Tuesday, August 18, 2009 – ISSN 1529-1057

Countdown to IBTTA’s 77th Annual Meeting & Exhibition, September 13-16, 2009 in Chicago — Register Today!

IBTTA’s 77th Annual Meeting & Exhibition is the most significant gathering of toll industry professionals in the world. Attend this meeting and interact with the most influential experts and decision makers from around the globe and discuss ideas and solutions about transportation financing strategies, the future of tolling and paying for mobility, AET and Interoperability, new ideas for the new economy and sustainable transportation. Featured speakers include Stuart Varney, Business and Financial Journalist; Mark Shields, Syndicated Columnist and Political Analyst; Robert Atkinson, President, the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation and Chairman, National Surface Transportation Infrastructure Financing Commission; and General (Ret.) Barry McCaffrey, Retired U.S. Army General, News Commentator, and Business Consultant. Register by August 21 and receive a $100 discount off your registration fee. This meeting is hosted by the Illinois Tollway and will be held at the Hyatt Regency. For information on registration, hotel reservations, exhibiting or sponsorship, visit IBTTA’s website at www.ibtta.org.

AVIATION

1) New Twist in Hudson River Collision Investigation

New account of crash clarifies what controller saw. Controllers union booted from investigation for public comments.

Link to AP story:

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5i7snJnN8kUVlX69sAmaPg4IPi6aQD9A556R02

2) ‘London’ Airport Name Change Row

Oxford Airport, 60 miles from capital, changes name to London Oxford Airport.

Link to BBC News story:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/oxfordshire/8205130.stm

OTHER

3) Pittsburgh Develops, iBurgh, First iPhone App that Connects to 311

Link to story in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09230/991552-53.stm

4) Latest Edition of Transport Business Online

Link to magazine:

http://edition.pagesuite-professional.co.uk/Launch.aspx?referral=mypagesuite&pnum=&refresh=s05XWd16b4N0&EID=95275fd5-4e23-4c2d-86b5-9dbb900dd0f9&skip

SAFETY / SECURITY

5) Cell Phones Problematic for 911

Link to story in USA Today:

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/wireless/phones/2009-08-17-cellphones_N.htm

6) FCC Considers State, Regional Public Safety Broadband Networks

Link to story in Federal Computer Week:

http://fcw.com/articles/2009/08/18/fcc-considering-state-and-regional-public-safety-networks.aspx

7) Former Officer Wants to Stop Driving and Phone Use

Link to story and video on KCNC-TV:

http://cbs4denver.com/local/driving.cell.phone.2.1132669.html

TRANSIT

8) Massachusetts Giving Transit Data to Software Developers

Link to AP story:

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iL_WvZWL3aJWlEt-xNXHg7IiYZXgD9A4SON01

9) Work Begins on Expanding Cell Service in DC Metro

Link to story in The Washington Post:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/18/AR2009081801879.html

Link to news release from WMATA:

http://www.wmata.com/about_metro/news/PressReleaseDetail.cfm?ReleaseID=4014

10) Survey: Bangalore Commuters Need More Info About Public Transport

Link to story in The Times of India:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/news/city/bangalore/Commuters-Need-More-Info-About-Public-Transport/articleshow/4908215.cms

11) Metrolink Operations Center Controls Massive Network

Link to story in the Los Angeles Daily News:

http://www.dailynews.com/news/ci_13147209

TRAVELER INFORMATION / TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT

12) IBM Turns RFID, Sensor Data Into Actions

Data collected from networked sensors on highways can be used by governments to make decisions.

Link to story in InformationWeek:

http://www.informationweek.com/news/government/info-management/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=219400466

VEHICLES

13) Ford Plans Vehicles to Interact with Power Grids

Link to AP story:

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Ford-plans-vehicles-to-apf-2317012092.html?x=0&.v=7

Link to news release from Ford:

http://www.ford.com/about-ford/news-announcements/press-releases/press-releases-detail/pr-ford-unveils-intelligent-system-30849

14) Are Blind Spots a Myth?

Link to story in The New York Times:

http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/08/18/are-blind-spots-a-myth/?nl=automobiles&emc=wheelsema2

News Releases

1) Mentor Engineering Introduces ‘The Fleet Beat’ Blog for the Latest in Fleet Management

2) US Transportation Secretary Announces New Details on Distractracted Driving Summit

3) PrePass Isn’t Just Weigh Stations Anymore – Transportation’s Premier Public-Private Partnership Elects New Leaders; Announces New Services

Upcoming Events

Ontario Traffic Engineering Workshop – October 1 – Alliston, Ontario

http://www.otc.org/workshops.cfm?eventid=40

Today in Transportation History

1989 **20^th anniversary** – GPS Block 2 was launched.

http://www.astronautix.com/craft/gpsand2a.htm

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

© 2009 Bernie Wagenblast