TransportGooru

(Source: Autobloggreen)

Spain’s fourth largest city is getting 75 public electric vehicle recharging stations throughout the city this year. Spain’s ambitious program of introducing EVs, hybrid and plug-in cars (a million units for 2012) is promoting the new network under the Movele program. Seville is getting recharging stations in the most used parking lots in the city, as well as at the airport, city hall offices and other official buildings. The plan includes 500 electric cars, which will be allocated not only to public institutions but for private users as well. It’s expected that each simple recharging post will cost €1,000.  The picture shows a recharging post in Lisbon, Portugal.

Click here to read the entire post. 

(Source: Autobloggreen)

 

Last November, when we talked with SmartUSA boss Dave Schembri at the LA Auto Show, he acknowledged that a number of the people who had placed early orders for the tiny fortwo had canceled before taking delivery. At that time, the cancellation rate was about thirty percent, although most of those cars were being taken up by people who wanted immediate delivery. Apparently, that situation has changed as dealers who last year typically had no more than a meager handful of cars in stock now sometimes have dozens. 

Click here to read the entire article. 

 Tuesday, March 17, 2009 — ISSN 1529-1057

Join Key Transportation Policy Makers at ITS America’s 2009 Annual Meeting – June 1-3

The Intelligent Transportation Society of America invites you to National Harbor, Maryland – in the Washington, DC metropolitan area – from June 1-3, 2009 for ITS America’s 2009 Annual Meeting and Exposition. With ITS America 2009 in the Metro Washington Area, we have a wonderful opportunity to interact with legislators on the federal, state and local level to showcase ITS products and services.  Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, members of Congress, and key transportation administrators have been invited to speak during the Plenary sessions scheduled on Monday and Wednesday and to experience ITS technologies in action while at the Meeting.  This is a critical opportunity for our industry to demonstrate how ITS technologies can improve safety, mobility, and the environment while optimizing transportation dollars and helping to finance the future of our transportation system. For additional information on the ITS America 2009 Annual Meeting Program, click here.

AVIATION

1) FAA: Memo About Denver Air Safety ‘Alarming’

Link to story on KCNC-TV:

http://cbs4denver.com/investigates/dia.faa.delays.2.960876.html

GPS / NAVIGATION

2) Traffic-Ready PNDs Challenged by Economy

Link to story in This Week in Consumer Electronics:

http://www.twice.com/article/CA6644832.html

OTHER

3) MIT Offering Two One-Week Summer Courses

 –  Discrete Choice Analysis: Predicting Demand and Market Shares

http://web.mit.edu/professional/short-programs/courses/discrete_choice_analysis.html

 –  Modeling and Simulation of Transportation Networks

http://web.mit.edu/professional/short-programs/courses/simulation_transportation.html

4) Latest Issue of Transport Business International Online

Includes articles on ITS, telematics, road safety and traffic management.

Link to magazine:

http://edition.pagesuite-professional.co.uk/Launch.aspx?referral=mypagesuite&refresh=pJ06X5r10L4k&PBID=8a22ef1c-9187-4d60-a8da-96ecddd9260a&skip

SAFETY / SECURITY

5) US Lawmakers Want More Interoperability in Emergency Comms

Link to story in Federal Computer Week:

http://fcw.com/articles/2009/03/17/fema-location.aspx

TRANSIT

6) High Costs Kill Off London Underground Mobile Plans

Link to story on ZDNet Asia:

http://www.zdnetasia.com/news/communications/0,39044192,62052240,00.htm

 7) Breaking Down the ‘Silos’ that Isolate Ridership Data

Link to story in Passenger Transport:

http://newsmanager.commpartners.com/aptapt/issues/2009-03-16/19.html

 TRAVELER INFORMATION / TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT

8) iFlorida Model Deployment Final Evaluation Report

Link to report from FHWA:

http://www.ops.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/fhwahop08050/index.htm

News Releases

1) NYSDOT, NYSERDA Fund Projects to Reduce Vehicle Miles Traveled and Greenhouse Gases

Upcoming Events

2009 International CAD Consortium Conference – May 3-7 – Reston, Virginia

http://www.intlcad.org/

Today in Transportation History

1979 **30^th anniversary** – A portion of the Penmanshiel Tunnel in Scotland collapsed, killing two workers.

http://www.railwaysarchive.co.uk/documents/MoT_Penmanshiel1979.pdf

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

The Transportation Communications Newsletter is published electronically Monday through Friday. 

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

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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

(Source: USA Today; Photo: Dmitry Lovetsky, AP)

 

“For so long, Americans have viewed the automobile and the airplane as our transportation vehicles,” says Anne Canby, a former transportation secretary for Delaware and train advocate. “Until now, rail hasn’t been a major player in the discussion.”

Driving the new-found interest in trains is $8 billion that was tucked into the president’s economic stimulus legislation signed last month.

“People in this country don’t appreciate what modern rail travel is,” says Doyle, referring to the 180 mph Talgo system. “It is as smooth as riding in an airplane without any turbulence.”

Click here to read the entire article.

(Source: Transportation Research Board)

Summary of Contents

Teamwork in U.S. Railroad Operations
Data and Tools for Linking Goods Movement, Air Quality, and Transportation Infrastructure Decisions
TRANSED 2010: The 12th International Conference on Mobility and Transport for Elderly and Disabled People
7th International Bridge Engineering Conference: Improving Reliability and Safety – Restoration, Renewal, and Replacement
Communication with Vulnerable Populations: A Transportation and Emergency Management Toolkit – Proposals Due May 19, 2009

TR News January-February 2009–Making Progress in Uncertain Times: Proving Transportation’s Mettle
U.S. Marine Salvage Assets and Capabilities in a Maritime Disaster
Measuring Tire-Pavement Noise at the Source
Local and Regional Funding Mechanisms for Public Transportation

Challenges Facing the U.S. Department of Transportation and Congress
Evaluating the Use of Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Bars in Continuously Reinforced Concrete Pavement
Benefit-Cost Analyses of Onboard Safety Systems
Tribal Road Safety Audits: Case Studies
Transportation Services Index: January 2009

Digital Image Rectification Tool for Metrification of Gusset Plate Connections in Steel Truss Bridges

Economic Aspects of Sustainable Mobility: Thematic Research Summary

National Road Network Intercity Traffic Projections to 2030
Speed Limit Adherence and its Effect on Road Safety and Climate Change
A New Approach to Rural Public Transport

Freight Performance Measures Analysis of 30 Freight Bottlenecks

Bike Lanes, On-Street Parking and Business: A Study of Bloor Street in Toronto’s Annex Neighbourhood
AAPA Seaports Magazine: Winter 2008/2009
Rural Transportation Newsletter: March 2009
The Economic Impacts and Social Benefits of the U.S. Motorcoach Industry: Binding the Nation Together by Providing Diverse and Affordable Services to Everyone

(Source:  Autobloggreen)

This week, Congress and President Obama have approved a bill that includes a June 30th deadline for the EPA to decide whether or not to allow California the right to enact its own greenhouse gas rules. Earlier this year, President Obama directed the EPA to reconsider California’s request for a waiver that would allow it to regulate gases like carbon dioxide, which is widely seen as a way for the state to set its own fuel efficiency requirements

Click here to read the entire article.

(source: GizMag via Gizmodo)

Driving would be way more fun if we didn’t have to worry about the whole gas and brake thing, right? Sentience understands this, and their intelligent cruise control means you can finally forget about it.

(Source:  India Times)

CHENNAI, India:  Chennai metro railway, within a month of obtaining cabinet clearance and awarding contracts for the first phase of construction, touched yet another milestone this week, by employing a European technical consultant for design and supervision of the project. 

Chennai metro rail corporation (CMRL) has awarded the USD 30 million technical consultancy contract to a consortium of five companies named Egis Rail India, led by French transport infrastructure projects company Egis Projects. US-based NYSE listed engineering and architectural design giant Aecom Technology Corporation is part of the consortium. 
While the names of other firms involved in the consortium are not known, an official source confirmed the awarding of the contract to Egis. “The technical consultant will conduct engineering feasibility studies, prepare designs and oversee their execution,” the source said. CMRL, the management consultant, will continue to be the entity tendering construction contracts.

Egis projects, which has been involved in a number of road and rail based projects in Europe, including high speed, light and underground rail lines in France, earns 9% of its revenues from Asia. Its Indian subsidiary Egis India has floated the consortium Egis Rail India, which was one of the two entities, short-listed from six, for the final race to the Chennai metro rail consultancy contract. 

Click here to read the entire article.

(Source: NHTSA)

The website states ” The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has provided the information in this booklet in compliance with Federal law as an aid to consumers considering the purchase of new vehicles. The booklet compares differences in insurance costs for different makes and models of passenger cars, utility vehicles, light trucks, and vans on the basis of damage susceptibility for the vehicle. However, it does not indicate a vehicle’s relative safety for occupants. ”

Click here to print or download a PDF.    Shown below is the PDF version for viewing:

(Source: Freakonomics,New York Times via Planetizen; Photo Courtesy: respres@Flickr)

• Los Angeles Transportation Facts and Fiction: Transit
• Los Angeles Transportation Facts and Fiction: Freeways
• Los Angeles Transportation Facts and Fiction: Smog
• Los Angeles Transportation Facts and Fiction: Sprawl
• Los Angeles Transportation: Facts and Fiction, Introduction

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

Here is the article on Driving and Delay:

Time to bring the quiz to a close. We’ve seen in past posts that, by the standards of U.S. cities, Los Angeles is not sprawling, has a fairly extensive transit system, and is decidedly light on freeways. The smog situation has vastly improved. The final two stereotypes await.

Thanks to the great distances between far-flung destinations, and perhaps Angelenos’ famed “love affair” with the car, Angelenos drive considerably more miles than most Americans. 

Answer: False.

 According to the Federal Highway Administration, Angelenos drive 23 miles per resident per day. This ranks the Los Angeles metro area 21st highest among the largest 37 cities. The champions (or losers) are probably Houston, followed by Jacksonville and Orlando, all of which are over 30 miles per day. New Yorkers drive the fewest miles (17 VMT per resident per day), thanks in large part to relatively high transit ridership and lots of walking trips.

Despite our reputation, we Angelenos don’t exhibit any particularly great predilection for freeway travel either. Los Angeles ranks 14th out of the 37 largest metro areas in terms of highway miles driven per resident per day. To be sure, this is above the median, but it hardly points to the sort of unique freeway fetish Angelenos are accused of harboring.