Ann Norton, Senior Staff Attorney at the Housing Preservation Project, provided a snapshot of Blueprint planning from the Minneapolis / St. Paul Metropolitan Area that links up transportation and land-use planning. Finally, John McIlwain, Senior Resident Fellow at the Urban Land Institute discussed policy options for locating housing around transportation nodes and creating compact, mixed use, mixed income neighborhoods.

There are still more webinars on tap.  Sign up for more sessions on the webinars page. The next session is April 30  (2-3:30PM) on Transportation, Public Health and Safety.  Here is a brief description of the upcoming session:  Transportation influences the health and safety of communities by affecting physical activity levels, traffic speeds, and air pollution. This session will investigate the needs of paratransit and transit-dependent populations, the success of Complete Streets and non-motorized transportation programs, and the connections between transportation and active living.

(Source: Transportation for America)

(Source: Los Angeles Times)

As the state moves to reduce the carbon footprint of fuel, an engineer hopes to build a plant in Lancaster that will convert garbage into an alcohol-based mixture.

But by measuring the “cradle-to-grave” effect of various fuels, the new rule would favor ethanol such as Klann’s, made from non-food sources. Even “low-carbon” corn ethanol — such as the kind produced in California using gas-fired electricity and efficient machinery — has a far higher carbon footprint than so-called cellulosic fuel from landfill waste, trees, switchgrass or sugar cane.

“This is fantastic for us,” said Klann, who uses recycled sulfuric acid to transform paper, construction debris and grass clippings into ethanol. “The paradigm is changing from oil to sustainable fuels. The ones with the lowest carbon footprint will be the winners.”

By 2020, the air board estimates, new-technology fuels along with electricity to power hybrid and electric cars would replace a quarter of the gasoline supply. And that is a critical element of the state’s sweeping plan to reduce its global warming emissions. 

Battered corn ethanol investors have mounted an intense lobbying effort against California’s proposal. Several, including Pacific Ethanol, California’s biggest, had planned to diversify from corn into cellulosic ethanol. They argue that by diminishing the value of their existing plants, the new rule also would cripple their advanced biofuel efforts. 

At issue is the Air Resources Board’s complex modeling, which would calculate each fuel’s carbon footprint not only by its “direct” emissions from drilling or planting to refining to burning, but also “indirect” emissions caused by clearing forests or fields to compensate for food crops such as corn or soy that are diverted to fuel. Opponents say the science behind the indirect modeling is inaccurate. 

Among entrepreneurs like Klann, the mood has never been more hopeful. In an Anaheim lab, the 57-year-old electrical engineer guides a visitor through a maze of pipes, filters, heat exchangers, fermentation tanks and vats of acid like a small boy showing off a chemistry set. “We’re in the forefront of this industry,” he said of his patented “concentrated acid hydrolysis” process. “We expect to have the first plant to produce cellulosic ethanol on a commercial scale.”  

Financing for his Lancaster plant, which recently obtained its final permits, has been delayed by the credit crunch. But if it comes through, the facility will process 170 tons of garbage a day to produce 3.7 million gallons of ethanol a year. Estimated cost per gallon: about $2, Klann says.  

He already has plans for 20 more facilities across the country. Next on the block: a plant outside Palm Springs, partly funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, that would produce 19 million gallons annually. 

Click here to read th entire article.  For interested readers, here is a TransportGooru article on California’s ambitious new fuel regulation standards. 

Tightening the “Green” Screw! California regulators consider instituting first-in-the nation low-carbon fuel standards

(Source: The Brookings Institute)

As Vice President Biden’s Earth Day speech at a Washington area subway station makes clear, the connections between transportation and climate change are undeniable. Therefore, exactly how our metropolitan areas grow—and what type of transportation people use to get from place to place—will have a great impact not only on the economy, but also on global environmental sustainability.

Brookings fellow, Robert Puentes, argues in a new report that we need to change, in a systemic way, how we think about, design and implement transportation policies. Beyond more fuel efficient and alternatively powered vehicles, we need to act to reduce demand for driving by linking housing, land use, and economic development.

Report Excerpts:

Transportation is the single largest contributor to the nation’s carbon footprint, causing more damage than industry, homes or commercial buildings. More than four-fifths of transportation emissions come from the tailpipes of our cars, trucks and buses.  

Three factors affect the amount of carbon released into the air from transportation: the type of fuel we use, the fuel efficiency of the automobiles we drive and the amount of driving we do. Some improvements are being made on the first two legs of this stool with the push for hybrid/electric vehicles and tighter fuel economy standards.

Progress is much slower on the third leg: curbing the demand to drive. Though driving is down now because of our economic malaise, studies show that even small increases will spew out so much carbon that they will wipe out the benefits of fuel-efficient cars and the expansion of clean-fuel alternatives.  Take the Washington metropolitan area. This region is projected to grow from 7.6 million people in 2000 to 10.6 million in 2030. Employment could grow from 4.4 million to 6.4 million workers, and non-residential development from 3.6 billion square feet to 5.2 billion. That means about 60 percent of the buildings that will be here in 2030 will have been built after 2000.

How we accommodate this growing population and economy – whether we break the pattern of “sprawl as usual” – will significantly influence whether we secure our energy independence and forge solutions to global warming and climate change.

Click here to read the entire report.