Study: Baltimore Residents Using More Public Transportation

CBS Baltimore: "“I think it’s because we’ve seen the 60 year driving boom after World War II coming to a halt and actually reversing,” said Joanna Guy."

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Hong Kong MTR costs: Great transit at low cost.

Hong Kong MTR costs: Great transit at low cost.: "MTR does things other than Hong Kong transportation operations (on which more later), but their Hong Kong transportation division spent 7.82 billion Hong Kong dollars in 2012 (see this). By contrast, the Washington Metrpolitan Area Transit Authority had $2.13 billion in 2012 operating expenses (Page 15). At the current exchange rate of 7.75 Hong Kong dollars per U.S. dollar, that means MTR is spending less than one-half of what WMATA spends. "

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More money from rising gas tax going to mass transit

MarylandReporter.com: "Maryland needs to continue to invest more in public transportation as it sees a boost in funding from the rising state gas tax, transportation experts said Monday at annual transportation summit of the Greater Baltimore Committee."

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The Road Less Traveled

Bethesda Magazine: "The Intercounty Connector promised a lot of things to Montgomery County residents. But with traffic and revenue far lower than projected, some people are asking: Was the highway all hype?"

Survey shows most people want more transit, walkable places

Greater Greater Washington: "The top four responses were transit crowding, repairing Metro, roadway congestion, and road repair needs. Respondents gave each of those issues an average score of 4 or higher.

Survey takers also ranked as major challenges the distances between housing and jobs, pressure to develop open space, and inadequate bus service. Pedestrian and bicyclist safety and building around Metro were at the bottom of the list, but with average scores of 3.27 and 3.26, people still considered them significant issues."

President Obama's Climate Action Plan: Not Even Close

MyFDL: "Simply put, President Obama’s climate action plan is not even close. We need to get real. Humanity just reached the grim milestone of 400 parts per million (ppm) of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and is now speeding towards dangerous and irreversible climate tipping points. We don’t need pretty speeches. We need all hands on deck. It is time for the U.S. to launch an emergency mobilization to combat this mortal threat, before it is too late."

“There’s only one ‘tomorrow’ remedy and that is this public transportation remedy.”

 Photo: We Love DC via thisisbossi

Eleanor Holmes Norton Takes Top Dem Slot on Highways and Transit Panel | Streetsblog Capitol Hill: " She’s fought to bring the tax benefit for transit commuters up to the same level drivers enjoy, calling it “insane to incentivize by almost two to one the use of cars over mass transportation to get to work.”

“Some do not care as much about the serious health and environmental effects as I do,” she said, “but everybody cares about being stuck in traffic.”"

Maryland governor calls for doubling #publictransit ridership. GOP whines.

O'Malley says state has 'moral obligation' to avert climate change - baltimoresun.com: "The accelerated plan would require the use of more renewable energy, which in the short term could drive up energy costs, and calls for cutting energy consumption by residents. To meet the state-mandated goal of cutting carbon emissions 25 percent by 2020, O'Malley also suggested boosting composting and recycling programs, doubling ridership on public transit, planting more trees and lowering the emissions cap on the state's seven coal-burning power plants."

Transit Screen Wants to Keep DC Public Transportation Running On Time | InTheCapital

Transit Screen Wants to Keep DC Public Transportation Running On Time | InTheCapital: "Transit Screen is a new commuter-focused product created by a local team of D.C.-area entrepreneurs that provides realtime information on the availability and anticipated timing of local transportation. To describe it in its most basic form, it's essentially a massive information display made available to the public that streams the timing of buses, Metro trains, and density of bikes at various bikeshare stations by leveraging current WMATA APIs. I know, it sounds like a relatively simple idea but shockingly enough almost no Metro station or major public transportation hub in the area utilizes this seemingly convenient service for commuters."

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Most Marylanders see climate change harming health

baltimoresun.com: "Most Marylanders say people in the United States are already being harmed by climate change, a new poll finds.

In a statewide mail survey of 2,100 households, the poll by George Mason University's Center for Climate Change Communication found that 52 percent of Marylanders see evidence that climate change is hurting Americans."

All D.C. students to ride Metro buses for free

Washington Post: "All D.C. students will be able to ride Metro buses for free starting in the fall, the D.C. Council decided this week as part of a broader plan to spend a windfall of $50 million in unexpected revenue."

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It's a landslide. Most Americans want more #publictransit -- and paid by taxes.

73% Of Americans Favour Investing In Public Transport With Their Tax Dollars | CleanTechnica: "Even stronger support was found in the survey for public transportation’s role in jobs and careers. A strong 80% of respondents agreed with the statement that public transportation investment can help create jobs and help grow a stronger economy. However, an even greater 88% agreed that public transportation expands opportunities and provides access to new jobs and careers, not to mention medical care, schools, and other education."

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Transition Falls Church Movement Continues to Grow

Guest Commentary: Transition Falls Church Movement Continues to Grow: "Thus far, I’ve come away from the project with these things: an appreciation for community connections, a desire to become more engaged in my civic society, and an excitement for the future.

A key message of Transition is that people can be awakened to a new power to address challenges like climate change when tapping into the unchecked potential of community, and we can do it creatively and become richer from the lessons we learn in the process. As Rob Hopkins, the pioneer of the Transition model has said, we don’t need to wait for anything to respond to these problems for us, because we’re already here."

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Anne Arundel, Howard joining forces to create regional transit system

CapitalGazette.com: "If you live in Anne Arundel County but don’t have a car, you can spend half your day on the bus getting to work in another county."

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Estonian capital the world’s first to give its residents a free ride

The Washington Post: "Deputy Mayor Taavi Aas says the experiment, which will cost the city some 12 million euros ($16 million) annually in lost ticket sales, has surpassed expectations. Passenger numbers are up 10 percent, while the number of cars on city streets has fallen by as much as 15 percent, according to Tallinn’s transport authority."

We used the Post headline, but it should really read: "One city decides to put money into public transit instead of continuing the free ride for automobiles." 

Transit, real estate mash-up helps you live near transit

Greater Greater Washington: "Say you're moving to the area, have a job, and want to find places with good transit to work. How do you figure it out? A lot of people just look at the Metro map and don't consider other modes, but a new service called AutNo is trying to help people locate near transit."

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Ocean City fare-free trolley proposed as good for business

Ocean City Maryland News | OC MD Newspapers | Maryland Coast Dispatch - West OC Area Trolley Proposed; Sponsor Commitments Needed: "“We are hoping to be able to allow them to step on for free at any point and these buses would circulate and the people could come and go,” Challenger said. “We do believe that when you have the ability to move people around from place-to-place they do spend more money.”"

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TheWashCycle: Driver in video attack pleads guilty but could have charges dismissed

TheWashCycle: Driver in video attack pleads guilty but could have charges dismissed: "John W. Diehl, the driver in a much-seen video of a driver intentionally trying to hit a cyclist, formally pleaded guilty in D.C. Superior Court to charges of leaving the scene of an accident and destruction of property. But he will perform community service and attend anger management classes in exchange for having charges in the case dismissed.

Diehl is required to complete 25 hours of community service, undergo anger management counseling, complete a driver safety course and complete drug and alcohol treatment over the next year, according to Machen's office.

If Diehl complies with those conditions, prosecutors have agreed to dismiss the case. But if he fails to live up to his end of the deal, the court will proceed with sentencing. His next hearing is set for April 2, 2014, Machen's office says.

Why drug and alcohol treatment? Was he driving under the influence at the time?

While Amtrak Subsidies Draw Fire From Congress, Aviation Gets a Free Pass | Streetsblog Capitol Hill

While Amtrak Subsidies Draw Fire From Congress, Aviation Gets a Free Pass | Streetsblog Capitol Hill: "subsidies for air travel and roads are funding Amtrak’s competitors. (As Streetsblog has reported, just 51 percent of road funding come from gas taxes, tolls, and other fees on driving.) Cutting subsidies to rail while maintaining the others would hardly create a level playing field."

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U.S. Congress out-of-touch. Americans want #publictransit funded now.

Amalgamated Transit Union: "Seventy-six percent of all ballot measures to increase taxes for mass transit passed last year."

D.C. Considering Lifting Mandatory Parking Minimums | Transportation Nation

D.C. Considering Lifting Mandatory Parking Minimums | Transportation Nation: "The District of Columbia’s Office of Planning is considering a proposal to potentially reduce the supply of available parking spaces in some neighborhoods as new development attracts more residents and jobs. If successful, it will mark the first major change to the city’s zoning code since it was first adopted in 1958.

It’s part of a growing city attempt to reduce congestion by offering its residents alternatives to the automobile – from bikes to buses to making walking more attractive."

Swaths of the Eastern Shore will flood more frequently | The Daily Times | delmarvanow.com

Swaths of the Eastern Shore will flood more frequently | The Daily Times | delmarvanow.com: "The report is a step in the right direction, but Virginia is behind the curve compared to Maryland and some other states when it comes to planning for sea-level rise, Smith said."

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The Scary Truth About How Much Climate Change is Costing You - NationalJournal.com

The Scary Truth About How Much Climate Change is Costing You - NationalJournal.com: "And the story gets worse. A 2012 study by the U.S. Geological Survey determined that sea levels along the East Coast will rise three to four times faster than the global average. The study named Norfolk, New York City, and Boston as the three metro areas most vulnerable to the devastating effects of rising sea levels—ranging from the dramatic increase in storm surge, as winds scoop up water from the sea and dump more of it farther from the coast than ever before, to the steady erosion of roads, buildings, and arable soil as seawater creeps inland."

When the true cost of climate disruption is finally charged against fossil fuels. The fossil fuel industry will lose at least half of its asset value.

Going car-free could save nearly $10K in D.C. - WTOP.com

Going car-free could save nearly $10K in D.C. - WTOP.com: "Using public transportation instead of driving could save commuters an average of $10,502 a year, according to the American Public Transportation Association."

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Stupid Growth Collides With Transit Planning In Alexandria | Transportation Nation

Smart Growth Collides With Transit Planning In Alexandria | Transportation Nation: "“Duncan, why does the Easter Bunny have to park his car on East Lynhaven Drive?” asks Joe Bondi, president of Lynhaven Citizens Association."

Simple solution. STOP PLANNING. No urban planning makes sense until the private auto is brought to heel. Make public transit fare-free. End #autosprawlsubsidy. Then you will see where to put the apartments and rail.

U.S. oil production measured by energy instead of barrels.

 patzek on the oil drum dot com

The Oil Drum | Peak, What Peak?: "Historic production of crude oil in the U.S. is resolved into several Hubbert curves.  The tallest one is the original Hubbert curve published in 1956.  The smaller curves starting from 1960 were generated by producing shallow, deep and ultra-deep Gulf of Mexico, Alaska (mostly Prudhoe Bay), and then everything else that was not in the original curve: large waterflood projects, thermal and carbon dioxide enhanced oil recovery (EOR) projects, horizontal wells, hydrofractured wells, etc.  The broad curve peaking in 2002 was introduced in late 2002, and the model represented fairly well the U.S. crude oil production until 2010.  The last small green curve on the right was introduced last month to describe the Bakken and Eagle Ford shales, as well as the increased production of crude oil from the Permian Basin near Midland, TX.  The right-most black curve depicts a hypothetical production of 7 billion barrels of oil from the Arctic Natural Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) in Alaska.  So the last point on the blue step-line represents 5.7 MMbopd produced in the U.S. in 2011. This rate is predicted by EIA to grow to over 6 MMbopd in 2012."

It's ironic that there is oil in the Permian Basin. The late Permian era saw one of the great life extinctions of all time, probably due to low-oxygen levels and anaerobic bacteria in the ocean creating hydrogen sulfide. We seem to be heading that way now we are using the oil stored back then.