Monday, December 14, 2009 – ISSN 1529-1057

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Deadline Extended: Call for Papers for ITS America’s 20^th Annual Meeting & Exposition

ITS America’s 20^th Annual Meeting & Exposition, May 3-5, 2010, Houston, Texas will provide transportation leaders with effective tools and strategies to create smart cities and communities that are safer, cleaner, more livable and less congested.  Don’t miss out on the opportunity to submit a paper or submit a session proposal to this major ITS event!  The deadline has been extended to Dec. 29, 2009.  For a list of topics, key dates, guidelines, and to submit your paper online, visit www.itsa.org/amprogram.html.

AVIATION

1) FAA Rushing to Move Boise’s Air Traffic Station to Salt Lake

Link to article in the Idaho Statesman:

http://www.idahostatesman.com/newsupdates/story/1006621.html

2) You Can Watch Live as Boeing’s 787 Takes to the Air Tuesday Morning

Link to article in The Herald:

http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20091214/BIZ/712149905/1005

Link to site: http://787firstflight.newairplane.com

3) Airports Train Workers to be Nicer to Fliers

Link to article in USA Today:

http://www.usatoday.com/travel/flights/2009-12-14-airportcheckin14_ST_N.htm

Link to news release from the Miami-Dade Aviation Department:

http://www.miami-airport.com/releases/09-11-30-MIA-Customer-Service-Training-Begins.asp

CAMERAS

4) Albuquerque Mayor Orders Independent Study of Traffic Cam Program

Link to story on KOAT-TV:

http://www.koat.com/news/21946366/detail.html

Link to news release from the Albuquerque mayor’s office:

http://www.cabq.gov/mayor/news/mayor-orders-independent-study-of-traffic-camera-enforcement-program

ELECTRONIC TOLLING

5) Automatic Tolling a Non-starter in India as Developers Dither Imports

Link to article in the Business Standard:

http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/automatic-tollingnon-starter-as-developers-dither-imports/80656/on

GPS / NAVIGATION

6) How the Connected Car is Altering the GPS Landscape

Link to article in GPS Business News:

http://www.gpsbusinessnews.com/How-the-Connected-Car-is-Altering-the-GPS-Landscape_a1926.html

OTHER

7) Proposed Command Set Could Ease Smart Card Interoperability

Link to article in SecureIDNews:

http://www.secureidnews.com/2009/12/10/proposed-command-set-could-ease-interoperability

8) Is Gov 2.0 Just Another Passing Fad?

Link to article in Federal Computer Week:

http://fcw.com/articles/2009/12/07/feat-gov-2dot0.aspx

Social Media Called Just Another Communications Tool

http://fcw.com/articles/2009/12/14/gov-25-conference.aspx

PARKING

9) Scientists Create Formula for Perfect Parking

Link to article in the Telegraph:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/news/6784428/Scientists-create-formula-for-perfect-parking.html

Link to news release from Royal Holloway, University of London:

http://www.rhul.ac.uk/Resources/Helper_apps/Message.asp?ref_no=2105

PUBLIC INFORMATION / EDUCATION

10) Massachusetts Public Transportation Agencies Still Meet Behind Closed Doors

Link to column in The Boston Globe:

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2009/12/13/public_transportation_agencies_still_meet_behind_closed_doors/

ROADWAYS

11) Arizona Shuns Stimulus Signage, but Pima County Posts Plenty of Information

Link to article in the Arizona Daily Star:

http://www.azstarnet.com/metro/321218

12) Rehabbing Maine’s I-295 Southbound

Full road closure, robust public outreach, and diverse safety measures helped Maine DOT complete the job on time and on budget.

Link to article in Public Roads:

http://www.tfhrc.gov/pubrds/09novdec/02.htm

13) What are All Those Roadway Devices?

Link to column on INDenverTimes:

http://www.indenvertimes.com/what-are-all-those-roadway-devices/

SAFETY / SECURITY

14) US Transportation Security Administration Moves to Deploy New Screening Technology

Link to article in ATW Daily News:

http://atwonline.com/news/story.html?storyID=18783

TELEMATICS

15) A Weekend in Sync

Testing Ford’s Sync system.

Link to review in The New York Times:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/13/automobiles/13SYNC.html

TRANSIT

16) US Lawmakers Want to Expand Cell Usage in Subways

Link to article in The Hill:

http://thehill.com//business-a-lobbying/71559-lawmakers-want-to-expand-cell-phone-use

17) Chicago Transit Authority’s Online Bus Tracker Rolls Into Sight at Shops

Businesses display information so public can stop and shop.

Link to column in the Chicago Tribune:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-getting-around-14dec14,0,1106082.column

Link to CTA Bus Tracker API: http://www.transitchicago.com/developers/bustracker.aspx

18) New Los Angeles MTA Blogger Talks Transit From Both Sides of the Tracks

Link to interview on Neon Tommy:

http://blogs.uscannenberg.org/neontommy/2009/12/steve-hymon-talks-transit-quit.html

Link to The Source: http://thesource.metro.net/

19) Crash Course in Transit Safety

A high rate of crashes between motor vehicles and light-rail vehicles led to operational improvements.

Link to article in Texas Transportation Researcher:

http://tti.tamu.edu/publications/researcher/newsletter.htm?vol=45&issue=3&article=5&year=2009

TRAVELER INFORMATION / TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT

20) US System for Tracking Traffic Flow is Faulted

Link to article in The New York Times:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/14/us/14traffic.html

Link to report from the US DOT Inspector General:

http://www.oig.dot.gov/StreamFile?file=/data/pdfdocs/TTID_12_8_2009.pdf

21) Complex System Will Help Keep Traffic Flowing on I-95 Through Florida’s Treasure Coast

Link to article and video in the Stuart News:

http://www.tcpalm.com/news/2009/dec/11/complex-system-will-help-keep-traffic-flowing-on/

Link to SMART SunGuide: http://www.smartsunguide.com/

22) Pune Gets Go-Ahead for Intelligent Traffic Management System

Link to article in The Times of India:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/pune/PCMC-gets-go-ahead-for-intelligent-traffic-mgmt-system/articleshow/5332393.cms

23) New 511 System Helps New Brunswick Motorists

Link to CBC News story:

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/new-brunswick/story/2009/12/12/nb-511-system.html

Link to news release from the Government of New Brunswick:

http://www.gnb.ca/cnb/news/tran/2009e1977tr.htm

24) Gambia’s Unique FM to Relay Air Traffic Reports

Link to article in Today:

http://today.gm/hi/news/911.html

25) Managing Kathmandu’s Traffic

Link to commentary in Republica:

http://www.myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=12798

News Releases

1) Unique Partnership is Formed Between Ohio DOT and Walmart to Share Winter Safety Messages

2) International ITS Conference & Expo Shanghai 2010 Will be Held Next September

3) Amplex and Boeing to Offer Intelligent Streetlight Management Systems to US Cities

Upcoming Events

2^nd Russian Congress and Exhibition on Intelligent Transport Systems and Services – April 6-7 – Moscow

http://www.pibd.ru/eits2/

Today in Transportation History

1959 **50^th anniversary** – Captain Joe B. Jordan, in a Lockheed F-104C, sets an altitude record of 103,389 feet (31,513 meters).

http://airmuseum.aspdotnet.sk/lietadlo_starfighter_e.html

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© 2009 Bernie Wagenblast  www.bwcommunications.net