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The positive impacts of addressing any single priority for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emission could be of only marginal benefit without simultaneous efforts along other key priorities, warns the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT). DOT Report to Congress: Decarbonizing U.S. Transportation lays out three strategies for reducing greenhouse gas emissions that DOT argues must be enacted in unison if the U.S. is to make significant progress in meeting its GHG emission goals. By way of example of why a holistic or coordinated approach is required, the reports notes that increases in vehicle driving and the movement of goods have canceled out the GHG emissions benefits of improved fuel economy in the US.

The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) is accepting applications for the second year of its Strengthening Mobility and Revolutionizing Transportation (SMART) Grants Program. The program will fund up to $500 million in grants over five years to conduct demonstration projects focused on advanced smart community technologies and systems that improve transportation efficiency and safety.

To help the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) prepares its next five-year research strategic plan, FTA invites stakeholders from across the country to participate in the crafting of the plan by providing ideas and other comments to establish a framework to guide how the federal entity prioritizes and invests in research activities over the next several years. Stakeholders are encouraged to visit FTA’s online dialogue to post an idea; review, comment, and vote on others’ input; and, provide specific feedback to FTA’s questions.  

Last week, the U.S. Department of Transportation announced that Columbus, home to SSTI’s 2016 Annual Conference, has won a $40 million grant from the agency, beating out five other cities in the Smart City Challenge. As is often the case in Columbus, partnerships were vital to the city’s success; to complement the federal funds, businesses and other public entities in the region pledged $90 million to support the future transportation initiatives.