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Transportation
News from the Wilmington Area Planning Council (WILMAPCO)
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All meetings are
open to the public. Unless otherwise noted, meetings are held in the
WILMAPCO Conference Room.
In case of
inclement weather, please call (302) 737-6205, or toll free from Cecil
County at (888) 808-7088 for cancellations or postponements.
May 16, 10 a.m.
Other Events
May
15, 4 p.m. to 5 p.m.
at WILMAPCO
For updates or more information on upcoming WILMAPCO
meetings, please visit www.wilmapco.org.
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In this issue...
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WILMAPCO News
Member
Agency News
Local
News
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 WILMAPCO
News
 Newark Bicycle Plan
Online Workshop
WILMAPCO and the
Newark Bicycle Committee would like to know your concerns and ideas to
help improve biking conditions in and around Newark. You can find an
online survey and interactive map to submit comments at www.wilmapco.org/bikenewark
through the end of June. A preliminary draft Plan will be released
later this May and will be revised throughout the summer based on
community feedback.
Sign up for Air Quality
Email Alerts
The air we breathe
is a mixture of gases and microscopic particles. Some of these gases
and particles are air pollutants, and they are unhealthy to breathe.
Most of the time pollution levels do not impact our daily lives. At
other times, certain pollutants reach unhealthy levels and put many at
risk.
EnviroFlash (www.enviroflash.info)
is an e-mail alert system that delivers air quality information
straight to your inbox. Subscribers sign up, fill out some basic
information and receive daily alerts about their local Air Quality
Index (AQI) forecasts. They will also receive alerts when special
events such as unhealthy ozone or particle pollution occur.
Knowing your air
quality level is important if you have respiratory or heart issues, if
you are an older adult, if you have children or if you are active
outdoors. Elevated levels of pollutants, like ozone and particle
pollution, can have serious short- and long-term impact on your health.
To learn more, please visit the Air Quality Partnership of Delaware
webpage at www.wilmapco.org/aqp.
APA Webinar: Rethinking
the Role of the Urban Freeway Lecture
WILMAPCO is
hosting the American Planning Association (APA) Webinar: Rethinking the
Role of the Urban Freeway, sponsored by the local APA Delaware Chapter
and DelDOT on May 15, from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. The webinar will
explore how freeways and cities can learn to get along by examining
different approaches. American cities - including San Francisco,
Seattle, New Orleans, Milwaukee, and others - have taken to address
their problem freeways, and the latest results in terms of mobility,
real estate value, social equity, and other measures. For more
information, please visit www.delawareapa.org.
One Certificate Maintenance (CM) credit is available for this
webinar.
May
is National Bike Month
Featured events
include:
- May
14-Bike to Work Day in Newark: Join other commuters and show your
support for bicycling in Newark, from 7:30 to 10 a.m., at the
Trabant Center. This will coincide with the annual UD Employee
Benefits Fair and will feature special guests, visit www.wilmapco.org/bikenewark.
- May
15-National Ride of Silence: Visit www.rideofsilence.org
to learn about the event which honors those who have been killed
or injured while cycling on public roadways. In Wilmington, the
ride will depart from Porky Oliver's Golf Club. Note: No Newark
ride will take place in 2013. More details are available at www.whiteclaybicycleclub.org.
- May
17-Bike to Work Day in Wilmington: Three groups rides will begin
at 7:30 a.m., to a reception at the H.B. DuPont Plaza, from 8 to
9:30 a.m. View the flier here or visit www.bikewilmington.org.
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 Member Agency News
SHA Solicits National
Recreational Trail Projects
The Maryland State
Highway Administration (SHA) is accepting applications for FY14
Recreational Trail Program funding with a deadline date of 2 p.m. on
July 1, 2013. SHA encourages agencies and non-profit organizations to
utilize this Program to fund trail related projects including both
non-motorized and motorized recreational trail uses. Examples of trail
uses include hiking, bicycling, in-line skating, equestrian use,
canoeing, kayaking, cross-country skiing, snowmobiling, off-road
motorcycling, all-terrain vehicle riding, four-wheel driving, or using
other off-road motorized vehicles. Funding awards will be announced
this Fall.
Applications may
be submitted electronically to tmaxwell@sha.state.md.us.
Because SHA's email server rejects most attachments larger than 6 MB,
please use an FTP site or file sharing service to transmit the
application and any large attachments. Confirmation will be sent when
the application is received. To learn more about the Recreational
Trails Program, please visit http://roads.maryland.gov/Index.aspx?PageId=98.
MDOT now Accepting
Applications for Bikeways Grant Funding
The Maryland
Department of Transportation (MDOT) is now accepting applications for
Bikeways Program funding. Applications are due by June 5. Funding
awards will be announced this summer. To learn more about the Bikeways
Program and to download an application, please visit www.cycle.maryland.gov.
The Bikeways
Program supports design and construction of projects that make biking a
true transportation alternative by enhancing bicycle access to transit,
enhancing bicycle safety, extending shared-use paths, and improving
facilities and wayfinding for bike routes that connect key
destinations, such as work, school and shopping. The Program
supports bike improvements along both local and state roads, as well as
off-road trails and pathways.
Applications may
be submitted electronically to MDBikeways@mdot.maryland.gov. Because MDOT's email
server rejects most attachments larger than 6 MB, please use an FTP
site or file sharing service to transmit the application and any large
attachments. Confirmation will be sent when the application is
received. Please contact us at the email above with any questions about
submissions or to discuss potential projects.
Delmarva
Intercity Rail Study
According to an
April DART Rider Notice, "The Delaware Transit Corporation (DTC),
in partnership with the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT),
has conducted a study of passenger rail service to downstate Delaware
and Eastern Shore Maryland. The Delmarva Rail Study examined the
potential for Amtrak service from points on the Northeast Corridor
between Washington, D.C. and New York City to destinations in the
resort area. Within Delaware this would be mainly on existing Norfolk
Southern Railway track and possibly the Maryland and Delaware Railroad
extending to Berlin, Maryland. At the request of Maryland DOT, the
potential and cost of reestablishing rail service to Ocean City was
also examined." For more information on the study, please visit www.DartFirststate.com.
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 Local News
Walkable Bikeable
Delaware 2013
The Walkable
Bikeable Delaware 2013 event will be held in Dover on May 1st.
The theme is "Active Transportation, Healthy Families". The
event will bring together elected leaders, engineers, public health
professionals, agency staff, and residents from all over the state.
Many will attend the summit after cycling to Dover with the
Legislators' Bike to Work Ride. For more information or to
register for Walkable Bikeable Delaware 2013, please visit www.bikede.org/category/walkable-bikeable-delaware.
To register for for the Legislators' Bike to Work Ride, please go to: https://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/eventReg?oeidk=a07e787g5th6ab23bb4&oseq=&c=&ch=.
Maryland
Approves Four-Year Transportation Investment
According to an
editorial in the April 5 Washington Post, "With impressive speed,
lawmakers adopted the first gas-tax hike in a generation in response to
a coordinated push by Gov. Martin O'Malley and the two top leaders of
the General Assembly, all Democrats. The legislation is expected to
raise about $4.4 billion for new transportation projects and
maintenance over six years, a relatively modest amount, given the need.
Still, if lawmakers had not acted, the state was on course to run out
of funds by 2017 for all but routine upkeep on highways, bridges, and
rails." To view the source article, please visit http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/marylands-gas-tax-victory/2013/04/05/89f4b152-9e00-11e2-a941-a19bce7af755_story.html.
Maryland Transit
Administration Unveils New MV-1 Vehicles to Serve People with
Disabilities
According to the Washington Post, "The Maryland
Transit Administration is unveiling its new fleet of mobility vehicles
to serve riders with disabilities. The transit agency is replacing its
fleet of sedans and cut-away buses with new vehicles designed
specifically for people in wheelchairs. They are called MV-1s. The
first 10 MV-1 vehicles are now in service, and 30 more will be put into
service over the next two months under a $2 million contract. The new
vehicles are expected to get better gas mileage and save the MTA about
$75,000 a month, or $900,000 a year once most of the fleet is
converted." To view the source article, please visit www.washingtonpost.com/local/maryland-transit-administration-unveils-new-mv-1-vehicles-to-serve-disabled-riders-save-money/2013/04/01/e713347c-9ad5-11e2-9219-51eb8387e8f1_story.html.
DelDOT Installing
Antennas to Improve Reception of Traffic Information Station
According to the
Cape Gazette, "Tall, wirey poles have gone up at several locations
along Route 1, designed to strengthen the Department of
Transportation's radio station signal. DelDOT installed six antennas,
from the Smyrna area to the Cape Region," said Sandy Roumillat,
deputy manager for DelDOT public relations. "A large auxiliary
tower also was installed at a salt barn in Glasgow. The antennas will
help strengthen the radio signal for DelDOT's WTMC radio station 1380
AM." To view the source article, please visit http://capegazette.villagesoup.com/p/deldot-antennas-sprout-along-route-1/977430.
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 National News
Obama Administration 2014
Budget Proposes Fully Funding, Expanding MAP-21
According to The
Hill, "The president's budget calls for appropriating $76 billion
for the Department of Transportation, which would be a $4 billion
increase from 2012. The plan also reiterates President Obama's call for
spending $50 billion on fixing existing roads, and spending $40 billion
on a new Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act (PRIIA). The
White House's explanation of the budget says that President Obama's
plan would fully fund the transportation bill passed last year, which
included $50.1 billion for road and transit projects in 2014. President
Obama is also calling for an expansion of the transportation bill,
Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century (MAP-21), in
2015." To view the source article, please visit http://thehill.com/blogs/transportation-report/infrastructure/293011-obama-wants-50b-for-roads-40b-for-rail-map-21-extension.
Rightsizing
Streets Webinar
ContextSensitiveSolutions.org
will present a webinar on creating "Rightsizing Streets,"
strategies for reallocating a street's space to better serve its full
range of users This free webinar is brought to you by FHWA, in
partnership with the Project for Public Spaces, and INDUS Corporation.
The webinar will be held on April 30 from 2:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. This
webinar will explore how transportation agencies are rethinking their
streets to better fit the surrounding context and create better
communities. Rightsizing is a comprehensive process of
reconfiguring streets and constrained Right of Ways (ROW)s by utilizing
"outside the box" strategies like road diets and restriping
techniques. Transportation officials from Seattle and Charlotte
will share their expertise and experience with rightsizing. For more
information, please visit www.nhi.fhwa.dot.gov/resources/webconference/web_conf_learner_reg.aspx?webconfid=25974.
National Bike to School Day is
Four Weeks Away
The National Bike to School Day celebration on May 8 is
only four weeks away, and there are already more than 550 events
registered at www.walkbiketoschool.org
from 47 states and the District of Columbia. Take a look at the Who's
Biking Map to see who's planning to ride to school in this nationwide
event. National Bike to School Day encourages a nationwide bike-focused
celebration for students in the month of May, which is also National
Bike Month. National Bike to School Day events raise awareness of the
need to create safer routes for bicycling and walking and emphasize the
importance of issues such as increasing physical activity among
children, pedestrian safety, reducing traffic congestion and concern
for the environment.
You're Invited to Give Input
on the Office of the Surgeon General's Future Call to Action on Walking
Until April 30,
the US Surgeon General is looking for feedback from the public on what
should be included in a future call to action around walking. Just like
recent calls to action and reports by the Surgeon General
(breastfeeding, healthy homes, and smoking), your feedback will be consolidated
and combined into the proposed call to action on walking.
During the Public Comment Period, April 1 through April 30, you have a
unique opportunity to provide comment to the Federal Register on the
proposed call to action on walking. To comment, visit www.regulations.gov/#!submitComment;D=CDC-2013-0003-0001.
Wireless
"Smart Skin" Sensors to Provide Remote Monitoring of
Infrastructure
According to R&D News, "Major bridge failures in
recent years have focused attention on the need to monitor America's
highway bridges and other infrastructure. Researchers at the Georgia Institute
of Technology are developing a novel technology that would facilitate
close monitoring of structures for strain, stress, and early formation
of cracks. Their approach uses wireless sensors that are low cost,
require no power, can be implemented on tough yet flexible polymer
substrates, and can identify structural problems at a very early
stage.These sensor designs can be inkjet printed on various substrates,
using methods that optimize them for operation at radio frequency. The
result would be low-cost, weather-resistant devices that could be
affixed by the thousands to various kinds of structures." To
view the source article, please visit www.rdmag.com/news/2013/04/wireless-smart-skin-sensors-provide-remote-monitoring-infrastructure.
American Lung Association
"State of the Air 2013" Report Finds Air Quality Improves
Nationwide Despite More Spikes in Unhealthy Air Days
According to an
American Lung press release, "The American Lung Association's 'State
of the Air 2013' report finds significant progress in the reduction of
year-round particle pollution (soot) across the nation, but many cities
that ranked among the most polluted had more unhealthy days of high
ozone (smog) and short-term particle pollution than in the 2012
report." To view the report, please visit /www.stateoftheair.org/2013/.
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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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