More “Nervous” Drivers Are Exactly What’s Needed

The deaths of two pedestrians and bicyclist in quick succession in Pittsburgh’s Oakland neighborhood have local street safety advocates demanding reforms and the mayor promising swift action.

After Susan Hicks was killed by a driver while biking near the University of Pittsburgh, this concept for a safer Forbes Avenue is gaining momentum. But a writer at the Post-Gazette thinks people walking and biking are the problem. Image: Bike PGH

So naturally a crack reporter had to interject that, hey, pedestrians sometimes break traffic rules!

A recent Pittsburgh Post-Gazettepiece by Ed Blazina adopts the perspective of a Port Authority bus driver who complains people on foot “create the greatest hazard.” Patrick Miner at Network blog Rebuilding the Rust Belt says Blazina has done a masterful job illustrating the mindset that leads us to acceptthese deaths:

Read the rest of the story here.

How Parking Spaces Make Washington Housing More Expensive

To Gabe Klein, inventing the wheel is an ongoing revolution. From the time he began working in his activist dad’s Charlottesville bike shop to his role in introducing Zipcar to Washington to his tenures as transportation director for DC mayor Adrian Fenty and, later, Chicago’s Rahm Emanuel, the creator of Capital Bikeshare has seen putting people in motion as a powerful expression of our politics and culture.

Klein—now an entrepreneur working for fledgling transit ventures who lives in Columbia Heights with his wife and 18-month-old daughter—recently published Start-Up City, a book that explains the changes in city government needed to get things done. Over breakfast at the Coupe in his neighborhood, he discussed how his experiences in Washington and Chicago shaped his approach.

Read the interview at The Washingtonian.

Public Meeting: Transform 66 Inside And Outside The Beltway, Dec. 8, 6 p.m.

Public Meeting: Transform 66 Inside And Outside The Beltway, Dec. 8, 6 p.m.

See the information here.

Two Local DMV Offices To Become Full-Service E-ZPass Providers

GLOUCESTER, Va. – In partnership with the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT), the VirginiaDepartment of Motor Vehicles (DMV) will offer full E-ZPass customer service at its Gloucester and Newport News offices beginning Dec. 1.

DMV’s Gloucester Customer Service Center at 2348 York Crossing Drive in Hayes and Newport News Customer Service Center at 12730 Patrick Henry Drive in Newport News will offer all of the same E-ZPass services offered by the VDOT’s Coleman Customer Service Center.

As a result of this partnership, VDOT’s Coleman E-ZPass Customer Service Center, located at 1811 GeorgeWashington Memorial Highway in Gloucester Point, will close on Nov. 30 in order to expand and streamline local E-ZPass customer service at DMV.

Many DMV offices already offer E-ZPass On-the-Go. Gloucester and Newport News are the first DMV offices to offer the full range of E-ZPass services, which includes:

• Account set-up
• Account management
• Account replenishment
• Transponder replacement

DMV’s Gloucester Customer Service Center is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 8 a.m. to noon on Saturdays.

The Newport News Customer Service Center is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 8 a.m. to noon on Saturdays.

For more information on E-ZPass, visit www.EZPassVA.com.

Gov. McAuliffe Announces Major Improvements To The I-95 Corridor In Fredericksburg and Northern Virginia Regions

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Gov. Terry McAuliffe today announced major projects to improve transportation on one of the most heavily traveled corridors in the country – I-95 and I-395 in Northern Virginia. Improvements are planned for both ends of the 95 Express Lanes to ease the traffic bottleneck in Stafford County in the southern end and to extend the express lanes to the D.C. line in the northern end.

“These are significant transportation improvements that will move more people and commerce through an interstate corridor, and a critical jobs corridor,” said Gov. McAuliffe.  “In working with our private sector partner Transurban and local governments, we will fix the bottleneck on the southern end in Stafford County, and travelers will have the choice of taking an express trip from south of Garrisonville Road all the way up to the D.C. line. This represents a true multi-modal solution offering commuters a reliable trip so they can reach their destination faster in one the most congested regions of the country.”

Transportation Secretary Aubrey Layne added, “The projects are the result of the commonwealth’s engagement with our private-sector partner, the public and local officials to come up with the right transportation solutions that address the greatest needs and can be reasonably executed.  There is no one magic fix that resolves all problems. It takes a combination of additional capacity, express lanes and multi-modal improvements to move more people efficiently and safely.”

I-95 Express Lanes Southern Terminus

• The project will extend 95 Express Lanes by approximately two miles past the point where the current flyover carries southbound traffic to Exit 143/Garrisonville Road in Stafford County. A reversible single lane would be built, eventually splitting into northbound and southbound merge ramps.
• Southbound traffic in 95 Express Lanes will be able to continue driving past Exit 143 at Garrisonville Road. Southbound traffic will merge back into the mainline I-95 southbound lanes approximately 1,500 feet beyond the Garrisonville Road on-ramp to I-95 southbound. Traffic will merge into the left lane of I-95. This spacing will balance local and express lanes traffic entering I-95 southbound.
• Northbound traffic can enter the 95 Express Lanes sooner. The new northbound entrance will be located approximately 1,000 feet before the I-95 northbound off-ramp at Exit 143 to Route 1 at Aquia. Northbound traffic will merge into express lanes from the left lane.
• Construction is estimated to begin in 2016 and take two years to complete. Work will primarily take place within the median and within the existing right-of-way. No personal or business property should be affected.

I-395 Express Lanes Extension

• The project will extend the 395 Express Lanes for eight miles north to the D.C. line. The project will convert and expand the existing HOV lanes on I-395 from Turkeycock Run north to the district to dynamically tolled express lanes.
• An additional express lane will be built, providing three express lanes in the corridor.
• There will be dedicated funding for new and enhanced transit services and carpooling incentives.
• The work will be done by Transurban under the existing contract it has with the Virginia Department of Transportation.
• Construction is expected to begin in 2017, with the extended lanes opening to traffic in 2019.
• Vehicles with three or more people will continue to use the express lanes for free. Solo drivers will have the choice to take general purpose lanes for free or use the express lanes for a variable toll.

10 Magical Places Where There Are No Cars

Can you imagine a world without cars? Sure, they're useful. But they also cause pollution, noise and alter the structure of cities.

If you're sick of dealing with traffic and parking and spending money on gas, head to one of these 10 spots around the world that are off limits to cars. Grab a bike, lace up your walking shoes and enjoy!

1. Mackinac Island, Michigan
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This island in Lake Huron banned all motorized vehicles back in 1898. Today it's a popular summer resort that attracts families, nature lovers and history fans. With only bicycles and horse-drawn carriages for transportation, the island has a decidedly vintage Americana feel.

2. Sark, United Kingdom 
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Off the coast of Normandy, France, Sark is part of the English Channel Islands. The island may be small, but it has no shortage of gorgeous landscapes and is perfect for hiking and biking. The only vehicles allowed on the island are tractors. Transport options include horse and carriage, cycling and walking.

Read the rest of the list at Huffington Post.

Two Programs Receive National Safety Awards

RICHMOND, Va. – The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) received two 2015 National Roadway Safety Awards recognizing highway safety improvement projects from the Roadway Safety Foundation and the Federal Highway Administration during a ceremony held this week on Capitol Hill.

“We’re honored to receive these national awards recognizing projects that have improved the safety of Virginia’s roadways,” said VDOT Commissioner Charles Kilpatrick. “We continue to seek innovative and efficient ways to increase safety and improve traffic flow.”

Virginia-Specific Safety Performance Functions
VDOT’s Virginia-Specific Safety Performance Functions received an award in the Program Planning, Development and Evaluation Category. This program serves as a way to identify and prioritize locations that need safety improvements, allowing the agency to target available funds to projects that will have the greatest impact on highway safety. Each safety performance function compares crash frequency and site characteristics, such as traffic volume, to the typical performance of a similar roadway.

Road Diets in Reston
Roads Diets in VDOT’s Northern Virginia District received an award in the Infrastructure and Operational Improvements Category. In coordination with scheduled repaving projects, VDOT engineers proposed adding road diets, the first in Northern Virginia, to two modestly traveled streets, Lawyers Road and Soapstone Drive (right) in Reston. 

A road diet involves removing travel lanes to use the pavement in a different way. In this case, the two streets were converted from four-lane undivided roads to one lane in each direction with left-turn lanes and bike lanes, making them more accessible to bikers and pedestrians. 

In its first five years, crashes on Lawyers Road dropped 69 percent while crashes on Soapstone Drive were reduced by 67 percent after three years.

The National Roadway Safety Award recipients were evaluated on effectiveness, innovation and efficient use of resources.