Kate Hinds

(Washington, DC -- David Schultz, WAMU) DC's Department of Transportation has not had a permanent director since Gabe Klein resigned five months ago.  (Klein is now Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel's Director of Transportation.) And as we reported last week, other top officials have also recently left the agency. But a change may be on the horizon: the mayor's spokesperson, Doxie McCoy,  says in an email that Mayor Vincent Gray will announce a new director for the DDOT tomorrow. Stay tuned!

City Limits takes a long look at Iris Weinshall, former NYC transportation commissioner, bike lane opponent, and wife of Senator Schumer.

Amtrak posted its biggest April ridership numbers in its history. (AltTransport)

San Francisco may raise taxi cab rates "to heights unseen in any other part of the nation." (AP via Sacramento Bee)

Some scientists are casting doubt on the radiation dose delivered by the TSA's body scanners. (ProPublica)

Ray LaHood attended Rahm Emanuel's inauguration; says Chicago's new mayor is sending a team to DC to talk transportation priorities. (AP via Chicago Tribune)

The Hill reports that the Senate is set to vote today on the Democrats' bill that would cut the tax breaks received by the big five oil companies.

A Manhattan community board gets behind the idea of a car-free Central Park. (DNA Info)

Two towns that protested the effects of the widening of the New Jersey Turnpike have begun spending the millions awarded them for the loss of forested land. (The Times of Trenton)

Ottawa's bike share program begins this week. (Ottawa Citizen)

Pedicabs in New York must now obey motor vehicle law. (Wall Street Journal)

A move is afoot to get London to adopt a cycle map based on the iconic Tube map. (Fast Company)

Simon Parker's London cycle map

Follow Transportation Nation on Twitter.

In case you missed it on Transportation Nation:

-- Fernando Ferrer named to NY MTA board (link)

-- baby born on Verrazano Bridge (link)

-- a new report says essential urban infrastructure is disintegrating rapidly (link)

NJ Governor Christie's approach to transportation has led to higher tolls and more expensive transit.  (NY Times)

Automakers are trying to convince the Chinese to drive electric vehicles -- not an easy sell. "In addition to general suspicions of new technology and logistics of where to plug the cars in, there is also a huge problem with Chinese government oversight and regulation." (NPR)

NY's MTA is testing out buses which apparently have low ceilings and cramped legroom. (NY Post)

The U.S. natural gas boom is paving the way for another kind of all-American boom: litigation. (Marketplace)

The NY Times has a photo essay about old subway cars used as reefs -- a practice which is ending.  (Can't help but note that WNYC had this story a year ago, almost to the day. )

Ray LaHood returned to his alma mater to deliver the commencement address; video below. (FastLane)

According to a Detroit Free Press editorial, transportation in Grand Rapids is one of the reasons why that city is in better shape than Detroit.

British author Robert Penn already owned six bicycles -- but none of them was the perfect one. NPR interviewed him about his quest to build the perfect bike.

Follow Transportation Nation on Twitter.

In case you  missed it on Transportation Nation:

-- DC's DOT is losing key staff, and the mayor has yet to appoint a head (link)

-- Boston says 1/3 of transit riders are using transit apps (link)

-- the AAA says 630 bicyclists were killed in motor vehicle crashes in 2009 (link)

-- does driving make you fat? Could be. (link)

The LAPD is experimenting with electric bicycles. (Los Angeles Times)

Ray LaHood wants to help resolve differences in the Dulles Airport Metrorail project. (Washington Post)

DC's Metro has given Google Transit access to its data. (Washington Post)

New York City's bike lanes: a new poll says that support for them is stable, even if people think the lanes are unused. (Wall Street Journal)

NJ Senator Robert Menendez talked about oil company tax breaks -- and the senate finance committee hearing on the issue -- on the Brian Lehrer Show. (WNYC/IAFC)

AC Transit will be raising fares, and service cuts may also be coming within a year. (Contra Costa Times)

More on the osprey nest that's foiling DDOT construction from Marketplace.

The New York Post profiles the man who spent his life savings on the Doomsday ads now running in the subway. Bonus fact: he's a former MTA employee.

Who wants to see Estonians simulate bicycle riding on an airport people mover? You do! (video below:)

Follow Transportation Nation on Twitter.

In case you missed it on Transportation Nation:

-- light rail could be pushing west in NJ (link)

-- speed in NYC, and you might see skeletons (link)

-- the world's most dangerous roads (link)

-- a new Brookings report came out, ranking access to transit (link)

Just how vulnerable are America's railroads to a terrorist attack? The Wall Street Journal reports that "for every $50 the Transportation Security Administration spends on aviation security, the agency budgets $1 to protect surface transportation."

Will separated bike lanes come to Toronto? (NOW Toronto)

Bike parked outside of WNYC's Greene Space (photo by Kate Hinds)

The big jump in oil prices pushed the nation's trade deficit higher in March. (AP via NPR)

DC is trying out San Francisco's dynamic parking pricing. (WAMU/Kojo Nnamdi Show)

Boston cabbies and credit card companies try to reach a compromise. (WBUR/Radio Boston)

Tampa's taxpayers could be on the hook for tens of millions of dollars in shortfalls at the city's financially-strapped parking division. (Tampa Tribune)

NYC is exploring technology that would provide real-time traffic info via GPS -- as well as provide vehicle miles traveled information. (NY Daily News)

Toyota will launch a new set of sales incentives on many of its models. (Wall Street Journal)

Follow Transportation Nation on Twitter.

In case you missed it on Transportation Nation:

--a new report shows how states spend their transpo dollars (link)

--Indiana bans texting (link)

--storefronts use bikes as sales draw (link)

Mississippi floodwaters are heading south to Louisiana -- home to more than 10% of the nation's oil refining capacity. (Marketplace)

NYC has extradited (from Kansas City and Miami) two former taxi drivers accused of intentionally overcharging passengers by illegally setting their meters to an out-of-town rate. (WNYC)

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution profiles Todd Long, the state’s powerful director of planning for transportation. AJC describes him as "an unelected bureaucrat (who) is the initial gatekeeper for the $8 billion referendum that many say will shape metro Atlanta’s future for decades to come."

NJ Transit unveils its first locomotive powered by an engine that can operate on both diesel and electric lines. (NJ Record)

Want to live near your office? Washington, D.C.'s Office of Planning is launching a pilot program to incentivize it. (Good)

The White House says "tough love" saved General Motors (The Hill). Meanwhile, the Big Three are hiring (Detroit Free Press) -- but Toyota's profit slipped 77% (NY Times).

Breaking: Ray LaHood doesn't know the meaning of the word 'hipster.' (The Atlantic )

Cruiser culture in Boise: "They have a blue house, they want a blue bike," says a bike shop owner. (Boise Weekly)

More on New York City's "Don't Be A Jerk" bike behavior campaign in the Wall Street Journal, the NY Post, and Streetsblog.

The NY Post says NYC's bike share program plan will "visit perpetual terror" on New Yorkers.

And bikers: is your morning commute less bumpy? One Brooklyn Bridge rider says it's smooth sailing.

From WNYC's Amy Pearl: "Nothing beats the feel of freshly laid blacktop against my bike tires. It looks like they finally repaved the approach to the Brooklyn Bridge!"

Follow Transportation Nation on Twitter.

In case you missed it on Transportation Nation:

--get ready for dueling petro-bills in Congress (link)

--NYC to cyclists: don't be jerks (link)

--Chicago's mayor-elect Rahm Emanuel releases transpo report (link)

--Texas wins $15 million for high-speed rail study (link)

(Kate Hinds, Transportation Nation)  In the great tradition of leveraging public shame to correct behavior (as in this classic 1970s anti-littering commercial), the New York City Department of Transportation has rolled out an ad campaign it's calling "Don't Be A Jerk." The message: bicyclists, you need to clean up your act.

The city has called upon several celebrities (like the orange-shod chef, Mario Batali, seen below cycling against the traffic) to demonstrate bad biking behaviors.

“As our streets have become safer and as more New Yorkers take to two wheels, bike riders need to adopt a street code,” said NYC DOT commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan. “A nice way to put it is that we all simply need to look out for one another. To put it a little more bluntly, don’t be a jerk. It’s a simple, direct message with a wink for bicyclists to follow the rules and help make our streets safer for everyone on them.”

The ads are timed to coincide with Bike Month (not to mention coverage of the NYPD's ticketing of bicyclists) and will air on local television stations through the end of June.

Been ticketed while riding a bike? Let TN know.

Follow Transportation Nation on Twitter.

The future Springville Greenway, a 3.3-mile path along the eastern edge of Freshkills Park

(Kate Hinds, Transportation Nation) The New York City Parks Department announced the winner of its annual Haiku Contest. This year's guidelines: "impressions, experiences, thoughts and ideas of what Freshkills Park is and will be." The winning submission, which comes from Staten Islander Stevie D'Arbanville, marries a future bike lane to a past romance:

Somewhere underneath
The bike paths I will ride on
My old love letters

More winning haiku can be found here.

Follow Transportation Nation on Twitter.

Demand for used cars is up -- and so are the prices. (NPR)

Transportation officials are planning a number of security upgrades along Los Angeles County's network of rail lines over the next year, including a chemical-detection system and scores of new video surveillance cameras. (Los Angeles Times)

The NYPD said two episodes of subway tunnel trespassing this weekend weren't terror-related, but they warn the city's subway system is so big it's possible for intruders to enter blocked areas. (AP)

The NTSB begins a two-day forum on truck and bus crashes today; watch the live webcast here.

A new report says Philadelphia has twice as many bike commuters as any other large city. (Philadelphia Inquirer)

Nicole Gelinas op-ed in Sunday's Star-Ledger: Xanadu isn't infrastructure, unless you're a teenager.

NYC unveiled its "Don't Be a Jerk" bike safety campaign. Watch the video below to see the DOT chief experience what must be a moment of catharsis (her cameo is at :15).

Been wondering what Viennese bike rap looks like? Your wait is over.

The US Post Office issues "Go Green" stamps; out of each sheet of 16, five are transportation related: “Share rides,” “Choose to walk,” “Ride a bike,” “Use public transportation,” and “Maintain tire pressure.” (Alt Transport)

Oh, if only: imaginary instructions for an Ikea-made car. A Djiloriann, no less. Click the link for visual. (College Humor via Curbed)

Follow Transportation Nation on Twitter.

In case you missed it on Transportation Nation:

--the Northeast reaps nearly $800 million in Florida's rejected high-speed rail funds -- but will the trains really be high speed? (link)

--NY Senator Schumer: Xanadu money should have gone to ARC tunnel (link)

--consensus has been reached on NY's Central Park bike ticketing (link)

--San Francisco will charge your electric car for free through 2013 (link)

Fifteen states and Amtrak will receive Florida's rejected high-speed rail money (AP).  The Northeast will get the biggest share; California and the Midwest also benefit (Bloomberg). Ray LaHood will be making announcements in both New York and Detroit today; stay tuned to TN for the latest.

(photo by Steven Vance/Flickr)

Meanwhile, an Amtrak derailment under New York's East River caused LIRR delays. (NY Daily News)

PATH service is back on schedule after yesterday's crash in which a train overshot the Hoboken (NJ) platform. (Star-Ledger)

Senator Schumer wants to implement a "no ride" list on Amtrak to guard against terrorist attacks. (Reuters)

An allegedly drunk tour bus driver killed a pedestrian in Manhattan this weekend. (NY Times)

The next iteration of NY's MetroCard is being unveiled this week. In the future, you could use either a credit card or the MTA's version of the E-Z Pass to ride transit. (NY Daily News)

Big week ahead on the House and Senate floors over offshore drilling and oil-and-gas industry tax breaks. (The Hill)

A Marketplace staffer talks about commuting in LA on an electric bike.

More on San Francisco's dynamic parking pricing. “If it works in San Francisco, the whole world will take notice,” says one urban planner. (NY Times)

The New York Post editorializes about the recent council hearing about the city DOT pedestrian plaza program.

Follow Transportation Nation on Twitter.

In case you missed it on Transportation Nation:

--we're crowdsouring bike tickets; let us know if you were pulled over while on two wheels (link)

--rising fuel prices spur farmers to become more creative (link)

--President Obama is connecting the dots between terrorism and fuel-efficient transportation (link)

The White House walked back a proposal to tax people based on how many miles they drive. "This is not a bill supported by the administration," says a spokesperson. (The Hill)

More on San Francisco's congestion parking pricing. (Bay Citizen via New York Times)

Gas prices may fall a bit in the short term, but they will keep rising for years to come. (Planet Money/NPR)

(photo courtesy of Senator Boxer/Flickr)

The House passed a measure that would require the Interior Department to conduct four offshore oil and gas lease sales in the Gulf of Mexico and off the coast of Virginia. (Washington Post)

California high-speed rail planners revived a long-discarded route option that could save billions of dollars and eliminate a sweeping dogleg through Los Angeles County's high desert towns. (Los Angeles Times)

Ray LaHood calls for a multi-year FAA reauthorization bill in Politico.

A Guardian reporter writes: "Finding a non-daft looking cycle helmet is the holy grail for vain cyclists." Has she found it? Yes and no.

Arizona has created a “Don’t Tread on Me” license plate to raise money for the tea party movement. (Roll Call)

Follow Transportation Nation on Twitter.

In case you missed it on Transportation Nation:

--federal regulators unveiled new bus safety rules (link)

--DOT secretary Ray LaHood said an announcement about who gets Florida's high-speed rail money should come "next week" (link)

--New York City's subways are dirtier -- or are they? (link)

--a Maryland county gets closer to Bus Rapid Transit (link)

Ray LaHood, speaking to reporters via conference call

(Kate Hinds, Transportation Nation) US DOT Secretary Ray LaHood said on a conference call this afternoon that the Obama Administration hopes to make an announcement about new fuel efficiency standards as early as this fall.

LaHood said he knows gas prices are a hot topic right now and that "high gasoline prices are killing family budgets." He added that President Obama has "told everybody in this administration (it's) 'all hands on deck' when it comes to getting gasoline prices down and getting people into more fuel-efficient cars."

Goals for the government-dictated fuel economy standards for cars and light trucks (also known as corporate average fuel economy, or the CAFE standard) increase fuel efficiency by 5% a year from 2012 through 2016. Automakers are financially penalized if they don't meet these standards.

LaHood said arriving at the post-2016 CAFE standard is a work in progress, and he resisted attempts to be pinned down to what that number might be. "If I knew what the standard was, I'd be announcing it today," he said. "Based on the work that people are doing, we'll have an announcement in the fall."  When pressed, he said "I don't even know what the number is! The number is being developed."

TN also asked the secretary when an announcement would be made about awarding the $2.4 billion in high-speed rail money that Florida rejected earlier this year. LaHood would only say "next week."  Illinois politicians said this week that that state had won $186 million to make improvements on its Chicago-to-St. Louis rail corridor.

The call was held to preview President Obama's trip to Indianapolis tomorrow to visit Allison Transmission, a company that builds hybrid propulsion systems. Heather Zichal, the deputy assistant to the president for energy and climate policy, was also on the call.

Follow Transportation Nation on Twitter.

Illinois got $186 million of Florida's rejected high-speed rail funding. (Chicago Tribune)

The Obama administration has floated a transportation authorization bill that would tax automobile drivers based on how many miles they drive.  (The Hill)

New York's City Council grilled DOT officials over the agency's pedestrian plaza program. (NY1)

Oil prices drop below $110 a barrel; but Marketplace's London correspondent says in his city, gas is "right around $9.00 dollars a gallon. Luckily I take the London Underground everywhere I need to go."

Boston's transit agency had its biggest jump in ridership in two years. (WBUR)

WNYC looks at how livery cabs set fares.

The golden age of airlines' frequent flyer programs is over. (Gannett via Asbury Park Press)

General Motors's quarterly profit tripled; the company also posted its fifth consecutive profitable quarter. (NY Times)

Speaking of GM: the company said (playfully, perhaps?) that it will bring back the El Camino if 100,000 people say they want it; Jalopnik calls their bluff.

1968 Chevrolet El Camino (photo by Useute via Wikimedia Commons)

Can a high-tech bike get kids interested in engineering? (Good)

Blimps rise again! (The Daily Climate)

Follow Transportation Nation on Twitter.

In case you missed it on Transportation Nation:

--Ray LaHood will announce bus safety measures (link)

--NYC Transit is employing a 'station domination' ad strategy (link)

--Gridlock alert: the president is visiting Ground Zero today (link)

--the Wounded Warrior Project's Soldier Ride visited the White House (link)

--airfares rise; NJ has both most and least expensive (link)

 Ray LaHood and President Obama (official White House photo by Pete Souza)

Politico profiles transpo secretary Ray LaHood, one of the president's most popular officials.

Small cars boosted April auto sales. (NYTimes)

Roundabouts are becoming more common in America -- to the dismay of some drivers. (Marketplace)

Also on Marketplace, rising gas price increases have an out-sized psychological effect.

The first freedom rides happened 50 years ago today. (The Takeaway) (NOTE: Want to learn more about about transportation and civil rights? Listen to the TN doc "Back of the Bus" here.)

(photo courtesy of @NissanNews)

(Kate Hinds, Transportation Nation) If the open laptop featured in this photo Nissan tweeted earlier today, the answer could be yes. (Of course, the person using this laptop would have to be seated under the dashboard, facing the back of the van, but that's neither here nor there.) We do know, from the press release, that the taxi will have charging stations for mobile devices.

More pictures of the Nissan taxi can be found here.  You can see a video of it here.

WNYC's Kathleen Horan is reporting the Taxi of Tomorrow will be Nissan -- and already there are calls for an investigation of a conflict of interest in the contract-letting. Public Advocate Bill de Blasio, Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz, and Assembly member Micah Kellner are calling for an investigation -- their letter to NYC Comptroller John Liu is after the jump.  Karsan -- one of the losing entrants (the other was Ford) had promised, if selected, to build its taxis in Brooklyn.  It had one of the most intriguing designs (moon roof, sleek lines), but city officials had expressed concerns about the Turkish company's ability to fulfill the contract.

Christie said he won't repay ARC money: the NJ gov said the $271 million in federal funds that had been designated for the ARC tunnel “is not money that should be paid back to the federal government.” His decision may cost the state $52,000 a week in interest. No word yet on his next move. (Bloomberg)

The winning automaker in New York's "Taxi of Tomorrow" contest will be unveiled soon. (WNYC)

Queens residents and politicians are fed up with New York's #7 subway line, which has had 106 service disruptions since January. (Queens Courier)

Rep. John Mica is worried that Osama bin Laden supporters might target America's transit systems. (The Hill)

The Netherlands has sent three experts on “cycling as transportation’’ to Miami to help figure out how to make that city more bike-friendly. (McClatchy; hat tip to Good)

DC-area bicyclists not only battle cars, but the design of the roads. (WAMU)

Why yes, I would like to build a bicycle that also doubles as a pencil. (Instructables)

Pencil Bike (photo courtesy of instructables.com)

Toyota has sparked a controversy in Brazil for attempting to legally bar a media outlet that published spy shots of a new Corolla from ever mentioning the Toyota brand name again. (Jalopnik)

What happens to the neighborhood when a Borders disappears? Chicago wants to encourage smaller businesses, but parking remains a perpetual concern. (WBEZ)

Honda is recalling hundreds of thousands of vehicles over airbag concerns. (Detroit News)

Follow Transportation Nation on Twitter.

In case you missed it on Transportation Nation:

--DC's bikeshare gets a boost from a rally held in the wake of bin Laden's death (link)

--as gas prices rise, so does bus ridership (link)

Oil prices fall on news of Osama bin Laden's death. (Marketplace)

Washington's Metro transit system is stepping up security as a precaution. (AP)

More coverage of the NYC DOT's "Sustainable Streets Index" report in the Wall Street Journal.

A Boston Globe editorial lauds the city's biking efforts, but says "the city must also work to cultivate the good habits, among bicyclists as well as motorists, that will allow both types of vehicles to coexist." The Globe also looks at DC's Capital Bikeshare program -- and wonders if its success can be replicated in Boston.

Chrysler posts its first profit since going through bankruptcy two years ago. (New York Times)

Ray LaHood kicks off Bike Safety Month and urges people to be "Roll Models."

New York City's Five Boro Bike Tour took place yesterday. (WNYC)

Five Boro Bike Tour (photo by Stephen Nessen/WNYC)

Follow Transportation Nation on Twitter.

In case you missed it on Transportation Nation:

--NYC DOT says biking is up, streets are safer (link)

--The increase in gas prices drove bus ridership up as well (link)

--you can now take the train to the track in NY again (link)

--the federal government told NJ it absolutely positively had to repay ARC tunnel money (link)

Higher oil prices have been very very good to Exxon -- its first quarter earnings surged 69% (Wall Street Journal). Meanwhile, Democrats say they are determined to end oil companies' tax breaks (The Hill).

The chair of Houston's METRO talks to KUHF about the agency's latest projects-- as well as its efforts to repair its relationship with the Federal Transit Administration.

Bus rapid transit has changed the Chinese city of Guangzhou. (Good)

MARTA is considering a 50-cent fare increase. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

New York's City Council voted to give each community board the chance to opt out of alternate side parking one day a week. (WNYC)

An Alexandria (VA) yacht club won't move its parking lot, so plans for a public park must be scaled back. (WAMU)

The Michigan Department of Transportation takes to YouTube to promote transit. Sample music video lyric: "Some days I actually want to drive my car/so I can sing like a long-haired 80's pop star/but it's nice to have the bus when I want to chat/hanging out, making friends -- what's wrong with that?" (Warning: the music has the ability to lodge itself semi-permanently into one's frontal lobes.)

JFK airport has ended its foray into falconry. (WSJ)

Follow Transportation Nation on Twitter.

In case you missed it on Transportation Nation:

--NYCDOT reveals a diminished East Side bike plan (link)

--BART is considering a last-night train pilot project (link)

--The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge rode to their wedding in style (link)

(Kate Hinds, Transportation Nation) Yes, you'll be in Times Square by 5am Friday to watch the wedding proceedings live via Jumbotron. You've read that the 1,900 guests might be downing something called "blancmange shooters." You know that Kate Middleton and Ellen DeGeneres are 15th cousins. You fret whether the millions of people livestreaming the wedding could break the internet.

But followers of transportation news have been wondering: just how will the royal couple get to Westminster Abbey?

Kate Middleton's ride: a Rolls-Royce Phantom VI (by Lars-Göran Lindgren via Wikimedia Commons)

Wait no more. From the latest Royal Wedding briefing document:

"Miss Middleton and Prince William will travel separately to the wedding service using State Cars from the Royal Mews.  Miss Middleton will travel in a Rolls Royce Phantom VI, accompanied by her father. The Rolls Royce was presented to The Queen in 1978 for her Silver Jubilee by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders."

Prince William will ride in state Bentley (by S. Foskett via Wikimedia Commons)

"Prince William will travel in a Bentley, accompanied by Prince Harry. The State Bentleys have been uniquely designed enabling greater use to be made of the vehicle’s interior space. The Bentleys are 6.22 metres long and, at 3.84 meters, their wheelbase is 1.3 metres longer than that of an average family sized saloon.

State cars are painted in Royal claret livery. The Rolls-Royces and Bentleys do not have registration number plates, since they are State vehicles. On processional occasions, the State cars travel at around nine miles per hour, and sometimes as slow as three miles per hour."

More information about all things Royal Wedding -- including the breeds of horses used in the procession, as well as mention of the Glass Coach -- can be found at the official wedding website.

Follow Transportation Nation on Twitter.