Public transit ridership soars

Transit ridership has increased by more than 30 percent in the last 16 years.   People are driving less and relying on public transportation more.  Check out the graphic below by The Washington Post.

This chart was created by the Washington Post.

What's in your highway?

This is volcanic ash found in Grant County.  The photo has been magnified 200 times.

When you think about all the things that go into making a highway a lot of things come to mind, but one you may not expect is volcanic ash.

KDOT and other DOT's sometimes use volcanic ash as a mineral filler in asphalt. Since volcanic ash is angular, it can be used to increase the very small voids in the mix which allows the asphalt oil to better flow through the mix and bind everything together.  Mineral fillers in the correct proportion can also stiffen and toughen the mix to help prevent cracking. When a filler is used, it is a fairly small portion of the total aggregate weight of the mix: for volcanic ash it is five percent.

Magnified photo of volcanic ash in Russell County.

Volcanic ash is not used in all asphalt, but since Kansas has a ready supply of it, volcanic ash is used in some mixes. Western and central Kansas has vast volcanic ash deposits that have been mined for nearly 100 years. Most of the ash was deposited during a period of volcanic activity to the west; central and northern California, the Yellowstone caldera, and the northern New Mexico area. Most of the ash was deposited  between 0.5 and 2.0 million years ago.   

Many of the deposits were laid down from fall out of ash clouds and then the ash was carried by water into basins where it accumulated in thicker deposits.  Some ash layers are 15 to 20 feet thick. 

While volcanic ash is only used in some asphalt projects, KDOT is doing research to determine whether it might be an option for concrete projects too.

 

Here's a volcanic ash deposit in Lincoln County.

Throwback Thursday

Today's Throwback Thursday goes back to May 2011 when celebrations were held across Kansas to announce which highway expansion projects had been selected for the state transportation program, T-WORKS.

Much progress has been made since the Kansas Legislature passed T-WORKS in 2010.

• 968 highway projects have been completed.
• 7,567 miles of highways have been improved.
• 475 bridges have been repaired/replaced.
• $59 million worth of modal projects have been completed. 

 

Wednesday's Words Regarding Motorcylist Fatalites

For only the second year since 1997, U.S. motorcyclist fatalities are projected to decrease in 2013, according to a new analysis of preliminary state data released Tuesday by the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA). The latest Spotlight on Highway Safety report also notes that despite the probable 7 percent decrease in rider deaths, motorcyclist safety has not improved in fifteen years.

Weather, according to the report, was the predominate factor to explain the drop in motorcyclist fatalities from 2012 to 2013. The first six months of 2012 were unusually warm and dry across the nation, prompting an uptick in ridership. The weather in the first nine months of 2013, however, was cooler and wetter, similar to 2011, when fatalities dropped in many states.

“It’s heartening that motorcyclist fatalities didn’t increase over the past couple of years, but they’re not decreasing either,” said Kendell Poole, GHSA Chairman and Director of the Tennessee Office of Highway Safety. “Long-term gains in motorcyclist safety won’t occur because riders are deterred by bad weather, but from consistent use of proven countermeasures."

Traffic deaths decline but pedestrian fatalities remain steady

While the number vehicle-accident deaths declined by more than 21 percent from 2003 to 2012, the number of pedestrian fatalities has remained virtually unchanged.

In 2012 alone, 4,743 pedestrians were killed in traffic crashes and tens of thousands more were injured. That’s one pedestrian’s life lost every two hours and one injured every seven minutes.

There were 26 pedestrian fatalities in Kansas in 2012-- accounting for about six percent of all traffic fatalities-- which is less than half of the national average of 14 percent.   Pedestrian fatalities were highest in California (612), followed by Texas (478) and Florida (476). 

 

The U.S. DOT and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration have launched the "Everyone is a Pedestrian" initiative to help raise awareness of the dangers to pedestrians, and to provide leadership, expertise, and resources to communities across America to combat these crashes.  Click here to learn more about how you can improve pedestrian safety.

Get on the bike bandwagon

The number of Americans bicycling to work or to school is growing rapidly. The National Household Travel Survey showed that the number of trips made by bicycle in the U.S. more than doubled from 1.7 billion in 2001 to 4 billion in 2009.  

May is National Bike Month, sponsored by the League of American Bicyclists and celebrated in communities from coast to coast. Established in 1956, National Bike Month is a chance to showcase the many benefits of bicycling — and encourage more folks to giving biking a try.

Whether it's saving you some money at the gas pump or improving your health through exercise, biking can be very beneficial. 

Don't miss out on Bike to School Day, which will be celebrated on May 7 as part of National Bike Month.

Raising awareness about bike safety is another important element of National Bike Month.  Here are some tips for parents to share with their children.

• We have a simple saying: "Use your head, wear a helmet." It is the single most effective safety device available to reduce head injury and death from bicycle crashes. Click on the video below to see how to fit your child's helmet in three steps.

• Tell your kids to ride on the right side of the road, with traffic, not against it. Stay as far to the right as possible. Use appropriate hand signals and respect traffic signals, stopping at all stop signs and stoplights.

•  Teach your kids to make eye contact with drivers. Bikers should make sure drivers are paying attention and are going to stop before they cross the street.

• When riding at dusk, dawn or in the evening, be bright and use lights – and make sure your bike has reflectors as well. It's also smart to wear clothes and accessories that have retro-reflective materials to improve biker visibility to motorists. 

• Actively supervise children until you're comfortable that they are responsible to ride on their own.   

Bike to School Day will be celebrated on May 7 in hundreds of communities across the United States as part of National Bike Month. - See more at: http://www.safekids.org/blog-post/gearing-national-bike-month#sthash.MG8Ba8aY.dpuf

Got Weather?

As temperatures rise, we're entering a busy time for flying.  For the 188,000 general aviation pilots in the country, weather can be the biggest threat to their safety. According to the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA), nearly 75% of weather-related accidents are fatal.  That's why the Federal Aviation Administration is launching the Got Weather? (GotWx) campaign to make sure pilots are prepared for weather this flying season.  To learn more, click on the video below to hear message from FAA Administrator Michael Huerta.