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Untangling Transportation Funding – Brookings Institution’s paper on Vehicle Mileage Taxation

February 26, 2009 at 3:24 pm

(Source :  Thanks to Robert Puentes @ The Brookings Institution for sharing this article)

FEBRUARY 26, 2009 —  As the recent kerfuffle between the Transportation secretary, the White House, and a key congressional leader demonstrate, issues around funding and finance dominate the discussion about surface transportation in the U.S. today.

Already, we have had not one—but two—national commissions on the topic, and the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) recently added transportation financing to its annual list of high-risk areas suggested for oversight by the current Congress.

Why the high anxiety? 

Put simply: the money flowing out of the federal transportation trust fund (often referred to as the “highway” trust fund) is greater than the money flowing into it. This past September Washington was forced to shift $8 billion from the general fund to cover a shortfall in the transportation account. Estimates for how short the fund will be this summer hover around $9 billion.

Despite the sharp, and perhaps simplistic, rhetoric of late, the origins of the shortfall are the result of multiple trends converging.

For one, the federal gas tax—generating nearly 90 percent of the federal transportation revenue—has not been raised in nearly 20 years, not even to keep pace with inflation. So, as the rate effectively declines, so does the purchasing power of the trust fund. The current 18.4 cent per gallon tax in the U.S. is far less than in European competitor nations.

Click here to read the antire article.

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USDOT’s FY 2010 Transportation budget proposes $800 million for the implementation of the Next Generation Air Transportation System.

February 26, 2009 at 2:53 pm

(Source: Business First)

The U.S. Department of Transportation budget, within the framework of the federal government’s Fiscal 2010 budget outlined Thursday by President Obama, calls for the federal government to provide $800 million for the implementation of the Next Generation Air Transportation System.

The system, which has been beta tested by Louisville-based UPS Airlines since 1996, is an effort to improve the nation’s air traffic control system by using a satellite based surveillance system rather than the current radar surveillance system.

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration in November approved the deployment of the system, also known as Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast, or ADS-B.

UPS Airlines, a subsidiary of Atlanta-based United Parcel Service Inc. (NYSE: UPS), tested ADS-B on 107 Boeing B-757 and 767 aircraft, Business First reported in August 2006.

Click here to read the entire article.

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Will a Car-Free Broadway Work?

February 26, 2009 at 2:43 pm

New York’s Times Square to Become Pedestrian Plaza (temporairly, at least)

(Source: New York Times)

In 1997, one of my proposals was greeted with the usual thunderous silence. I proposed creating the Piazza Broadway by banishing cars from the the Great White Way near Times Square. It wasn’t a strictly original idea — a similar scheme had been proposed in the 1970s — although I do believe I was the first to suggest decorating the plaza with a statue of a three-card monte dealer and a pedestrian bridge modeled on the Ponte Vecchio in Florence, to be called the Ponte di Tre Monte.

Anyway, the idea went nowhere — until today. Mayor Bloomberg planned to announce that Broadway will become a pedestrian-only zone around Times Square and Herald Square, according to my colleagues William Neuman and Michael Barbaro. The experiment will start in May and could become permanent if if it works.

Will it work? I’m biased, of course, and I can’t claim I based that 1997 proposal on any rigorous analysis. But today there’s a new tool for examining the proposal: a spreadsheet called the Balanced Transportation Analyzer, or B.T.A.. Charles Komanoff, the economist who developed it, calls it the first transparent and publicly available tool to gauge the varying impacts of changing the transportation options in a city with a dense central core, like New York.

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Injured good Samaritan ticketed for jaywalking

February 26, 2009 at 2:33 pm

(Source: AP via Yahoo News)

A good Samaritan who helped push three people out of the path of a pickup truck before being struck and injured has gotten a strange reward for his good deed: A jaywalking ticket.

Family members said 58-year-old bus driver Jim Moffett and another man were helping two elderly women cross a busy Denver street in a snowstorm when he was hit Friday night.

Moffett suffered bleeding in the brain, broken bones, a dislocated shoulder and a possible ruptured spleen. He was in serious but stable condition Wednesday.

The Colorado State Patrol issued the citation. Trooper Ryan Sullivan said that despite Moffett’s intentions, jaywalking contributed to the accident.

Moffett had been driving his bus when the two women got off. In the interest of safety, he got out and, together with another passenger, helped the ladies cross.

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Americans Agree: Smart Growth Approach to Transportation Helps Build Communities

February 26, 2009 at 2:28 pm

(Source:  MSNBC)

 An overwhelming majority of Americans believe restoring existing roads and bridges and expanding transportation options should take precedence over building new roads, according to a survey sponsored by the National Association of Realtors® and Transportation for America.

The 2009 Growth and Transportation Surveydescribes what Americans think about how their communities are handling development and how the transportation needs of communities can best be met.

“Realtors® build communities and know how important an organized transportation structure is in supporting neighborhood growth,” said NAR President Charles McMillan, a broker with Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage in Dallas-Fort Worth. “A well planned investment in transportation will help create more livable and vibrant communities.”

To accommodate future U.S. population growth, which is expected to increase by 100 million by 2050, Americans favor improving intercity rail and transit, walking and biking over building new highways. When asked what the federal government’s top priority should be for 2009 transportation funding, half of all respondents recommended maintaining and repairing roads and bridges, while nearly one third said “expanding and improving bus, rail, and other public transportation.” Only 16 percent said “expanding and improving roads, highways, freeways and bridges.”

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Stimulus Fund Package Increases Transit Benefit: Almost Doubles Allowance

February 25, 2009 at 8:36 pm

(Source: Washington Post)

Increased Subsidy Might Mean a Boost in Ridership on Longest Rail Commutes, Officials Say

Good news for transit riders: Starting on Sunday, the monthly transit benefit allowance increases to $230 from the current $120, thanks to the recently enacted economic stimulus package.

The new federal legislation allows employers to subsidize their employees as much as $230 a month, or $2,760 a year, in public transportation benefits. Or, an employee can receive the benefit as a pre-tax payroll deduction, or some combination of the two.

In the Washington region, more than 189,000 employees from 400 federal agencies and 4,000 private employers use the benefit and participate in Metro’s SmartBenefits program. The Metro program allows employers to assign a dollar value of each employee’s monthly commuting benefit directly to their individual electronic SmarTrip cards. Employees take the cards to machines in Metrorail stations between the first and last day of the month to claim the benefit.

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Innovations of the Future

February 25, 2009 at 8:00 pm

(Source: BusinessWeek)

Click here to find out more!Economic difficulty can inspire extraordinary innovation. We asked futurists what they’d like to see arise from these difficult times

“History reminds us that at every moment of economic upheaval and transformation, this nation has responded with bold action and big ideas.” As President Barack Obama addressed a joint session of Congress on Tuesday, Feb. 24, he took a moment to look back, pointing to the innovations that have arisen from times of difficulty: the railroad tracks, laid across the country in the midst of the civil war; the public high school system that emerged from the Industrial Revolution; the GI Bill that sent a generation to college. Obama’s theme was clear: Times ofeconomic difficulty can inspire extraordinary innovation. And now, even as the markets continue their roller-coaster ride, he described a time “to put in place tough, new common-sense rules of the road so that our financial market rewards drive and innovation and punishes shortcuts and abuse.”

Of course, longed-for innovations don’t always make it to the market. Radically new ideas fortransportation were on most of the futurists’ wish lists, but the chances of a high-speed cross-country train within the U.S. still seem slim (we’re also still waiting on that flying car). But, as vehicle sharing and trackable, more reliable, and eco-powered buses gain popularity, chances are that better urban transit will become a reality.

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BRT, Rail, and New York City: A Conversation With Walter Hook – Part I

February 25, 2009 at 6:50 pm

(Source: Streets Blog)

transmilenio.jpgBogotá’s TransMilenio carries 1.4 million riders per day. This bus- and bike-only transitway operates in the historic city center. Photo: Shreya Gadepalli/ITDP.

New York City made a major public commitment to Bus Rapid Transit in 2006 when, after years of discussion, the MTA and DOT put forward plans for pilot routes in each of the five boroughs. In the meantime, the city’s BRT agenda has encountered a few setbacks in Albany and made a partial breakthrough on Fordham Road, with a service that incorporates some nifty bus improvements, but not enough to merit the BRT designation.

walter_hook_headshot.jpg

Perhaps no one knows the ins and outs of BRT better than Walter Hook (right). As director of the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy, Hook has advised cities on four continents about BRT implementation, including Jakarta’s seven-corridor network, the first full-fledged BRT system in Asia.
Streetsblog caught up with Hook — in between trips to Cape Town and Mexico City — for an email Q&A about why New York City needs Bus Rapid Transit, common misconceptions of BRT in America, and what will make BRT succeed here. This is the first of four installments.

Streetsblog: Is BRT the right mode for New York City at this moment in time? A lot of folks think that BRT is no substitute for light rail or a subway system. How would you pitch the idea of BRT to New Yorkers?

Walter Hook: I was in Philadelphia a few months back, which is a real rail and streetcar-loving town, and I took a lot of heat for suggesting BRT had a place in U.S. cities like New York and Philadelphia, particularly from my friends in the sustainable transportation advocacy community. I understand why a lot of folks in the U.S. see BRT as some sort of marketing trick to pawn off low-quality bus improvements as mass transportation. I think it’s because we don’t really have a full BRT system in the U.S. Not very many people have been to Bogotá, or Curitiba, or Pereira or Guayaquil to see the best BRT systems. These are not exactly tourist Meccas.

Click here to read the rest of this interesting conversation.

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Columbia River Crossing Wins National Award For Greenhouse Gas Analysis

February 25, 2009 at 6:39 pm

(Source: Washington State DOT)

The Columbia River Crossing is the recipient of a National Association of Environmental Professionals 2009 Environmental Excellence Award in the category of NEPA (National Environmental Policy Act) Excellence.

CRC was selected for this award because the project “demonstrates a novel method to assess the impacts of greenhouse gas emissions and through the environmental review process identify a less overall impacting alternative for a complex transportation project,” according to the letter received from the organization’s president, Jim Melton.

The award honors the project’s approach to greenhouse gas emissions and climate change evaluation in the May 2008 Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). 

The National Association of Environmental Professionals has about 1,750 members nationwide. The organization’s mission is to be the interdisciplinary organization dedicated to developing the highest standards of ethics and proficiency in the environmental professions. Members are public and private sector professionals who promote excellence in decision-making in light of the environmental, social, and economic impacts of those decisions. 

Click here to read the entire article.

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Bernie’s TCN Newsletter – February 25, 2009

February 25, 2009 at 6:32 pm

Transportation Communications Newsletter

 Wednesday, February 25, 2009 — ISSN 1529-1057

Register Today and Prepare for the Approaching Recovery: IBTTA’s Workshop on Managing in an Era of Changing Economic Times, April 19-21, 2009 in San Francisco, CA 

Join IBTTA in San Francisco for power-packed educational sessions and walk away with a world of knowledge on better managing your organization today and preparing for the approaching economic recovery. Learn how global issues are affecting your organization and the toll industry, the goals and efforts of the U.S. stimulus program, how to build a cost-conscious culture and make tough decisions, how to position your agency for unique opportunities during this slowdown, solid financing strategies and more. This is one meeting you don’t want to miss! Visit IBTTA’s website to view the preliminary agenda, make your travel arrangements and register today!

 AVIATION

 1) Key to Eliminating US Flight Delays? Redesign the Sky Over New York City

Link to story in Wired:

http://www.wired.com/cars/futuretransport/magazine/17-03/ff_airspace

 2) Could Radar Keep Birds from Colliding with Aircraft?

Link to story in Scientific American:

http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=avian-aircraft-radar

 3) Airline Industry Seems to be Serious About Going Forward with Wi-Fi in Sky

Link to Scripps-Howard News Service story:

http://www.scrippsnews.com/node/41183

 4) American Airlines Aims to be On Time

Technology being used to improve performance.

Link story on The Street:

http://www.thestreet.com/story/10465948/1/american-airlines-aims-to-be-on-time.html

 CAMERAS

 5) Who’s Paying for New Missouri Red-Light Camera Advocacy Group?

Link to story in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch:

http://www.stltoday.com/blogzone/political-fix/political-fix/2009/02/whos-paying-for-new-red-light-camera-advocacy-group/

 CARTOGRAPHY

 6) Officials Eye a Geospatial ‘Virtual USA’

Link to story in Federal Computer Week:

http://fcw.com/articles/2009/02/24/virtual-usa.aspx

 GPS / NAVIGATION

 7) Microsoft Sues TomTom for Patent Infringement

Link to CNET News story:

http://news.cnet.com/8301-10805_3-10172068-75.html

 OTHER 

8) New Transportation Blog from ‘Gridlock Sam’ Schwartz: The Number Thirteen Line

Link to blog on PBS Blueprint America:

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/blueprintamerica/category/blogs/13line

 9) 3D Simulation Solves Crime and Accidents

Link to story in Eureka:

http://www.eurekamagazine.co.uk/article/17221/3D-simulation-solves-crimes-and-accidents.aspx

 ROADWAYS

 10) WiMax System Warns Drivers on Dangerous Highway Prone to Dense Fog

Link to story in Computerworld:

http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9128619&intsrc=hm_list

Link to news release from Proxim Wireless:

http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/marketwire/0477064.htm

 SAFETY / SECURITY

11) US Department of Homeland Security to Use More Simulations in Infrastructure Protection

Link to story on Nextgov:

http://www.nextgov.com/nextgov/ng_20090223_9398.php 

Link to National Infrastructure Protection Plan:

http://www.dhs.gov/xlibrary/assets/NIPP_Plan.pdf

 12) FAA Will Use Software to Identify Sensitive Data

Link to story in Federal Computer Week:

http://fcw.com/articles/2009/02/25/faa-software.aspx

 TRANSIT

 13) Automated Subway Train Rolls Out in New York City

Link to story in the Daily News:

http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2009/02/24/2009-02-24_automated_l_train_rolls_out.html

 14) Wired BART Should Please Passengers

Link to story in the Contra Costa Times:

http://www.contracostatimes.com/traffic/ci_11776662

 TRAVELER INFORMATION / TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT

 15) Get Connected to Go

Link to profile on New York State’s 511 system.

Link to story in New York State DOT E-Zine:

https://www.nysdot.gov/e-zine/winter2008/initiative

 VEHICLES

 16) Intelligent Transportation System Demoed in Japan

Link to story on Tech-On:

http://techon.nikkeibp.co.jp/english/NEWS_EN/20090225/166272/  

News Releases

1) Recent Studies Highlight Effectiveness of Radar Speedcheck Signs for Use in Traffic Calming

2) Westwood One’s Metro Traffic Goes Live with the Most Comprehensive Video Traffic Information Network in the Country

3) Port Authority of NY & NJ Leads Alliance Urging Full Federal Funding to Unclog Air Traffic Control System and Ease Delays for Passengers

4) INX Awarded State of New Mexico DOT Contract for Rail Runner Train’s High-Speed Wireless System

5) Inrix National Traffic Scorecard Reveals Startling 30 Percent Decrease in Traffic Congestion in 2008

 

Upcoming Events

Talking Freight Seminar: Freight Corridor Programs – March 18

https://www.nhi.fhwa.dot.gov/resources/webconference/web_conf_learner_reg.aspx?webConfID=16392

 Today in Transportation History

1919 **90th anniversary** – Oregon became the first state to impose a gasoline tax.

http://www.oregon.gov/ODOT/CS/FTG/

 

=============================================================================================

The Transportation Communications Newsletter is published electronically Monday through Friday. 

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

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

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

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