(Source: Streetsblog)

How can federal policy encourage walkable street networks instead of highways and sprawl? 

(Source: Autoblog & Oregon Live)

Michael Harold Lynch was ticketed for doing 54 mph in a 35 mph area that was also a construction zone. The fine was $206. Lynch decided to let his anger flow by placing $206 in a plastic bag, peeing in the bag and sending it in. Upon receiving Lynch’s little care package, the courthouse staff gave it to a police officer and declined to accept the pungent payment to clear the ticket. 
“It was nasty. It reeked,” said Sgt. Phil Anderchuk.

Anderchuk called a U.S. postal inspector to see if federal law had been broken, and learned that it’s not against the law to mail a box of bodily fluids, as long as it’s properly packed and doesn’t emit an obnoxious odor. 

In explaining why the courthouse couldn’t accept Lynch’s payment, the sergeant wrote that “the pile of coins emitted a strong, pungent odor of stale urine. This was very concerning to me.”

Anderchuk reminded Lynch he still owed for the ticket.

“I encourage you to submit your payment in a more traditional form,” he wrote in a January letter. He told Lynch to expect a visit from a postal inspector, presumably to talk about how close he came to violating federal law.

Lynch apparently got the message, because a few weeks later a check arrived. But it was made out to the wrong agency. Courthouse staff sent it back. In February, a new check arrived, but this time it was made out for the wrong amount: $206, which didn’t account for $65 in penalties for arriving late. Last week, the state turned Lynch’s case over to a collection agency.

Click here to read the entire story. 

(Source: The Transport Politic)

 23 km streetcar project to complement continent’s second metro line currently under construction

Last week, Algiers accepted the delivery of the city’s first trams from Alstom, which manufactured the vehicles at its facility in France. The Citadis light rail vehicles are as modern as any currently in operation in Europe, and they will be the first trams in operation in Algeria in fifty years. The system, which will traverse the principal sections of the 4 million-person metropolis, is expected to transport 185,000 riders a day, though the first stage will only be 16 km long and likely not carry as many passengers. If ridership predictions are accurate, the Algiers tramway will be one of the world’s most trafficked tramway lines. It was designed in collaboration withRATP (Paris’ transit operator) and Systra (an affiliate of France’s SNCF railways).

What’s interesting about Algiers’ tram program is that it is being developed simultaneously with the Metro of Algiers (pictured in the map to the right). The first phase of the Metro program will be 9 km underground and open this summer, though the project will eventually spread out over an area of several dozen km, opening consecutively over the next several years. The system, using Siemens technology, will incorporate automatic train control, minimizing gaps between trainsets and therefore expanding the potential number of voyagers.

Click here to read the entire article.

LA Transportation Blog: Todays’s Headlines – March 26, 2009 

Today’s Headlines from Los Angeles Transportation Blog

by Los Angeles Metro – Dorothy Peyton Gray Transportation Library and Archive

• 3 dead in MTS shootings – Police gun down man who shot co-workers (San Diego Union Tribune)
• Art Leahy, So Long and Thanks For All the Fish  (Orange County Progressive)
• BART plans to introduce TransLink in June (San Francisco Chronicle)
• Blueprint America – Stimulus Roadblock? (PBS)
• California’s Wipeout Economy (Washington Post)
• Call List Gives a View of Potential Downtown Transportation Projects (BlogDowntown)
• Cyclists Strike Back at LAPD Commission Meeting (LAist)
• e-Traction Develops Diesel Electric Hybrid Bus ()Ubergizmo
• Gov. Talks Transportation Financing and Expansion on Meet the Press (StreetsBlogLA)
• Hollywood Pitch: Bring the Junkets Back (Hollywood & Vine)  (New York Times)
• Is an Italian rail company taking L.A. for a ride? AnsaldoBreda Inc. is promising much in order to keep building light-rail cars for the MTA, but is it all going anywhere? (Los Angeles Times)
• Japan: Blurring the line between bullets and trains (Los Angeles Times)
• Lawsuit against L.A., Long Beach port truck plan is reversed (Land Line)
• Los Angeles and Mass Transit? Designers Can Dream (Fast Company)
• Mass Transit? Meet Your Possible Future (NBC)
• New Plan For An Old Freeway (CalTrans Inside Seven)
• New York City – Do Not Want: Possible New York Subway Fare Hike (Jaunted)
• NY Commuters brace for MTA fare hike vote Wednesday (Newsday)
• NY Mayor: Get ‘Mad As Hell’ Over Transit Fare Hikes – Takes Line From ‘Network’ To Inspire Commuters (New York Post)
• OCTA Makes Worst of Choices – Votes to Slash Bus Service, Eliminate Jobs (Orange County Progressive)
• Open source and open data make for transit innovation (Trillium)
• Pasadena invited to join Foothill Transit (Pasadena Star News)
• Pasadena may join Foothill Transit(Pasadena Star News)
• Proposed Victorville to Vegas train would likely bypass Barstow (Desert Dispatch)
• San Diego’s Smart Growth Fund Dissolved (Smart Growth Online)
• San Francisco Rail: A Living History(Planetizen)
• Supervisors to consider resolution calling for freeway funding(Desert Sun)
• Sustaining the New Urbanism(Planetizen)
• UCLA Anderson Forecast: dark days (Los Angeles Times)
• U.S. Ports Plan Clean-Truck Programs(Journal of Commerce)
• What the Cahuenga Pass Looked Like Before the 101 Freeway (LAist)

Today’s Headlines from Streetsblog

(Source: Jalopnik); Pictures: The Mirror)

The 43-year old Brit was heading for a friends home near Todmorden, West Yorks when the system took him down a steep and treacherous footpath. His mindless progress stopped as his car hit a fence planted at the edge of a 100 ft cliff which Jones would have probably happily driven off if his navi had told him to. On his He-Man scale feat of stupidity, Robert said, “I just trusted the satnav. It kept insisting that the path was a road even as it was getting narrower and steeper. I rely on my satnav, I couldn’t do without it for my job. I guess I’m lucky the car didn’t slip all the way over the edge. But it has been a bit of a nightmare.”

Locals gathered during the nine hours it took for a crew to pull the car from its predicament, no-doubt snickering at the idiot in the BMW the entire time.

Click here to read the entire Jalopnik article.

Note:  The source article on the British Daily, The Mirror, reports that it is not the first time our British drivers had many such disastrous affairs with Satellite Navigation. It has compiled the Top 10 Sat-Nav disasters on its website and it is worth reading it.

(Source:  Autocar via Autoblog/Jalopnik)

Autocar’s review:  Riding on small 12inch wheels and tubeless tyres, the Nano rides surprisingly well. Most bumps are rounded nicely, but as the speeds climb the ride can get a little choppy. The steering has a little vagueness around the centre position, dial in more lock; it feels direct and provides good feedback as well. Grip levels are decent but are limited by the narrow tyres. Straightline stability is also commendable.

Here is the verdict: 

So is it a proper car? Yes, it definitely is. It offers better space than even a Santro at the front, while backseat space is quite decent. Comfort levels are good and it will come with an efficient engine as well. It isn’t perfect; owners will want more power and a 5-speed gearbox. But Tata has achieved what it had set out to do – Affordable motoring for the masses. 

Our good friends at Jalopnik say this after watching the review from Autocar:   The reviewers seem amazed the car is able to drive down the road and not feel like it’s going to roll over at any moment. Sort of like Sarah Palin in Vice Presidential debates, if you set the bar so low you’re only expecting to see a human being able to put a three-word sentence together, you can’t not clear it. Thus, the reviews are filled with notes galore on the tiny wheels, flat seats, and comparisons to the Model T.  

The school’s Mobile Experience Lab explores the future of life with the mobile handset

(Source: ContactlessNews via Bernie Wagenblast’  TCN)

Most trials of Near Field Communication (NFC) have involved payment applications at the neighborhood department store, restaurant or transit agency. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge took a different tact, however, attempting to illustrate the many other ways NFC could be used in everyday life.

The result was a video featuring several students and how they utilized NFC-compliant cell phones. Right now, it’s more a vision on how NFC can influence the lives of citizens, says Federico Casalegno, director of MIT’s Mobile Experience Lab and one of the movers behind this NFC project.

Wednesday, March 25, 2009 — ISSN 1529-1057

TIC from GEWI means Proven Interoperability

Whether you need to share, view, collect, aggregate, or distribute data between agencies, offices, control centers, districts, counties, states, or even countries, TIC can be configured to your interoperability requirements using this highly-flexible commercial off-the-shelf solution (COTS). TIC has a 12 year track record and is proven worldwide, such as by the European Road Information Center (ERIC) which provides 100% live data interoperability between 22 countries in seven different languages. TIC is already operating in over 100 projects worldwide and can be deployed faster, more affordably, and with less risk than build-your-own solutions. Why reinvent the wheel?

To download a brochure and leaflets, please visit www.gewi.com.  To discuss your questions and requirements, please contact jim.oneill@gewi.com.

AVIATION

1) US Airways CEO Got Early Flight 1549 Info Via TV

Airline’s operations center used later to coordinate response.

Link to AP story:

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/US-Airways-CEO-got-some-apf-14734819.html

2) Onboard Device Could Offer Clue to Montana Crash

Link to story in The New York Times:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/25/us/25crash.html

RAILROADS

3) IBM Hops Aboard High-Speed Rail

Link to CNET News story:

http://news.cnet.com/8301-11128_3-10203013-54.html

4) CSX Upgrades Signals – End of Era

Railroad is replacing semaphores with wireless communications in Indiana counties.

Link to story in the Journal & Courier:

http://www.jconline.com/article/20090325/NEWS/903250334

ROADWAYS

5) New Brunswick Tourism Signs Stir Debate

$450,000 redesign of scenic drive markers hailed as improvement, criticized as confusing.

Link to story in the Times & Transcript:

http://timestranscript.canadaeast.com/news/article/614131

SAFETY / SECURITY

6) US Homeland Security Chief May Eliminate Color-Coded Alerts System: It’s of ‘Marginal Utility’

Link to story in the Daily News:

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/us_world/2009/03/24/2009-03-24_homeland_security_chief_may_eliminate_co.html

7) States See IT, Other Delays Costing Them on Real ID

Link to story in Federal Computer Week:

http://fcw.com/articles/2009/03/25/states-see-prohibitive-costs-from-real-id-act.aspx

8) Inspector General: Transportation Security Administration Known Shipper Management System Database Behind Schedule

Link to story in Federal Computer Week:

http://fcw.com/articles/2009/03/25/tsa-known-shipper-database-behind-schedule.aspx

Link to report:  http://www.dhs.gov/xoig/assets/mgmtrpts/OIGr_09-35_Mar09.pdf

TRANSIT

9) MIT Tries to Bring NFC to Everyday Life

Link to story on ContactlessNews:

http://www.contactlessnews.com/2009/03/24/mit-tries-to-bring-nfc-to-every-day-life

TRAVELER INFORMATION / TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT

10) Urban Partnership Agreements: Congestion Relief Initiative Holds Promise; Some Improvements Needed in Selection Process

Link to report from the US Government Accountability Office:
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-09-154

VEHICLES

11) Road Sense

Intelligent driving system allows vehicle to drive itself.

Link to story in The Engineer:

http://www.theengineer.co.uk/Articles/310568/Road+sense.htm

News Releases

1) DC Metro ‘Tweets’ Rail Service Delay Information

2) The European Commission Welcomes Today’s Decision of the European Parliament to Support the Single European Sky Package

3) American Airlines Offers New AA.com/women Online Content

Job Posting

 –  Transportation Program Specialist – Federal Transit Administration, US DOT – Washington, DC

http://jobsearch.usajobs.gov/getjob.asp?JobID=80051214&AVSDM=2009%2D03%2D23+00%3A03%3A01&Logo=0&jbf574=TD09&FedEmp=N&sort=rv&vw=d&ss=0&brd=3876&FedPub=Y&caller=/agency_search.asp&SUBMIT1.x=107&SUBMIT1.y=13

Upcoming Events

International Satellite Navigation Forum – May 12-15 – Moscow

http://www.glonass-forum.ru/eng/

Today in Transportation History

1634 **375^th anniversary** – The first European settlers came ashore in Maryland.

http://www.marylandtheseventhstate.com/article1001.html

=============================================================================================

The Transportation Communications Newsletter is published electronically Monday through Friday. 

To subscribe send an e-mail to:  TCNL-subscribe@googlegroups.com

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TCN archives: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/transport-communications

Questions, comments about the TCN?  Please write the editor, Bernie Wagenblast at i95berniew@aol.com.   

© 2009 Bernie Wagenblast

(Source: Earth2Tech & CNET)

According to IBM, which has just unveiled a new “smart rail” project in China, its software can help cut delays, increase uptime, reduce emissions and slash fuel costs, . The company has already rolled out software for high-speed rail projects in the Netherlands and Taiwan. As Big Blue readies for a round of layoffs, those projects could be key to the company’s bid for high-speed rail stimulus funds.  

IBM’s latest smart rail projects add computing intelligence behind the scenes — they’re less about connecting passengers with the web (Cisco’s focus in the San Francisco demo) and more about automating system management to improve efficiency.

In Taiwan, the High Speed Rail Corporation is using IBM’s Maximo software to manage maintenance and logistics (for example, reporting on conditions of signals, tracks and communication devices and automatically filing work orders) for a network of hundreds of trains, each capable of going up to 186 mph, IBM said in an announcement today. A relevant comparison for those of you in Silicon Valley: Caltrain maxes out at 79 mph.  The same software, Maximo, will power the asset management platform IBM is building for the state-owned rail operator in China’s Guangzhou City. IBM says it’s building a classification and coding system for all of GZ Metro’s software, services, tracks, trains, station shops and advertising spots as the railway operator gears up for a $176 billion expansion expected to double passenger capacity to 4 million per day.

CNET reports that Netherlands Railways used software from Ilog, which IBM bought last year, to optimize its schedule to best match its equipment–5,000 trains, 390 stations, and 2,800 kilometers of track–with passenger travel. By fine-tuning this complex system, the rail authority lowered its operating costs between 5 and 10 percent, saving about 20 million euros a year, according to IBM.

The Taiwan High Speed Rail Corporation is using an “asset-management package,” which IBM gained when itacquired MRO Software, to get trains running from the north side of the island to the south with a punctuality rate of 99.15 percent. The 90-minute trip replaces what would be a 4 1/2-hour trip by convention rail.

This CNET article also discussed the efforts undeertaken by the US in speeding up the High-speed rail investment.  IBM considers government funding for high-speed rail is the equivalent of “seed money” for large projects, said Ken Donnelly, transportation strategy manager for IBM’s Maximo asset-management product. As problems over traffic congestion and pollution become more acute, IBM’s Dierkx expects interest in rail to gain steam.

“In an economic downturn, a lot of green initiatives can come under pressure if you don’t have strategic foresight,” he said.

Click here to read the entire article.  Shown below is a video from IBM’s YouTube Channel (IBMSocialMedia), outlining the Transportation needs in China and how IBM is helping the government meet this challenge.