Welcome to the FastLane: The Official Blog of the U.S. Secretary of Transportation

Kings Point Graduate to Lead Space Shuttle Discovery

This weekend, NASA will launch Space Shuttle Discovery on a 14-day mission.  Every shuttle launch is a momentous occasion, but this one has special meaning for the Department.  Navy Commander Mark Kelly, a graduate of the MARAD-operated Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point, will serve as the mission's Commander.   Commander Kelly will lead the crew as they carry the largest payload so far to the International Space Station and conduct three spacewalks. 

We at the Department are proud of all of our Kings Point graduates, and we wish Commander Kelly and the entire Discovery crew the very best on their mission.

-Deputy Secretary Barrett

Air Traffic and Transportation Progress in Iraq

...And Some of the Finest Men and Women Serving Our Country

I just landed back in Kuwait City after spending the day in Baghdad, Iraq.  Since 2003, dozens of DOT employees have volunteered to travel to the country to provide support and assistance in local efforts to repair and modernize transportation systems.  Just as I spend a lot of time seeing first hand the work men and women across the U.S. do to keep our transportation systems world-class, I wanted to see for myself some of the progress our folks are helping bring about in Iraq.

The work this team is doing is really pretty amazing.  They’ve helped get passenger train service back up and running between Baghdad and Basra.  They’ve helped Iraqi officials improve operations at the Port of Umm Qasr and they are helping get roads and bridges repaired across the country.  And they’ve done tremendous work in developing Iraq’s civil aviation program.

FMCSA Administrator Hill Reports on Curbside Bus Carriers

Many of you likely spent at least part of the holiday weekend traveling – whether driving to the beach or perhaps flying somewhere to visit friends and family. Last week, I traveled from Washington, D.C. to New York City for a conference and decided to personally experience a relative newcomer to the transportation industry: “curbside” bus carriers.

Curbside buses transport passengers from predetermined locations after the rider purchases a ticket from a website, a local vendor or the driver.  They post their schedules on-line, generally operate without ticket offices and make their stops street side instead of bus terminals.  Besides those distinctions, curbside buses are held to the same federal safety requirements as the rest of the industry.

It’s Time to Stop Driving for Highway Dollars

If you haven’t heard the news yet, the Federal Highway Administration just announced that Americans seem to be driving less: http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/pressroom/fhwa0811.htm. 

With sample Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) data – which is the number of miles that vehicles are driven – we can see that, since last November, overall VMT is down over where it was this time last year.

Remembering Our Heroes

As you know, Monday is Memorial Day, a time when we take a break from our regular routines and remember the brave men and women who keep us free.

Our country – and the world – is safer because we have troops who selflessly serve the cause of freedom.

They leave behind their family and friends to travel to distant lands and give freedom a foothold in far-off regions of the world. Ultimately, some leave their family and friends behind for good… one of our nation’s most serious sacrifices, and one that we do not take lightly.

It is a life of service and defined by long, lonely periods away from those loved the most.

MARAD Administrator Connaughton: The Future of our Seaways

America’s more than 25,000 miles of coastal and inland waterways (many of which are underutilized) present our nation with a significant opportunity to improve the efficiency our country’s entire transportation network, and we at MARAD are working hard to unlock their potential. 

Our 21st century transportation system must better integrate waterborne transportation if we are to handle the challenges of the coming decades.

Under the authority granted to USDOT under the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, MARAD and our sister modes of transportation will be working closely to identify potentially viable transportation routes in which the marine transportation system could alleviate growing landside congestion problems.

UPDATED: Pennsylvania Receives Largest Ever Transportation Private Investment Bid

Pennsylvania has received the largest bid for transportation infrastructure development investment in history.  Coming in at almost $13 billion, the offer to lease the Pennsylvania Turnpike and invest the proceeds in Pennsylvania’s infrastructure is a milestone.  It represents over one-fourth of the annual amount the federal government has budgeted for highway construction.

As I’ve mentioned before, it has been conservatively estimated that the private sector has over $400 billion available to invest in our nation’s infrastructure (on top of already-record levels of federal funding). It’s encouraging to see that a substantial amount of that money might be available soon to help Pennsylvania improve their transportation system.

You can read more about the proposal, which Governor Rendell is supporting here.

If the transaction is approved by the Pennsylvania Legislature, the operator would be subject to some of the most rigorous performance requirements of any road in the United States, rigid constraints on their ability to raise tolls, and a requirement to invest billions of dollars in the facility. 

-Secretary Peters

Major Aviation Announcements Made at 1st Ever DOT Bloggers' Row!

Today I welcomed bloggers to the Department as part of our first ever Bloggers’ Row.  It was great fun, and I hope our guests enjoyed it as much as I did.  And while we were there to get to know one another and discuss a broad range of transportation issues, I took the opportunity to make a few major aviation announcements.  To get you up to speed, here’s a little of what I told the bloggers in the room (you can get all the details here).

We responded to the recent series of groundings that left passengers stranded with recommendations designed to prevent future similar disruptions.  After reading the reports of American Airlines and the FAA assessing the causes behind the groundings in March and April, it is very clear that communications can and should be improved between the FAA and the aviation industry.  There must and will be more open, more direct and more frequent exchanges of information. 

RITA Administrator Brubaker: New Rule Will Require Expanded Reports from Airlines on Time Passengers Spend on the Tarmac

In 2007, there were 1,603 known instances of planes with a taxi-out time of more than three hours, and 476 from January to March of 2008.  For those of us who have personally experienced this kind of delay, it can be a very frustrating situation.  Until now, the data that airlines were required to report to the U.S. DOT’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) didn’t provide a completely clear picture about the extent of this problem.  Is it more widespread than the current numbers show? 

The news reports have certainly highlighted the most extreme cases, but the path to finding a solution begins with learning more about the problem.  Current rules do not require airlines to uniformly report data about time spent on tarmacs by canceled and diverted flights, only giving the Department information on those that actually fly to their intended destination.  This data-gap could mask how serious the problem really is.

New Span of the Woodrow Wilson Bridge Opens!

Today I had the honor to help open the new span of the Woodrow Wilson Bridge connecting Virginia and Maryland.  It was a truly great event, and I want to congratulate all those who helped make the bridge’s construction possible.  Senator John Warner should really be called the godfather of the new bridge, as for more than two decades, his dogged determination and persistent pressure moved concrete, steel, and more than a few minds to get the bridge completed.  Today, it stands as a tribute to his proud legacy of public service on behalf of Virginia and the nation.

Many Federal Highway Administration employees and contractors from the DC Metro Area also worked incredibly hard for so long on this wonderful project.  I know what a proud day this is for all of them, and I thank them for their great service.

It’s an interesting historical coincidence that the decision to build the original bridge in President Wilson’s name was made the very same year that President Eisenhower signed the landmark Highway Act that gave birth to the Interstate Highway System. 

Interesting Article on Air Traffic Delays

I ran across this interview earlier this week, and thought it might be good for discussion on the Fast Lane...we need a new approach to reducing air traffic delays, and there are some interesting thoughts in this piece...

-Secretary Peters

FRA Administrator Boardman: FRA Implements National Rail Safety Action Plan

America’s rail network is an integral part of our transportation infrastructure, and we at FRA are doing all we can to make sure it is as safe and reliable as possible.  We recently finished implementing a major safety campaign (the National Rail Safety Action Plan) launched in May of 2005 after several major train accidents. 

Because of the changes instituted as part of the plan, we’ve seen nearly a 25 % decrease in train accidents.  Our success was made possible by dedicated FRA professionals and actions taken by railroads, their employees, and others.

Teen Driving Safety Call to Action

Earlier today I had an opportunity to visit Maryland’s Severna Park High School and speak with members of the school’s SADD chapter.  They were an impressive group and it was encouraging to hear them talk about their efforts to keep their friends and classmates safe on our roads. 

Groups like this are truly making a difference.  New data I announced during my visit shows that in 2006, there were two and half million injuries on our highways, down 4.5 percent from 2005.

And the number of teen driver injuries also dropped to 416,000 in 2005.  But while those figures are encouraging, it’s still a travesty to see almost half a million teenagers getting injured on our roads.  That’s too many broken bones, scarred faces and wounded bodies for any of us to declare victory. 

NHTSA Administrator Nason: Safer Cars and Roads for the Century Ahead

  Our roadways are safer than ever—vehicle fatality rates are at their lowest levels since 1993, despite huge increases in vehicle miles traveled—but there is more work to be done.  I believe the most promising gains in road safety will come from new crash avoidance technologies—an area where NHTSA’s research engineers are leading the way.  Today the technology exists not only to reduce the severity of a crash, but to prevent it entirely.

Let me tell you a bit about what I see ahead.

Honoring Fallen Law Enforcement Officers

Yesterday, I had the honor of participating in the 13th Annual Law Ride, a motorcycle caravan recognizing the officers who lost their lives on America’s roads in 2007.  While our highways are getting safer for passengers and drivers every year, they are more dangerous than ever for our men and women in uniform.  For the 10th straight year,   traffic-related incidents claimed the lives of more officers than any other cause of death.

Yesterday’s ride highlighted the importance of road safety, and I encourage you all to visit the National Law Enforcement Officer's Memorial Fund’s website, where you can learn more about their Drive Safely campaign: http://www.nleomf.org/TheFund/programs/DriveSafely/ 

Here are some photos from yesterday’s event.

-Secretary Peters

The Fast Lane Celebrates National Transportation Week

May 12-16 is National Transportation Week, and we’re going to mark the occasion in a big way in the Fast Lane.  With transportation news on the front pages and transportation policy debates headlining the presidential election for the first time in recent memory, there’s certainly plenty to talk about.  We all know safe and efficient transportation is a key component of our economy, but it seems more people than ever are questioning the assumptions and underlying structure of how we fund, build, and maintain our infrastructure network. 

This is a good thing! And I hope the Fast Lane will continue to be a place where questions are asked and ideas are debated.

To celebrate National Transportation Week, key policy makers and Administrators from our various agencies will blog about the future of their modes, and about some of the exciting things they have planned for the remainder of the year.  We’ll also hear from guest bloggers.

And as always, we want to hear from you.  I’m glad the Fast Lane is inspiring debate, and I hope the diversity of topics this week will lead to an even more constructive conversation.

Happy National Transportation Week!

-Secretary Peters

Guest Blogger: Congressman Paul Ryan (WI) Proposes Tying Gas Tax Relief to Cutting Earmarks

Over the past year, the average price of a gallon of regular gasoline has risen by nearly 25 percent.  This week, gas prices hit another record high, and are closing in on $4 per gallon.

To help give American families some immediate relief at the pump, I introduced H.R. 5995, The Gas Tax Relief Act and Earmark Moratorium Act of 2008. My bill would suspend the 18.4-cent Federal gas tax from Memorial Day through Labor Day, helping Americans get through the busy driving months of the summer while Congress works on longer-term solutions.

One critical component of my bill is that it would hold harmless the Highway Trust Fund. The Trust Fund supports many of the critical investments made in the nation’s infrastructure by the Department of Transportation.  My bill ensures the DOT can continue to do its job without disruption.

My bill actually goes a step further in investing in American roads and highways. In addition to holding the Trust Fund harmless, it will actually fix its 2009 shortfall – a problem Secretary Peters has highlighted and has worked hard to try to resolve.

Creating a 21st Century Aviation Network

On Tuesday, Congress again demonstrated its inability to move an FAA bill that includes comprehensive, real reform of our nation’s air traffic control system.  While those on Capitol Hill continue to disagree, we at the Department are putting consumers first, and keeping modernization of our aviation system in the fast lane.

Our nation’s aviation network should be as safe, reliable, and efficient as possible, and while there are no quick-fixes, we are taking action.  We’re working to both improve the system, and protect consumers when there are disruptions.

We are pursuing new technologies—like NextGen—that will allow our skies to accommodate two to three times the current number of planes by updating our air traffic control system from a ground and voice-based one to a satellite-based, cockpit-to-cockpit one. 

We have proposed enhancing the on-time performance data carriers report to the Department so that we, the industry and the public have access to more complete information on flights that are cancelled, delayed or diverted. 

Some Thoughts on Your Gas Tax Comments

Thank you so much for contributing your comments to the Fast Lane.  The site’s been visited more than 31,000 times, and it’s been an exciting first week!  I am happy the Fast Lane is fulfilling its mission as an on-line community where we can communicate with you in new ways.  To that end, I want to respond to a few of the comments you made regarding my post on the gas tax.   

Audrey said she “believe[s] we need to invest in commute options outside of driving solo, such as transit, carpooling, vanpooling and other transportation demand management efforts to maximize the overall system performance.” And H. Bartling wrote “The main question to ask with regard to congestion pricing is where the revenues are spent…In the places where it has been successful, the revenues are spent on mass transit and emissions offsets….”

I agree a diverse investment strategy is likely to significantly improve our ability to address congestion.  But too often, politics, not good policy drives the decisions made in Washington.  We at the Department are trying to change that.

HOT Lanes Come to Seattle!

Have you ever been stuck in traffic only to look over and see the HOV lane with only a few cars whipping by?  I bet you wondered what a shame it was that those lanes were just sitting there going unused.  For those of you in the Seattle area, you won’t have to be frustrated any longer.

Beginning this weekend, Washington State joins the leading edge of transportation innovation by starting a test of HOV-HOT (high occupancy toll) lanes on State Road 167 between Renton and Auburn in King County.

A Gas Tax Holiday?

Several proposals have been floated on Capitol Hill that would give Americans a summer gas tax holiday by temporarily eliminating the federal 18.4 cents a gallon tax on fuel.  While the Administration is remaining neutral on the question, I welcome the debate, and think it is a terrific opportunity to have a larger discussion about the gas tax.

As the primary federal funding mechanism for our national highway system, the gas tax is increasingly outdated, inefficient, and unpopular.  When President Eisenhower envisioned our interstate system, he favored a user-pay method of financing its construction and maintenance.  Unfortunately, he was limited by the technologies of his day. 

Now, however, we have exciting new financing mechanisms that are supplementing the gas tax while simultaneously reducing congestion.  Through the broad deployment of high-speed, open road tolling technologies coupled with hundreds of billions of dollars of private sector capital, we can begin eliminating our dependence on a failed gas tax-based transportation model.

It is time for our country to embrace a far more efficient, clean, and technology-based approach to charging for road use.  This new approach will dramatically improve the quality and performance of our transportation systems.  It will also give businesses and families the type of predictable and reliable service levels to which they have become accustomed when making phone calls, running the sink, or turning on the lights.  We can also eliminate Washington’s ability to use our transportation network as its own personal—and political—sandbox. 

The increased efficiency of our system would also reduce our impact on the environment, and cut emissions caused by endless tie-ups and traffic jams.  Few policy ideas have such broad-based, positive impacts for our economy, our budget and our environment, and I am thrilled these ideas are now part of our national discussion.

What do you think?

-Secretary Peters