Volume 1 Issue 32 | November 19, 2020
Transportation Planning Newsletter
Chair: Kristina Swallow, Nevada DOT Vice Chair: Lynn Weiskopf, New York State DOT

The Committee on Planning addresses all aspects of the transportation planning process including federal regulations, current industry practices, and emerging approaches and concepts. The committee is dedicated to providing State DOTs the expertise, resources and tools they need to implement a robust planning process within their agencies that is multimodal, multidisciplinary, innovative and consensus-oriented.
Committee News
AASHTO Elects New President, Vice President, Secretary/Treasurer
The board of directors of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials elected Victoria Sheehan, commissioner of the New Hampshire Department of Transportation, to serve as its 2020-2021 president on November 13 during its annual meeting: only the second woman to serve as AASHTO president in the association’s 106-year history.

The board also elected Shawn Wilson, Ph. D., secretary of the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development, as the organization’s vice president – the first black person to serve in that capacity – and Russell McMurry, commissioner of Georgia Department of Transportation, as the group’s secretary/treasurer.

“I am honored to be elected to lead this outstanding organization during an extraordinary time in our history,” Sheehan said.

“As I look to the year ahead, I look forward to working with all of you,” she said during her remarks during the meeting. “Our work touches every person’s daily life, and if we do our jobs well, we are providing access and mobility to everyone.”

Sheehan’s additional emphasis area will highlight the benefits of transportation investment through a national campaign intended to highlight the connection between transportation investment and land use decisions that together support America’s economic vitality and overall quality of life.
Board Of Directors Adopts New Strategic Plan For AASHTO
The board of directors for the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials formally adopted a new five-year strategic plan for the organization on November 13 during the group’s annual meeting.

The plan reinforces AASHTO’s vision to provide improved quality of life through leadership in transportation, along with its mission to support state departments of transportation to connect America with the transportation system of today and tomorrow.

The three main goals and objectives of the plan are:

  • Safety, mobility, and access for everyone, with objectives related to safety, multi-modalism, connecting community, equity, social justice, asset performance, resiliency, and aligning interests.
  • Creating national transportation policy leadership, with objectives related to policy platform for the future, emerging trends, communicating the value of transportation, sustainable funding, and promoting a broad range of thought in policymaking.
  • Organizational excellence with world-class services, with objectives related to AASHTO standards, keeping committees relevant, transportation workforce, innovating and modernizing, and AASHTO’s financial sustainability.

Finally, there are five strategies underpinning those goals and objectives:

  • Establishing a framework and tools to enable impactful policy decisions, support implementation within member agencies, and make priority research investments
  • Strengthen partnerships with traditional and non-traditional organizations to support AASHTO’s vision, mission, goals, and objectives.
  • Proactively shape the future transportation workforce, providing resources to fill skills gaps, build capacity, and recruit future workers.
  • Expand ways to engage members and deliver an outstanding and valuable membership experience.
  • Foster an optimized organization that is strategic, integrated, efficient, and built on sound management practices and best technologies.
Industry News
ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION

Data: Shared Scooter and Bike Trips Rose Drastically in 2019
Government Technology
 
PBOT, Oregon State to partner on research into bus and bike lane conflicts
BikePortland

TxDOT puts down signs to help pedestrians, bicyclists find walkways in construction zones
KXXV-TV

ENVIRONMENT AND SUSTAINABILITY

Biden to Enlist Agriculture, Transportation Agencies In Climate Fight
The Hill

Study finds air pollution reduces life expectancy in Utah
Salt Lake Tribune

FREIGHT
 
Port of Portland cancels plans for commercial drones in the area
KGW-TV

Port Of Los Angeles Launches Return Signal For Trucking To Address Congestion
American Shipper

America’s Forgotten Marine Highway Network That Could Green Global Freight Transport
Forbes

FUNDING
 
PennDOT exploring options to raise money including using GPS to track, tax road usage
WPXI-TV

Transportation Groups Push for Stimulus Funding, Support From New Administration
Engineering News-Record

INFRASTRUCTURE

Ohio senators call for 'long-term solution' to Brent Spence Bridge problem
WCPO-TV

INTERNATIONAL
 
This is how cities can overcome their growing transport pains
World Economic Forum

Quebec unveils $6.7B plan to cut emissions, ban sale of new gas vehicles
Montreal Gazette
 
UK moves up deadline to ban sales of new gasoline and diesel vehicles
The Hill

New understanding of mobility paves way for tomorrow’s transport systems
Danmarks Tekniske Universitet
 
MOBILITY 

In Florida, budget woes won’t get you out of accessibility issues
WMNF Radio

Dockless Bike Sharing Can Create Healthy, Resilient Urban Mobility
The City Fix

“Mobility For All” In Chattanooga’s Public Transit
WUTC Radio’s Scenic Roots

MPOs
 
Fredericksburg Area MPO Names Ian Ollis New Administrator 
Fredericksburg Patch

MATPB becomes Madison Area MPO
Sun Prairie Star

MetroPlan Orlando Lays Out Long-Range Plan
Orlando Business Journal

OTHER
 
New TSA Advisory Committee Targets Increased Information Sharing Between Transportation Modes
School Transportation News
 
Incorporating Civil Rights Principles into State DOT Operations
AASHTO Journal

PLANNING

Board of Directors Adopts New Strategic Plan for AASHTO
AASHTO Journal
 
The 15-Minute City—No Cars Required—Is Urban Planning’s New Utopia
Bloomberg Businessweek

How Developers Respond To Parking Reform
Transfers

How Urban Planning Consultants Can Shape the Future of Dallas
D

Charlotte’s First Citywide Plan Since 1975 Charts Growth For The Next 20 Years
WFAE Radio’s Charlotte Talks

Driver Behavior Influences Traffic Patterns As Much As Roadway Design, Study Reports
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Tommy Pacello, influential city planner who advocated for pedestrians, dies at age 43
Commercial Appeal

RAIL
 
State seeks to add Pittsburgh-to-New York City Amtrak train
Trib Live

Schumer: Trump Holding Gateway Program 'Hostage,' but Biden Will Advance Massive Rail Project
NY1
 
ROADWAYS
 
What should be done with I-35? TxDOT wants to know.
American-Statesman

TECHNOLOGY

LA mayor announces first test zone for transportation technology
City News Service

State DOTs Organizing for the Testing/Deployment of Autonomous Vehicles
AASHTO Journal

TRANSIT
 
Port Authority of Allegheny County wants big ideas from the public on future transit
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
 
Gendered Perspectives Key To Creating Safe Transit Environments For Women
The Eyeopener

American Planning Association of RI says RIDOT/Raimondo multi-hub bus plan is harmful to people of color and people of lesser means
Uprise RI

A Growing Texas Town Turns to Uber for Its Public Transportation
Next City

Pandemic Has Surprising Impacts On Public Transit Demand, Research Shows
Ohio State University

Miracle on 14th Street: New York's new transit project equitably reallocates road space
GreenBiz commentary

TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH BOARD
 
Drones Are Still a New Technology, but the Research is Spreading Its Wings
TRB