German researchers test-drove the world’s first automatic vehicle.

The Future of Transportation

Germany’s Technische Universität Braunschweig has developed a research vehicle that can drive automatically along a given route, in everyday city traffic, at speeds up to 50 mph. “Leonie,” a Volkswagen Passat station wagon, operates via satellite positioning. It can calculate its position in traffic, accelerate and brake – all without a human driver. 

Watch Leonie “drive” through the streets of Braunschweig.

Later this month, the National Research Council will feature automatic vehicles and other transportation innovations at the 90th annual meeting of its Transportation Research Board (TRB). This year's spotlight theme is "Transportation, Livability, and Economic Development in a Changing World." Some 10,000 attendees – policymakers, administrators, practitioners, researchers, journalists, and representatives of government, industry, and academia – will have the choice of more than 4,000 transportation-related presentations. 

Some of TRB’s seminar topics also have been highlighted in Talking Transit – Bus rapid transit, congestion pricing, freight, plug-in vehicles and electric busses, complete streets and bike lanes, and international innovations to cite just a few. Sessions that piqued our interest include:

• Innovations in Bus Rapid Transit Operations
• Managed Lanes—The Next Generation: Regional Networks, Public–Private Partnerships, and Variable Pricing of Existing Freeway Lanes: 
• Urbanism: Complete Streets, Transit, and Land Use Redefined
• Livability: Implementation Lessons from a Multimodal Transportation Planning Perspective
• Automated Driving: Real-World Feasibility and Benefits
• High-Speed Rail: Learning from the International Community
• Critical Roles of Multimodal Transportation in Major Activity Center Circulation and Urban Development
• Innovations in Intermodal Transfer Facilities
• Public Transport Innovations
• Intelligent Transportation Systems: Annual U.S. State-of-the-Industry Review
• Operation PRT: All Issues Related to Personal Rapid Transit
• Innovative Bicycle Infrastructure: Is It Working?
• Development Impacts of Transit Investments and Disinvestments
• Promises and Perils of Parking Pricing: Latest Evidence from the Field

TRB’s "Transportation, Livability, and Economic Development in a Changing World" will take place in Washington, D.C., from Jan. 23-27. For more information, review a complete list of sessions. 

TRB is one of five major divisions of the National Research Council.  The Research Council is the principal operating agency of the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering.  Learn more about the National Research Council. 

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NEWS

Local News

Suburban transportation, education, population to change by 2020 – The Daily Herald  “The population of the seven-county Chicago region, which includes Cook, Lake, DuPage, Kane, McHenry, Will and Kendall counties, is expected to increase about 10 percent, from 8.7 million to 9.6 million people, according to projections by the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning, or CMAP."

CTA to unveil pilot version of online 'Train Tracker' – Progressive Railroading  “Early this month, the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) plans to launch a pilot version of "Train Tracker" through a dedicated website.” 

Will Chicago think big after Daley? – Chicago Tribune  “By leaving the city treasury in such bad shape, Daley almost guaranteed it would be tough for his successor to build the kind of public works that burnished Chicago's global stature during his reign.” 

Renovated L Platforms Require Costly Repairs as Wood Planks Deteriorate After 2 Years – New York Times  “Wooden L platforms that were rebuilt over the past few years as part of the $530 million Brown Line renovation are already deteriorating at some stations.  The agency said preservatives applied to the wood were to blame for the deterioration.” 

Chicago's transportation infrastructure weakening – Chicago Tribune  “The public funding available isn't nearly enough to maintain a state of good repair, let alone expand the transportation system to improve traffic flow, make Chicago more attractive to businesses and nurture an intangible that defines a great city: livability, transportation experts say.” 

CTA wins grant for bus rapid transit experiment – Chicago Tribune  “The Federal Transit Administration awarded the CTA $1.6 million to help design the special express-bus service along the transit agency's western corridor.” 

World News

Top 5 Green Transportation Trends of 2010 – Reuters  “2010 was a weird year all around. For green transportation though, this feels like the real and true beginning of fundamental changes in the way Americans get around.” 

Another Midwestern Rail Project Is Threatened – Progress Illinois  “A budget bill released by GOP lawmakers in the Hawkeye State yesterday does not provide necessary state dollars to support a new Amtrak line set to run daily between Iowa City and Chicago.” 

FAA approves $5.2B expansion of Philadelphia airport; construction to take 12 to 15 years – Los Angeles Times  “The long-discussed and controversial project is expected to take 12 to 15 years and be financed through bonds, passenger-facility charges and FAA grants.” 

American Airlines still talking about keeping ties open to Orbitz, Expedia – Los Angeles Times  “American wants to reduce the cost of distributing tickets by requiring online travel agencies to get flight and fare information directly from the airline's computer system rather than going through intermediaries called global distribution systems, or GDS.” 

By Car, Train or Buggy, Trips to the A.T.M. Will Rise – New York Times  “Transportation, by wheel, foot or hoof, has become one of the fastest-growing costs of city life, and in 2010, no mode in New York City seemed immune.” 

As frustration grows, airports consider ditching TSA – The Washington Post  “Some of the nation's biggest airports are responding to recent public outrage over security screening by weighing whether they should hire private firms such as Covenant to replace the Transportation Security Administration.”

 

Contact Information 

For comments, suggestions, or submissions, please contact Chantal Hayes, Communications Associate, at chayes@metroplanning.org or (312)-863-6019.