Bernie’s Transportation Communications Newsletter (TCN) – October 26, 2009
Monday, October 26, 2009 – ISSN 1529-1057
Download the free INRIX TRAFFIC! for iPhone or Android today
INRIX, the leading provider of traffic and navigation services, recently introduced a free, ad-free, and highly acclaimed traffic app for iPhone and now for Android. INRIX TRAFFIC! uniquely helps drivers reduce the time they spend in traffic through a better understanding of current AND future traffic conditions. It is the only mobile phone app that combines real-time, “crowd sourced” traffic information from more than 1.3 million vehicles with data from hundreds of public (including DOTs) and private sources to reliably deliver current and expected traffic conditions. Covering more than 160,000 miles of freeways, interstates and highways in 126 cities across the U.S. and Canada, INRIX TRAFFIC! provides drivers with insight into how conditions will evolve over time helping them avoid traffic jams and reach their destination the fastest way possible.
Download at the App Store or Android Market today. More info at www.inrixtraffic.com.
AVIATION
1) Northwest Pilots Were Using Personal Laptops, NTSB Says
Link to article in the Star-Tribune:
2) In Airline Industry, Social-Media Marketing Takes Flight
Link to article in the Star-Telegram:
http://www.star-telegram.com/business/story/1709786.html
CARTOGRAPHY
3) Google Maps’ Appearance Takes New Direction
Link to blog on CNET News:
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13515_3-10382579-26.html
ELECTRONIC TOLLING
4) Florida’s Turnpike to Go Cashless as It Switches to Electronic Tolling
Link to article in the South Florida Sun-Sentinel:
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sfl-turnpike-sunpass-102609,0,7442287.story
OTHER
5) Dallas Police Ticketed 39 Drivers in 3 Years for Not Speaking English
Link to article in The Dallas Morning News:
6) Augmented Reality to Alter How We See the World
Link to article in the San Francisco Chronicle:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2009/10/26/MNCR1A9B5S.DTL
7) TechPlan Researchers at University of Minnesota Probe Privacy Implications of ITS
Link to article in CTS Research E-News:
http://www.cts.umn.edu/Publications/ResearchENews/2009/09/index.html#techplan
RAILROADS
8) Communication Glitch Leads to Amtrak Ticket Problems
Link to story on WABC-TV:
http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?section=resources/traffic&id=7082718
ROADWAYS
9) Washington Governor Announces Monitoring System for Seattle Viaduct
Link to article in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer:
http://www.seattlepi.com/local/411509_viaduct24.html
Video Visualizes Viaduct Collapsing
http://blog.seattlepi.com/transportation/archives/183191.asp
10) Will Smarter Roads Save Us More Money?
Link to blog in The New York Times:
http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/10/24/will-smarter-roads-save-us-more-money/
TRANSIT
11) New York MTA Yanks Ads Warning of Germ Dangers on Subways
Link to article in amNew York:
http://www.amny.com/urbanite-1.812039/mta-yanks-paid-sick-time-ads-1.1548183
12) Columbus, Georgia Bus Signs Aid the Homeless
Link to article in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
http://www.ajc.com/news/columbus-bus-signs-aid-170643.html
13) Electronic Fare Collection Options for Commuter Railroads
Link to report from the Federal Transit Administration:
http://www.fta.dot.gov/documents/ElectronicFareCollectionOptionsforCommuterRailroads.pdf
TRAVELER INFORMATION / TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT
14) New Hampshire Offers Real-Time I-93 Traffic Data
Link to article in The Eagle-Tribune:
http://www.eagletribune.com/punewsnh/local_story_297214252.html
15) Interim Panel on Road Safety and Traffic Management Set Up in India
Link to article in The Hindu:
http://beta.thehindu.com/news/national/article38285.ece
News Releases
1) Idaho Transportation Department Installs New Highway Cameras in Eastern Idaho
2) Newly Formed US DOT Safety Council to Take Safety Commitment to Next Level
Upcoming Events
ITS Texas Annual Meeting – November 11-13 – Galveston, Texas
http://www.itstexas.org/Meetings/2009meetingoverview.stm
Today in Transportation History
1859 **150th anniversary** – The Royal Charter was wrecked off the coast of Anglesey with the loss of approximately 459 lives.
http://www.royalcharterchurch.org.uk/wreck.html
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Questions, comments about the TCN? Please write the editor, Bernie Wagenblast at i95berniew@aol.com.
© 2009 Bernie Wagenblast