Thursday, December 20, 2007

Transportation Communications Newsletter

Thursday, December 20, 2007 -- ISSN 1529-1057

1) Seattle Bus Tunnel Closed While Computer Glitch is Repaired
Link to story in The Seattle Times:
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2004083773_tunnel20m.html
Link to story in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer:
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/transportation/344159_tunnel20.html

2) Air France Tests Cell Services in Europe
Link to AP story:
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hupqSBBCtzqjCzzqKIMbMSpEXpjgD8TLBV981
Link to news release and video from Air France:
http://corporate.airfrance.com/index.php?id=alaune_detail&L=1&tx_ttnews[tt_news]=1921&no_cache=1&tt_news[BackPid]=2

3) Mobile Phone Driving Jail Threat in England and Wales
Link to BBC News story:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7153070.stm
Link to news release from the Crown Prosecution Service:
http://www.cps.gov.uk/news/pressreleases/180_07.html

4) Quebec Bans Cell Phone Use While Driving, Will Pilot Red-Light Cameras and Photo Radar
Link to UPI story:
http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/Top_News/2007/12/20/quebec_legislates_snow_tires_no_phones/2844/

5) Inside Look at General Motor’s OnStar System
Link to story in InformationWeek:
http://www.informationweek.com/news/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=205100835

6) Rhode Island Map on a Tight Path
Funding shortfall forces state to sell ads to cover costs.
Link to story in The Providence Journal:
http://www.projo.com/news/content/BZ_STATE_MAP_12-20-07_EK88V2G_v199.194389c.html (may require free registration)

7) Solving the Spectrum Squeeze
Future of IT: We need new approaches and new technology to make the most of a finite resource.
Link to story in Government Computer News:
http://www.gcn.com/print/26_30/45576-1.html

8) Second Life as a Simulation Tool
Professor creates software to control a virtual rapid-transit system called SkyTran
Link to story in The Orange County Register:
http://www.ocregister.com/column/life-second-skytran-1944191-computer-virtual (may require free registration)

9) Mathematicians Develop Model to Solve Traffic Jam Mystery
Link to ANI story:
http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/lifestyle/mathematicians-develop-model-to-solve-traffic-jam-mystery_1009552.html

10) Smart Elevators, Dumb People
Link to story in The New York Times:
http://tierneylab.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/12/20/smart-elevators-dumb-people/?hp (may require free registration)


News Releases
1) Houston TranStar Garners Statewide Service Award - Program Tells Travelers of Drive Times
2) Frost & Sullivan Award Underlines Microsoft’s Outstanding Innovations in Customer Service in the Automotive Sector
3) VICS Rejected as National Standard of China Real-Time Traffic Information Service


Job Posting
- Associate Administrator and Director, Volpe National Transportation Systems Center – US Department of Transportation – Cambridge, Massachusetts
http://jobsearch.usajobs.gov/ftva.asp?seeker=1&JobID=66567890


Upcoming Events
Road Expo Ireland & Civilex – March 5-6 – Dublin
http://www.road-expo.ie/


Today in Transportation History
1918 – The Canadian Cabinet passes an order creating the government-owned Canadian National Railways.
http://www.cn.ca/about/company_information/history/en_AboutHistory.shtml

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© 2007 Bernie Wagenblast