Newsletter, April 2007 Brought to you by CART, the Coalition for the Advancement of Regional Transportation cartky.org Editor: David Morse ... Oversight: CART Board

Announcements:

CART Quarterly Meeting Cancelled

Unfortunately, our venue for the quarterly meeting fell through. Instead, we'd like to recommend to you...

Climate Action - This Saturday, April 14

The Louisville Climate Action Network is hosting Louisville's participation in Step It Up 2007, this Saturday's nationwide call for more congressional leadership and action. The nearly 1,300 events occurring in all 50 states will be free and open to the public.

Louisville's main event will be at 2 p.m. in Martin Luther King Jr. Park, opposite the Mazzoli federal building on Chestnut Street. U.S. Rep. John Yarmuth will speak. We'll also offer political theater, live music and children's activities, while other local organizations will show what Louisville CAN do to reduce its production of greenhouse gases and other pollutants, often while saving money, too. Come learn about alternative transportation, farmer's markets, gardening, energy-saving tips and more. Bring a friend.

There will be an optional bike ride to the event, leaving from University of Louisville.

I'll be biking to the UofL ride from the Highlands, if you want to go together, hit 'reply' to get in touch. - Ed.

Zoo's 'Party for the Planet' - Next Sunday, April 22

The Louisville Zoo, in conjunction with Kroger and Coca-Cola, is hosting a family-oriented Earth Day event.

CART will being doing outreach and education there.

Link: The Zoo's 'Party for the Planet' Page.

Local News:

Metro Council to Consider Light Rail !!!

That's all we know.

CART has been tentatively invited to testify before the council.

Louisville Metro Planning a Pedestrian Forum

Metro Government is going to host a pedestrian forum in Fall 2007. Planning is still early on. Bud Schardein, (of MSD ... fame), is in charge. Mark Fenton, walking expert and pedestrian advocate, will deliver the keynote. Here are the stated goals:

• Create a master plan for promoting and supporting pedestrian activity.
• Identify barriers to walkability.
• Promote understanding and educational benefits of walkable communities.
• Integrate pedestrian amenities and improvements into existing planning and development efforts.
• Bring positive energy and motivation to neighborhoods as they develop plans.

Kentucky Planning Bicycle and Pedestrian Conference

I am working on planning a bicycle and pedestrian conference for summer 2008 to continue to educate KY on the benefits of biking and walking and how we can improve our situation here in KY. This conference will be geared towards engineers, planners, government officials, health departments, educators, and anyone else interested in bettering bicycling and walking in KY.

-- Tiffani Jackson, KYTC Bike-Ped Coordinator

CART hopes that some attention will be visited on Kentucky's oddball traffic laws, particularly to the definition of a "vehicle", and the proper lane positioning of bicycles in traffic lanes.

Getting to the Future by Rail
Op-Ed for the Lexington Herald-Leader
By CART President David Coyte

Greenhouse gas emissions and our dependence on petroleum are joined at the hip. So are the solutions.

Thus, Transit First, an effort to develop a dedicated funding source for non-highway transportation investment in Kentucky, is the first step to address the most pressing issues of this century: global warming and energy resources.

In the United States, CO2 emissions come from two major sources: electricity production (38 percent) and transportation (32.8 percent).

Our highway system also is responsible for our dependence on foreign oil. Two-thirds of the oil we use -- 14 million barrels a day -- goes out our tailpipes straight into the atmosphere.

Our national highway system had grown beyond our ability to sustain it by the 1990s. Maintenance consumes the bulk of transportation budgets and has finally outpaced revenues. Rising energy prices have made a difficult problem almost insurmountable.

Our highways are the least efficient mode of surface transportation and the most expensive transportation infrastructure to build and maintain.

There's more...

National & Global Transportation News:

FHWA to Portland: Put Cars First

Louisville is not the only city getting their transit plans squeezed by the Federal Highway Administration. Portland's attempts to rationally plan for growth are drawing FHWA's ire as well. According to a Jan. 30th Oregonian article:

The Federal Highway Administration wants to know where the transportation is in Metro's transportation plan. Metro is trying something different with the current plan update -- giving the highest priority to projects that support the region's goals for coping with growth, whether that means more roads, more transit or more bicycle lanes. But the highway agency says Metro has it backward. "A transportation plan should first and foremost include transportation goals, and meet transportation needs, while also considering other factors and needs, such as land use, human health and the environment," the federal agency said in commenting on a draft of the plan's opening chapter. "It is difficult to find the transportation focus in this opening chapter of the Regional Transportation Plan," the agency said. The highway agency scolded Metro for not focusing more on highways, cars and parking.

"The plan should acknowledge that automobiles are the preferred mode of transport by the citizens of Portland," the agency said. "They vote with their cars every day."

According to FHWA then, people drive cars to show they want more sprawl and less transit. And if the Feds continue to suppress all viable alternatives, maybe they can get a 100% vote!

FHWA's comments (16k PDF)

The issue has fostered lively conversation on portlandtransport.com.

Source: CenterLines #168, the newsletter of the National Center for Bicycling & Walking.

Drivecam Reduces Risky Behavior Among Teen Drivers

There has also been another big driver accountability story in the news this week in which an insurance company is providing DriveCam devices for teenage drivers. The DriveCam triggers when bad driving occurs, e.g., swerving, hard braking. The DriveCam reports are sent to parents' computers where they can review the material with the teenagers. As I recall, they note a 70 percent reduction in risky behavior by teen drivers in vehicles equipped with the device.

-- Marie Birnbaum, Washington D.C. pedestrian and traffic justice advocate

Source: TeenSafeDriver.com
Source: Centerlines #170, the newsletter of the National Center for Bicycling & Walking

Santa Barbara's Approach to Housing

Santa Barbara in California adopted a new strategy with its Casa de Las Fuentes housing development. The 42 low-income units in downtown offer excellent access to jobs, shops, recreation, and transit. There are just 16 cars in the complex. This is in response to policies adopted by the city. The highest priority goes to residents who work downtown, do not own a vehicle, and agree to not own one during their occupancy. Rent is reduced by $50 per month. The city council decided that walking to work was a public policy objective.

Jeffrey Tumlin of Nygaard Associates transportation consultants said, "The most cost-effective traffic reduction... is to provide housing for workers. Matching housing and jobs creates a profit. This is a traffic reduction measure with a 'negative cost'."

"Affordable Housing: Santa Barbara Housing Authority Builds Development for Downtown Workers, Limits Number of Vehicles"
HDR Current Developments
2004-08-30

Source: Carfree Times #45

Worlds Largest Bus unveiled, carries 300 passengers

A Chinese firm has unveiled their new bus, saying it's the largest in the world:

Link: shanghaiist.com

Brazil says they have a longer bus. See the aptly-named TheLongestListOfTheLongestStuffAtTheLongestDomainNameAtLongLast.com for details.

Source: Digg.