|
|
|
|
This week @KDOTHQ:
@KDOTHQ: Kansas City.com: http://bit.ly/99pCwq Drunk Driving Enforcement steps up. Law enforcement is cracking down on impaired driving all across Kansas. Please be smart.
RT @pitchplog: DeLaSalle students build freakishly efficient electric car http://bit.ly/daqJeb Eight high school students: "Using a crashed 2000 Lola racecar, 21 batteries, and a lightweight
plastic body, the students engineered an electric vehicle rated at the
equivalent to 452 miles per gallon."
@KDOTHQ: WICHITABIZ: Report: Stimulus has funded 4,260 private-sector jobs in Kansas http://bit.ly/byh20J This effect is well-understood in the construction industry, but the message seems to have trouble finding traction with the larger audience.
RT @traffichappens: Survey LA, I-405 Community Meeting, Top 50 Transpo Blogs, Undrivers Licenses, New TSA Chief... http://bit.ly/cbNiNe Another top-shelf daily read for transportation people.
RT @gas2: Could Chevy Corvette Go Hybrid? http://bit.ly/bM6790 Dunno how I feel about this. I'm all in favor of reducing emissions, really I am, but this is the 'Vette we're talking about here.... I guess it can go hybrid as long as it can still go.
@KDOTHQ:: K-TOC blog: Making Active Transportation the Easy Choice http://bit.ly/dqpQx3 Becky Pepper lays out what makes a place pedestrian-friendly.
@KDOTHQ:: WSJ: Pedestrian Death Map Prompts Street Changes http://bit.ly/ckfTgT This study of pedestrian fatalities in New York City is attracting considerable attention nationwide.
@KDOTHQ: EAGLE: How to stop scofflaw drivers? http://bit.ly/ciok1V Last weekend, the wife of a friend of mine was t-boned by an inattentive driver at 60 mph. Totalled the car, but no injuries. This was almost Really Bad; the inattentive driver was uninsured.
@KDOTHQ: DALLASMORNINGNEWS: Four most outrageous, unfair airline fees http://bit.ly/9AArQ3 Delta just told me I have to pay them $25 to check a bag. $25 to check a bag!
Catch it all in real time @KDOTHQ!
|
|
|
KDOT will be hosting some very exciting events beginning next week!
- T-WORKS workshops will be held accross the state to help communities and individuals get organized for the local consult meeting which will be held in each KDOT district this fall. Please see the following schedule for an event near you! More information on these events will be posted on KTOC .
|
August 23
|
Wichita
|
Holiday Inn Rock Road ( 549 Rock Road)
|
1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
|
|
August 24
|
Dodge City
|
Dodge House Hotel & Convention Center (2408 W. Wyatt Earp Blvd)
|
9:00 a.m. to 12 p.m.
|
|
September 1
|
Olathe
|
Holiday Inn
(101-West 151 st St.)
|
1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
|
|
September 2
|
Pittsburg
|
Lamplighter Inn
(4020 Parkview Drive)
|
1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
|
|
September 7
|
Webinar
|
-------------------------------
|
TBD
|
- We are also hosting an event to announce the results of the Kansas Aviation Economic Impact Study. In addition to the study, KDOT will also be announcing Kansas Airport Improvement Program (KAIP) grant recipients. Thanks to the passage of T-WORKS, the KAIP will be able to operate a pilot program to award grant funds. The event is being held at 10:00 a.m. Wedneday, August 25 at Philip Billard Airport, East of the Terminal, 3600 Northeast Sardou Avenue, in Topeka.
|
|
|
After my last entry, I hope it is now somewhat implicit as to why the choice to walk and bike for transportation can lead to positive improvements to your health. Now that we know the “why”, let’s talk about the “how”. Specifically, how communities can design to help make walking and biking the easy choice. Getting more people walking and biking isn’t as simple as laying down a new stretch of sidewalk or bike lanes. Think about your community. Are there areas that have walking and biking facilities but people still aren’t using them? Have you ever wondered why? You might be inclined to think that it’s because people in your community aren’t interested in using active transportation, and that might be the case. More than likely, however, the real reason is that those facilities aren’t well connected into your city structure. In order to be truly effective, bicycle and pedestrian facilities should be recognized as safe, convenient, and connect to places that people want to go. I once heard an individual say that there were sidewalks within their neighborhood but no one used them. The assumption was that the adage commonly used for bicycle and pedestrian facilities, “if you build it, they will come”, isn’t true— that the mere presence of sidewalks in the neighborhood did not make people want to start walking. More than likely, the lack of walkers is really due to a breakdown of proximity and/or connectivity. Perhaps the sidewalks do not lead to nearby destinations, or perhaps the sidewalks do not provide the safest and/or most direct route to get to the destinations. My hunch is that more people would be out walking on those sidewalks if they felt safe and they effectively connected to a nearby park, store, or restaurant. Maybe the new bicycle adage needs to be “if you build it, and it connects safely and conveniently to places people want to go, when they will come”!
Let’s look at the following graphic to wrap up. The picture on the left shows a typical suburban design and the picture on the right depicts a traditional neighborhood layout. Both neighborhoods contain a nearby school. Assuming both neighborhoods contain safe bicycle and pedestrian facilities, children in the suburban neighborhood may be less inclined to walk to school due to the lack of a convenient connection. One relatively easy fix would be to improve the connections between the cul-de-sacs, thereby providing a more direct route for the neighborhood kids. These improvements could help make walking and biking the easy choice.
Image: www.cnu.org/connectedstreetnetworks
|
|
This week @KDOTHQ:
@KDOTHQ: THERECORD: Culture shift needed to stop mixing cellphones and cars http://bit.ly/avk6JZ This issue draws more interest every day, and now that Oprah Winfrey is publicizing it, public attention will only increase. Put down the phone, 'kay?
RT @NEKansasKDOT: Calling all kids (5-13): Create a poster for Put the Brakes on Fatalities contest! Deadline: Sept 3 http://bit.ly/aCnR1T We'll be running guest blogs on KDOT to mark the event, just as we did last year. Our contest gives the kids a chance to get involved!
RT @MnDOTResearch: Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) for Pavement Evaluation http://bit.ly/amHIQh A terrific transportation Twitter account. Transpo-geeks take heed!
RT @NatlTransLib: DOT’s Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA) is now on Facebook http://tiny.cc/rrt1f #transportation It's Geek Week at transpotweets! This is another illustration of the spreading influence of social media.
RT @tomvanderbilt: What’s the Most Dangerous Thing About Being a Cop? Traffic: Via Sheriff magazine:http://bit.ly/cyihqQ An old story for our law-enforcement colleagues, but one not well-known to the general public. Tom Vanderbilt is on the case.
@KDOTHQ: AP: Kansas transportation secretary wants to boost fine for violating seat-belt law http://bit.ly/azdfpQ #ksdot Yes. Yes, she does.
RT @Infrastructurst: The Morning Dig: New NYC Subway Cars Arrive from Brazil! http://bit.ly/cwlsvF The Morning Dig is like that first cuppa coffee--an essential element to start the day.
@KDOTHQ: NPR: Tarmac Delays Decrease After Threats Of Fines http://n.pr/9sGh77 I was going to link to a story about the now-famous flight attendant, but you already know about that.
There's more every day @KDOTHQ!
|
|
This week @KDOTHQ:
RT @JohnFMoore: Great infographic, Our Very Connected, Always-On World: http://om.ly/qMaT John Moore is a nationally known writer on social media and social government. His blog, Random Thoughts of a Boston-Based CTO, is a great read.
RT @DontTwive: Texting and driving causes a 91% decline in steering control….that is a STAGGERING stat! #dwd #TweetSafe So, if "91 percent decline in steering control" doesn't get your attention, you probably wouldn't mind if your pilot was tweeting during take-off....
RT @transportgooru: Running from oil - China Preparing to Spend $14.7 Billion on Alt Energy Vehicles Through 2020 http://bit.ly/cEjEn4 If China makes a major move into alternative transportation, the world will change. Transportgooru's daily transportation updates are on KDOTHQ's daily must-read list.
@KDOTHQ: USATODAY: Drivers let guard down on riskier rural highways http://bit.ly/9a6CTI Important info for those of us who spend a lot of time on country roads and rural highways--where, as it turns out, you can die pretty easily.
@KDOTHQ: TIMESFREEPRESS: Is the American chopper riding into the sunset? http://bit.ly/do0OWP Dennis Hopper is dead, sigh.
@KDOTHQ: WHITEHOUSE: The Recovery Act: Laying the Foundation for America’s 21st Century Clean Energy Economy http://bit.ly/9nkcmb The White House has a blog! It's not as cool as my blog, but still.
RT @roadeditor
U.S. DOT, White House facing more heat about transportation investment. http://www.roadsbridges.com/newsPiece21219 The needs aren't going away, are they?
RT @MnDOTResearch: My Car Is Sinking: Automobile Submersion, Lessons in Vehicle Escape: http://bit.ly/auayYS I have a friend with a morbid fear of being trapped in a sinking car. This one's for her.
@KDOTHQ: VANCOUVERSUN: U.S. airports told to install doggie bathrooms http://bit.ly/d2qtfG And yet they still won't let dogs smoke in airports. [rimshot]
See it first every day @KDOTHQ!
|
|
Notes from a New Driver
I just
turned 14 and in Kansas that means I can get my permit for driving. Very
exciting stuff! I went to the DMV waited in the long line and finally took my
test. I got a 20/25 which means I PASSED! I CAN DRIVE! Then reality hit me. I
can’t drive. I celebrated by getting another piercing. I didn’t think about
driving not one bit. Until my mom pulled the car over and said, “Maeve, it’s
your turn.”
We were at
the neighborhood pool and our house was a minute away. No big deal. I started
the car and slowly took off. I couldn’t keep a steady pace. It felt like
someone was pulling you forward. Except they had put a string around you, and
then pulled you back as hard as they could every couple of feet. I hit the curb
a couple of times. But all in all made it home safely.
A few months
have passed and I’m pretty good. I occasionally drive up to Sonic and order an
ice cream cone with my family. The moral of the story is that even though you
may be a great driver, you still need to watch out for new ones. Also, be
patient on the road. 14 year olds, are now driving even though some of us wish
it wasn’t so.
--Maeve
Amadeus Lorenz
|
|
|
The primary election results are in!!! (Some are unofficial)
The Topeka Capital Journal has a great page of election results, CLICK HERE
The following match-ups are happening in November (in alphabetical order):
For Governor: Brownback /Colyer v. Holland /Kultala
For Attorney General: Schmidt v. Six
For Secretary of State: Biggs v. Kobach
Insurance Commissioner: Praeger
For US Senate: Johnston v. Moran
Congressional Seats:
1 st District – Huelskamp v. Jilka
2 nd District – Hudspeth v. Jenkins
3 rd District – Moore v. Yoder
4 th District - Goyle v. Pompeo
Important Dates for the General Election:
GENERAL ELECTION
Oct. 13: Advance ballots mailed
Oct. 18: Last day to register
Oct. 19-29: Advance voting - 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Nov. 1: In-office advance voting ends at Noon
Nov. 2: Election Day - polls open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
|
|
This week @KDOTHQ:
RT @publici
House Transpo Committee unveils searchable/sortable spreadsheet for earmarks http://bit.ly/c6SyRV (via @OpenSecretsDC) #opengov Great Moments in Transparency: Rep. Jim Oberstar's Transportation Committee opens the books on earmarks.
RT @ITSWorld
As some states close highway rest stops, others see roadside revenue: http://bit.ly/a0lpBU From Stateline.org, a story about Delaware's arrangement with a private company that will generate the state more than $1 million a year for 35 years.
@KDOTHQ: TRUCKINGINFO: Federal Reserve Report Paints Rosy Picture of Transportation Demand http://bit.ly/ddorGc The new Beige Book is out, and transportation is looking good.
RT @cwsjd99
Cap and Trade is Dead. Long Live Cap and Trade. - http://nyti.ms/d65B5F // great summary Chris Simmons follows transportation and government. He reads it all, so we only have to read the good bits.
@KDOTHQ SALON: The noisy, sweaty truth about small planes http://bit.ly/bndti6 If this is your introduction to Patrick Smith's "Ask the Pilot" column, well, you're welcome.
RT @WiredAutopia: Terrafugia refines its flying car... er, roadable airplane. Says it'll fly next year. http://bit.ly/dC0aji I think flying cars are a great idea--for me. I'm not sure about the rest of y'all. (Besides, we were promised jetpacks.)
@KDOTHQ AUTOBLOG: Study: Americans prefer tolls over fuel taxes... how about you? http://bit.ly/9KLF1N This post on AUTOBLOG has drawn more than 100 comments so far.
RT @transpr: Incredible read #transportation folks. RT @ITSWorld: Behavioral Economics Offers & Transportation: http://bit.ly/9L49if Darrel is in transpotweets so often I ought to give him a byline. Like Chris, he exemplifies the value of the transportation community on Twitter.
@KDOTHQ KCSTAR: Ummm... New plan calls for hanging canopy under KC bridge to catch pigeon droppings http://bit.ly/9vfdwM Stop laughing. It isn't funny, darn it... no, really, stop it.
Catch it all in real time @KDOTHQ!
|
|
|
Election season is well underway…
August 3 rd is the day to vote in the primary election and whittle down the options for the November 2 nd general election.
If you are going to be out of town on the 3 rd , you still have the option to vote early. Please read the following article for all the details:
Advance voting deadline nears By The Capital-Journal, July 28, 2010
If you are interested in finding out more about your candidates, I recommend checking their websites. Many of the interest groups and associations issue grades and endorsements to candidates as well.
The following website is a good resource to know who is running for statewide offices and federal offices: http://www.politics1.com/ks.htm
You can locate your State Representative and State Senator by typing in your address at the following website: http://www.ipsr.ku.edu/ksdata/vote/
I apologize for my short hiatus, but am pleased to be returning to the KTOC blogosphere!
|
|
|
|
|
T-WORKS Fact Sheet
An overview of revenues and expenditures under the new state transportation plan. |
|
|
|
|
|