Rural areas losing access to rest of America

PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY, Va. - Rural areas of America are playing second fiddle to major cities in policy discussions on transportation and roadway improvements, and that means woes for the economy, according to a new report, “Connecting Rural and Urban America.”

The report basically points to the reality that it’s rural areas, not cities, that provide the bulk of the nation’s agricultural and energy supplies and that without adequate road systems – the freight just ain’t moving. And freight transportation difficulties and delays can bring higher product costs to the rest of America.

The report also concludes that states with high rural populations are disadvantaged economically by poor access to interstates and highways. Not only are states like Kansas hard pressed to compete with larger cities to bring business to the rural area, but they are also challenged with the financial burden of ensuring the roads they have – the highways systems that do exist in the state – are well enough maintained for those businesses to use.

“Rural roads are critically important to the success of our industry,” said Marvin Childers, president of The Poultry Federation in a written statement. “Getting feed delivered to our farms and the chickens, turkeys and eggs delivered from the farms to our processing plants in a timely manner must take place for our industry to succeed.”

Trucking, he said, was a critical mode of transportation for the business, and for rural America in general.

“[Trucking] carries 70 percent of agricultural and food products and provides the link between farmers, manufacturers, processors and markets,” Childers continued. “We cannot survive without a quality transportation system. Improving and keeping our transportation infrastructure in good repair is very, very important to the economy of this region.”

The report is the third in a series of similar studies conducted by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, AASHTO. More information is available at http://ExpandingCapacity.transportation.org.

Staff writer Cheryl Chumley can be reached at 703-530-3903.

TRANSPORTATION NOTES

Metro police use tag readers to ID stolen cars

Crime in Metro parking lots has declined, thanks in part to new technology used that reads license plates and reveals whether the vehicle is stolen.

The Metro Transit Police Department has eight tag readers, and uses them to catch car thieves and individuals wanted for crimes, identify stolen vehicles, and even determine if the vehicle or driver is involved in terrorism and on the national watch list, according to information from the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority.

The MTPD acquired the tag readers, which are mounted to the back of police vehicles, in 2009 using grant dollars from the Washington Council of Governments. The readers capture license plate numbers, run them through local and national crime databases, and alerts to a match.

USDOT announces uniform high-speed rail designs

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood just announced the first-ever uniform technical standards for the manufacture of high-speed intercity passenger rail cars, according to a written release from the U.S. Department of Transportation.

The standards will enhance the ability of manufacturers to compete.

“As part of the Obama Administration’s focus on maximizing manufacturing opportunities, these first-ever uniform standards will provide an unprecedented opportunity for manufacturers in the United States, from rails to wheel bearings to final assembly,” LaHood said.

The first technical standard, according to the release, will apply to bi-level passenger rail cars for use in high-speed passenger rail operations.

Bus fleet gets new cameras

Metro is installing new cameras on its fleet of 1,500 buses in order to document incidents and ultimately, devise safer driving strategies.

DriveCam will install cameras on all operational Metro-buses, as part of a five-year contract. The company will also review and analyze the video and provide feedback on operator driving habits, according to an announcement from the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority.

The DriveCam system is thorough; it will capture video and audio of both inside and outside of buses. The system is able to detect when an operator makes a defensive move to avoid an accident, when the driver brakes or swerves sharply, and when the operator is involved in an incident.

“We believe DriveCam’s expertise will help us provide our customers with even safer bus service,” said Jack Requa, Metro assistant general manager of bus service, in a written statement. “But many others will benefit from this partnership with DriveCam, including operators, pedestrians and other drivers on the roads.”