Flat-to-declining highway transportation demand has been with us for about a decade, and consensus is building for the position that it is not a historic aberration but rather a durable trend. A roundup of recent VMT-related news.
USDOT
Call for U.S. DOT to issue own standards causes a stir
Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced that U.S. DOT will be issuing its own standards for roadway design to meet the needs of all users, but especially bicyclists and pedestrians. Reactions indicated that some felt LaHood was showing impatience with a lack of suitable standards by AASHTO to meet the needs of non-motorized users.
Alternative Uses of Highway Right-of-Way: Accommodating Renewable Energy Technologies and Alternative Fuel Facilities (USDOT and Volpe Center, 2012)
This report is intended to provide transportation agencies with information that will better enable them to consider the implications and evaluate the feasibility of implementing renewable energy and fuel options in the ROW. The findings …
Looking for a few good engineers
Speaking at a national conference on Good Jobs, Green Jobs, USDOT Deputy Secretary John Porcari highlighted green jobs that will be open up for building rail, for expanding transit, and for developing electric and hybrid cars. John …
Transportation’s Role in Reducing U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions (U.S. DOT, 2010)
Read the study here.