What are the costs and benefits of policies meant to increase the accessibility of transportation options, expand travel choices and reduce vehicle miles traveled? Such "travel efficiency" policies include smart growth land-use strategies; expanding transit, bike and pedestrian networks; congestion pricing and VMT-based fees; pay-as-you-drive insurance; dedicated bus lanes; converting existing roadway lanes to carpool lanes; and implementing intelligent transportation systems and other measures to improve the efficiency of the existing surface transportation system.
-- Lisa Caruso, NationalJournal.com
22 responses: Deron Lovaas, Gabriel Roth, Richard Mudge, Deron Lovaas, Steve Van Beek, Emil H. Frankel, Lisa Caruso, Greg Cohen, James Corless, Michael A. Replogle, Greg Cohen, Deron Lovaas, Keith Laughlin, Steve Winkelman, Bill Graves, Steve Winkelman, Richard Mudge, Gabriel Roth, Parris N. Glendening, Jon Martz, Gabriel Roth, Steve Winkelman
In what is being portrayed as a billion-dollar bet on the U.S economy and the future of freight rail, billionaire investor Warren Buffett bought out the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corp. last week, paying $100 a share for the 77 percent of the company he didn't already own. Buffett, who is known for making investments for their long-term value, made this bold move despite the economic downturn and the resulting decline in freight traffic.
What does this development mean for the rail industry? Buffett presumably expects the demand for freight transportation to rebound, but any number of variables could thwart rail's resurgence (such as losing its antitrust exemption, not getting the investment tax credit it wants, lack of a national intermodal freight program -- not to mention the repercussions if Congress enacts climate change legislation or if the recession deepens). What other variables are in play and what questions did the Buffett deal raise in your mind?
-- Lisa Caruso, NationalJournal.com
8 responses: Lisa Caruso, Lisa Caruso, Bill Graves, Mortimer L. Downey, Matt Rose, Jack Kinstlinger, Bob Szabo, Ed Hamberger
Last week, both the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and the Senate Commerce Committee held hearings on the increasingly deadly problem of distracted driving, which Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood calls a "serious and ongoing threat to safety." LaHood told the House panel that nearly 6,000 people died on the roads and more than half a million were injured last year in crashes involving distracted driving. And on Oct. 21, a Northwest Airlines flight bound for Minneapolis overshot its destination because the pilots were paying more attention to working out crew schedules on their laptops than they were to flying the plane. LaHood has pledged to address the issue of cockpit distractions, which he also denounced last week.
Have Americans, multitasking behind the wheel or even in the cockpit, become complacent about transportation safety? And what can lawmakers and the transportation community do to promote greater safety awareness, both on the part of average Americans and among the transportation professionals who are responsible for ensuring the safety of millions of passengers?
-- Lisa Caruso, NationalJournal.com
22 responses: Robert L. Darbelnet, Patrick J. Natale, P.E., Steve Cassano, Gabriel Roth, Robin Chase, James Corless, Lisa Caruso, Jack Schenendorf, Lisa Caruso, Pete Ruane, Lisa Caruso, Lisa Caruso, Lisa Caruso, Robert L. Crandall, Steve Van Beek, Bill Graves, Greg Cohen, Dennis Christiansen, Lisa Caruso, Gabriel Roth, Jacqueline Gillan, Carol J. Carmody
