GVF Named Gold Level Champion and Employer by the Best Workplaces for Commuters

GVF is proud to be named a Gold Level Champion and Employer by the Best Workplaces for Commuters (BWC)!

The awards recognize organizations like GVF who have taken exemplary steps to offer transportation options such as vanpool and transit benefits or telework and compressed workweek for their employees.

In 2011, we were recognized as a Gold Level company only. This year, we are proud to be awarded as a champion - an organization that works to encourage others to re-think their commuting habits, and employer - because GVF provides commuting options and benefits to our staff of eight.

GVF's partner TransNet was recognized at the silver level. Congratulations on YOUR award and working to be a BWC!

BWC is a program designed to encourage sustainable transportation innovation and managed by the University of South Florida’s National Center for Transit Research. This year, they singled out 15 companies, institutions and individuals nationwide on Thursday, January 26 during the annual “Race to Excellence” Virtual Awards Ceremony.

Other companies that were recipients of the Gold Level include:

§ Bishop Ranch Transportation Association (San Ramon, CA)

§ Mayo Clinic (Rochester, MN)

§ State of Arizona (Phoenix, AZ)

§ Tindale-Oliver & Associates (Tampa, FL)

If your organization is interested in becoming a Best Places for Commuters, contact GVF. We can work with your organization to create a commuting program which saves money, reduces stress and improves the environment.

For more information about the Best Workplaces for Commuters program, visit http://www.bestworkplaces.org/.

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Carbon Offset Credits. What are they?

I had the opportunity over the holidays to visit a friend in South Africa. Before my trip I began researching the amount of pollution caused by air travel. I discovered that in addition to the carbon dioxide and other pollutants released, aviation pollution is even more damaging because of the high altitudes in which pollutants are released. Jet airliners operate near the tropopause, the atmospheric boundary between the troposphere and the stratosphere. When planes leave vapor trails in the sky it can lead to the artificial formation of cirrus cloud formation. Some estimates even say that cloud cover may have increased 0.2% since the discovery of aviation. In addition to artificial cloud formation, the release of pollutants at high altitudes can cause a reaction with other green house gasses, increasing ozone concentrations. So what is a world traveler to do in this moral conundrum?

This is where carbon offset credits come in. The concept is simple. You go on to a website like carbonfund.org, and purchase donations to verified carbon offset projects. These projects include renewable energy and methane projects, energy efficiency projects, and reforestation and avoided deforestation projects. There are a number of preset packages you can purchase based on the kind of car you drive or the size of the house you live in, or you can use their custom carbon calculator to calculate the amount of pollutants your flight will create. My flight was from Philly to DC, then from DC to Dekar, Senegal and finally from Dekar to Johannesburg, South Africa- annnnd back. The calculator determined that these flights would emit 3.95 metric tons of CO2 emissions. I was able to purchase credits in a project of my choosing and flew easier knowing that my donation was going towards verified projects to offset my footprint. I will continue to use this service for my future travel plans and urge you to do the same. For sustainability, it’s a step in the right direction.

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White House and U.S. DOT To Expedite Projects Along Amtrak's Northeast Corridor

On Friday, January 13, the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) and the U.S. Department of Transportation announced a pilot program aimed at fast-tracking environmental reviews along Amtrak's heavily traveled Boston-to-Washington D.C. rail corridor. Under this program, CEQ and U.S. DOT will work with local elected officials and stakeholders to speed the environmental review process, which will help determine possible service types and station locations along Amtrak's Northeast Corridor (NEC). The pilot program calls for involving federal, state, and local governments, as well as the public, earlier in the environmental review process to set benchmarks that maintain "rigorous" environmental protections, while also saving time and money by avoiding conflicts and delays in later project-development steps, according to the CEQ and U.S. DOT.

Several major upcoming projects along the corridor that could benefit from these expedited reviews include the proposed Gateway Tunnel from Secaucus, NJ to New York City's Penn Station and upgrades to Great Depression-era overhead wires that power Amtrak trains through NJ. The proposed multi-billion dollar Gateway Tunnel was supposed to be built by 2020, but thus far has only received $15 million for engineering and design. The new tunnel under the Hudson River would support an additional 13 NJ Transit trains during peak hours and an additional eight Amtrak trains an hour. U.S. DOT has already obligated $450 million to replace overhead catenary train wires and upgrade the electrical system on the NEC between New Brunswick, NJ to just south of Trenton, NJ. The upgrades would allow trains to operate at speeds upwards of 160-mph and will increase reliability on a rail line where sagging or downed wires cause numerous delays.

The U.S. DOT will post and track project timelines and progress on the "Federal Infrastructure Projects Dashboard" at www.performance.gov

"By bringing all involved parties to the table earlier in the process, we will do the job better and finish it sooner," U.S. DOT Secretary Ray LaHood said in a statement.

Amtrak President and CEO Joseph Boardman noted, "the decision to expedite the federal environmental review process for NEC high-speed rail projects is great news for all users of the NEC who are seeking increased passenger-rail capacity, mobility and connectivity in the region. A faster review process will help speed along Amtrak’s efforts to rebuild and improve today’s corridor and advance Amtrak’s vision to develop a new high-capacity, 220 mph next generation high-speed rail system serving the region, including our Gateway program to bring more track, tunnel and station capacity into the heart of Manhattan.”

To view the full press release from U.S. DOT and the CEQ, click here

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PA House Democrats Introduce Transportation Funding Reform Bills

In late 2011, Representative Mike Hanna (D-76) and Representative Dan Frankel (D-23) introduced three pieces of legislation that greatly reform the way in which Pennsylvania funds its transportation system.  The three bills are very close to the three bills introduced by Senator Jake Corman (R-34) in to the Senate in November 2011.  The three bills follow the recommendations of the Transportation Funding Advisory Commission (TFAC) Report which was release in August 2011.  Governor Tom Corbett has not publicly supported either the report in August or the subsequent bills in the House and the Senate.

The transportation funding reform is more than funding reform bills, they are also modernize PennDOT, and generate savings within the department.  The three bills, HB 2099, HB 2101, and HB 2112 address each of these issues in a very similar fashion to Senate Bills SB 4, SB 1326, and SB 1327.

HB 2099 amends the Title 75 by increasing the fees PennDOT collects on such things as driver’s licenses, vehicle registration, violations of traffic control devices, and also sets the minimum average wholesale price of motor vehicle fuels.  Included is an increase from $36 for vehicle registration to $49.  Penalties for traffic control device violations will be increased to $75, not including any other fees or infractions the violation may involve.  The bill also addresses the “average wholesale price” of motor vehicle fuels.  The “average wholesale price” is the price that the state is able to tax motor vehicle fuels when it is before it is sold on the retail market.  The current average wholesale price is capped at $1.25 per gallon, or rather, the state is only allowed to tax the first $1.25 of wholesale fuel sales.  HB 2099 ramps this price up to $2.70 by 2017, but also does not limit the wholesale price at $2.70.

HB 2101 amends Title 75 to create an Intermodal Transportation Fund, amend the vehicle registration and driver’s license renewal periods, changes penalties imposed for driving without insurance, modifies regulations governing the use of radar speed control, changes inspection requirements for new cars, and allows for advertising revenue along state owned right of way.  The Intermodal Transportation Fund will be a dedicated fund that directs investments in aviation, rail freight, passenger rail, ports, and waterways.  This was a recommendation in the TFAC report, as these areas of transportation are drastically underfunded at the state level.  To offset the increased expenses of HB 2099, Pennsylvania drivers will benefit from expanding vehicle registration from one year to two and no more registration stickers.  New cars will also be made exempt from needing a safety inspection during the first two years.  The bill will allow for third party driver’s license exam centers to administer and issue a driver’s license; the tests will not differ to those administered by the state.  The bill increases the penalty for driving without insurance to $500 for reinstatement prior to the three month suspension.  Included in the bill is a provision that will allow PennDOT contractors the use of electronic speed monitoring (radar) within a work zone.  Lastly, the bill will allow for PennDOT to lease space for commercial advertising where it is not prohibited by Federal law.

The text of HB 2112 was not made available at the time this was written, however a summary was available and it appears as though the bill will amend Act 44 of 2007 to shift the entirety of the $450 million annual payment made by PennDOT by the PA Turnpike into a mass transit fund.  The money will be solely available for mass transit systems throughout the state.  The bill will also increase the portion of the state sales tax which is directed to mass transit.  Currently the portion of the sales tax dedicated to mass transit is 4.4%, under HB 2112 it will increase to 6.5%.

These three bills compliment, and are almost identical to the three Senate bills.  It is the hope of many legislators, transportation officials, and those in the transportation industry that 2012 is the year Pennsylvania begins to solve the problem of infrastructure funding.

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Big changes coming to Upper Merion Rambler!

The New Year has two big changes in store for the Upper Merion Rambler, a community shuttle provided by Upper Merion Township.

The Rambler,which currently runs Monday through Friday only, will begin providing service on Saturdays starting on January 28, 2012. We're excited to see the Township expand the service so that more residents and visitors can use the shuttle to get around the King of Prussia area.

The look of the Rambler has changed as well. Starting on Monday, January 23, the Rambler will look as pictured above. In a region that has a lot of shuttles and van services, it is easy to get confused and accidently get on the wrong shuttle. This new design will make finding the Rambler easy for riders.

GVF has managed the service since it started in 1999, and we are proud to see the Rambler ridership grow and days of service expanded. It's a truly convenient resource for travelers in Upper Merion Township, especially seniors.

The Rambler runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Seniors age 65 and over ride free. Fares are:

$2 per ride for adults

$.50 per ride for students ages 7-17

Children under 7 riding with an adult ride free

10-trip tickets - $10. The 10-trip tickets are a good investment for regular riders, since you are paying half of the cash fare per ride.

We hope to see you on the Rambler soon!

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Pennsylvania Receives $35 Million For Transportation/Economic Investments

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania recently received $35 million from the United States Department of Transportation to fund three transportation projects which will generate economic recovery. The funding comes through the U.S. DOT's Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) Discretionary Grant Program. The $511 million TIGER Program is now in its third year, being originally conceived as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The $35 million received by Pennsylvania was the third-most of any state, behind only Illinois and California.

TIGER grants are awarded to transportation projects that have a significant national or regional impact. Projects are chosen for their ability to contribute to the long-term economic competitiveness of the nation, improve the condition of existing transportation facilities and systems, increase energy efficiency and reducing greenhouse gas emissions, improve the safety of U.S. transportation facilities and enhance the quality of living and working environments of communities through increased transportation choices and connections. U.S. DOT also gives priority to projects that are expected to create and preserve jobs quickly and stimulate increases in economic activity.

The three projects awarded in Pennsylvania are as follows:

PennDOT received $15 million to expand the Rutherford Intermodal Facility near Harrisburg, PA to an additional 125,000 lifts per year and enable the facility to keep pace with growing freight traffic and demand in the Harrisburg area. The project includes track work, expansion of parking access, and the construction of cranes to increase capacity. This facility, owned by Norfolk Southern Corporation and located along the company's Crescent Corridor, is a central point for freight from cities in 12 states, including Chicago, Memphis, and Atlanta. The project will remove highway truck traffic along several interstates, reducing carbon emissions by 1.8 million tons and saving 162 million gallons of fuel over 30 years.

The City of Philadelphia received $10 million to upgrade more than 100 existing traffic controllers along three transit corridors (Castor/Oxford Avenues, Bustleton Avenue, and Woodland Avenue) covering approximately 15.72 miles in northeast Philadelphia. These controllers will be connected to the city's existing traffic management system via fiber optic cable, allowing for a substantial upgrade in traffic flow. The controllers will also be outfitted with transit-signal prioritization technology, which holds the green lights as SEPTA buses approach intersections, allowing them to pass through and thereby maiximizing transit running times. Traffic monitoring cameras and ADA-compliant ramps will also be installed as part of the project.

The Redevelopment Authority of Allegheny County received $10 million to construct a flyover ramps from the Rankin Street Bridge to provide direct access to the Carrie Furnace Site in Rankin, PA. The 168-acre land parcel is the former site of a historic blast furnace, which has undergone environmental remediation, and is currently designated as an environmental brownfield. The flyover ramps will enable redevelopment of the site as a mixed-use industrial/office park with an adjacent residential component.

For a full list of projects funded under the TIGER Program, click here

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Could 2012 Be The Year?

As deadlines approach and deals are made, we sit and wait, and hope that yes, this could be the year. If only this applied to fans of the Philadelphia Phillies and not to those in the transportation industry. In September of 2009, the previous Federal Transportation bill, SAFETEA-LU (Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users) expired. What is SAFETEA-LU, and why is it so important? This bill is the primary legislation that authorizes the federal government to spend tax revenue on transportation infrastructure projects. The bill specifies the various programs for transportation projects and the levels that those programs are funded. The revenue used to pay for all these projects is collected through a tax levied on motor vehicle fuels. SAFETEA-LU was passed in 2005, and had a four year lifespan. In those four years, the federal government pledged to allocate $286.4 Billion to projects nationwide.


When the bill expired in 2009, Congress took upon itself to extend the bill using the funding levels and formulas passed in 2005 until a new bill could be drafted and passed. Now, at the end of 2011, the bill has been extended eight times; the current extension is set to expire in March of 2012. Why is this a problem? Does money stop flowing to projects in March? The money does not stop flowing to current projects in development. The problem posed by the indefinite extensions of the transportation bill is that it makes project planning extremely difficult. With the continued extension of the bill, there is no guarantee that funding levels will remain constant when Congress votes to extend the bill. Without the assurance of consistent and reliable funding levels, large scale projects cannot be advanced through the planning and design process. The risk of not having funding to construct a project is too great, so states are reluctant to begin a new project.


There is some hope, and we are starting to see something developing in Washington. The current proposal, MAP-21 (Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century) is a glimmer of hope on the otherwise bleak transportation funding horizon. The bill, which originated in the Senate, provides as much as $85 Billion over the next two years. This is a short term fix, but the hope is that by passing a short term bill, rather than continuing to extend the current bill, Congress will have time to craft a long term transportation funding solution. There has also been a bi-partisan push in the House of Representatives to develop a long term solution.


A contributing factor to why there has been little development of a transportation bill is that Congress cannot agree on how to pay for the bill. Our current funding stream is derived from a tax levied on motor vehicle fuels. Congress has expressed no interest in increasing that tax, a tax which continues to have its buying power diminished as fuel economy standards increase. There have been ideas proposed such as a vehicle mileage tax, tolling interstate highways, and privatizing certain elements of the highway system. Unfortunately, there is no agreement on which method, or which methods will be used to fund transportation in the future.


Transportation infrastructure is critical to our nation’s economic growth. The ability to move goods and people is what built our economy, without continued funding dedicated to maintaining the infrastructure, we will face an even more daunting challenge rebuilding the American economy. A two year transportation bill would only be a stop gap measure. It would provide some assurance of funding levels and identify national priorities for infrastructure spending, but it does not provide the long term investments needed. We must demand a long term solution that funds our infrastructures at levels that allows state departments of transportation to properly maintain existing facilities, while expanding facilities that expand our transportation options. We must demand that funding not decline as time passes, as is the case with a fuel tax, but rather increases to keep pace with inflation. We must also let Congress know that we are willing to support changes to the funding system, and are willing to pay for our infrastructure. The time has passed to deal with our infrastructure, hopefully this is the year that something gets done.

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