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When Adding Bike Lanes Actually Reduces Traffic Delays

by RositaRCOdtxyl Posted on September 6, 2014

Mother Jones

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This story originally appeared in CityLab and is republished as part of the Climate Desk collaboration.

A big reason for opposition to bike lanes is that, according to the rules of traffic engineering, they lead to car congestion. The metric determining this outcome (known as “level of service”) is quite complicated, but its underlying logic is simple: less road space for automobiles means more delay at intersections. Progressive cities have pushed back against this conventional belief—California, in particular, has led the charge against level of service—but it remains an obstacle to bike lanes (and multi-modal streets more broadly) across the country.

But the general wisdom doesn’t tell the whole story here. On the contrary, smart street design can eliminate many of the traffic problems anticipated by alternative mode elements like bike lanes. A new report on protected bike lanes released by the New York City Department of Transportation offers a great example of how rider safety can be increased even while car speed is maintained.

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When Adding Bike Lanes Actually Reduces Traffic Delays

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Canada orders dangerous oil cars off its railways

by Junepps1b Posted on April 25, 2014

Canada orders dangerous oil cars off its railways

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Oil industry train tickets are about to expire in Canada.

Canada’s transportation department on Wednesday announced a suite of new safety rules, motivated by the horrific oil-train explosion last summer in Lac-Mégantic, Quebec, which killed 47 people. The rules heavily target DOT-111 rail cars, which are widespread across the continent but are vulnerable to puncture and explode. (The U.S., meanwhile, is being outrageously slow in updating its oil-train safety rules.)

The Ottawa Citizen reports:

About 5,000 DOT-111 tanker cars are to be removed from Canadian railways within 30 days. Another 65,000 DOT-111 cars must be removed or retrofitted within three years, a timeframe rail industry experts are calling “ambitious.”

The measures didn’t fully satisfy [New Democratic Party] leader Tom Muclair. “What happens in the meantime in all those communities where this very dangerous material is being transported today?” he asked. “You can’t tell us you know that they’re dangerous and yet you’re going to continue to allow them to roll through these communities.”

[Transport Minister Lisa] Raitt said, however, that the DOT-111 cars are just one of several risk factors contributing to rail crashes. “There’s not just one aspect in mitigating risks, there’s many.”…

Effective immediately, Transport Canada will conduct risk assessments of routes where dangerous goods are transported, and establish speed limits of 50 miles per hour or less in areas that are built up or near drinking water.

Good for Canada. But what will happen with all those dangerous rail cars that are retired in Canada? Some fear that they could end up over the border, hauling explosive crude through American communities.


Source
Transport Canada orders 5,000 tanker cars off the rail system, Ottawa Citizen
Canada to phase out old railway oil tankers; won’t wait for U.S., Reuters

John Upton is a science fan and green news boffin who tweets, posts articles to Facebook, and blogs about ecology. He welcomes reader questions, tips, and incoherent rants: johnupton@gmail.com.

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Canada orders dangerous oil cars off its railways

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Safety rules to prevent oil-train explosions delayed

by DeannaDeal Posted on January 17, 2014

Safety rules to prevent oil-train explosions delayed

By

U.S. Department of Transportation

Sounds like we might need to get used to oil-hauling trains exploding. New rules that would require railways to use stronger cars for transporting crude will not be ready until next year, the federal government announced this week.

There are a few reasons why we’re seeing more oil-train explosions these days. The main one is the huge rise in the amount of oil being extracted in the U.S. and then transported by rail to refiners. Also, fracked crude from the Bakken formation in North Dakota is particularly explosive thanks to its higher levels of light hydrocarbons and, possibly, the presence of flammable fracking chemicals. And DOT-111 tanker rail cars, which make up 70 percent of the nation’s tanker fleet, puncture easily. 

Here’s Fuel Fix with an update on forthcoming railcar safety rules:

New regulations that could force older tank cars to be upgraded or phased out are under development, but will not be proposed until Nov. 12 and will be subject to a public comment period until Jan. 12, 2015, according to the Department of Transportation.

However, that initial timeline could shift as the process continues, said Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration spokesman Gordon Delacambre.

If the timeline shifts, expect the rules to be even later.

This is a big disappointment to some lawmakers and others who had hoped that the rules would be drafted in the coming months weeks. From the Twin Cities Pioneer Press:

[North Dakota Sen. John Hoeven (R)] and other federal lawmakers turned up the pressure in the wake of the Dec. 30 crash in Casselton, where 18 DOT-111 cars hauling crude oil ruptured after the train collided with a derailed soybean train, sparking explosions and sending thick plumes of black smoke over the small town.

“It’s disappointing,” Hoeven said Wednesday after the DOT released its schedule. “They need to get going on this.” …

Hoeven said a quicker rollout of regulations is necessary to put the public at ease and let shipping companies know what rules they’ll be working under. …

More than 300,000 DOT-111s are on the rails — 94,000 of which haul hazardous fluids such as crude oil and ethanol, according to the Railway Supply Institute.

There is a bit of good news. Railroad and oil companies agreed on Thursday to take some voluntary steps to make oil trains safer. From The Wall Street Journal:

Any steps the industries take voluntarily would occur much faster than changes imposed by regulators. …

Anthony Foxx, secretary of the Transportation Department, said the railroads agreed to take steps to avoid derailments and reroute trains around high-risk areas. …

The railroads also agreed to “work on a speed reduction plan” for high-risk areas, Mr. Foxx said.

The energy and rail industries also agreed to come up with new recommendations for tank-car fleets in the next 30 days, he said.

For now, if you live near train tracks, keep your fingers crossed and hope for the best.


Source
New regulations for oil on rail cars to come in 2015, Fuel Fix
After North Dakota crash, new crude oil tank car rules not coming until 2015, Pioneer Press
Rail, Oil Industries to Make Safety Changes for Transporting Crude, The Wall Street Journal

John Upton is a science fan and green news boffin who tweets, posts articles to Facebook, and blogs about ecology. He welcomes reader questions, tips, and incoherent rants: johnupton@gmail.com.

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Safety rules to prevent oil-train explosions delayed

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