Transportation News from WILMAPCO

You are invited to a public meeting for the Southern New Castle County Master Plan on Monday, October 7 from 6:00 to 8:30 p.m. at the Volunteer Hose Company, 27 West Green Street, Middletown.

During this meeting, you'll have the opportunity learn about the plan's progress and share your thoughts on the future of Southern New Castle County. A presentation will be held at 6 p.m. followed by group discussions. To register to attend, please visit www.eventbrite.com/e/southern-new-castle-master-plan-public-workshop-107-tickets-73452565601.

Eight Tips to Keeping Halloween Safe

According to Safe Kids Worldwide, here are eight tips to help keep your kids safe this Halloween:

Costumes can be both creative and safe. The most important thing is to make sure kids can be seen by drivers. Decorate costumes and bags with reflective tape or stickers and, if possible, choose light colors. Masks can obstruct your vision, so choose non-toxic face paint and make-up whenever possible. Carry glow sticks or flashlights so you can see better, as well as be seen by drivers.
Cross the street safely at corners, using traffic signals and crosswalks. Look left, right and left again when crossing and keep looking as you cross.
Put electronic devices down, keep heads up and walk, don't run, when crossing the street.
Walk on sidewalks or paths. If there are no sidewalks, walk facing traffic as far to the left as possible.
Slow down and stay alert. Watch out for cars that are turning or backing up and don't dart out into the street or cross in between parked cars.

There are also some very important tips for when you are driving around the holiday:

Slow down in residential neighborhoods. Remember that popular trick-or-treating hours are 5:30 to 9:30 p.m.
Be especially alert and take extra time to look for kids at intersections, on medians and on curbs. Children are excited on Halloween and may move in unpredictable ways.
Reduce any distractions inside your car, such as talking on the phone or eating, so you can concentrate on the road and your surroundings.

To learn more, please visit https://www.safekids.org/blog/8-tips-keeping-halloween-safe.

Local News

Delaware Environmental Institute Climate Dialogue

Join the Delaware Environmental Institute (DENIN) for a conversation with Michael Mann, climate scientist at Penn State University. Dr. Mann is a champion of sustainable climate choices, and author of The Hockey Stick and the Climate Wars: Dispatches from the Front Lines; The Madhouse Effect: How Climate Change Denial is Threatening our Planet; and The Tantrum that Saved the World. To register, please visit https://ud.alumniq.com/index.cfm/events:register/home/eventId/7521.

Register for the 2019 APA Delaware Fall Conference

Registration has opened for the 2019 American Planning Association (APA) Delaware Chapter Fall Conference on November 7 at Embassy Suites Hotel in Newark, Delaware. The conference has numerous sessions, including a panel discussion on social equity. National APA l eaders, including new CEO Joel Albizo, will also be speaking. Scholarships are available for community members representing socially disadvantaged communities. To register to attend, please visit https://delawareapa.wpcomstaging.com/events/.

Measure Targets Slow Drivers in the Left Lane

According to a News Journal article, "State Senator Bryan Townsend, Newark recently introduced a law mandating that drivers stay right unless they need to get ahead of a slower-moving car or take an exit. If passed by the General Assembly, the new rules would specifically target sections of Del. 1 considered 'expressways' or 'controlled-access highways,' such as the 51-mile stretch extending from the Delaware Turnpike in Christiana to Del. 13 south of Dover." To learn more, please visit https://www.delawareonline.com/story/news/2019/08/28/new-law-would-target-left-lane-lingerers-delaware/2140570001/.

National News

One Thing We Can Do: Drive Less

According to the New York Times,

"It turns out that driving just 10 percent less, if everyone did it, would have a big impact on greenhouse gas emissions. That's because Americans drive trillions of miles every year, helping to make transportation the biggest contributor to United States greenhouse gas emissions. A 10 percent cut, would be roughly 110 million metric tons of carbon dioxide, or the same as taking about 28 coal-fired power plants offline for a year. To achieve such a reduction, every American driver would, on average, have to cut about 1,350 miles per year. " To view the source article, please visit https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/28/climate/one-thing-we-can-do-drive-less.html.

Google Maps adds Multimodal Trip Planning Feature

According to Smart Cities Dive,"Google Maps has released new features including information about transit crowdedness and delays, bike-share data, and Live View, an augmented reality feature to help pedestrian navigation." Enter your destination in the search box, tap on "Directions" and then on the transit tab. From there, you'll automatically see routes that feature ridesharing and cycling options paired with transit directions. For more information, please visit https://www.smartcitiesdive.com/news/google-maps-adds-multimodal-trip-planning-feature/561889/.

The Wilmington Area Planning Council (WILMAPCO) is the regional transportation planning agency for New Castle County, Delaware and Cecil County, Maryland.
As the federally designated Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO), WILMAPCO is charged with planning and coordinating transportation investments for the region based on federal policy, local input, technical analysis, and best practices. For more information, please visit our website at www.wilmapco.org.