Cars
RITA Speaks: What Technology Can Do for Transportation Safety
Among the myriad of smaller agencies that comprise the U.S. DOT, the Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA) tends to stay in the background, not unlike the wonky, computer-hacking sidekicks often found in action movies.
April 29, 2010
Is the ‘Road Gang’ Losing Power in Washington?
That is the thesis posited in a new investigation from the Center for Public Integrity, which sent a reporter to sprawl-saturated South Florida to examine how much of a return the transportation construction industry is getting on its multi-million-dollar contributions to congressional campaigns.
April 29, 2010
California Poised to Allow Personal Vehicle Sharing Services
Car sharing is a growth industry, as pioneer City CarShare
would tell you, and it has beneficial environmental and economic impacts. Studies of car sharing services like Zipcar and City
CarShare show that for every car that is shared, up to 15 private
vehicles are taken off the road.
Owning and operating a personal car is the second-highest family
expense behind owning a house, and the highest expense for people who rent.
April 28, 2010
On Emissions, CA Lawmaker Questions Whether CA Should Lead the Way
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) chief Lisa Jackson today told House members that she would soon begin work on new auto fuel-efficiency rules for the year 2017 and beyond, responding to calls from carmakers searching for certainty -- and warily eyeing the new fuel standards being crafted in California.
April 28, 2010
House & Senate Taking Unified Approach to Post-Toyota Auto Safety Bill
The two congressional chairmen with primary jurisdiction over auto safety today vowed to work together on new legislation aimed at staving off a repeat of the debacle facing Toyota, which was recently fined $16 million for failing to promptly inform federal regulators of defects in its cars that sparked millions of recalls.
April 27, 2010
U.S. DOT Admits Status Quo Untenable, Vows to Cut Transport Emissions
In its second Earth Day release, the U.S. DOT today unveiled a 600-page analysis of transportation emissions mandated by Congress in the 2007 energy bill. In addition to weighing in on many potential tactics for limiting transport's contribution to the changing climate, the document notably recommits the Obama administration to that goal at a time when Democrats are weighing a delay in the energy debate.
April 22, 2010
New Report Tracks Urban Transit Emissions — Where Does Your City Rank?
While state DOTs marked Earth Day by depicting roads as unsung heroes of livability, the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and the transit industry celebrated in their own ways by releasing reports on local rail and bus systems' roles in reducing U.S. transport emissions.
April 22, 2010
Obama Energy Aide: ‘We Probably Saw Peak Demand for Gas … in 2007’
The decline in American driving that began at the start of the recession, fueled by record-high gas prices, came to an end late last year. But the Obama administration believes that its transport and energy policies have ushered in a long-term shift, "changing the fuel mix in ways that will drive down gasoline demand," according to a senior adviser to Energy Secretary Steven Chu.
April 19, 2010
Senate GOP Continues to Resist Sanctions-Based Distracted Driving Rules
The Senate environment committee's senior Republican yesterday joined his counterpart on the commerce panel in criticizing legislation that would withhold federal highway funding from states that fail to crack down on distracted driving, casting doubt on Congress' ability to approve any punitive approach to reining in texting and cell phone use by drivers.
April 15, 2010
Nevada Becomes Newest Battleground in Mileage Tax Debate
Nevada's state DOT is in the early stages of a years-long study aimed at mapping a possible transition from the gas tax to a vehicle miles traveled (VMT) fee, a shift urged last year by a congressionally chartered panel on infrastructure financing and encouraged by Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR).
April 9, 2010