Monday, February 18, 2008

Transportation Communications Newsletter

Monday, February 18, 2008 -- ISSN 1529-1057

GPS / NAVIGATION

1) Officials Monitor GPS, and Car Batteries
GPS units installed in government vehicles are resulting in dead batteries.
Link to story in The New York Times:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/17/nyregion/nyregionspecial2/17gpsli.html?_r=1&ref=nyregionspecial2&oref=slogin (may require free registration)

2) Whom Do You Believe, GPS or Your Own Eyes?
Link to story in The New York Times:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/17/nyregion/nyregionspecial2/17colwe.html?ref=nyregionspecial2 (may require free registration)

OTHER

3) White Light, Green Light
Global Traffic Technologies evolving after split from 3M.
Link to story in Finance and Commerce:
http://www.finance-commerce.com/article.cfm/2008/02/16/White-light-green-light-Former-3M-traffic-tech-business-launches-a-new-corporate-identity
Link to Global Traffic Technologies’ Web site: http://www.gtt.com

RAILROADS

4) Costs, Liability Concerns Slow Railroad Quiet Zones
Link to story in the Courier News:
http://www.c-n.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080217/NEWS/802170382

SAFETY / SECURITY

5) Innovations Improving Visibility of Snowplows
Link to story in the Tahoe Daily Tribune:
http://www.tahoedailytribune.com/article/20080218/NEWS/709490981
Link to news release from the University of Nevada, Reno:
http://www.unr.edu/news/detail.aspx?id=2489

TRANSIT

6) Bay Area Workshop Aims to Upgrade Transit Trip Planning
Tech-savvy public transit advocates will meet to discuss improving transit Web sites.
Link to story in the San Francisco Chronicle:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/02/18/BA07V0VOF.DTL
Link to additional information: http://barcamp.org/TransitCampBayArea (scroll down)

7) New Zealand Public Transport GPS System to Get a Trim
Link to story from The Dominion Post:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/4405789a28.html

8) The Fare Essentials
As technology simplifies transit commute, will that mean standardized system in Philadelphia area?
Link to story in the Gloucester County Times:
http://www.nj.com/news/gloucester/index.ssf?/base/news-3/1203235814248910.xml&coll=8

9) Long Island Rail Road Rapped for ‘Secrecy’ on Third-Track Proposal
Railroad and Federal Transit Administration fail to release draft document showing community impact of adding additional track.
Link to story in Newsday:
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/transportation/ny-lilirr155578129feb15,0,1820216.story

10) British Underground Officials Retract Ban on Nude Portrait Ad
Link to CBC News story:
http://www.cbc.ca/arts/artdesign/story/2008/02/17/venus-ad-reversed.html

11) Celebrating the Semicolon in a Most Unlikely Location
Writer praises the use of a punctuation mark on a New York City subway poster.
Link to story in The New York Times:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/18/nyregion/18semicolon.html?ex=1360990800&en=f1bd9cd34931580c&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss&pagewanted=all

TRAVELER INFORMATION / TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT

12) Indiana Interstates Go High-Tech
Link to story in the Indianapolis Business Journal:
http://www.ibj.com/html/detail_page.asp?content=11325

13) Dubai Considers Installing Intelligent Traffic System on All Roads in 5 Years
Link to story in the Khaleej Times:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle.asp?xfile=data/theuae/2008/February/theuae_February528.xml&section=theuae
Link to news release from the Dubai Roads & Transport Authority:
http://www.rta.ae/wpsv5/wps/portal/!ut/p/kcxml/04_Sj9SPykssy0xPLMnMz0vM0Y_QjzKLN4g3NjEGSUGYRvqRaGKOCJEgfW99X4_83FT9AP2C3NCIckdHRQA1RSz5/delta/base64xml/L3dJdyEvd0ZNQUFzQUMvNElVRS82XzBfMzZO?contenttype=latest&contname=RTA%20Calls%20s%20to%20Comply%20withSigns%20of%20Intelligent%20Traffic%20Systems

14) Cameras on the Highway
Kansas DOT teaming with county and city to install intelligent transportation system.
Link to story in The Wichita Eagle:
http://www.kansas.com/212/story/312967.html

15) Local TV’s Morning Jam
Stations go bumper-to-bumper on traffic information.
Link to story in Broadcasting & Cable:
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6533073.html

16) Caltrans Promises Changes to Traveler Information Line
TV station investigation uncovers incorrect information being provided on hotline.
Link to story and video report on KBAK-TV:
http://www.eyeoutforyou.com/news/local/15684462.html

17) Early-Morning Friend to Commuters
Profile of Teresa LaBarbera.
Link to story in the Hartford Courant:
http://www.courant.com/features/lifestyle/hc-nujavabeanscene0218.artfeb18,0,3855452.column


Upcoming Events
Automotive Testing Expo Europe 2008 – May 6-8 – Messe Stuttgart, Germany
http://www.testing-expo.com/europe/index.html


Today in Transportation History
1964 - Joseph-Armand Bombardier, founder of Bombardier, died.
http://www.fjab.qc.ca/en/content/jab/jab.htm

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© 2008 Bernie Wagenblast