(Source: Ridus)

Courtesy of Google Translate, I managed to learn from Ridus.ru this innovative design is deployed at “Tsarina” station on Moscow subway. As pointed out on Ridus, this triangular metal structure, apart from being effective in stopping fare jumpers, is a hassle for riders moving through the gates with luggage.  It will be nice to know the before vs. after comparisions to find out how effective these systems are in stopping the fare gate violations.

Image Courtesy: Ridus.ru

Image Courtesy: Ridus

(Source: Warren Zhang via Reddit)

WMATA management should consider installing a couple of these swings in each rail car..  It definitely looks like a lot of fun (as long as it is not peak hours and the rail cars are not packed to the gills).

Metro Swing from Warren Zhang on Vimeo.

(source: Fairfaxunderground.com)

Someone at Virginia Department of Transportation is in trouble for messing up the signage at Sycamore Street exit along I-66 above the newly opened auxiliary lane..It is going to cost a few thousand $$$ to fix this inadvertent error.  Interestingly,  the old signage (still visible on Google Maps), shows the correct spelling.

H/T Brian Schoeneman

(Source: Jalopnik)

Aahh.. The highway hackers have struck again.  This time in a suburban Washington, DC neighborhood and they hit (a private sign and not one owned by the local government) with a funnier & slightly smutty message.  The hackers tweaked the portable VMS (for the uninitiated VMS = Variable Message Sign) signage and made it read: “Honk if you are wearing a thong”.   The local FOX news reporter covering the scene reported hearing a lot of honking.  Hmmm.. The not so enthused county officials have reportedly shut down the sign.  LOL. You can check out the signage for yourself in the video below  (H/T to Jalopnik for the awesome scoop).

 Hacked Road Sign Prompts Underwear Disclosure About Thongs: MyFoxDC.com

(Source: Times of India)

If you crib about American politicians breaking the rule of law, you have to meet Mr. Najot Sidhu, a colorful politician in India and a current Member of Parliament. He was also one of the celebrated cricketers from a decade ago.  Though he has been involved in a series of egregious violations over his colorful career, he somehow managed to get away. Until now.  But what he did today deserves serious jail punishment.  Let’s see what he did.

Today, Mr. Sidhu kidnapped a security guard at a Toll Plaza! Yep.  You heard me right.  According to reports seen on leading Indian newspaper Times of India, it all began when the guard, Chenchu Ramaiah, allegedly hurled a stick at Sidhu’s car which whizzed past the Venkatachalam toll plaza at Tallampadu village in Doravarisatram mandal without showing any ID proof or payment of toll fee. This led to a crack in the windshield. An enraged Sidhu came back to the plaza, overpowered Ramaiah and another guard and bundled them into his vehicle.  If that is not enough, Mr. Sidhu and his entourage drove to a meeting with the two kidnapped toll plaza staff. Local police who were alerted about the situation, intervened and tried to pacify the politician. Click here to read the entire article.

Wait a minute!  Did I hear the word pacify? Is this how police in India are now expected to treat a kidnapper?  Isn’t the role of police to arrest such offenders and take them to court? I may be wrong here but I see the actions of Mr. Sidhu are plain breach of law and it can be summarized as a kidnapping and he should be dealt with accordingly.  Would the police be “pacifying” a kidnapper had the roles been reversed here – i.e., if the toll plaza guards kidnapped Sidhu and drove him away, and held him against his will for a couple of hours? Would the police be treating the Toll Plaza guards the same way they did with Mr. Sidhu?  Arrest his ass and throw him in JAIL! Let him stand in-front of a judge and explain his actions (oh, also don’t forget to prosecute the guards for damaging the vehicle too). If I’m a multinational firm interested in investing in India’s infrastructure such a situation would make me think twice. Incidents of this kind simply undermine investor confidence and erode any faith in the rule of law for citizens and foreigners alike.

For one, this is not what people expect from their elected leadership.  India’s Prime Minister Mr. Manmohan Singh and the opposition party leader (BJP party, to which Mr. Sidhu belongs), should come out strongly and condemn this action publicly If anything, reprimand Mr. Sidhu for his actions and set an example.  What’s more appalling are the actions of his party man, Mr. Venkaiah Naidu, who is another prominent opposition politician.  Mr. Naidu, knowing all well what Sidhu did, intervened to broker peace between the police and Mr. Sidhu instead of letting the police carry out their duty.  Press reports say that Mr. Naidu requested the police not to register case against anyone, including Mr. Sidhu.  Whattt!  Mr. Naidu should apologize to the people of his state for his actions and offer all assistance to the police to investigate this case.  That is the least these politicians and government officials can do to show the citizens of India that the law is the same for everyone – be it a minister or a commoner on the street. Anyone who breaches the law should/will be prosecuted to the fullest extent possible.  Failure to prosecute Mr. Sidhu would only reinforce the current sentiment among the public – if an offender is powerful or a wealthy politician he can get away with anything.

Note to Sidhu: Mr. Sidhu, you are not definitely the type of leader that India deserves.  Your actions are shameful and your theatrics are even more offensive.  Stop behaving like a petulant child and behave like a political leader that people want.  After all, there are many young kids who grow up aspiring to be you and I hope you don’t lead them astray with such questionable behavior. Next time you approach a toll plaza, make sure to slow down and pay your toll. I’m positive the Indian taxpayers are paying you a handsome salary for your services as a Member of Parliament and you can definitely afford to pay a couple of hundred rupees for a service that everyone else pays.  If you do not like slowing down or paying tolls, try catching a bus or even better a train. Oh, and above all don’t forget to render an apology to the poor workers at the Toll Plaza who toil in the baking hot weather all day long just to make ends meet.

Note to the Toll Plaza operators: For crying out loud, install barricades or some other measures to prevent such toll booth violations. If anything, use electronic surveillance equipment to capture the offenders and collect the money electronically.  But don’t encourage your staff to throw a stick or a stone at a fast moving vehicle. It’s not only dangerous to the occupants of the vehicle but can also result in such situations where the offenders can get into a quarrel with the enforcers. Work with the police to resolve such violations and please do not encourage your staff to take matters in their own hands.

(Source: AFP/Getty Images via The Daily Beast)

Just an awesome photo of French President Nicolas Sarkozy riding a suburban train. That’s all. Photo reportedly taken after his visit to the New Technology and Industry Centre.

Image Courtesy: AFP/Getty Images via The Daily Beast

(Source: Reddit)

Here is a really beautiful time-lapse video capture of the crazy traffic in  Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).  The creator, Rob Whitworth,  this video says  is a culmination of 10,000 RAW images and multiple shoots capturing some of the cities relentless energy and pace of change.  check it out. Like in many Asian cities, the chaos of traffic continues to move without much disruption despite the lack of the usual traffic management infrastructure (i.e., traffic lights at intersections).  Of course, it goes without saying – traffic accidents are a leading cause of death and injuries in Country.   According to the World Health Organization,  Vietnam’s National Traffic Safety Committee (NTSC) reported more than 12,800 deaths and a further 10,546 injuries from road traffic crashes in 2007 which represents more than 35 deaths per day and a mortality rate of more than 15 per 100,000 population.

(Source: Telegraph, UK via Reddit)

Allowing women drivers in Saudi Arabia will tempt them into sex, promote pornography and create more homosexuals, according to some conservative Muslim scholars.

Saudi women will have to languish little longer in their plush,& palatial homes and continue their wait for tasting the freedom of driving that so many women around the world take it for granted.  The following appeared in today’s Telegraph (and in many news sites on the web): “Academics at the Majlis al-Ifta’ al-A’ala, which is Saudi Arabia‘s highest religious council, said the relaxation of the rules would inevitably lead to “no more virgins”.   The academics, working in conjunction with Kamal Subhi, a former professor at the conservative King Fahd University, produced the conclusions in a report for the country’s legislative assembly, the Shura Council.”  Click here to read the full story.

Editor’s note:  So, how is the world reacting to this news? As always, the brilliant global hive of Redditors made quite a few interesting comments/remarks on this women-no-drive policy shoved down the throats of Saudi women.  Jokes apart, it brings up many serious questions.  Many Islamic nations across the globe, such as Malaysia & Bahrain, are as staunchly religious as Saudi Arabia but have understood the value of freedom and enabled their women to drive.  No Malaysian cleric will ever step up and utter such non-sense statements and get away with it easily.  Heck, at this point one can go on the limb and say even the most oppressive of regimes such as Myanmar and North Korea don’t treat their women like some 2nd class citizens.  What is up with the Saudi’s and their obsession with female virgins?

I pity the plight of the Saudi head of state. His situation is like someone caught between the devil and the deep sea.  On one side, he must be nervously watching the revolutions sweeping across the Middle East and on the other side, he has to deal with these religious zealots stoking anti-regime sentiments with such recommendations, and ordering how others should live based on their own interpretation of a religious manual.  If anything, Saudi monarchs have an ultimate decision to make here and determine if they will side with the rest of the world and treat their women as equals and not second class citizens. Let’s us sincerely hope that the women will ultimately win their freedom.

Here are a couple of related articles published over a period on Transportgooru.com:

• Adding More Sister Power – 14 Female U.S. Senators Write Letter To Saudi King Urging To Overturn Ban on Female Drivers
• “We the Women” demand right to drive in Saudi Arabia; a social dialogue for women’s rights catches fire on the web

The U.S. Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT), Research and Innovative Technology Administration will be hosting a free public webinar on December 9, 2011 to discuss plans for a certificate management entity (CME) to support a trusted and secure connected vehicle environment.  During the webinar U.S. DOT will be seeking input on a set of high-level, alternative organizational structures for the CME.

Webinar Details:

The webinar will take place December 9, 2011 from 1:00 – 3:00 PM Eastern Standard Time. During the call the U.S. DOT will present results from an early analysis of organizational models. This analysis will describe the functions that need to be performed by a CME; identify key constraints as well as institutional and policy requirements; model how those functions may be organized; and present a high level assessment of these organizational models against a set of evaluation criteria.

Draft documentation of the analysis will be posted for comment at the following location on or before December 9, 2011 at www.its.dot.gov. Interested stakeholders are asked to submit comments about the analysis by the end of the day on December 14, 2011. Written comments may be submitted to:  itscme@dot.gov. This is not an official docket. Stakeholders will have additional opportunities to provide input in to this project at later stages, including via a public meeting planned for March 2012.

Background:

Through 2014, the primary focus of the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) Joint Program Office is a research initiative focused on developing rapid and secure wireless communications and trusted data exchanges among vehicles, roadside infrastructure, and passengers’ personal communications devices.  This innovative use of wireless communications provides the  foundation for a connected environment for transportation that is intended to enable a multitude of applications to enhance surface transportation safety, mobility, and environmental performance.

In the end state, users need to have assurance that the system offers trusted and secure communications. That is the fundamental purpose of the Certificate Management System (or Certificate Management Entities): to ensure that participants and their vehicles receive digital certificates that allow them to be trusted actors within the system and to access meaningful and trusted data that is generated by others. If trust in the communications breaks down, then trust in the overall connected environment erodes and users become reluctant to use it or rely on it. Trust can be violated in several ways:

• Security of communications: If communications are not considered secure, users will be less likely to trust the data that is generated by or accessible through the system.
• Private data is compromised: If technical and policy solutions are not in place to protect private data or users perceive that their private data could be made available to unauthorized third parties without their awareness and consent, they will not participate.
• Corrupt or inaccurate data: If the data  can be altered or corrupted through malicious misbehavior by hackers, it may cause more safety problems than fixes.

The current study aims to analyze alternative operational models that describe potential organizational designs, institutional capabilities, and policies of a Certificate Management System. It also assesses the needs for operation, maintenance, and system enhancements over time. (This study is an institutional analysis only, not a technical analysis, and it is not intended to develop a system design.)

Persons planning to attend the webinar should use the following link:  http://www.itsa.org/policywebinarregistration  by December 5, 2011.  For additional questions, please contact Adam Hopps at (202) 680-0091.