(Source: Imgur via Reddit.com)

Apart from being grossly offensive and filled with egregiously flawed language, I also noticed that this mobile museum of conservative ideology is held together with a lot of  tape.  Yeah, I mean there is a lot of tape.. enough to wrap the entire planet.. Would be great to have an interview with the owner and the community that allows parking for this vehicle.  Also, I wonder aloud if there is any statute that prohibits operating a vehicle with so many offensive things slapped on it..Oh, well.  American politics never gets boring.  Thanks, Reddit.  I could not have find such artful expressions elsewhere..

Trucking industry stakeholders are invited to participate in a free webinar to discuss key policy and institutional challenges that could impact fleet adoption of new wireless communication technologies.  The particular technologies being discussed include communication technologies that allow trucks to “talk” to other vehicles and roadside infrastructure.  Through this webinar, motor carriers will be able to provide the U.S. DOT with direct feedback on technology implementation issues.

Presentations will include 1) a brief introduction on the U.S. DOT’s Truck Technology Policy program of research; 2) an overview of the potential value of the wireless connectivity technologies to the trucking industry and 3) a summary of related policy issues identified to date.  Feedback gathered from participants will be used to develop the Truck V2V/V2I Policy Roadmap and Research Agenda.

• WHAT:            U.S. DOT’s Truck V2V/V2I Technology Policy Issues Webinar
• WHEN:            Wednesday, February 23, 2011 1:00 to 3:00 EST
• HOW:              Participants will need access to the internet and a telephone.  For your free registration, use the link below.  An automated email with instructions for joining the webinar will be sent to all registrants.

Please visit the TIMTC website at www.freightmobility.org to register for the webinar or click here

Interested in becoming involved with TIMTC?  Participation is free and provides the latest information and updates on trucking industry initiatives that improve the industry’s safety and mobility.  Send your contact information to TIMTC@trucking.org to receive your free membership.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

The Trucking Industry Mobility & Technology Coalition (TIMTC) is jointly managed by the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI), the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA), the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), the  U.S. Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT) and the American Trucking Associations (ATA).  The TIMTC is sponsored by the U.S. DOT.  Members include motor carriers, commercial drivers, law enforcement, technology providers, equipment manufacturers, transportation planners and policy makers at the local, state and federal levels.

Build your skills and expand your knowledge thru CITE’s upcoming blended course offerings

Telecommunications is the backbone of all ITS applications. It provides the means for sending data, voice, and video information between devices. This course is a primer on telecommunications for the ITS professional with little or no formal training in telecommunications. With so many ITS projects now requiring a telecommunications aspect, this course is a must for project managers. More information can be found here:http://goo.gl/ueHHr.

–  Advanced Telecommunications Technology- April 8 thru May 22, 2011 – The overall goal of this course is to provide a system-level understanding of the operation of modern broadband transportation communications networks. This course focuses on how to plan and implement telecommunications networks to support a major Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) infrastructure.  More information can be found here: http://goo.gl/upAQU.

All course materials are on-line but students have access to course instructors through three pre-scheduled conference calls. Cost is $250 each; $400 for two. Questions, please contact Denise Twisdale (301-403-4592) or Kathy Frankle (410-414-2925).

This is a good opportunity for students/emerging professionals who are interested in these issues.  See http://ecpaplanning.org/2011/01/ecpa-call-for-essays-from-emergin-professionals/ for full details.

(Source: Infographia via El Chimpance)

(Source: USDOT Secretary Ray LaHood’s Fastlane Blog)

After looking at this picture, I’m sure you will never drive while talking on the cell phone.

Image Courtesy: Eva Levine via Sec. Ray LaHood's Fastlane Blog

Sec. Ray LaHood’s blog post offers some details behind this horrific mangled mess of metal:

• A garage New Canaan, Connecticut has put this mangled vehicle on display along with a “No-Cell-Phones” sign . This one was destroyed in a crash that may have been caused–not by drunk driving, but by a distracted driver.
• The red VW Jetta, now barely recognizable, was being driven by a 19-year-old woman. When she entered Interstate 95, she struck another vehicle, causing her car to spin out and hit the median, where it was hit by a tractor trailer. The young driver was killed in the accident.
• The deceased driver’s family gave written approval for the Garage owner  to put it on a highly visible corner of his property with hopes of deterring at least a few “distracted drivers.”

What a powerful message, in deed.

Image Courtesy: Eva Levine via Sec. Ray LaHood's Fastlane Blog

Click here to read more.

Related articles

• Distracted: 1 in 6 Road Deaths Tied to Texting (abcnews.go.com)
• US official wants ‘distracted driving’ label on cell phones (alternet.org)
• U.S. Transportation Sec. Hates Facebook, Twitter [Emissions] (jalopnik.com)
• UPS Supports LaHood’s Effort to Stop Distracted Driving (eon.businesswire.com)
• “Focusing On Distracted Driving” and related posts (transportation.nationaljournal.com)
• No Surprise: Distracted Driving Up Significantly Since 2005 (ridelust.com)
• Distracted driving deaths declining in the U.S. (ctv.ca)
• LaHood releases 2009 distracted driving crash figures ahead of summit (autoblog.com)
• Report: LaHood mulling nationwide ban on all in-car mobile phone use? (autoblog.com)

(Source: The Telegraph, UK)

Living under a flight path with noisy planes whizzing over your head could jeopardize your heart health, according to a new study from Switzerland.

Researchers found that dying from a heart attack was more common among people with increased exposure to aircraft noise.

The group of experts, led by Dr. Matthias Egger from Univ. of Bern (Switzerland) identified 15,532 heart attack deaths among 4.6 million Swiss residents between late 2000 and the end of 2005 using detailed information from an ongoing mortality study called the Swiss National Cohort.

Some of the study results include:

• People exposed to a daily average of at least 60 decibels of noise had a 30 per cent greater risk of dying from a heart attack compared with those exposed to less than 45 decibels, the researchers report in the journal Epidemiology.
• Among those exposed to the higher decibel levels for 15 or more years, the risk was actually 50 per cent higher.
• The average of 60 decibels is about what you would expect in a crowded, noisy bar.

Living within 300ft of a major road also increased the risk of heart attack but the researchers found no impact of particulate-matter air pollution on the heart.  Mr Egger said road and air traffic produce different noise patterns that might not be easily comparable as road traffic noise was more constant and arguably easier to get used to.

Click here to read more.

Transportgooru Musings:  This makes rail travel to/near urban hubs (relatively) more appealing over aviation.  Propulsion systems technology in the commercial aviation sector is still heavily reliant on fossil fuels and conventional engines.  On the other hand, many new train sets in today’s rail market are amazingly quiet and smooth. This could be a good marketing point for many pro-rail advocates and politicians lobbying for big investments in High-speed rail  connecting the big cities.

Related articles

• ‘Want to live long: Stay away from noisy plane’s path’ (topinews.com)
• Noise from aircraft is bad for your health (telegraph.co.uk)
• Is Living Under a Flight Path Bad for the Heart? (nlm.nih.gov)
• Living under a flight path ‘can increase your risk of heart attack’ (dailymail.co.uk)
• Study: Manhattan Street Noise May Be Deafening (newyork.cbslocal.com)
• Study: Some NYC Street Noise Can Hurt Hearing (newyork.cbslocal.com)
• New York City noise may be deafening (msnbc.msn.com)
• Living under a flight path increases heart attack risk (physorg.com)
• Wind Power’s Foe: Wind Noise (247wallst.com)

(Source: Street Films)

Recently, our awesome folks at Streetfilms got a walk through of a  successful DIY project — on Clapton Terrace in London.  Called “DIY Streets,” a total of 11 communities across England and Wales benefited through this program, which brings neighbors together to help them redesign their streets in a way that puts people, safety, and streetlife first.  The non-profit Sustrans is pioneering this community-based method to reclaim streets from high-speed traffic and make neighborhoods safer and more sociable places.

Click here to read more.

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• London’s Do-It-Yourself Approach to Safer Streets (streetfilms.org)
• NYCDOT Releases Landmark Ped Safety Study, Will Pilot 20 MPH Zones (streetsblog.org)

The first flight of NASA‘s hurricane airborne research mission is scheduled to take off from Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., on Tuesday, Aug. 17. NASA’s DC-8 research aircraft will be making a planned five-hour flight along the Gulf Coast from western Florida to Louisiana primarily as a practice run for the many scientific instruments aboard.

Image Courtesy: NASA.gov - The NASA DC-8 airplane on the tarmac at the Fort Lauderdale International Airport in Florida on Aug. 15 as preparations continue for its part in the GRIP hurricane experiment. Credit: NASA/Paul E. Alers

The target for Tuesday’s “shakedown” flight is the remnants of Tropical Depression 5, a poorly organized storm system whose center is currently hugging the coasts of Mississippi and Louisiana and moving westward. While forecasters do not expect this storm system to strengthen significantly before it reaches landfall in Louisiana, the system offers the DC-8’s seven instrument teams an opportunity to try out their equipment on possible convective storms. Rainfall rates, wind speed and direction below the airplane to the surface, cloud droplet sizes, and aerosol particle sizes are just some of the information that these instruments will collect.

Read more on  NASA’s GRIP mission website.

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• NASA satellites investigate: Tropical Depression 5 may rise again (eurekalert.org)
• NASA to Fly into Hurricane Research This Summer (prnewswire.com)
• Warnings up for Tropical Depression 5 in the eastern Gulf of Mexico (physorg.com)