Google Maps in Chicago

This trend of using innovative communication for sustainable transportation is especially evident by the large number of sessions on the topic at this year’s Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting, one of the world’s biggest gatherings of experts in the transportation and urban planning fields.

We at TheCityFix and EMBARQ are especially excited about all of the activity around this topic of communication and sustainable mobility and for anyone attending this year’s TRB Annual Meeting we have put together a list of sessions that should not be missed…

• Everything You Need to Know About Web 2.0: Using Communication and Collaboration to Improve Transportation
• Social Networks and Information and Communication Technology: Implications for Activities in Real and Virtual Spaces
• Electronic Participation: Changing Face of Public Involvement?
• Can Social Marketing Techniques Be Applied to Promoting Bicycling? What Research and Past Campaigns Tell Us
• Award-Winning Examples of Communication from 2010 Competition on Communications with John and Jane Public
• Public Involvement in Transportation
• New Media Communications in Transportation
• Innovative Applications of Social Media and Web 2.0 Technologies in Transportation Research and Communication
• Innovations in Communication: Better Engagement of Customers
• Electronic Participation: Changing Face of Public Involvement?
• Cloud Computing for Transportation Agencies

The same week, EMBARQ and partners are also hosting Transforming Transportation which will feature a half-day session on Communications and Public Involvement in Public Transport with an emphasis on experiences in Africa, Asia, and Latin America.  Unfortunately, that session is already full and registration has closed but we will be posting presentations online, so stay tuned.

Here are some more photos of the ride from others who were there…

http://www.curatorofdcstyle.com/?p=1052
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jimfulmer/galleries/72157622814972796
http://www.flickr.com/search/?s=int&ss=2&w=all&q=tweed+ride+dc
http://readysetdc.com/2009/11/16/dc-tweed-ride-dq-social-in-silent-film-photos/#more-7068

Photo courtesy of the Center for Sustainable Transport Mexico (CTS-México).

There’s much talk in the U.S. about the economic stimulus and investing in building “green infrastructure” to achieve three goals – create jobs, upgrade our infrastructure, and save the planet. It seems that Mexico is doing exactly this with the launch of Macrobús, funded by the Jalisco government. The entire Macrobús system, scheduled for completion by 2012, is expected to reduce 330,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions over the next three years, equivalent to taking about 55,000 cars off the road.

Unfortunately, most transportation projects under consideration for funds from the U.S. stimulus bill will be plain old car-lovin’ highway projects (read TheCityFix blogger Erica Schlaikjer’s recent post about this.) Perhaps the U.S. could learn a thing or two from Mexico.

From EMBARQ:

Mexican President Felipe Calderon and Jalisco Governor Emilio Gonzalez Marquez will unveil the first line of a new bus rapid transit (BRT) system in Guadalajara on Wednesday, as part of the state government’s effort to provide a high-quality solution to congestion and air pollution.

The new Macrobús corridor spans 16 kilometers along Calzada Independencia, one of the city’s most iconic but congested avenues. The system’s fleet of 41 articulated buses will operate on exclusive car-free lanes with frequent pick-ups from the 27 stations that integrate with the city’s existing bus routes and light rail lines. It is expected to serve 130,000 passengers per day.

Unlike a conventional bus system, BRT features accordion-style buses with multiple doorways and pre-paid electronic ticketing, as well as permanent bus stations with elevated platforms, similar to a subway or rail system. (To learn more, visit EMBARQ’s website.)

Transport experts expect Macrobús to reduce travel times and prevent traffic accidents, two of the main concerns for Guadalajara residents. In addition, the system will help to fight global warming.

The new corridor is the first of three planned lines, scheduled for completion by 2012. CTS-México estimates that the entire 81-kilometer network will reduce 330,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions over the next three years, equivalent to taking about 55,000 cars off the road.

The BRT system is the first of its kind in Jalisco, where Gov. Marquez has made it a priority to improve the quality of life for his constituents by building a better mass transit network. The governor tapped Diego Monraz Villaseñor, director of Mexico’s urban rail operator, SITEUR, with the ambitious task of planning and implementing the Macrobús system in just two years.

Macrobús is expected to inspire similar projects in the region, especially during the highly anticipated 2011 Pan-American Games, which Guadalajara is hosting.

Macrobús was made possible through technical and financial support from EMBARQ and CTS-México. CTS-México staff provided technical expertise during the planning and implementation stages, and will continue to support the start-up operations.

Previously, CTS-México helped launch Mexico City’s Metrobús, a BRT system that now carries 320,000 passengers per day.

To read a full press release about Guadalajara’s new BRT system, click here.

National Building Museum in Washington, DC. Flickr photo from giveawayboy.

Last month, Jonathan Rose spoke at Washington DC’s National Building Museum on Green and Affordable Neighborhoods (see the video of his talk above). Rose, a real estate developer who specializes in creating high-density sustainable mixed-income urban developments, talks about the challenges and threats posed by climate change and the critical role of mass transit in creating green communities. He states that we should “stop subsidizing sprawl because it’s environmentally irresponsible” and that “the solution is to develop higher density greener communities that are gathered around mass transit”.

Once the havoc of the mortgage crisis subsides and the U.S. real estate industry begins to put itself back together, many developers would be wise to look to Rose – who continues to make a successful career out of building environmentally friendly and socially responsible developments – as their model.

According to the Wall Street Journal, new analysis from McKinsey & Co. suggests that U.S. consumers have more control over U.S. greenhouse gas emissions than conventionally believed.

Through what and how they eat, drive, and consume, Americans are directly and indirectly responsible for over 65% of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. This goes up against the belief by some that GHG reductions are primarily the responsibility of industry. According to McKinsey’s numbers, 17% of U.S. GHG emissions come from driving passenger cars while an equivalent amount came from residential buildings appliances.

While this demonstrates that individual consumers need to make moves to reduce their GHG emissions, it is also important to recognize that often they are constrained by the options they have available to them, which is one critical area where industry needs to take action.

The Eierlegendewollmilchsau is a most unique creature. In addition to having a very long German name, it is capable of providing an amazing amount of bounty for one animal. It can lay eggs, grow wool, provide milk, and even bacon – all from one animal. Literally translated, Eierlegendewollmilchsau means “Egg Laying Wool Milk Sow”.

But there is a catch. Sadly, the Eierlegendewollmilchsau doesn’t really exist. It is a mythical creature that has come to symbolize the concept of “all-in-one” and is mythical because nothing exists that can combine so many useful and beneficial features in one place. There is, however, a city in northwestern Germany that has come close.

Bremen, Germany has succeeded in creating a completely integrated transportation network that is entirely accessible with a single card called – you guessed it – the Eierlegendewollmilchsau. A passenger can easily ride their bike on one of Bremen’s well maintained bike lanes, catch a light rail train, take a bus across town, rent a car from a convenient car-sharing kiosk, and even do some banking at an ATM, all with this one card. It’s a great example of planning a system that puts a priority on user convenience and treats many different types of transportation as seamless, purposefully linked and overlapping. By keeping the ease of use of the passenger in mind more people are more inclined to use it, ultimately making for a healthier environment and higher quality of life.

For more info on Bremen’s integrated transport system check out:
- this city profile,
- this case study,
- this tour,
- and the video below.