On Nov. 21, Rep. John Shimkus, R-Ill., and Rep. Bill Flores, R-Texas, released what they dubbed a “discussion draft” of legislation aimed at revising the renewable fuel standard or RFS established more than a decade ago: a bill called the 21st Century Transportation Fuels Act. “I’ve been engaged in the biofuel debate my entire career […]

A new report issued by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine on Nov. 28 presents what the group calls a “research roadmap” to address “gaps and uncertainties” in estimating the impacts of proposed changes in truck size and weight limits. [Above photo by Arkansas DOT.] The Federal Highway Administration tasked the National Academies to develop […]

As part of its National Traffic Incident Response Awareness Week efforts, the Federal Highway Administration held a traffic incident management or TIM program meeting on Nov. 13 at USDOT’s Washington, D.C., headquarters with executives from groups aligned with FHWA’s national TIM outreach efforts. [Pictured above, left to right: Wyoming DOT’s Bill Panos, FHWA’s Mark Kehrli, […]

The results of a recent survey conducted by AAA discerned that there is a “gap” in “consumer understanding” of partially automated driving systems based on the names given to the technology. [Above photo via AAA.] The group found that 40 percent of the 1,003 adult U.S. drivers it polled expect partially automated driving systems – […]

The Federal Highway Administration recently released a new “workbook” designed to illustrate 13 strategies that have been successfully used to accelerate “multimodal” projects. [Above photo by the Seattle DOT.] The agency said its Strategies for Accelerating Multimodal Project Delivery workbook is designed to address the “growing demand for an integrated transportation network” while recognizing that […]

The Federal Railroad Administration issued a Notice of Funding Opportunity on Nov. 16 for that will make $272 million in grants available via its “State of Good Repair” program, which funds capital projects aimed at repairing, replacing, or rehabilitating publicly owned railroad assets and to improve intercity passenger rail performance. [Above photo by Union Pacific.] […]

With the global electric scooter market expected to increase from roughly $16 billion today to more than $37 billion by 2024, according to one study, bigger companies – particularly automobile manufacturers – are starting to make bigger investments in this segment of the “micro-mobility” industry. Yet the rapid growth of scooter usage is also sparking […]

Uber issued a 70-page safety report in early November to help it win approval for restarting self-driving vehicle pilot tests it suspended in March following a fatal accident during nighttime tests in Tempe, Arizona, which killed a pedestrian. [Above photo by Uber.] “We recognize the importance of earning the trust and confidence of both the […]

The American Traffic Safety Services Association is seeking the submission of names to be included in its 2019 National Work Zone Memorial; a memorial that honors those who were killed in highway work zone crashes, including: roadway workers; non-impaired motorists; pedestrians; law enforcement officers; and first responders, such as firefighters and paramedics. The deadline for […]

On Nov. 6 the Institute of Transportation Engineers and the Vision Zero Network released what they dubbed the “first‐ever” definition of “Core Elements” for Vision Zero efforts to eliminate highway fatalities in three areas: leadership and commitment; safe roadways and safe speeds; data driven approaches, with transparency and accountability. “ITE is committed to reducing the number […]