Marketing Transportation E-news is a monthly news brief from the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO).  E-news is part of Are We There Yet?  We Can Be!, AASHTO’s campaign to build support for improving the nation’s transportation system. Each issue includes news briefs, upcoming events, critical information, and columns from advocates and supporters of transportation.

Clearer road signs make the driving easier
If you are able to read road signs more clearly these days, it's not because your eyes just got better, it's because many state departments of transportation are now using a new type font as they replace older highway signs. Clearview was created to be 10 to 18 percent more legible than the older type style (Highway Gothic) and was developed by researchers at Penn State University. The type font uses thinner lines and more open space, improving readability and safety for the traveling public.

Trust increases in government's ability to "do the right thing"
Trust seems to be on the minds of many pollsters these days. In a new poll just released by Edelman, the 2010 Edelman Trust Barometer found that 46 percent of those polled said they trusted government "to do what is right", a 16 percent increase from 2009. This represents the highest level in four years, according to the poll taken of 500 "informed publics" aged 25 to 64 in the U.S. More details at: 2010 Edelman Trust Barometer.

...But trust in television news is a mixed bag
According to a new poll out by Public Policy Polling, Fox was deemed the most trusted television news network in the country. The survey of 1,151 registered voters found that 49 percent of Americans trusted Fox News, 10 percentage points more than any other network. CNN was the second-most-trusted network (39%) followed by NBC/MSNBC (35%); CBS (32%) and ABC (31%). All of these broadcasters also drew high levels of distrust in the poll.

Intercity bus ridership is increasing in popularity
The ability to use portable technology combined with lower fares are prime factors in the growth of intercity bus travel in 2009, according to research conducted by the Chaddick Institute of Metropolitan Development at DePaul University. Intercity bus service expanded 5.1 percent in 2009-a higher rate than all other major modes for the third straight year. More than 90 percent of the growth in bus service is attributable to curbside bus operators with free Wi-Fi. Much of this growth was in the Northeast Corridor. More than half of technology users riding on curbside bus services are engaged in audio activities, such as making cell-phone calls and using digital music players. Usage on trains is much different, with users of visually oriented technologies, such as those involving laptop computers and other devises with LCD screens, outnumbering audio users by more than two-to-one.

AASHTO launches high speed rail website
With this week's White House announcement of millions of dollars in high speed rail grants, AASHTO has launched a new website to keep track of it all. News, state activities, best practices and links to other key websites are included. AASHTO's Transportation TV also is carrying video from this week's announcement as well as last week's High Speed Rail conference sponsored by the Japan International Transportation Institute here in Washington, DC.

Public agencies benefit from standards, certification of construction managers
As state departments of transportation and other public agencies face the continuing challenge of generating good projects quickly and successfully, trusted construction managers become even more critical. Bruce D'Agostino of the Construction Management Association of America discusses the importance of certification. Read the full article.

Transportation 2010: Revitalizing America's Future is the theme of AASHTO's 2010 Washington Briefing, March 1 - 4, 2010 at the Marriott Crystal City Hotel in Arlington, Va. National leaders will offer their views on the outlook for transportation, the economy, financing, job creation and the environment. Registration and complete agenda information at http://www.transportation.org/meetings/246.aspx.

AASHTO President and Mississippi DOT Director Larry "Butch" Brown will speak at the upcoming Spring Meeting of the American Association of Port Authorities on March 23. Brown will discuss the role of transportation infrastructure investment in economic recovery. Also on the agenda is Jo-Ellen Darcy, the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works. For meeting details and registration information, see
http://www.aapa-ports.org/Programs/seminarschedule.cfm?itemnumber=17154

Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA), Jolene Molitoris, director of the Ohio Department of Transportation, and Gerald Nicely, commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Transportation, are among the speakers slated to appear at the Annual Meeting of the Coalition for America's Gateways and Trade Corridors, February 10th and 11th in Washington, DC. Details at http://www.tradecorridors.org/images/Agenda_CAGTC_2010_Annual_Meeting.pdf.