The National Conference of State Legislatures has released a report designed to help promote a sound public policy approach when considering Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) related to transportation projects. The website notes: “With the growing interest in PPPs, …
Marybeth McGinnis
Older driver program five-year strategic plan
With more than 32 million drivers currently over 65 years old, a number which is expected to grow to 40 million by 2020, the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration wants to enhance its ongoing …
TRB webinar: Target-Setting Methods and Data Management to Support Performance-Based Resource Allocation by Transportation Agencies
From the TRB newsletter: “TRB will be conducting a webinar on February 23, 2011, from 2:00 p.m.-3:30 p.m. EST that will explore the findings of NCHRP Report 666. The webinar will provide information to senior agency …
CO2 emissions from transportation continue to rise
Even where gas prices are higher than in the U.S., CO2 emissions will not decline by market forces alone, according to a recent report [PDF] commissioned by the European Union: The report argues that “meeting climate change mitigation …
What does it mean to be No. 1?
Chicago and Washington, DC, tied for having the worst congestion in the nation, according to the Texas Transportation Institute. What this means to commuters is discussed in a Washington Post column “How Commuters Define Misery,” …
What would be a good Super Bowl ad for the government?
In “A Super Bowl Spot for Uncle Sam,” Harper’s Magazine posts a round table on how the government might use Madison Avenue techniques to sell itself.
Engineers form organization to develop tool for measuring infrastructure sustainability
Engineers are on the bandwagon for measuring sustainability in all its dimensions. As described in a press release from the American Society of Civil Engineers: “A new, independent non-profit organization tasked with developing and administering a sustainability …
Streetcars dominate new batch of transit projects
Streetcars, once ubiquitous in American cities, are making a major comeback, as noted by Yonah Freemark at The Transport Politic.. This year construction will begin on new streetcar lines in Atlanta, Cincinnati, New Orleans, Salt Lake …
Communicating Smart Transportation (Roger Millar, SSTI Community of Practice Meeting, February 2011)
Provides survey-validated ways to communicate with the public about smart transportation. Download Communicating Smart Transportation
Pay by the Snowflake?
Governing.com writer Andy Kim described a pilot snow-removal program in the city of Quincy, Mass that used pay for performance: “The city’s Department of Public Works awarded a contract to a snow-removal company that pays …