- AAA Expects 49 Million Americans To Be Driving This Thanksgiving
- Trucking Industry Presses Senate To Pass Parking Expansion Bill
- IBTTA Global Tolling Summit Spotlighted Sustainability, Equity And Collaboration
- These are just some of the toll industry developments TRN is following.
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AAA Expects 49 Million Americans To Be Driving This Thanksgiving
CNN reports on AAA forecasts about travel during the forthcoming Thanksgiving holiday. The association estimates that 55.4 million Americans will be on the move, 49 million of whom will be driving between Wednesday, November 22, through Sunday, November 26. “AAA’s estimates make this the third-busiest Thanksgiving travel period in the more than two decades AAA has tracked it. This year ranks behind only 2019 and 2005 and is about 2% higher than last year.” An association spokesperson notes that travel outside the five-day peak period may also be higher than normal as an indirect result of the pandemic. “Hybrid schedules and remote schedules have changed everything,” says Aixa Diaz. “Now people can leave for holiday travel at different times.”
An AAA news release that includes INRIX data has more information about holiday travel projections.
The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission is expecting to see about 3.3 million motorists on its system between Tuesday (November 21) and Sunday, according to a joint news release from state transportation authorities.
American Automobile Association (AAA) Economic & Social Considerations Affecting Transportation INRIX Pennsylvania Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission (PTC)Trucking Industry Presses Senate To Pass Parking Expansion Bill
“Commercial Carrier Journal” reports, last week a host of trucking groups submitted a joint letter to Congress urging passage of the Truck Parking Safety Improvement Act, co-sponsored by Senators Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) and Mark Kelly (D-AZ). “The groups said the bipartisan bill ‘addresses an important safety concern that negatively affects the trucking industry, the American public, and the national supply chain.’” Signatories included the American Trucking Associations, Truckload Carriers Association, Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association and several other industry organizations. Companion legislation already has cleared the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee easily. The letter preceded witness testimony given during a November 7 roadway safety hearing before a Senate Environment and Public Works subcommittee. During that proceeding, industry representatives testified that the US currently has only 313,000 truck parking spaces for about 3.5 million truck drivers. Advocates for the bill argue that the shortage not only inconveniences truck drivers, but also causes roadway hazards when trucks are forced to park on a highway shoulder or ramp. In addition to parking issues, the article covers hearing testimony on the subject of truck speed limiters, which also were discussed at last Tuesday’s hearing.
Highway-Tunnel-Bridge Maintenance Highway-Tunnel-Bridge Safety (Includes COVID-19 Impacts) Service PlazasIBTTA Global Tolling Summit Spotlighted Sustainability, Equity And Collaboration
ITSInternational.com reports, the International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association’s (IBTTA’s) Global Tolling Summit opened Saturday “with an emphasis on sustainability, green mobility and equity.” In his remarks at the opening session, Josef Fiala, president of ASECAP (the association of European toll road operators), said, “Equal access to mobility should be a right for citizens. It should be accessible and affordable.” The article notes that a sense of cooperation was in the air, including at a session dubbed “The Future of Mobility,” where Anouar Benazzouz, director general of Autoroutes du Maroc and president of the International Road Federation (IRF) was joined as a panelist by Nazir Alli, president of the World Road Association (PIARC). “Benazzouz called for more communication between different organisations, particularly in relation to the climate crisis.” Another highlight was the live video address from Ukraine by Mustafa-Masi Nayyem, head of the country’s Agency for Restoration and Infrastructure Development. Ukraine had been preparing to roll out its first tolling system before the Russian invasion, and now will need to rebuild some 25,000 kilometers (15,534 miles) of roads that since have been destroyed. The IBTTA summit meeting in Athens ends today.
ASECAP (European Association of Toll Road Infrastructure Operators) Climate Change & Infrastructure Resilience Greece IBTTA International Road Federation UkraineThese are just some of the toll industry developments TRN is following.
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