By Nick Chambers •
November 11, 2008
The new transportation investments would be paid for with a myriad of tax and fee hikes, including:
- a 2-cent per gallon gas tax increase
- doubling the vehicle titling fee to $110
- raising the vehicle registration fee from $27 per year to $81 per year
- creating a first-time fee of $100 for titling cars new to the state
- raising the tobacco tax by 2½ cents
The plan also calls for borrowing $600 million and using and additional $16 million in lottery money.
By Becky Striepe •
November 3, 2008
[Image credit: Joshua Davis at Flickr under a Creative Commons license]
It’s that time of year! There are parties and big meals to plan, gifts to get together, and travel plans to finalize. How is a person supposed to live green during such a busy time of year? This week, we’re going to take a look at ways to have a fabulous holiday season without giving up those Earth-friendly ideals. It doesn’t have to feel like a sacrifice!
By Andrew Williams •
October 30, 2008
Florida authorities have announced bold plans to begin running many of the state’s trains on biodiesel. The switch will result in a significant reduction in carbon emissons and drastically reduce the chances of soil pollution in the event of a fuel spill.
By Adam Shake •
October 30, 2008
Tri-Rail is to start operating 8 of its 10 locomotives on a 99 percent blend of either palm or soil oil biodiesel, the South Florida Regional Transportation Authority announced Wednesday.
By Timothy B. Hurst •
October 24, 2008
On the south side of Chicago where railroads are an integral part of the community’s history, CSX, one of the nation’s biggest railroads has begun rolling out a fleet of new diesel GenSet switcher locomotives that can slash CO2 emissions in half and cut particulate emissions up to 80%. I was fortunate to be invited by CSX to take a look at these new locomotives located at [...]
By Timothy B. Hurst •
October 1, 2008
The Senate is poised to clear legislation to reauthorize Amtrak for the first time since 1997 and renew rail safety programs.
Earlier this year, the Phoenix light rail system and the Arizona Republic teamed up to sponsor a contest promoting light rail safety. To attract entries, which were due Sept. 30, they offered this prize: a year’s worth of free travel on the light rail system, which officially opens on Dec. 26.
Well, 500-plus entries are in, and the promotion organizers are now working to select a winner. (Readers of the Arizona Republic’s Website, azcentral.com, will choose their favorites, and the top nominees will be passed along to Metro officials for a final decision.) While the top pick hasn’t been identified yet, though, some of the bottom ones have.
By Becky Striepe •
September 8, 2008
[photo by Wesley Fryer]
Google is making it easier to ditch your car and use local transit with their new Google Transit tool. At the moment, they have transit information for select cities around the world, but I hope they plan to expand it further! They also have the service available to download to your phone, which is handy when you’re out and about. It gives you walking, bus, and rail directions and calculates your total travel time.
By edfblog •
July 17, 2008
This post is by Andy Darrell, vice president for Living Cities at Environmental Defense Fund.
The high cost of gas has pushed retail gas purchases down 2 to 3 percent. What are people doing instead? Taking public transportation!
The first quarter report from the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) found that use of public transportation is skyrocketing in tandem with gas prices. Last year 10.3 billion trips were taken on U.S. public transportation — the highest in 50 years. Ridership on streetcars, trolleys, commuter rails, subways, and buses are all up. Even Amtrak ridership is soaring.
This shift presents an historic opportunity.
It was hard to get us Americans out of our cars when gas was cheap, but now we’re trying public transportation in record numbers. And once people try it, odds are they’ll prefer it, which is great news for the environment.
Good public transportation is more pleasant than a private car (you can’t read while you’re driving), and far cheaper. A calculator on the APTA Web site shows how much you can save by leaving your car parked at home.
By Max Lindberg •
July 11, 2008
What If They Were Heavier, and Longer?
Had enough of the “big rigs” on the highway? Well, Congress is looking at new weight and size limits, and Teamster President James Hoffa says “no” to bigger trucks.
In a House subcomittee hearing July 9, Hoffa is quoted as saying:
“Bigger trucks are more dangerous trucks. Lifting truck weight and size limits would turn big rigs into time bombs.”
By Max Lindberg •
June 19, 2008
In order to cut fuel consumption and CO2 emissions in the delivery of new automobiles, Honda has launched a 400-car fleet of new Auto-Max railcars to carry its products from factory to city. Currently, Honda transports 82 percent of its Honda and Acura cars by rail, more than another other automaker.
The new, multi-level rail cars hold up to 22 vehicles, both cars and trucks, to reduce unused space. Honda says conventional rail cars hold only 10 trucks.
