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Adorable Parking Tickets say “The way you pulled in makes me wish your dad had pulled out” and much more

October 9, 2009 at 10:50 pm
Parking Tickets

Image Courtesy: Uncrate - Parking Tickets

How many times have you pulled up to a parking spot and see the idiot next to you has “double parked”?  Ever felt like leaving a note on his/her car telling how he/she should never been issued a driving license in the first place.  No worries, mate!  Here is Parking Tickets to your rescue, with a better idea to convey your feelings.  The creative souls behind this product, Shinebox Print, have this much to say about their beautiful “tickets” on their website ” Make no mistake about it; a parking lot is a battlefield. Armed with this bad boy, you can now let your enemies know exactly how you feel about their crappy parking. All without talking to them or keying their cars.This book of 20 unique pull-out cards (cost  US $6.95) is perfect for letting the parking-challenged know just where you stand, with heartwarming messages such as “Did you park like this or was there an earthquake?” “This parking job violates the law. Of physics.” and the classic “The way you pulled in makes me wish your dad had pulled out.”

(Source: Uncrate)

Bernie’s Transportation Communications Newsletter (TCN) – October 9, 2009

October 9, 2009 at 8:37 pm

Friday, October 9, 2009 – ISSN 1529-1057


AVIATION

1) Getting Air Traffic Under Control

Link to article in Time:

http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1929071_1929070_1929069,00.html

2) Consensus Emerges for NextGen Priorities

Link to article in Aviation Week:

http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story_generic.jsp?channel=awst&id=news/NextGen101209.xml&headline=Consensus%20Emerges%20For%20NextGen%20Priorities

3) Controllers Were Joking, Giggling Before New York City Air Crash

Link to AP article and audio:

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2009-10-08-air-controllers-audio_N.htm?loc=interstitialskip

4) Helicopter in South Carolina Crash Lacked Some Safety Features, NTSB Says

Link to article in The Washington Post:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/08/AR2009100802919.html

TRAVELER INFORMATION / TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT

5) Oklahoma DOT Twitter Plans Follow Text Talk

Link to AP article:

http://www.kten.com/Global/story.asp?S=11289397

Link to news release from Oklahoma DOT:

http://www.okladot.state.ok.us/newsmedia/press/2009/09-071_odot_joins_twitter_come_along_for_the_ride.pdf

6) Traffic Monitoring with a Self-Sensing Concrete Nanotechnology Road Surface

Link to article on Nanowerk:

http://www.nanowerk.com/spotlight/spotid=13009.php

News Releases

1) FAA.gov Ranked Among Best Federal Web Sites

Upcoming Events

ITS California Annual Meeting – November 16-17 – Anaheim, California

http://www.itscalifornia.org/

Friday Bonus

Here’s a way to prevent global warming that you might not have considered.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/weird-world/2009/10/08/wee-ll-slash-jet-fuel-use-115875-21731248/

Today in Transportation History

1799 **210th anniversary** – The HMS Lutine, a British frigate, was lost off the Dutch coast during a storm.  Only one of the 270 people aboard the ship survived.

http://www.scribeweekly.com/de%20lutine.htm

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

The Transportation Communications Newsletter is published electronically Monday through Friday.

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

To unsubscribe send an e-mail to:  TCNL-unsubscribe@googlegroups.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

TransportGooru Exclusive: The Road Worrier Column by Glenn Havinoviski — Business as Unusual…

October 9, 2009 at 2:57 pm

Glenn N. Havinoviski is Associate Vice President for Transportation Systems with Iteris, Inc. in Sterling.  He was President of ITS Virginia from 2006 to 2007 and has been a columnist for the ITSVA Journal since 2002.

————————————————————————————————————————-

Imagine, if you can…

Intelligent transportation systems are on their last legs in Virginia.  There is no political support for congestion reduction measures that require any kind of budgetary investment.  There is no popular desire for new measures to provide more travel choices, like express buses, rapid rail, or HOT lanes.  No one really cares to see travel time information along the road or any information about accidents or closures.  We’d rather spend more time in traffic so we can talk and text and Tweet on our cellphones, thus causing more accidents.

And hey, now they’ve got iPhone apps for traffic information, which give you nice green, orange and red lines over Google Maps!  COOL!  Who needs those electronic signs and cameras and service patrols and control centers that are run by the Marxists anyway?

Hey!  Let’s get rid of VDOT!   And how about that big Federal bureaucracy which doesn’t do anything!  We Virginians are resourceful.  The roads might crumble but we can all buy big American SUV’s again and go off-roading and impress each other at church on Sundays!  And they can tow boats too, for when all the bridges fall down. Look at all the American jobs this creates! We can take our kids to our private schools in the woods that don’t require state funding, which is fine since we also want to get rid of those so-called public schools anyway!  All kids need to learn is the Bible and the Constitution, except for those last 15 amendments!

And who needs to worry about oil?  We’ll just drill here, drill now, on the shores of the Potomac!  Heck, let’s drill off Virginia Beach!  We all go to the Outer Banks and Hilton Head anyway!  We can deport all the immigrants, and suddenly it won’t  be so crowded on the roads!  No more smelly buses either! Let the French have their trains! We won’t need any more Statist engineers and planners to tell us what to do! Problems solved!  “Carry me back to old Virgininny….”

Scary, huh? What about this scenario instead?

(Approved Press Release) The USDOT Office of Public Benefit, as directed by the President upon his signature of the Omnibus Reauthorization Welcoming Enhanced Life and Liberty in 2010 (ORWELL 2010),  has suspended all transportation projects funded in part or entirely by private sector entities, except for those providing rail-based transit services to corridors of population density less than 50 persons per square mile. In all cases, maximum fares and rate of return for shall be unilaterally set by the President’s Private Sector Compensation Czar.

Under the provisions of ORWELL 2010, all road tolling in the United States shall be ceased as of March 12, 2011, at which time all state departments of transportation and public, semi-public and private transportation authorities and their assets will become subject to USDOT jurisdiction.

All traffic signals, cameras, sensors and other electronic infrastructure commonly associated with so-called “Intelligent Transportation Systems” that are not powered by recyclable farm organisms shall be removed from public right-of-way by January 1, 2011.

ORWELL 2010 has decreed that all limited-access highways which have not otherwise bio-degraded or collapsed onto themselves shall be redesignated as Advanced Non-Individual Managed Access Lanes (ANIMAL) facilities.  An ANIMAL shall not permit access to individually-driven vehicles, via tolls or otherwise,  but will permit properly-licensed buses, bicycles, solar powered vehicles, Harley-Davidsons, and Toyota Priuses.

Henceforth, on all non-ANIMAL facilities, all travel containing less than four passengers in (or on) a motorized vehicle will be permitted between the hours of 10 pm and 5 am Monday through Friday, and for six non-contiguous hours on Saturday and Sunday to be individually approved by someone in USDOT.

ORWELL 2010 has mandated that all residents of a State, US territory, or possession, shall reside in an urban center of 50,000 population or more unless they can demonstrate they are excluded or protected entities including organic dairy farmers, custodians of wind farms, Native Americans, Members of Congress, or mammals.

All fuel taxes will be increased to a nominal rate of $25 per gallon also effective January 1, 2011, the proceeds of which will be used to build passenger rail lines on urban streets and also to demolish any housing more than 10 miles from an urban center of more than 50,000.  All families will be given 6 months to acquire dwellings within government-designated smart-growth areas,  with dwelling sizes not to exceed 150 square feet per human, or 250 square feet per dog, up to a maximum of 826 square feet.

All cats shall be permitted to roam freely within the smart growth zone (please refer to ORWELL 2010’s companion legislation, “Pelosi-McCain Feline Freedom Act”).

All broadcast, satellite and cable television and radio stations along with electronic and material mailings which present viewpoints which are contrary to the regulations and mandates stipulated in ORWELL 2010 shall be reported within 4 hours to the Office of Public Benefit, under penalty of prosecution.

“Kumbaya….”

How far are we from either of these?  Really!

After all, we are in a battle for hearts and minds,  not to mention money.  ITS and congestion management seems to be lost in the shuffle here.  Take a look at what is really happening.

For example, Arlington County has recently sued the Feds and the Commonwealth over the proposed project on I-95/395 to expanding and convert the existing HOV lanes to High-Occupancy Toll lanes, demanding the overturning of the project’s environmental Categorical Exclusion and suspending the project until their objections (notably not enough emphasis on transit, potential harm to air quality, concern about congested interchanges and local roads as a result of the project) were satisfied.

And, although years ago families saw that Arlington had run out of room and housing stock and had no choice but to move farther out, the County said “the project actually encourages additional sprawl, further exacerbating traffic congestion and harmful air emissions.”  Chickens or eggs first?

(I can’t help but think back to that California Air Resources Board study in the 1990’s which effectively said that congestion was good because fewer cars can use the road and people travel slower.  Guess we can’t win now.)

On the other hand, several freedom fighters from the “additional sprawl” in Prince William County have complained that HOT Lanes would endanger their sluglines, as people who picked up riders for their trips to the Pentagon would now selfishly pay tolls and drive by themselves, while the jilted slugs had to make do with taking the lowly bus instead.

Never mind all this counterpunching flies in the face of the HOT lane successes (from both a revenue and a congestion reduction perspective) in California, Utah, Colorado, Texas, Washington and Minnesota,  a coalition of red and blue states if I’ve ever seen one.  And the I-495 HOT lanes construction, which has a much larger impact on the surrounding communities than 95/395 would, is surging forward.

But then again, we shouldn’t worry.  After all, we all know that ITS and congestion management are a significant means of reducing greenhouse gases and improving our environment, right?  It must be true, because we’ve been saying so for years.

Well, witness the big brouhaha over the “Moving Cooler” study for Urban Land Institute with support from USDOT, the Environmental Defense Fund, EPA, ITS America, and others, which was to provide some ammunition on projected benefits of various transportation and land use strategies in curbing greenhouse gases.  The study,  to many, has left more questions than answers.

The estimates for ITS, and operations benefits were said to be a cumulative 0.3 to 0.6% reduction over 50 years for all such systems deployed together, which angered many experts, including AASHTO.  But the other individual benefits for road pricing,  transit  and land use changes did not exceed 4.4% each, and for the most part averaged 1 to 2%.

So how, when the four areas are combined, was there a cumulative 18% to 24% reduction in GHG?  And how much will individual activities cost, especially when cumulative investment would be $50 to $80 billion per year for 40 years?!  The benefits, including “reduced travel and reduced fuel consumption” did not get contrasted with any opportunity costs (e.g., relocations, additional percentage of income devoted to taxes, job shifts or losses, etc) associated with redefining our life styles. So the actual personal costs may add to the already substantial investment, either by or mandated from government.

Considering Virginia legislators haven’t been willing to make the investment in even a rudimentary transportation improvement program in the state,  this would mean we’re headed toward a giant Federal involvement in our society with all the attendant issues that brings, like constitutionality.

I attended the “Moving Cooler” media and political event in Washington in late July, presided over by several legislators (notably Rep. Oberstar-MN, Rep. Blumenauer-OR, and Sen. Menendez-NJ).  I was also surrounded by many people in small bow ties and luminescent plastic bicycle medallions on their lapels, so we do know that land use, bicycles and transit were a big deal, and we were repeatedly told that the Dutch and the Danes do over 30% of travel by bicycle, and that the Spanish and Chinese had exemplary national rail investment programs.  And we all need to be just like Portland, Oregon,  OK.

So do we only have a choice between “spend no money, everyone on their own, God Bless America”  and  “shame on you, greedy and slothful suburbanite, come live in our dense community, ride your bikes and take the trolley powered by electricity produced by some coal plant far enough away it doesn’t impact us”?    In reality,  we are faced with both situations happening, depending on what state or community you live in.  There may be a choice between these two.  But if we are not careful, there may not be any choices in between.

This combination of willful abandonment of a public sector role in our infrastructure (right wing) and direct control of our private lives and wealth (left wing) are a scary combination, and one we have to address with reasonableness, pragmatism, and the best that technology can offer.  As always, we need to push some simple facts about ITS and clear-headed transportation management strategies, which I think more than other can provide tools that keep us from descending into an abyss we cannot control.  In other words, Virginia (and other states) must step up, or get stepped on.

The key words we must use are CHOICES,  QUALITY, SAFETY and MOBILITY.   ITS enables all of these things.

ITS provides the information so travelers can make choices on when, where and how to travel, and can achieve them through alternatives that are priced based on relative convenience and utility.

ITS improves the quality of transportation services by providing timely information about their operational status, as well as actively managing the operation of the freeway, the arterial (including the bike lane or bike path) or transit service through messaging, signals, vehicle monitoring, dynamic road pricing, etc. to reduce delays.

ITS improves safety by improving information by advising of the otherwise unexpected (incidents, delays,  speed reductions needed because of weather/pavement/operational conditions, and if IntelliDrive becomes reality, various warnings of conflicts at intersections).

And finally,  all of this facilitates the ability for individuals to travel when and where they want or need to, enhancing personal mobility. It also enhances interstate commerce, which is an integral purpose of our Federal government.  It says so in our Constitution.

To me, mobility is an essential part of freedom, whether you are red or blue.

Some places may choose to barely maintain their overworked, underfed transportation networks and not invest. Some others may be willing to make enormous investments which may impact the public significantly, and force them to make lifestyle changes which may or may not be in their own self-interest.  Either way, we have to balance self-interest and the common good.  And ITS should be a part of the overall solution.

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

Disclaimer: All opinions expressed are those of the author.  TransportGooru is proud to invite anyone and everyone who wishes to use this platform to engage the community in a social dialogue, there by creating a healthy debate on some of the pressing transportation issues that affect our quality of life.   Please register your comments below for the author so that he can hear the community’s voice on the issues he has addressed in the above paragraphs.

GAO Report on Affordable Housing in Transit-Oriented Development Says Key Practices Could Enhance Recent Collaboration Efforts between DOT-FTA and HUD

October 8, 2009 at 11:04 pm

(Source: GAO)

developments—compact,
walkable, mixed-use
neighborhoods located near
transit—through the Department of
Housing and Urban Development’s
(HUD) housing programs and the
Department of Transportation’s
(DOT) Federal Transit
Administration’s (FTA) transit
programs. GAO was asked to
review (1) what is known about
how transit-oriented developments
affect the availability of affordable
housing; (2) how local, state, and
federal agencies have worked to
ensure that affordable housing is
available in transit-oriented
developments; and (3) the extent to
which HUD and FTA have worked
together to ensure that
transportation and affordable
housing objectives are integrated in
transit-oriented developments. To
address these issues, GAO
reviewed relevant literature,
conducted site visits, and
interviewed agency officials.
What GAO Recommends
GAO is recommending that DOT
and HUD develop a plan for
implementing interagency efforts
to promote affordable housing in
transit-oriented developments,
ensure they collect sufficient data
to assess the results of these
efforts, and formalize key
collaboration practices. DOT and
HUD agreed to consider the
report’s recommendations.

Why GAO Did this Study

The federal government has increasingly focused on linking affordable housing to transit oriented developments—compact, walkable, mixed-use neighborhoods located near transit—through the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) housing programs and the Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Federal Transit Administration’s (FTA) transit programs. GAO was asked to review (1) what is known about how transit-oriented developments affect the availability of affordable housing; (2) how local, state, and federal agencies have worked to ensure that affordable housing is available in transit-oriented developments; and (3) the extent to which HUD and FTA have worked together to ensure that transportation and affordable housing objectives are integrated in transit-oriented developments. To address these issues, GAO reviewed relevant literature, conducted site visits, and interviewed agency officials.

What GAO Found

Characteristics of transit-oriented developments can increase nearby land and housing values, however determining transit-oriented development’s effects on the availability of affordable housing in these developments are complicated by a lack of direct research and data. Specifically, the presence of transit stations, retail, and other desirable amenities such as schools and parks generally increases land and housing values nearby. However, the extent to which land and housing values increase—or in the rare case, decrease—near a transit station depends on a number of characteristics, some of which are commonly found in transit-oriented developments. According to transit and housing stakeholders GAO spoke with, higher land and housing values have the potential to limit the availability of affordable housing near transit, but other factors—such as transit routing decisions and local commitment to affordable housing—can also affect availability.

Few local, state, and federal programs are targeted to assisting local housing and transit providers develop affordable housing in transit-oriented developments. The few targeted programs that exist primarily focus on financial incentives that state and local agencies provide to developers if affordable housing is included in residential developments in transit-oriented developments. However, GAO found that housing developers who develop affordable housing in transit-oriented developments generally rely on local and state programs and policies that have incentives for developing affordable housing in any location. HUD and FTA programs allow local and state agencies to promote affordable housing near transit, but rarely provide direct incentives to target affordable housing in transit-oriented developments.

Since 2005, HUD and FTA, and more recently DOT, have collaborated on three interagency efforts to promote affordable housing in transit-oriented developments including (1) an interagency agreement, (2) a HUD-FTA action plan, and (3) a new DOT-HUD partnership. While these interagency efforts have produced numerous strategies, local housing and transit officials told GAO that these strategies had little impact, in part, because they have yet to be implemented. However, the agencies have not yet developed a comprehensive, integrated plan to implement all efforts, and without such a plan, the agencies risk losing momentum. GAO has previously identified key practices that could enhance and sustain collaboration among federal agencies; when compared to these practices, GAO found that HUD, FTA, and DOT have taken some actions consistent with some of these practices—such as defining a common outcome. However, weaknesses in agency housing data and analytical transportation planning methods will limit these agencies’ ability to effectively monitor, evaluate, and report results—another key collaboration practice. GAO found that other collaboration practices, such as establishing compatible policies and procedures, could be taken to strengthen collaboration. Finally, without a more formalized approach to collaboration, including establishment of memorandum of agreements, these agencies may not effectively leverage their unique strengths.

What GAO Recommends

GAO is recommending that DOT and HUD develop a plan for implementing interagency efforts to promote affordable housing in transit-oriented developments, ensure they collect sufficient data to assess the results of these efforts, and formalize key collaboration practices. DOT and HUD agreed to consider the report’s recommendations.

Click here to read the entire study

Bernie’s Transportation Communications Newsletter (TCN) – October 8, 2009

October 8, 2009 at 5:15 pm

Thursday, October 8, 2009 – ISSN 1529-1057


AVIATION

1) Controllers: FAA’s Computers Prone to Problems

Link to AP article:

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gEH8D_Erb_xPAm1zh411j6XfUI6AD9B6GTOG2

CARTOGRAPHY

2) Google Street View Arrives in 11 Canadian Cities

Link to CNET News article:

http://news.cnet.com/8301-17939_109-10370067-2.html

ELECTRONIC TOLLING

3) FHWA Publishes Final Rule on Interoperability Requirements for Automated Toll Collection

Link to notice in the Federal Register:

http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=2009_register&docid=fr08oc09-5

MARITIME

4) Washington State Ferries May Get Corporate Names

Link to article in The Whidbey Examiner:

http://www.whidbeyexaminer.com/main.asp?SectionID=1&SubSectionID=1&ArticleID=3045

SAFETY / SECURITY

5) eCall Implementation Platform Meeting Held

Link to article from ERTICO-ITS Europe:

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

TRANSIT

6) New York MTA Station Agent Cuts Leave Some Riders Lost

Link to article in The New York Times:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/09/nyregion/09subway.html

TRAVELER INFORMATION / TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT

7) Bangalore Police Team with Private Company to Supply Free Traffic Alerts

Link to article in the Bangalore Mirror:

http://www.bangaloremirror.com/index.aspx?page=article&sectid=10&contentid=200910062009100601250162544315643

VEHICLES

8) From Cars to TVs, Apps are Spreading to the Real World

Link to CNN story:

http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/10/08/apps.realworld/

9) Ford Taps Web-Savvy Hipsters To Hype Fiesta

Link to article in Forbes:

http://www.forbes.com/2009/10/07/ford-fiesta-movement-cmo-network-ford.html

News Releases

1) ITS World Forum Launched

2) Transportation Safety Advancement Group Elects 2010 Leadership

3) FAA Announces Serious Runway Incursions Down by 50 Percent

4) Row 44 to Deliver First Ad-Supported In-flight Wi-Fi

5) Ford, Auburn Explore How GPS Satellites Could Help Prevent Auto Accidents

Job Posting

–  Deputy Associate Administrator for Research, Innovation and Technology – Volpe National Transportation Systems Center – Cambridge, Massachusetts

http://jobview.usajobs.gov/getjob.aspx?jobid=83773185

Upcoming Events

ITS California Annual Meeting – November 16-17 – Anaheim, California

http://www.itscalifornia.org/

Today in Transportation History

1829 **180th anniversary** – In the Rainhill Trials, a contest involving various locomotives, the Rocket was declared the winner.

http://www.resco.co.uk/rainhill/

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

The Transportation Communications Newsletter is published electronically Monday through Friday.

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

To unsubscribe send an e-mail to:  TCNL-unsubscribe@googlegroups.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

Bernie’s Transportation Communications Newsletter (TCN) – October 7, 2009

October 7, 2009 at 11:03 pm

Wednesday, October 7, 2009 – ISSN 1529-1057


AVIATION

1) FAA Administrator Addresses Agency Communications with General Aviation Community

Link to article on The Aero-News Network:

http://www.aero-news.net/index.cfm?ContentBlockID=b67454a4-d18c-4633-82eb-30c72b522fa2

CAMERAS

2) UK Conservatives Declare War on Speed Cameras

Link to Reuters article:

http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKTRE59545X20091006

OTHER

3) Self-Service Kiosks Boom

Link to article from The Dallas Morning News:

http://www.philly.com/philly/business/technology/100609_kiosk_boom.html

PUBLIC INFORMATION / EDUCATION

4) Chattanooga Proposes New Driver Ed Program Funded with Revenue from Traffic Cameras

Link to story and video on WRCB-TV:

http://www.wrcbtv.com/Global/story.asp?S=11269611

ROADWAYS

5) Kentucky to Post Number of Road Deaths on Electronic Highway Signs

Link to article in The Courier-Journal:

http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20091007/NEWS01/910070435/Signs+to+cite+road+deaths

6) Nearly Half of Lahore’s Road Signs are Hidden by Ads

Link to article in The Nation:

http://www.nation.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online/Regional/Lahore/07-Oct-2009/Hidden-road-signs-blind-motorists

7) No Need to Change Road Sign Colors in Adirondacks

Link to editorial in The Post-Star:

http://www.poststar.com/articles/2009/10/07/opinion/today/15340129.txt

SAFETY / SECURITY

8) Will Airports Screen for Body Signals? Researchers Hope So

Link to story and video on CNN:

http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/10/06/security.screening/

Link to further information on Future Attribute Screening Technology (FAST) Project from the US Department of Homeland Security:

http://www.dhs.gov/files/programs/gc_1218480185439.shtm#9

9) Three Companies Bid to Revive Clear Airport Service

Link to article in the Orlando Sentinel:

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/orl-bizclear-airport-service-100709100709oct07,0,6999616.story

TELEMATICS

10) Onboard Trucking Systems are Safe, Providers Say

Link to article in Transport Topics:

http://www.ttnews.com/articles/basetemplate.aspx?storyid=22901

TRANSIT

11) Near-Collision? Long Island Rail Road Doesn’t Have to Tell Authorities

Link to article in Newsday:

http://www.newsday.com/long-island/nassau/near-miss-lirr-doesn-t-have-to-tell-authorities-1.1505814

12) IBM Makes Deal with 3 Transit Agencies to Use Software to Manage Repairs

Link to AP article:

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hkIjnV0iOKFx68pBPFNIKv4-G1PwD9B67BD80

13) New York City Transit Wait Times to Go Digital

Link to article in the New York Post:

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/brooklyn/transit_wait_times_to_go_digital_3Fh47K8O4RSCrCqEXHhe6K

News Releases

1) BART Offering Real-Time Information by Phone

2) Clemson Researchers Study Energy Savings with Electric Cars and IntelliDrive Technology

3) Federal Transit Administration Launches Bus Safety and Security Web Site for Small Urban and Rural Transit Agencies

4) US Transportation Secretary Announces Driver Pre-Employment Screening Program

5) Navteq Introduces First of Its Kind Animated 3D Visual Content for North America Map

6) The World’s First Commercial ITS Verification Test Carried Out in Changchun City, China

Job Postings

–  Community & Government Affairs Specialist – North County Transit District – Oceanside, California

http://www.transittalent.com/Job_Listing.cfm?JobID=10105

–  Program Development Specialist – National Transit Institute – New Brunswick, New Jersey

http://www.transittalent.com/Job_Listing.cfm?JobID=10061

–  Information Technology Specialist – Volpe Center – Cambridge, Massachusetts

http://jobview.usajobs.gov/getjob.aspx?jobid=83787233

–  Senior Researcher-Funding and Finance – Texas Transportation Institute – Texas

http://apps.system.tamus.edu/jobsearch/JobDetails.aspx?JobID=7621

Upcoming Events

T3 Webinar: National ITS Architecture Update: New Features of the Latest Version of the National ITS Architecture (Version 6.1) – October 27

http://www.pcb.its.dot.gov/t3/s091027_arch.asp

Today in Transportation History

1959 **50th anniversary** – Luna 3 became the first spacecraft to take photos of the far side of the Moon.

http://www.svengrahn.pp.se/trackind/luna3/Luna3story.html

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

The Transportation Communications Newsletter is published electronically Monday through Friday.

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

To unsubscribe please send an e-mail to:  TCNL-unsubscribe@googlegroups.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

I See You Hiding, Sneaky Rascal! Speed Trap App “Trapster” Downloads Hit 50,000/Day

October 7, 2009 at 11:29 am

(Source: Washington Post , FoxNews.com, & CNET)

Image Courtesy: CNET - Trapster alerts you to nearby speed cameras and "Smokey takin' pictures."

A must-have iPhone application for people who drive a lot is “Trapster” the app for avoiding speed traps. Or a better description by Paul Carr before he was fired from The Guardian: “Yes, that’s Trapster: the mobile distraction for when driving at high speed isn’t fucking dangerous enough.”

The free program uses the GPS receiver built into new iPhones to track a driver’s location and warn of nearby speed traps and red light cameras. It’s also available for phones running Google Android and some BlackBerries.  Drivers can add new locations to the app by hitting buttons to mark speed traps and red light cameras for other drivers. Users can also rate the accuracy of speed trap reports, which helps weed out fake inputs.

It’s been nearly a year since the debut of Trapster, a controversial but popular app that alerts you of nearby speed traps, cameras, and the like. It’s had more than 1 million downloads, and is “getting about 50,000 downloads a day right now” to add to that.

Version 3.5 released back in September, bringing with it some impressive–and, for many users, long-awaited–new features. Here’s the rundown ((courtesy of CNET):

  • Improved interface Five features (some of them new) are now accessible by tapping blue icons that span the right side of the screen.
  • Bluetooth audio If your car supports Bluetooth, you can pair Trapster to your stereo to get audio alerts over your speakers. Even better, if your car supports A2DP (i.e. stereo Bluetooth), you can take advantage of:
  • Built-in iPod controls Tap the little musical-note icon to slide open Trapster’s iPod audio controls. Obviously, you don’t need stereo Bluetooth to use them, but it sure is a nice combo.
  • Rotating maps Trapster tacks your position in real-time on a moving map. Now, that map can rotate depending on your direction of travel rather than staying in “always-North” mode. The top blue icon toggles this feature on and off.
  • Real-time traffic The bottom blue icon slides out a Google Traffic map, which shows you trouble spots in your area. Handy, but it’s too bad the developers could’t integrate this with the main map instead of requiring you to view a second one.

Image Courtesy: Trapster

Trapster crowdsources the data from its users who report speed traps.  This information is stored in the server and sharing with other Trapster users who come later near the same location, thus making the road safe . The more users, the more data, and the safer the roads are for speeders. The app potentially can help users speed or run lights more often. Nonetheless, police are largely supportive of Trapster, because they hope it will get users to slow down.

“Anything that gets people to slow down on the highway, or drive in a more responsible manner, is a good thing,” said Corinne Geller, public relations manager for the Virginia State Police.  She said the state itself uses that logic to announce some red light cameras and speed-limit enforcement areas.  “We don’t hide,” Geller said.

Here are some interesting stats from the Trapster website (as of Sep 10, 2009)

  • 1,621,254 Total Trapster users world-wide
  • 1,402,349 iPhones using Trapster
  • 818,205 Traps reported world-wide
  • Trapster is the 20th most downloaded app for the iPhone out of all 85,000 odd apps.
  • Everyday more people download Trapster for iPhone than all other traffic/driving related apps COMBINED.

Click here to read more.

Event Alert: U.S.- India Aviation Partnership Summit — December 7-9, 2009 @ Washington, DC

October 6, 2009 at 11:42 pm

India Aviation Partnership Summit

To promote greater cooperation between the U.S. and Indian aviation sectors, the U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA), in cooperation with the India Ministry of Civil Aviation, Directorate General of Civil Aviation, Airports Authority of India, U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, US. Transportation Security Administration, U.S.-India Aviation Cooperation Program, and the American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE)/International Association of Airport Executives (IAAE), is sponsoring the U.S.- India Aviation Partnership Summit. The event will take place December 7-9, 2009, at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C. The summit will include participation from India’s three key civil aviation agencies – Ministry of Civil Aviation, Directorate General of Civil Aviation and Airports Authority of India – key industry members in the aviation sector, the U.S. government (USTDA, DOT/FAA, TSA, Departments of State and Commerce), and select members of Congress.

The 2009 U.S.-India Aviation Partnership Summit is designed to foster high-level dialogue on key issues related to India’s ongoing modernization: aviation safety, air traffic control management, aviation security, airspace utilization, sector environmental practices, and sector training. The summit will serve as a technical, policy and commercial symposium to assist Indian civil aviation agencies and aviation industry representatives in identifying advanced technology and practices that would best suit its expansion and modernization needs. The summit will provide momentum to the growing strategic and commercial relationship between the Indian and U.S. aviation sectors for the long term.

The U.S. India Aviation Partnership Summit will include a two-day conference in Washington, D.C., followed by two days of site visits to FAA and industry facilities in the Washington, D.C., area, and the FAA Technical Center in Atlantic City, N.J.

Topics To Be Covered

. Current State and Future Prospects of the India Aviation Industry
. Air Traffic Management Modernization in India: Opportunities and Challenges
. Airport Infrastructure Development/Financing
. Aircraft Maintenance and Certification
. Aviation Security
. Aviation Environmental Best Practices
. General Aviation Update (General Aviation Development in India and Helicopter Expansion)
. Aviation Training in India

Click here for more details

Bernie’s Transportation Communications Newsletter (TCN)- October 6, 2009

October 6, 2009 at 11:03 pm

Tuesday, October 6, 2009 – ISSN 1529-1057


AVIATION

1) Navigation Upgrade Uneven at US Airlines

Link to Reuters article:

http://www.reuters.com/article/ousivMolt/idUSTRE5945HS20091005

2) Airports Spread Out Check-In Kiosks to Cut Down on Lines

Link to article in USA Today:

http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/travel/2009-10-05-airport-kiosks_N.htm

3) Airports Get Aid for Device to See Debris

Link to article in The New York Times:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/06/business/06debris.html

Link to advisory from the Federal Aviation Administration:

http://www.faa.gov/regulations_policies/advisory_circulars/index.cfm/go/document.information/documentID/99719

4) French Pilots Blast Inaction on Sensors

Link to UPI article:

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2009/10/05/French-pilots-blast-inaction-on-sensors/UPI-55231254757787/

Link to article in Journal du Dimanche:

http://www.lejdd.fr/Societe/Justice/Actualite/AF447-Le-crash-du-Rio-Paris-etait-evitable-139236/ (in French)

Link to news release from Syndicat des Pilotes d’Air France:

http://www.spaf.aero/index.php?ac=view&i=58&b=actualite (in French)

5) FAA Committed to NextGen Recommendations

Link to article in Aviation Week:

http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story_channel.jsp?channel=comm&id=news/SHAPE100509.xml&headline=FAA%20Committed%20To%20NextGen%20Recommendations%3C/p%3E

6) Lost Bag at Indian Airport? Log On

Link to Indo-Asian News Service article:

http://www.hindustantimes.com/Lost-bag-at-airport-Log-on/H1-Article1-461658.aspx

Link to CISF site: http://www.cisf.gov.in/airports.htm

7) Qantas Has Called for ‘Smarter Skies’

Link to article in The Australian:

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/business/story/0,28124,26175113-643,00.html

CAMERAS

8) What if Google Earth Had a Live View of Traffic and Pedestrians?

Link to blog and video in Government Video:

http://www.governmentvideo.com/Blogs.aspx?id=87892&blogid=524

ELECTRONIC TOLLING

9) EU Sets Rules for Electronic Payment of Road Tolls Across EU

Link to Dow Jones Newswires article:

http://english.capital.gr/News.asp?id=826878

Link to news release from the EU:

http://thegovmonitor.com/world_news/europe/europe-to-launch-electronic-toll-service-8575.html

10) National Highways Authority of India to Install Electronic Toll Collection System

Link to article on Zee News:

http://www.zeenews.com/news568791.html

MARITIME

11) Bahrain Joins Global Tracking System

Link to UPI article:

http://www.upi.com/Security_Industry/2009/10/05/Bahrain-joins-global-tracking-system/UPI-59341254780943/

12) Transportation Policy Blog has Focus on Marine Transportation System

Link to MTS Matters:

http://mtsmatters.com

OTHER

13) ITS Research Strategic Plan Update #2

Link to update from the director of the US DOT ITS Joint Program Office:

http://www.its.dot.gov/press/2009/row_stakeholders.htm

RAILROADS

14) Rail’s 150-Year Wait for Safety

Positive Train Control is still years away from full implementation in the US.

Link to article in Miller-McCune:

http://miller-mccune.com/business_economics/rail-s-150-year-wait-for-safety-1513

ROADWAYS

15) ‘Smart’ Speed Bumps Being Developed in Mexico

Link to article in USA Today:

http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2009-10-05-speedbumps_N.htm

SAFETY / SECURITY

16) EU Parliament Set to ‘Re-open’ Visa Deal with US

Would include allowing the transfer of data on transatlantic airline passengers.

Link to article on EurActiv:

http://www.euractiv.com/en/justice/eu-parliament-set-open-visa-deal-us/article-186093

TRANSIT

17) Columbus, Ohio Transit Chief Joins Riders for Bus Service Apology

Link to article in The Columbus Dispatch:

http://www.columbusdispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2009/10/05/COTA.html

18) Riding Seattle’s Rails, Ferries, Buses, ORCA Style

Link to article on ContactlessNews:

http://www.contactlessnews.com/2009/10/06/riding-seattles-rails-ferries-buses-orca-style

TRAVELER INFORMATION / TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT

19) TrafficTalk Unveils Voice-Based Traffic Information Service

Link to article on TMCnet:

http://ivr.tmcnet.com/topics/ivr-voicexml/articles/65866-traffictalk-unveils-voice-based-traffic-information-service.htm

News Releases

1) Sensis Innovates Aircraft Departure Sequencing Tool

2) G-Map Launches First Real-Time Traffic iPhone GPS App

3) Ford Using Virtual Reality to Fine-Tune Sound Quality Inside Vehicles

Upcoming Events

US-India Aviation Partnership Summit – December 7-9 – Washington, DC

http://events.aaae.org/sites/091001/

Today in Transportation History

1884 **125th anniversary** – The first class of the US Naval War College met in Newport, Rhode Island.

http://www.nwc.navy.mil

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

The Transportation Communications Newsletter is published electronically Monday through Friday.

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

To unsubscribe send an e-mail to: TCNL-unsubscribe@googlegroups.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


Pod Life! San Jose dreams big with a Personal Rapid Transit (PRT) system

October 5, 2009 at 7:40 pm

(Sources contributing to this hybrid report: Boston.com, ULTraPRT.com & ABC7)

The city of San Jose is planning to build a PRT system that will run between the airport and a Bay Area Rapid Transit station as well as a nearby light rail station. They say it will include up to five stations, but this and other details are still being worked out.

Back in 2008, the city has issued a request for proposals and allotted $4 million to conduct an economic and technical evaluation, and then to work with a vendor. When San Jose compared PRT with an automated people mover, the kind of large, driverless shuttle that is common at airports, officials decided that PRT would be cheaper and more convenient for passengers. The government has not sworn off other options during this exploratory phase, but officials say they will most likely proceed with a PRT system.

Image Courtesy: ULTra PRT - Click the image for more details

One of the vendors, ULTra PRT whose first deployment is scheduled for London Heathrow Airport in Spring 2010, expected to serve Heathrow’s new Terminal 5, has published more details on this project.  The website notes ULTra PRT is an electric, 200-mpg-equivalent, elevated transit system with many 5-person vehicles.  Working as circulator transit for office parks, airports, universities, and other major activity centers, PRT is faster than a car. In these applications, PRT makes carpooling and transit more effective, by solving the “last mile problem.”

Laura Stuchinksy is a sustainability officer for San Jose’s Department of Transportation. She and other city officials are considering the idea of having such a public pod system link the Mineta San Jose International Airport with area businesses, hotels and other nearby transit options, like Caltrain, BART and the VTA Light Rail.

PRT also enables longer bike commutes and shopping trips.  The only existing, functioning example in the world is an eight-mile network built in the 1970s to move people around the West Virginia University campuses (which also happens to be TransportGooru’s Alma Mater; enjoyed riding this system while studying there back in the 90s).

San Jose is anticipating population growth of a half million people over the next 30 years, so an automated pod transit system could certainly improve quality of life in the city – plus generate thousands more clean-tech jobs. Here is a video  coverage of this story (courtesy of ABC 7).

HatTip: Peter Muller for sharing this via twitter.  Peter’s interesting feeds can be followed @PRTGURU on Twitter)