Research update 11/21/07

Black Voters Key to CATS' Big Win
African American voters were a key factor behind the landslide support for a half-cent sales tax for mass transit
Leigh Dyer, Charlotte Observer 11/20/0707

Chicago Gov. Blagojevich orders special session to fix transit funding
Wants to redirect gas tax funds directly to transit agencies
David Mendell , Tribune staff reporter 11/20/07

Do we buy ethanol (in Minnesota) because we have to?
Consumer interest is beside the point here. No study has been done on consumer preference.
Sea Strachura, Minnesota Public Radio, 11/20/07

Chicago Special session planned on transit crisis
Union walkout threatened, over 100 routes to be cut, fare hikes. $300 million shortfall for Pace, Metra and CTA. Governor opposes statewide tax increases for regional problem. New gambling casinos urged to fund roads and schools.
David Mendell, Chicago Tribune, 11/20/07

Salem project to open I-5 bottleneck
Six-lane I-5 north to Portland. 7 bridges replaced, one repaired, $68.1 million project financed through federal and state grants and bonds paid for by higher truck taxes, driver and vehicle fees.
Peter Wong, Statesman Journal, 11/20/2007

Bob Lutz, the Chevy Volt and the Easter Bunny
GM's Lutz says that the feasibility of the plug-in hybrid technology will be proven bynext Easter and rivals will have eggs on their face
Bradley Berman, Business Week, 11/19/07

How to cope with Paris train strike
Put on your most comfortable walking shoes, buy a day or week pass for the city's communal bike rental scheme, the Velib, on one of the docking stations you will find at every street corner and plan to eat in your friendly neighborhood bistro rather than a fancy place across town
International Herald Tribune, 11/15/07

French strike brings travel chaos
France has suffered travel chaos after transport and energy workers broadened a strike in protest against President Nicolas Sarkozy's pension reform.
BBC News, 11/14/07

The Anti-Car Movement in Britain
British auto drivers pay something like $4 in auto-related taxes for every dollar that the government spends on highways. Meanwhile, the government is doing much to discourage auto driving
Malcolm Heymer, Association of British Drivers, 11/11/07

Summary of San Francisco Bay Area Transit
San Jose transit system has worst operating statistics of any major American transit operator. Willing to destroy existing transit system, ignores riders who depend on it.
Thomas A. Rubin, 11/10/07

Tax supporters, foes surprised by margin of victory
A 70% approval of half-cent rail, bus and school sales tax in North Carolina
Steve Harrison, Charlotte Observer, 11/7/07

Other states watching to see how Texas pays for roads
Across the country, existing highways are growing more costly to maintain as they age, even as population growth increases pressure for new roads and added lanes. Construction costs have soared 62 percent over the past five years in Texas, for instance and massive building campaigns in China and India gobble up raw materials.
Michael A. Lindenberger, Dallas Morning News, 11/4/07

A bumpy road for Santiago's transit overhaul
Bus reconfiguration to feed rail in Chile causes huge dissatisfaction. Many people cannot even mention its name -- Transantiago -- without rolling their eyes and mumbling in disgust. It is the focus of the country's largest class-action lawsuit.
Minneapolis Star Tribune, 11/17/07

Railing against the Bahn: Strike halts regional and local trains throughout Germany
Hundreds of thousands of commuters and tourists stranded. Labor dispute over 31 percent wage increase and union's tariffs with passenger rail and logistics company.
Spiegel International, 10/5/07

Milwaukee Commuter rail plan may face 2-year delay
After defeat of a $13 rental car tax increase, plans for a Milwaukee-area commuter rail line could be put on hold for a year or two - meaning trains would not be available during much of reconstruction work on parallel stretch of I-94.
Larry Sandler, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 11/16/07

Texas Transportation Department plans major cutbacks
Agency says federal cuts, lagging revenue provide barely enough cash to keep current projects going
Ben Wear, American Statesman, 11/16/07

Will Washington State be next to target real congestion reductions?
WA DOT conducted large scale studies on how to reduce congestion by better managing traffic flow and get needed funds from tolling and value pricing. Governor not signed on, business as usual.
Reason Surface Transportation Innovations Brief #49, Nov 2007

Reporter finds I-355 commute easy
Shaved 30 minutes off 24.8 mile commute. Afternoon traffic at or above 54,000 daily commuters on Illinois interstate.
Justin Kmitch, Daily Herald, 11/15/07

New tollway promises major changes
Chicago --I-355 extension should get 54,000 daily riders. Cuts commute times by 20 percent, to expand pace of development along route.
Jack Komperda, Daily Herald, 11/11/07

Audit finds ways for Washington State DOT to save $4.5 million a year
Standardize and centralize staff functions, tighten cash handling. Needs reliable review of payments to contractors. 6500 employees with $5.9 billion bi-annual budget.
Seattle Post Independence, 11/15/2007

Next Wisconsin road work tab $1.9 billion
Freeway project would expand I-94 to eight lanes from airport to state line
Tom Held, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 1/15/07

Colorado Panel: Raise taxes for road repairs
$1.5 billion a year to fund 30 years of rail and road work in Colorado.
Kevin Flynn, Rocky Mountain News, 11/16/07

Drivers on Maine Turnpike to pay toll without slowing down
Officials decide the plaza in New Gloucester will get the region's first highway-speed lanes for E-ZPass users.
Tess Nacelewicz, Maine Today, 11/16/07

Drive more, pay more urged in pilot program
Colorado governor urges pay-as- you-go Vehicle Miles Travel tax instead of gas tax hike.
Kevin Flynn, Rocky Mountain News, 11/16/07

TriMet promises fresh eye on crime
The transit agency admits failure to recognize crime issue: 84% of gang crimes, 40% of fights, 42% of drug rimes occur within quarter mile of MAX tracks.
Dylan Rivera, Brad Schmedt, Oregonian, 11/14/07

California Transit projects hitting speed bumps
Bond funding delays put some plans on hold
Ed Mendel, San Diego Union Tribune, 11/14/07

Strike threat adds to transit impasse in Chicago
Union walkouts to shut down buses and trains in Chicago in 2008 if taxes aren't raised.
Joseph Ryan, Daily Herald, 11/16/07

Transit workers mulling job action over funding crisis
Transit workers are considering a bold labor move, such as a strike, that would send a dramatic message to state lawmakers who have been unable to help solve a funding crisis.
Lorene Yue, Chicago Business News, 11/15/07

University of Delaware forum brainstorms transportation ideas
Transportation officials, engineers, contractors, planners and academics came together Wednesday to brainstorm ways to meet the challenges of an ever more strained transportation system.
Summer Harlow, Wilmington News Journal, 11/15/07

Partnerships to bring change in transportation
US DOT secretary says raising gas tax won't solve transportation problems
John Greiner, Oklahoma News, 11/14/07

No licenses for illegals
U.S. Sen. John Barrasso introduced legislation Tuesday that would discourage states from issuing driver's licenses to illegal immigrants by withholding 10 percent of their federal highway funds.
Whitney Royster, Casper Star Tribune, 11/14/07

California fighting global warming with technology, greenbacks
California is leading the way in the fight against global warming as its investors have poured hundreds of millions of dollars into green technology companies and its citizens have cut per-capita emissions of greenhouse gases by nearly 10 percent in recent years.
David R. Baker, SF Chronicle, 11/14/07

Colorado cities may get highway duties
GOP lawmakers plan also would give local governments more funds, but critics say the state should keep up its own roads
Jennifer Brown, Denver Post, Nov 13, 07

Tolls on other highways could pay for 520 Bridge in Seattle
This grim reality of the 520 Bridge means work to replace must forge ahead, even when no one knows how to pay the $4.4 billion price tag. Everything is on the table, including adding tolls to roads besides 520.
Molly Shen, KOMOTV, 11/13/07

Ohio DOT getting mixed message on signboard
Electronic sign boards info often not current, irrelevant and overused for routine things. Use instead for crashes, traffic back-up and other emergencies.
Tim Doulin, Columbus Dispatch, 11/13/07

Illinois parents get a peek at kid's driving records in January
Parents can access teen driving records through Secretary of State office.
Kurt Erickson, Quad-City Times, November 14, 2007

Steering teens away from texting while at the wheel
Colorado's teenage drivers almost unanimously believe that text-messaging while driving is dangerous, yet more than half of them do it on a regular basis, according to a recent survey.
Mike McPhee, Denver Post, 11/14/07

Speed Speed kills -and we are all at risk
Finding speeders and bad drivers on Rhode Island roads is like fishing in a well-stocked pond.
Amanda Milovits, Providence Journal, 11/14/07

Crackdown on speeding starts
Speed is the leading cause of traffic fatalities and collisions in the state of North Carolina
News & Observer, 11/13/07

'A constant reminder'
Teenagers use cellular phones while driving, lead to fatal crashes.
Lisa Bisbee, Wyoming Star Tribune, 11/13/07

GOP drives potential change in road funding
Republican lawmakers want to take money from auto-related sales and dedicate it to transportation costs.
Charles Ashby, Pueblo Chieftain, 11/13/07

Voters on both sides sack roads, transit measure in Seattle
Only one county supported measure. Anti-tax sentiment was factor even with users who would directly benefit.
Daniel Lathrop, Chris McGann, Seattle Post Independent, 11/12/07

Bay area route dispute threatens California high-speed rail line
The state board that is planning California's 700-mile high-speed rail system is facing a politically sensitive route decision that could make or break the $40 billion project.
Steve Lawrence, Associated Press, 11/12/07

Goal of summit is 'zero fatalities' on Utah roadways
More can be done to educate the public about poor driving behaviors. More also can be done to enforce illegal actions such as driving while drunk, talking on a cell phone and speeding.
Nicole Warburton, Desert Morning News, 11/11/07

Millions for state's roads, bridges
Congress' $105.6 billion transportation and housing bill to give PA million of extra money for road and bridge projects.
Pittsburgh Tribune Review, 11/10/07

Attempt to block I-80 tolls cut
Two Pennsylvania Congressmen failed to pass an amendment that would have blocked state officials from tolling Interstate 80.
The Tribune-Review, 11/9/07

Attempt to block I-80 tolls cut
Two Pennsylvania Congressmen failed to pass an amendment that would have blocked state officials from tolling Interstate 80.
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, 11/9/07

Dallas traffic eased with opening of highway HOV projects
Be patient, rush-hour commuters: Those unused carpool lanes you see on highway medians throughout the Dallas area will soon be useful for more than just collecting weeds, soda cans and busted tire treads.
Theodore Kim, Dallas Morning News, 11/8/07

Ballot defeat puts lawmakers in spin over 520 Bridge
The roads-and-transit ballot measure may be dead, but one of its star projects, a new Evergreen Point Bridge, has state officials scrambling to salvage the $4.4 billion needed for the Seattle project.
Larry Lange, Debera Carlton Harrell, Seattle Post Independent, 11/8/07

Huge roads-transit plan gets trounced
Voters rejected a multibillion-dollar regional roads-and-transit package, likely leaving state lawmakers with a transportation mess that could take years to sort out.
Andrew Garber, Seattle Times, 11/7/07

Highway director: No projects without more funds
Transportation officials in Oklahoma say they aren't writing their eight-year highway plan until they know money will be rolling in.
Jaclyn Houghton, Mineral Wells, 11/5/07

2007 election: Lessons learned
Voters in 3 states rejected governors' pet projects, big ticket funding items for roads research put on as debt.
Stateline, 11/4/07

Babcock to drive profits on Thai road
Australia's second largest investment bank, Babcock and Brown Ltd (B&B), plans to make its first significant investment in Asian infrastructure by purchasing a stake in a Thai toll road.
Brisbane Times 10/22/07

Highway to somewhere
Brazil auctioned contract to maintain 1600 miles of roads.  Spanish company OHL won five of 7 contracts, to invest $1.6 billion to $$2.2 billion) over the next 5 years on toll roads running from Sao Paulo north to Belo Horizonte and south to Curitiba and Florianopolis.  Winning bidders offered to charge the lowest tolls over the 25 year life of the contracts.
The Economist, 10/18/07

Study Gives Alternatives To New York City Plan For Traffic
Keep NYC Congestion Tax Free: Better measures suggested to achieve same level of traffic relief as Mayor Bloomberg's congestion pricing plan.
William Neuman, New York Times, 10/12/07

Frittering away road money
Yes, we have a road funding problem - because Congress has mismanaged our highway money for 25 years.
Ernest Istook, Heritage Foundation, 10/1/07

Getting Up to Speed
A Case for Bus Rapid Transit and Transit-Oriented Development in the Tappan Zee Bridge/I-287 Corridor
Stephen Higashide, October 2007

U.S. Infrastructure Needs Overhaul
For years, a small group of civic, political and corporate leaders have called for an increased federal role to improve, modernize and maintain infrastructure. They have largely gone unheeded.
Forbes, 8/15/07