The Delaware Nature Society (DNS) is partnering with the Air Quality Partnership (AQP) of Delaware to hold the center's first Clean Air Fair. The Clean Air Fair is a family-oriented open house at the DuPont Environmental Education Center on the Wilmington Riverfront on Saturday, June 1, from 12 to 3 p.m. During the open house, attendees will have the opportunity to meet animals that live in the marsh and experts will demonstrate how you can keep healthy and help protect the air.

Third Annual Delmarva Freight Summit

The Delmarva Freight Summit is a half day forum that brings together both public and private sector freight professionals to focus on the needs of freight movement across the Delmarva Peninsula. The Summit will be held on June 26 from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., at the New Castle County Chamber of Commerce.

Speakers will include experts who will highlight the region's chemical industry supply chains. Speakers from other areas of the freight and goods movement community will also present topics including the Delmarva Freight Study, a multi-state, multi-MPO effort to develop a comprehensive evaluation of the freight transportation system and its operations along the Delmarva Peninsula.

The summit is free, but registration is required. To register, please visit www.wilmapco.org/delmarva. Seating is limited to the first 100 who register.

Pedestrian and Bicycle Planning Webcast and Milford Walking Tour

The Delaware Chapter of the American Planning Association (APA), the Dover/Kent MPO, and the City of Dover are sponsoring a webcast and walking tour of Milford's Riverfront. The APA webcast will highlight successful plans and programs from across the country that make streets work for all users. Following the webcast, local planners will review successful pedestrian and bicycle work in Milford. The event will be held at the Milford Public Library (11 SE Front Street) on June 5 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Dinner will be provided and seating is limited. To register, please visit www.delawareapa.org.

bike Member Agency News

Help Shape the Maryland Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan

How can we improve biking and walking in Maryland over the next 20 years? What are key focus areas and strategies? Please join the Maryland Department of Transportation on Tuesday, June 11 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., at the Rockville Memorial Library to discuss the ongoing update of the Maryland Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan. Can't make it to Rockville? You can also join the meeting online. More information and access to the online meeting are available at: http://www.mdot.maryland.gov/bikewalkplan.

DART's Statewide Bus Service Changes Approved

According to a DART First State press release, "Lauren Skiver, Chief Executive Officer of Delaware Transit Corporation (DTC), announced that the proposed changes to DART First State Statewide Fixed Route Bus Service have been approved.

On Sunday, June 16, 2013, changes to DART's New Castle County fixed route service will go into effect. Because of low ridership, Route 32 - Wilmington Trolley's Saturday service will be discontinued. Those resources will be reallocated to the Route 17's Saturday service improving frequencies to every 60 minutes instead of every 90 minutes.

The Routes 62 and 63 pilot (experimental service) of replacing existing services with a new on-demand route that circulates in the Churchmans Crossing area is contingent upon negotiations with area businesses, communities, and a successful response from a contractor." For more information, please call

1-800-652-DART or visit www.DartFirstState.com.

DNREC and DelDOT Announce Trail Connector Project in White Clay Creek State Park

According to a Delaware Department of Natural Resources (DNREC) press release, "Construction will begin on a connector that will join two existing trail facilities within the White Clay Creek State Park along Hopkins Road, as part of Governor Jack Markell's First State Trails and Pathways Initiative. Improvements will include creating a separated and protected shoulder within the roadway for pedestrians and bicyclists. The project is 0.2 miles in length, located between Creek Road and the northernmost end of the Pomeroy Trail where it joins Hopkins Road. Trail users will come up from Newark via the Pomeroy Trail into White Clay Creek State Park. In addition, pedestrian crosswalks will define crossings, and signage will note that pedestrians and bicyclists will be crossing Hopkins Road. For information, please visit www.trails.delaware.gov.

Online Map of Maryland Construction Projects Now Available

According to a State Highways Association (SHA) press release, "The annual e-Road Ready construction brochure is online and available to help motorists navigate work zones in Maryland. SHA is beginning many projects across the state and this resource helps motorists plan ahead. The brochure also provides links to many new features including project web pages, Maryland's Scenic Byways routes, and State and local government agencies." For more information, please visit www.roads.maryland.gov/Pages/release.aspx?newsId=1502.

Local News

Delaware moves from 10th to 5th among Bicycle Friendly States

According to a League of American Bicyclist press release, "In honor of National Bike Month, the League of American Bicyclists released its latest Bicycle Friendly States ranking. In the sixth annual assessment, Delaware achieved a fifth place ranking nationally, making it the most bicycle friendly state east of the Mississippi.

Delaware took a leap in the 2013 ranking, moving from No. 10 to No. 5 in just one year. U.S. Senator Tom Carper (D-DE) praised Governor Jack Markell, the state legislature, congressional delegation, advocacy organizations, and the people of the First State for prioritizing biking.

'Creating more walkable and bikeable communities boosts air quality by reducing the amount of time cars and trucks idle on our roadways releasing harmful emissions,' Sen. Carper said. 'Biking also helps decongest our transportation system, allowing individuals to spend more time working or relaxing with their families instead of wasting time and money sitting in traffic." For more information, please visit http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs173/1102316596448/archive/1113258319495.html.

Social Media Takes Flight at Wilmington Airport

According to a Delaware River and Bay Authority (DRBA) press release, "DRBA officials, operators of New Castle's Wilmington Airport, announced the launch of Twitter and Facebook sites for the airport in response to the impending arrival of Frontier Airlines this summer. In April, Frontier Airlines announced its plan to begin commercial air service to Delaware in July. The new social media pages will help inform travelers of flight updates, travel promotions, airport events, and more. Follow the airport on Twitter @FlyWilmILG, like it on Facebook at www.facebook.com/FlyWilmILG or visit its splash page at www.flywilmilg.com for more information.

National News

President Obama Picks Charlotte Mayor Foxx As Next Transportation Secretary

According to a Washington Post article,"President Obama plans to nominate Charlotte Mayor Anthony Foxx to serve as transportation secretary. Foxx, who would succeed Ray LaHood, would be the first African American nominated to serve in the president's second-term Cabinet. Foxx has pushed to expand public transit options for Charlotte while serving as mayor. The city has started building the Charlotte Streetcar Project, one of several electric trolley systems underway in the country, and is expanding the LYNX light-rail system so it can reach the University of North Carolina at Charlotte." To view the source article, please visit

www.washingtonpost.com/politics/obama-taps-charlotte-mayor-to-lead-transportation-department-official-says/2013/04/28/21702a5a-b050-11e2-bbf2-a6f9e9d79e19_story.html.

National Trails Day

The American Hiking Society's National Trails Day is the country's largest celebration of trails. On June 1 thousands of NTD activities will take place all over the country. Events include hikes, biking and horseback rides, paddling trips, birdwatching, geocaching, gear demonstrations, stewardship projects, and more. To find an event in your area, please visit www.americanhiking.org/ntd-events.

New International Comprehensive Ped Safety Manual

Pedestrian Safety: A Road Safety Manual for Decision-Makers and Practitioners has been released in 2013 by the World Health Organization. The manual describes the magnitude of pedestrian deaths and injuries; key risk factors; ways of assessing the pedestrian safety situation in a given setting and prepare an action plan; and how to select, design, implement and evaluate effective interventions. For more information, please visit http://www.grsproadsafety.org/sites/grsp.drupalgardens.com/files/201304/PedestrianSafety_eng.pdf.

Fewer Overweight Adolescents in More Walkable Communities

According to an abstract of a February 2013 Journal of Preventative Medicine article, "Neighborhood design features have been associated with health outcomes, including the prevalence of obesity. This study (Walkable Communities and Adolescent Weight) examined the association between walkability and adolescent weight in a national sample of public secondary school students and the communities in which they live. Data were collected through student surveys and community observations between February and August 2010, and analyses were conducted in Spring 2012. The sample size was 154 communities and 11,041 students. A community walkability index and measures of the prevalence of adolescent overweight and obesity were constructed. The odds of students being overweight or obese decreased if they lived in communities with higher walkability index scores. Results suggest that living in more-walkable communities is associated with reduced prevalence of adolescent overweight and obesity." For more information, please visit www.ajpmonline.org/article/S0749-3797(12)00800-8/abstract.

U.S. DOT Announces Fifth Round of TIGER Funding
According to the U.S. DOT website, "DOT is authorized to award $474 million in TIGER Discretionary Grants pursuant to the Full-Year Continuing Appropriations Act, 2013. This appropriation is similar, but not identical to the appropriation for the 'TIGER' program authorized and implemented pursuant to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. As with previous rounds of TIGER, funds for the FY 2013 TIGER program are to be awarded on a competitive basis for projects that will have a significant impact on the Nation, a metropolitan area or a region." For more information, please visit www.dot.gov/tiger.

CBO Releases Highway Trust Fund Projections
According to an AMPO eMail, "The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released its most recent projections for the highway and transit accounts of the Highway Trust Fund (HTF). CBO's projections show that under current conditions the highway and transit accounts will have insufficient revenues to meet all obligations starting in fiscal year 2015. It is not clear if the balances in each account of the HTF will have enough revenue to meet obligations before the expiration of MAP-21 at the end of September 2014. If balances fall below $4 billion, in the highway account or $2 billion in the mass transit account it could lead to cash shortages that may result in the slowing of reimbursements." For more information, please visit www.cbo.gov/sites/default/files/cbofiles/attachments/44201_HighwyTrustFund.pdf.

Study: 45% of Teens Text While Driving

According to a USA Today article, "

In 2011, 45% of all students 16 and older reported that they had texted or e-mailed while driving during the past 30 days, says the study by researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and reported in June's Pediatrics. Teens who texted while driving were five times more likely than those who didn't to drive when they had been drinking alcohol. And the more they texted the worse their seat belt habit was. Teens who texted every day while driving during the past month were more than 40% more likely to not always wear their seat belts than were teens who engaged in texting while driving once or twice in the past 30 days. The study also found that state laws banning texting while driving had little effect, with 39% of teens reporting texting and driving in states where it is illegal, compared with 44% of teens in states with no restrictions." To view the source article, please visit

www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/05/13/texting-driving-teens/2150755.

About Us
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.

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