TransportGooru

(Source:  Raman’s Strategic Analysis & Wikipedia)

On April 11,2011, the Government-controlled Xinhua news agency of China has disseminated from Lhasa a report on the construction of a fast rail line to connect Lanzhou, the capital of the Gansu province, with Urumqi, the capital of the Xinjiang province. The construction of this line, capable of carrying trains moving at 300 KMs an hour, was started in 2009 and is due to be completed in 2015. The Xinhua despatch has quoted some Chinese analysts as viewing the line as significant more from the national security and political angle than from the economic perspective.Though the Xinhua has not spelt it out in such terms, it should be apparent that the railway line will help strengthen Beijing’s control over the Tibetan and Uighur-inhabited areas of the country (11-4-11).

Some of the key highlights of this rail line as reported in the Xinhua report:

• This rail line will connect Lanzhou, capital of Gansu Province, with Urumqi, capital of northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.
• China Railway 20th Group Co., Ltd., is in charge of the construction, which began in 2009.
• Wages for construction workers is also double compared to the construction in the flatlands (due to tough  working conditions in high-altitudes)
• According to Wikipedia, the rail tracks in the section near Qilianshan Tunnel will be at 3,858 meters above sea level^[3], making it the highest high-speed rail track in the world.
• Trains will run at 350 kilometres per hour on the line.^[4][5]

Click here to read the full text of the Xinhua dispatch.

Editor’s note:  Though the pursuit of China’s high-speed in this northwestern region is discussed from the militaristic and national security-oriented perspective, it offers a glimpse of the national leadership’s desire to connect the vast outlying remote areas of rural China.  This offers an swift and safe access route for people and goods to flow between these regions and the big centers of trade/commerce and manufacturing situated along the coast line in the Eastern part of the country.  It is amazing to see how steadfast is the Communist leadership in its commitment to build this national strategic infrastructure asset.

Monday, April 11, 2011 – ISSN 1529-1057

GEWI News:  AGORA-C, Build vs. Buy, and more – Are you subscribed?

Six times annually, GEWI issues a FREE newsletter for North America, Europe, Asia, and Worldwide.  These newsletters provide updates on market and product technologies, customer projects and ideas being used by traffic professionals worldwide.  In the edition being released next week you can read about AGORA-C, an exciting location referencing method being used in next generation of navigation devices.  “Build vs. Buy” is a decision that is faced by companies all over the world.  This edition of GEWI’s newsletter will take a look at key components in this decision.   It will also profile a new traffic service in Indonesia, and more.

To subscribe, just visit www.GEWI.com and click on “Newsletter Subscription” in the menu bar.  For more information how TIC is used for DOT Traveler Information Services, Work Zones and Road Conditions, Navigation and Connected Services, Radio and TV…and more, click on “Products” or contact jim.oneill@GEWI.com

AVIATION

1) FAA Opens New Air Traffic Control System Command Center

Link to article in Airport Magazine:

http://www.aviationnews.net/?do=headline&news_ID=190558

Link to news release from the FAA:

http://www.faa.gov/news/press_releases/news_story.cfm?newsId=12661

CAMERAS

2) Video Surveillance by Karachi Police Likely to Begin Soon

Link to article in Dawn:

http://www.dawn.com/2011/04/11/citys-video-surveillance-by-police-likely-to-begin-soon.html

GPS / NAVIGATION

3) Swedish Firm First Known Foreign Company to Use GLONASS

Link to Reuters article:

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/04/11/us-russia-sweden-glonass-idUSTRE73A1S320110411

4) Reporters’ Roundtable: Where is Navigation Going?

Link to story and video on CNET:

http://www.cnet.com/8301-30976_1-20052271-10348864.html

MARITIME

5) Singapore to Launch New Port Operations Control Center at Changi

Link to Bernama article:

http://www.bernama.com.my/bernama/v5/newsworld.php?id=578166

PUBLIC INFORMATION / EDUCATION

6) Minnesota’s Metropolitan Council’s $1 Million PR Budget Called Bloated

Link to article in the Star Tribune:

http://www.startribune.com/local/119576299.html

ROADWAYS

7) Multiple Events Cause Gridlock in Sydney

Minister says more should have been done to warn motorists.

Link to AAP article:

http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-national/minister-takes-blame-for-sydney-gridlock-20110411-1dat9.html

SAFETY / SECURITY

8) EU’s Plan to Force Airlines to Release Passenger Data Criticized

Link to Bloomberg article:

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-04-11/eu-s-plan-to-force-airlines-to-release-passenger-data-criticized.html

9) Proof of Identity Will be Required to Enter Patna Airport

Link to article in The Times of India:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/patna/Now-I-card-a-must-for-entry-into-Patna-airport/articleshow/7934288.cms

TRANSIT

10) Wellington, New Zealand Area Bus Tracking Service ‘Disappointing’

Link to article in The Dominion Post:

http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/4870783/Bus-tracking-service-disappointing

11) How Smartphones Can Improve Public Transit

Link to column in Wired:

http://www.wired.com/autopia/2011/04/how-smartphones-can-improve-public-transit/

TRAVELER INFORMATION / TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT

12) Traffic Cameras, Message Boards Coming to Pittsburgh Area Interstates

Link to article in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review:

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/westmoreland/s_731658.html

13) Monitoring Canada’s Most Traveled Roads

Link to article in Government Video:

http://www.governmentvideo.com/article/104794

VEHICLES

14) Connected Cars Fill Frequency Bands and Swamp Address Schemes

Link to article in EE Times Europe:

http://eetimes.eu/en/magazine/eete-2010.html (page 22) (free registration required)

News Releases

1) Study Shows Reduced Levels of Driver Distraction Through ATX Group’s In-Vehicle Voice-Based Texting

2) Why the Personal Navigation Device Market Faces a 50% Decline, and What Needs to Change

3) Rensselaer Professor Receives Award for Work on Making Driving Smoother, Safer Using Cellphone and GPS Data

4) TomTom Makes Driving Safer with Active Driver Feedback

5) ITS United Kingdom Looks Back at a Successful Traffex

Upcoming Events

World ITS Summit-China 2011 – May 26-27 – Shanghai

http://www.its-world.org/en/

Today in Transportation History

2001 **10^th anniversary** The 24 crew members of a US Navy EP-3E ARIES II aircraft were repatriated to the United States after being held by Chinese authorities on Hainan Island.

http://articles.cnn.com/2001-04-01/us/us.china.plane.03_1_chinese-planes-chinese-aircraft-routine-surveillance-mission

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

The Transportation Communications Newsletter is published electronically Monday through Friday.

To subscribe (for free) or unsubscribe, please contact me at bernie@bwcommunications.net.

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

Become a TCN fan on Facebook!

Questions, comments about the TCN?  Please write the editor, Bernie Wagenblast at bernie@bwcommunications.net.

© 2011 Bernie Wagenblast  www.bwcommunications.net

(Source: Tree Hugger)

I saw this article below on Tree Hugger and felt compelled to share with you all.  See my commentary in the Editor’s Notes section below.

Growing Amtrak Ridership On A Collision Course With Political Surrealism

The Hill reports that “Amtrak had more riders in March than it has had in any March in its 40 years of existence, the company said Thursday. There were 137,000 more Amtrak riders this past month, the company said, which was the 17th straight month of increased ridership. That puts the company on track to break its annual ridership record, which was 28.7 million last year, Amtrak said.”

Note: By the term “political surrealism” I mean that the railroads which once united America are being used as a “wedge issue” to divide the US politically. Don’t tell me ideological opposition to Amtrak and high speed trains is justified because ‘we’re broke’ and passenger rail should be privately owned, exclusively.

Click here to read the full article.

Editor’s Notes: As a nation, especially in the post-World War II era, the United States has identified itself as a world leader in innovation and as a business-savvy nation.  Even during the toughest of times, a class of creative entrepreneurs and  political leaders somehow managed to find ways to help innovate and keep the economy rolling, eventually leading the country to gain the top spot among world’s economies.  This American entrepreneurship always was rooted in one thing – a keen understanding of the market demands for a product or service and effectively finding a steady supply to meet that demand.  Time and again this demand vs supply model was successfully applied in the market by many savvy innovators and managers, leading to the creation of many successful business houses and millionaires/billionaires across the country.

All of a sudden now things are looking different.  The America at the start of the 21st Century America looks much different than the one in the decades before.  Now the business community seems totally out of touch with the market demand and the political class is not far behind, blindly groping around without any clue of what the people really want.  With a country of 300+ million that is growing every day and the price of gasoline shooting through http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/04/08/government-shutdown-2011_n_846525.htmlthe roof with every war (overt and covert) launched in a different part of the globe under the guise of spreading democracy, the country and the economic engines are grinding themselves to a halt.  The driver of this economic engine has always been the transportation industry and this industry seems to be on a shakier footing than ever.  The rail industry that once dominated the country is now virtually shut out in favor of the motorcars and the highways lobby.  Aviation industry is doing a much better job getting people around faster but the airports and the sector’s infrastructure are starting to show signs of fatigue. 

And along comes this great opportunity, in form of investment in high speed rail, and our political leaders are completely blowing off a golden chance to resurrect the American dominance by completely caving to party-line politics.   There have been way too many arguments made for and against building a high-speed passenger rail network so I’m not even going to attempt bringing them here. All I want to add here is that we have a golden opportunity to encourage the business community to come forward and invest in meeting this demand from consumers.  These ridership numbers from Amtrak are no less of an indicator for a growing demand for a service; unfortunately the government does not have the money to pay for building a rail service that can cater to this demand.  So why not encourage the private sector to get involved in providing that service.  If it takes a little bit of hand holding/encouragement (read as subsidies and tax reliefs), why not do that?  Let the likes of Virgin, JR East, etc come in and set up shop.. Let them build the high speed rail network.. Give them the contracts to develop the lines, as well as the track /train sets.. Let them figure out the economics..  All the political leadership, esp. the conservatives, needs to do is to work with the U.S.DOT and the White House and make it easy for the players to come in and play the field.  A lot of other nations have successfully done this and why are we not trying something that we have taught everyone in the world?  For a nation full of smart people I am not sure why it is taking us so long to understand the strategic benefits of investing in this form of transportation.

In simple terms, we have a lot riding on the rails and we cannot afford to squander this opportunity to build a new industry, especially when there is a growing demand.  Looking  back at the end of the last century, the US government did its best to encourage private sector participation in the creation and development of a brand new industry in the Silicon Valley – Software/IT Industry, which helped establish the country as the market leader in the technology sector and has since spawned many products and services.  It is not a stretch to say many of the advances we have made in the field of computing and technology would not have been possible without this joint private/public sector participation. So, why not replicate the same in the transportation field and encourage the private sector to come in and create a robust industry.  It is not impossible and it is not going to be easy either! But hey, it is any day better than squabbling to score political points and fighting wars in foreign countries.

So, let me conclude by saying this – we don’t just need a new form of transportation but some new, fresh, outside the box thinking and political will to go with it.

Friday, April 8, 2011 – ISSN 1529-1057

GEWI News:  AGORA-C, Build vs. Buy, and more – Are you subscribed?

Six times annually, GEWI issues a FREE newsletter for North America, Europe, Asia, and Worldwide.  These newsletters provide updates on market and product technologies, customer projects and ideas being used by traffic professionals worldwide.  In the edition being released next week you can read about AGORA-C, an exciting location referencing method being used in next generation of navigation devices. “Build vs. Buy” is a decision that is faced by companies all over the world.  This edition of GEWI’s newsletter will take a look at key components in this decision.   It will also profile a new traffic service in Indonesia, and more.

To subscribe, just visit www.GEWI.com and click on “Newsletter Subscription” in the menu bar.  For more information how TIC is used for DOT Traveler Information Services, Work Zones and Road Conditions, Navigation and Connected Services, Radio and TV…and more, click on “Products” or contactjim.oneill@GEWI.com

AVIATION

1) AirTran Fined for Failing to Display Flight Delay Data

Link to article in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

http://www.ajc.com/business/airtran-fined-for-failing-902314.html

2) How Southwest Airlines Makes Sure Every Employee Hears Its Message

Link to SmartBlog on Leadership:
http://smartblogs.com/leadership/2011/04/06/how-southwest-airlines-engages-its-large-and-diverse-group-of-workers/

CAMERAS

3) Eyes in the Sky

Newspaper says privacy concerns over roadway cameras are an overreaction by ACLU.

Link to editorial in the Burlington County Times:

http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/local/burlington_county_times_news/opinion/editorials/eyes-in-the-sky/article_36d7b779-5655-52eb-8969-1eacdbba64f7.html

OTHER

4) US Government Shutdown

At press-time, the federal government was facing the possibility of a shutdown.  Here’s information on how several government agencies involved with transportation and communications are planning to handle a shutdown.

–  AASHTO Journal Summary

http://www.aashtojournal.org/Pages/040811appropriations.aspx

–  US Department of Transportation

http://www.dot.gov/docs/DOTOpsDuringFundingLapse.pdf

–  Federal Communications Commission

http://www.fcc.gov/FCC-Shutdown-Plan.pdf

PUBLIC INFORMATION / EDUCATION

5) California DMV’s Failure to Communicate is Appalling

Newspaper criticizes information provided about closing of office in Napa.

Link to editorial in the Napa Valley Register:

http://napavalleyregister.com/news/opinion/editorial/article_2fa41852-60d4-11e0-96a2-001cc4c002e0.html

SAFETY / SECURITY

6) US to Use Facebook, Twitter to Issue Terror Alerts

Link to AP article:

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2011-04-07-terror-alerts_N.htm

TRANSIT

7) Budapest Public Transit Agency to Implement Passenger Information System

Link to article on Spanish Railway News:

http://www.spanishrailwaysnews.com/noticias.asp?not=59

8) £590,000 Plan for Real-time Bus Information Approved for Cambridge, England

Link to article in Cambridge News:

http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/Home/590k-plan-for-real-time-bus-information-approved.htm

TRAVELER INFORMATION / TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT

9) Pennsylvania DOT Expands Traffic Camera Network

Link to story and video on WPMT-TV:

http://www.fox43.com/news/dauphin/wpmt-penndot-expands-traffic-camera-network,0,2146016.story

10) Canadian Study Shows Importance of Traffic Reports

Link to article on All Access:

http://www.allaccess.com/net-news/archive/story/89846/canadian-study-shows-importance-of-traffic-reports

11) Gainesville, Florida Introduces Website with Real-Time Traffic Updates

Link to article in the Alligator:

http://www.alligator.org/news/local/article_78cabf72-6188-11e0-a108-001cc4c03286.html

Link to site: http://gac-smartraffic.com/

VEHICLES

12) Ford, GM, Tech Firms Driving to ‘Smart’ Car Era

Link to article in Investor’s Business Daily:

http://www.investors.com/NewsAndAnalysis/Article/568445/201104071711/Techs-Govt-Get-Behind-The-Drive-For-Smarter-Cars.htm

News Releases

1) Honeywell Teams with Boeing to Develop New System to Secure Airports, Other Facilities

2) Yokohama Tire Corporation Wins Silver ADDY Award fro iPad App

3) Real-Time Train Info Integrated with Display Monitors at Massachusetts Stations

Upcoming Events

Webinar: International Cooperation on ITS: The Viajeo Project and Beyond – April 19

http://www.ertico.com/fifth-i-mobility-network-webinar-international-cooperation-on-its-the-viajeo-project-and-beyond-2/

Friday Bonus

One reason carpooling may not be popular with some people.

http://goo.gl/cbo2v

Today in Transportation History

1911 **100^th anniversary** Heike Kamerlingh Onnes, a Dutch physicist, discovered superconductivity.

http://ilorentz.org/history/cold/DelftKes_HKO_PT.pdf

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

The Transportation Communications Newsletter is published electronically Monday through Friday.

To subscribe (for free) or unsubscribe, please contact me at bernie@bwcommunications.net.

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

Become a TCN fan on Facebook!

Questions, comments about the TCN?  Please write the editor, Bernie Wagenblast atbernie@bwcommunications.net.

© 2011 Bernie Wagenblast  www.bwcommunications.net

(Source: Times of India & Central Chronicle)

Times of India report on this topic:

The Supreme Court on Thursday left no option for the Centre and states but to speedily implement the policy on installation of high security registration plates (HSRP) in 9 crore vehicles across the country.

A Bench comprising Chief Justice S H Kapadia andJustices K S Radhakrishnan and Swatanter Kumar slammed the states for their lethargy in implementing the court’s 2008 judgment upholding the Centre’s 2001 notification on mandatory HSRPs for vehicles.

Writing the judgment for the Bench, Justice Kumar said the executive must implement the court’s order within the stipulated time, especially when the issue concerned safety of citizens, which was of paramount interest for the governments.   It lamented non-implementation of the court`s May 8, 2008 judgment pronounced on a petition filed by Maninderjit Singh Bitta and issued contempt notices to the transport secretaries of Delhi, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh.

Some of the interesting aspects of the ruling include:

• If officials are found guilty of not implementing GPRS-enabled high security number plates they would not only be punished for contempt but also be liable to personally pay heavy cost.
• States which have initiated the process are directed to complete it in six weeks.
• Defaulting state transport secretaries are to file affidavit in four weeks.

click here to read the entire article.

Editor’s note: Given the constant security threats facing the nation, the swift implementation of high security registration plates makes a lot of sense. How on earth can they track rouge/unsafe elements on the road amongst a burgeoning vehicle population of 90 million that is continuing to grow leaps and bounds with each passing day? If anything, this should be a top priority at the Ministry of Transportation.

Thursday, April 7, 2011 – ISSN 1529-1057

Free INRIX Webinar: Complying with FHWA’s new Real-Time System Management Information Program (RTSMIP) Mandate

Known by many simply as “the 1201 requirements”, which referred to the original section in SAFETEA-LU, the new RTSMIP program requires that within the next four years all states develop a real-time system management information program to provide monitoring of traffic and travel conditions of the major highways and share information to address congestion problems and facilitate traveler information. Hosted by Ted Trepanier, INRIX Executive Director of Public Sector and former Director of Traffic Operations for Washington State DOT, this webinar provides a brief overview of the requirements of the new rules and showcases a suite of cost-effective and easy to implement solutions for meeting compliance with the new rule.

Date: Thursday, April 13, 2011 Time: 10:00AM (PDT); 1:00PM (EDT)

Register now: http://www.inrix.com/webinars.asp

AVIATION

1) Indian Pilots’ Exams May Go Online in July

Link to article in the Indian Express:

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/Pilots–exams-may-go-online-in-July/772825/

GPS / NAVIGATION

2) New Google Maps Feature Nudges Drivers to Consider Alternatives

Link to blog on CaliforniaStreets.org:

http://www.californiastreets.org/2011/04/new-google-maps-feature-nudges-drivers-to-consider-alternatives/

RAILROADS

3) Federal Railroad Administration Bans Electronic Devices on Trains

Link to article in The Journal of Commerce:

http://www.joc.com/rail-intermodal/fra-bans-electronic-devices-trains

4) Bulgarian State Railways to Use GPS to Reduce Fuel Thefts

Link to article in The Sofia Echo:

http://www.sofiaecho.com/2011/04/07/1071660_bulgarian-state-railways-to-use-gps-to-reduce-fuel-thefts

ROADWAYS

5) Website Maps California Highway Crashes, May Lead to Safer Roads

Link to article from the Contra Costa Times:

http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_17786691?nclick_check=1

Link to news release from the University of California, Berkeley:

http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2011/04/06/tims-california-traffic-collisions/

TELEMATICS

6) The Toyota-Microsoft Cloud Partnership is a Big Deal

Link to column in InformationWeek:

http://www.informationweek.com/news/global-cio/interviews/229401129

TRANSIT

7) Bus Shelters in Mysore to Go Intelligent Soon

Link to article in the Business Standard:

http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/bus-shelters-in-mysore-to-go-intelligent-soon/431368/

8) Woman Kicked Off Vancouver SkyTrain for Profane Lapel Pin

Link to CBC News story:

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2011/04/06/bc-lapel-pin-f-k-yoga-translink.html

9) New York MTA’s Signs Off the Rails

Communications, especially for subway construction projects, can be a challenge.

Link to article from The Wall Street Journal:

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/mtas-signs-off-the-rails-2011-04-05

10) Victoria Transport Building Android, WP7 Apps

Link to article on ZDNet Australia:

http://www.zdnet.com.au/vic-transport-building-android-wp7-apps-339312814.htm

TRAVELER INFORMATION / TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT

11) ‘Drivers Should Have Been Alerted’

Witnesses blame reckless driving and poor information for pile-up on Abu Dhabi-Dubai highway.

Link to article in Gulf News:

http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/uae/general/drivers-should-have-been-alerted-1.788847

News Releases

1) Operation Lifesaver Testifies on Its Role in Rail Safety at House Railroad Subcommittee Hearing

2) Sound Transit Launches New Website Featuring Improved Trip Planner, Rider-Focused Design

3) US DOT Releases ‘Faces of Distracted Driving’ Public Service Announcement

4) Global Commercial Telematics Shipments to Exceed 6.4 Million by 2016

5) Research and Markets: Global Automatic Number Plate Recognition Market 2010-2014 – Need for Security Boosts Adoption of Automatic Number Plate Recognition

Upcoming Events

MOSARIM Workshop: Automotive Radar Interference Mitigation and Countermeasures – May 26 – Ispra, Italy

http://www.ertico.com/mosarim-workshop-26-may-2011-ispra-italy-2/

Today in Transportation History

1521 **490^th anniversary** Ferdinand Magellan arrived at Cebu.

http://www.ancientsites.com/aw/Article/965899

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

The Transportation Communications Newsletter is published electronically Monday through Friday.

To subscribe (for free) or unsubscribe, please contact me at bernie@bwcommunications.net.

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

Become a TCN fan on Facebook!

Questions, comments about the TCN?  Please write the editor, Bernie Wagenblast at bernie@bwcommunications.net.

© 2011 Bernie Wagenblast  www.bwcommunications.net

(Source: NY Times)

U.S. Doctors Say Biofuels Could Kill Over 192,000 Per Year in Developing Countries

The food vs. fuel debate has intensified a little more with the ever growing demand for bio-fuels.  Many of the world’s hungriest people are going to bed without a morsel to eat, as more of the conventional food crops such as corn are diverted towards making biofuels that power the vehicle fleets. This above graphic from the NY Times article shows an alarming increase in the way we have change the consumption from food to fuel starting at the dawn of this 21st century.

Each year, an ever larger portion of the world’s crops — cassava and corn, sugar and palm oil — is being diverted for biofuels as developed countries pass laws mandating greater use of nonfossil fuels and as emerging powerhouses like China seek new sources of energy to keep their cars and industries running. Cassava is a relatively new entrant in the biofuel stream.

But with food prices rising sharply in recent months, many experts are calling on countries to scale back their headlong rush into green fuel development, arguing that the combination of ambitious biofuel targets and mediocre harvests of some crucial crops is contributing to high prices, hunger and political instability.

This year, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization reported that its index of food prices was the highest in its more than 20 years of existence. Prices rose 15 percent from October to January alone, potentially “throwing an additional 44 million people in low- and middle-income countries into poverty,” the World Bank said.

On a related note, the following was published on TreeHugger.com:

The Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (AAPS) has released a warning that U.S. and European policy to increase the production of biofuels could lead to almost 200,000 deaths in poorer countries. How? Mostly through higher food prices. Most biofuels are made using food crops like corn at this time, and diverting corn to ethanol refineries not only increases the price of corn, but it also encourage farmers to plant more of it, leaving less space for other types of crops, driving up their price too. This is a big deal if you live on $1-2 a day…

Click here to read the entire article.

(Source:  Thecityfix.com)

SeeClickFix, an online forum created to engage residents with community leaders to resolve neighborhood complaints, today announced the launch of a Facebook application. The Facebook application, similar to the SeeClickFix website and smartphone application, empowers citizens by giving them a chance to report issues in their communities directly through their Facebook accounts. Once reported, local authorities receive alerts on the complaints and can respond to issues accordingly.

“When the App is installed, the user’s location is pulled either directly from his or her current Facebook profile location or entered manually if no location is given,” reports the SeeClickFix blog. “Once the location is set, the user can start reporting issues, creating watch areas, discovering problems reported by neighbors, and, most important, advocating for an issue to be fixed. Users can automatically post reported issues to their walls, allowing friends to comment on the issue or vote for a fix.”

SeeClickFix has 14,000 registered public officials and more than 50,000 reported issues have been resolved through the website and its mobile application’s open forums. A Facebook application further encourages public empowerment by linking citizens with public officials through a familiar interface.

Click here to read more.

(Source: TheCityFix.com)

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced a 3 percent decrease in road fatalities between 2009 and 2010, which still adds up to 32,788 deaths. According to LaHood, last year’s traffic fatalities fell to the lowest levels since 1949, despite a 0.7 percent increase in the number of miles Americans drove—about 20.5 billion extra miles—and an 11 percent increase in congestion in the country’s 100 biggest metropolitan areas, making the decrease in traffic fatalities especially noteworthy.

Here is the USDOT’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Press Release:

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood today announced that the number and rate of traffic fatalities in 2010 fell to the lowest levels since 1949, despite a significant increase in the number of miles Americans drove during the year.“Last year’s drop in traffic fatalities is welcome news and it proves that we can make a difference,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. “Still, too many of our friends and neighbors are killed in preventable roadway tragedies every day. We will continue doing everything possible to make cars safer, increase seat belt use, put a stop to drunk driving and distracted driving and encourage drivers to put safety first.”

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) early projections, the number of traffic fatalities fell three percent between 2009 and 2010, from 33,808 to 32,788. Since 2005, fatalities have dropped 25 percent, from a total of 43,510 fatalities in 2005. The same estimates also project that the fatality rate will be the lowest recorded since 1949, with 1.09 fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles traveled, down from the 1.13 fatality rate for 2009. The decrease in fatalities for 2010 occurred despite an estimated increase of nearly 21 billion miles in national vehicle miles traveled.

A regional breakdown showed the greatest drop in fatalities occurred in the Pacific Northwest states of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana and Alaska, where they dropped by 12 percent. Arizona, California and Hawaii had the next steepest decline, nearly 11 percent.

“The decrease in traffic fatalities is a good sign, but we are always working to save lives,” said NHTSA Administrator David Strickland. “NHTSA will continue pressing forward on all of our safety initiatives to make sure our roads are as safe as they can possibly be.”

The Department of Transportation (DOT) has taken a comprehensive approach to reducing roadway fatalities by promoting strong traffic safety laws coupled with high-visibility enforcement and through rigorous vehicle safety programs and public awareness campaigns.

In 2009, Secretary LaHood launched a national anti-distracted driving campaign modeled on other successful NHTSA efforts to reduce fatalities, such as its “Over the Limit. Under Arrest.” and “Click It Or Ticket” campaigns to curb drunk driving and increase seat belt use. The U.S. DOT has launched a dedicated website, Distraction.gov, to provide the public with a comprehensive source of information on distracted driving. DOT has also hosted two national summits devoted to the issue, crafted sample legislation which states can use to adopt distracted driving laws, and initiated pilot law enforcement programs in Hartford, Conn., and Syracuse, N.Y.

NHTSA has also taken action to improve vehicle safety. The agency has urged automakers to swiftly and voluntarily report safety defects to keep the driving public safe. NHTSA has also encouraged the development and use of technologies to prevent crashes, such as electronic stability control, forward collision warning and lane departure warning systems. The agency also unveiled an updated 5-star rating system in 2010, which established more rigorous crash-test standards and began providing consumers with improved information about which cars perform best in collisions.

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has also been encouraging the use of Safety Edge technology — which reduces drivers’ risk of running off the road by shaping pavement edge — on new road and highway projects. FHWA has also promoted the use of rumble strips and cable median barriers to separate opposing directions of traffic to reduce the incidence of crossover head-on collisions.

To view NHTSA’s latest statistical projections of traffic fatalities in 2010, including regional estimates, click here.