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Publication Alert: Aviation and Marine Transportation: GHG Mitigation Potential and Challenges

January 4, 2010 at 5:20 pm

(Source: The Pew Center on Global Climate Change)

Click the image to access a summery of the report

I came across this excellent report, Aviation and Marine Transportation: GHG Mitigation Potential and Challenges, via an article on Washington Post and felt compelled to share with you all.   This report published by The Pew Center on Global Climate Change examines growth projections for emissions from both aviation and marine transportation and options to reduce those emissions.  Aviation and marine transportation combined are responsible for approximately 5 percent of total GHG emissions in the United States and 3 percent globally and are among the fastest growing modes in the transportation sector. Under business-as-usual forecasts, CO2 emissions from global aviation are estimated to grow 3.1 percent per year over the next 40 years, resulting in a 300 percent increase in emissions by 2050.International marine transportation emissions are estimated to grow by 1 to 2 percent per year, increasing by at least 50 percent over 2007 levels by 2050. Controlling the growth in aviation and marine transportation GHG emissions will be an important part of reducing emissions from the transportation sector.

According to the press release, the report explores a  range of near-, medium- and long-term mitigation options that are available to slow the growth of energy consumption and GHG emissions from aviation and marine shipping. These options include improvements in operational efficiency, improvements in the energy efficiency of engines and the design of air and marine vessels, and transitioning to less carbon-intensive fuels and transportation modes. Implementation of these options could result in reductions of more than 50 percent below BAU levels by 2050 from global aviation and more than 60 percent for global marine shipping. For these reductions to be realized, however, international and domestic policy intervention is required. Developing an effective path forward that facilitates the adoption of meaningful policies remains both a challenge and an opportunity.

“Aviation and marine shipping are two of the fastest growing modes of transportation,” said Eileen Claussen, President of the Pew Center on Global Climate Change.  “Their greenhouse gas emissions are growing rapidly as well. To protect the climate, we need to reduce emissions across the entire economy. Aviation and marine shipping are part of the climate problem, and this report shows that they can be part of the solution.”

Aviation and Marine Transportation: GHG Mitigation Potential and Challenges also examines policy options for achieving reductions in GHG emissions from these transportation modes. The paper, authored by David McCollum and Gregory Gould of the University of California at Davis and David Greene from Oak Ridge National Laboratory, explains the challenges, examines policy efforts to date, and explores both domestic and international policy options for addressing emissions from aviation and marine transportation.

Key sections of the paper include:

  • An introduction to aviation and marine transportation and a discussion of the determinants of their GHG emissions;
  • An overview of current emissions trends and growth projections;
  • An explanation of the technological mitigation options and potential GHG emission reductions; and
  • Policy options at both the domestic and international level to achieve deep and durable reductions in emissions.

Click here to access the Pew Center’s website or click here to download the entire PDF report.

Bernie’s Transportation Communications Newsletter (TCN) – January 1, 2010

January 1, 2010 at 9:11 pm

Friday, January 1, 2010 – ISSN 1529-1057


Happy New Year!

ELECTRONIC TOLLING

1) Washington State Awards Contract for Statewide Electronic Tolling System

Link to article in the Kitsap Sun:

http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2009/dec/31/state-looking-at-getting-rid-of-toll-booths-at/

Link to news release from WSDOT:

http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/News/2009/12/30_TollingContract.htm

2) New Electronic Toll System Started in Slovakia

Link to article in Slovakia Today:

http://www.sktoday.com/content/2087_new-electronic-toll-system-started-slovakia

Link to news release from SkyToll:

https://www.emyto.sk/web/10136/show-news-detail/-/journal_content/56_INSTANCE_8aiB/10136/CESMAD_VRATENIE_POPLATKU/NEWS_DETAIL

SAFETY / SECURITY

3) TSA Drops Bloggers’ Subpoenas

Link to article in The New York Times:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/01/us/politics/01tsa.html

Link to Christopher Elliott’s blog:

http://www.elliott.org/blog/to-the-team-of-friends-allies-and-advisers-who-helped-make-the-subpoena-go-away/

TRANSIT

4) COTA Riders Like Text Messages

Link to article in The Columbus Dispatch:

http://www.dispatchpolitics.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2010/01/01/copy/cota_upgrade.ART_ART_01-01-10_B3_RUG5TOO.html?adsec=politics&sid=101

5) Washington Metro to Cut Call Center Hours to Ease Shortfall

Link to article in The Washington Post:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/12/31/AR2009123101349.html

Link to news release from WMATA:

http://www.wmata.com/about_metro/news/PressReleaseDetail.cfm?ReleaseID=4228

News Releases

1) Columbia Transit to Offer Wi-Fi Pilot Project

Upcoming Events

2010 Mid-America Trucking Show – March 25-27 – Louisville, Kentucky

http://www.truckingshow.com/

Friday Bonus

Question: Was this a proper use of 911?

http://www.kirotv.com/news/22084500/detail.html

Today in Transportation History

1910 **100th anniversary** – The Ford Motor Company began operations in the Highland Park Plant.  The factory was where many modern mass production principles were developed.

http://www.nps.gov/history/nR/travel/detroit/d32.htm

======================================================================

The Transportation Communications Newsletter is published electronically Monday through Friday.

To subscribe or unsubscribe, please visit:

http://groups.google.com/group/tcnl/subscribe

If you have any difficulties please contact me at i95berniew@aol.com.

TCN archives: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/transport-communications

Questions, comments about the TCN?  Please write the editor, Bernie Wagenblast at i95berniew@aol.com.

© 2010 Bernie Wagenblast  www.bwcommunications.net

Bernie’s Transportation Communications Newsletter (TCN) – December 31, 2009

December 31, 2009 at 6:12 pm

Thursday, December 31, 2009 – ISSN 1529-1057


Happy New Year!

AVIATION

1) Pilots Union Faults Feds for Lack of Terror Alert

Link to AP article:

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Pilots-union-faults-feds-for-apf-1618773051.html?x=0&.v=3

CARTOGRAPHY

2) Map Still Well Positioned in this GPS-Styled World

Link to McClatchy Tribune News Service article:

http://www.vancouversun.com/travel/still+well+positioned+this+styled+world/2370858/story.html

GPS / NAVIGATION

3) En Route to GPS-Based Air Traffic Control

Image of Anchorage Bowl Traffic Information Service.

Link to CNET News article:

http://news.cnet.com/2300-11386_3-10001896.html

OTHER

4) Ottawa Developing Web Site to Let Residents Know When Plow Will Clear Street

Link to story on CFRA Radio:

http://www.cfra.com/?cat=1&nid=70295

5) Trinity Industries to Buy Quixote for $61 Million

Link to Reuters article:

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSSGE5BT0DG20091230

Link to news release from Trinity Industries:

http://www.trin.net/invsrela/press/Trinity%20Industries%20Announces%20Definitive%20Agreement%20to%20Acquire%20Quixote%20Corporation%2012-30-09.pdf

ROADWAYS

6) Florida Triples Price of Its Highway Signs

Restaurateurs say increase comes at ‘worst’ possible time.

Link to article in Florida Today:

http://www.floridatoday.com/article/20091231/BUSINESS/912310310/1006/news01/State+tripling+price+of+its+highway+signs

7) New Electronic Speed Limit Signs Aim to Make Maine Roads Safer

Link to story on the Maine Public Broadcasting Network:

http://www.mpbn.net/News/MaineHeadlineNews/tabid/968/ctl/ViewItem/mid/3479/ItemId/10399/Default.aspx

SAFETY / SECURITY

8) ‘One Database Failure After Another’

Link to article in USA Today:

http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2009-12-31-watchlist_N.htm

9) TSA Targets Travel Bloggers Over Leaked Security Memo

Link to blog in USA Today:

http://www.usatoday.com/travel/flights/item.aspx?type=blog&ak=13149.blog

10) Ohio Lists Only 1% of Multi-DUI Drivers

Link to article in The Cincinnati Enquirer:

http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20091230/NEWS0108/912310346/1055/NEWS/Ohio+lists+few+multi-DUI+drivers

11) Oregon Cell Phone Ban has Loophole

Link to AP article:

http://www.thenewstribune.com/apheadlines/technology/story/1011851.html

TELEMATICS

12) Kia to Launch Ford Sync Rival Next Week

Link to blog on The Car Connection:

http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1041053_tech-watch-kia-to-launch-ford-sync-rival-next-week

13) Welcome to the Wired Future on Wheels

Link to article in the Financial Post:

http://www.financialpost.com/news-sectors/technology/story.html?id=2393082

TRAVELER INFORMATION / TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT

14) Interstate Work to Aid Louisiana Motorists in Real-Time

Link to AP article:

http://www.nola.com/newsflash/index.ssf?/base/national-89/126226530396060.xml&storylist=louisiana

15) Oregon Commuters Disgruntled at Warning, Response to Tuesday’s Drivetime Snow Storm

Link to article in The Oregonian:

http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf/2009/12/commuters_disgruntled_at_warni.html

16) With Planning, West Virginia Turnpike Can Avoid Future Tumult

Communication, or lack thereof, was a huge issue.

Link to commentary on WVNS-TV:

http://www.wvnstv.com/story.cfm?func=viewstory&storyid=72703

News Releases

1) Connecticut Now ‘Tweets’ Real-Time Traffic Alerts

2) Ohio DOT to Ring In New Year with Special Midnight Traffic Tweet

Upcoming Events

3rd Annual Transportation & Infrastructure Convention – March 10-12 – Washington, DC

http://www.transportationsummit.com/

Today in Transportation History

1909 **100th anniversary** – The Manhattan Bridge, which connects Brooklyn and Manhattan, opened.

http://www.nycbridges100.org/manhattan.php

http://www.davefrieder.com/html/man1.htm

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/31/nyregion/31bridge.html

======================================================================

The Transportation Communications Newsletter is published electronically Monday through Friday.

To subscribe or unsubscribe, please visit:

http://groups.google.com/group/tcnl/subscribe

If you have any difficulties please contact me at i95berniew@aol.com.

TCN archives: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/transport-communications

Questions, comments about the TCN?  Please write the editor, Bernie Wagenblast at i95berniew@aol.com.

© 2009 Bernie Wagenblast  www.bwcommunications.net

Bernie’s Transportation Communications Newsletter (TCN) – December 30, 2009

December 30, 2009 at 6:49 pm

Wednesday, December 30, 2009 – ISSN 1529-1057


AVIATION

1) Building a Better Pilot

Link to article in The Buffalo News:

http://www.buffalonews.com/home/story/907783.html

GPS / NAVIGATION

2) Why Aren’t GPS Navigation Systems More Reliable?

Link to article in PC World:

http://www.pcworld.com/article/185595/why_arent_gps_navigation_systems_more_reliable.html

SAFETY / SECURITY

3) Ford, MIT to Study Driver Stress

Researchers will look at ways technology can reduce driver stress.

Link to AP article:

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Ford-MIT-to-study-driver-apf-3349861935.html?x=0&.v=1

TRAVELER INFORMATION / TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT

4) New California Traffic Monitoring System Means Jobs

Link to story and video on KXTV-TV:

http://www.news10.net/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=72449&catid=324

5) Message Boards Popping Up Along Chattanooga’s Highways, Interstates

Link to article in the Chattanooga Times Free Press:

http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/dec/30/message-boards-popping-up-along-chattanooga/

6) Nova Scotia’s Cobequid Pass Gets New Webcam and Weather Information Station

Link to article in The Chronicle Herald:

http://thechronicleherald.ca/NovaScotia/1159930.html

7) Smart Highways Taking to the Road via International Initiatives

Link to article in Aftermarket Business:

http://aftermarketbusiness.search-autoparts.com/aftermarketbusiness/Distribution/Smart-highways-taking-to-the-road-via-internationa/ArticleStandard/Article/detail/649506

VEHICLES

8) Top Ten In-Cabin Technologies of the Decade

Link to article in Edmunds Daily:

http://blogs.edmunds.com/strategies/2009/12/tech-tuesdays-top-10-in-cabin-technologies-of-the-decade.html

News Releases

1) iSuppli Exclusive: The Connected Car Arrives at CES

2) Presidential Executive Order on Distracted Driving Effective Today

Upcoming Events

Transportation Research Board Webinar: Communicating the Value of Transportation Research – January 27

http://www.trb.org/Main/Blurbs/TRB_Webinar_Communicating_the_Value_of_Transportat_162770.aspx

Today in Transportation History

1959 **50th anniversary** – The USS George Washington, the first ballistic nuclear submarine, was commissioned.

http://www.navysite.de/ssbn/ssbn598.htm

======================================================================

The Transportation Communications Newsletter is published electronically Monday through Friday.

To subscribe or unsubscribe, please visit:

http://groups.google.com/group/tcnl/subscribe

If you have any difficulties please contact me at i95berniew@aol.com.

TCN archives: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/transport-communications

Questions, comments about the TCN?  Please write the editor, Bernie Wagenblast at i95berniew@aol.com.

© 2009 Bernie Wagenblast  www.bwcommunications.net

Bernie’s Transportation Communications Newsletter (TCN) – December 29, 2009

December 30, 2009 at 12:45 pm

Tuesday, December 29, 2009 – ISSN 1529-1057


AVIATION

1) ADS-B ‘Critical’ Sites Begin Operating

Link to article in Avionics:

http://www.aviationtoday.com/av/topstories/ADS-B-Critical-Sites-Begin-Operating_65308.html

2) FAA Uses High-Tech Recruiting Tool

Link to story and video on KSAZ-TV:

http://www.myfoxphoenix.com/dpp/money/job_news/faa_jobs_122809

CAMERAS

3) Red Light, Parking Tickets are Growing Revenue Source for New Orleans

Link to article in The Times-Picayune:

http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2009/12/red_light_parking_tickets_prov.html

CARTOGRAPHY

4) Growing Virginia Satellite Imaging Company has Global View

Link to article in the Loudoun Independent:

http://www.loudouni.com/business/2009-12-22/growing-loudoun-satellite-imaging-company-has-global-view

5) Mike Siegel, Rutgers Cartographer Puts New Jersey at Our Fingertips

Link to article in The Star-Ledger:

http://blog.nj.com/iamnj/2009/12/mike_siegel_rutgers_cartograph.html

ELECTRONIC TOLLING

6) Transport Companies Ask for Delay in Slovakia’s Electronic Toll System

Link to article in The Slovak Spectator:

http://www.spectator.sk/articles/view/37518/10/transport_companies_ask_for_delay_in_electronic_toll_system.html

GPS / NAVIGATION

7) Cell Phone GPS App Could Help Illegal Immigrants Cross Mexico-US Border

Link to article and video in USA Today:

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/ondeadline/post/2009/12/cellphone-gps-app-could-help-undocumented-workers-cross-border/1

MARITIME

8) NOAA Tests Free ‘BookletCharts’ with Boaters

Link to article in the Anchorage Daily News:

http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/rural/story/1071942.html

PUBLIC INFORMATION / EDUCATION

9) Tennessee Anti-drunken Driving Campaign for Latinos Gets Grant Extension

Link to article in The Tennessean:

http://www.tennessean.com/article/20091229/NEWS01/912290343/Anti-drunken+driving+campaign+for+Latinos+gets+grant+extension

10) Safety Campaign Spots Worrisome Traffic Trends

Link to article in Fleet Owner:

http://fleetowner.com/news/topstory/1229-operation-safe-driver-campaign/

Link to news release from the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance:

http://www.cvsa.org/news/2009_press.aspx

ROADWAYS

11) New York City Street Fair Bureaucracy Goes Digital

Link to article in The New York Times:

http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/12/28/street-fair-bureaucracy-goes-digital/

SAFETY / SECURITY

12) New Call for Faster, More Thorough Airport Body Scans

Link to article in USA Today:

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2009-12-28-airport-body-scan-machines-terror_N.htm

13) Confusion Fills Skies After Attempted Bombing

Link to AP article:

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Confusion-fills-skies-after-apf-3165802473.html?x=0&.v=2

14) US Government Launches Distracted Driving Web Site to Warn, Inform

Link to article in Motor Trend:

http://wot.motortrend.com/6604859/government/governent-launches-distracted-driving-web-site-to-warn-inform/index.html

Link to Distraction.gov: http://www.distraction.gov/

15) Police: Twitter Used to Avoid DUI Checkpoints

Link to McClatchy Newspapers article:

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2010618380_twitterdui29.html

TELEMATICS

16) Automotive Aftermarket Shop of Tomorrow May Include Telematics

Link to article from Aftermarket Business:

http://aftermarketbusiness.search-autoparts.com/aftermarketbusiness/Distribution/Shop-of-Tomorrow-may-include-telematics/ArticleStandard/Article/detail/649502?contextCategoryId=42271

TRAVELER INFORMATION / TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT

17) New Rules Require Better Warnings of Traffic Delays

Link to article in USA Today:

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2009-12-28-traffic-info_N.htm

18) Blizzard Overwhelms South Dakota 511 Hotline

Link to article in the Argus Leader:

http://www.argusleader.com/article/20091229/NEWS/912290327/1001/news

VEHICLES

19) US Environmental Protection Agency Launches Emissions Simulator

Link to article in Environmental Leader:

http://www.environmentalleader.com/2009/12/29/epa-launches-vehicle-emissions-simulator/

News Releases

1) Ford First to Enable iTunes Tagging with Launch of New HD Radio Capability in Its Lineup

2) Connecticut Governor Announces $6 Million for Work on Positive Train Control System for Metro-North

3) Durham, North Carolina Traffic Cameras to be Made Available Online and on Cable TV

4) Passur Launches National Network of Airport Condition Reporting

5) Ford Takes Pragmatic Approach to In-Car Wi-Fi and Internet Access

Upcoming Events

3rd Annual Transportation & Infrastructure Convention – March 10-12 – Washington, DC

http://www.transportationsummit.com/

Today in Transportation History

1939 **70th anniversary** – The Consolidated B-24 made its first flight.

http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=2461

======================================================================

The Transportation Communications Newsletter is published electronically Monday through Friday.

To subscribe or unsubscribe, please visit:

http://groups.google.com/group/tcnl/subscribe

If you have any difficulties please contact me at i95berniew@aol.com.

TCN archives: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/transport-communications

Questions, comments about the TCN?  Please write the editor, Bernie Wagenblast at i95berniew@aol.com.

© 2009 Bernie Wagenblast  www.bwcommunications.net

China’s unveils the world’s fastest train link; Electrified network surpasses 30,000 kms, earning # 2 spot in the world

December 26, 2009 at 1:08 pm

(Sources: AFP via Yahoo; Xinhua, Times of India)

China on Saturday (Dec 26) unveiled what it billed as the fastest rail link in the world — a train connecting the modern cities ofGuangzhou and Wuhan at an average speed of 350 kilometres (217 miles) an hour.

The super-high-speed train reduces the 1,069 kilometre journey to a three hour ride and cuts the previous journey time by more than seven and a half hours, the official Xinhua news agency said. Work on the project began in 2005 as part of plans to expand a high-speed network aimed at eventually linking Guangzhou, a business hub in southern China near Hong Kong, with the capital Beijing, Xinhua added.

The train can go 394.2 kilometres per hour, it’s the fastest train in operation in the world,” Zhang Shuguang, head of the transport bureau at the railways ministry, told Xinhua. By comparison, the average for high-speed trains in Japan was 243 kilometres per hour while in France it was 277 kilometres per hour, said Xu Fangliang, general engineer in charge of designing the link, according to Xinhua.

Test runs for the service began earlier in December and the link officially went into service when the first scheduled train left the eastern metropolis of Wuhan on Saturday.

To sweeten the news further, a report published on the Xinhua quoted the China CREC Railway Electrification Bureau Group (CCREBG) stating that China’s electrified railway mileage has surpassed 30,000 kilometers, ranking the second in the world, said.

It achieved the goal with the completion of a 1,422.2-kilometer electrified railway line which connects Beijing and Lehua in south China’s Jiangxi Province on Saturday, according to the CCREBG. The project, involving an investment of more than 7.6 billion yuan (or1.112 billion U.S. dollars), will increase the trains’ speed from 120 kilometers to 160 kilometers per hour and raise the transportation volume from 3,500 tonnes to 6,000 tonnes by each train. Congratulations, China.

The era of high speed railway began in China in 2004 when Guangzhou was linked to Shenzhen, both in Guangdong Province, with a train traveling at 160 km per hour. This was followed by the launch of a high-speed line linking the capital with the port city of Tianjin at the time of the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

The government recently announced it plans to build 42 high-speed lines by 2012 in order to spur economic growth amid the global downturn. China has unveiled a massive rail development program, considered to be the world’s biggest plan outside the United States. The goal is to take the rail network from the current 86,000 kilometers to 120,000 kilometers.

Bernie’s Transportation Communications Newsletter (TCN) – December 24, 2009

December 24, 2009 at 6:08 pm

Thursday, December 24, 2009 – ISSN 1529-1057


Merry Christmas

AVIATION

1) EC, FAA Move on SESAR, NextGen Cooperation

Link to article in Aviation Week:

http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story_channel.jsp?channel=busav&id=news/COOP122309.xml&headline=EC,%20FAA%20Move%20on%20SESAR,%20NextGen%20Cooperation

Link to additional information on SESAR:

http://www.sesarju.eu/

Link to additional information on NextGen:

http://www.faa.gov/about/initiatives/nextgen/

2) Instrument Approach Lets Santa Land in Bad Weather

Link to article in Wired:

http://www.wired.com/autopia/2009/12/thanks-to-instrument-approach-santa-can-land-in-bad-weather/

MARITIME

3) Bridge Clearance Technology Expected to Enhance Safety on Mississippi River

Link to article in The Times-Picayune:

http://www.nola.com/business/index.ssf/2009/12/bridge_clearance_technology_ex.html

Link to Physical Oceanographic Real-Time System Web site:

http://tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/ports.html

OTHER

4) South Africa’s Road Traffic Management Corp. Won’t Bid for Web Site

Link to SAPA article:

http://www.news24.com/Content/SciTech/News/1132/68a17bfd2c9d4bbe9b9800482dcfa7b6/24-12-2009-06-30/RTMC_wont_bid_for_website

Link to Aarto site: http://www.aartoSA.co.za

RAILROADS

5) Eleven Calls Told of Glitches at North Carolina Train Crossing Where Fatal Crash Occurred

Link to article in The News & Observer:

http://www.newsobserver.com/news/local_state/story/255027.html

ROADWAYS

6) Cheap Colorado DOT Device Clears Snow-Clogged Traffic Signals

Link to story on KMGH-TV:

http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/22049107/detail.html

SAFETY / SECURITY

7) Another TSA Security Goof? Details of Air Marshal Guns

Link to ABC News story:

http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/tsa-security-cops-blast-release-handgun-information/story?id=9403793

Link to additional information from Sig Sauer:

http://www.sigsauer.com/Products/ShowCatalogProductDetails.aspx?categoryid=54&productid=183

8) Alberta Premier Says Law Prohibiting Texting and Cell Phone Use While Driving Not a Priority

Link to article in the Calgary Herald:

http://www.calgaryherald.com/technology/Alberta+urged+cells+roads/2365440/story.html

TELEMATICS

9) Push the Blue Button to Follow Santa Via OnStar

Link to blog and video on Edmunds CarPool:

http://blogs.edmunds.com/karl/2009/12/push-the-blue-button-to-follow-santa-via-onstar.html

TRANSIT

10) Riders Wait – & ‘See’

Text and audio information to be provided in New York subway stations.

Link to article in the New York Post:

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/riders_wait_see_OGWrti7HSshM8SiZ9bv9LM

TRAVELER INFORMATION / TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT

11) Israeli Firm Behind World’s Most Advanced Traffic Information System

Link to article on The Media Line:

http://www.themedialine.org/news/news_detail.asp?NewsID=27498

Link to Waze Web site: http://www.waze.com/

12) St. Louis Traffic Personality Don Miller Dead at 84

Link to story and video on KTVI-TV:

http://www.fox2now.com/news/ktvi-don-miller-obit-122309,0,4892030.story

Link to additional information from KMOX Radio:

http://www.kmox.com/pages/5954567.php

13) ITS International November/December Issue Online

Link to magazine:

http://www.itsinternational-digital.com/

News Releases

1) OnStar Welcomes Its First Subscriber in China

Upcoming Events

Third International Conference on Innovations in Travel Modeling – May 9-12 – Tempe, Arizona

http://itm2010.fulton.asu.edu/ocs/index.php/itm/itm2010/index

Today in Transportation History

1979 **30th anniversary** – The first European Ariane rocket was launched.

http://www.esa.int/esaMI/Launchers_Home/SEMN2E67ESD_0.html

======================================================================

The Transportation Communications Newsletter is published electronically Monday through Friday.

To subscribe or unsubscribe, please visit:

http://groups.google.com/group/tcnl/subscribe

If you have any difficulties please contact me at i95berniew@aol.com.

TCN archives: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/transport-communications

Questions, comments about the TCN?  Please write the editor, Bernie Wagenblast at i95berniew@aol.com.

© 2009 Bernie Wagenblast  www.bwcommunications.net

Questionable future? Recharging and other concerns keep electric cars far from mainstream

December 23, 2009 at 10:41 pm

(Source: Washington Post)

It was dark and rainy, and the battery on his nifty Mini E electric car was almost gone.

Paul Heitmann rolled quietly through the suburban New Jersey gloom, peering through the rain on the windshield, not sure what he was looking for, anxiety turning into panic. He needed juice. He spotted a Lukoil gas station, which was closed, and beside the point, anyway. But beyond the pumps, there was a Coke machine, and it was lit up.

“I thought ‘Finally!’ because I knew if there was light, there would be electricity,” he said. “I managed to find the outlet behind the Coke machine and plugged in.”

As many of the auto companies tell it, next year may be the year that the massive U.S. auto industry really begins to go electric.

The all-battery Leaf from Nissan is scheduled to go on sale in November. General Motors will begin selling the Chevy Volt, a primarily electric car (with a small auxiliary gasoline engine that kicks in to boost the car’s range). Ford has plans to produce an electric commercial van. The Obama administration has doled out $2.4 billion to companies involved in producing batteries and other parts of electric cars.

“We have to get on with the electrification of our industry,” William Clay Ford Jr., chairman of Ford, said during a visit to Washington on Monday.

“I know we have to have an electric car,” GM Chairman Edward E. Whitacre Jr. told reporters last week.

But overshadowing prospects for the transition of the vast U.S. auto fleet to electric — and the billions of dollars the automakers have invested in the switch — is the question of whether anyone beyond a sliver of enthusiasts will soon embrace the newfangled cars, which force drivers to rethink their habits and expectations of convenience.

Click here to read the entire article.

Bernie’s Transportation Communications Newsletter (TCN) – December 23, 2009

December 23, 2009 at 8:57 pm

Wednesday, December 23, 2009 – ISSN 1529-1057


AVIATION

1) Technicians Knew of Faulty Equipment that Caused Alaska Air Traffic Control Blackout

Link to story on KTUU-TV:

http://www.ktuu.com/Global/story.asp?S=11721145

2) FAA Looks to Technology to Train Air Controllers

Link to story and audio on NPR’s Morning Edition:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=121781791

BUSES

3) Intercity Bus Traffic Gets Boost from Portable Electronic Technology, New Survey Finds

Link to article in Busride Magazine:

http://www.busride.com/webexclusive.asp?N_ID=1018

Link to report from the Chaddick Institute for Metropolitan Development:

http://las.depaul.edu/chaddick/docs/Docs/Chaddick_Institute_Survey_of_Technology_.pdf

GPS / NAVIGATION

4) Global Nav System Shipments to Hit 1.1 Billion by 2014

Link to article in EE Times Asia:

http://www.eetasia.com/ART_8800593512_499488_NT_b949e59b.HTM

5) How Audi’s A8 Exploits Google Earth

Link to Canadian Auto Press article:

http://autos.canada.com/news/story.html?id=2371124

ROADWAYS

6) Holland’s Plan to Cut Traffic: A Tax on Every Kilometer Driven

Link to article in Time:

http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1949156,00.html

SAFETY / SECURITY

7) New Airport T-Ray Screeners Could Save Time, Energy

Link to article on Discovery News:

http://news.discovery.com/tech/airport-security-screening-trays.html

8) Application Disables Smart Phones in Moving Cars

Link to article in the Los Angeles Times:

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-texting-block23-2009dec23,0,748558.story

TELEMATICS

9) The Future of Vehicle Apps Are – You Guessed It – On the iPhone

Link to article on Gizmondo Australia:

http://www.gizmodo.com.au/2009/12/the-future-of-vehicle-apps-areyou-guessed-iton-the-iphone/

TRANSIT

10) Chicago Transit Authority Expands Bus-Tracking Service to Cell Phones

Link to article in the Chicago Tribune:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-cta-bus-tracker-23-dec23,0,3890765.story

11) Waiting for the Bus? There’s an App for That

Link to article in the Boston Herald:

http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view/20091219waiting_for_the_bus_theres_an_app_for_that/

12) Some Dread, Some Cheer Wireless BART Tube

Link to article in the San Francisco Chronicle:

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/12/22/MNB41B8420.DTL

TRAVELER INFORMATION / TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT

13) West Virginia Takes Action in Turnpike Snowstorm

Link to article in The Charleston Gazette:

http://www.wvgazette.com/News/200912220575

News Releases

1) Three Blinks and It’s Off; New Ford Lane Change Technology Helps Ease Driver Pet Peeves

Upcoming Events

First International Conference in North America on Nanotechnology in Cement and Concrete – May 5-7 – Irvine, California

http://guest.cvent.com/EVENTS/Info/Summary.aspx?e=ac0d41f9-25b7-41ab-8027-3f608b6bb1f0

Today in Transportation History

1939 **70th anniversary** – Anthony Fokker, a Dutch-American aircraft manufacturer, died.

http://www.centennialofflight.gov/essay/Air_Power/Fokker/AP7.htm

======================================================================

The Transportation Communications Newsletter is published electronically Monday through Friday.

To subscribe or unsubscribe, please visit: http://groups.google.com/group/tcnl/subscribe

If you have any difficulties please contact me at i95berniew@aol.com.

TCN archives: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/transport-communications

Questions, comments about the TCN?  Please write the editor, Bernie Wagenblast at i95berniew@aol.com.

© 2009 Bernie Wagenblast  www.bwcommunications.net

Bernie’s Transportation Communications Newsletter (TCN) – December 22, 2009

December 22, 2009 at 6:34 pm

Tuesday, December 22, 2009 – ISSN 1529-1057

——————————————————————————————————————————————

AVIATION

1) Tallying the Storm Toll on Airlines and Travelers

Link to column in The Wall Street Journal:

http://blogs.wsj.com/middleseat/2009/12/21/tallying-the-storm-toll-on-airlines-and-travelers/

2) European Union Expects Civil Unmanned Air Vehicles to Use General Aviation Equipment

Link to article in Flight International:

http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2009/12/22/336387/european-union-expects-civil-unmanned-air-vehicles-to-use-general-aviation.html

OTHER

3) Applying Analysis Tools in Planning for Operations

Link to further information from US DOT:

http://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/resources/news/news_detail.asp?ID=600

ROADWAYS

4) Efforts Lag at Making Highway Work Zones Safer

Link to article in The New York Times:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/22/us/22workzone.html

5) District of Columbia DOT Twitter Use Keeps Department Ahead of Blizzard Cleanup

Link to story and audio on WFED Radio:

http://www.federalnewsradio.com/index.php?nid=19&sid=1847276

SAFETY / SECURITY

6) Texting Drivers are More Dangerous than Talkers

Link to article in Network World:

http://www.networkworld.com/news/2009/122109-texting-drivers-crash-more.html

7) Ad Council, US DOT Launch Drunk Driving PSAs Targeting Women

Link to article in DMNews:

http://www.dmnews.com/ad-council-transportation-department-launch-drunk-driving-psas-targeting-women/article/160073/

TRANSIT

8) Wireless Now Available in BART’s Transbay Tube

Link to article in the San Francisco Chronicle:

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/12/22/BAJ81B7VF1.DTL

TRAVELER INFORMATION / TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT

9) A Social Snow Storm for DC-Area Transportation Agencies

Link to column in The Washington Post:

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/getthere/2009/12/a_social_snow_storm_for_transp.html

News Releases

1) Ford Uses Hollywood Motion-Capture Software Behind ‘Avatar’ to Improve Vehicle Designs

2) Los Angeles Metro Launches Official Facebook Page

3) Merced County Transit Launches New Web Site

4) XRoad Features Navteq Traffic in iPhone Navigation Application

5) China TransInfo Provides Real-Time Traffic Information Solutions Business Update

6) New Warning System Warns of Driver Drowsiness and Distraction

Upcoming Events

16th International Conference on Urban Transport and the Environment – May 5-7 – Limassol, Cyprus

http://www.wessex.ac.uk/10-conferences/urban-transport-2010.html

Today in Transportation History

1984 **25th anniversary** – Bernhard Goetz shot four youths on a New York City subway train.

http://wcbstv.com/classic/Bernie.Goetz.Subway.2.232143.html

======================================================================

The Transportation Communications Newsletter is published electronically Monday through Friday.

To subscribe or unsubscribe, please visit: http://groups.google.com/group/tcnl/subscribe

If you have any difficulties please contact me at i95berniew@aol.com.

TCN archives: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/transport-communications

Questions, comments about the TCN?  Please write the editor, Bernie Wagenblast at i95berniew@aol.com.

© 2009 Bernie Wagenblast  www.bwcommunications.net