The Federal Transit Administration has launched a new Human Trafficking Awareness and Public Safety Initiative that includes two notices of funding opportunity totaling $4 million in grant monies – all aimed at preventing human trafficking and other crimes that may occur on buses, trains, and other forms of public transportation. [Above photo by USDOT.] Human trafficking […]

SAE International, along with automakers Ford, General Motors, and Toyota is forming the Automated Vehicle Safety Consortium as a forum to collaboratively test, develop, and deploy Level 4 and 5 automated vehicles. Edward Straub, AVSC’s executive director, said in a statement on April 3 that the new consortium will “fill a critical need” by “providing a safety framework” […]

United Parcel Service began delivering medical samples via unmanned drones in and around Raleigh, N.C. on March 26, with the Federal Aviation Administration and North Carolina Department of Transportation providing oversight of the new service. [Above photo by NCDOT.] NCDOT, which is working to leverage drones to expand healthcare access for the residents of North […]

U.S. state governments face growing challenges attracting, building and retaining critically important talent and workforce skills, according to research by the National Association of State Chief Administrators, conducted in collaboration with global consulting company Accenture and human resources provider NEOGOV. [Above photo by the Oregon Department of Transportation.] Based on surveys of chief administrators and […]

Though average U.S. commuting times remain “surprisingly stable” over the long-term – averaging roughly 26 minutes, according to the U.S. Census Bureau today, which is only about five minutes longer compared to the 1980s and 1990s – a new study indicates “significant shifts” are taking place at the extreme ends of the commuting spectrum. [Above photo by […]

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Build America Bureau will provide up to a $46.94 million Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act loan to the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority to help fund phase three of its 290E Manor Expressway Phase III Project. [Above photo of the City of Austin via Pixabay.] This particular roadway project […]

Street designs will need to undergo more “holistic” change in order to accommodate growing needs for both curb and travel space for ride-hailing service vehicles, transit buses, bicycles, scooters, and pedestrians alongside traditional car and truck volumes. That was the outlook provided by a group of diverse panelists at the National Bike Summit 2019 on […]

To better manage the deployment of “micro-mobility” transportation options such as scooters, three cities – Charlotte, NC; Detroit; and Omaha, NE – joined together with data analytics firm Passport to launch a joint pilot project on March 19 that aims to “maintain visibility and control over scooter deployments” as well as better manage curb space. […]

To help foster the construction of electric vehicle infrastructure nationwide while mitigating the electrical load implications on utility companies, the Smart Electric Power Alliance is launching a new “transportation electrification” program to bring utilities, regulators, automotive sector representatives, charging infrastructure providers, and other stakeholders together to discuss and find solutions to those challenges. [Above photo […]

The Federal Transit Administration opened up $85 million in competitive grant funds through its Low or No Emission (Low-No) Bus Program on March 18, while at the same time wrapping up its certification of State Safety Oversight or SSO programs for 31 rail transit systems in 30 states. [Above photo by the FTA.] The FTA said […]