A dramatic rise in accidents killing or injuring pedestrians and bicyclists has led to a myriad of policy and infrastructure changes, but moves to ban right on red have drawn some of the most intense sentiments on both sides.
Washington, D.C.'s City Council last year approved a right-on-red ban that takes effect in 2025. New Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson's transition plan called for "restricting right turns on red," but his administration hasn't provided specifics. The college town of Ann Arbor, Michigan, now prohibits right turns at red lights in the downtown area.
San Francisco leaders recently voted to urge their transportation agency to ban right on red across the city, and other major cities such as Los Angeles, Seattle and Denver have looked into bans as well.
Two recent developments have boosted hybrid and electric vehicle use at Southern Oregon University (SOU): the addition of two gasoline-electric hybrid pickup trucks to the university’s fleet of vehicles, and the completion of two new, dual electric vehicle charging stations to serve residents of Student and Family Housing.
The new hybrid Ford Maverick trucks have replaced a pair of conventional Ford Ranger pickups that were due to be rotated out of SOU’s vehicle fleet. The hybrids were considered the most sustainable pickup trucks currently available, and so far are averaging 38 combined miles per gallon – an improvement of about 75 percent over the 10 miles per gallon average of the earlier pickups.
The university is also in the process of procuring an electric vehicle for its fleet.
In the next 10 years, the technology in vehicles is likely to change more than it has in many decades - and there is going to be an evolution in the economics of transportation.
Many of our readers know Steve Saltzgiver, either by reputation or personally. He’s quite a guy and one of the smartest, most adept fleet management professionals in the business. He holds the title of Fleet Success Senior Advisor at RTA, The Fleet Success Company. His illustrious fleet career spans a few decades.
Don’t miss his article wherein he chronicles the progress of a company with some challenges: Transforming Fleet Operations: A Nine-Month Journey to Excellence.
We honor and appreciate our veterans, not just on Veterans Day, but every day. We like this timeless quote from Winston Churchill: "Never give in—never, never, never, never, in nothing great or small, large or petty, never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense. Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy."
Janice Sutton
Editor in Chief
Infrastructure Perception uses existing and newly deployed sensors on the roads to provide an infrastructure-based view that can significantly improve the safety of your fleet.