Washington Post Archives - TransportGooru

“Roads Kill” – Washington Post Infograph shows the public health crisis on roads across the globe

February 1, 2014 at 7:43 pm

How bad is the road safety problem across the planet? Pretty bad. The global road death toll has already reached 1.24 million per year and is on course to triple to 3.6 million per year by 2030. In “Roads Kill,” The Washington Post joins with the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting to bring stories from around the world about this neglected but easily curable public health crisis.

[pageview url="http://roadskillmap.com/#58.53959476664049,89.296875,2" height="500px" border="yes"]

Read more Comments Off

Disturbing News from Department of Energy – Audit Cites Nuclear Weapons Drivers Got Drunk (sometimes?!) on Job

November 22, 2010 at 8:52 pm

(source: Washington Post’s Federal Eye)

This is very disconcerting, to say the least. But I’m glad at ths ame time they are working to fix the problem.

Federal agents responsible for driving nuclear weapons and other sensitive materials sometimes got drunk and were detained by police while on the job, according to a new watchdog report.

A report released Monday by the Energy Department’s Office of Inspector General found 16 alcohol-related incidents between 2007 and 2009 involving personnel with the National Nuclear Security Administration‘s Office of Surface Transportation (OST). About 600 OST agents are responsible for safely transporting or shipping nuclear weapons and other materials across the country.

Two incidents involved extended overnight missions where OST agents parked convoy vehicles in safe harbor before checking in at nearby hotels, the report said. In separate incidents, an agent was arrested in 2007 for public intoxication while two agents were handcuffed and temporarily detained by police officers in 2009, according to the report.

Click here to read the entire story.

Read more Comments Off

Nuns dismayed by politicization of DUI accident.

August 3, 2010 at 5:07 pm

Decry attention on man’s status as an alleged illegal immigrant. Incident occurred Sunday morning when three nuns traveling by car was hit by an allegedly drunk driver. The crash killed one and left two others critically injured.

Amplify’d from www.washingtonpost.com

The religious order that was home to three nuns whose car was hit Sunday morning by an alleged drunk driver in Northern Virginia said it is upset at what it views as the politicization of the incident.

Sister Glenna Smith, a spokeswoman for the Benedictine Sisters, said Tuesday that “we are dismayed” by reports that the crash, which killed one woman and critically injured two others, is focusing attention on the man’s status as an alleged illegal immigrant. Critics of federal immigration policy have seized on the crash.

“The fact the he had DUIs is really poignant, but he’s a child of God and deserves to be treated with dignity,” Smith said of the driver, Carlos A. Martinelly Montano. “I don’t want to make a pro- or anti-immigrant statement but simply a point that he is an individual human person and we will be approaching him with mercy. Denise, of all us, would be the first to offer forgiveness.”

Read more at www.washingtonpost.com

See this Amp at http://bit.ly/bPKnbV

Read more Comments Off

Bernie’s Transportation Communications Newsletter (TCN) – July 19, 2010

July 20, 2010 at 12:41 pm

Monday, July 19, 2010 – ISSN 1529-1057

AVIATION

1) Glitch of New Hijack Warning System Leads to Israeli Fighter Intercept of Ethiopian Airlines Flight

Link to article in Haaretz:

http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/air-force-fighter-jets-intercept-ethiopian-airlines-flight-in-hijack-scare-1.302696

CAMERAS

2) New South Wales Mobile Speed Cameras Send ‘Security’ Info Back to Base

Link to article in TechWorld:

http://www.techworld.com.au/article/353601/mobile_speed_cameras_send_security_info_back_base

3) Speed Cameras: Good or Bad?

Link to story and audio report on American Public Media’s Marketplace:

http://marketplace.publicradio.org/display/web/2010/07/16/pm-speed-cameras-good-or-bad/

ELECTRONIC TOLLING

4) North Texas Tollway Authority Acknowledges Camera Problems, Vows to Boost Billing

Link to article in The Dallas Morning News:

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/localnews/stories/DN-nttabilling_19met.ART0.State.Edition2.295a0d9.html

GPS / NAVIGATION

5) GPS Warns of Red Light Cameras, but Database Isn’t Reliable

Link to McClatchy Newspapers review:

http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20100718/BIZ/707189971/1005

MARITIME

6) Inside the World’s Most Advanced Submarine

Link to CNET News blog:

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13772_3-20010868-52.html

7) COMSAR Initiates Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS) Review

Link to article in IMO News:

http://www.imo.org/includes/blastDataOnly.asp/data_id%3D28953/IMO_News_No2_10_LOW.pdf (page 15)

PARKING

8) Pay-by-Phone Parking Tested in DC

Link to article in The Washington Post:

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/local-breaking-news/dc/pay-by-phone-parking-tested-in.html

PUBLIC INFORMATION / EDUCATION

9) Toyota Educates Customers as Floor Mat Alert Ignored

Link to Bloomberg article:

http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-07-16/toyota-educates-customers-as-floor-mat-alert-ignored.html

10) Montana Develops App for Driver’s Exam Practice

Link to AP article:

http://billingsgazette.com/news/state-and-regional/montana/article_eb78e516-90ec-11df-982c-001cc4c002e0.html

11) Failure to Bash

Former road industry publication editor recounts his experience dealing with FHWA PR staff.

Link to commentary in Better Roads:

http://www.betterroads.com/kirk-landers-16/

RAILROADS

12) Eurostar Launches First TV Spot in Three Years

Link to article and video on Brand Republic News:

http://www.brandrepublic.com/news/1016852/eurostar-launches-first-tv-spot-three-years/

ROADWAYS

13) Fixed Electronic Road Signs in New Zealand Will Not be Used to Warn Drivers About Ice

New Zealand Transport Agency says mobile warning signs are sufficient.

Link to article in The Nelson Mail:

http://www.stuff.co.nz/nelson-mail/news/3932761/Clash-over-Rai-ice-warnings

SAFETY / SECURITY

14) US Public Safety Officials to Kick Off Lobbying Blitz for Spectrum

Link to article on Nextgov:

http://www.nextgov.com/nextgov/ng_20100716_2547.php

15) US Customs to Promote Registered Traveler Program

Link to article in USA Today:

http://www.usatoday.com/travel/flights/2010-07-19-airportcheckin19_ST_N.htm

16) West Virginia Amber Alert Gets New Look

New logo designed to catch drivers’ attention on highway signs.

Link to story on WSAZ-TV:

http://www.wsaz.com/news/headlines/98750174.html

17) Mobile Mapping While Driving: Is It Risky?

Link to CNN story:

http://edition.cnn.com/2010/TECH/mobile/07/19/mapping.while.driving/#fbid=mO40HJ3Mn2C

18) Distracted Driving Solution Hits Market After 17 Years in Making

Link to article in Wireless Week:

http://www.wirelessweek.com/News/2010/07/Mobile-Content-Distracted-Driving-Solution-Hits-Market-Mobile-Applications/

TELEMATICS

19) Cross Country Provides Drivers Critical Info

Link to article in Highlands Today:

http://www2.highlandstoday.com/content/2010/jul/18/la-cross-country-provides-drivers-critical-info/news/

TRANSIT

20) DC Metro Seeks to Ease Congestion on Busy Bus Routes, Saving Time and Millions

Transit agency uses GPS data to identify slow zones for buses.

Link to article in The Washington Post:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/07/17/AR2010071702507.html

21) KSRTC to Introduce ITS for Mysore Public Transport

Link to Sify article:

http://sify.com/finance/ksrtc-to-try-its-hand-at-intelligent-transport-system-news-news-khtc4lcabii.html

22) Shield for Metro Near Chennai Airport to Prevent Interference with Radar Signals

Link to article in The Times of India:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/Shield-for-metro-near-airport-to-prevent-interference-with-radar-signals/articleshow/6185330.cms

TRAVELER INFORMATION / TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT

23) Wisconsin Company has Eye on Traffic so You Can Avoid Jams Ahead

Link to article in the Wisconsin State Journal:

http://host.madison.com/wsj/business/article_da73d316-9137-11df-9ed0-001cc4c002e0.html

Number of BlueTOAD Devices in Wisconsin is Growing

http://host.madison.com/article_5f634c7a-9136-11df-a1d1-001cc4c002e0.html

24) Driven to Distraction by Twits’ Signs

Motorists groups say message signs advertising traffic information on Twitter are a safety risk.

Link to article in The Scotsman:

http://news.scotsman.com/news/Driven-to-distraction-by-twits39.6426027.jp

25) Idaho 511 Expands to Include Bus Schedules

Link to video report on KBOI-TV:

http://apps.itd.idaho.gov/Apps/MediaManagerViewer/NewsClipping/Video.aspx?Id=1193

26) Clearwater, Florida Earns Patent for Device to Control Traffic Remotely

Link to article in the St. Petersburg Times:

http://www.tampabay.com/news/localgovernment/clearwater-earns-patent-for-device-to-control-traffic-remotely/1109425

27) ViaMichelin Launches Free iPhone Traffic App

Link to article in Tyres & Accessories:

http://www.tyrepress.com/News/business_area/e-Commerce/20034.html

VEHICLES

28) Subaru Outback to Double as Wi-Fi Hot Spot

Link to CNET blog:

http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-13746_7-20010774-48.html

News Releases

1) TrafficLand Adding Caltrans Los Angeles and Orange County Traffic Cameras to Its National Network

2) Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority to Implement More Technology-Based Improvements

3) California’s MTC Invites Bay Area Residents to Shape Strategy for Expanding Public Involvement

Upcoming Events

2010 ITS Tri-Chapter Information Exchange Summit – August 18-19 – Gettysburg, Pennsylvania

http://www.itspennsylvania.com/Portals/0/2010%20ITS%20Tri-Chapter%20Information%20Exchange%20Summit%20Registration%20Forms.pdf

Today in Transportation History

1985 **25^th anniversary** US Vice President George H.W. Bush announced that Christa McAuliffe would become the first teacher, and the first private citizen, in fly in space.

http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=38909

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

The Transportation Communications Newsletter is published electronically Monday through Friday.

To subscribe or unsubscribe, please visit:

http://groups.google.com/group/tcnl/subscribe

If you have any difficulties please contact me at bernie@bwcommunications.net.

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

Questions, comments about the TCN? Please write the editor, Bernie Wagenblast at bernie@bwcommunications.net.

WashPost’s Dr. Gridlock: Train Fight Highlights Flaw In Call-Button Setup

May 4, 2009 at 2:12 pm

(Source: Washington Post)

Dear Dr. Gridlock:

I was on a packed Red Line train shortly after 6 p.m. [Monday] when a fight broke out between two passengers as the train was moving between Farragut North and Metro Center. As the two passengers fought near the forward end of the car, several passengers tried to find the emergency call button to call the train conductor.

Apparently, the button was at the rear of the train car, but the train was so crowded it took some time for word to get to the passengers within reach of the call button. In the meantime, passengers in the center of the car, desperate to do something to get the attention of the train operator, opened the emergency box, which only has an emergency brake lever that stops the train, but no call button. A passenger pulled the lever, which stopped the train.A few moments later, the train operator, as if unaware of why the train stopped, asked passengers to stop leaning on the doors. About five tense minutes later — during which time a couple of good Samaritans kept the two combatants separated — two Metro police officers boarded the train and got it moving (after some struggle with the now-extended brake lever) to Metro Center.

No passengers were harmed, but the fact that there were no call buttons at the center of the train — where there was an emergency box — led to some unnecessary anxiety, delays as the train was stopped between stations, and may have further endangered passengers if the fight had continued while the train and passengers were trapped inside the tunnel.

— Isaiah J. Poole, Washington

Passengers can easily get confused about the purpose of the red boxes on either side of the central doors. They don’t control the brakes. Pulling the lever releases the central door so passengers can evacuate the car. Open that box only in an emergency, and on the instructions of the train operator after the train has stopped. Leaping from a moving train into a darkened tunnel is not an option.

The emergency door boxes are not a substitute for the intercoms. But on a crowded train, the intercoms are hard to get to at the ends of the cars, and sometimes — as we saw when train operators were inadvertently stopping with some rear cars still in tunnels — passengers don’t think about using them in time.

There’s a better setup on the newest cars: Call buttons and intercoms are in the middle of the cars as well as at the ends. And the boxes with the emergency door levers are colored beige, rather than red. The lettering says “Emergency Door Release.”

When the Red Line train’s lever was pulled by a rider in the fifth car on Monday, the train operator up front got an indication that there was a door problem. At the same time, Metro spokesman Steven Taubenkibel said, the train’s fail-safe system was bringing it to a stop. Transit police responded to the incident, located the fighters and removed them from the train at Metro Center, Taubenkibel said. They declined to press charges against each other.

A Word of Advise from TransportGooru:

1). Dear Fight Club Members, it is already a painful experience commuting by DC’s Metro rail during the peak hours. And you people make it worse by getting into such silly fights without knowing that we are all terribly inconvenienced by your immature behavior. If you really feel like duking it out, wait till you get to your stop and start jumping at each other.

2). Dear Dr. Gridlock, for your kind attention the suggestion to dial 9-1-1 or to use a cellphone to call out from a DC metro tunnel is “INVALID”. The metro system didn’t realize the concept of “security” when it leased out the licenses only to Verizon, which means cellphone users with other carrers like AT&T, Sprint, etc are sitting ducks until they resurface from the tunnel to an above ground station or section of the track. Talking about Social Equity and DC Metro makes me mad! All damn tax payers paid for the system and how come Metro decided to lease out the lines only to the previleged Verzion customers? This is a DUMB policy and only validates eagerness to remain out of touch and incredibly partial & discreminatory!

Read more Comments Off

Chrysler to File for Bankruptcy Following Collapse of Negotiations; President Obama to address the nation

April 30, 2009 at 9:45 am

(Source: Washington Post)

Chrysler, one of the three pillars of the American auto industry, will file for bankruptcy today after last-minute negotiations between the government and the automaker’s creditors broke down last night, an Obama administration official said.

U.S. officials had offered Chrysler’s secured lenders $2.25 billion in cash if they would agree to writedown the $6.9 in secured debt that the company owed. But a small group of hedge funds refused the 11th-hour deal, forcing an imminent bankruptcy.

An administration official this morning expressed disappointment, saying the holdouts had failed to “do the right thing,” but that “their failure to act in either their own economic interest or the national interest does not diminish the accomplishments made by Chrysler, Fiat and its stakeholders, nor will it impede the new opportunity Chrysler now has to restructure and emerge stronger going forward.”

President Obama is scheduled to address the issue at noon today at the White House.

As talks broke down late last night, it became near certainty that the Obama administration would send Chrysler into bankruptcy under a plan that would replace chief executive Robert L. Nardelli and pump billions of dollars more into the effort, all in hopes that the company could emerge from court proceedings as a re-energized competitor in the global economy.

The U.S. government’s attempt to save the automaker amounts to another extraordinary intervention in the economy and a landmark event in the history of the American auto industry.

Under the administration’s detailed plan for a “surgical bankruptcy,” ownership of Chrysler would be dramatically reorganized, the leadership of Italian automaker Fiat would take over company management and the U.S. and Canadian governments would contribute more than $10 billion in additional funding.

Negotiations between the government and the company’s stakeholders — Chrysler’s lenders, the union and proposed merger partner Fiat — went well into the night, as dealmakers rushed to meet President Obama’s April 30 deadline.

Last night, the United Auto Workers union overwhelmingly ratified the administration proposal to give its retiree health fund the 55 percent equity stake in Chrysler. In exchange, the health fund must give up its claim to much of the $10 billion that Chrysler owes it. Eighty-two percent of production workers and 80 percent of skilled-trades workers voted for the agreement.

While four of Chrysler’s major creditors — J.P. Morgan Chase, Citigroup, Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley — have agreed to the Treasury’s plan, other lenders, mainly hedge funds, had held out. The holdouts included Oppenheimer Funds, Perella Weinberg Partners and Stairway Capital, two sources said. The last two have funds that invest in “distressed” companies. It is not known what companies ultimately failed to reach agreement with the government.

The hedge funds likely think they could get a better return in a bankruptcy filing or in a sale of Chrysler’s assets, said Sheldon Stone, a turnaround expert at Amherst Partners. The government offer made yesterday would represent a recovery of about 32 cents on the dollar. A recent Standard & Poor’s analysis said the lenders could recover 30 to 50 cents on the dollar.

Read more Comments Off

NYC financial workers see low-flying planes, panic

April 27, 2009 at 12:04 pm

In this image taken with a cell phone by Jason McLane, the primary presidential aircraft, a Boeing 747 known as Air Force One when the president is aboard, flies low over New York Harbor, followed by an F-16 chase plane during a federal government photo op Monday, April 27, 2009. A low-flying Boeing 747 escorted by two fighter jets as part of a federal government photo opportunity over lower Manhattan caused a brief panic among workers near ground zero on Monday. (AP Photo/Jason McLane) (Jason Mclane - AP)

(Source: Washington Post)

NEW YORK — A Boeing 747 used by the president was escorted over lower Manhattan by two Air Force fighter jets Monday as part of a government photo opportunity, causing a brief panic among office workers near ground zero.

Workers from several office buildings poured out onto the streets before they learned that the flights were innocuous.

John Leitner, a floor trader at the New York Mercantile Exchange Building, said about 1,000 people “went into a total panic” and ran out of the building around 10 a.m. after seeing the planes whiz by their building, near the World Trade Center site.

“Apparently, nobody in the building was informed that this was going to happen,” he said. “Everyone panicked, as you can certainly understand.”

He said the workers gathered along the Hudson River esplanade until a security officer with a bullhorn told them it was a planned exercise.

The Federal Aviation Administration said the government was conducting a photo op involving two Air Force F-16 jets and the larger airplane, a Defense Department version of the 747 that is called Air Force One when the president is aboard. It said it notified city law enforcement about the mission.

The NYPD said the flight “was authorized by the FAA for the vicinity of the Statue of Liberty, with directives to local authorities not to disclose information about it, but to direct all inquiries to the FAA.”

Among the workers who left their buildings were some at The Wall Street Journal. Here is a video from WSJ showing the aircraft flying near the buildings.

Click here to read the entire article.

Scoopful of GM news – April 22, 2009: Opel weds Fiat? Deep Cuts & Closures, Summer Vacation?, Case for Opel-Fiat Merger, Explaining to New YorkHipsters, Pontiac’s Obituary

April 23, 2009 at 3:59 pm

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]

…GM to cut 190,000 units, shut 13 plants, some permanently… because of Delphi? [Freep]Jalopnik

Despite denial of Fiat/Opel tie-up, critics say alliance would be “far more compelling” than Chrysler deal

…GM, Opel, FIAT, RumormillDespite Fiat SpA chairman Luca de Montezemolo (above) denying that his company is interested in purchasing General Motors’ Opel brand, a new report by The Wall Street Journal indicates that many investors and analysts apparently find the alleged tie-up to be “far more compelling” than Fiat’s proposed alliance with Chrysl…Autoblog

How To Explain GM’s Relevance To New York Hipsters [Carpocalypse]

…Yorkers why GM‘s relevant cracks us up. Sadly, Choire’s been in New York long enough this may no longer be snark. [The Awl] Jalopnik

REPORT: GM planning up to nine-week summer shutdowns

…GM, Earnings/FinancialsThis is what bringing a behemoth back down to the proper size looks like. General Motors is looking for every way to conserve its ever thinning supply of money, and while April sales were better, the overall picture is decidedly grim. In a move to conserve resources and hopefully help clear up any inventory buildups, AFP i…Autoblog

REPORT: Fiat To Take Stake In Opel [Carpocalypse]

REPORT: Fiat to take stake in Opel. Fiat is the new overreaching automaker Tata? [AP]Jalopnik

BRIEF-GM schedules down times at 13 plants in North America

Forbes -Neither the Subscriber nor Thomson Reuters warrants the completeness or accuracy of the Service or the suitability of the Service as a trading aid and …

Pontiac Is Dead

Edmunds.com/Inside Line – The company toyed with competing proposals to either turn the brand into GM’s version of Scion or to make Pontiac a very focused purveyor of performance …

Ford VP expects same concessions as GM, Chrysler

(AP Online)…our expectation is we would not be placed at a disadvantage.” GMand Chrysler are surviving with federal government…

GM slashes summer production, cites Delphi risk
(Reuters)…States and Canada for as long as nine weeks, GM will cut production by 190,000 vehicles in the second and third…

Read more Comments Off

Scoopful of GM news – April 22, 2009: GM shocks Ford, Loan default & hedging a big bet, Chevy Mystery, Buick Business, Dominator in China, How to Rescue?, Lobbying while dying, etc

April 22, 2009 at 6:25 pm

(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…

REPORT: GM hedges bets, plans to miss $1B debt payment deadline

…GM, Earnings/FinancialsThe familiar expression goes “Better the devil you know,” meaning it’s preferable to deal with the nasty things you don’t like but are at least familiar with. General Motors, however, doesn’t seem to think so. The troubled automaker appears more ready to take its chances with bankruptcy than continue to fight the weight of…

2010 Chevy Camaro Gets Mysterious Brake Weights [Offbeat News]

…GM has not answered to the confusion yet, but the leading theory is they were place on the caliper as a quick and dirty fix to alleviate brake squeal. From a physics perspective, this explanation is plausible, as resonant frequency is in large part determined by mass, and by changing the vibrating mass of the caliper with the weights, a troubles…

Shanghai 2009: Buick Business Concept hybrid comes to light

…GM took the wraps off of the Buick Business MPV concept in Shanghai. The hybrid concept vehicle fits into the class of executive transport vehicles in China, hence the Business name. GM partnered with the Pan Asia Technical Automotive Center (PATAC) on the vehicle, which uses li-ion batteries and an improved electric motor to get fuel economy th…

In China, G.M. Remains a Driving Force

… Ford may be standing taller than General Motors in Detroit these days — flush with cash while its rival is forced to go repeatedly to Washington, hat in hand, seeking government bailouts. But in China the tables are turned.G.M. is a powerful presence here with 8 to 10 percent of the market for cars, minivans and sport utility vehicles, making it the second-largest automaker in China for such vehicles, passed only by Volkswagen. One of G.M.’s local joint ventures, Wuling, dominates the sale of bare-bones pickups and vans, hugely popular in rural areas, with nearly half the market…

GM Said to Idle 15 Assembly Plants in May-July Period..

General Motors Corp., contending with a 49 percent decline in US sales this year, will idle 15 North American assembly …

How U.S. Will Save GM and Chrysler

… My guess is that when it’s all over, both companies will have been run through a quickie bankruptcy process and will emerge smaller, with less debt, a lower cost structure and Uncle Sam as the majority owner….

Firms Infused With Rescue Cash Find Money to Fund Lobbying: GM, Financial Companies Are Among Biggest Spenders

…proposed legislation that would explicitly ban the use of TARP money for lobbying or campaign contributions. GM spokesman…

Read more Comments Off

Goodbye, Gas Guzzlers? – Washington Post editorial analyses the keys to succesful implementation of US’ Cash for Clunkers” initiative

April 15, 2009 at 12:42 am

(Source: Washington Post)

Without higher gas taxes, ‘cash for clunkers’ won’t do the job

CAR SALES in Germany jumped an astonishing 40 percent in March, thanks in large part to a “cash for clunkers” program in which the government gave those handing over old-model cars roughly $5,000 toward the purchase of newer, more fuel-efficient vehicles. Lawmakers in the United States have crafted similar proposals, hoping both to provide a boost to the U.S. auto industry and to spur sales of environmentally friendlier cars. But even the best of these proposals is not likely to provide the punch of the German initiative.

A bill co-sponsored by Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) offers the most sensible approach. Buyers are eligible for vouchers worth $2,500 to $4,500 toward the purchase of a new car if they turn in older vehicles that get less than 18 miles to the gallon. The older vehicles would be junked and turned into scrap. The new car must have a sticker price of less than $45,000 and surpass fuel economy standards by 25 percent. Buyers may also apply the vouchers to fuel-efficient used cars manufactured after 2003. Vouchers could also be used for participating in public transportation programs. A similar proposal in the House provides credits only for vehicles made or assembled in North America; such a provision is problematic because it could violate free-trade agreements.

But would even a perfectly crafted program trigger the kind of spending spree witnessed in Germany? Unlikely, largely because of simple economics and human nature. In 1999, the German government began to gradually impose an additional tax on each gallon of gas beyond the existing tax; today, the additional tax stands at 50 cents, and high gas prices push consumers toward fuel-efficient cars or public transportation even without additional incentives. Yet the Germans did not stop there. The country announced at the start of this year that it would implement in July a new tax based on carbon dioxide emissions; the larger the car and the greater its emissions, the higher the tax. No wonder, then, that Germans flocked to take advantage of the cash-for-clunkers deal before driving becomes even more expensive.

Click here to read the entire article (free regn. required).

Note: Below is a list of articles on this issue, previously published on TransportGooru. This compilation of articles offer an insight into state of various “Cash for Clunkers” style programs implemented (or currently being debated) across the globe (Germany, UK, etc,). Stay plugged in to TransportGooru for more on this topic in the days to come.

Consumer Assistance to Recycle and Save (CARS) Act revives “Cash for Clunkers” scrapping plan in U.S

Germany plans to extend Abwrackprämie aka “Environmental Bonus”

The bickering starts over the implementation of the Cash for Clunkers legislation

Obama Favors “Cash for Clunkers”

Germany increases subsidy to 5 Billion Euros, tripling incentives for its “Cash for Clunker” (Abwrackprämie) program

Britain mulls implementation of “Cash for Clunkers” scheme to boost ailing auto sales

Where the US stands in pushing “Cash for Clunkers”- Four bills in Congress; Details Needed