With final details on tough new fuel efficiency standards coming out next week, the route to increased milage isn’t all electric. Eventually, EVs might turn fuel pumps into museum pieces, but the death of the internal combustion engine has been greatly exaggerated.
The US DOT has been fining domestic airlines for long tarmac waits since last year. Starting today, international flights that sit on the runway for more than four hours will also face fines.
TN’s Andrea Bernstein will talk Port Authority tolls hikes on today’s Brian Lehrer Show. Atlanta’s list of transpo projects — which must be finalized for voters — may not meet its deadline. Oil prices are down 20% this year. And want to see rain falling inside a NYC subway station? Video after the jump.
More than $50 million has been spent this year by companies lobbying Congress for a long-term FAA bill. The first ever CAFE standards for trucks will be announced today. A new app disables texting when a user is in a moving vehicle. Maryland has its first solar electric vehicle charging station. And: the bicycle as a tool of women’s liberation in Zimbabwe.
The Salt Lake City region just got two new light rail lines — and a 10% cut in bus service. Meanwhile, Staten Islanders want a rail link to NJ as part of the rebuilt Bayonne Bridge. The Port Authority of NY and NJ wants steep toll and fare hikes. And: will there finally be regional transit cooperation in Detroit?
The FAA shutdown could continue into September. DC’s intercity buses will soon depart from Union Station. Metered parking may finally come to Moscow. 48 San Francisco city bus drivers don’t have licenses. And the mayor of Vilnius gets medieval on a car blocking a bike lane.
Ford is recalling over 1 million older pickup trucks because of faulty fuel tanks. DC’s got an escalating escalator problem. Rhode Island’s bus system is facing huge cuts. GM is testing a vehicle tracking system that would let you know where your car is when someone else is driving it. And: New Hampshire’s Northern Rail Trail – a rail line converted to recreational use.
No news on negotiations in the FAA budget impasse — and lawmakers are gearing up for a protracted battle. The NY MTA says it will upgrade subway stations in the Bronx. Seattle is considering four possible streetcar routes. Fines for distracted walking are taking hold in various states. And the people have spoken: Boston’s new commuter rail engines will be purple.
Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz said NYC DOT head Janette Sadik-Khan told him the Prospect Park West bike lane was temporary; she said that’s untrue. Chinese airlines are benefiting from high-speed rail delays. Automakers are complaining that the president’s fuel efficiency standards are too high. And: DC’s Metro wants to do more with social media.
Republicans are expected to present a transportation bill that cuts both highway and transit funding by a third. Cincinnati may adopt a battery-powered streetcar system. Boston’s MBTA is considering audio ads. And want to make a city more bike-friendly? Make its transit system bike friendly, too.
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Transportation Nation is supported by the Rockefeller Foundation, whose Transportation Initiative is promoting
equitable and sustainable development in communities across the country. More at rockfound.org.
