The Mexican state government of Tamaulipas launched an urban mobility plan for cities across the state, such as Nuevo Laredo. Photo by J. Stephen Conn.

Welcome back to TheCityFix Picks, our series highlighting the newsy and noteworthy of the past week. Each Friday, we’ll run down the headlines falling under TheCityFix’s five themes: integrated transport, urban development and accessibility, air quality and climate change, health and road safety, and communications and marketing.

Integrated Transport

The Asian Development Bank will provide the city of Dhaka a loan of $255 million to establish its first bus rapid transit (BRT) lines.

The Transport Rustenburg Incubation Programme (TRIP) was launched in Rustenburg, South Africa, creating an avenue for local college graduates to receive training for work on the city’s Rustenburg Rapid Transport (RRT) project.

China is poised to roll out the largest buses the world has ever seen. The vehicles, measuring more than 82 feet long and carrying up to 300 passengers, will soon begin operations in China’s bus rapid transit systems in Beijing and Hangzhou.

Transforming Transportation is less than a week away! Confirm your attendance by registering for the annual sustainable transport conference, hosted by EMBARQ (the producer of this blog) and its partners.

As China approaches its peak travel season during the Spring Festival, the Ministry of Railways predicts a total of 235 million rail passengers will travel across the country between January 8 and February 16.

Urban Development + Accessibility

The Mexican state government of Tamaulipas launched an urban mobility plan for cities in the state.

For the first time in history, the majority of China’s population in 2011 was located in cities rather than rural settings, according to new reports from the country’s National Bureau of Statistics.

The 2012 Sustainable Transport Award Ceremony is next Tuesday evening in Washington, D.C. This year’s nominees are Buenos Aires, Argentina; Cape Town, South Africa; Medellin, Colombia; and San Francisco, USA. You can register for the free event here.

A new bike sharing system, Bikla, was created in Guadalajara, Mexico. Bikla is based on a unique funding scheme of selling the system’s bike racks, called “Cycle Ports,” to local businesses.

Air Quality + Climate Change

Deloitte’s annual consumer survey suggests that Gen Y’s (the survey identifies this age group to be between 19 and 31 years old) affinity for hybrid vehicles might be the impetus for society’s shift away from traditional gasoline-powered vehicles.

General Motors Co. is improving the exhaust system of the Chevrolet Volt plug-in electric vehicle to be in accordance with California’s statewide emissions standards. Car buyers falling within the state’s standards qualify for a $1,500 state-funded rebate.

Health + Road Safety

Rutgers University developed an independently traveling robot that diagnoses structural deficiencies in bridges before they’re detectable to the naked eye. Support for the project comes in part from a U.S. Department of Transportation grant—one among the 22 that were awarded to universities this year.

New research published in the January issue of Transportation Research Part F develops and tests a theoretical framework for modeling pedestrian street-crossing behavior in urban areas. Research findings show that pedestrians are increasingly likely to cross streets at non-intersections at the beginning of a trip.

Communications + Marketing

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg promised to build more protected bike lanes in his “State of the City” address this week. He also touted the city’s planned launch of its bike share system this summer.

California Gov. Jerry Brown spoke out in favor of Californian high-speed rail in his “State of the State” address this week. Regarding his dissenters, Brown said, “The critics were wrong then and they’re wrong now.”

The Transportation Research Board’s 91st Annual Meeting is ready to set down on Washington, D.C. next week, January 22-26. The event is anticipated to attract more than 11,000 transportation professionals from around the world.

Cycling in the countryside has become an increasingly popular respite from Chinese city life. Photo by David Woo.

Welcome back to TheCityFix Picks, our series highlighting the newsy and noteworthy of the past week. Each Friday, we’ll run down the headlines falling under TheCityFix’s five themes: integrated transport, urban development and accessibility, air quality and climate change, health and road safety, and communications and marketing.

Integrated Transport

Cycling is gaining popularity in China, with this year’s Trek bike sales topping 100 million yuan (US$15.6 million), from just 2 million yuan in 2006.

General Motors signed a deal to include its vehicles in RelayRides car sharing services, currently located in Boston and San Francisco.

The Asia Pacific Automotive Conference and Expo 2011 was held this week in Chennai, India.

Delhi government officials announced the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) will equip all of its bus shelters with Passenger Information Systems (PIS) within the next year.

The three-day 7th International Congress on Sustainable Transport, hosted by EMBARQ’s Center for Sustainable Transport in Mexico (CTS-México), was held in Mexico City this week.

Urban Development + Accessibility

World Habitat Day 2011 was celebrated on Monday in locations around the world. The event serves as a reminder to reflect on the state of our towns and cities, and the basic human right of adequate shelter.

Mayor Bloomberg announced on Wednesday a new deal that could give New York City the money needed to complete the Manhattan Greenway.

Walk21 hosted its 12th international conference this week in Vancouver, Canada, with the aim of developing healthy, sustainable and efficient communities through walking.

The Sustainable Development in Naya Raipur conference last week explored the challenges and solutions facing the construction and management of surrounding Indian towns.

Air Quality + Climate Change

Paris launched the Autolib fully-electric car sharing outfit. Officials hope to have around 5,000 “Bluecars” in the program by 2013.

The World Resources Institute launched two new GHG Protocol (GHGP) standards for corporations to use in their accounting and reporting of greenhouse gas emissions.

Boise, Idaho began its first car sharing program, with the hope that it will encourage individuals to transition from personal vehicles to mass transit transport options.

The U.S. Supreme Court affirmed the right of a California pollution-control agency to charge developers for building projects that are expected to induce large driving demands.

Health + Road Safety

The city of Chicago passed a ban on both talking on the phone and texting while cycling. Breachers of the ban face graduated fines starting at $20.

Human error was the cause of last week’s subway crash in Shanghai, responsible for injuring more than 290 people, the New China News Agency reports.

In an effort to reduce distracted driving and boost roadway safety, the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety and AAA pronounced the week of October 2-8 as Heads-Up Driving Week.

The European Parliament today adopted a resolution strongly recommending the proper authorities throughout Europe to instate a maximum speed limit of 30 kilometers per hour in all residential areas and urban areas not containing separated cycle lanes.

Communications + Marketing

The Dutch Cycling Embassy released an informational video chronicling and celebrating cycling. The video is aptly titled “Cycling for Everyone.”

As part of the Rail-Volution conference in Washington, D.C. on October 16-19, a transport short film festival will be held on the evening of the 17th.

Cleveland, Ohio’s RTA transit agency is showcased in a video created for Siemens’ Changing Your City for the Better Contest, highlighting the city’s new $500 million bus rapid transit (BRT) line.

Ten miles of Los Angeles city street will be made car-free this Sunday for CicLAvia. Ciclovías began over thirty years ago in Bogotá, Colombia in response to the congestion and pollution of city streets.

Attempting to evade the city's congested car traffic, more than 50,000 residents in Jakarta, Indonesia bike to work. Photo by nSeika.

Welcome back to TheCityFix Picks, our series highlighting the newsy and noteworthy of the past week. Each Friday, we’ll run down the headlines falling under TheCityFix’s five themes: integrated transport, urban development and accessibility, air quality and climate change, health and road safety, and communications and marketing.

Integrated Transport

The U.S. Dept. of Energy released two online tools to help communities implement electric vehicle infrastructure.

China will invest 1.27 trillion yuan (US$199 billion) in subway and light rail lines through 2015, reported the official China Securities Journal last Friday.

The Turkish high-speed rail line linking Ankara with Konya opened this week.

The world vehicle population surpassed 1 billion in 2010, according to Ward Research.

Calls for a ban on bicycling in Israel ensued after a deadly cyclist crash in the country last weekend.

China’s high-speed trains remain a popular transport option as ridership remains high, despite the train crash that claimed 40 lives last month.

Urban Development + Accessibility

In the face of extreme traffic congestion, bicyclists of Jakarta, Indonesia amassed a Bike to Work community of more than 50,000 members.

The Consulate General of the Netherlands, with support from the City of Los Angeles, will host a two-day workshop in Los Angeles in late September to support L.A.’s bicycling infrastructure.

The world’s largest bicycle maker, Hero Cycle, partnered with Allahabad-based Sonata Finance to provide loans to Indians in rural areas to help finance bicycle purchases.

Air Quality + Climate Change

UPS is purchasing 100 fully-electric commercial delivery vehicles for use throughout California. The move marks one of the largest commercial electric-vehicle deployments in the world.

General Motors and LG Group signed a joint agreement on Wednesday to partner on future electric vehicle production. LG Group had previously provided the battery cells for the Chevrolet Volt.

A research team at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Princeton University pioneered a new traffic signal schedule advisory system that uses a network of smartphones mounted on car dashboards to collect traffic information. Tests found that drivers who use the system cut fuel consumption by 20 percent on average.

The California Air Resources Board (ARB) voted to reinstate the state’s greenhouse gas emissions cap-and-trade program and approved an updated environmental analysis of the state climate plan.

Transport for London announced a collection of initiatives aimed at reducing pollution levels by 10 percent to 20 percent on London’s busiest roads.

Canada is following in the United States’ footsteps in developing similar greenhouse gas emission regulations of heavy duty vehicles.

Health + Road Safety

In anticipation of Hurricane Irene, MTA Long Island Rail Road, like other transit providers, is reducing service this weekend.

Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), a U.S.-based not-for-profit that seeks to end drunk driving, appointed a new president, Jan Withers. August is the most deadly month in the U.S. for drunk driving.

The percentage of bicyclist crashes per rider in Washington, D.C. has decreased as bike lane mileage has increased.

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg expressed support for additional red light traffic intersection cameras in the city, saying, “I think we should have them on every corner if we could. Using technology instead of having cops makes a lot of sense.”

Communications + Marketing

Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) responded to Tuesday’s East Coast United States earthquake with Metro-related updates on Facebook and Twitter, submitting press releases, posting additional signage, dispatching extra workers, and even projecting news updates on the teleprompter at the Nationals’ baseball game.

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel took his city’s Brown Line train to work on Tuesday. “Got on the train and got to work in 30 minutes, short order,” the mayor said of the experience. “That is a competitive advantage for the city.”

The tenth edition of the “Building Carfree Cities for the People, by the People” will be held in Guadalajara, Mexico this year on September 5 – 9. The conference aims to empower people to encourage policy reform.

After 12 months of operation, London’s bikesharing outfit Barclays Cycle Hire boasts roughly 6 million logged bike trips.Photo by Donald Macleod.

Welcome back to TheCityFix Picks, our series highlighting the newsy and noteworthy of the past week. Each Friday, we’ll run down the headlines falling under TheCityFix’s five themes: integrated transport, urban development and accessibility, air quality and climate change, health and road safety, and communications and marketing.

Integrated Transport

After 12 months of operation, London’s bikesharing outfit Barclays Cycle Hire boasts roughly 6 million logged bike trips.

Car2Go, the flexible carsharing service, is looking to expand to Washington, D.C. with 300 cars as soon as this fall. Car2Go is already operating in Austin, Vancouver, and Hamburg and Ulm.

The U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works Committee released a transportation bill outline, which appears to lack any funding dedicated to bicycling and pedestrian projects.

The New York City Department of Transportation launched an information gathering and response system to curb traffic congestion in Midtown Manhattan.

Urban Development + Accessibility

Global grid energy storage spending will reach more than $22 billion over the next 10 years, according to a new report from Pike Research.

Walk Score reached the milestone of more than 10,000 real estate websites featuring its online resources. Walk Score supports real estate providers by illustrating the location, nearby amenities and “walkability score” of real estate properties.

New survey results reveal that Zipcar has resulted in decreased driving and increased public transportation use, plus increased exercise and improved quality of life for its members in Baltimore, Md.

In the wake of Japan’s devastating earthquake, Panasonic, Japan’s largest appliance producer, is shutting down 20 percent of its factory facilities and converting the land into “smart towns,” which will reportedly feature solar panels, energy-efficient refrigerators and rechargeable batteries.

Air Quality + Climate Change

Toyota unveiled M2LFh (mesoporous two-line ferrihydrite), a material for use in cars with the capability of removing 95 percent of ozone from the air.

Fifty all-electric Nissan LEAFs were added to New York City’s fleet of police vehicles as part of Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s PlaNYC initiative.

In São Paulo, 160 city buses will now run on renewable diesel fuel derived from sugarcane.

California extended its clean vehicle purchasing incentive program for a third year. The $40 million program was approved by the California Air Resources Board (ARB) and includes providing consumer rebates of up to $2,500 toward the purchase of zero-emission or plug-in hybrid vehicles.

Chicago embraced its first public electric vehicle charging stations, as 350Green, the company commissioned to produce the stations, completed six of the 73 stations planned for the city.

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg donated $50 million to the Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal Campaign, a project aimed at ending coal power production and transitioning to clean energy sources.

Health + Road Safety

Canada’s national road safety week proceeded last week, with police charging roughly 15,500 Toronto motorists with various offenses.

Serious crimes in the Washington, D.C. metro system are down by more than a third, reported Metro General Manager Richard Sarles.

New York City MTA officials announced that 464 buses will receive improved bus shields by the year’s end, as a response to bus driver safety concerns.

Communications + Marketing

The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority launched the first on-train all-4G WiFi network. “As the transit provider of Silicon Valley, it is most appropriate that VTA be the first in providing our passengers with the best, high-speed WiFi technology on the market at absolutely no charge,” board chair Margaret Abe-Koga said.

Washington, D.C.’s Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) expanded its public communications efforts by hiring a social media manager.

To showcase Copenhagen’s bicycle culture, Copenhagenize Consulting, in association with the Danish Foreign Ministry’s Public Diplomacy Office, created a photo exhibition called Monumental Motion to travel the world.

Volvo India is accepting nominations for its inaugural “Volvo Sustainable Mobility” award. The objective of the award is to highlight and support sustainable urban transport initiatives.

Germany cities host some of the most energy-efficient buildings in Europe, according to a new report from Siemens. Photo by Andreas Levers.

Welcome back to TheCityFix Picks, our series highlighting the newsy and noteworthy of the past week. Each Friday, we’ll run down the headlines falling under TheCityFix’s five themes: integrated transport, urban development and accessibility, air quality and climate change, health and road safety, and communications and marketing.

Integrated Transport

In hopes of revitalizing Ghana’s ailing transport sector, the country launched a Transport Investment Summit and Exhibition in Accra. The summit was held under the theme: “Transportation as an Economic Apparatus for Efficient National Development.”

India’s Karnataka State Cabinet approved plans for introducing new bus rapid transit (BRT) systems to the cities of Bangalore, Dharwad, Hubli, and Mysore. Each of the BRT projects vary greatly in their stages of development.

Nationwide analysis from the American Commuter Survey found that, on average, cities where bicycling to work is more prevalent are richer, better-educated and fitter.

A new study on the economic benefits of transportation investments shows the versatile positive influence of cycling. In addition to alleviating air pollution and congestion, the study found that every $1 million invested in cycling projects results in the creation of 11.4 jobs.

Urban Development + Accessibility

The first green-parking spots were launched in Dubai, which are equipped with electric vehicle charging stations.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) will provide Azerbaijan roughly $340 million in loans, as confirmed by the ADB’s recent signing of the 2011-2013 Country Operations Business Plan. The plan outlines ADB’s support in the areas of transport, energy, urban water supply and sanitation and urban services sectors.

The hassle of on-street parking payments in Washington, D.C. was lifted, as the city’s Department of Transportation announced much of the city’s parking will feature a pay-by-phone option.

Auckland’s CBD rail loop is facing complications with the release of a government commissioned report exposing the ratio of construction cost to economic payback at roughly three-to-one.

Florida’s recently passed growth -management system law is being used to dispute the “Farmton” development project, in helping deem it a contributor to urban sprawl. The project would result in the creation of 25,000 homes in a relatively undeveloped area.

Air Quality + Climate Change

The United States, along with several other countries, released 60 million barrels of reserve oil in response to the stoppage of Libyan oil production resulting from in-country political turmoil. About half of the released oil will come from U.S. reserves. Efforts are aimed at alleviating the stress of high pump prices.

German cities are among the best in Europe on environmental and climate change responsibility, according to the findings of Siemens’ German Green City Index. Ten of the twelve accessed German cities ranked as “above average” in the examined sustainability categories.

EU countries received clearance to charge trucks for their production of air and noise pollution.

Vietnam’s Ministry of National Resources and Environment presented the country’s 2010 National Environment Report last week, which outlined the severe problems the country is facing in air pollution and flooding in urban areas, industrial parks and trade villages.

Health + Road Safety

New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg’s “Saving Lives Through Better Information Act” became active this week. The act requires the New York City Police Department to publish information on the number of moving-violation summons issued, the number of traffic crashes, as well as the number of traffic fatalities and injuries.

Trinidad and Tobago’s national traffic crash fatality number is on course to reach 100 deaths this year and has attracted national attention, including that of the non-government organization Arrive Alive. Arrive Alive states that it will take an overarching, inter-agency organization to ensure the effectiveness of the road safety initiatives already in place.

New York State Representative Carolyn McCarthy proposed legislation on Thursday to nationalize a ban on the use of portable devices while driving. The proposed legislation would also require the Department of Transportation to conduct a two-year study on distracted driving.

Congressman Jason Altmire introduced the Older Driver and Pedestrian Safety and Roadway Enhancement Act, which includes provisions to establish a funding program for State Departments of Transportation to correct conditions most hazardous to older drivers and pedestrians.

Communications + Marketing

Politicians, business owners, neighbors and transit enthusiasts gathered on Eglinton Avenue West in Toronto for a celebration of an impending underground transit line to pass through the neighborhood. Though construction will not be completed until 2020, such early displays of support help to raise the profile of this transit option.

In the effort to bolster its bus system’s ridership, the Napa County Transportation and Planning Agency consulted the Llium Associates marketing firm last month, who conducted a study to ascertain the Napa Valley bus ridership demographics.

Demand for alternative energy vehicles (AEVs) is less than that of compact and sub-compact cars, according to a recent study by GfK Custom Research. Reported hindrances to AEVs’ demand included low familiarity. GfK emphasized the importance of communicating the “emotional benefits” of owning AEVs to potential drivers.