InfoHive – Transportation

Data from Chargepoint app, shows that California, New York, Florida, Massachusetts, Texas, Washington, Colorado, Maryland, Ohio and Michigan lead the nation in the number of EV chargers. In the last 3 years, these states have installed more than 1/2 of the U.S.’s new EV chargers. States that have the highest number per capita EV chargers are Vermont, Washington, D.C., Maine, Massachusetts, Colorado, Hawaii, California, Maryland, Oregon and Rhode Island.

Route Fifty | In national race to build EV chargers, a few states emerge as big winners

A 2022 study by Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Asphalt Art Initiative found that rates of crashes involving pedestrians or cyclists dropped by an average of 50% after asphalt art was installed. Safer and prettier streets, a win-win.

Route Fifty | Cities paint the way to safer streets

AB 316 (2023 | CA) would limit the use of driverless big trucks in California. This bill would also require autonomous truck testing companies to report to the Legislature after 5 years of testing and to keep a human on board the vehicle through 2029.

Transportation Dive | California senators advance bill restricting driverless trucks

The Port of Long Beach this week opened the largest big rig EV charging station. The EV charging station, 2404 Pier A Way, is home to 26, 360-kilowatt, charging stations for electric drayage trucks. It is the result of a partnership between WattEV & Southern California Edison. The ultimate goal is add more EV chargers so that the trucks can reduce charge times to 20 to 40 minutes.

Governing | Port of Long Beach Opens Electric Truck Charging Depot 

EV big rigs are hitting our roads, but there’s a dearth of EV chargers for them. WallStreet Journal tells us that PG&E told “charging provider FreeWire Technologies that one of its large fleet customers wouldn’t be able to charge trucks for a few years during summer afternoons when California electricity use peaks.”

Wall Street Journal | Electric Big Rigs Hit the Streets, but Chargers Are Scarce

It’s safer to ride a bike than an e-bike or e-scooter in NYC. In fact the death rate from accidents is 3 times higher on the e-mobility devices. 3 times!

New York Daily News via Governing | NYC E-Bikes and E-Scooters Exceed Bicycles in Deaths

As if bad drivers, road work, and traffic accidents weren’t enough to slow your commute, meet phantom traffic jams. What’s a phantom traffic jam? It is when a slow down occurs because of driver behavior and not an accident or obstruction. Tennessee is testing out a system of cameras to gather data to determine the quantity and rational behind phantom traffic jams. In one 3 hour span during the morning commute, researchers identified 20!!! waves of phantom traffic jams each and every work day.

Route Fifty | Why am I stuck in traffic? A Tennessee project could provide answers

Department of Homeland Security’s Science and Technology Directorate is developing a new wildfire alert system. Emergency alerts will be sent to vehicle infotainment dashboards and mobile apps.

GCN | Researchers demo geotargeted wildfire alerts sent to vehicles

 To help cities plan for the onslaught of vertical takeoff and electric air vehicles, the researchers at the Mineta Transportation Institute at San Jose State University have developed a geographic information system. This information will help cities determine the best place for ground hubs, or vertiports, that benefit passenger boarding, aircraft maintenance and charging as well as takeoff and landing. 

Route Fifty | Air taxis are taking off. Cities should start planning now.

2022 saw the highest number of pedestrian traffic fatalities since 1981 according to a new report from the Governors Highway Safety Association. Since 2010, pedestrian deaths have gone up 77%, far more than the increase in other traffic related fatalities which increased 25% over the same time. Texas saw a 1% increase in pedestrian fatalities between 2021 and 2022. 60.4% of fatalities occur on regular, non-freeway, non-feeder roads.

Governors Highway Safety Association | Pedestrian Traffic Fatalities by State