Thursday, April 9, 2009 – ISSN 1529-1057

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Registration is now open for IBTTA’s Upcoming Summit – The Future of Tolling:  ORT and the Path to Interoperability, June 14-16, 2009 in Tampa, FL 

Join IBTTA in Tampa, FL and receive cutting-edge information from agencies and toll service providers around the globe on the latest in all-electronic tolling, toll traffic management, and achieving full interoperability. This is the only Summit in the world in 2009 focused on the critical topics of Open Road Tolling, All-Electronic Tolling and Interoperability and will feature more than 100 of our industry’s most experienced and knowledgeable speakers, panelists and exhibitors. What matters most is your customer’s experience driving your roads, the quality of service they receive during the payment process and your success in collecting those payments. Are your customers satisfied? Visit IBTTA’s website to view the preliminary agenda and register today! 

AVIATION

1) NASA Safety Survey a Mystery

Link to AP story:

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jKO38hKOG37Omy4Iv7Bi9q_L98bQD97EPSDG0

Link to report from the US Government Accountability Office:

http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d09112.pdf

2) Fort Wayne Airport Gets $1.27 Million from Stimulus to Install Signs

They’ll help pilots, crews find their way among runways.

Link to story in The News-Sentinel:

http://www.news-sentinel.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090409/BUSINESS/904090316

3) Atlanta Airport Grooving to Clean Music

Link to story on CNN:

http://www.cnn.com/2009/TRAVEL/04/09/atlanta.hartsfield.music/index.html

ELECTRONIC TOLLING

4) Slovenian Motorway Users Happy with Tolling System

Link to Slovenian Press Agency story:

http://www.sta.si/en/vest.php?s=a&id=1381072  

GPS / NAVIGATION

5) TomTom Brings New Technology Into GPS Market

Link to video interview with TomTom President Jocelyn Vigreux on NECN:

http://www.necn.com/Boston/SciTech/2009/04/08/TomTom-brings-new-technology/1239232308.html

OTHER

6) Surveillance of Public Spaces: A Privacy Issue?

Link to story in 1to1 Magazine:

http://www.1to1media.com/View.aspx?DocId=31533

ROADWAYS

7) Wind’s Impact on Highway Signs Studied

Link to story in The Huntsville Times:

http://www.al.com/news/huntsvilletimes/local.ssf?/base/news/1239268542102760.xml&coll=1

8) Denver’s Northwest Parkway Leaves Mainline Plaza Unstaffed Overnight to Experiment with Cashless Toll Collection

Link to story in TOLLROADSnews:

http://www.tollroadsnews.com/node/4097

9) Automating HOT Lane Enforcement

Link to story in Surface Transportation Innovations:

http://old.reason.org/surtrans66print.html#4

SPACE

10) NASA Astronaut Tweets About Mission

Link to story in Federal Computer Week:

http://fcw.com/articles/2009/04/08/web-nasa-twitter.aspx

Link to Mike Massimino’s Twitter feed:  http://twitter.com/Astro_Mike

SAFETY / SECURITY

11) Mississippi DOT to Use Twitter for Hurricane Evacuations

Link to story in the Hattiesburg American:

http://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/article/20090409/NEWS01/90409019

TRANSIT

12) Calls to 311 Prove a Drag on San Francisco Muni’s Budget

Agency charged $1.96 each time a caller requests bus arrival times.

Link to story in The Examiner:

http://www.sfexaminer.com/local/Calls-to-311-prove-a-drag-on-Munis-budget-42722122.html

13) New York City Fare-Hike Revolt Rising Up on Facebook

Link to story in amNew York:

http://weblogs.amny.com/entertainment/urbanite/blog/2009/04/mta_angst_floods_facebook.html

VEHICLES

14) Cars Gone Wireless

Automakers and tech companies are adding a growing array of information and entertainment extras such as Web access in vehicles

Link to story in BusinessWeek:

http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/apr2009/tc2009049_588284.htm

News Releases

1) Social Networking Shifts Car-Sharing Into High Gear at Stanford University

2) US Department of Transportation Secretary LaHood to Speak at ITS America’s 2009 Annual Meeting & Exposition on June 1

3) FCC Adopts Rules to Expand, Enhance First Responders’ Use of Broadband Communications

4) National Center for Atmospheric Research Tests System to Steer Drivers Away from Dangerous Weather

5) Trafficmaster Supports AA’s New 84322 Traffic Information Service

6) Luxury Automaker Takes the HD Radio Fast Lane

Upcoming Events

mobil.TUM 2009 – ITS for Larger Cities – May 12-13 – Munich

http://www.vt.bv.tum.de/mobil.TUM2009

Today in Transportation History

1959 **50^th anniversary** – NASA introduces the Mercury Seven, the first group of American astronauts.

http://www.nasaimages.org/luna/servlet/detail/nasaNAS~5~5~22981~127221:Original-7-Astronauts-in-Spacesuits

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The Transportation Communications Newsletter is published electronically Monday through Friday. 

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Questions, comments about the TCN?  Please write the editor, Bernie Wagenblast ati95berniew@aol.com.   

© 2009 Bernie Wagenblast