Thursday, January 24, 2008

Transportation Communications Newsletter

Thursday, January 24, 2008 -- ISSN 1529-1057

Do you find the TCN useful? If so, you might also enjoy receiving the free AASHTO Daily Transportation Update in your e-mail inbox. The Daily is produced every weekday by TCN's editor, Bernie Wagenblast, and is a great resource for keeping up on the transportation news important to you, conveniently sorted by topic. It links to selected news stories from around the country and also includes a daily roundup of Federal Regulations that touch on transportation. If you'd like to receive this free, vital publication in your inbox today, send an e-mail to David Dubov, ddubov@aashto.org, with the words "Subscribe to the Daily" in your subject line. To see all past issues of the Daily, point your browser to http://news.transportation.org and click on the Daily Transportation Update link at the bottom of the page.


AVIATION

1) Nashville and Austin Offer Live Music in Their Airports
Link to AP story:
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/headline/features/5472210.html
Link to further information from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport:
http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/austinairport/musicartstours.htm
Link to further information from Nashville International Airport:
http://www.flynashville.com/music/music_sched.aspx

GPS / NAVIGATION

2) Russia Agency Told Fix Satnav, Forget Space Travel
Link to Reuters story:
http://in.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idINIndia-31557320080123

3) US Needs to Move on Next Generation GPS Satellite: Official
Link to Reuters story:
http://www.reuters.com/article/politicsNews/idUSN2424630220080124

MARITIME

4) US Transportation Security Administration Reports Progress in Port Identification Card Program
Link to story in Government Executive:
http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/0108/012308j3.htm
Link to further information from the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee:
http://transportation.house.gov/hearings/hearingdetail.aspx?NewsID=407

OTHER

5) Judge Says Missouri Must Issue License Plate with ‘Choose Life’
Link to story in The Kansas City Star:
http://www.kansascity.com/115/story/458123.html

RAILROADS

6) Proposal Axes Pay for CSX Flagmen
Florida legislation would stop state from paying for railroad personnel on public roads projects.
Link to story in The Tampa Tribune:
http://www2.tbo.com/content/2008/jan/24/na-proposal-axes-pay-for-csx-flagmen/

7) January Issue of European Rail Traffic Management System’s Signal
Link to newsletter:
http://ec.europa.eu/transport/rail/ertms/newsletter/doc/2008/004_signal_2008_01_en.pdf

ROADWAYS

8) Johannesburg Plans Solar Traffic Lights to Cope with Cuts
Link to story in The Star:
http://www.thestar.co.za/index.php?fArticleId=4219182

9) New Dallas Hub Houses Transportation Agencies, Will Monitor Roads with Cameras
Link to story in The Dallas Morning News:
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/localnews/stories/012408dnmettransport.50056229.html (may require free registration)
Link to Dallas/Fort Worth traffic conditions from Texas DOT: http://dfwtraffic.dot.state.tx.us/

SAFETY / SECURITY

10) Texas DOT Traffic Cameras Could Help Austin Police with Crime
Link to story in The Daily Texan:
http://media.www.dailytexanonline.com/media/storage/paper410/news/2008/01/24/StateLocal/Traffic.Cameras.Could.Help.Police.With.Crime-3166071.shtml

TRANSIT

11) Public Transport ‘Smart Card’ to Start Next Week in Queensland
Link to Australian Broadcasting Corporation News story:
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/01/24/2146005.htm
Link to news release from the Queensland Government:
http://statements.cabinet.qld.gov.au/MMS/StatementDisplaySingle.aspx?id=56211

12) Chicago Transit Authority Says Cameras in New Trains Will Help with Response to Emergencies
Link to story in the Chicago Tribune:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-ctasecurity_24jan24,1,5531708.story (may require free registration)
Link to news release from the CTA:
http://www.transitchicago.com/news/ctaandpress.wu?action=displayarticledetail&articleid=131401

13) Lazy Option is Best When Waiting for the Bus
People frustrated by the delayed arrival of a bus should wait for it to show up rather than walk to their destination, mathematicians say.
Link to story in New Scientist:
http://www.newscientist.com/channel/being-human/mg19726404.600-lazy-option-is-best-when-waiting-for-the-bus.html
Link to paper: http://arxiv.org/abs/0801.0297

TRAVELER INFORMATION / TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT

14) Montgomery County, Maryland Storm Center Debuts in Time for Snowfall
County is the first in the nation to use WeatherBug to aid snow removal efforts.
Link to story in The Washington Post:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/23/AR2008012301775.html (may require free registration)
Link to news release from Montgomery County:
http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/apps/News/press/PR_details.asp?PrID=4211

VEHICLES

15) High-Tech Trucking
High-tech dispatch center gives edge to trucking firm.
Link to story in The Flint Journal:
http://www.mlive.com/business/flintjournal/index.ssf?/base/business-5/1201186221261560.xml&coll=5


News Releases
1) Trimble Acquires Géo-3D Inc. to Provide Transportation Infrastructure Inventory Solutions
2) Telvent Will Implement and Manage the 511 Traveler Information System in the State of New York
3) It’s the Telematics Industry’s Time to Shine on Telematics Update Magazine’s Globally Recognized Stage
4) Guidebook to Contain New Info for Hazmat Emergencies
5) South Africa Adopts Framework Standards for Deployment of RFID Systems in Transportation
6) American Airlines Introduces Mobile AA.com Service to Further Enhance the Customer Experience
7) Unitronics Unveils Largest Automated Parking Garage in the US


Upcoming Events
Webinar: Approaches for Integrating Configuration Management Into Your ITS Project Development Processes – February 21
http://www.pcb.its.dot.gov/t3/s080221_se.asp


Today in Transportation History
1978 **30th anniversary** - Soviet satellite Cosmos 954 reenters the atmosphere with its nuclear reactor intact. Debris crashes in Canada’s Northwest Territories.
http://www.pwnhc.ca/timeline/index_winIFix.asp?forward=http%3A//www.pwnhc.ca/timeline/1975/1978_Cosmos.htm#Scene_1

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© 2008 Bernie Wagenblast