Trolling Twitter - Transportation Research Board Greatest Bits

Fellow transportation nerds.  Another massive Transportation research Board (TRB) has come and gone.  For those of us who were not among the 11,000 attendees, Twitter allows a small backstage pass.  Here are some tidbits, though presentations and reports sure to follow. 

General Statistics:

Study: One hour spent driving results in a 20-minute loss in your life expectancy http://ow.ly/1EFKQx

@AurashKhawarzad On 350 calories, a bicyclist can go 10 miles, a pedestrian 3.5 miles, and a car 100 feet.

@Lloydbrown: Smartphones are democratizing the Internet. @aashtospeaks 

@RayLaHood... He told TRB crowd he does not expect new transpo bill to move fwd this year

Bike

Rep. Blumenauer (OR) says: Nationally bike & ped accounts for roughly 13% of mode share, 16% of injuries, and only 2% of investment

MT @PhxDowntowner: 39 cities in China have started public bike sharing programs in just the past two years.

Parking

San Francisco won an award for parking - http://thecityfix.com/blog/san-francisco-and-medellin-win-2012-sustainable-transport-award/

A stat worth repeating: up to 30% of San Fran traffic at any one time are drivers looking for parking.

State of ITS: Guess what. Smart Parking is the fastest growing segment in the transportation industry CC:@laurenwang

Are we building parking or just not putting it in the right places? Come to the Getting the Supply Right session.

4 on-street parking spaces cost each suburban homebuyer an invisible $15,000 in construction and maintenance.

Bus Rapid Transit

Wow! 12+ million #BRT passengers per day worldwide  

Articles

Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting: Intersection of Health and Transportation

Reports

CNU Sustainable Streets

http://www.cnu.org/cnu-news/2012/01/cnus-sustainable-street-networks-principles

Alliance for Biking & Walking = Bicycling and Walking in the United States: 2012 Benchmarking Report – Highlights from the report include:

• In 2009, 40% of trips in the United States were shorter than 2 miles, yet 87% of these trips are by car. Twenty-seven percent of trips were shorter than 1 mile. Still, Americans use their cars for 62% of these trips.

• While bicycling and walking fell 66% between 1960 and 2009, obesity levels increased 156%.

• Seniors are the most vulnerable bicyclists and pedestrians. Adults over 65 make up 10% of walking trips, yet comprise 19% of pedestrian fatalities. This age group accounts for 6% of bicycling trips, yet 10% of bicyclist fatalities.

• Bicycling and walking projects create 11-14 jobs per $1 million spent, compared to just 7 jobs created per $1 million spent on highway projects. Cost benefit analysis show that up to $11.80 in benefits can be gained for every $1 invested in bicycling and walking.

• On average, the largest 51 U.S. cities show a 29% increase in bicycle facilities since the 2010 report. Cities report that 20,908 miles of bicycle facilities and 7,079 miles of pedestrian facilities are planned for the coming years (much of this contingent upon funding).