Wednesday, March 31, 2010

By admin On March 31st, 2010

Transportation Communications Newsletter
Wednesday, March 31, 2010 – ISSN 1529-1057

CAMERAS
1) Taxi Cameras to be Compulsory in New Zealand
Link to article on Stuff:
2) University of New Mexico Gets Green-Light to Study Traffic Cameras
Link to story and video on KOB-TV:
OTHER
3) Hail a New York City Cab with Your Apple iPhone and Android Device Via Location Analytics
Link to article on SmartPlanet:
4) ERTICO’s i-Mobility Newsletter – March 2010
Link to newsletter:
ROADWAYS
5) What Happens When You Remove All Traffic Signs? A German Town Finds Out
Link to article in The Christian Science Monitor:
6) New Jersey Toll Takers to Get Customer Service Training
Link to story on WCBS-TV:
7) A Portable Weigh Station for Rural Roads
Link to article in Sensor:
SAFETY / SECURITY
8) US Government Set to Ban Texting by Truck, Bus Drivers
Link to AP article:
Link to news release from US DOT:
9) Banning Texting in Trucks Raises Other Questions
Link to article in The New York Times:
10) National Work Zone Awareness Week 2010: Work Zones Need Your Undivided Attention
Link to article in Focus:
TRANSIT
11) New York MTA Rejects Subway Ads
Say acronyms used in ads imply obscene language.
Link to article in the Daily News:
12) Eight Essential Transit Agency Blogs
Link to article in the Los Angeles MTA’s The Source:
13) Shenzhen Tong Card and Hong Kong Octopus Card to Reach Interoperability
Link to article in the Shenzhen Post:
14) Walt Disney World Uses Their Monorail for Advertising for the First Time
Link to article on Jaunted:
TRAVELER INFORMATION / TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT
15) I-81 Corridor Coalition Hosts Traffic Incident Management and Clearance Workshop
Link to article in The Sentinel:
16) Meet ‘Cal North,’ the Imaginary Direction-Giver of 511
Link to column in SF Weekly:
17) Voice of Bay Area 511 Often Calls Himself
Link to column in SF Weekly:
VEHICLES
18) How Ford’s Sync Technology Will Turn It Into America’s Most Surprising Consumer Electronics Company
Link to article in Fast Company:
19) Ford, Microsoft to Work on Electric-Car Charging
Link to article in The Seattle Times:
News Releases
Upcoming Events
LaGuardia Airport Kiwanis Club Charity Ball Honoring ‘Miracle on the Hudson’ First Officer – May 21 – Great Neck, New York
Today in Transportation History    
1980 **30th anniversary** The Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad operated its last train.
======================================================================
The Transportation Communications Newsletter is published electronically Monday through Friday. 
To subscribe or unsubscribe, please visit:
If you have any difficulties please contact me at i95berniew@aol.com.
Questions, comments about the TCN?  Please write the editor, Bernie Wagenblast at i95berniew@aol.com.     
© 2010 Bernie Wagenblast  www.bwcommunications.net





Posted in Limousine | No Comments »

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

By admin On March 30th, 2010

Transportation Communications Newsletter
Tuesday, March 30, 2010 – ISSN 1529-1057

Register Now for IBTTA’s Upcoming Summit: The Future of Tolling – Going Mainstream
Through ORT and Interoperability, May 23-25, 2010 in Boston, MA


Join the International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association in Boston for the fourth Summit in a series of workshops focused on the hot topics of ORT and Interoperability. This Summit will bring together transportation experts who will focus on lessons learned, case studies, business rules and future decision-making about all-electronic toll collection, interoperability, violation enforcement, and implications for vehicle miles traveled charging. Breakout sessions are divided into four main categories – On the Road and in the Car; Technology and Backroom Issues; Road Pricing and Financial Issues and In the Public and Policy Forum. IBTTA is exploring opportunities to involve university students and faculty from the Boston area in research connected with the main topics of this Summit. Click here for registration, hotel and travel information and to view the preliminary agenda.www.IBTTA.org
AVIATION
1) IBM, FAA Team Up to Tackle Severe Security Risks to Flight Data
Link to column in The Hill:
CAMERAS
2) Smile! Local Officers Quietly Snap Photos During Traffic Stops
Link to article in The Monitor:
CARTOGRAPHY
3) Boom! Tweets and Maps Swarm to Pinpoint a Mysterious Explosion
Link to article in The New York Times:
OTHER
4) Georgia Senate OKs Bill Targeting Non-English-Speaking Drivers
Link to article in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
ROADWAYS
5) How Good Asphalt Helps Visibility in the Rain
Link to column in the San Jose Mercury News:
6) Federal Sign Language Tests Local Budgets
Link to article in The Daily Reporter:
SAFETY / SECURITY
7) Pennsylvania DOT to Change Policy on Release of Driving-Record Information for Prospective School Bus Drivers
Link to article in The Philadelphia Inquirer:
8) Study: Only 2.5% Can Safely Drive and Phone
Link to CBS News story:
TRANSIT
9) Lack of Video Slows Hunt for a Killer in the New York Subway
Link to article in The New York Times:
TRAVELER INFORMATION / TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT
10) Oklahoma City’s Traffic Link Project Gets a Green Light Again
Link to article and video in The Oklahoman:
11) High-Tech Data Collection to Aid Lower Manhattan’s Traffic Jams
Link to story and video on NY1 News:
12) Wireless Does Community Service
Behind-the-scenes municipal applications help urban traffic flow.
Link to article in Network World:
VEHICLES
13) NASA to Test Toyota Electronics in Safety Probe
Link to Reuters article:
14) Toyota Announces Safety Initiatives
Among steps, company will expand use of event data recorders and increase use of remote communications functions.
Link to article on just-auto:
15) Toyota’s PR ‘Lessons to be Learned’
Link to article on just-auto:
News Releases
Upcoming Events
TRB Webinar: Knowledge Is Power: How TRB’s Databases Improve Access to Transportation Research – April 19
Today in Transportation History    
1945 **65th anniversary** – A German Messerschmitt Me 262, the world’s first operational combat jet aircraft, was flown to flown to an American-held air base.
======================================================================
The Transportation Communications Newsletter is published electronically Monday through Friday. 
To subscribe or unsubscribe, please visit:
If you have any difficulties please contact me at i95berniew@aol.com.
Questions, comments about the TCN?  Please write the editor, Bernie Wagenblast at i95berniew@aol.com.    
© 2010 Bernie Wagenblast  www.bwcommunications.net





Posted in Limousine | No Comments »

Monday, March 29, 2010

By admin On March 29th, 2010

Transportation Communications Newsletter
Monday, March 29, 2010 – ISSN 1529-1057

·       FHWA Administrator Victor Mendez joins the lineup of USDOT Presidential Appointees and executives at USDOT’s May 4 Opening Plenary.  Speakers Include Administrators of NHTSA, FMCSA and RITA as well as Deputy Administrators of FTA, FRA and RITA.
·       Reserve your hotel room now. Rooms are 90% sold, and conference rates expire April 9.
·       Can’t attend?  Register for our technical session webinars.  Click “Attendee Registration”; enter your info; on “Profile Page,” scroll down to “Webinar” block.
·       Exhibit space and sponsorship opportunities are still available.
AVIATION
1) Pocket GPS Used to Make Emergency Passenger Jet Landing in Russia
Link to RIA Novosti article:
2) Air Traffic Controller Talks About ‘Pushing Tin’
Link to article in the Daily Herald:
CAMERAS
3) Columbus, Ohio Traffic-Camera Deal Won’t Face Competition
Link to article in The Columbus Dispatch:
ELECTRONIC TOLLING
4) Illinois Tollway May Get Words, Not Lights, When Toll is Paid
Link to column in the Chicago Tribune:
GPS / NAVIGATION
5) The 11 Mobile Apps You Need to Get Around Any City
Link to article on The Infrastructurist:
MARITIME
6) Radar to Spot Icebergs in Alaska’s Prince William Sound is Working Again
Link to article in Petroleum News:
OTHER
7) ERTICO Interview with SINTEF
Link to interview:
ROADWAYS
8) New Jersey Exploring Selling Turnpike Rest-Stop Naming Rights
Link to AP article:
SAFETY / SECURITY
9) Apps to Curb Texting While Driving Have Tough Task
Link to AP article:
TELEMATICS
10) CeBIT in Motion – Telematics and ITS Joining the IT-Community
Link to ERTICO article:
11) Peterbilt Launches New In-Dash Telematics and Infotainment System
Link to article in Truck News:
TRANSIT
12) Boston T Debuts Subway Wireless Service
Link to article in The Boston Globe:
13) Yale University Directing Parking Students to Transit via Personalized E-mail
Link to article in Metro:
14) Politicians Ask, and the New York MTA Jots It Down
State law requires agency to compile and publish every official communication from members of the legislature.
Link to article in The New York Times:
TRAVELER INFORMATION / TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT
15) West Virginia Installing Traffic Detection Cameras as Part of Larger Intelligent Transportation System
Link to article in The Journal:
16) India, Canada to Sign MOU for Cooperation in Highways, Transport Sector
Areas of cooperation include ITS, highway management and road safety.
Link to ANI article:
VEHICLES
17) How ‘Black Boxes’ Help in Car Crash Reconstructions
Link to article in USA Today:
18) BMW and Siemens Car2X System Transmits Data Between Traffic Lights and Vehicles to Optimize Stop-Start Function
Link to article on Green Car Congress:
19) NASCAR Drivers and Fans Embrace Social Networks
Link to article in the Martinsville Bulletin:
News Releases
Upcoming Events
International Road Federation World Road Meeting 2010 – May 25-28 – Lisbon
Today in Transportation History    
1945 **65th anniversary** The final V-1 flying bomb attack against the UK took place.
======================================================================
The Transportation Communications Newsletter is published electronically Monday through Friday. 
To subscribe or unsubscribe, please visit:
If you have any difficulties please contact me at i95berniew@aol.com.
Questions, comments about the TCN?  Please write the editor, Bernie Wagenblast at i95berniew@aol.com.    
© 2010 Bernie Wagenblast  www.bwcommunications.net

Posted in Limousine | No Comments »

Heavy Industry in Hamilton

By admin On March 29th, 2010

Hamilton weighs in on top of other cities – in obesity. The article has a helpful recognition of links between car dependency and (poor) health:

For example, the same 2006 StatsCan report noted that U.S. data has found associations between obesity and urban sprawl, suggesting that an increased dependency on cars decreases opportunities and motivation to walk.

According to Tran, public health is starting to shift its strategy from relying on educating people to considering those kind of environmental factors.

That includes working with the municipality and schools to address issues such as increasing walkability, bike trails, active transportation and food policies.

How many decades will Hamilton take to implement measures to alleviate the effects of sprawl?

Full article here.

Posted in Limousine | No Comments »

Friday, March 26, 2010

By admin On March 26th, 2010

Transportation Communications Newsletter
Friday, March 26, 2010 – ISSN 1529-1057

Using the Phone and E-mail to Disseminate Transportation Information
As many of you know, in addition to editing the TCN and other transportation newsletters, I also lend my voice to a variety of transport projects.  This week I discovered an interesting service that allows you to easily record a message by phone or online and then add it to an e-mail message.  Seeing how transportation agencies and organizations are using everything from e-mail to Twitter accounts to share information, I thought this is an innovative method to engage those you want to reach in a different way.  I’ve included a couple of links to let you hear how it sounds.  The first is a message I recorded over the phone. 
The second example was done with a professional microphone.  It’s one of the announcements I made for the AirTrain at Newark Liberty International Airport. 
With this you could take advantage of those speakers attached to most computers and truly talk to your customers or constituents.  Using voice is more personal and conveys emotion better than words on a screen ever can.  Please contact me at bernie@bwcommunications.net if you’d like more information.  You can also visit my Web site at www.bwcommunications.net. 
AVIATION
1) Air Traffic Controller Honored for Helping Pilot in Danger
Link to story and video on WISC-TV:
BICYCLES
2) Los Angeles DOT Launches Bicycle Blog
Link to LADOT Bike Blog:
GPS / NAVIGATION
3) Court Rules Cell Phone GPS Records Not Enough to Dismiss Speeding Ticket
Link to CNET News article:
MARITIME
4) Safety Pain Scheme: Increasing Safety Morale
Link to article in Marine News:
PEDESTRIANS
5) British Columbia Launching Online Map to Show Walking Routes Around Province
Link to article in the Vancouver Sun:
ROADWAYS
6) ‘Hell is Real’ Bill Could Cost Kentucky $42 Million a Year in Federal Transportation Money
Legislation would exempt regulation of certain billboards.
Link to article in the Lexington Herald-Leader:
TRANSIT
7) Uh Oh, Los Angeles Metro’s Time Schedule Monitors
Some suggestions on what the MTA can do to provide greater access to departure times on their monitors.
Link to blog on Plus Metro:
News Releases
Upcoming Events
Webinars: National Transit Database Rural Reporting – Various Dates
Friday Bonus
Waiting for the Paris Metro? You might be in an IKEA ad.
Today in Transportation History    
1910 **100th anniversary** Orville Wright made the first engine-powered flight in Alabama in Montgomery.  The site later became Maxwell Air Force Base.
======================================================================
The Transportation Communications Newsletter is published electronically Monday through Friday. 
To subscribe or unsubscribe, please visit:
If you have any difficulties please contact me at i95berniew@aol.com.
Questions, comments about the TCN?  Please write the editor, Bernie Wagenblast at i95berniew@aol.com.    
© 2010 Bernie Wagenblast  www.bwcommunications.net

Posted in Limousine | No Comments »

Friday, March 26, 2010

By admin On March 26th, 2010

Transportation Communications Newsletter
Friday, March 26, 2010 – ISSN 1529-1057

Using the Phone and E-mail to Disseminate Transportation Information
As many of you know, in addition to editing the TCN and other transportation newsletters, I also lend my voice to a variety of transport projects.  This week I discovered an interesting service that allows you to easily record a message by phone or online and then add it to an e-mail message.  Seeing how transportation agencies and organizations are using everything from e-mail to Twitter accounts to share information, I thought this is an innovative method to engage those you want to reach in a different way.  I’ve included a couple of links to let you hear how it sounds.  The first is a message I recorded over the phone. 
The second example was done with a professional microphone.  It’s one of the announcements I made for the AirTrain at Newark Liberty International Airport. 
With this you could take advantage of those speakers attached to most computers and truly talk to your customers or constituents.  Using voice is more personal and conveys emotion better than words on a screen ever can.  Please contact me at bernie@bwcommunications.net if you’d like more information.  You can also visit my Web site at www.bwcommunications.net. 
AVIATION
1) Air Traffic Controller Honored for Helping Pilot in Danger
Link to story and video on WISC-TV:
BICYCLES
2) Los Angeles DOT Launches Bicycle Blog
Link to LADOT Bike Blog:
GPS / NAVIGATION
3) Court Rules Cell Phone GPS Records Not Enough to Dismiss Speeding Ticket
Link to CNET News article:
MARITIME
4) Safety Pain Scheme: Increasing Safety Morale
Link to article in Marine News:
PEDESTRIANS
5) British Columbia Launching Online Map to Show Walking Routes Around Province
Link to article in the Vancouver Sun:
ROADWAYS
6) ‘Hell is Real’ Bill Could Cost Kentucky $42 Million a Year in Federal Transportation Money
Legislation would exempt regulation of certain billboards.
Link to article in the Lexington Herald-Leader:
TRANSIT
7) Uh Oh, Los Angeles Metro’s Time Schedule Monitors
Some suggestions on what the MTA can do to provide greater access to departure times on their monitors.
Link to blog on Plus Metro:
News Releases
Upcoming Events
Webinars: National Transit Database Rural Reporting – Various Dates
Friday Bonus
Waiting for the Paris Metro? You might be in an IKEA ad.
Today in Transportation History    
1910 **100th anniversary** Orville Wright made the first engine-powered flight in Alabama in Montgomery.  The site later became Maxwell Air Force Base.
======================================================================
The Transportation Communications Newsletter is published electronically Monday through Friday. 
To subscribe or unsubscribe, please visit:
If you have any difficulties please contact me at i95berniew@aol.com.
Questions, comments about the TCN?  Please write the editor, Bernie Wagenblast at i95berniew@aol.com.    
© 2010 Bernie Wagenblast  www.bwcommunications.net

Posted in Limousine | No Comments »

Thursday, March 25, 2010

By admin On March 25th, 2010

Transportation Communications Newsletter
Thursday, March 25, 2010 – ISSN 1529-1057

Register Now for IBTTA’s Organization Management Workshop – April 18-20, 2010 in Austin, TX
The toll industry is evolving at an astonishing rate. Driven by financial realities, political change, and technological innovations the industry is facing a wide range of challenges and opportunities and is being forced to respond to them at lightning speed. Join IBTTA, April 18-20, 2010 in Austin, TX and keep your organization current on the latest industry trends to Enhance Mobility Through Innovation. Featured presenters include: Tom Vanderbilt, Keynote, Best-Selling Author and Journalist; Clarence Jones and Ellen Jaffe Jones, Winning News Media, Inc.; and Hans Bleiker and Annemarie Bleiker, Institute for Participatory Management & Planning. The hotel reservation cut-off for this meeting is Friday, March 26th. Click here for registration, hotel and travel information and to view the preliminary agenda. www.IBTTA.org 
AVIATION
1) Stealth Indianapolis Airport Study Tracked Phones
Link to article in The Indianapolis Star:
2) NASA Researcher Revolutionizes Air Traffic Management
Link to India Blooms News Service article:
CAMERAS
3) Los Angeles Police: Red-Light Camera Report was Flawed
Link to story and video on KABC-TV:
GPS / NAVIGATION
4) Navigating the Future of GPS Devices
Link to column on CNET News:
PARKING
5) Wireless Technology to Make Parking Spaces ‘Smart’ in Los Angeles and San Francisco
Link to article on PublicCEO:
RAILROADS
6) High-Speed Rail is a Public Relations Orphan
Link to blog in BizTimes:
ROADWAYS
7) Germany’s Free Democrat’s: ‘Foolish’ Traffic Sign Changes Must End
SAFETY / SECURITY
8) FCC Seeks Input on Common Alerting Protocol-Related Emergency Alert System Rule Changes
Protocol will allow geo-specific warnings to be sent to multiple platforms, including highway signs.
Link to article in Radio World:
TELEMATICS
9) UPS Invests $1 Billion in Technology to Cut Costs
Link to IDG News Service article:
10) Can Telematics Reinvent Auto Insurance?
Link to article in Telematics Update:
TRANSIT
11) Pittsburgh Makes Transit Data Available to Developers
Link to article in TheTransitWire:
VEHICLES
12) Pimp Your Ride: Keep Yourself Entertained with These In-Car Gadgets
Link to story and video on STV Living:
News Releases
Upcoming Events
TRB Webinar: Managing and Marketing Small Airports – April 6
Today in Transportation History    
1910 **100th anniversary** US President William Howard Taft sends Congress a report from the Liberian Commission, which includes a recommendation that the US establish a coaling station in Liberia for US ships.
======================================================================
The Transportation Communications Newsletter is published electronically Monday through Friday. 
To subscribe or unsubscribe, please visit:
If you have any difficulties please contact me at i95berniew@aol.com.
Questions, comments about the TCN?  Please write the editor, Bernie Wagenblast at i95berniew@aol.com.    
© 2010 Bernie Wagenblast  www.bwcommunications.net





Posted in Limousine | No Comments »

walk + fail

By admin On March 25th, 2010

The city’s walkability is getting a good kicking from Raise the Hammer, as bloggers record the many instances where the street design punishes walkers to award cars.
Walkability Fail features posts with maps and description of the poor design of pedestrian facilities, some of which are recently engineered at great expense (McMaster’s Main Street entrance for example)

Related Links
International Charter for Walking
Collaborative Pedestrian and Walking Initiative

Posted in Limousine | No Comments »

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

By admin On March 24th, 2010

Transportation Communications Newsletter
Wednesday, March 24, 2010 – ISSN 1529-1057

Register Now for IBTTA’s Organization Management Workshop – April 18-20, 2010 in Austin, TX
The toll industry is evolving at an astonishing rate. Driven by financial realities, political change, and technological innovations the industry is facing a wide range of challenges and opportunities and is being forced to respond to them at lightning speed. Join IBTTA, April 18-20, 2010 in Austin, TX and keep your organization current on the latest industry trends to Enhance Mobility Through Innovation. Featured presenters include: Tom Vanderbilt, Keynote, Best-Selling Author and Journalist; Clarence Jones and Ellen Jaffe Jones, Winning News Media, Inc.; and Hans Bleiker and Annemarie Bleiker, Institute for Participatory Management & Planning. The hotel reservation cut-off for this meeting is Friday, March 26th. Click here for registration, hotel and travel information and to view the preliminary agenda. www.IBTTA.org 
CAMERAS
1) Yellow-Lights Shorter at Chicago Red-Light Camera Intersections
Link to article on Chicago Breaking News:
GPS / NAVIGATION
2) GPS Data from New York City Cabs Provides Detailed Picture of Traffic
Link to article in The New York Times:
RAILROADS
3) Penn Station Baltimore Announcer Replaced by DiHTTP/1.1 200 OK Date: Sat, 31 Jul 2010 07:15:03 GMT Server: Apache X-Pingback: http://limousine.carcenterblog.com/xmlrpc.php Connection: close Transfer-Encoding: chunked Content-Type: text/html; charset=iso-8859-1 200 OK

OK

The server encountered an internal error or misconfiguration and was unable to complete your request.

Please contact the server administrator, support@supportwebsite.com and inform them of the time the error occurred, and anything you might have done that may have caused the error.

More information about this error may be available in the server error log.

Apache/1.3.33 Server at limousine.carcenterblog.com Port 80