TransportGooru

Monday, December 21, 2009 – ISSN 1529-1057

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Registration Opens for ITS America’s 20^th Annual Meeting & Exposition, May 3-5, 2010, Houston, Texas

ITS America’s 20^th Annual Meeting & Exposition, May 3-5, 2010 in Houston, Texas, will bring together a diverse community of transportation professionals, business leaders, elected officials, and federal and state public agency representatives for three days of thought leadership in the debate over the nation’s transportation future.   We invite you to take this opportunity to make business connections, experience the most comprehensive exhibition of smart technologies, earn Professional Development Hours, and take home best practices from leading ITS professionals.  Special rates are available for public sector employees and first-time attendees.  To register, go to www.itsa.org/amregistration.html.

AVIATION

1) Airlines Eye ‘Contact-Less’ Travel

Link to AFP article:

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5iDzsrlQQD-uv9DJMJylV19RQWCTw

2) A Dream for an Airline and a Hotel Chain

American Airlines gets lots of positive screen-time in new movie.

Link to article in The New York Times:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/21/business/media/21adco.html?_r=1

Link to Up in the Air site: http://www.theupintheairmovie.com/

BICYCLES

3) Education Key to Reversing Trend in Bicycle Accidents

Link to article in the Pres-Telegram:

http://www.presstelegram.com/news/ci_14033691

Link to BikeLongBeach.org: http://bikelongbeach.org/

ELECTRONIC TOLLING

4) North Carolina Turnpike Authority Awards Electronic Toll System Contracts

Link to story on WRAL-TV:

http://www.wral.com/traffic/story/6651570/

5) Southern States do a U-turn on Toll Roads

Link to article in USA Today:

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2009-12-21-toll-lanes-south_N.htm

6) New Toll Lanes Untangle Commutes

Link to article in USA Today:

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2009-12-20-high-occupancy-toll-lanes_N.htm

MARITIME

7) Port Canaveral, Florida Moves Ahead on $9 Million Joint Port Intelligence and Operation Center Complex

Link to article in the Orlando Business Journal:

http://orlando.bizjournals.com/orlando/stories/2009/12/21/story5.html?b=1261371600%5E2604491

8) Reservation System Eyed for Washington State Ferries

Link to story on KOMO-TV:

http://www.komonews.com/news/local/79717787.html

OTHER

9) First Electronic Information Board Unveiled in Qatar

EIBs will be installed in busy pedestrian areas to provide instant information for residents and tourists.

Link to article in The Peninsula:

http://www.thepeninsulaqatar.com/Display_news.asp?section=Local_News&subsection=Qatar+News&month=December2009&file=Local_News2009122151316.xml

10) Implementing Transportation Knowledge Networks

Link to further information from the Transportation Research Board:

http://www.trb.org/Main/Blurbs/Implementing_Transportation_Knowledge_Networks_162700.aspx

PUBLIC INFORMATION / EDUCATION

11) Thousands of Road Safety Posters Lie Unused in South Africa

Link to article from the Weekend Argus:

http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=6&art_id=vn20091220082857983C761903

ROADWAYS

12) New Jersey DOT’s Lens Not Focused on Atlantic City

No camera views available online of Atlantic City or County.

Link to editorial in The Press of Atlantic City:

http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/blogs/carla_linz/article_a12e12ba-ed77-11de-a8a0-001cc4c03286.html

SAFETY / SECURITY

13) Risky Roads – Traffic Experts have an Arsenal of Solutions

Link to article in the Press-Telegram:

http://www.presstelegram.com/news/ci_14033692

14) Encryption of Drone Feeds Won’t Finish Until 2014, US Air Force Says

Link to article in The Washington Post:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/12/18/AR2009121804281.html

TRAVELER INFORMATION / TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT

15) Pune ‘Intelligent Transport System’ to be Managed by Private Agency

Link to article in The Indian Express:

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/-Intelligent-transport-system–to-be-managed-by-private-agency/556607

16) Big Brother to Watch KZN

Freeway management system coming to Durban.

Link to article in The Independent on Saturday:

http://www.independentonsaturday.co.za/?fSectionId=&fArticleId=vn20091219092113720C636567

17) Coordinated Technology Could Help Fight Gridlock in Reno

Link to article in the Reno Gazette-Journal:

http://www.rgj.com/article/20091219/NEWS/912190348/1321/news

18) New Jersey Highway Signs Will Get More to Say

Link to article in The Record:

http://www.northjersey.com/news/state/79782212.html

19) Monitoring Traffic at the Lincoln Tunnel from Inside the Tunnel

Link to article and video in The Star-Ledger:

http://videos.nj.com/star-ledger/2009/12/monitoring_traffic_at_the_linc.html

VEHICLES

20) Ford Cars to Become Wi-Fi Hot Spots

Link to CNET News article:

http://news.cnet.com/8301-1035_3-10419548-94.html

Link to news release from Ford:

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Ford-SYNC-Goes-WiFi-Turning-prnews-3560719582.html?x=0&.v=1

21) With Improved Features, It’s a Safer Driving World

Link to article in The Boston Globe:

http://www.boston.com/yourtown/news/somerville/2009/12/with_improved_features_its_a_s.html

News Releases

1) Vaisala Acquires Quixote Transportation Technologies, Inc.

Upcoming Events

The Location Business Summit – April 28-29 – Amsterdam

http://www.thewherebusiness.com/locationsummit/

Today in Transportation History

1829 **180^th anniversary** – The Carrollton Viaduct, the first masonary arch railroad bridge in the  US, was officially opened.  The bridge is still in use.

http://www.ce.jhu.edu/baltimorestructures/index.php?location=Carrollton%20Viaduct

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

The Transportation Communications Newsletter is published electronically Monday through Friday.

To subscribe send an e-mail to:  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

(Source: Huffington Post; The Independent)

The only passenger rail link between Britain and the rest of Europe has been shut down indefinitely, Eurostar said Sunday, promising more travel misery for thousands of stranded passengers just before Christmas.

Services have been suspended since late Friday, when a series of glitches stranded five trains inside the Channel Tunnel and trapped more than 2,000 passengers for hours in stuffy and claustrophobic conditions. More than 55,000 passengers overall have been affected.

A Bloomberg news report says Eurostar Group Ltd., operator of high-speed trains through the Channel Tunnel will resume a limited service tomorrow after its trains stopped working in snowy weather, causing three days of cancellations.

The disruption will prove “very expensive,” Eurostar said today at a briefing in Paris, while declining to give an estimate of the likely cost.

Some panicked passengers stayed underground for more than 15 hours without food or water, or any clear idea of what was going on – prompting outrage from travelers and a promise from Eurostar that no passenger train would enter the tunnel until the issue had been identified and fixed.

Eurostar runs services between England, France and Belgium. The company said Sunday it had traced the problem to “acute weather conditions in northern France,” which has seen its worst winter weather in years.  The company noted that its problem with the trains this weekend has been to do with the changes between the sub-zero temperatures outside the tunnel and the 25C (77F) heat within the tunnel.

The breakdown was probably caused after cold air sucked through intakes on the locomotives was quickly warmed on entry to the tunnel, resulting in condensation that shorted out electrical circuits, Eurostar has said.

The problem represents a “new mode of failure” not encountered before in Eurostar’s 15-year history, Brown said. After 15 years of comparatively trouble-free operations, high-speed train company Eurostar is now facing huge challenges.  There have been numerous cold snaps in that time, with the trains running from London through Kent – one of the UK’s snowiest counties.

The company’s bosses must get to the bottom of a cold weather malfunction of trains that appears baffling – even to rail experts.

And they must then win back the trust of the travelling public -a trust which will have been eroded by all the tales of travel misery that emerged this weekend after the train failures within the Channel Tunnel.

Eurostar has suffered two serious in-tunnel fires during its 15-years of operation. But despite those setbacks it has become the way to travel between London and Paris and Brussels.

Already popular, the service was given a further boost when the 68-mile London to Folkestone Channel Tunnel high-speed rail link – now known as HS1 – was completed in 2007.

This enabled passengers to travel to Paris from London in two hours 15 minutes, while London-Brussels journey times came down to one hour 51 minutes.

Friday, December 18, 2009 – ISSN 1529-1057

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ELECTRONIC TOLLING

1) SkyToll Sees No Obstacle to January 1 Launch of E-Toll System in Slovakia

Link to story on Radio Slovakia International:

http://www.rozhlas.sk/inetportal/rsi/pages/printClanok.php?clanokID=24015&lang=2

OTHER

2) Washington State GIS Transportation Repository Takes Long Road

Link to article in Government Technology:

http://www.govtech.com/gt/718602?topic=290184

SAFETY / SECURITY

3) TSA Tests Capability of Nuclear-Detection Devices at Denver International Airport

Link to article in The Denver Post:

http://www.denverpost.com/ci_14022529

4) New Rule for New York City Cabbies: No Devices in the Ear

Link to article in The New York Times:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/18/nyregion/18taxi.html

TELEMATICS

5) Telematics Industry to be Taiwan’s Next Trillion-Dollar Industry

Link to article in The China Post:

http://www.chinapost.com.tw/business/asia/b-taiwan/2009/12/18/237061/Telematics-industry.htm

TRANSIT

6) Is Big Brother Watching Your ORCA Card?

Link to article in The Seattle Times:

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2010537022_orcacard18m.html

7) Worth the Wait?

How advertisers have transformed the drab city transit stop.

Link to column in The New York Times:

http://freakonomics.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/12/17/worth-the-wait/

Upcoming Events

Galileo Application Days – March 3-5 – Brussels

http://www.application-days.eu/

Friday Bonus

As part of US efforts to encourage exercise, pedestrians can burn extra calories by using a hula hoop while crossing the street.

http://www.seattlepi.com/dayart/20091019/210hula.jpg

Today in Transportation History

1999 **10^th anniversary** – NASA launched Terra, a multi-nation scientific research satellite.

http://terra.nasa.gov/

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

The Transportation Communications Newsletter is published electronically Monday through Friday.

To subscribe send an e-mail to:  i95berniew@aol.com

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

Questions, comments about the TCN?  Please write the editor, Bernie Wagenblast ati95berniew@aol.com.

© 2009 Bernie Wagenblast  www.bwcommunications.net

Thursday, December 17, 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) Australia to Become First Nation with Radar-Like Coverage of Entire Country

Link to article in The Australian:

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/satellite-based-navigation-system-to-allow-air-traffic-controllers-to-pinpoint-aircraft/story-e6frg6n6-1225811541809

2) Air France Inquiry Calls for ‘Black Box’ Changes

Link to BBC News story:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8419565.stm

3) FAA Shows Off Airport Tower Simulator

Link to story and video on WGCL-TV:

http://www.cbsatlanta.com/news/21985534/detail.html

4) City Council’s Hope for Free Internet at Austin-Bergstrom Airport Wishful Thinking

Link to article in the Austin Business Journal:

http://www.bizjournals.com/austin/stories/2009/12/14/daily35.html

5) Business Aviation Group Pulls Ads from USA Today

Link to blog on Tnooz:

http://www.tnooz.com/2009/12/16/news/business-aviation-group-pulls-ads-from-usa-today/

Link to letter from the National Business Aviation Association:

http://www.nbaa.org/news/letters/20091216-usa-today.php

ROADWAYS

6) North Texas Tollway Authority Installs LED-Enhanced Signs to Prevent Wrong Way Driving

Link to article in the Plano Star-Courier:

http://www.planostar.com/articles/2009/12/16/plano_star-courier/news/246.txt

SAFETY / SECURITY

7) Los Angeles Metrolink Got a Waiver to Not Post Simple Safety Signs

Link to article in the Los Angeles Times:

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-metrolink-signs17-2009dec17,0,5114265.story

TRANSIT

8) UK Government to Fund Switch to NFC-Compatible Transport Ticketing

Link to article in Near Field Communications World:

http://www.nearfieldcommunicationsworld.com/2009/12/17/32494/uk-government-to-fund-switch-to-nfc-compatible-transport-ticketing/

Link to news release from the Department for Transport:

http://nds.coi.gov.uk/clientmicrosite/Content/Detail.aspx?ClientId=202&NewsAreaId=2&ReleaseID=409585&SubjectId=36

TRAVELER INFORMATION / TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT

9) Ohio Using Twitter for Traffic Updates This Winter

Link to AP article:

http://www.daytondailynews.com/news/ohio-news/ohio-using-twitter-for-traffic-updates-this-winter-453388.html

10) Dublin Drivers to Get Traffic Updates on Satnavs

Link to article in the Evening Herald:

http://www.herald.ie/national-news/drivers-to-get-traffic-updates-on-satnavs-1979317.html

11) Glitches Hamper Virtual Traffic Monitoring in Bangalore

Link to article in The Hindu:

http://www.hindu.com/2009/12/18/stories/2009121858190100.htm

12) A Friendly Face in a Bad Place

A profile of South Carolina’s incident response team.

Link to article in The Post and Courier:

http://www.postandcourier.com/news/2009/dec/17/a-friendly-face-in-a-bad-place/

VEHICLES

13) Ford Seeks iPhone-Like Apps for Its Cars

Link to article in The Wall Street Journal:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB20001424052748704541004574599932496893984.html

14) New Audi A8 to Come with Google Earth

Link to article in The New York Times:

http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/12/17/new-audi-a8-to-come-with-google-earth/

Upcoming Events

Mobile World Congress – February 15-18 – Barcelona

http://www.mobileworldcongress.com/

Today in Transportation History

1969 **40^th anniversary** – The US Secretary of the Air Force announced the termination of Project Blue Book, a program to investigate UFOs.

http://www.archives.gov/foia/ufos.html

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

The Transportation Communications Newsletter is published electronically Monday through Friday.

To subscribe send an e-mail to:  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

(Sources:  The Guardian, UK, New Civil Engineer)

China today announced it had begun construction of the world’s longest sea bridge – barely 18 months after opening the current record-holder.

The Y-shaped link between Hong Kong, Macau and China will be around 50km (31 miles) long in total, 35km of which will span the sea, said the state news agency Xinhua. Due to be completed by 2015, the 73bn yuan (£6.75bn) cost of the bridge will be shared by the authorities in the three territories.

Here are some interesting design features of this project as noted on the Hong Kong Government’s Highways Department website:  The HZMB Main Bridge is a 29.6km dual 3-lane carriageway in the form of bridge-cum-tunnel structure comprising an immersed tunnel of about 6.7 km. According to the current option, It runs from the artificial island off Gongbei of Zhuhai to the eastern artificial island for the tunnel section just west of the HKSAR boundary.

The Highways department website notes that this project includes construction of a 29.6 km dual three-lane carriageway in the form of bridge-cum-tunnel structure comprising a tunnel of about 6.7 km and the construction of two artificial islands for the tunnel landings west of the HKSAR boundary

The structure also includes a 5.5km underwater tunnel with artificial islands to join it to bridges on each side. According to the engineering group Arup – which has helped with the design – it is the first major marine bridge-and-tunnel project in China. But the engineering firm described the structure as 38km in length; the reason for the disparity in the bridge length was unclear.

Work is expected to begin with land reclamation to create an artificial island of around 216 hectares (540 acres) off Zhuhai. This will become the customs point for those making the crossing.

But much of the structure will be prefabricated offsite, so, for example, the concrete deck sections can be produced at the same time as the foundations are laid. The tunnel will be made of precast sections – each 100 metres long.

“It is designed with a service life of 120 years. It can withstand the impact of a strong wind with a speed of 51 meters a second, or equal to a maximum Beaufort scale 16 (184 to 201kmph),” said Zhu Yongling, an official in charge of the project construction. “It can also resist the impact of a magnitude-8 earthquake and a 300,000-tonne vessel.”

According to an article in New Civil Engineer magazine earlier this year, the bridges cross three navigation channels while the tunnel goes under a fourth.

“There is an airport nearby, so we could not build a bridge [in that area] which was the reason for the tunnel. The immersed tube is the longest in the world at 5.5km long,” Naeem Hussain, global bridge leader at Arup, told the publication.

He said the bridge’s piers would each be 170 metres high and that the design team had minimised the structures impact on estuary flows by limiting the size and number of columns in the water.

The project has been on the drawing board for some time after first being discussed by politicians in the 1980s. The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge (HZMB) Advance Work Coordination Group was established in 2003 and the China’s Central Government and the regional governments of Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau agreed finance last summer. “The idea of having a bridge came more than 20 years ago around 1983 and came from a local tycoon named Sir Gordon Wu,” says Arup director Daman Lee.

Creating the two islands where the tunnel dives under the sea involves a considerable land reclamation work. “The border crossing facility in Hong Kong will have to be created from scratch as a reclaimed island,” said Lee. “It’s 120ha so it’s quite a big place. A car would come in from Zhuhai, go through customs and then onto Hong Kong. Or it would park there and public transport would be used. Macau is too small to allow for car traffic so all cars [from Hong Kong and China will have to] park [at the border crossing] and take public transport”.

The Hong Kong Government’s Highways Department website offers some interesting estimates about the traffic volume projections for this new sea link and offers this strategic outlook from an economic standpoint: The HZMB will be strategically important to the further economic development of Hong Kong, Macao and the Western Pearl River Delta region. It will significantly reduce transportation costs and time for travelers and goods on the road, but the benefits go far beyond this. With the HZMB, the Western PRD will fall within a reachable three-hour commuting radius of Hong Kong. This would enhance the attractiveness of the Western PRD to external investment, which is conducive to the upgrading of its industry structure. Hong Kong will benefit from this new economic hinterland, with its vast human and land resources which will provide ample opportunities for Hong Kong businessmen to expand their operation in the Mainland.

The Economic Net Present Value (ENPV) of the project is about RMB￥40 billion for an operation period of 20 years. The estimated ENPV for Hong Kong is about RMB￥23 billion as compared to RMB￥13 billion for the Mainland and RMB￥4 billion for Macao. The Economic Internal Rate of Return of the project is 8.8% in respect of Hong Kong over a 20-year period, or 12% over a 40-year period.

Click here to read the entire Guardian article. Also, do not hesitate to visit the Wiki page for this project, which offers far more information than any other source on the web, covering a whole slew of project information, assembled from various sources.

Wednesday, December 16, 2009 – ISSN 1529-1057

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AVIATION

1) Reports on Investigation Into Wayward Flight Go Public

Link to article in the Star Tribune:

http://www.startribune.com/local/79312922.html?elr=KArksLckD8EQDUoaEyqyP4O:DW3ckUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUUZ

Link to NTSB public docket:

http://www.ntsb.gov/Dockets/Aviation/DCA10IA001/default.htm

2) British Airways Strike: Cabin Crews Feel Online Backlash as Passengers Vent Fury on Facebook

Link to article in the Daily Mail:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1236229/BA-Christmas-strike-Cabin-crew-feel-online-backlash-passengers-vent-fury-Facebook.html

Link to ‘Support the BA Cabin Crew!!!’ Facebook page:

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?v=wall&ref=search&gid=160048903298

3) Frugal, but with Plenty to Give

Travelers Aid at Kennedy Airport helps the lost and confused.

Link to column in The New York Times:

http://frugaltraveler.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/12/16/frugal-but-with-plenty-to-give/

GPS / NAVIGATION

4) PND Navigation is Still on Top

Link to video interview with Chris Schreiner, analyst at Strategy Analytics on The Where Business:

http://news.thewherebusiness.com/content/pnd-navigation-still-top

OTHER

5) International Conference on Wireless Communication and Sensor Networks to Open

Link to article in The Times of India:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/allahabad/Intl-conference-on-wireless-communications/articleshow/5345195.cms

6) Technology and Towing? Why Not?

Link to article in Parking Today:

http://www.parkingtoday.com/s_article.php?id=86

PARKING

7) Carnegie Mellon University’s ‘Smart Parking’ Moves Ahead

Link to article in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review:

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/pittsburgh/s_657624.html

ROADWAYS

8) FHWA Releases MUTCD 2009 Edition

Link to further information:

http://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/resources/news/news_detail.asp?ID=598

Link to news release from US DOT:

http://www.dot.gov/affairs/2009/fhwa3709.htm

SAFETY / SECURITY

9) FEMA Issues Updated Version of Incident Command System Forms Booklet

Link to article in Government Security News:

http://www.gsnmagazine.com/cms/features/news-analysis/3098.html

10) Vivid Falcons Take Aim at Shocking Road Toll

Brightly colored police cars have different themes to spread safety message.

Link to article in the Sunshine Coast News:

http://www.sunshinecoastdaily.com.au/story/2009/12/17/vivid-falcons-take-aim-at-shocking-toll/

11) Everbridge Launches Location-Based Emergency Notifications

Link to interview in Directions Magazine:

http://www.directionsmag.com/article.php?article_id=3358

TRANSIT

12) No Streetcars Named Desire: Toronto Bans Adultery Ads on Public Transit

Link to article on BNET:

http://industry.bnet.com/advertising/10005030/no-streetcars-named-desire-toronto-bans-adultery-ads-on-public-transit/

Link to article in the National Post:

http://www.nationalpost.com/news/canada/toronto/story.html?id=2332295

TRAVELER INFORMATION / TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT

13) Congressman Calls for Traffic Data Contract to be Re-bid

Link to article in The Hill:

http://thehill.com/business-a-lobbying/72447-weiner-calls-for-traffic-data-contract-to-be-re-bid

14) KanDrive Announced by Kansas DOT

Link to article in the Kansas City Kansan:

http://www.kansascitykansan.com/blogs/nick-sloan/kandrive-announced-kdot/5189

Link to KanDrive: http://www.KanDrive.org/

15) Plant City, Florida Traffic Control Goes High-Tech

Link to article in the Plant City Courier & Tribune:

http://plantcity2.tbo.com/content/2009/dec/16/pc-city-traffic-control-goes-high-tech/

News Releases

1) Federal Highway Administration Revises MUTCD to Make Highways Safer

2) Drivers Multitasking Near Train Tracks Face Disaster; Operation Lifesaver Releases PSAs Addressing Distracted Driving

3) Continental Airlines to Offer Gogo Inflight Internet Service

4) Ford Engineers Imitate Human Touch Through a Robot Named Ruth

5) The Next Internet Boom: Connected Cars

Upcoming Events

2010 IEEE Radio and Wireless Symposium – January 10-14 – New Orleans

http://www.radiowirelessweek.org/

Today in Transportation History

1959 **50^th anniversary** – China Airlines was founded.

http://www.china-airlines.com/

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

The Transportation Communications Newsletter is published electronically Monday through Friday.

To subscribe send an e-mail to:  i95berniew@aol.com

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

Questions, comments about the TCN?  Please write the editor, Bernie Wagenblast ati95berniew@aol.com.

© 2009 Bernie Wagenblast  www.bwcommunications.net

Tuesday, December 15, 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) Federal Officals Say FAA Technical Center’s Mission Will Expand

Link to article in The Press of Atlantic City:

http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/news/breaking/article_4678ce94-e900-11de-bb05-001cc4c002e0.html

2) At University of North Dakota, Unmanned Aircraft Program Takes Off

Link to story and audio report on Minnesota Public Radio:

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2009/12/11/und-unmanned-aircraft/

BICYCLES

3) MIT Unveils New ‘Smart’ Bike Wheel

Link to CNET News article:

http://news.cnet.com/8301-11386_3-10415648-76.html?tag=newsLatestHeadlinesArea.0

MARITIME

4) GPS Technology May Become Compulsory for Some Indian Fishing Trawlers

Link to IANS article:

http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/enviornment/gps-technology-may-become-compulsory-for-fishing-trawlers_100289623.html

OTHER

5) Simba II Holds Brazilian Workshop

Link to article from ERTICO-ITS Europe:

http://www.ertico.com/en/news/ertico_newsroom/simba_ii_holds_brazilian_workshop.htm

PEDESTRIANS

6) How the Streets of New York Got More Dangerous

‘Type n Walk’ iPhone app allows pedestrians to text and (hopefully) see what lies ahead.

Link to column in The New York Times:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/15/nyregion/15bigcity.html

PUBLIC INFORMATION / EDUCATION

7) Illinois Launches Ads Focusing on New Texting Ban

Link to article in The Quad-City Times:

http://www.qctimes.com/news/state-and-regional/illinois/article_a256b932-e929-11de-92be-001cc4c002e0.html

Link to news release from the Illinois State Police:

http://www.isp.state.il.us/media/pressdetails.cfm?ID=485

ROADWAYS

8) LED Stoplights Freeze Over, Causing Accident

Link to story on WTMJ-TV:

http://www.todaystmj4.com/news/local/79008352.html

9) Delays with Mobile, Alabama Bayway Fog Warning System

Link to story on WALA-TV:

http://www.fox10tv.com/dpp/news/local_news/delays-with-bayway-fog-warning-system

10) Now You See It! Ontario Ministry of Transportation Evolution in Traffic Signs

Link to article in Road Talk:

http://www.mto.gov.on.ca/english/transtek/roadtalk/rt15-4/#a12

SAFETY / SECURITY

11) Agencies to Ease Sharing of Clues on Threats

Link to article in The Wall Street Journal:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB126083942836291333.html

12) Transportation ID Program Lacks a Reliable Disaster Recovery Plan, GAO Says

Link to article in Government Computer News:

http://gcn.com/articles/2009/12/15/gao-report-twic-power-failure.aspx

13) Move to National ID Cards Delayed

Link article in Wired:

http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2009/12/real_id/

TRANSIT

14) Pittsburgh Region’s Transit Takes Back Seat in ‘Open’ Data

Link to article in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review:

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/s_657745.html

TRAVELER INFORMATION / TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT

15) Voice of Vietnam Traffic Information Program on Trial Run in Ho Chi Minh City

Link to story on the Voice of Vietnam:

http://english.vovnews.vn/Home/VOV-Traffic-Information-Programme-on-trial-run-in-HCM-City/200912/110855.vov

VEHICLES

16) UK Vehicle Industry Tunes-In to Digital Radio

Link to article on HGV UK:

http://www.hgvuk.com/12/15/industry-tunes-in-to-digital-radio/

News Releases

1) Beat the Traffic iPhone App Now Available on App Store

2) US Department of Homeland Security Announces Grant Guidance for More Than $250 Million in Transit Security Grants for Fiscal Year 2010

3) AirSage Partners With Dewberry for Next-Generation Emergency Management Solutions

4) Eurotunnel Selects Alcatel-Lucent to Install New European Standard, Interoperable GSM-R Radio-Communications System

5) Indian Ministry of Road Transport and Highways to Conduct Three Electronic Toll Collection Pilots

Job Postings

–  Transportation Specialist – US DOT FHWA Office of Transportation Operations – Washington, DC

http://jobview.usajobs.gov/getjob.aspx?jobid=85045334

Upcoming Events

2010 Joint Rail Conference – April 27-29 – Urbana, Illinois

http://ict.illinois.edu/railroad/JRC/JRC2010.asp

Today in Transportation History

1909 **100^th anniversary** – The National Geographic Society presented a special gold medal to Robert E. Peary for the discovery of the North Pole.

http://books.google.com/books?id=NhkRAQAAIAAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_v2_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q=&f=false

2009 – The Boeing 787 made its first flight.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/12/15/boeing.dreamliner/index.html

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

The Transportation Communications Newsletter is published electronically Monday through Friday.

To subscribe send an e-mail to:  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

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

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

The Transportation Communications Newsletter is published electronically Monday through Friday.

To subscribe send an e-mail to:  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

Friday, December 11, 2009 – ISSN 1529-1057

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AVIATION

1) FAA Promotes New Air-Traffic Approach

Link to article in The Wall Street Journal:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB126046110886785737.html

2) FAA Chief Owns Up to Mistakes Dealing with Newark Airport Whistle-Blower

Link to article in The Star-Ledger:

http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/jersey/index.ssf?/base/news-15/1260497115159390.xml&coll=1

RAILROADS

3) Railroads Await FRA’s Final Implementation Rule on PTC

Link to article in Progressive Railroading:

http://www.progressiverailroading.com/pr/article.asp?id=22110

SAFETY / SECURITY

4) More UK Drivers Speaking on Mobile Phones

Link to Reuters article:

http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKTRE5BA1D920091211

5) US Teens Ignore Laws Against Texting While Driving

Link to Reuters article:

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE5BA2ZJ20091211

6) US Lawmakers Seek to Stop Reposting of TSA Security Document

Link to article in Computerworld:

http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9142121/Lawmakers_seek_to_stop_reposting_of_TSA_security_document

7) US Department of Homeland Security Launches First Responder Info-Sharing Initiative

Link to article in Homeland Security Today:

http://www.hstoday.us/content/view/11406/149/

TRAVELER INFORMATION / TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT

8) How’s Nashville’s Traffic? Drivers to Find Out Faster

Link to article in The Tennessean:

http://www.tennessean.com/article/20091211/NEWS09/912110355/-1/NEWS01

News Releases

1) Cable Guardrail Works – Michigan DOT’s YouTube Channel Shows Why

2) Federal Signal Acquires Diamond Consulting Services

3) MILE Traffic and Travel Awarded New Pan-European Traffic Information and Navigation Contract

4) Ford Responds to Sync Owner Community Request; Launches New Address Book Download Application

Solicitation

–  Call for Papers – 17th ITS World Congress

http://www.itsworldcongress.kr/Call_for_Papers_opt.pdf

Upcoming Events

15^th International Conference Road Safety on Four Continents – March 22-24 – Abu Dhabi

http://www.vti.se/templates/Page____11111.aspx

Friday Bonus

Somedays it would better if you just called in sick to work.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8TcZPqdP85o

Today in Transportation History

1909 **100^th anniversary** – Gugliemo Marconi delivered his Nobel Lecture upon receiving the Nobel Prize in Physics for wireless telegraphic communication.

http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/physics/laureates/1909/marconi-lecture.pdf

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

The Transportation Communications Newsletter is published electronically Monday through Friday.

To subscribe send an e-mail to:  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

Thursday, December 10, 2009 – ISSN 1529-1057

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AVIATION

1) Coalition Fights to Allow Cell Phone Use on Planes

Link to article in USA Today:

http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/travel/2009-12-10-airplanephones10_ST_N.htm

Link to the Inflight Passenger Communications Coalition:

http://www.passengercommunications.com/

2) FAA: Overshot Flight Was on Canadian Frequency

Link to story on KCNC-TV:

http://cbs4denver.com/investigates/faa.norad.ntsb.2.1360871.html

OTHER

3) Pandora Targets In-Car Audience

Link to article on All Access:

http://www.allaccess.com/net-news/archive/story/68106/pandora-targets-in-car-audience?ref=mail_recap

RAILROADS

4) So Long, Solari

Travelers say they’ll miss clackety-clack of schedule board at New Haven’s Union Station.

Link to article and video in the New Haven Independent:

http://www.newhavenindependent.org/archives/2009/12/schedule_board.php

ROADWAYS

5) Wisconsin DOT Applies Lessons from 2008 Snowstorm Near Madison

Link to article in The Post-Crescent:

http://www.postcrescent.com/article/20091210/APC0101/912100509/1979

SAFETY / SECURITY

6) US, Canada Will Publicize Options to Cross Border

Link to Gannett News Service article:

http://www.democratandchronicle.com/article/20091210/NEWS01/912100333/1002/NEWS/U.S.–Canada-will-publicize-options-to-cross-border

7) Transportation Worker Identification Credential

Progress made in enrolling workers and activating credentials but evaluation plan needed to help inform the implementation of card readers.

Link to US Government Accountability Office report:

http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d1043.pdf

TRANSIT

8) Cell Phone Ban for Chicago Transit Authority Workers Leads to 11 Firings, Union Complaints of Overreaching

Link to article in the Chicago Tribune:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-cta-cell-phone-ban_10dec10,0,4172545.story

9) New Site Lists Open Data Apps, Agencies

Link to Greater Greater Washington blog:

http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post.cgi?id=4302

Link to City-Go-Round: http://www.citygoround.org

10) Transcript and Presentations of Transit Operations Decision Support Systems (TODSS): A US DOT Pilot Expert System for Transit Bus Fleet Management T3 Webinar

Link to presentation and transcript from Research and Innovative Technology Administration:

http://www.pcb.its.dot.gov/t3/s091021/s091021_transitops_intro.asp

TRAVELER INFORMATION / TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT

11) Transcript and Presentations of Best Practices for Developing an Integrated and Effective Road Weather Information System (RWIS): Developing an RWIS Concept of Operations T3 Webinar

Link to presentation and transcript from Research and Innovative Technology Administration:

http://www.pcb.its.dot.gov/t3/s091013/s091013_rwis_intro.asp

12) Transcript and Presentations of National ITS Architecture Update: New Features of the Latest Version of the National ITS Architecture (Version 6.1) T3 Webinar

Link to presentation and transcript from Research and Innovative Technology Administration:

http://www.pcb.its.dot.gov/t3/s091027/s091027_arch_intro.asp

News Releases

1) EarthCam Announces New Work Zone Safety, Dredging Systems, Desert and Advanced Cameras

2) SESAR Joint Undertaking – Focus on: Interoperability

Solicitation

–  Call for Abstracts – National Rural ITS Conference

http://www.nritsconference.org/2010program.html

Upcoming Events

NW Transportation Conference – February 9-11 – Corvallis, Oregon

http://kiewit.oregonstate.edu/nwtc/

Today in Transportation History

1979 **30^th anniversary** – Stuntman Eddie Kidd makes an 80 foot jump over a river on a motorcycle.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/december/10/newsid_2544000/2544025.stm

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

The Transportation Communications Newsletter is published electronically Monday through Friday.

To subscribe send an e-mail to:  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