Transporation Daily News June 16

Air travel:

 

United and US Airways to charge for checking bags -- United Airlines said Thursday it would put the charge into effect Friday, two days earlier than American. The $15 fee, for passengers flying on leisure fares booked in advance, is on top of a $25 fee for checking a second suitcase that airlines began charging recently. International Herald Tribune 6/14/08

 

Infrastructure and mass transit:

 

The Big Fix: Speed limit cut to 45.5 -- As the first day of commuter traffic hits the southbound closure of Interstate 5 through downtown today, Caltrans officials have lowered the construction zone speed limit to 45.5 mph. A state Transportation Department spokesman said the new speed limit may sound "goofy, but it's a psychological ploy to get your attention." Sacramento Bee 6/16/08

 

*Dumbarton rail bridge project faces long haul -- Already slowed by mounting costs and a looming legal tussle, a $600 million project to connect the East Bay to the Peninsula with a Caltrain rail bridge is in danger of stalling in its tracks. Last week came a critical Santa Clara County civil grand jury report titled, "Dumbarton Rail Bridge Project -- Do we need it?" Now the regional commission that holds its purse strings may transfer $91 million to a proposed extension of BART toward San Jose. Inside Bay Area 6/15/08

 

Gas prices, I-5 fix spur increase in rail riders -- The Capitol Corridor line from Auburn to the Bay Area and two other intrastate rail lines – the San Joaquin and the Pacific Surfliner in Southern California – all have seen significant increases in ridership. While the ridership numbers aren't in yet to prove it, regular passengers on the Capitol Corridor line, which runs through Sacramento, say construction work on Interstate 5 also has motivated more people to take the train. Sacramento Bee 6/15/08

 

*Red-light runners' appeal rejected -- Drivers who were cited for running red lights after being caught on camera lost a challenge to their tickets Friday when a state appeals court upheld a system used by San Francisco and other cities that gave the camera-installing company a share of each fine. 6/14/08

 

*Free riders to crowd into trains, buses -- Rides on Bay Area buses and trains are free on Thursday. While free rides have been offered on smoggy days in the past, never before has it come with a gallon of gas costing, as of Friday, $4.56 in California. Most agencies have few plans to beef up service, hoping current operations can handle an expected 25 percent increase in ridership. SJ Mercury 6/16/08

 

Emissions:

 

*Lifestyle changes key to air plan -- Air officials are appearing at city council sessions and meeting with businesses all over the Valley to pass the word: It's time for car pools, four-day workweeks and maybe even prayer to fight ozone. Officials are talking to church groups, hoping that ministers will sermonize about avoiding activities that create pollution. The district is pitching its new Healthy Air Living campaign this month as Valley temperatures rise and ozone begins to spike in one of the nation's worst air basins. The campaign replaces the Spare the Air program, which officials say has run its course. Fresno Bee 6/15/08