News & Updates

Weekly Briefs for the Week of July 30, 2012

1. Partnership for Sustainable Communities: Three Years of Helping Communities Achieve Their Visions for Growth and Prosperity – This report summarizes the activities of the Partnership among HUD, DOT, and EPA over the first three years, illustrates through case studies the collaboration
   among the three federal agencies and with other federal, tribal, state, regional, and local partners in considering housing, transportation, and environmental policies.
2. Considering Security and Emergency Management in the Planning of Transportation Projects – This guide has been developed to increase the awareness of the transportation infrastructure project community about security and emergency management in the case of a man-made incident or a natural disaster.
3. Florida DOT Reports
   • Aging Driver and Pedestrian Safety: Parking Lot Hazards Study – This report analyzes pedestrian crash data for parking lots in South Florida, examines the behavior of pedestrians in parking lots, observes the behavior of middle-aged and older pedestrians in open parking lots and parking garages through the use of mobile eye-tracking equipment.
   • Best Practices in Bus Dispatch – To address the gaps in knowledge about dispatch practices, this research investigated best practices, standard operating procedures, and uses of technology in transit agencies of all sizes.
4. Lessons Learned from Irene: Vermont RPCs Address Transportation System Recovery – This report reviews the devastating impacts of the hurricane Irene on Vermont when it landed, describes the state’s responses to the disaster, examines RPCs' coordinating capacities in the aftermath, summarizes the response and recovery activities by all levels of governments and the important role the RPCs play, and discusses lessons learned from the disaster.
5. Miscellaneous Reports
   • Public Transportation Protects Americans From Gas Price Volatility – This paper highlights the role of public transit in protecting Americans from gas price volatility, and offers strategies that can buffer Americans from future gas price shocks.
   • Projected Impact of Changing Conditions on the Power sector – This paper details the assumptions on fuel price trends, electric demand projections and final air regulations and summarizes the results from the analysis.
   • Reducing the Potential for Heat Stroke to Children in Parked Motor Vehicles: Evaluation of Reminder Technology – This study evaluates products that are designed to prevent children up to 24 months old from being left behind in closed, parked vehicles.