USA Today on Biking in Portland
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Here's an excellent video from the USA Today about Portland's embrace of bicylcing as a transportation mode. Enjoy!
TheRide Implementation Plan Public Meetings
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Join the TheRide at public meetings as it discusses its Five Year Transit Program and Implementation Plan. See the flyers below for meeting dates in your community.
Chicago-Detroit/Pontiac Passenger Rail Public Meetings
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MDOT is hosting a series of public meetings for feedback on improvements to passenger rail services between Chicago and Detroit. See the flyer below or visit the GreatLakesRail.org website.
SEMCOG/MAC Pulse of the Region Survey
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SEMCOG and the Metropolitan Affairs Coalition(MAC) are inviting Southeast Michigan residents to comment of the region's transportation system-its roads, bridges, and transit-via an online survey.In 2012, SEMCOG's local government members will decide on a long-range transportation plan and a list of the highest-priority projects to be funded over the next five years. As the plan is developed, there are many opportunities for input from the public. While SEMCOG and MAC encourage residents to talk to their local officials about priorities in their own communities, this survey will provide input on the regional level.
You can make additional comments via e-mail to InfoCenter@semcog.org, and stay up-to-date by watching SEMCOG's 2040 Regional Transportation Plan Web page for updates on plan development.
Click here to take the survey
Long Range Plan Intro Video
/WATS is excited to announce the first in a series of 2040 Long Range Plan videos. With these new videos, we hope to engage Washtenaw County in a thorough discussion about transportation priorities and goals. Future videos will cover involvement opportunities and explain specific transportation topics. Enjoy the 2040 Plan trailer below and watch the blog for updates!
USDOT and EPA Finalize New Fuel Efficiency Standards
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This article was orignally featured on the blog of Secretrary of Transportation Ray Lahood.
This is a monumental day for the American people, the U.S. auto industry and the Obama Administration’s efforts to make our cars more efficient. Today, DOT and the Environmental Protection Agency are finalizing national standards for fuel economy and greenhouse gas emissions for passenger cars and light trucks built in the years 2017 through 2025.
Thanks to their work, the car or light truck you'll be driving in 2025 will not be your grandfather's Oldsmobile. The Administration’s combined fuel economy efforts represent the first meaningful update to fuel efficiency standards in decades. By 2025, the average car will achieve a fuel economy performance equivalent to 54.5 miles per gallon, nearly double that of cars on the road today.
This will help American families keep more of their hard-earned paychecks into their pockets and spend less at the pump while still preserving the features and vehicle choices consumers want. In total, the Administration’s national program to improve fuel economy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions will save consumers more than $1.7 trillion on gas over the lifetime of a 2025 vehicle.
It will also slash U.S. oil consumption by 12 billion barrels, dramatically reducing our reliance on foreign suppliers.
As our cars become more efficient, we spend less money refilling them, we preserve a crucial resource, and we reduce harmful carbon emissions. Consumers have already responded to the Administration's fuel efficiency standards for Model Years 2011 through 2016, and it shows in the popularity of cars like GM's Chevy Cruze and trucks like the Ford F-150 equipped with an EcoBoost engine instead of the conventional V-8.
The American automobile industry wins as well. With today’s rule, we have given American manufacturers the regulatory certainties they need to build efficient cars of all types that consumers want today and in the future. That's why our rule has the support of 13 major automotive manufacturers, who build 90% of the cars sold in the U.S.
We’ve worked with the auto industry--as well as environmental groups, consumer groups and state governments--to develop the rule, so we know that America's carmakers are ready for these new standards. Many of the tools and technologies that will help them comply with these standards already exist, and we expect automakers to develop even more innovative approaches in the future.
Americans will still have the option of buying the kind of vehicle they want--whether it’s a truck, SUV or smaller sedan. At the same time, these new standards will promote innovation and lead to new technologies. And that means even more consumer choices, new jobs, and even new industries.
It also means cleaner air and an opportunity to lessen our role in climate change. As EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson said, “The fuel efficiency standards the administration finalized today are another example of how we protect the environment and strengthen the economy at the same time.”
Finally, throughout the rule-making process, safety has remained our guiding principle, and it will continue to be our number one priority. We have concluded that manufacturers can meet these standards without sacrificing vehicle safety.
Simply put, this groundbreaking program will result in vehicles that use less gas, travel farther, and provide more efficiency for consumers than ever before—all while maintaining safety, protecting the air we breathe, and laying the groundwork for automakers to create jobs, develop advanced technologies, and improve quality of life for America's families.
This is a monumental day for the American people, the U.S. auto industry and the Obama Administration’s efforts to make our cars more efficient. Today, DOT and the Environmental Protection Agency are finalizing national standards for fuel economy and greenhouse gas emissions for passenger cars and light trucks built in the years 2017 through 2025.
Thanks to their work, the car or light truck you'll be driving in 2025 will not be your grandfather's Oldsmobile. The Administration’s combined fuel economy efforts represent the first meaningful update to fuel efficiency standards in decades. By 2025, the average car will achieve a fuel economy performance equivalent to 54.5 miles per gallon, nearly double that of cars on the road today.
This will help American families keep more of their hard-earned paychecks into their pockets and spend less at the pump while still preserving the features and vehicle choices consumers want. In total, the Administration’s national program to improve fuel economy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions will save consumers more than $1.7 trillion on gas over the lifetime of a 2025 vehicle.
It will also slash U.S. oil consumption by 12 billion barrels, dramatically reducing our reliance on foreign suppliers.
As our cars become more efficient, we spend less money refilling them, we preserve a crucial resource, and we reduce harmful carbon emissions. Consumers have already responded to the Administration's fuel efficiency standards for Model Years 2011 through 2016, and it shows in the popularity of cars like GM's Chevy Cruze and trucks like the Ford F-150 equipped with an EcoBoost engine instead of the conventional V-8.
The American automobile industry wins as well. With today’s rule, we have given American manufacturers the regulatory certainties they need to build efficient cars of all types that consumers want today and in the future. That's why our rule has the support of 13 major automotive manufacturers, who build 90% of the cars sold in the U.S.
We’ve worked with the auto industry--as well as environmental groups, consumer groups and state governments--to develop the rule, so we know that America's carmakers are ready for these new standards. Many of the tools and technologies that will help them comply with these standards already exist, and we expect automakers to develop even more innovative approaches in the future.
Americans will still have the option of buying the kind of vehicle they want--whether it’s a truck, SUV or smaller sedan. At the same time, these new standards will promote innovation and lead to new technologies. And that means even more consumer choices, new jobs, and even new industries.
It also means cleaner air and an opportunity to lessen our role in climate change. As EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson said, “The fuel efficiency standards the administration finalized today are another example of how we protect the environment and strengthen the economy at the same time.”
Finally, throughout the rule-making process, safety has remained our guiding principle, and it will continue to be our number one priority. We have concluded that manufacturers can meet these standards without sacrificing vehicle safety.
Simply put, this groundbreaking program will result in vehicles that use less gas, travel farther, and provide more efficiency for consumers than ever before—all while maintaining safety, protecting the air we breathe, and laying the groundwork for automakers to create jobs, develop advanced technologies, and improve quality of life for America's families.
Community Values Survey Results
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Several weeks ago, we approached Washtenaw County residents with a survey to gauge priorities and values regarding local transportation improvements. Surveys in hand, staff visited local farmers markets, public meetings, and community events. WATS is happy to announce that we collected more than 600 responses. The map below highlights the number of responants per community.
WATS is working hard to incorporate your feedback into our 2040 Long Range Plan, but we'd like to share some highlights with you here. Below, you can see two charts showing the primary and preferred travel mode of survey respondants. While the majority of respondants(77.5%) reported using a personal car for their primary transportation mode, a similar majority (72.4%) would prefer alternative means of travel.
Thanks to everyone who took the time to complete a survey. For more details on the results, visit one of our 2040 Long Range Plan Public Meetings.
WATS is working hard to incorporate your feedback into our 2040 Long Range Plan, but we'd like to share some highlights with you here. Below, you can see two charts showing the primary and preferred travel mode of survey respondants. While the majority of respondants(77.5%) reported using a personal car for their primary transportation mode, a similar majority (72.4%) would prefer alternative means of travel.
Thanks to everyone who took the time to complete a survey. For more details on the results, visit one of our 2040 Long Range Plan Public Meetings.
DOT Launches Largest-Ever Road Test of Connected Vehicle Crash Avoidance Technology
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Nearly 3,000 cars, trucks and buses equipped with “connected” Wi-Fi technology to enable vehicles and infrastructure to “talk” to each other in real time to help avoid crashes and improve traffic flow will begin traversing Ann Arbor’s streets as part of a year-long safety pilot project by the U.S. Department of Transportation. U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood joined elected officials and industry and community leaders on the University of Michigan campus to launch the second phase of the Safety Pilot, the largest road test to date of connected vehicle crash avoidance technology. “Today is a big moment for automotive safety,” said Secretary LaHood. “This cutting-edge technology offers real promise for improving both the safety and efficiency of our roads. That is a winning combination for drivers across America.”
Conducted by University of Michigan’s Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI), the road test, or model deployment, is a first-of-its-kind test of connected vehicle technology in the real world. The test cars, trucks and buses, most of which have been supplied by volunteer participants, are equipped with vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) and vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) communication devices that will gather extensive data about system operability and its effectiveness at reducing crashes.
According to DOT’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), V2V safety technology could help drivers avoid or reduce the severity of four out of five unimpaired vehicle crashes. To accomplish this, the model deployment vehicles will send electronic data messages, receive messages from other equipped vehicles, and translate the data into a warning to the driver during specific hazardous traffic scenarios. Such hazards include an impending collision at a blind intersection, a vehicle changing lanes in another vehicle’s blind spot, or a rear collision with a vehicle stopped ahead, among others.
“Vehicle-to-vehicle communication has the potential to be the ultimate game-changer in roadway safety – but we need to understand how to apply the technology in an effective way in the real world,” said NHTSA Administrator David Strickland. “NHTSA will use the valuable data from the ‘model deployment’ as it decides if and when these connected vehicle safety technologies should be incorporated into the fleet.”
The model deployment is the second phase of DOT’s connected vehicle Safety Pilot, a major research initiative managed by NHTSA and the Research and Innovative Technologies Administration (RITA) Intelligent Transportation Systems Joint Program Office. Earlier this year, DOT released data from a series of “driver acceptance clinics” conducted during the first phase of the Safety Pilot. The study revealed that an overwhelming majority of drivers (9 out of 10) who have experienced V2V technology have a highly favorable opinion of its safety benefits and would like to have V2V safety features on their personal vehicle.
“Many significant advances in roadway safety resulted from the collaborations between government, industry, and academia,” said Gregory D. Winfree, RITA Deputy Administrator. “The deployment today is the culmination of years of cooperative research on forward-thinking technology designed to save lives and prevent injuries on America’s roads.”
The information collected from both phases of the Safety Pilot, and other key research projects, will be used by NHTSA to determine by 2013 whether to proceed with additional activities involving connected vehicle technology, including possible rulemaking.
South State Street Construction (Stadium Bridges)
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Notice of Temporary Traffic Control Plan
E. Stadium Boulevard Bridges Replacement Project
August 18-19, 2012
Location and Limits of Affected Area:
E. Stadium Boulevard from Kipke Drive to S. Industrial Highway
S. State Street from Stimson Street to Granger Avenue
Description of Work:
Hot mix asphalt paving on S. State Street (this work is highly weather dependent and will be performed if conditions allow.)
Temporary Construction Traffic Control Plan:
Northbound S. State Street will be temporarily closed to vehicular traffic from Stimson Street to Granger Avenue. A detour route will be posted.
Southbound S. State Street vehicular traffic will be maintained at all times.
All vehicular traffic on S. State Street will return to its normal configuration at the end of the work day on August 19, 2012.
E. Stadium Boulevard between Kipke Drive and S. Industrial Highway will remain closed to pedestrian and vehicular traffic until November 14, 2012 to allow for the removal and replacement of the E. Stadium Boulevard bridges over the Ann Arbor Railroad and S. State Street. Vehicular and pedestrian detour routes are in place.
E. Stadium Boulevard Bridges Replacement Project
August 18-19, 2012
Location and Limits of Affected Area:
E. Stadium Boulevard from Kipke Drive to S. Industrial Highway
S. State Street from Stimson Street to Granger Avenue
Description of Work:
Hot mix asphalt paving on S. State Street (this work is highly weather dependent and will be performed if conditions allow.)
Temporary Construction Traffic Control Plan:
Northbound S. State Street will be temporarily closed to vehicular traffic from Stimson Street to Granger Avenue. A detour route will be posted.
Southbound S. State Street vehicular traffic will be maintained at all times.
All vehicular traffic on S. State Street will return to its normal configuration at the end of the work day on August 19, 2012.
E. Stadium Boulevard between Kipke Drive and S. Industrial Highway will remain closed to pedestrian and vehicular traffic until November 14, 2012 to allow for the removal and replacement of the E. Stadium Boulevard bridges over the Ann Arbor Railroad and S. State Street. Vehicular and pedestrian detour routes are in place.
