Leading the Worldwide Movement to Improve Road Safety

Bloomberg Philanthropies' $125 million, five-year Global Road Safety program is aimed at reducing preventable road traffic deaths and injuries in ten countries through initiatives including increased seat-belt and helmet usage, reduced speed limits, drinking and driving enforcement, and improvements in road infrastructure and sustainable transport.This midway status report finds that 1.6 billion people are now covered globally by new or improved laws in road safety. The early accomplishments are focused in the following target countries: Brazil, Cambodia, China, Egypt, India, Kenya, Mexico, Russia, Turkey and Vietnam

Meeting the Challenge: Opportunities for Midwest Action on Climate Change

Examines how climate change efforts in the Midwest could complement coastal initiatives to bring about more meaningful national action. Highlights the opportunities for action that have the greatest convergence of support

Road charging in the Czech Republic and EU and external costs of transport

In the paper the Czech toll system and its future are presented. E-toll Czech project: Facts and Figures (today) are included and the next steps in the process of developing microwave infrastructure are mentioned. In the event of possible system extension of the roads of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd class (ca 55,000 km), the satellite technology will be used. The feasibility of such a combination of these two technologies, microwave and satellite, is subject to the compatibility of both systems in terms of the control equipment. For the microwave toll system, economic analyses according to EU directives were prepared for the Czech Ministry of Transport. Special attention is paid to the problems of traffic congestion, noise and damage to the environment, on the basis of the "user pays" and "polluter pays" according to the Eurovignette Directive principles. A complete survey of the EU toll system is included in the list of information sources

INFLUENCE OF SAFETY STANDARDS AND GUIDELINES IMPLEMENTATION ON TRANSPORTATION SAFETY IN PUBLIC BOARDING SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN KITUI COUNTY, KENYA

There a current concern caused by rampant tragedies in secondary schools in Kenya which demands for the need to look at the school safety system. The aim of this research was to look into the implementation of safety standards and guidelines on transportation safety in public boarding secondary schools in Kitui County. The objective was to find out the influence of transportation safety implementation. The investigation was led by the securitization and disaster managing theories. The mixed methodology approach was adopted and the design was concurrent triangulation. Targeted population was 16,875 which included; 1,940 teachers and 14,903 students, 16 education officers and 16 senior police officers. The sample was 650 participants which included: 240 teachers, 400 students, 5 education officers and 5 security personnel. Stratified sampling was used to get 5 schools from each of the 8 constituencies; then random sampling was used to get 20 schools. Principals and deputies were purposively sampled. The researcher used random sampling for teachers and leaners and purposive for education and security officers. Likert scale surveys were utilized in the case of teachers and learners. Interview schedules were used for education and security officers and an observation checklist was used too. The data collection tools were tested in 2 boarding institutions which were not included in the last study sample. The specialists examined data collection tools for validity and test retest technique was done for reliability with coefficient of .902. For credibility, simultaneous triangulation was employed. Quantitative data were evaluated in expressive data using tables, frequencies and percentages. Chi-square was employed to find out the degree to which the variables related with one another. Qualitative data were explained through narrative form. The study established that there was need to check the use of safety belts and overloading among other issues. It was recommended that strict measures be put in place to safeguard learners using school vehicles. Further research was recommended in security in tertiary institutions and universities.  Article visualizations

Investing in America\u27s Surface Transportation Infrastructure: The Need for a Multi-Year Reauthorization Bill: Hearing Before the S. Comm. on Env\u27t & Pub. Works, 116th Cong., July 10, 2019

The Fourth National Climate Assessment, released in November 2018, described the serious impacts of climate change already being felt throughout the U.S., and made clear that the risks to communities all across the country are growing rapidly. These findings, along with those in the 2018 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report should serve as an immediate call to action. Even if we manage to limit planetary warming to just 2 degrees Celsius, the world will still face increased chances of economic and social upheaval from more severe flooding, droughts, heatwaves, and other climate impacts as well as devastating environmental consequences, the IPCC report warns. The consensus from leading scientific research academies within the United States and internationally is clear: multiple lines of evidence indicate, and have indicated for years, that our atmosphere is warming, sea levels are rising, the magnitude and frequency of certain extreme weather events is increasing, and that human activity is the primary driver of climate change. As described in the IPCC Special Report, the consensus is that countries around the world must rapidly decarbonize their economies, cutting greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2030 and to near zero by 2050. The U.S. Department of Defense, and leaders within the defense and national security communities, have also recognized climate change as a “national security issue” that requires adapting military operations and planning to ensure readiness. Despite our understanding of the consequences we will face and the urgency to act, U.S. GHG emissions from fossil fuel combustion increased by 2.7 percent in 2018, according the Rhodium Group. Clearly more action is needed. While we all recognize the importance of transportation in our daily lives and for our economy, it is also important to recognize that the transportation sector is the largest contributor of GHG emissions in the United States, and is already facing significant impacts from climate change. There is an urgent need, therefore, to transition to a low-carbon and more resilient transportation system. Such a transition would not only reduce emissions and fight climate change, it also would bring additional important benefits, including protecting public health by reducing conventional air pollution, providing more mobility options, and driving innovation and economic growth through policy action and through public and private investment

Examining How Federal Infrastructure Policy Could Help Mitigate and Adapt to Climate Change: Hearing Before the H. Comm. on Transp. & Infrastructure, 116th Cong., Feb. 26, 2019 (Statement of Vicki Arroyo)

As the Fourth National Climate Assessment, released in November, describes, the United States is already experiencing serious impacts of climate change—and the risks to communities all across the country are growing rapidly. These findings, along with those in the 2018 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)report, are clear and should be a call to immediate action. Even if we manage to limit planetary warming to just 2 degrees C, the world will still face increased chances of economic and social upheaval from more severe flooding, droughts, heatwaves, and other climate impacts as well as devastating environmental consequences, the IPCC report warns. The scientific consensus as described in the IPCC Special Report is that countries around the world must rapidly decarbonize their economies, cutting greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2030 and to near zero by 2050. Yet the current trends are going in the wrong direction. Despite our increasing understanding of the narrowing window to act, U.S. GHG emissions increased by 3.4% in 2018, according to a January report from the Rhodium Group. Clearly more action is needed. The encouraging news is that many states and cities have committed to taking action. They are taking steps to reduce emissions through legislation, executive orders, and pledges made in collaborations such as the US Climate Alliance –now covering roughly half the US population and GDP. In my testimony, I will be focusing on the transportation sector, which is the largest contributor of GHG emissions in the United States, and is already facing significant impacts from climate change. Federal standards have been important in increasing efficiency and reducing emissions, yet transportation-sector emissions are increasing as more vehicle miles are driven, more freight is transported in trucks, and airline travel continues to grow. Transportation is becoming an increasingly large share of U.S. economy-wide emissions as the power sector decarbonizes as a result of market shifts and policy. There is an urgent need, therefore, to transition to a low-carbon transportation system. Such a transition would not only reduce emissions and fight climate change, it also would bring additional important benefits, including protecting public health by reducing conventional air pollution, providing more mobility options, and driving innovation and economic growth through policy action and through public and private investment