As part of Spitfire’s work with SSTI and the Washington State Department of Transportation to develop a collaborative transportation energy efficiency campaign, Spitfire conducted a series of research activities to inform campaign planning.
WA
SSTI releases economic analysis guide and tool for transportation agencies
Demand for more accountability in the use of scarce transportation funds is pushing DOTs toward new performance measures, both to evaluate systems as whole as well as proposed projects. One key area for such analysis is economic impact, but until now agencies had no accepted toolbox – nor often the needed data or expertise – for such work. A new guide developed for SSTI by the Center for Neighborhood Technology is designed to assist DOTs as they improve their capacity for economic analysis.
“Patent troll” targets transit agencies over vehicle tracking apps
For years, technology companies have battled “patent trolls,” individuals and firms that do not produce products, but instead sue to assert patent rights to various innovations. Now at least one patent troll is targeting U.S. public transit agencies, over bus- and train-tracking applications the agencies make available to customers via smartphones and the Web. The apps, now in common use, represent significant innovation for transit agencies and a boon to riders. But the lawsuits are a legal and financial nightmare for cash-strapped transit operators.
SSTI Review of Washington State DOT’s Sustainability Efforts (SSTI, 2011)
This review was performed at the request of Washington State DOT (WSDOT) to assess its sustainability efforts. SSTI convened a panel of experts that included people who have led transformative initiatives as heads of state DOTs. The panel combined practical and academic thinking. The expert panel reviewed background materials on WSDOT’s efforts and then interviewed stakeholders with varying perspectives on WSDOT’s work, including WSDOT staff; personnel from other state, federal, and local entities; and representatives from the not-for-profit sector. Intended as a peer review rather than an audit, the expert panel members brought their knowledge of transportation policy and trends to bear in assessing where WSDOT has succeeded and how its sustainability efforts could be strengthened.
And in Washington State: Anti-toll initiative heads to the ballot box
A citizen-sponsored initiative to restrict use of highway tolls, targeting both road and related transit projects, will be on the November ballot in Washington State. The measure would restrict toll revenues to the facility on …
States' work to make biking safer.
The good news on bicycling is that states are moving to make bicycling safer, according to a report in USA Today (available here) that describes measures that states are taking and links to a “ranking …
WSDOT quantifies the GHG reduction impact of sidewalk coverage.
“If you build it, they will come” seems to hold for building sidewalks. A recent report for the Washington State Department of Transportation found that increasing sidewalk coverage from 30 percent to 70 percent of …
From the Community of Practice: Washington State applies for Florida’s high-speed-rail funding.
Washington state applied for approximately $120 million in federal high-speed-rail stimulus money, part of $2.4 billion returned by Florida. The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) will use the money to continue improving and expanding …
Green fees? Oregon, Washington mull electric vehicle fees
From Stateline.org writer Josh Goodman: Both the Oregon and Washington legislatures are considering bills imposing fees on electric car owners, moves designed to make up for revenue that’s lost when drivers don’t pay gas taxes because they don’t use gas. The …
Equitable VMT reduction is possible, WSDOT report finds
An effective statewide VMT reduction program would not necessarily harm the poor and other vulnerable groups, a new report from the Washington State Department of Transportation finds. The report counters objections that such programs would …