Kate Hinds

Earlier on TN:
To Continue Plowing or Throw in the Towel: That is Connecticut’s Question (link)
Car Share Parking Attracts an Unlikely Foe in San Francisco (link)
Maryland’s Senate President Wants Gas Tax Hike (link)

A MARTA station (photo by Chris Yunker via flickr)

A New York State DOT employee was forced to retire after he spoke to a reporter -- and then he was dressed down on air by a top aide to Governor Cuomo. (AP via Wall Street Journal; New York Times)

Georgia legislators are moving closer to privatizing some functions of MARTA. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

Washington State Democrats have proposed a transportation funding plan that would raise the gas tax, increase car tabs and charge a bicycle fee. (Seattle Times)

Boeing is meeting with the Federal Aviation Administration today to hash out when it might get its grounded fleet of 787’s back in the air. (Marketplace)

On today's The Takeaway: is President Obama's fix-it-first approach to infrastructure repair too little too late?

Why isn't NYC mayoral candidate -- and former MTA head -- Joe Lhota attending tonight's mayoral transportation forum? (Crain's New York)

An insta-sinkhole damaged 18 vehicles on the Garden State Parkway. (Star-Ledger)

And the Oscar goes to...Lincoln. At least according to NYC taxi riders. (NYC TLC)

Before Hurricane Sandy struck, the major airports in the New York metropolitan area were on pace to handle more travelers than they had in any previous year. (New York Times)

Massive rainfall in Athens has disrupted that city's transportation network. "At one point the rainfall was so intense that parked cars were swept away by racing waters." (BBC)

Lost subways of Philadelphia: remnants of an abandoned, century-old subway station were uncovered during construction work. (Philadelphia Inquirer)

Now that he's been to Montana, departing U.S. DOT head Ray LaHood has visited all 50 states. (FastLane)

In Denver this weekend? Check out the North American Handmade Bicycle Show. (Coloradoan)

Why reclining seats should be banned on planes: "Tilting your seat back on an airplane is pure evil." (Slate)

As part of an ad campaign, Qualcomm decided to make one bus stop...interactive. (Gawker)

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Top stories on TN:
New York Gets Usage-Based Car Insurance (link)
Looming Fiscal Cliff For Seattle Transit (link)
Virginia House and Senate Negotiators Strike Transportation Funding Deal (link)
White House Infrastructure Plan Shifts Focus from New Building to Repair (link)
Former MTA Chief Offers Fresh Details on Sandy Prep (link)
D.C. Metro Employees Will Soon Be Able to Anonymously Report Safety Hazards (link)

Bicyclists in Phoenix (photo by Steven Vance via flickr)

Boeing has a battery fix for its Dreamliner. (AP)

An internet poll about the NYC subway revealed 31% of riders said "I don't use the word 'love' in the same sentence with 'MTA.'" (AM NY)

Google's self-driving car took a test-drive through Texas -- but didn't get permission from state and local agencies first. No matter: Texas law needs to updated to prepare for driverless vehicles. (Texas Tribune)

Tesla Motors says it will turn a profit in the first quarter for the first time and expects to meet its target of producing 20,000 electric vehicles this year. (Detroit Free Press)

The city of Phoenix has issued an RFP for a bike share program. (Downtown Devil)

Two D.C. Council members proposed a bill that would add points to a driver’s record if they are charged with bicycle-related traffic violations. (Washington Post)

More cities across the U.S. are turning to parking meter apps. (Marketplace)

The engineer who led the effort to rebuild the Minneapolis bridge that collapsed in 2007 has been named director of the Tappan Zee Bridge replacement project. (Journal News)

After a five-year hiatus, the daypass may soon return as an option for Houston Metro bus and train riders. (Houston Chronicle)

An engagement ring was lost -- and found -- on the NYC subway. Moral of the story: if you lose something, remember to check MTA Lost and Found. (New York Post)

Labor unions at several Indian auto makers declared a two-day strike. (Wall Street Journal)

If your car gets stuck on railroad tracks, look for a phone number on a sign. "The phone number - posted at every railroad intersection - is a direct link to Union Pacific Railroad operators who can contact trains in the area and have them stop before reaching the crossing." (Beaumont Enterprise)

LISTEN: The gas tax isn't working so well. So what's next? (Freakonomics)

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Allstate's DriveWise device (image from Allstate)

Cheaper car insurance rates can now be yours, New Yorkers -- if you drive fewer miles more safely, and agree to attach an electronic monitoring device to your car's dashboard.

It's called usage-based insurance, and it's already in place in dozens of states across the country. It is relatively new to New York, however, and now city officials and the two companies offering it are trumpeting its benefits to boost enrollment.

Under this type of insurance, drivers agree to attach a monitoring device to their car's electrical system. That device relays behavioral information like speed, number of miles driven, time of day the car is used, and how often -- and hard -- the brakes are hit. (The device is not a GPS device, insurers hasten to add.) The data is analyzed and a premium rate computed. Currently, only Progressive and Allstate are offering this type of insurance in New York.

New York City Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan said this type of insurance incentivizes good driving. "I think that when people realize they can save real money, and you can save money by driving safely, I think we'll see safer driving and money in the pockets of New Yorkers." She said it makes good financial sense for New Yorkers, who tend to drive less than people in other parts of the country because of the availability of public transit.

Which is a good thing. "There's really a big public policy benefit to a program like this," said Dave Pratt, Progressive’s general manager of usage-based insurance. "If you can save money by driving less, avoiding dangerous times of day and driving more safely, we might actually encourage people not to drive as much, so there wouldn't be quite as much traffic."

Pratt added "we've seen some evidence that being in the program does help people to drive more safely."

The devices also allow users to track their own driving habits via computer.

Allstate and Progress say the program is purely voluntary, and it rewards good behavior without punishing bad. So drivers who routinely speed down the Thruway at 2am won't be slapped with higher premiums.  (Or, as Progressive's Flo puts it in a commercial, "before you worry your pretty little heads --  no, your rates can't go up.")

Read more about the usage-based insurance on the NYC DOT's website here.

Top stories on TN:
NJ Gov Christie: “Chewed Away” Shore Road Will Be Rebuilt (link)
Making Orlando’s Streets Safer for Pedestrians (link)
SF Mayor Pledges to Fix Muni (link)

School buses are rolling again in NYC. (Photo by Stephen Nessen/WNYC)

What -- if anything -- did the five Democrats running for NYC mayor promise the bus workers union? (SchoolBook)

After four decades of service, BART finally appears ready to allow bikes on its trains during commute hours. (Oakland Tribune)

Joe Lhota - the former head of the MTA and current NYC mayoral candidate -- will be on the Brian Lehrer Show this morning. (WNYC)

New Jersey governor Chris Christie hasn't been a leader on climate change -- but some Republicans say he could be. (Mother Jones)

Meanwhile: the contradictory nature of climate change: less snow, more blizzards. (AP via SF Gate)

Could gas actually cost more than your car? Why one expert's analysis is wrong. (Freakonomics)

New York's MTA and its largest workers’ union haven’t been to the bargaining table in over three months, with each side blaming the other for the breakdown in talks. (New York Post)

Virginia's House and Senate are moving closer to a deal on transportation funding that would substantially cut the fuels tax but raise the sales tax -- and divert a portion of existing revenues to roads. (Washington Post)

The Port Authority estimates some $28 million has been ripped off in the past two years by thieves who don't pay E-ZPass tolls. (WABC)

A must-listen: TN's Alex Goldmark covered NYC's taxi app battle for NPR.

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The TSA collected more than $500,000 in loose change that was left behind by airline passengers at its security checkpoints in 2012. (The Hill)

The public editor of the New York Times weighs in on the Tesla test-drive brouhaha.  "I am convinced that [the reporter] took on the test drive in good faith, and told the story as he experienced it." But: "did he use good judgment along the way? Not especially." (New York Times)

California’s cap-and-trade program to cut greenhouse gases resumed Tuesday with its second auction of carbon allowances to industrial polluters. "The market is being closely watched around the world, and billions of dollars are at stake. But some nagging questions are lingering from the first auction." (KQED)

Say you've just graduated from college and are trying to figure out where to live. Is the new land of opportunity in the cities or the suburbs? Answer: it's complicated. (Minn Post)

Charleston, South Carolina, is weighing whether or not to allow more cruise ships to dock at its port. (New York Times)

With its 787s now grounded, Boeing is facing the problem of where to put the new planes that keep rolling off the assembly line. (New York Times)

Breaking news: scientists support farting on airplanes. I repeat: scientists support farting on planes. (Note: come for the headline, stay for the accompanying photo.) (New York Daily News)

Facebook fan page of the day: "Remember those two-section traffic signals in New York City?" (link)

Airline fantasy: AirGo, an ergonomic approach to economy-class seating. Translation: if the person in front of you reclines, you won't be eating your knees. (Gothamist)

A coastal Jersey roadway ravaged by Sandy will take two years and over $215 million to repair.

Aerial photographs of the Mantoloking Bridge and Route 35, before and after Sandy (image by NASA Goddard Photo and Video via flickr)

Speaking Tuesday in the shore town of Lavalette, Governor Chris Christie said the state has received federal funding to rehabilitate a 12.5 mile stretch of Route 35 running from Point Pleasant Beach to Island Beach State Park.  The road, which is a block from the Atlantic Ocean, "sustained some of the most severe damage in the state," said Christie. "Thousands of truckloads of debris and sand" were removed in the days after the storm, he said, and the road was "chewed away" in places. In Mantoloking (see above), the storm cut a new inlet between the ocean and the bay.

Christie said the scope of the damage left him with a decision: "Build back to where we were, or rebuild better and stronger." He added: "our decision is to rebuild better and rebuild now."

The new roadbed will be 24 inches thick instead of the current eight -- incorporating both an asphalt pavement top and sub-base materials to act as drainage and stabilization. There will also be a new drainage system and pump stations. "The new system will be built to handle 25-year storms, which is the maximum attainable given the peninsula's geology," reads the press release.

That's reasonable, says Dr. Tom Bennert, pavement expert at Rutgers' Center for Advanced Infrastructure and Transportation. He said  the force of the water generated by Sandy was tremendous.

"It would be very difficult for any structure, even pavement, to withstand that," he said. "A 25-year flood, based on the geology, based on the fact that there is quite a high water table in that area, you’re only going to be able to drain so much, is a very realistic target."

Bennert said he was glad to see the state pay attention to the drainage system, which he said is critical. "It’s kind of hard to visualize," Bennert says, "because when we’re driving on the road we just see the top. But really there’s six to 12 inches of asphalt below that, then granular material used as a foundation to support the asphalt."  That granular material provides drainage to make sure if water gets in, it doesn’t stay there.

Bennert also said Route 35 needed work even before Sandy hit. "A lot of our pavements in this state have lived past their design life," he said, and that includes Route 35.  "It was a pavement that was built quite a while ago and honestly...really needed to be reconstructed to begin with."

The project is being divided into three phases. The first section of the road to be repaired will be the northernmost stretch, which currently has just one travel lane open in each direction. Work will begin this summer.

A bridge across the Ohio River (photo by Peter Dedina via flickr)

A planned bridge across the Ohio River is dividing a community. “They’re still fighting the last urban war, which was highway development," says one critic, "but that’s not the nature of the future of the city." (New York Times)

Public transit use in Frederick County, Maryland, has doubled in the last decade. (WTOP)

Legislation has been introduced in Illinois that calls for merging the RTA and the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning into a new entity. (Chicago Tribune)

Transportation data can be used to predict pandemics. (Infection Control Today)

Galveston now has wayfinding signs. (KUHF)

Gas prices in the D.C. area continue to rise. (WAMU)

D.C. Metrobus drivers get customer service training. "They role-play how to deal with unruly schoolkids or a passenger smoking a cigarette. They get refreshers on how to help disabled passengers and how to report an emergency. And they vent." (Washington Post)

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Meanwhile, in Virginia, House and Senate negotiators considered an entirely new transportation funding plan Monday. (Washington Post)

Los Angeles Times editorial about Beverly Hills' "embarrassing" battle against the Westside subway extension: "Stop gumming up the rails, Beverly Hills, for your own sake and L.A.'s."

A high-speed rail link between Singapore and the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur may be completed by 2020. (Bloomberg)

Kenyan graffiti artists received permission from the Rift Valley Railway to spray-paint a 10-car commuter train with peace messages and icons. It may be the first train in Africa with officially authorized graffiti. (NPR)

Rabbits are eating the spark plug cables and other wiring out of parked cars at Denver's airport. (AP)

A man charged with slapping a crying boy on a Delta flight -- not to mention racially insulting him -- is out of a job. (CNN)

A new whale species was discovered during construction to widen a California highway. (Wired)

Freight train eye candy: travel 1200 miles on a Tropicana juice train in less than 3 minutes. (FastCoExist)

Top stories on TN:
Legal Challenge for Taxi Hail Apps with NYC Yellow Cabs (link)
Steel Gates, Raised Roadbeds & Dunes: NYC Transpo After Sandy (link)
Watch Outraged Infrastructure Humor, Daily Show Style (link)
D.C. Wants to Make Its Cabs Red (link)

A protest against the Keystone XL pipeline in San Francisco (photo by Steve Rhodes via flickr)

The month-long NYC school bus strike is over. (SchoolBook)

As the money collected from gasoline taxes dwindles, road infrastructure needs are growing. (New York Times)

Some states are moving toward a 'zero death' road safety goal. (Chicago Tribune)

...a worthy goal for Downton Abbey. (Los Angeles Times)

How to build a high-speed system without hurting the freight industry is a problem that has not yet been solved. (NPR)

Is the Chevy Silverado behind a drop in U.S. factory production? (Marketplace)

The number of NYC cyclists ticketed for traffic infractions in 2012 dropped by nearly 20 percent from the year before. (New York Post)

And: Hurricane Sandy washed away New York’s parking enforcement program, "bringing joy to motorists across all five boroughs but blowing a hole of up to $100 million in city finances." (New York Post)

The Keystone XL decision: should the president alienate environmental advocates -- or Canada? (New York Times)

Can NJ Transit's on-time performance really be 91%? Critics say no. (Asbury Park Press)

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Top stories on TN:
How Hundreds of Passengers Got Stranded in D.C. Metro Fiasco (link)
SLIDESHOW: Art on NYC MetroCards (link)

US military drone planes at the Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum (photo by Chris Devers via flickr)

Paradigm shift: the New York State DMV has stopped using the word “accident” in its annual statistical summaries, using "crashes" instead. "An accident implies something that is not preventable," says the DMV. "A majority of crashes are caused by intoxicated, speeding, distracted, or careless drivers and, therefore, are not accidents." (Streetsblog)

Federal safety inspectors will comb databases for interstate bus companies with similar ownership and addresses as part of a crackdown to weed out unsafe operators. (AP)

The FAA is moving closer to allowing drones to operate in U.S. skies. (Bloomberg)

San Francisco is shifting its pedestrian safety strategies to focus on arterial streets instead of smaller side roads. (SF Examiner)

NYC Mayor Mike Bloomberg on the 7 line extension: "they'll run a train, if I have to push it myself." (tweet from @Grynbaum)

Photos: how Connecticut's Metro-North stations dealt with last weekend's snowstorm. (CT Mirror)

A meteorite streaked across the sky in Russia. (NPR)

Atlanta's voters may have killed a transit tax proposal last year, but the BeltLine -- an old rail line-turned-pedestrian-path-- is moving forward, and now it links 45 neighborhoods. (New York Times)

A special New Jersey Assembly committee probing the finances of the Port Authority has been given an extension of its power to subpoena the agencies records and officials. (Asbury Park Press)

A crippled Carnival cruise ship finally docked in Mobile, Alabama, and one passenger described the experience: "It’s like being locked in a Porta Potty for days. We’ve lived through two hurricanes, and this is worse." (New York Times)

Not only did two protected bike lanes increase biking in Long Beach (CA), but they made the streets safer for everyone -- including cars. (Transportation Issues Daily)

NJ Transit sent four employees to the Super Bowl in New Orleans — including a key rail official who was in charge of the Hoboken terminal when dozens of rail cars and locomotives, left to sit in low-lying yards, were damaged during superstorm Sandy — at a taxpayer cost of $14,505. (The Record)

A bill before the Nevada Assembly would make it illegal for pedestrians to read, browse the internet or enter data with hand-held devices while crossing highways in the state. (AP via CBS Las Vegas)

A French man survived a wild ride when his brakes failed and accelerator jammed at 125 mph. The car eventually ran out of gas one hour later -- in Belgium. (USA Today)

A tweet from Michael Kimmelman, NYT architecture critic, indicates that a local Manhattan community board voted to limit Madison Square Garden's lease. "Glad CB5 recommended last night to limit MSG lease, end tax break. Real change for Penn Station + Garden will take more public involvement."

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"Single Fare 3" takes populist art seriously. Over 1,000 people answered a call to look at a MetroCard not as a $2.25 transit pass, but a tiny canvas instead. Their efforts are on display -- and for sale -- at RH Gallery in lower Manhattan through the end of next week.

If you can't get there in person, a slideshow (mostly taken during the packed opening night) is below. The art can also be found online here, where it's also been helpfully grouped into categories (such as "put a bird on it," "let's get naked," and "city scapes").

Top stories on TN:
Five Lessons for Seattle Bike Share from Boston’s Hubway (link)
Investigation: Washington Airport Agency Leadership Targeted Pro-Labor Board Members in Rail Line Fight (link)
Sandy’s Cost to NJ Transit: One Year, $450 Million (link)
NYC Mayor Wants 10,000 New Electric Vehicle Charging Spaces (link)
Port Authority Denies Sandy Damage Will Delay Completion Of World Trade Center Transpo Hub (link)
Among NYC Candidates, Bike Lanes Stir Anxiety (link)

Happy Valentine's Day (photo by Kate Hinds)

The boards of both American Airlines and US Airways have approved a merger. (Marketplace)

An increase in the federal gas tax is "inescapable" -- and necessary, former Pennsylvania governor Ed Rendell told a House committee hearing. (The Hill)

New York's comptroller is criticizing the MTA for leaving $90 million in various bank accounts. (New York Post)

New Orleans is getting help from the federal government to establish a bike share program. (NOLA)

The last section of a bike trail stretching from Pittsburgh to D.C. will be completed in May. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

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Legislation that could lead to improved mass transit in Central Indiana is gaining momentum. (Indianapolis Star)

Houston's City Council approved a new lease that will permit international flights to use Hobby Airport. (KUHF)

Looking to buy plane tickets? New research says you'll save money if you hit the "purchase" button on weekends. (Houston Chronicle)

Architecture critic: to free Penn Station, the local community board should deny Madison Square Garden's permit and force it to move. (New York Times)

One company is building napping suites at airports. $30 for an hour. (NPR)

In honor of Valentine's Day: the opening scene from "Love, Actually," which takes place in Heathrow Airport. (See, there is a transpo connection.) (Video)

New Jersey Transit says it could be next fall before service is restored to pre-Sandy levels. And the cost of its damage is now pegged at $450 million -- a $50 million increase over previous estimates.

Speaking Wednesday at a board meeting, NJ Transit executive director Jim Weinstein said the agency was still assessing the damage and putting together its request for federal aid. The $450 million figure includes approximately $100 million in damage to rail cars and locomotives, as well as approximately $20 million in lost revenue. Weinstein said insurance will be covering the damage to rail cars and locomotives, and the agency is also submitting a request to the Federal Transit Administration for funding.

But full recovery will take more than money. During the storm surge, replacement parts for rail cars and locomotives were damaged. And these are not off-the-shelf items. So Weinstein says bringing service back to pre-Sandy levels will take some more time. “All of the equipment back? I mean we're talking the better part of a year,” he said.

Right now, service is at about 94% of pre-Sandy levels. Weinstein said that number will increase further in March, when repairs are complete at Hoboken’s electrical substation, allowing the electric trains that ply the Gladstone and Morris & Essex Lines to operate again. Right now those lines must use diesel locomotives, which are slower than electric.

Also on the agency’s agenda: finding a more flood-proof rail yard. During Sandy, trains and equipment were stored in low-lying rail yards. Officials have maintained there was no need to move them because the areas had never flooded before. But now, the agency is looking to expand a rail yard south of New Brunswick to provide a safe harbor for trains and equipment during future storms. When asked if the new storage facility would be in place in time for hurricane season, Weinstein answered tersely.

"No, I don't want it to be in place by the next hurricane season," he said. "It will be in place by the next hurricane season."

Top stories on TN:
NY MTA Might Re-Open The Old South Ferry Station, Just Don’t Ask When (link)
School Bus Workers Face Cold Reality of Strike (link)
Virginia Governor Now Says He’s Willing To Compromise On Gas Tax (link)
Mishandled Baggage Hits a New Low — And We Mean That In A Good Way (link)

A Tesla "showroom" at a mall in New Jersey (photo by kate Hinds)

President Obama's State of the Union: "We buy more American cars than we have in five years, and less foreign oil than we have in twenty." (@WhiteHouse)

And: "I propose we use some of our oil and gas revenues to fund an Energy Security Trust that will drive new research and technology to shift our cars and trucks off oil for good...America’s energy sector is just one part of an aging infrastructure badly in need of repair. Ask any CEO where they’d rather locate and hire: a country with deteriorating roads and bridges, or one with high-speed rail and internet." (White House)

So: "Tonight, I propose a “Fix-It-First” program to put people to work as soon as possible on our most urgent repairs." (@BarackObama)

Here's what 'fix it first' really means. (Slate)

Object lesson: the U.S. keeps building more highways -- while letting the old ones crumble. (McClatchy; h/t Streetsblog)

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How will the next mayor of New York City treat bike lanes? Advocates worry, but one city official says "the great bike war is over, and the opponents lost.” (New York Times)

The same city official emphasized his point on Twitter this morning: "Liu says rip up bike lanes Liu approval: 28% Bike lanes: 66% Is Liu angry at bike lanes because they're more popular?" (@HowieWolf)

Congressman John Mica (R-FL) is introducing legislation to end Amtrak's "monopoly" on rail service. (The Hill)

A February deadline on New York’s process to allow hydrofracking will be missed, with Governor Cuomo’s Health Commissioner now saying he needs more time to complete an ongoing health study. (WNYC)

After a five-month court battle, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey has released its economic study highlighting the impact bridge tolls have on the New York Container Terminal. (Staten Island Advance)

Electric vehicle maker Tesla and the New York Times are trading accusations over a review of one of the company's cars. (NPR)

Silicon Valley: where mass transit goes to die. "For decades, the Bay area has thrown federal, state and local money at new commuter-transit projects, while the share of Silicon Valley residents who use mass transportation has barely budged." (Bloomberg; opinion)

Broward County’s revamped schools bus service was supposed to save big money this year, but those savings came in much smaller than expected. (Miami Herald)

Five Logan Airport cab stand workers have been charged with taking bribes for allowing taxi drivers to jump ahead in line. (AP via WBUR)

So many people are adorning Paris bridges with "love locks" that officials worry the added weight could make the bridges unsafe. (Wall Street Journal)

California is the only state that legally allows motorcyclists to lane split -- and now there are some new rules in place. (Air Talk - SCPR)

Let a MetroCard be your canvas: a new exhibit highlights tiny works of art on NYC fare cards. (Link)

Look up on the MetroCard! (painting by Jean-Pierre Roy; photo courtesy of RH Gallery)

Wait -- did someone say MetroCard? Check out this one commemorating Grand Central's 100th anniversary. (TN Tumblr)

Clarification: in Tuesday's Morning Stories, we referenced GM, Chrysler and Ford's lobbying efforts. Only the first two companies accepted government bailouts. Ford did not.

Baggage claim at Sacramento International Airport (photo by D.L. via flickr)

Not only are you more likely to get to your destination in one piece, your luggage will too.

According to the DOT, last year U.S. carriers posted a mishandled baggage rate of 3.09 reports per 1,000 passengers. In 2011, that rate was 3.35.

The DOT is also releasing data on tarmac delays, cancellations, and arrival times. Read below for the whole report.

Airlines Report Lowest Mishandled Baggage Rate in 18 Years in 2012 

The nation’s largest airlines reported their lowest rate of mishandled baggage for a year during 2012, and set high marks for on-time performance, the fewest long tarmac delays, and a low rate of canceled flights.

According to the Air Travel Consumer Report issued today by the U.S. Department of Transportation, the reporting carriers posted a rate of 3.09 reports of mishandled baggage per 1,000 passengers, an improvement on 2011’s rate of 3.35 and their lowest rate of mishandled baggage for a year since this data was first reported in September 1987.

The 15 largest U.S. airlines also posted an 81.85 percent on-time arrival rate during 2012, the third highest annual performance in the 18 years the Department has collected comparable data. The high was 82.14 percent in 2002, followed by 81.96 in 2003. The 1.29 percent cancellation rate for the year also was the second lowest rate for the past 18 years, with the lowest being the 1.24 percent mark set in 2002.

In addition, there were 42 tarmac delays longer than three hours on U.S. domestic flights in 2012, down from 50 delays in 2011, which was the first full year the rule limiting tarmac delays was in effect. This follows the Department’s rule, which took effect in April 2010, setting a three-hour limit for aircraft carrying passengers on domestic flights to sit on the tarmac. Exceptions to the time limits are allowed only for safety, security or air traffic control-related reasons.

Between May 2009 and April 2010, the final 12 months before the rule took effect, the carriers reported 693 tarmac delays of more than three hours. Since August 2011, U.S. and foreign airlines operating international flights at U.S. airports have been subject to a four-hour tarmac delay limit.

“This remarkable decrease in flight delays, tarmac incidents, cancellations and mishandled bags is a tribute both to the hard work of the airlines and the Department of Transportation’s oversight of the aviation industry,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.   “We will continue to work with the carriers to make air travel more convenient and hassle-free for consumers.”

The monthly Air Travel Consumer Report also includes data on chronically delayed flights and the causes of flight delays filed with the Department’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) by the reporting carriers. In addition, the report contains information on airline bumping as well as customer service, disability, and discrimination complaints received by DOT’s Aviation Consumer Protection Division.  This report also includes reports of incidents involving pets traveling by air, as required to be filed by U.S. carriers. Calendar year 2012 data are contained in the report in a number of areas as well as data for December 2012.

A news release on the Air Travel Consumer Report is available at http://www.dot.gov/briefing-room/airlines-report-lowest-mishandled-baggage-rate-18-years-2012 . The full consumer report is available at www.dot.gov/individuals/air-consumer/air-travel-consumer-reports. Detailed information on flight delays is available at www.bts.gov.

Top stories on TN:
Audio Postcard: Digging Out of the Blizzard, Dodging Icicles (link)
Snow Plow Tracking Site Too Popular for Its Own Good (link)

A Newark subway station (photo by Kate Hinds)

2012 was the safest year for airlines globally since 1945. (New York Times)

President Obama delivers the State of the Union address tonight. (White House)

Some Boston sidestreets have not yet been plowed, and Mayor Menino is counseling patience. (Globe)

Virginia's governor says he's ready to make a deal for transportation funding. (Washington Post)

A Houston Metro train conductor is also a muralist -- and his artwork appears along some train tracks. (KUHF)

France is likely to help India build its first high-speed rail line, which will run from Mumbai to Ahmedabad. (Deccan Herald)

Are helmet laws discouraging kids from riding bicycles? Or are they shifting to skateboards and roller blades? (Wall Street Journal)

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Philadelphia bus drivers are urging SEPTA to reposition outside rearview mirrors, contending they create a blind spot that endangers pedestrians. (Inquirer)

Newark's subway system is largely unknown to outsiders -- but not to the producers of the Batman movie franchise. (Star Ledger)

A high-ranking Los Angeles Metrolink executive resigned following a scathing report that revealed accounting irregularities, poor management and record-keeping that made it difficult for board members to understand the railroad's financial situation. (Los Angeles Times)

GM and Ford -- Detroit's rescued automakers -- have rebuilt their D.C. lobby shops and are ready to spend big to influence lawmakers. (Politico)

Striking Bronx car wash workers returned to their jobs after winning a fight against the boss they say wrongly fired them. (NY Daily News)

Although it's illegal to ride a bike on Kigali's tarmac roads, some Rwandan bike taxi drivers risk it anyway. (All Africa)

New York Post opinion: the biggest risk facing the subway system is not track deaths -- it's that the MTA won’t have enough money to expand its transit system as ridership grows.

Rapunzel takes Phoenix transit riders on a system tour in the latest music video from the Valley Metro transit system. (Valley Metro)

Top stories on TN:
Here’s How to Track Snow Plows Block by Block, in NYC and Boston (link)
Massachusetts Bans Cars Statewide During Blizzard, Boston Shuts Subways (link)

Clearing snow from Boston's Green Line (image via MBTA)

The Northeast's post-blizzard, Monday morning commute: almost normal. Almost. (WNYC)

Listen along as one snowed-in New Haven area reporter attempts to exit her house. Somebody hand her the snow shovel! (WNPR)

House T&I committee chair Bill Shuster (R-PA) thinks the federal government should have a role in funding infrastructure – and he's holding a hearing to prove it. (Transportation Issues Daily)

Chicago's plan to install 100 miles of protected bike lanes is running into a road bump thrown down by the state, which has jurisdiction over some of the selected roadways. (Chicago Tribune)

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration plans to to require that all new cars and light trucks are equipped with "black boxes" starting in September 2014. (Marketplace)

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New Jersey may vote to prohibit red-light traffic cameras from issuing tickets for right turns on red. (Star Ledger)

When DC’s new Silver Line opens, Fairfax County will double its total number of Metrorail stations and rearrange a big part of its bus fleet. (Washington Post)

Litigation means tomorrow may never come for New York's Taxi of Tomorrow. (New York Times)

It's been six years since a transit worker was killed on a NYC subway track. (NY Daily News)

Copper thieves are preying on California's traffic signals and street lights. (Mercury News)

Network Rail has apologized after a signalman got stuck in a toilet, causing delays to train services. "The driver of the 15:13GMT Hereford to London service got out of his train and walked to the signal box to investigate. It was then discovered the signalman was stuck in the Victorian building's outside toilet."  (BBC)

Video: watch a "skid steer" clear the tracks of the Green Line. (Boston Globe)

Top stories on TN:
Transit Tracker: In Case of Travel Disruption, Watch This Space (link)
Purple Line Design Will Stop if Maryland Doesn’t Get More Transpo Funding (link)
Connecticut Gov Wants Transpo Funding to Fill Budget Holes (link)
Golden Gate Bridge Switching to All Electronic Tolling (link)

And snow it begins. (Photo by Kate Hinds)

New York-area readers: Wondering if the trains are running? What about alternate side parking? Check out Transit Tracker here. And WNYC's storm tracker is here.

All Boston commuter rail and transit is shutting down today at 3:30. (Globe)

New York privately sold $500 million in bonds to meet a payment deadline for the new Tappan Zee Bridge. (Bloomberg)

The head of National Transportation Safety Board said the FAA should reconsider their approval of the Dreamliner's lithium-ion battery. (NPR)

Poll: MARTA riders have stronger connections than nonriders to Atlanta region. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

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American Airlines and and US Airways may merge. (Marketplace)

Chicago transit officials are planning to spend up to $2 billion on a new generation of rail cars to modernize the nation's second-largest mass transit system. (AP via WBEZ)

In a surprise development, Portugal's government said it had managed to secure funding for a high-speed rail link between Lisbon and Madrid, despite categorically stating last spring the project had been definitively shelved. (Portugal News)

Thailand's plans to invest 52 billion dollars in upgrading its railways to put it at the forefront of efforts to connect the region by rail, the Asian Development Bank said Friday. (The Nation)

A Bay Area designer's national vision for high-speed rail is getting some attention. (KQED; map by Alfred Twu)

Top stories on TN:
Officials: As Construction Site, World Trade Center Vulnerable To Floods (link)
A Bike Lane Grows in Manhattan (link)
New NYC Subway Map Zoomable (link)
Virginia Transportation Funding Plan Dies in State Senate (link)

Could be useful this weekend (photo by Kate Hinds)

Design work on two of Maryland's biggest transit projects would stop after June 30 if the state does not approve a transportation tax increase. (Washington Post)

Flying to or from the Northeast this weekend? You might want to think about changing your schedule. (Weather Channel)

"America is one big pothole right now," said outgoing transportation secretary Ray LaHood. (The Hill)

Quiet cars are coming to Toronto's transit system. (The Star)

The FAA has approved one crew-only flight for Boeing's 787 Dreamliner. (New York Times)

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Boston's transit system is running an animal-based courtesy campaign. Don't squawk on the phone! (BostInno)

Beverly Hills has opened a new fueling station for its fleet of vehicles that run on compressed natural gas. (KPCC)

A team of designers have knitted together California's transit systems and produced a nifty new rail map. (FastCoExist)

WATCH: one year of NYC subway commuters, in three minutes.  (Slate; video)

COMMUTERS: 2012 from Rebecca Davis on Vimeo.

Members of the public line up to speak at the Community Board 7's bike lane meeting (photo by Kate Hinds)

The Upper West Side's 'bike lane to nowhere' will finally go somewhere.

After lengthy debate -- not to mention two months of committee meetings -- Manhattan's Community Board 7 voted Tuesday night in favor of a extending the Columbus Avenue bike lane from 59th Street up to 110th Street.

The lane, which currently stretches from 77th to 96th streets, is the only protected on-street bike lane in the neighborhood. The extension will connect it to another protected lane running south of 59th Street down Ninth Avenue, as well as bring the city's bike network north to the fringes of Harlem.

The vote came after four hours of debate and public testimony. One of the sticking points for many board members was how the lane will traverse the so-called "bow tie" around Lincoln Square, where Broadway and Columbus intersect (map). Some board members wanted to defer the vote until the city's Department of Transportation came up with additional safety amenities for that segment, and several amendments to the board's resolution were proposed. (TN will have the text when it is made available.)

But at the end of the night, the board voted 26 to 11 (with one abstention) in support of the full lane, with calls for ongoing dialogue with the DOT about its implementation.

This reporter's unofficial tally of public testimony (photo by Kate Hinds)

The evening had its moments of levity. When debate opened, one board member raised his hand and said that he had a couple of questions about "the second amendment."

Pause.

"Oh, I thought you were talking about gun control," Andrew Albert, the co-chair of the transportation committee, said dryly. The room broke up.

On Wednesday, DOT commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan sent an email expressing her satisfaction with the board's vote. "The community’s ringing support will swing an even safer Columbus Avenue into high gear,” she said. “This project started with the community and Columbus is now a safer street with 100% of storefronts occupied. Residents, businesses and the entire community have seen that this project works.”

The DOT says construction of the bike lane extension will begin this summer and should take two months to complete.

Columbus Avenue bike lane, September 2011 (photo by Kate Hinds)

Top stories on TN:
As Virginia Debates Transportation Funding Plan, EVs Put Gas Tax Under Microscope (link)
The High Cost of Traffic: Time, Money, and Climate Change (link)
NYC Ready to Launch Taxi E-Hail Technology (link)
LaHood: There’s a “Sense of Urgency” on Transit Aid (link)

Brooklyn Bridge (photo by Peter Kelly via flickr)

Google sees self-driving cars being available to consumers in three to five years. But regulators and the insurance industry aren’t so sure it can happen that quickly. (Bloomberg)

North Carolina republicans are battling the mayor of Charlotte over the city's light rail line. (WCNC)

Luxury hotels around the world are offering a new perk to business travelers: bikes. (New York Times)

Connecticut mulls tolls, but after years of free driving, it's going to be a hard sell for residents. One possible selling point: the state's $1.2 billion budget hole. (Wall Street Journal)

Meanwhile, after funding billions of dollars of roadwork through debt, the Texas DOT is two years away from a severe drop in funding unless lawmakers find more cash. (Texas Tribune)

Tel Aviv municipal workers painted a car into a handicapped parking spot -- then towed the vehicle away. (NPR; video)

Starting this summer, the U.S. Postal Service will stop delivering mail on Saturdays but continue to deliver packages six days a week. (Washington Post)

Traffic engineers look for alternatives to Jersey's jughandles. (Asbury Park Press)

To advocate for slower subway speeds while entering stations, the New York City transit workers union is going to hand out mock blood-splattered MetroCards with the Grim Reaper on the back. (NY Daily News)

Want to paint your living room Brooklyn Bridge brown? Surplus paint can be yours, perhaps for as low as $3 a gallon. (New York Times)

Think you get excited when you see a train coming? You've got nothing on this three-year old girl. (Link)

The world's tiniest car (at least according to Top Gear) makes you look like a "Lego astronaut." (Slate; video)

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Welcome to your commute, drivers. (Graphic courtesy of TTI)

Urban automobile traffic is better than it was at its peak in 2005 -- but the cost of traffic congestion is on the rise.

The 2012 Urban Mobility Report -- a ranking of traffic congestion from Texas A&M's  Transportation Institute (TTI) -- says the total financial cost of congestion in 2011 was $121 billion, or about $818 per car commuter. A big piece of that is wasted fuel, which the report says reached a total of 2.9 billion gallons.

But worse still than mulling that over is a new addition to the report: the tally of annual carbon dioxide emissions attributed to traffic. The TTI estimates it at 56 billion pounds – or about 380 pounds per auto commuter.

The E.P.A. considers carbon dioxide a major factor in climate change, and estimates that transportation accounts for about one-third of the country's CO2 emissions, second only to the generation of electricity.

Harder to quantify financially is wasted time: the TTI says the average car commuter spent an extra 38 hours traveling in 2011, two-and-a-half times worse than the 16 hours in 1982.

The report also measures a "planning time index," which show how much time drivers need to be sure they'll arrive at their destination.

(Example: according to Google Maps, a trip from TN's offices in lower Manhattan to JFK Airport should take 30 minutes. But New York's PTI is 4.44 -- meaning drivers should allow 133 minutes to cover the worst-case traffic scenario. Meanwhile, the transit combo of the subway to the Air Train should take a little over an hour, says Google Maps.)

The report comes at a time when many states are struggling with how to replenish transportation funding coffers strained by aging infrastructure and increasingly diminished returns on the gas tax. Virginia is eying a new sales tax, Connecticut is debating new tolls, and some of Los Angeles's freeways are no longer free. Meanwhile, New York's MTA -- the nation's largest transit system -- estimates it sustained $5 billion in damage from Sandy.

Unsurprisingly, the TTI says the nation's largest urban areas see the worst traffic. DC tops the list for the fourth year in a row, followed by Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York and Boston. Although car traffic overall is down from a 2005 peak, as the economy recovers, the numbers of cars on the road is increasing.

The report offers up some suggestions. It cautions that there's no one-size-fits-all approach, but offers up a range of solutions from increasing capacity to developing land more densely. "Improving transportation systems is about more than just adding road lanes, transit routes, sidewalks and bike lanes," says the TTI. "It is also about operating those systems efficiently."

That last sentence probably will cause tension headaches for local transportation officials who have been trying to wring every last dollar out of their budgets. Funding was flat in the latest surface transportation bill.

But Slate contributor Matthew Yglesias offers up another solution, albeit one that has yet to be passed in an American city: congestion pricing. "Naturally an underpriced valuable commodity leads to over consumption," he writes. "Charge people enough money to eliminate routine congestion and you'll find yourself with fewer traffic jams and an enormous pool of revenue that can be used to maintain your basic infrastructure and upgrade your bus service."

Read the full report here.