(Source: CNN; TreeHugger; Jalopnik ; Autoblog ; AutoblogGreen)

Chrysler reaches key Canada labor accord Tentative agreement, aimed at cutting costs and keeping automaker out of bankruptcy, to be presented to workers for ratification.

 Time running out on Chrysler  The embattled automaker has one week to reach deals with Fiat, unions and banks, raising doubts it can avoid bankruptcy and a shutdown. 

Fox Car Report Live: Ford Fiesta, Chrysler Bankruptcy [Official Car Pundit Drinking Game] …imaginary Chryslers on conservative cable channel website. [Fox Car Report Live]

(SSource: Reuters via CNN)

Tentative agreement, aimed at cutting costs and keeping automaker out of bankruptcy, to be presented to workers for ratification.

Chrysler LLC and the Canadian Auto Workers (CAW) union reached a tentative agreement Friday on a new labor contract intended to cut costs and keep the struggling automaker from bankruptcy, the union said.

The deal, which will be put to CAW-represented workers for ratification this weekend, is one of several agreements that Chrysler needs to reach by next week to win new U.S. government aid and avoid liquidation.

“We were told by Chrysler that they still didn’t have entire deals done to avoid a bankruptcy filing. We urge all the stakeholders in the United States to make equal sacrifices,” CAW President Ken Lewenza told reporters.

Chrysler, which has been kept operating since the start of the year with $4 billion in U.S. government loans, has until the end of this month to clinch an alliance with Italy’s Fiat SpA and win concessions from its bank creditors and major unions or face a cutoff of its government funding.

“We are extremely grateful to the CAW leadership and to its hard-working members for their openness in this challenging environment to create a new strategy that will lead this company on a path to success,” Chrysler vice chairman Tom LaSorda said in a statement.

The tentative contract for Canadian autoworkers with the No. 3 U.S. automaker would leave hourly base pay intact but cut a range of benefits, including an annual Christmas bonus, and add flexibility to work rules that would make it easier for Chrysler to hire temporary workers.

Chrysler will also cut the third production shift at its Windsor, Ontario, minivan plant.

Taken together, the contract changes will save Chrysler an estimated C$240 million in annual labor costs, Lewenza said.

LA Transportation Blog – Transportation Headlines for Friday April 24, 2009 by Metro Librarian

Friday, April 24, 2009 – ISSN 1529-1057

The US Department of Transportation would like to invite you to the upcoming Public Meeting on IntelliDriveSM Proof of Concept (POC) Results and Findings, which will take place on May 19 at the Sheraton Detroit Novi in Novi, Michigan.  POC testing resulted in a number of interesting findings, which will shape the coming activities on the IntelliDriveSM program.  Key POC participants from government and industry will discuss the testing that took place and present their findings, recommendations, and lessons learned at this meeting, as well as the next steps for the IntelliDriveSM program and the Michigan testbed. The results should also be of interest to industry representatives from the automakers and makers of after-market devices; federal, state, and local transportation officials; system integrators; information service providers; and university researchers.  The event is free, however registration is required for participation.  For more information on the meeting or to register, click here or contact Chris Lane at clane@itsa.org.

AVIATION

1) FAA’s Bird Strike Database Goes Public

Link to ABC News story:

http://abcnews.go.com/Travel/story?id=7419909&page=1

Link to database:  http://wildlife-mitigation.tc.faa.gov/public_html/index.html#access

2) US Airways Rejects PETA Seal Hunting Ad

Link to story in the Phoenix Business Journal:

http://phoenix.bizjournals.com/phoenix/stories/2009/04/20/daily66.html

Link to further information from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals:

http://blog.peta.org/archives/2009/04/us_airways_peta.php

CAMERAS

3) In Arizona, Cameras that Nab Speeders Record a Murder, Too

Link to story in The Christian Science Monitor:

http://www.csmonitor.com/2009/0424/p02s06-usgn.html

ELECTRONIC TOLLING

4) Minnesota Rips Illinois Tollway About Drivers It Says Were Unfairly Ticketed

Attorney general demands agency update car registration data.

Link to story in the Chicago Tribune:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-minnesota-illinois-tollway-2apr24,0,1750341.story

Link to news release from the Minnesota Attorney General:

http://www.ag.state.mn.us/Consumer/PressRelease/090424FaultyTollway.asp

GPS / NAVIGATION

5) Guide Dog GPS Device Up for Award

Link to BBC News story:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/wales/8015296.stm

6) GPS in Cars Can Save Time and Money

Link to column in U.S. News & World Report:

http://www.usnews.com/blogs/daves-download/2009/04/23/gps-in-cars-can-save-time-and-money.html

Link to news release from Navteq:

http://www.navteq.com/webapps/NewsUserServlet?action=NewsDetail&newsId=724&lang=en&englishonly=false

MARITIME

7) Nortel Reporting System Helps Protect Endangered Whale

Link to story in Washington Technology:

http://washingtontechnology.com/articles/2009/04/17/nortel-system-looks-to-protect-endangered-whale.aspx

OTHER

8) San Jose, California Street Lights Get Smarter

Link to story in Fortune:

http://money.cnn.com/2009/04/24/technology/street_lights_echelon.fortune/?postversion=2009042412

SAFETY / SECURITY

9) Digital IDs Make Clearing Customs Easier for US Citizens Traveling Abroad

Link to story in USA Today:

http://www.usatoday.com/travel/flights/2009-04-23-fastentry_N.htm

10) Feds Turn to ‘Brain Music’ to Boost Emergency Worker Performance

Link to story in Wired:

http://blog.wired.com/defense/2009/04/musical-mind-co.html

SPACE

11) NASA Astronaut Says He Will Twitter from Space

Link to story in Computerworld:

http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9132051

TELEMATICS

12) Toyota Plans ‘G-Book’ Telematics Service in China

Link to story on Tech-On:

http://techon.nikkeibp.co.jp/english/NEWS_EN/20090423/169207/

TRANSIT

13) Los Angeles MTA Approves Spanish Translation of Gold Line

Link to story in the Los Angeles Times:

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2009/04/mta-approves-spanish-translation-of-gold-line.html

14) New Report Cites Nation’s ‘Transit Innovations’

Link to story in Progressive Railroading:

http://www.progressiverailroading.com/news/article.asp?id=20253

Link to report from the Environmental Defense Fund:

http://www.edf.org/page.cfm?tagID=38941&redirect=transit

15) iPhone App Showdown: Battle of the CTA Bus Trackers

Link to story on ARS Technica:

http://arstechnica.com/apple/reviews/2009/04/iphone-app-showdown-battle-of-the-cta-bus-trackers.ars

TRAVELER INFORMATION / TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT

16) New Traffic Operations Center Opens for Western Australia Police

Link to story in The West Australian:

http://www.thewest.com.au/default.aspx?MenuID=77&ContentID=137946

VEHICLES

17) Vanity Plates Catch ACLU’s Eye

Link to story in The Denver Post:

http://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_12213302

News Releases

1) Speed Enforcement: Make Roads Safer and Increase the Number of Valid Reads

2) Cyprus Airport Guide Launched by Creators of the Successful Spanish Airport Guide

Upcoming Events

5^th International Driving Symposium on Human Factors in Driver Assessment, Training, and Vehicle Design – June 22-25 – Big Sky, Montana

http://ppc.uiowa.edu/driving-assessment/2009/

Friday Bonus

Don’t worry…this does not smell like you think it does.  Take a closer look.

http://commercial-archive.com/n1rv4n4g8/2008/octjpgs/NED_BAONTV_busreklames.jpg

Today in Transportation History

1834 – 175^th anniversary of the charter of the Long Island Rail Road.

http://www.mta.info/lirr/Video/175thAnniversary/

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

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: NY Times)

Ethanol producers reacted with dismay to California’s approval of the nation’s first low-carbon fuel standard, which will require the state’s mix of fuels to be 10 percent lower in greenhouse gas emissions by 2020.

In a 9-1 vote late Thursday, the state’s Air Resources Board approved the measure (seebackground here).“The drive to force the market toward greater use of alternative fuels will be a boon to the state’s economy and public health — it reduces air pollution, creates new jobs and continues California’s leadership in the fight against global warming,” said the California board’s chairman, Mary D. Nichols, in a statement.

But the ethanol industry is concerned that the regulations give a poor emissions score to their corn-based product, in some cases ranking it as a bigger emitter than petroleum.

“This was a poor decision, based on shaky science, not only for California, but for the nation,” said General Wesley Clark, who co-chairs the pro-ethanol group Growth Energy, in a statement.

The decision, he added, “puts another road block in moving away from dependence on fossil fuels and stifles development of the emerging cellulosic industry.”

Note: Late last night, TransportGooru made detailed post (shown below), immediately following the Calif. Air Resources Board announcement on the adoption of this standard. 

California adopts first-in-the-world regulation to minimize the amount of carbon in fuel

(Source: Autoblog & The Detroit News)

It’s looking increasingly likely that the United States will soon have its own Cash-for-Clunkers program. According to The Detroit News, two bills are currently competing for Congressional votes, and while they would both offer sizable rewards for turning in older vehicles, they vary in what new cars and trucks would qualify for the program.

One bill, sponsored by Rep. Betty Sutton (D-Ohio) would give the largest voucher – up to $5,000 – to purchasers of new vehicles made in the United States. Slightly smaller amounts would be granted for other vehicles made in the rest of North America, and no cash would be granted for the purchase of foreign-made cars. All cars would need to manage at least 27 mpg to qualify, and trucks would need to hit at least 24 mpg.
 
The other bill, sponsored by Rep. Steve Israel (D-New York), would offer up to $4,500 for the purchase of a new vehicle, assuming that the vehicle being traded-in gets 18 mpg or less, and the new vehicle’s fuel efficiency is at least 25% better than average for its class. No distinction would be made based on the vehicle’s country of origin.

Both would require the scrapping of older vehicles to remove them from the roadways and both would give drivers the option of trading in an old car for a bus or subway pass.

In addition to promoting energy efficiency, the idea is to boost new car sales and get vehicles on the roads with updated safety features.

The program could cost as much as $4 billion and help retire at least 1 million older vehicles. Senior congressional aides and members of the Obama auto task force met earlier this month in search of the best way to pay for and structure it.

Toyota spokesman Charles Ing said his company wants legislation to apply to all fuel efficient vehicles and adhere to U.S. obligations under the World Trade Organization.

The public is getting its first uncensored look at the government’s records of where and when airplanes have struck birds over the last 19 years, thanks largely to pressure resulting from the dramatic ditching of a US Airways jet in the Hudson River after bird strikes knocked out both its engines.

Finally, travelers will be able to learn which airports have the worst problems with birds.

Since 1990, the Federal Aviation Administration has been collecting reports voluntarily submitted by commercial and private pilots, the military, airline mechanics, and airport workers who clear dead birds and other animals from runways. The agency has released aggregate data over the years so it’s known that there are records of more than 100,000 strikes and that reported strikes more than quadrupled from 1,759 in 1990 to 7,666 in 2007.

But the FAA has always feared the public can’t handle the full truth about bird strikes, so it has withheld the names of specific airports and airlines involved.

Aware that some airports do a better job reporting strikes than others and that some face tougher bird problems, the agency said the public might use the data to “cast unfounded aspersions” on those who reported strikes and the airports and airlines in turn might turn in fewer voluntary reports.

But this week Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood overruled the FAA’s attempt to throw a formal cloak of secrecy over the data before it had to reveal the records in response Freedom of Information Act requests from The Associated Press and other news organizations.

The database was to be posted on the Internet at midmorning Friday.

With President Barack Obama promising a more open government and releasing secret Bush administration legal memos about harsh interrogations of terrorism suspects, LaHood said he found it hard to justify the FAA’s plan to withhold records about birds flying around airports.

LaHood also noted the public bridled at being kept in the dark. In addition to newspaper editorials coast to coast opposing the FAA’s secrecy, members of the public commenting directly to the FAA opposed it by a 5-to-1 margin.

(Source: AP)

It was an ironic start to legislative efforts to tackle the nation’s transportation woes.

House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman James Oberstar completely missed a news conference on innovative transit programs Thursday because his car was stuck in traffic, behind an accident in a congested commuter tunnel.

The Minnesota Democrat has another news conference scheduled Friday with the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, who estimate Congress needs to spend $470 billion to get the nation’s transportation system back on track.

 That event, and Thursday’s gathering organized by the Environmental Defense Fund, are two of several being staged in coming weeks as interest groups try to influence the shape of a six-year highway and transit construction bill expected to total roughly a half-trillion dollars. Oberstar hopes to introduce the legislation in May and win swift House passage.Already lined up on both sides of this heavyweight Washington lobbying contest are the trucking and construction industries, environmentalists, “smart growth” advocates, labor unions and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. To pass a bill of the sweep and size he envisions, Oberstar said everyone involved will have to first sell the plan to the public.

There is a consensus in Congress that something major needs to be done about the transportation mess. People are spending more time in their cars trying to get to work — or anywhere, for that matter. Transit systems are carrying record numbers of riders and, in some cases, are cutting back service. Freight delays, both highway and rail, are costing industry and consumers billions of dollars. An alarming share of the nation’s highways, bridges, tunnels, and train cars have aged beyond their intended life and are in disrepair.

“It is clear we need more revenue in the system, more investment dollars, but we can’t just say to people, ‘do this, do that.’ We have to show what we’re going to do with this program, how we are going to make it more responsive to their needs,” Oberstar said in an interview. “If people see that, then they’ll support it.”

(Source: CBS, LA Times, SF Chronicle)

California took aim today at the oil industry and its effect on global warming, adopting the world’s first regulation to limit greenhouse gas emissions from the fuel that runs cars and trucks.

Photo: AP/Rich Pedroncelli via CBS

The regulation requires producers, refiners and importers of gasoline and diesel to reduce the carbon intensity of their fuel by 10% over the next decade. And it launches the state on an ambitious path toward ratcheting down its overall heat-trapping emissions by 80% by mid-century — a level that scientists deem necessary to avoid drastic disruption to the global climate.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger praised the regulation immediately after the vote.

“California’s first-in-the-world low carbon fuel standard will not only reduce global warming pollution – it will reward innovation, expand consumer choice and encourage the private investment we need to transform our energy infrastructure,” Schwarzenegger said in a statement.

At the all-day public hearing prior to the vote, backers of corn-based ethanol criticized the regulation because it counts – as part of the carbon intensity – the indirect effects of manufacturing the fuel. With corn-based ethanol, that means counting the impact of creating new crop land when existing land is converted to growing corn for fuel instead of food.

Backers of the regulation applauded in the auditorium after the vote.

(Source: SF Gate)

Some mayors tool around in Priuses and hybrid Civics. But Berkeley Mayor Tom Bates has taken green transit a step further.  

Image: Paul Chinn/The Chronicle

No more cars for him, at all.