Cyclist Power

There’s a new law in Los Angeles. The City Council in the City of Angels passed an ordinance to protect bicyclists from harassment and other abuses by passing motorists.

The new law comes after some fiery activism by bicyclists who claim to have been subject to treatment from recklessly dangerous to just plain crude. Supporters of the ordinance say it’s one of the toughest in America, making it a crime for drivers to threaten cyclists, either verbally or physically. It also allows a cyclist that claims to have been harassed to sue in civil court without waiting for the city to press criminal charges.

Say WHAT?

“It could be different next time when you have Son of Carmageddon.”

Dennis S. Mileti, a University of Colorado sociologist, after 10 miles of Los Angeles’ 405 freeway was closed for 36 hours without major traffic problems.

Save the Date and Innovate

It’s easy to think of innovation as a technical asset. It’s also a financial asset. Outfits that can think and work innovatively have an advantage over their competition and can save time and money. They can find new markets and new niches more efficiently than competitors, they can expand capabilities, find opportunities and problem solve more effectively than non-innovators. All good for the bottom lines.

The TransOvation Conference, run Sept. 6-9 by the American Road and Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA) in Leesburg, Va., is a place to start, or expand, your innovative thinking in the transportation infrastructure industries. (See the details and register at www.transovation.org)

The speakers, who are highlighted on the website, are exceptionally qualified to talk about innovation. And ARTBA says TransOvation is the first PDH (Professional Development Hours)-granting educational workshop and exhibit focused on innovation and developed specifically for young executives in the transportation design and construction industry. At the TransOvation workshop, you’ll earn PDHs from the ARTBA Foundation’s Transportation Builder Institute (TBI).

Participants will explore two new complex highway and bridge projects in the Washington, D.C., area — the Woodrow Wilson Bridge and Intercounty Connector — and learn how innovative thinking was brought to bear during the planning, design and construction phases to overcome challenges, build teamwork, gain public support and add value while controlling costs.

Better Roads is a conference media partner and I’ll be at the conference. Look me up.

– John Latta

Not All Storms (and Stormwater) are the Same

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has been told that roadbuilding contractors will be treated unfairly if it creates “one-size-fits-all” stormwater regulations.

The American Road and Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA) told EPA that its permits for stormwater runoff from construction sites should take into account many of the features that make transportation projects unique. EPA must consider the long, linear nature of many transportation improvements, said ARTBA, because these projects spread environmental impacts over a large area of land, as opposed to the concentrated manner associated with shopping malls or other projects.

“Builders and planners need flexibility with future stormwater permitting measures, since transportation projects are initiated in every part of the country, and those in areas with heavy rainfall should not be held to the same standards as those in arid regions,” said ARTBA. The association also warned EPA that any regulations should be crafted to ensure they do not create another avenue for opponents to use litigation to delay and/or disrupt needed transportation projects, thereby increasing the costs to taxpayers in the long run.