DOT

For Three Saturdays in August, Route from Brooklyn Bridge to Central Park Will Open

June 16, 2008 -- New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and Department of Transportation (DOT) Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan today announced Summer Streets, a new City program that will temporarily open a 6.9 mile car-free route from the Brooklyn Bridge to 72nd Street.    » read more »

April 16, 2008 -- “Today's rules put forth by the Federal Department of Transportation (DOT), in partnership with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), were intended to be a step toward making air transportation more reliable and comfortable for passengers. But these rules are not the right solution, and, in the case of the auctioning of slots at LaGuardia, are woefully misguided.

Baggage area, Laguardia Airport: Photo by Sarah Gilbert (CC)    » read more »

Also: Improves Puncture Resistance, Limits Speed, and Phases Out Oldest from Most Toxic Service

Monday, March 31, 2008 -- The safety of rail tank cars that carry the most dangerous hazardous materials will be dramatically improved under the most sweeping and revolutionary proposal in decades, announced U.S. Secretary of Transportation Mary E. Peters.

“This proposal is designed to significantly reduce the hazard of hauling hazardous materials by rail,” Peters said, explaining the performance-based standard will increase by 500 percent on average the amount of energy the tank car must absorb during a train accident before a catastrophic failure may occur.    » read more »

December 2007 Employment Up 3.7 Percent from December 2006

Wednesday, February 20, 2008 -- U.S. scheduled passenger airlines employed 3.7 percent more workers in December 2007 than in December 2006, the 11th consecutive increase in full-time equivalent employee (FTE) levels for the scheduled passenger carriers from the same month of the previous year, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) reported today (Table 2). FTE calculations count two part-time employees as one full-time employee.    » read more »

Thursday, February 14, 2008, WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary E. Peters today sent legislation to Congress seeking greater flexibility for states to target one of the leading causes of motorcycle deaths across the nation – riding without a helmet.

An avid motorcyclist, she credits her helmet and riding gear for saving her life during a 2005 motorcycle crash.    » read more »

Freight Index Fell 1.3 Percent in December from November

Wednesday, February 13, 2008 -- The Freight Transportation Services Index (TSI) fell 1.3 percent in December from its November level, turning down after two monthly increases in the largest monthly decline since November 2006, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) reported today.    » read more »

Greater Accountability Placed on Railroad Management and Employees for Safety

Wednesday, February 13, 2008 -- Reducing common mistakes that result in nearly half of all human factor-caused train accidents is the aim of a new federal regulation that places greater accountability on both railroad management and employees for complying with basic operating rules, announced U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary E. Peters.    » read more »

Friday, February 8, 2008 -- New seafaring jobs on Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) vessels will go to Americans licensed as ships’ officers under an agreement reached between the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) and the Shell International Trading Company.

Under the agreement, Shell becomes one of the first major oil producers to actively recruit American seafarers for its growing fleet of 25 new LNG vessels, all of which will be put into service in the next four years.    » read more »

Friday, February 8, 2008, WASHINGTON - South Carolina can move forward with plans to build I-73 now that the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has approved environmental documents for the project, U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary E. Peters announced today.

With all federal clearances in place, South Carolina can take the next step to explore financing options to start constructing this new section of interstate.

“Today this state joins the growing list of places that are embracing new and innovative approaches to finance transportation projects,” Peters said.    » read more »

DOT Budget Request Provides Vital Funding for Safety Programs, Road Congestion Relief, and Air Traffic Improvements

Monday, February 4, 2008, WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Secretary of Transportation Mary E. Peters today said President Bush’s $68 billion budget for the U.S. Department of Transportation funds the Department’s critical safety programs, provides financing for much-needed congestion relief programs for the nation’s roads and airways, and honors the six-year transportation funding commitment under SAFETEA-LU.    » read more »

Tuesday, February 5, 2008 -- U.S. airlines experienced a lower rate of on-time flights and more reports of mishandled baggage last year than in 2006, and passengers filed more complaints with the government about airline service than they did the previous year, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Air Travel Consumer Report which was issued today.    » read more »

Statement of Joan Claybrook, President, Public Citizen*

Jan. 24, 2008 -- The Supplemental Notice of Proposed Rulemaking released today by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) concedes that testing vehicles for roof crush on both sides of the roof is effective, but the proposal makes no mention of the safety advantages of doing this.

The proposal is still a static test – one based on mathematical calculations, rather than a dynamic physical test – and it still is at 2.5 times the weight of the vehicle.    » read more »

January 24, 2008 -- The U.S. Department of Transportation today issued a modification of its proposed new roof crush standard to request public input on whether both sides of a vehicle roof should be tested and meet minimum forces.    » read more »

December 18, 2007 -- CHICAGO -- Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) Secretary Milton R. Sees announced the agency will be giving motorists a break by suspending lane closures where possible over the Christmas and New Year’s Holiday weekends. Secretary Sees also urged drivers to closely monitor weather reports before beginning any long distance car trips, and to check IDOT’s web site – www.gettingaroundillinois.com - for travel directions and the latest information on winter road conditions across the state. Information is also available by phone from a toll-free hotline.    » read more »

Remarks by Mayor Bloomberg at a Public Hearing on Local Laws

October 9, 2007 -- “This next bill before me is Introductory Number 581-A, sponsored by Council Members Addabbo, Liu, Gallagher, Jackson, James, Lappin, Mealy, Palma, Reyna, Seabrook, Brewer, Gennaro, Gentile, Gonzalez, Koppell, Martinez, Weprin, Gerson, Garodnick, Nelson and the Public Advocate, Betsy Gotbaum.    » read more »