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.
Other Events
WILMAPCO will be
closed on May 26 for Memorial Day.
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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National
News
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 WILMAPCO News
 May
is National Bike Month
Whether you are a
beginning cyclist or a seasoned rider, plenty of events are scheduled
for 2014. Highlighted events include:
- May 14 -
Delaware Legislator's Ride: Details available at www.bike.deldot.gov
- May 16 -
Bike to Work Day in Newark: Join other commuters and show
your support for bicycling in Newark, from 7:30-9 a.m., at the
Trabant University Center, www.wilmapco.org/bikenewark
- May 16 -
Bike to Work Day in Wilmington: Bicycle commuter morning reception
in front of the Highmark Building (800 Delaware Avenue) from 8 to
9:30 a.m. Evening reception at Wilmington Grand Prix Time Trials
at Brandywine Park from 5 to 7 p.m. For information visit www.bikewilmington.org
- May 21-
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, and in Newark it
will depart from the Newark Charter School. More details are
available at www.whiteclaybicycleclub.org
- May
16-18 - Wilmington Grand Prix: Features competitive pro
cyclist races, a bicycle parade, and a family-friendly ride
escorted by Governor Markell, visit www.wilmgrandprix.com
- May 28 -
Cycling Class for Beginning Riders - White Clay Bicycle Club will
offer free training at WILMAPCO. For more information, visit www.wilmapco.org/nbc/wcbcflyer.pdf
Air Quality Awareness
Week Pledge
Air Quality Partnership
of Delaware and RideShare Delaware
have announced an opportunity for you to pledge to go car-free one day
during Air Quality Awareness Week (April 28th through May 2nd) and you
will be eligible to win a $100 gift card to Target, Walmart, or
Wawa. During Air Quality Awareness Week, the Air Quality Partnership of
Delaware encourages everyone to take the steps below help keep the air
clean.
- Conserve
energy by turning off lights and appliances when you leave a room
- Use
energy efficient appliances such as refrigerators, air
conditioners, heat pumps and furnaces.
- Reduce,
Reuse, Recycle to conserve energy and reduce emissions
- When
possible, walk, bike or use public transportation
- Do not
idle your vehicle's engine - keep the air clean and save fuel
- Maintain
your vehicles in good working order and check tire pressure
regularly
- Shop
with reusable bags instead of using paper or plastic
- Plant
trees in locations around your home to provide shade in the summer
- Follow
air quality forecasts and plan your outdoor activity as
appropriate
- Put off
mowing the lawn or painting and reduce driving on bad air
days
Prize eligibility
is available to those physically living or working in the State of
Delaware. Employees of DelDOT, WILMAPCO, and URS Corporation are unable
to participate in this promotion. To take the Air Quality
Awareness Week pledge, please visit http://ridesharedelaware.org/car-free-week-2014-april-28-may-2-2014/.
To signup for email alerts when air quality is predicted to be poor,
please visit www.wilmapco.org/aqp.
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Member Agency News 
Maryland
Bikeways Program
According to an
email, "The Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) is
accepting applications for FY15 Maryland Bikeways Program funding.
Applications are due by June 5. MDOT encourages agencies to apply to
this Program to fund bicycle transportation projects. Funding awards
will be announced this Fall. The Maryland Bikeways Program is a
state-funded reimbursable grant program that provides funds to local,
regional and state agencies to design and develop bicycle
transportation infrastructure projects." Applications may be
submitted online at www.cycle.maryland.gov.
Applications may also be submitted via email to MDBikeways@mdot.state.md.us.
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 Local News
Spring 2014 Research
Showcase
You are invited to
attend the Delaware Center for Transportation's 2014 Transportation
Research Show-case. The event will be held on May 7 from 1 to 4 p.m.,
at the Paradee Center, 69 Transportation Drive
Dover, DE. Attendees will have the opportunity to view poster displays
and talk to Principal Investigators from the University of Delaware and
Project Managers from DelDOT. Showcase projects will include
environmental, bridge engineering and management, traffic, planning,
policy, pavement, construction, and others. For more information,
please contact Ellen Pletz at (302) 831-1446, or Sandi Wolfe at (302)
831-4094, or visit www.ce.udel.edu/dct.
Delmarva GIS 2014
The 2014 gathering
of the Delmarva GIS Community is set for May 8 at the Heritage Shores
Club in Bridgeville, Delaware. The Delmarva GIS Conference (formerly
Delaware GIS Conference) provides an opportunity to exchange ideas,
share knowledge, and network with other professionals in the region.
Each conference draws more than 200 geospatial professionals from a
wide array of backgrounds including decision-makers, managers,
educators, and state and local government staff. For more
information, please visit www.degis.org/index.html.
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 National News
Secretary Foxx Sends Transportation Bill to
Congress
According to U.S. DOT release, "U.S. Transportation Secretary
Anthony Foxx unveiled a long-term transportation bill he is sending to
Congress for consideration as the House and Senate face looming
deadlines to avoid the economic uncertainty and job loss that would
ensue if the Highway Trust Fund runs out of money this summer. The GROW AMERICA Act
reflects President Obama's vision for a four-year surface
transportation reauthorization bill that would create millions of jobs
and lay the foundation for long-term competitiveness, rebuilding
crumbling roads and bridges while providing much-needed certainty for
local and state governments and addressing the country's future
needs." To view the release, please visit http://www.dot.gov/briefing-room/secretary-foxx-sends-transportation-bill-congress.
TRB
Annual Meeting Papers and Presentations Are Now Available Online
According to the recently posted Transportation Research Board (TRB)
article, "TRB Annual Meeting Online (AMOnline) portal now includes
the papers and presentations from the 2014 TRB 93rd Annual Meeting,
which includes more than 2,900 technical papers and viewable slides and
Posters of the more than 3,600 program presentations from the Annual
Meeting. In one search, this portal allows users to quickly find all
available papers and visual aids by session, presentation, author,
subject area, and more." For more information, visit
http://amonline.trb.org/.
Climate Justice
According to the
EPA's Connect Blog, "Climate change is impacting our lives today,
including record high temperatures, reduced air quality, extreme
weather, severe droughts and sea-level rise, just to name a few
examples. While we all share this burden, these impacts greatly
exasperate the many environmental and public health challenges in
minority, indigenous and low-income communities. That's why EPA
promotes 'climate justice' - a movement, building on more than 20 years
of commitment to Environmental Justice, to protect disadvantaged
communities disproportionately affected by climate change."
For more information, please visit http://blog.epa.gov/epaconnect/2014/04/climate-justice/.
New Analysis Finds more
than 63,000 U.S. Bridges Need Structural Repair
According to the Civic + Structural Engineer News, "An analysis of
the 2013 National Bridge Inventory database recently released by the
U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) shows cars, trucks, and
school buses cross the nation's more than 63,000 structurally
compromised bridges 250 million times every day. The problem could get
a lot worse, the chief economist for the American Road &
Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA) says, as states across the
nation face a slowdown in reimbursements for already approved
federal-aid highway projects in August. Without congressional action,
Dr. Alison Premo Black says there will be no Highway Trust Fund support
for any new road, bridge, or public transportation projects in any
state during FY 2015, which begins October 1." For more
information, please visit http://cenews.com/post/5719/new-analysis-finds-more-than-63000-u-s-bridges-need-structural-repair.
National
Public Service Campaign Targets Risky Driver and Pedestrian Behavior
Near Rail Tracks
According to a
DART First State Media Advisory, "National safety advocate
Operation Lifesaver, Inc., (OLI) has joined with with federal
transportation officials and the nation's railroads to launch the new
"See Tracks? Think Train!" campaign aimed at raising public
awareness about risky pedestrian and driver behavior around railroad
tracks. According to preliminary Federal Railroad Administration (FRA)
statistics for 2013, 908 pedestrians were injured or killed while
walking on or near railroad tracks in 2013, up 7.7 percent from 843 in
2012. In addition, 1,193 people were injured or killed at
railroad grade crossings, up 1.5 percent from 1,175 in
2012." For more information, please contact Delaware's
Operation Lifesaver State Coordinator, Drew McCaskey of DART First
State at (302) 576-6003.
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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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