Transporation Daily News April 29

Public transport:

 

*MUNI Announces Partnership With Google -- San Francisco's MUNI is partnering with Google to help riders get around the city, Mayor Gavin Newsom announced Thursday. Potential passengers can plan routes by visiting the Google Maps Website and clicking on a public transit link. Google has also incorporated other Bay Area transit systems into it's mapping technology including Caltrain and BART. KCBS 4/24/08

 

A Federal Transit Administration ruling stops County Connection from providing free shuttles to and from the Concord BART station. The shuttle, which serves between 300 and 700 people per concert, started when the pavilion opened in 1975. Not charging the fee could jeopardize federal funding that County Connection relies on for replacing its 131 buses as they bread down. CC Times 4/29/08

 

Infrastructure:

 

*California to Receive Federal Gas Tax Money to Implement Tolls -- California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) on Friday joined US Transportation Secretary Mary E. Peters to announce that his state could receive millions in federal gas tax funding if it agreed to take away existing freeway lanes and convert them into toll lanes. Motorists across the nation would foot the $213 million bill for the proposal, paid out of funds originally earmarked for New York City's failed congestion pricing experiment. The benefit, however, would go to non-drivers as the proposal adds no new capacity to the highways. Profit from the new driving tax would instead be diverted into funding an expansion of bus service in the city. The Newspaper 4/29/08

 

Report calls for national gas tax hike to fix ailing roadways -- The Urban Land Institute issued a report today, the second this year, to push for more funds to improve interstate roads, state highways and city streets.  The National Surface Transportation Policy and Revenue Study Commission in January also called for raising funds by hiking the gas tax. California faces around a $16 billion annual shortfall to upgrade its roads. SJ Mercury 4/29/08

 

CARB: Railyards Cleanup On Schedule, But Risk Remains -- As of this month, idle-reduction devices are on 97 percent of Union Pacific and BNSF intrastate locomotives in California, and the state should be able to reach its goal of 99 percent compliance on all locomotives by the end of June, according to a new California Air Resources Board report. The progress report on implementation of the agency's 2005 Railyard Statewide Agreement also states that California's 97 percent compliance is miles ahead of other states when it comes to idle-reduction device retrofits. Nationally, only 44 percent of trains have the devices. Cunningham Report 4/28/08

 

Air travel:

 

Airlines balk at cost of Sacramento airport expansion plan -- With a major expansion at Sacramento International Airport mere months away, local officials are pitted against angry airline executives in a debate over costs. Airlines, already stressed by high fuel prices and other financial woes, complain that airport officials are gouging them by designing an overly expensive terminal and ordering them to pay the biggest part of the bill – probably about half. Sacramento Bee 4/28/08