Safety Technologies - Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration

Safety is at the heart of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (FMCSA) mission. Working together with the trucking industry, FMCSA envisions a future of smart technologies that support the expanding role of the trucking industry to safety, security, and efficiently transport the nation's goods and products.

FMCSA has developed a series of product guides to assist carriers, drivers, fleet managers, and other interested individuals to learn more about available safety and security systems.

Decision Factors for Technology Choices

The following decision factors are critical for making, using, and buying technologies in the commercial motor vehicle industry;

• Return on Investment for the Purchaser: Sustains commercial success of technologies purchased and used by carriers.


• Initial Cost: Affects early deployment, since a high initial purchase cost makes it difficult for a carrier to raise the needed capital to buy technologies.


• Demonstrated Effectiveness to Improve Safety, Security, and Efficiency of Operations: Represents the major benefits that offset the costs of technologies.


• System Reliability and Maintainability: Provides the results and usability of technologies for carriers and manufacturers (original equipment manufacturers and vendors).
  


• Driver Acceptance: Ensures that drivers are receptive to technologies that are user-friendly and effective in improving safety and security.


• Market Image: Involves using state-of-the-art technologies to improve a carrier's image by designating a company as progressive and concerned about the safety and security of their drivers and loads.


• Market Demand: Depends on awareness of the technology along with acceptance and belief in its value, which is particularly important to manufacturers introducing a new product.


• In-cab Technology Interface Integration: Minimizes cost, distraction, and human errors while using the technology.


• Investment Required for Research and Development of New Technology: Includes concerns of original equipment manufacturers and vendors about the risks inherent with new developments.
  


• Liability: Influences carriers, drivers, and manufacturers, particularly relating to the data stored by certain technologies and its use.

U.S. Department of Transportation Releases New Action Plan to Address Motorcoach Safety Issues

The U.S. Department of Transportation today released its Motorcoach Safety Action Plan which lays out concrete steps for improving motorcoach safety across the board. The action plan addresses major safety issues such as driver fatigue and inattention, vehicle rollover, occupant ejections and oversight of unsafe carriers.

We are committed to making sure that bus travelers reach their destinations safely,said Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.These improvements will not only help reduce the number of motorcoach crashes, it will also help save lives and reduce injuries. While motorcoach travel is a very safe mode of highway transportation in the United States, carrying 750 million passengers annually, an average of 19 motorcoach occupants are killed in crashes each year according to data collected by DOT's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Additional fatalities result among pedestrians, and occupants of other vehicles involved in these crashes.

To address this issue, Secretary LaHood directed DOT's agencies to take a fresh look at motorcoach safety issues, identify actions to address outstanding safety problems, and develop an aggressive schedule to implement those actions.The comprehensive action plan announced today proposes enhanced regulatory oversight of new and high risk motorcoach operators, as well as the increased use of new technologies. To address driver distraction, it proposes to initiate rulemaking to prohibit texting and limit the use of cellular telephones and other devices by motorcoach drivers. It also discusses requiring electronic on-board recording devices on all motorcoaches to better monitor drivers' duty hours to address fatigue, and enhanced oversight of unsafe carriers.

In addition, the action plan proposes to better protect motorcoach occupants by requiring the installation of seat belts and discusses additional measures such as the establishment of performance requirements for enhanced roof strength, fire safety, and emergency egress. It also calls for safety improvements using technologies such as electronic stability control to prevent rollovers.

DOT Press Release

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION AND FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION JOIN FORCES TO COMBAT DISTRACTED DRIVING

Washington DC – U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski announced Wednesday that they are launching a joint effort to evaluate technologies that may help curb the dangerous epidemic of distracted driving.The DOT-FCC partnership will also include outreach efforts to educate the public about the dangers of texting while driving, talking on cell phones while driving, and other distracting behavior that can lead to deadly accidents.

We must put an end to distracted driving, which is costing lives and inflicting injuries across the nation's roads and railways, Secretary LaHood told the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection. I look forward to working with Chairman Genachowski and ensuring that FCC's and DOT's technology experts can join forces on this critical issue.Chairman Genachowski said, I welcome this collaborative effort to eliminate the increasingly deadly practice of distracted driving. Changing this ingrained behavior will require us to develop creative solutions using both technology and education. By combining the resources and expertise of the DOT and the FCC, I am confident that we can have a major impact on this problem.

Officials from the DOT and FCC will establish a working group to evaluate technology-based solutions to the problem of distracted driving and will coordinate consumer outreach and education.

Montgomery County, Maryland’s Traffic Computer System Fails

Humming along with technology, until it's not Computer meltdown creates traffic-light chaos in Montgomery

In the backdrop of so much of 21st-century life, computers are an unseen hand that guides the day in ways we rarely know about. Until they crash. Wednesday provided one such rude awakening for commuters in Montgomery County.

A computer meltdown disrupted the choreography of 750 traffic lights, turning the morning and evening commutes into endless seas of red brake lights, causing thousands of drivers to arrive at work grumpy and late, and getting them home more frustrated and even later.Montgomery County officials said they will offer free bus rides all day Thursday, a decision made Wednesday night, even as county technicians worked feverishly to resurrect the faulty machine in time for the morning rush.

Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority to vote on Dulles Toll Road toll increase

The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority will take a final vote on Wednesday on toll hikes for the Dulles Toll Road.Revenue from the 14-mile road will help pay for over half of the $5.25 billion expansion project of Metro to Dulles that will connect West Falls Church in Fairfax County to Route 772 in Loudoun County by 2016.

Tolls are currently 75 cents in the main lanes and 50 cents at the ramps.The toll hike, which has been approved by two committees already, is expected to be approved by the board of directors.

City installs 'sharrows' as part of cycling, driving experiment

Anyone driving, walking or cycling down Guadalupe between MLK and 4th Street Monday may have seen them being installed and wondered what they were.City employees from the Austin Public Works Department spent the better part of Monday installing 13, 3x2-foot symbols of a man on a bicycle into traffic lanes called sharrows.

The lanes are to be shared between cars and cyclists, but neither the city of Austin nor the University of Texas Center for Transportation Research will go into the details of how they're supposed to work because the sharrows are part of a nationwide experiment.The U.S. Department of Transportation chose Austin as one of six cities across the country to try out the sharrows to see if drivers and cyclists can figure out on their own how they work. The City of Austin and UT have installed cameras in strategic areas around the sharrows to collect video to be shared with the federal government to see whether or not the sharrows are working.

Transportation Research Board Staff Directory

TRB Staff Listing

Staff members can be contacted via mail using the following mailing address:

The National Academies
500 Fifth Street, NW
Washington, DC 20001

Click a person's name to send an email.

Name	Position	Phone
Adcock, Melanie	Senior Program Assistant	202-334-2259
Allen, Rosa P.	Administrative Coordinator	202-334-2935
Anderson, Kizzy E.	Senior Program Assistant	202-334-2944
Andrle, Stephen J.	Chief Program Officer/Capacity	202-334-2810
Awan, Javy	Director, Publications; Editor, TR News	202-334-2987
Bailey, Anthony T.	Senior Accounting/Financial Assistant	202-334-1456
Baker, Cynthia M.	Executive Assistant	202-334-2936
Barber, Phyllis D.	Publishing Administrator; Copyright Permissions	202-334-2972
Barnes, Natalie L.	Editor, Cooperative Research Programs	202-334-2304
Barnes, Tiana M.	Senior Program Assistant	202-334-2528
Beal, Glenda J.	Editor-at-Large, Publicatins Office	202-334-2048
Berlin, Harvey	Senior Program Officer	202-334-2441
Blackwell, Adrienne C.	Administrative Coordinator	202-334-3237
Brach, Ann M.	Deputy Director, SHRP 2	202-334-2242
Brown-Snell, Joseph J.	Program Associate	202-334-3502
Bryant, James W.	Senior Program Officer	202-334-2087
Butler, Cynthia E.	Administrative Assistant	202-334-1897
Cambridge, Joedy W.	Marine and Intermodal Specialist	202-334-2167
Campbell, Kenneth L.	Chief Program Officer/Safety	202-536-5187
Campbell, Stephanie L.	Program Assistant	202-334-3251
Chafee, Ellen M.	Editor, Cooperative Research Programs	202-334-3262
Chamberlain, Megan	Senior Program Assistant	202-334-3251
Chisholm Smith, Gwen	Senior Program Officer	202-334-3246
Choudhry, Nancy D.	Abstractor/Indexer	202-334-3253
Cole, Joanice L.	Senior Program Assistant	202-334-2287
Coleman, Jo Ann	Senior Program Assistant	202-334-3176
Covert, Tameka S.	Accounting/Financial Assistant	202-334-1721
Crawford, Maria S.	Assistant Editor, Cooperative Research Programs	202-334-1249
Cunard, Richard A.	Engineer of Traffic and Operations	202-334-2965
Cusicanqui, Eduardo N.	Accounting/Financial Assistant	202-334-2836
Davies, Pliney E. M.	Report Review Associate	202-334-3708
deBruijn, Paul D.	Production and Graphics Coordinator, Publications Office	202-334-2980
DeCarmine, Michael A.	Senior Program Associate	202-334-2952
Dekelbab, Waseem	Senior Program Officer	202-334-1409
Delaney, Eileen P.	Director, Publications, Cooperative Research Programs	202-334-3248
Derr, B. Ray	Senior Program Officer	202-334-3231
Diewald, Walter J.	Senior Program Officer	202-334-3260
DiMaggio, Jerry A.	Senior Program Officer	202-334-2109
English, C. Douglas	Editor, Cooperative Research Programs	202-334-3937
Fay, Charles R.	Senior Program Officer	202-334-1817
Fisher, Kimberly M.	Associate Director, Technical Activities Division	202-334-2968
Fomalont, Jessica	Librarian	202-334-2989
Freer, Hilary M.	Senior Editor, Cooperative Research Programs	202-334-1473
Gerencher, Christine L.	Senior Program Officer	202-334-2970
Gillum, Reginald	Customer Service and Marketing Associate	202-334-2382
Godwin, Stephen R.	Director, Studies and Special Programs	202-334-3261
Goldstein, Lawrence D.	Senior Program Officer	202-334-1866
Greaver-Stevens, Sharon	Financial and Administrative Associate	202-334-1345
Green, Dionna D.	Web Analyst	202-334-2866
Green, Juanita	Production Manager, Publications Office	202-334-2977
Greenberger, Marci A.	Senior Program Officer	202-334-1371
Greene, Gary T.	Programmer/Analyst	202-334-3173
Greenwood, Emily R.	Senior Program Assistant	202-334-2391
Grim, Eric A.	Senior Programmer Analyst	202-334-3001
Hagood, Margaret B.	Editor, Cooperative Research Programs	202-334-1764
Hanna, Amir N.	Senior Program Officer	202-334-1432
Hansell-Price, Norma	Acquisition Assistant - Information Services	202-334-3250
Harrigan, Edward T.	Senior Program Officer	202-334-3232
Hawks, Neil F.	Director, SHRP 2	202-334-1426
Hedges, Christopher J.	Senior Program Officer	202-334-1472
Hejl, Frederick D.	Associate Director, Technical Activities Division	202-334-2952
Henson, James W.	Financial and Administrative Officer	202-334-3039
Hessian, Ralph	Visiting Professional	202-334-1330
Hessian, Ralph	Visiting Professional	902-424-4268
Holland, Frances E.	Administrative Assistant	202-334-2332
Houston, Russell W.	Senior Communications Officer	202-334-3252
Huey, Beverly A.	Senior Program Officer	410-961-0711
Humphrey, Nancy P.	Senior Program Officer	202-334-2948
Hyman, William Alan	Senior Program Officer	202-334-1914
Irvin, Deborah	Program Associate	202-334-3310
Isenhour, Jeff C.	Manager, Information Technology	202-334-3229
Jawed, Inam	Senior Program Officer	202-334-1461
Jayaprakash, G. P.	Engineer of Soils, Geology, and Foundations	202-334-2952
Jencks, Crawford F.	Deputy Director, Cooperative Research Programs	202-334-2379
Jenks, Christopher W.	Director, Cooperative Research Programs	202-334-3089
Johnson, Angela S.	Meeting Assistant	202-334-1674
Johnson, Cydni	Customer Service Representative	202-334-2937
Jordan, Kelvin R.	Senior Membership Assistant	202-334-3216
Karson, Linda M.	Director of Meetings	202-334-2362
Keith, Cheryl Y.	Senior Program Assistant	202-334-3242
King, Elaine	Rail Transport Specialist	202-334-3208
Kirkland, Rachel J.	Senior Program Assistant	202-334-1892
Kisiner, Andrea	Manager, Publication Sales and Affiliate Services	202-334-3214
Kissi, Mary O.	Senior Program Associate	202-334-3205
LaPlante, Michael P.	Director, Finance and Business Operations	202-334-3215
Le, Thu M.	Senior Program Assistant	202-334-3234
Lemer, Andrew C.	Senior Program Officer	202-334-3972
Linzau, Natassja Olsen	Web Graphics Designer	202-635-0410
Lisle, Frank N.	Engineer of Maintenance	202-334-2950
Maher, Stephen F.	Engineer of Design	202-334-2955
Marflak, Lisa Berardi	Program Officer, Electronic Dissemination	202-334-3134
Mason, Linda S.	Communications Officer	202-334-3241
Mathis, Amelia B.	Administrative Assistant	202-334-3255
McDaniel, G. Raymond	Senior Financial Assistant	202-334-2549
McDaniel, James B.	Counsel for Legal Research Projects	202-334-3209
Menzies, Thomas R.	Senior Program Officer	202-334-1837
Mesler, Roy N.	Information Technology Specialist	202-334-2379
Micozzi, Martine A.	Management and Policy Specialist	202-334-3177
Millar, Bruce A.	Conference Manager	202-334-2824
Miller, Julie A.	Conference and Exhibit Manager	202-334-2362
Miller, Matthew A.	Senior Program Associate	202-334-2608
Miller, Michael A.	Senior Program Assistant	202-334-2311
Moore, Sheila A.	Program Associate	202-334-2886
Morgan, Freda R.	Senior Program Associate	202-334-2965
Morin, Shirley A.	TRIS Database Administrator	202-334-2947
Morris, Joseph R.	Senior Program Officer	202-334-3109
Mullins, Erin	Meeting Assistant	202-334-3504
Navarrete, Joseph D.	Senior Program Officer	202-334-1649
Niessner, Charles W.	Senior Program Officer	202-334-1431
Norman, Mark R.	Director, Technical Activities	202-334-2935
Obeng, Kwame A.	Senior Accounting/Financial Assistant	202-334-3123
Pain, Richard F.	Transportation Safety Coordinator	202-334-2964
Palmerlee, Thomas M.	Associate Director, Technical Activities Division	202-334-2907
Parker, Stephan A.	Senior Program Officer	202-334-2554
Pepitone, Stacy A.	Meeting Coordinator	202-334-1232
Petty, Ann E.	Managing Editor, TR Record	202-334-2976
Pickett, Melissa N.	Financial and Contract Officer	202-334-3348
Plazak, David J.	Senior Program Officer	202-334-1834
Post, Barbara L.	Manager, Information Services	202-334-2990
Powell, Danna M.	Senior Program Assistant	202-334-3238
Raab, A. Robert	Senior Program Officer	202-334-2569
Reid, A. Regina	Senior Editorial Assistant - Proofreader, Publications Office	202-334-2727
Reynaud, David A.	Senior Program Officer	202-334-1695
Rice, Lea M.	Assistant Editor, Publications Office	202-334-2986
Richardson, Jewelene	Director, Committee Appointments and Human Resources	202-334-2958
Rogers, William C.	Senior Program Officer	202-334-1621
Salamone, Michael R.	Manager, ACRP	202-334-1268
Schatz, Theresia H.	Senior Program Officer	202-334-2981
Schneider, Suzanne B.	Associate Executive Director	202-334-2959
Schwager, Dianne S.	Senior Program Officer	202-334-2969
Schwartz, Brie	Web and Software Specialist	202-334-3015
Shaw, Peter L.	Public Transportation Specialist	202-334-2983
Skinner, Robert E.	Executive Director	202-334-2936
Solomon, Norman	Senior Editor, Publications Office	202-334-2979
Somerset, Daniel R. B.	Financial Associate	202-334-2379
Srinivasan, Nanda	Senior Program Officer	202-334-1896
Staba, Gail R.	Synthesis Program Consultant	202-232-5658
Starnes, Monica A.	Senior Program Officer	202-334-1894
Stevenson-Fenwick, Noreen D.	Senior Program Assistant	202-334-1488
Summersgill, Robert J.	Committee Appointments and Database Manager	202-334-2954
Sundstrom, Lori L.	Senior Program Officer	202-334-3034
Talley, Chrystyne M.	Financial Officer	202-334-2147
Taylor, Charles	Rail-IDEA Program Consultant	202-334-2065
Thomas, Charlotte	Senior Program Assistant	202-334-2247
Tippman, Don C.	Editor, Synthesis Studies	202-334-2298
Trackman, Dean A.	Managing Editor, SHRP2	202-334-3908
Turman, Nikisha J.	Senior Program Assistant	202-334-2373
Van Boven, Tom	Senior Program Assistant	202-334-3129
van Saan, Hans	Visiting Professional	202-334-2680
Vlasak, Donna L.	Senior Program Officer	202-334-2974
Weeks, Jennifer J.	Editorial Services Specialist, Publications Office	202-334-2984
Williams, Demisha	Senior Program Assistant	202-334-3834
Williams, Jon M.	Program Director for IDEA and Synthesis Studies	202-334-3245
Williams, Lyndsey Ann	Senior Program Associate	202-334-3119
Williams, Patricia A.	Administrative Assistant	202-334-3508
Wilson, Jill	Senior Program Officer	202-334-3817
Woldu, Connie K.	Administrative Coordinator	202-334-1430
Woltman, Laurence Charles	Senior Programmer/Analyst	202-334-2315
Wu, Jessica R.	Supervisor, Publications and Subscription Sales	202-334-3072
Yates, James W.	Library Information Clerk/Office Assistant	202-334-3672
Zelinski, Patrick B.	Communications Specialist	202-334-1916

Auto sales bounce back-Chrysler's big uphill climb

Experts question whether Fiat's rescue plan for Chrysler will provide needed help quickly enough to save the company.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Fiat Group will soon unveil its plans to help get the struggling Chrysler Group back on track. But the question that won't be answered is whether these changes will come in time to save the company.

The Chrysler Sebring, one of the car models that could be phased out under Chrysler's new turnaround plan.

The Italian automaker, which now owns a controlling minority stake in Chrysler, is expected to announce Wednesday which Fiat models it intends to make available in the U.S. It also will disclose which Chrysler, Dodge or Jeep vehicles will be phased out.For the sake of Fiat, as well as the union trust funds and U.S. taxpayers who own most of the rest of the company, the plan had better work.

But experts say that unlike rival Ford Motor F, Fortune 500, which reported a surprise profit of nearly $1 billion the third quarter, Chrysler has a relatively empty product pipeline for the next two years. That, coupled with slim cash resources, make a return to profitability for Chrysler very unlikely.

"Unfortunately, it's a race against time," said Michael Robinet, vice president of global vehicle forecasts for auto consultant CSM Worldwide. "I think what they're announcing is a starting point, but many more changes will be required going forward."Chrysler was king of the hill with its 300 series just a few years ago. Oh how the mighty have fallen.

Army shows more than one way to look under a car

Manning security checkpoints is hazardous duty, but vehicles still must be checked. So the U.S. Army is helping develop products that will allow soldiers to do their job, preferably from a distance.Researchers and scientists at the U.S. Army Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center TARDEC have focused on semi-autonomous robotic systems capable of remotely inspecting a vehicle's undercarriage for explosives or roam the line looking for suspicious activity.

TARDEC will showcase a couple of its favorite autonomous robotic systems this week at the Michigan Security Network Market Leadership Conference. Both units were developed for military and homeland security applications, such as airport and seaport inspections and hazardous substance detection. But nothing says you can't deploy them at your next block party. Here's a sneak peek.

WiFi creates challenges as well as opportunities for airlines

Passengers' growing appetite for electronic gadgets and WiFi access is creating problems for airlines eager to sate that appetite. The challenge lies in enforcing myriad company policies and federal laws covering wireless communications.As airlines test and equip their planes for in-flight WiFi, they have to figure out how to catch people using prohibited devices (or approved devices at the wrong time) with no practical means of detecting radio-based technologies that can operate out of sight in briefcases, carry-on bags or even pockets.

It’s just the latest in a set of challenges the airlines have faced with the rapid evolution of consumer electronics. The past decade has been marked by the relentless convergence of multiple technologies into single, easily concealed devices.

A single smartphone, for example, can combine the once-discrete electronics of a computer, a cellphone, a video game device, a GPS, a voice recorder, a music player, a still camera, a video camera and a broadband modem or even a wireless router.Compounding the airlines’ challenge is that some of those functions are allowed at any time during a flight, some are never allowed, and still others are allowed only after the plane has reached a cruising altitude. The hapless flight attendant who spots a passenger using such a device at any point during the flight has no way of knowing for certain which technology is functioning at any given moment.

10 Weird Wheeled Devices

The Conference Bike

Boeing 727 Limousine

The Couch

Monowheel

The Monster Motorbike From Hell

The “Duck” Bus

The Bar Stool Racer

Flying Cars

Robotic Body Scooper

The Krupp Earth Mover

DOT Secretary Gives Keynote at APTA

Prepared Remarks for Secy. Ray LaHood

U.S. Department of Transportation
American Public Transportation Assn.
Orlando, FL-Oct. 5, 2009

I am delighted to be here today with America’s public transportation leaders.Let me begin with a simple, straightforward message: The Obama Administration understands that reliable, modern public transportation facilities are absolutely critical to the success of every American city, every metropolitan region, and our rural communities.

That’s our starting point, and it means we’re committing to investing in the rail, bus, ferry, vanpool, and other public transportation services that link people to jobs; provide mobility to older Americans and people with disabilities; guarantee access to vital services like health care; and spur local economic development.

In my first 9 months at DOT, I have personally visited 30 states and 54 cities and I’ve seen the enormous impact that public transportation has on the quality and vitality of life in cities and communities of all sizes. I’ve toured the new extension to the Gold Line in Los Angeles, which is bringing light rail to low-income, transit-dependent residents of East L.A. for the very first time.

I stood on the site of the Miami Intermodal Center, a massive ground transportation hub that will connect Miami International Airport with commuter rail, transit and intercity buses, and airport shuttles.Last month, I traveled to Chicago, Denver, and Dubuque, where city and transportation leaders are working with community groups to create energy-efficient, transit-oriented neighborhoods.

And two weeks ago, I was in the transit capital of the nation, New York, where officials are engaged in the challenging but essential task of modernizing and expanding the oldest heavy-rail systems in the country.In all of these places, and many more, your agencies are helping state and local leaders define what livable communities really are, what they look like, and how they should perform in the twenty-first century.

Let me assure you, we want you to succeed.We’re studying your successes, learning from your challenges, and figuring out how we can best help you serve your communities safely, effectively, and efficiently.Now I know that many serious challenges lie ahead.I know the state and local budget cuts have really stretched you to the limit. But I’m confident the situation will improve and our economy will revive.

In the meantime, I think the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act has helped to prevent a much deeper crisis from occurring. Working closely with FTA, we’ve awarded the transit industry more than 680 grants worth 7.2 billion dollars, with hundreds of millions of dollars in recovery funds still in the pipeline.

These funds have provided operating assistance for many of you at a critical time. They’ve helped to keep capital transit programs on track around the country, despite the downturn. And they’ve helped to offset layoffs that so many transit employees have faced in these tough economic times.

You’ve all done a great job meeting our deadlines for obligating those funds – and I hope you’ll stay on track to keep the money moving over the next several months. But the Recovery Act is about more than keeping transit afloat during tough times. It’s also about investing in the future. Recently we selected 43 transit agencies to receive 100 million dollars in recovery funds to help them pursue cutting-edge environmental technologies to help reduce global warming, lessen America’s dependence on oil, and create green jobs.

When I visited MARTA officials in Atlanta, I learned they’re using these funds to build bus canopies with solar-paneled roofs. They’ll reduce fuel consumption and also generate extra power that can be sold back to the local utility. I hope the entire transit industry will watch these projects closely, and learn from them. At the federal level, we’re also getting more creative. For example, we’ve teamed up with HUD and EPA to create the federal government’s first sustainability partnership.

Working together, we’ll coordinate and direct federal investments in transportation, housing, improved air quality, and water infrastructure across the country.This will help to ensure that we build more transit near affordable housing, combat sprawl, and help communities become both more livable and sustainable.In addition, through the Recovery Act, we’re making an historic 1.5 billion dollar investment in intermodal transportation projects of regional and national significance.Hundreds of innovative proposals – many of them from you in this room -- are under review right now.

Taken together, these efforts will, over time, produce a profound, strategic shift in our commuting and travel patterns – with far greater emphasis on efficient, sustainable mobility than this country has seen in more than half a century.How will we pay for all of this?Thanks to President Obama and Congress, we’re off to a good start, with an 8 billion-dollar down-payment for new inter-city and high-speed rail service in key corridors around the country.

We’re hopeful Congress will continue to appropriate significant funds for this long-term investment in the future of inter-city mobility.Meanwhile, the House and Senate continue to work on appropriations bills for DOT in fiscal 2010.And the President and I are determined to work with Congress to pass a transformational surface transportation bill that adequately funds our priorities.This won’t happen as quickly as we might like.

But it will happen – and we will end up with a bill that streamlines federal transportation programs – including FTA’s New Starts program -- and identifies new sustainable funding sources.I’m grateful to Congresswoman Brown and Congressman Mica for their leadership on this important transportation issue, and I’m confident we’ll achieve a good outcome.I know many of you in urban and suburban transit districts believe you haven’t always gotten your fair share of federal transportation funds. We’re taking that into account as we work with transportation planning organizations to improve the services they provide.

And I think you’ll see that when we’re finished, urban and metropolitan regions will have more say, and greater flexibility, in how federal dollars are spent.And that’s going to lead to better outcomes for all of us. I think the future of public transportation looks very bright – but there is one major challenge we cannot overlook, and that’s safety. Safety remains our single highest priority at DOT. Recent transit accidents in Washington, D.C., California, Massachusetts, and elsewhere have made it abundantly clear that FTA should take a stronger hand in safety. That’s why I have asked Deputy Secretary Porcari to lead a group of experts to develop new options for reforming transit safety.

You can expect to hear more from us on this in the future. Separately, we’re taking action to clamp down on distracted drivers – including bus drivers and train operators and other transit personnel -- who endanger their passengers. On September 30th, President Obama issued an Executive Order banning federal workers from texting while driving on official business. In conjunction with that announcement, we held a very successful two-day summit on distracted driving. This is an important and historic step toward making our transit systems – and all our roads – safer to travel.

To do our part, DOT intends to propose rulemakings to make permanent restrictions on the use of cell phones and other electronic devices in rail operations; ban text messaging altogether, and restrict the use of cell phones by truck and interstate bus operators; and disqualify school bus drivers convicted of texting while driving, from maintaining their commercial driver’s licenses. We’ll work with Congress on appropriate legislation as well.
This is very serious business – and we should have a zero-tolerance policy for anyone who uses an electronic device while they’re behind the wheel. There’s no question we all face many challenges, but I’m very optimistic about the future of transportation in this country.
We’re making meaningful investments in programs and projects that are going to change the way we live, work, and travel – for the better.

I want to thank Bill Millar, Bev Scott, and all the members of APTA for working so hard during these tough times to deliver the public transportation services we all need and deserve. I also want to thank Peter Rogoff at FTA for his outstanding leadership. He hit the ground running when he arrived in June – and he hasn’t stopped since. To everyone here today, thanks for all your great work to make public transportation the best it can be in every city, town, and neighborhood in America. Thank you very much.

Upcoming Events : Annual Transportation Conference

GVF Transportation's Annual Transportation Conference

Date(s):
Monday, November 02, 2009
8:00 AM to 1:30 PM

Description:
GVF Transportation's Annual Transportation Conference.

Details:
Save the Date for GVF Transportation's Annual Transportation Conference.
Monday, November 2, 2009, 8:00 AM
Crowne Plaza Hotel, King of Prussia

Topics covered during the conference include:

1.Transportation Reauthorization,
2.Climate Change
3.Public Private Partnerships
4.Long Term Sustainability
5.The Role of the Employer

This year's speakers include:

* Barry Seymour, Executive Director of DVRPC
* Toby Fauver, PennDOT Deputy Secretary for Local and Area Transportation
* Frank Rapoport, Partner at McKenna Long & Aldridge
* State Senator John Rafferty
* Congressman Jim Gerlach
* Congressman Joe Sestak
* Jason Pavluchuk, Goverment Relations Inc.
* Brian Shaw, president of National Association for Commuter Transportation (ACT)
* Yaov Hagler, America 2050

Cost of the event is $75 for members and $85 for non-members. For information on sponsorship opportunities or to RSVP to the conference, contact Carissa Pleiss at 610-354-8899 or at cpleiss@gvftma.com.

PENNDOT POSTPONES ROUTE 309 LANE

PennDOT Postpones Route 309 Lane Closures and Stoppages this Friday Night and Saturday Morning in Montgomery Township Beam-setting operation delayed a week due to saturated, unstable ground.

King of Prussia – The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) today announced that it has postponed tomorrow night’s (Oct. 30) scheduled setting of bridge beams over Route 309 in Montgomery Township, Montgomery County, because the saturated ground is unsuitable to safety support a large crane needed for the operation. This work was scheduled to run from 9 p.m. Friday (Oct. 30) to 6 a.m. Saturday (Oct. 31).

Traffic Camera Project Complete

Virginia Department of Transportation's million dollar traffic camera project in central Virginia is complete, up and running. The last of the 16 traffic cameras went into operation earlier this month.The cameras are set up at interchanges on Interstate 64 between Crozet and Zion Crossroads, and at major intersections along the Route 29 and Route 250 corridors.

VDOT says drivers can check the cameras online at Virginia 511 to plan out their jaunts around the area.VDOT Regional Operations Manager Dean Gustafson, said,They can make a decision to either take that trip, make it a different time of day, or not to take the trip at all. And thats going to provide travel information back in the hands of the motorists and really make their trip more friendly.

Google Maps Navigation takes a mobile turn

Google is announcing plans Wednesday to release a new Android application called Google Maps Navigation. When combined with a GPS-equipped mobile phone running Android 2.0, it provides turn-by-turn directions powered by Google Maps and a slick user interface that combines features such as voice recognition and Google Street View. Google Maps Navigation, like seemingly everything that emerges from Google, will be free.

Mobile platforms--Android and others--are so powerful now that you can build client apps that can do magical things connected to the cloud, said Google CEO Eric Schmidt in a briefing for reporters at Google's headquarters on Tuesday.

Companies in the cell phone navigation industry have seen this day coming for quite some time. Right now, the beta application only works on phones that will use the Android 2.0 software, which is scheduled to be available very soon with the expected arrival of Motorola's Droid phone on Verizon's network.

Googles Vic Gundotra appeared to demonstrate the application on the Droid: he wouldn' confirm it, but it was a shiny black Android 2.0 phone running on Verizon's network and bearing Motorola's stamp, so we're probably not going too far out on a limb here.

Extensive failures found in medevac crash

Report suspects pilot error as cause The taxpayers of Maryland should be disappointed.

A Maryland State Police helicopter pilot made a questionable decision to fly on a foggy night last year. Air traffic controllers were inattentive, unhelpful and sloppy. Troopers tracking the medical rescue flight were complacent and slow to recognize that the helicopter was lost and ran a scattershot search.

Thats what federal transportation safety investigators said Tuesday as they detailed extensive failures on Sept. 27, 2008, when Trooper 2 crashed in Prince George County, killing four.

For decades the state-run program had been praised as the gold standard for emergency medical flights, said National Transportation Safety Board member Robert L. Sumwalt. But once federal investigators peeled back the layers, they found systemic problems in the state-run program, he said. The taxpayers of Maryland should be disappointed.

POLICE HELICOPTER CRASH IN MARYLAND

PILOT'S FAILURE TO MAINTAIN ALTITUDE CAUSED MARYLAND STATE POLICE HELICOPTER CRASH IN MARYLAND, NTSB FINDS

Washington, DC - The National Transportation Safety Board today determined that the probable cause of the crash of a Maryland State Police (MSP) helicopter emergency medical services flight was the pilot's attempt to regain visual conditions by performing a rapid descent and his failure to arrest the descent at the minimum descent altitude during a nonprecision approach.

On September 27, 2008, an Aerospatiale (Eurocopter), call sign Trooper 2 (N92MD), registered to and operated by the MSP as a public medical evacuation (medevac) flight, impacted terrain in District Heights, Maryland while on approach to Andrews Air Force Base (ADW). The pilot, one flight paramedic, one field provider, and one of two automobile accident patients being transported were killed. The other patient being transported survived with serious injuries from the helicopter accident and was taken to a local hospital.

The Board found that the pilot failed to adhere to instrument approach procedures when he did not prevent the helicopter's descent at the MDA. The flight was cleared for an instrument landing system (ILS) approach. After the initial call to the ADW tower, the pilot reported that he could not capture the glideslope and was on a localizer approach. The controller responded that her ILS equipment status display was indicating no anomalies with the equipment. Post accident tests confirmed no anomalies with the instrument approach equipment and testing of the helicopter's navigation equipment did not find any deficiencies that would have precluded the pilot from capturing the glideslope.

Furthermore, the Board concluded that although the descent rate and altitude information were readily available through cockpit instruments which the pilot had access to, he likely became preoccupied with looking for the ground, which he could not identify before impact because of the lack of external visual cues. Since there were no recorders on board the accident helicopter, the Safety Board could not determine why the pilot did not use other options available to conduct a safe landing in instrument conditions.

Several contributing factors to the cause of the accident, the Board noted, were the pilot's limited recent instrument flight experience, the lack of adherence to effective risk management procedures by the Maryland State Police, the pilot's inadequate assessment of the weather, which led to his decision to accept the flight, the failure of the Potomac Consolidated Terminal Radar Approach Control (PCT) controller to provide the current Andrews Air Force Base weather observation to the pilot, and the increased workload on the pilot due to inadequate Federal Aviation Administration air traffic control handling by the Ronald Reagan National Airport Tower and PCT controllers.

As a result of this accident investigation, the Safety Board issued recommendations to the Federal Aviation Administration, the MSP, Prince George's County, and all public Helicopter Emergency Medical Service operators regarding pilot performance and training, air traffic control deficiencies, patient transport decisions, emergency response and FAA oversight.

Couple alive after car pins them to bed for almost an hour

(CNN) -- With motor fluid spraying their faces and the weight of a car numbing their bodies, two Nevada college students struggled to stay calm after a drunk driver allegedly tore into their home, ripping them from their slumber. Kristin Palmer and Trent Wood were asleep in their home last week when a motorist allegedly drove into their bedroom around 4 a.m., mistakenly believing it was his ex-girlfriend's home.

The University of Nevada students spent almost an hour pinned between the car and their bed while emergency workers battled furiously to free them.Somehow, the two left the scene with relatively minor scrapes and burns -- and a new lease on life, Wood said.

When you experience something like that theres no limits anymore, you can try to do whatever you want to do, Wood told HLNs Mike Galanos. We feel like we have more of a purpose, like we were meant to live.

41st Tokyo Motor Show

Tokyo, Japan (CNN) -- Take a glimpse of the near future. Electric vehicles and other types of eco-friendly cars are taking center stage at the 41st Tokyo Motor Show, which runs through November 4.

Following the commercial success of Toyota's hybrid car Prius, Japanese car makers introduced their latest line up of eco-friendly cars. Electric vehicles are believed to be the next wave of automobile powered by alternative energy sources.

The Tokyo Motor show is one of the world's five biggest motor shows, but only three non-Japanese car makers -- Lotus and Caterham of the U.K. and Alpina of Germany -- participated this year, compared with 26 firms in 2007. Car makers are shifting focus to emerging markets, such as those of China and India.

Carlos Ghosn, president and chief executive officer of Nissan, introduced the company' first electric vehicle,Leaf, for the mass market. It will be sold starting in late 2010 in Japan, U.S. and Europe.

The race for zero emission has begun,he said.The world is eager to address the concerns about global CO2 emissions and we are proposing solutions to meet the environmental challenges.Organizers are expecting one million visitors to attend the show.