Welcome to the Fast Lane!

Welcome to the Department of Transportation’s blog, Fast Lane.

This new opportunity will allow me and others here at the Department to speak with you and engage in an earnest conversation about our nation’s transportation system…and, I hope, have a little fun while we’re doing it.

I want the Fast Lane to be a true on-line community, and I encourage you to submit your comments and thoughts.  After all, if I’m going to insist on twenty-first century solutions for our transportation system, I better communicate in a twenty-first century way!

Our entire transportation system is at a critical point in its evolution, and I am excited about the transformation taking place every day.  I can’t wait to begin sharing with you the innovative things we are doing at the Department to make our roads, skies, rails, and seaways safer and more efficient.

Later this morning, I’ll be making a major announcement about plans to cut traffic in Chicago, and posting the details here on the Fast Lane.  This will be the first in a number of important announcements we make on this site, so be sure to check in frequently.

Better yet, sign up at the right hand side of this page to be notified every time we post a new entry.

We’ll feature our first surprise guest blogger in conjunction with the Chicago announcement, so don’t forget to come on back later today…you won’t want to miss it.

See you in the Fast Lane!

- Secretary Peters

Comments

[Karen Butler]

Interesting opportunity for further communication.

[Michael Harley]

Congratulations Secretary Peters! Good luck with the new innovative, and informative, site - it looks great.

[Dawn Hukai]

Please feature Personal Rapid Transit systems (http://www.atsltd.co.uk/) on the blog!
We need an environmentally friendly and safer alternative transportation method within cities.
The costs will likely decline as volume grows.

[Bern Grush]

I watch Secretary Peters (and several other transportation ministers) from a modest distance (Toronto, Canada). I’d like the readers of this blog know that the US Secretary is one of a growing number of transportation leaders that are speaking out about the structural problems that are caused by the fuel tax. Here are a few blog articles about her work and others, so that people can see that her department’s thinking is part of a movement that will likely grow over the next few years and (hopefully) culminate in a shift away from fuel taxes toward paying for road use according to the time, distance and place driven.

http://grushhour.blogspot.com/2008/03/secretary-peters-tipping-point.html
http://grushhour.blogspot.com/2008/03/applauding-mary-peters.html
http://grushhour.blogspot.com/2008/03/traffic-in-your-trousers.html
http://grushhour.blogspot.com/2007/12/next-road-pricing-hero.html

[James Anderson Merritt]

I am certainly looking for alternative transportation solutions since swearing off discretionary air travel some years ago, after having commands barked at me and being aggressively wanded by a TSA employee at the Las Vegas airport. I could put up with the delays, the crowded seating, the bad (or nonexistent!) food, and occasional turbulence and rough landings. But being treated as I was that day was one straw too many. Unless and until the government and the airlines can learn to deal with terrorism in ways that preserve the dignity that paying customers deserve, I'm not going to spend my money on that system absent an urgent, compelling need to do so. That will also be true for buses, trains, and tour/cruise boats, to the extent that TSA-style security comes to those modes of transportation. Maybe one of the reasons that the airlines are having a hard time is not that passengers are scared of terrorism on airline flights, but rather that they are repelled by the total experience which is often much worse than riding a bus at rush hour, but also much more expensive. The cost-benefit equation does not favor the airlines.

[Matt]

Ok, finally a place to vent. Let's do it. First, thank you for this avenue, I hope that you will really have an open mind about the ideas drivers have to help improve our vast highway system. To start, we need more lanes on the highways. I don't want more HOV lanes, these are a total waste. We need more regular lanes. The 5 should have 6 lanes north and south. The 15 should be 8 lanes north and south. Going from 5 lanes to 3 lanes causes a nightmare of congestion that backs up 3 - 5 miles. Yes you read right, I am not exaggerating. I also believe you should take a very close look at the T-Rex project in Colorado. It is awesome, we should have that here, why not, we are very capable of doing it, it should be done. It is a fine example of form meets function, they have expanded lanes, they have a light rail system. It's incredable. Also the freeways need to be smooth. Whether it's black pavement or concrete, it should be smooth. Not these annoying shaking like the section on the 5 southbound past Luecadia, this is insane. Get it scrapped like the other section. That's all I have for now. Thank you again.

[Alex Theus]

I think the US really needs to ignore what "Food scientists" are saying about biofuels. I eat corn and rice maybe one setting a week. More than 50% of my town is corn and soy fields. Dont get me started with the rest of Illinois. However, in anticipation of rising gas prices, and my love for fast cars. I modified my Buick Riviera to pump out about 420+ hp on E85. I'm not about to spend $4.00+ on a gallon of 93 octane gas to support the monopoly people's private tea parties.

[jesus]

i think the dot should make a line just for trucks since they have lines for cars only im a trucker but also drive my car home. we cant use car lanes and sometimes i have to drive for many miles on back o a car doing 40 mph may be in a pleasure ride when that car has 3 o more lanes as a opcion we plan our route and times but since dot started taken lanes off for trucks you see more truck accidents time matters.........

[Donna]

With gas prices as high as they are, I have often sat at a red light for minutes on end as not one other driver drove through the green light going in the opposite direction and wondered why, in this day of technological ingeniousness, this happens.

I envision an intersection traffic control light that could detect with an electronic eye what the true traffic situation is instead of relying on a timing system, which ends up wasting time, gas, and money, as well as frustrating drivers.

What is your comment on something like this in the future?

[Terablogger]

It speaks volumes about Dept of Trans unwilling to accept ANY criticism that it moderates and deletes valid criticism.

[Ryan Dean]

I'm very concerned about light-synchronization.

I hope you have plans to address this extremely pressing issue.

It is the single biggest drain on this nations resources.

To explain, when heading down a main thoroughfare the lights are purposely timed to cause "stop and go" traffic.
This wastes oil, lives, time, brakes, tires, GDP, etc...

Every morning while heading to work it's the same thing.

I'm sitting at a red light. The light turns green. All of the SUVs accelerate aggressively to get up to speed, and just as the school of cars begins to cruise and settle into a pace - a green light suddenly turns to red causing everyone to hastily apply their brakes.

Some people try to go through the light at great speed because they want to break free of this timing cycle. Otherwise, they will spend the next several minutes waiting at a red light. Idling, wasting fuel, time, etc...

They either end up with a staggering ticket in the mail from a private company shorting yellow lights on purpose to increase revenues, or they change their mind suddenly- sliding to a stop in the intersection, and the poor fool who thought they were going to go through the light ends up rear-ending them.

No comment about what happens in tragic accidents. Hope none of you have ever had to rush to the hospital because a loved one has been rear-ended.

Fix the lights.

[Mark Capron, PE]

Great concept, 21st Century solutions for 21st Century issues. How about putting equal money into electronics applied to transportation as for real-time tolls? Here are a few readily apparent applications of the same technology used for electonic tolls:
> A super-convenient public transit based on impromptu ride sharing. Hit a button on your cell phone. Within five minutes, one of your several thousand pre-approved ride buddies gives you a lift with an automatic transfer of funds.
> A virtual force field protecting pedestrians, bicyclists, and motor vehicles from collision. Standard on new 2018 model year vehicles that more than pays for itself with reduced insurance costs.
> Application of the virtual force field to keep freeways flowing smoothly.
I could send you a draft chapter for the Santa Barbara Community Environmental Council's Fossil Free by 2033 Plan with more details.

[George]

Secretary Peters

Congrats...!!!!!!! I just hope you will have time to read some of the comments.

[MBP]

Secretary Peters
Please let us spend some funds to try innovative transportation ideas. Why not have an electrified highway lane for quiet clean commuter buses where passengers enter and exit on highway overpasses? Why not monorail commuter runs in Florida where freight trains constantly upset rail schedules. Disney monorails are always timely. What happened to Maglev? The Chinese have it.

[Joe Mokrisky]

Congratulations Secretary Peters on this innovative approach to obtaining feedback from the public. As a Compliance and Risk Management Consultant for the Trucking Industry in Massachusetts, I look forward to taking advantage of this opportunity to offer my thoughts regarding the improvement of safety within the trucking industry.
Thank you very much.

[Tony]

I applaud your efforts and staying n touch with the submerged media networks. I just wish the blog was more responsibly named. Over 40,000 people die in the US in auto accidents, which mostly involves speeding.

[Mont A Rhoades]

A few days ago I posted concerning FMCSA's lack of support for Ol' Blue,USA and the survey they had sponsored, concerning DOT HOS requirements and the understanding of them.

My letter to FMCSA can been seen at this link: http://truckinginformation.net/forums/viewtopic.php?t=338

The purpose of these forums will be what? Perhaps my post did not meet the requirements?

[Jim Studstill]

Secretary Peters,
Thanks for putting such a high priority on communication. As a frontline manager in the FAA at Memphis Center, my/our mission is to provide our nation the safest most efficient aerospace system in the world. The blogosphere reality that has been created at the DOT level finally gives our organization the communicative tool favored by the Gen's and Millenials. I cannot think of a better way to promote safety and efficiency than through the sharing of problems, ideas, and solutions. Blog on !!!

Sincerely,
Jim Studstill

[Shelly B]

Secretary Peters - This is a great idea - and I think it is so cool that our U. S. Secretary of Transportation is a female motorcyclist. I'm a woman who rides too! Ride on, Sister! :)

[Jeffrey Bohrer]

Awww, poor, POOR American Airlines. They're laying the blame for all those flight cancellations on the FAA - the NERVE of the FAA, for insisting that American actually comply with maintenance rules in a timely fashion. Never mind that American was on Notice of the faulty wiring and that they had ample time to remedy it. Why let a simple thing like safety get in the way of profits ? I'm SURE that American would have gotten to the mainteneance eventually, just as Southwest would have...eventually. All I can say is..GOOD JOB, FAA, finally you are doing YOUR job - now, if we can only get the airlines to do THIERS....who knows ? maybe the tide is turning and the FDA may finally do THEIR job as well. These Federal agencies are the only ones protecting the public from corporations who all too often put profits before safety. too bad the courts will rule that the 10 million fine against Southwest is excessive...will it will take a plane crash for AA and the other airlines to finally take safety seriously ?

[Mont a Rhoades]

A "holiday" from fuel taxes is NOT what this country needs. What is needed is a commitment to increase production of our own known reserves of oil. Had President Clinton signed the approval to drill in ANWAR, we would be, at this time, pumping millions of gallons of oil each and every month.

We need supply, capacity and encouragement to drill. FOOD based alternatives do little to aleviate the dependency on oil, and we are dependant!

www.truckinginformation.net/forums

[George Tuominen]

Will you PLEASE write an article about what the FAA is doing to help the AFSS employees it fired?

My personal plight was losing nearly all of my retirement benefits after 20.5 years of federal service. I put in hundreds of job applications to the FAA, and was passed over eery time with inconsistant and very unfair ratings that the FAA refuses to admit to.

How is it that they hired CTI college students for tower jobs (and from other sources) at a atio of 1125-22 in FY2006, when AFSS employees were given countless materials and speeches about all the FAA was doing for us.

Then, after the new two tier ATC pay went into effect in June, 2006, then, and only then, do they offer me a job at a tower, when my starting pay would have been cut 30% over what it should have been.

I am trying to raise three beautiful kids (one has autism), and I will not have health care when I quit Lockheed.

Anyway, then, after the pay cuts go in, I am suddenly more qualified than CTI stdents, and offered jobs?

So I ask the FAA why, and they say (literally) that it is a "secret".

OK. So I filed EEO. FAA EEO and DOT EEO had NO PROBLEM with the FAA saying the rating criteria was secret.

How could DOT Civil Rights buy off on this?

Having to raise three kids, and having lost my pension, I could no longer afford the extreme legal fees to fight the case any further, and gave up.

But can DOT hve the guts to do the right thing by its dedicated AFSS workforce, or at least answer these simple questions?

Please, Please, please?

It is so sad the FAA hs all of these CTI college kids quitting left and right, like MLI ATCT where 8 out of 9 have quit (I put in several apps there, and I would have stayed. I had 20.5 years invested, AND, I was familiar with so many things needed in ATC, with a jump on phraseology, radio communications, emergency procedures, and I was a PROVEN FAA employee THAT WANTED a job.

How much money has been wasted to BLOCK these AFSS employees. Just do the right thing.

Please. Please. Please. For the system, for the taxpayer, and for my kids.

[Karl/InTransition]

Good luck, and welcome to the blogosphere! I've got you bookmarked and look forward to reading your posts regularly

[Mike King]

With rising gas prices, people are encouraged to slow down to conserve fuel. With the title "Welcome to the Fast Lane", is the DOT encouraging drivers to stomp on the gas pedal and join the NASCAR circuit in their daily commute?

[frank]

I think about that kinda stuff a lot for fun. I like technology and science.. so I pretty much think about it everyday for hobby. I've thought about the 21st century transportation and what it would or could look like and came up with ideas that are from simple an practical to extreme that you'd expect to see in a sci-fi movie of the future :)

The simple ideas would be things such as having radio-serial/VIN numbers on all cars and then radio-meters that can read those serial/VIN numbers when they go by ..either inside the road, or at roadside only sticking up a couple inches out of the ground.
You could get traffic reports instantly and then security related Govt departments would know who was on the roads. There wouldn't be anymore police chases because you'd know where the suspect was at, where they were going etc. They would also be able to have all those serial IDs forming a collective overview of roads and signaling drivers about traffic, or accidents, or road work etc. Another idea that would be maybe more futuristic would be new form of silicon roads. not asphalt. Inside the silicon roads, would be electrical pathways making them like big circuits almost. Cars would get induce energy inside the roadways ..when they drove..but to a small degree that wouldn't slow them down in magnetic friction lol. Also the roads could provide electricity at stations that was generated from this and other methods.

another idea , similar to the first, would be putting 'magnetic tapes' on bottom of cars. Imagine a big credit card (car) swiping over the computer machine (small 2 foot square devices built into the roads that you cant see). To get all information that way on traffic, etc.
So much energy is used every hour of every day in every town and city..the heat from the combustion engines is lost and the kinetic energy of the moving cars is lost, and so is the friction of the cars tires over the roads.
if you dont like the idea of things inside the roads, theres the idea of an arch over the road thats maybe 20 foot high. But the machines would always know which way traffic was going based on the direction of slight induction and other factors.

Another thing I wondered is why they havent made car motors smaller? All the gas and oil problems going on ..why not miniaturize car motors? like the size of your computer tower, imagine if that was the same size of a car motor..stronger, yet lighter materials. the whole car could be made lighter since its not having to hold an 800 lb and over, engine.

Another thing that will be cool, is cars that have tubes along both sides of them..bigger at the front, tapered off smaller at the back of the car. It would make a charged air of high voltage, but not amps ..(sorta like a tv set) but then the front of the tube would create an opposite field (like two magnets attracting) The charged air directly few inches in front of the tubes thats charged would be the weaker magnetic force and would obviously be lighter than the car..so the air would get sucked through into the static energy fan.. compressed and pushed out the backs of the tubes.. like a big air- jetski.

back to work

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