[Durham INC] FW: Some transportation items
Pat Carstensen
pats1717 at hotmail.com
Thu Jul 7 07:12:50 EDT 2011
Below are:1) an update on what is going on in DC on transportation bills2) a review of a book on working with transportation agencies (it probably applies to other agencies)
Transportation Bill Both the Senate and House are poised to introduce transportation authorizations within the next few weeks. We expect the two proposals to be vastly different. House – Chairman Mica (R-FL) will introduce a six-year transportation bill that will cut spending levels 30-35%. The bill will likely cut bike/pedestrian funding and significantly gut the environmental review process under NEPA. Instead of performance based funding, we expect the House bill to give large block grants to state DOTs. Senate – Chairman Boxer (D-CA) will likely introduce a 2-year bill that maintains current funding levels. She has stated that she wants to reach a deal with the Finance Committee on how to pay for the bill before introducing it. We have been urging the Senator to include a national oil savings goal, to implement performance-based planning and to increase funding for transportation choices. Last week Sierra Club coordinated a letter from CEOs of nine environmental organizations outlining our asks for a bill. I've attached that letter. Our pressure outside the beltway (all of your work in local press) and in DC is making a difference. Other champions on the Senate and Environment and Public Works Committee have asked Chairman Boxer to include provisions that would help reduce oil consumption, such as a national oil savings goal and strategic transportation planning. We have reinforced those asks. Vehicle Standards The administration is developing a proposal for vehicle efficiency standards for new passenger cars and trucks sold between 2017-2025. They are considering a range of 3-6% annual decrease in emissions, equivalent to a range of 47-62 miles per gallon in 2025. We have pushed hard for standards of at least 60 mpg. Our message has been heard by the White House, which is beginning to aim towards the top end of the proposed range of standards. Last week the administration showed a proposal of a 56.2 mpg standard in 2025 (equivalent to a 5% annual reduction in emissions) to Ford and GM, which was then leaked to the press. Last Thursday we met with staff from the White House Council on Environmental Quality, EPA, NHTSA and OMB to make it clear that the standard they propose must be stringent with a solid foundation that does not include loopholes and unwarranted flexibilities. We will continue to push the White House to propose strong vehicle standards that reduce our oil consumption, cut GHG emissions and save consumers money at the pump. Right now we are running a photopetition, showing our support for strong vehicle standards, that we’ll deliver to the White House. Check it out here - http://action.sierraclub.org/site/PageServer?pagename=nat_petition_go60&s_src=611FSCHT02 Jesse Jesse Prentice-DunnSierra Club(202) 675-7913jesse.prentice-dunn at sierraclub.org
PLACEMAKING: HOW TO ENGAGE YOUR TRANSPORTATION AGENCY
by Mark Plotz
The Transportation program at Project for Public Spaces is overseen by
Gary Toth, who is now in his second career after spending 34 years as an engineer and manager at NJDOT. In 2008, he distilled those years of
experience into a book ("How to Engage Your Transportation Agency") that
will be of considerable comfort to those CenterLines readers who have faced
the lonely, intimidating, and sometimes thankless task of asking their DOT
or MPO for a better street.
The book begins by describing how a citizen can initiate a project or
address an existing problem. Gary's advice: don't begin the conversation
with your DOT by recommending a solution; do begin by developing a problem
statement that summarizes the transportation issue. And bring friends with
you.
"It is politically inappropriate for a DOT to react to the first person who
walks through the door. At best, this could waste time and resources when
the agency later discovers that the town council and other citizens do not
hold the same opinion. At worst, it could lead to political grief for the
agency. Therefore, most DOT staff will ignore a complaint or suggestion
coming from an individual. So, if you're serious about fixing the problem,
get together with your friends and neighbors." (p.9)
> Ok! For bike/ped advocates in search of better outcomes from their DOT or
> MPO an understanding of the phases of project development, long range
> planning, and the programming of the transportation improvement program is
> vital, and this book describes all those facets in layman's terms.
> Mastering all of the above won't guarantee success; more than one
> transportation project has hinged on the personalities and assumptions of
> the persons involved.
>
>
> "Several generations of [transportation engineers] have been groomed to
> believe that wider, straighter and more ubiquitous roads are unquestionably
> in the national interest." (p.68)
>
>
> The problem, as presented to engineers, was traffic; a wider and faster
> road was the solution, and a rational one at that: cheap gas and a rising
> standard-of-living put a car in every garage. Reversing this will take time
> -- maybe a generation or two before context sensitive solutions, complete
> streets policies and design guidelines, and environmental and economic
> imperatives take hold. Meanwhile, this book can instruct advocates how to
> better frame local and regional transportation issues to get the outcomes
> they desire.
>
>
> "How to Engage Your Transportation Agency" can be downloaded from the PPS
> website (http://bit.ly/mUAttj). A special treat can be found at the top of
> page 69, for anyone who has ever been accused of social engineering via
> bike lanes and walkable communities. Enjoy!
>
>
>
>
>
> John Holtzclaw
> 415-977-5534
> John.Holtzclaw at SierraClub.org
> 21st Century Transportation Campaign --
> http://www.sierraclub.org/transportation/
> Building Healthy Communities -- http://www.SierraClub.org/sprawl
> Healthy Growth Calculator -- density saves resources & reduces pollution --
> http://www.sierraclub.org/sprawl/density/
> Syria, Jordan & Morocco http://picasaweb.google.com/john.holtzclaw &
> try Full screen
>
> - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
> Join the conversation on 21st Century Transportation which provides the infrastructure so you can walk, bike or take transit instead of having to drive for every trip, and have low carbon cars and fuels when you do drive, at http://connect.sierraclub.org/Groups/Green_Transportation
>
> To unsubscribe from the CONS-TRANS-CHAIRS-FORUM list, send any message to:
> CONS-TRANS-CHAIRS-FORUM-signoff-request at LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG
>
> Check out our Listserv Lists support site for more information:
> http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/faq.asp
>
> To view the Sierra Club List Terms & Conditions, see:
> http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/terms.asp
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
To unsubscribe from the NC-CONS-FORUM list, send any message to:
NC-CONS-FORUM-signoff-request at LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG
Check out our Listserv Lists support site for more information:
http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/faq.asp
Sign up to receive Sierra Club Insider, the flagship
e-newsletter. Sent out twice a month, it features the Club's
latest news and activities. Subscribe and view recent
editions at http://www.sierraclub.org/insider/
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://rtpnet.org/pipermail/inc-list/attachments/20110707/7675cf0a/attachment.html>
More information about the INC-list
mailing list