Today TTI had released its latest edition of the popular product – Urban Mobility Report (2012). The 2012 edition introduced for the first time,  a way to measure that degree of unreliability in planning a trip, as part of the annual Urban Mobility Report (UMR).   The press release explains it succintly:

The Planning Time Index (PTI), a measure of travel reliability, illustrates the amount of extra time needed to arrive on time for higher priority events, such as an airline departure, just-in-time shipments, medical appointments or especially important social commitments. If the PTI for a particular trip is 3.00, a traveler would allow 60 minutes for a trip that typically takes 20 minutes when few cars are on the road. Allowing for a PTI of 3.00 would ensure on-time arrival 19 out of 20 times.

Access the whole report (PDF) by clicking the cover photo of the report below.

TTI’s 2012 Urban Mobility Report

As one would expect, the reactions for the report was mixed – both positive and negative from the transportation community.  That said, here are some highlights from the 2012 UMR:

Congestion costs are increasing. The congestion “invoice” for the cost of extra time and fuel in 498 urban areas was (all values in constant 2011 dollars):

• In 2011 – $121 billion; In 2000 – $94 billion; In 1982 – $24 billion

Congestion wastes a massive amount of time, fuel and money. In 2011:

• 5.5 billion hours of extra time (equivalent to the time businesses and individuals spend a year filing their taxes).
• 2.9 billion gallons of wasted fuel (enough to fill four New Orleans Superdomes).
• $121 billion of delay and fuel cost (the negative effect of uncertain or longer delivery times, missed meetings, business relocations and other congestion-related effects are not included) ($121 billion is equivalent to the lost productivity and direct medical expenses of 12 average flu seasons).
• 56 billion pounds of additional carbon dioxide (CO2) greenhouse gas released into the atmosphere during urban congested conditions (equivalent to the liftoff weight of over 12,400 Space Shuttles with all fuel tanks full).
• 22% ($27 billion) of the delay cost was the effect of congestion on truck operations; this does not include any value for the goods being transported in the trucks.
• The cost to the average commuter was $818 in 2011 compared to an inflation-adjusted $342 in 1982.
  

  English: Traffic congestion on southbound Interstate 95 in Baltimore, Maryland, near milepost 50. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Congestion affects people who travel during the peak period. The average commuter:

• Spent an extra 38 hours traveling in 2011, up from 16 hours in 1982.
• Wasted 19 gallons of fuel in 2011 – a week’s worth of fuel for the average U.S. driver – up from 8 gallons in 1982.
• In areas with over three million persons, commuters experienced an average of 52 hours of delay in 2011.
• Suffered 6 hours of congested road conditions on the average weekday in areas over 3 million population.
• Fridays are the worst days to travel. The combination of work, school, leisure and other trips mean that urban residents earn their weekend after suffering over 20 percent more delay hours than on Mondays.
• And if all that isn’t bad enough, folks making important trips had to plan for approximately three times as much travel time as in light traffic conditions in order to account for the effects of unexpected crashes, bad weather, special events and other irregular congestion causes.

Congestion is also a problem at other hours. 

• Approximately 37 percent of total delay occurs in the midday and overnight (outside of the peak hours) times of day when travelers and shippers expect free-flow travel. Many manufacturing processes depend on a free-flow trip for efficient production and congested networks interfere with those operations.

Related articles

• Commuters’ wasted time in traffic costs $121B
• Houston makes list of top 10 most congested cities
• New Road Congestion Report
• Washington Is No.1 In Traffic Congestion
• Americans wasting billions in traffic jams

(source: Frost and Sullivan)

The chart below came to me via twitter and I felt compelled to share.. As the pace of technology deployment accelerated in the automotive market , one of the directly impacted segments was the carsharing business. What used to be a small segment dominated by ZipCar has now burgeoned into a full blown industry and more new participants are entering the fray with bold new ideas. It is only going to get better in the days ahead as the technology matures and more people decide to ditch their personal vehicles and opt for “renting” by the hour (i.e., sharing).

Related articles

• Carsharing business keeps growing
• The future of the car in the city: Vol. 1., No. 1. Carsharing Policy Guide for local government
• Urban Carshares : Smart, Sustainable, Transportation for City Dwellers
• Presentation of Paris Autolib’ carsharing project: “A new way of getting around in cities”

(Image Courtesy: veterinarytechnicianschools.com)

Every year, the United States spends billions in medical, road-repair and vehicle costs due collisions between vehicles and animals, not to mention the trauma of all of the human and animal lives that are lost. But is anything being done about this problem? The professionals use their expertise to help shrink the number of animal-vehicle collisions (AVCs) and the resulting horrific consequences. This infographic gives some background on the problem of AVCs and presents some of the solutions currently deployed to mitigate this growing problem.

Image Courtesy: Veterinarytechnicalschools.com

Whether you are an Armani-wearing CEO of a company or a khaki-clad clerk building spreadsheets, we all prefer a little bit of comfort when we travel.  For some of us tired of traveling via the commercial airlines after enduring the hassles of a long check-in lines and TSA checkpoints, the alternative could be charter jets. Gone are the days when chartered jets are meant for the moneyed class. Today anyone can rent airplanes by the hour and travel quickly and conveniently. Of course, the price of travel is a bit higher compared to the commercial aviation options but none of the conventional air travel services can even come close to what is offered by the charter jets in terms of flexibility, comfort and ease.

Let’s first understand how it works. Airplane charters work very much the same way as car sharing services like ZipCar that allow you to rent cars by the hour via the internet. If you are a big city resident, you may have already seen/used car sharing services like ZipCar that allow you to rent cars by the hour via the internet. All you need is an account with the rental company and you can instantly make reservations over a smartphone/ computer whenever you need to rent a car. Once you finish using the car, you can return them to the nearest station and walk away. Airplane charters work very much the same way. Companies like JetCharters have made it quite easy for today’s wired traveler that he/she can now book chartered flights (sign up for an account when you are on the website) over the phone or via the internet using a smartphone/tablet/computer, very much like booking a car. Travelers arriving at the site are presented a simplified interface that requires trip information such as trip type, number of passengers, departure and destination airports of choice, preferred time and date for departure/arrival.

Travelers don’t have to always book a round trip flight. Based on the needs and affordability, a traveler can book a one way trip or a multi-leg trip stopping over in various airports. The hourly rate is dependent on the aircraft class. Aircraft hourly rates are dependant on aircraft size. There are three common size classes, based on cabin dimensions: light or small jets, mid-size or medium jets, heavy or full-size jets (and not to forget the air ambulances). JetCharters, one of the market leaders in the business, offers a wide selection of aircrafts ranging from small jets like a Beechjet400 (seating for six or seven passengers) to large jets like Gulfstream Legacy 600 and even a full-sized Boeing737 that can accommodate up to 172 passengers. An additional offering available under this service is the air-ambulance which could be very useful for transporting passengers with medical conditions.

So, how much it typically cost to rent an airplane by the hour? According to Chief Executive Air light jets typically cost around $2,500 per flight hour, mid-size jets cost around $3,200 per flight hour and heavy jets cost on average $4,500 per hour and up. In addition to flight charges, the charterer is responsible for all charges incurred during the trip, including over-night charges, landing fees, International fees (if you are traveling outside the country), catering and flight-phone usage.   One of the leading companies in the market, Planemasters, has taken out all the hassles and published a simple matrix showing the hourly rates for each type of plane they have on fleet.  If you would like to get smart about the details of chartering costs for a typical trip, I recommend that you check this blog. 

Source: Planemasters.com

Charter jets workout much cheaper if you are traveling with a group because the cost you are paying for renting a particular aircraft can be divided per passenger.  Let’s say if you are planning to fly a large group, say 10, of your friends/family to a wedding in Vegas (or a board meeting in Los Angeles) and the whole thing costs you $20,000.  If you work the calculator, you can easily figure out that it costs only $2000 per person, which might be slightly more than what each of you would have paid for a first class ticket. Now, how often can you have the whole plane for just you and your wedding party? And when you have it why not get the fun started before you even arrive at your destination. One of the major and attractive features of charter jets is the ability to arrive at even the hard to reach small towns without having to worry about catching connecting planes and missing baggage.

Often, small towns and communities are not conveniently located near a large airport, but air charters opens up more travel options with smaller airports across the region. Another benefit to choosing an operator through JetCharters is that there are no repositioning fees and travelers only pay for the distance they travel (ImagineAir and Kavoo are just two of the many licensed operators offering travel options through JetCharters.com). Also, air charters can be a great way to travel shorter distances while avoiding busy highways and roadways and it offers an increased amount of flexibility with travel schedules.  Planemasters, a Chicago jet charter company that is one of the largest executive charter companies in the entire Midwest, sums it up nicely on its website showing what you get for your $$ – service, flexibility, freedom, and control.  You can bet every traveler on this planet would like to the sound of “We’re on Your Schedule.”

In today’s uber-connected world where people even rent out their spare bedrooms by the day (i.e., AirBnB), it doesn’t come as a surprise that some of these individual jet owners are renting out their jets they bought for personal use. Instead of parking it at an airport and using it occasionally to fly to a meeting or a family get together, private aircraft owners can rent out their airplanes via JetCharter by signing up as operators. So, an aircraft owner can make significant chunk of change instead of having it parked in a hanger and collecting dust.

NetJets come to India…. (Photo credit: Mark D. Martin India)

Chartered planes business is fast expanding and is considered one of the hottest sectors for many investors. With a squeezed out commercial aviation network and a congested surface transportation system that is barely meeting the demand, many business travelers are looking at chartered jet travel as a viable alternative, partly because of the flexibility, convenience and swiftness. You know a business is hot when investment guru Warren Buffet swoops in with his war chest and buys private jet operator.  Looking at the demand and the potential for massive growth in this global market, Mr. Buffet’s company Berkshire Hathaway bought Net Jets, which sells partial ownership interests in business jets, about a decade ago. More recently NetJets announced plans to spend up to $9.6 billion on as many as 425 new planes, which should be a good indicator for how much demand is there for these jets.

Doesn’t matter how we analyze it, commercial airline services are no match for the convenience of a chartered plane . Imagine arriving at private terminal with our friends after avoiding crowded security lines of commercial airports and boarding the jet that are awaiting your party, eating & drinking whatever you like (i.e., catered food and not that stale over-priced sandwich you are used to). Wouldn’t that be a great way to get things rolling for that wedding in Las Vegas or that weekend in Bahamas?

**This blog post was sponsored by Straight North and JetCharters**

Related articles

• NetJets Inc. Launches Cutting-Edge, New Website
• CEOs Seeking Global Range Tilts Market to 8000-Mile Jets – Bloomberg
• Bombardier lands a massive order for its aircraft which will secure the jobs of its employees in Belfast. Adrienne McGill reports
• Jet Charter Ny: Ensuring Flight Safety
• Renting a Private Jet Charter
• “Uber for airplanes” BlackJet takes to the skies with celeb investors including Ashton Kutcher

via YPTransportation.org

This position is located in the Innovative Program Delivery office (HIN), Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), Washington, D.C. The Financial Analyst will serve as a member of the TIFIA Joint Program Office (JPO), one of five teams within HIN. The ideal candidate for this position will bring specialized experience in budget and accounting to apply the principles of the Federal Credit Reform Act of 1990 (FCRA), as interpreted through guidance from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to manage the TIFIA program funds appropriated by Congress. Working with the budget and accounting staff from the FHWA and the Office of the Secretary, as well as outside technical advisors, you will prepare TIFIA’s annual budget submission, calculate the subsidy cost of each TIFIA transaction, prepare apportionments, collect payments from applicants and borrowers, and ensure that all financial events are recorded properly in the program accounts. This position is being filled at the GS-11, 12 or 13 level and is located in Washington, DC. Salary range is $62,467.00 to $115,742.00 per year, based upon qualifications.

This Financial Analyst vacancy announcement can be viewed at: FHWA.HIN-2013-0002: DEU-Open to all US Citizenshttps://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/331226200 and

FHWA.HIN-2013-0004: Government Employees only https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/331227500.

In order to be considered, please follow specific application procedures on the announcements.

Application Cut-off: Given our continuing need for professionals in this field, we will routinely review applications and refer the top candidates for potential interviews multiple times during the open period of the announcement. The first cutoff for applications is close of business November 26, 2012, 2nd cut-off is December 26, 2012 and final review occurring after January 24, 2013 (closing date).

via NPR 

Heard this nice review of the “fastest train in whole of Africa” on NPR.

(via Nationwide)

To put it in simple terms, we blow up a lot of money sitting in traffic day in and day out.  Traffic congestion not only takes a toll on your mental & physical well being, but it also brings home a lot of economic pain. It is nice to see someone layout all this important statistics in an easy to understand, colorful visual.

So, how do we fix this mess? A good start would be to move towards transit-oriented development and provide good, cost-effective transit connectivity to the suburbs.. And add some bike lanes; etc, etc.  The solutions are plenty but we have to start somewhere before we go bankrupt.. soon!

Provided by Nationwide Insurance

Found this neat infograph via a tweet yesterday.. Couldn’t go without sharing it here.

Note: One of the subtle yet unexplored issue is the impact of America’s bulging waistlines on our national security.. It is not about our Armed forces struggling to find men and women who are physically fit.  If you look at it from a macro level, the obesity issue has some serious implications for our national security. You may ask why? Because we import way too much of our oil from some of the very troubled parts of the world to haul our our people around the streets and highways of this nation.   According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), In 2011, the United States consumed about 134 billion gallons1 (or 3.19 billion  barrels2) of gasoline, a daily average of about 367.08 million gallons (8.74 million barrels). This was about 6% less than the record high of about 142.38 billion gallons (or 3.39 billion barrels) consumed in 2007.  Interestingly,  the U.S. imported approximately 11.4 million barrels per day of petroleum in 2011 from about 80 countries (~45% net consumption is from imported oil).  So, the heavier we become as a nation, the more fuel we will consume everyday. The more we import, more money goes to these troubled countries and eventually resulting in conflicts that inflict a greater loss of life.  Some of these conflicts zones even have our personnel directly engaged in combat and  now you see where this is going? Glad the current administration is taking steps to minimize our oil consumption with such measures as raising fuel economy standards but as a nation we still have a long way to go before we reach a secure energy future. And to get there every ounce matters.

Related articles

• A McClatchy special report: Is the era of oil nearing its end?
• America Needs Less Foreign Oil… For the Wrong Reasons
• Group: America’s obesity problem is hurting national security

On Sept. 10-12  the Northwestern University Transportation Center will again offer its Infrastructure Pricing Executive Program – this year focusing on Highway Infrastructure Pricing.

Don’t miss the opportunity to participate in this highly relevant and timely program aimed at transportation professionals who manage private and public fee paying facilities; engineers and project managers who oversee maintenance and new construction; and consultants and advisors to infrastructure providers and those who finance infrastructure projects.

Topics to be covered will include dynamic and congestion pricing, demand forecasting, private/public partnerships, infrastructure investments decision-making based on projected revenues, network demand prediction tools and more.

20% Discount for Government and Academic Registrations; Early Bird rate available until Aug. 17^th.

Please contact Ms. Diana Marek if you have any questions.

For more information and to Register see:  Pricing Highway Infrastructure Executive Program

Fellow redditor yakshamash posted this note earlier explaining the situation: “I was going through a town in NY and decided I needed food, I parked and went into a diner, 15 minutes later I look out the window and notice that there was a meter near my car, I run out and feed it, but I was too late. The dreaded slip of paper was under my winsheild. I grabed it to see what the damage was, and was surprised to find this”

What I appreciate the most here is that the City of Auburn lives by its motto – Focused on being The Best Small City in State of New York State.   Now, why don’t the big cities like Washington, DC follow this business-friendly model of parking enforcement instead of their current money-hungry anti-business parking policies which does nothing but increase the anxiety of the customer..