Thursday, June 19, 2008

Transportation Communications Newsletter

Thursday, June 19, 2008 -- ISSN 1529-1057

Join IBTTA in Dallas for the Special Summit on Open Road Tolling – July 13-15, 2008

As more and more toll agencies are looking forward to the potential of Open Road Tolling (ORT), an associated issue in many minds is this question of “going cashless” and converting the toll operation to a pure non-cash system built upon electronic toll collection and a robust enforcement system. Hosted by the North Texas Tollway Authority, this workshop will provide valuable knowledge on the final steps to achieving all electronic free-flow tolling. For operators in Europe and other locations that must continue to allow cash on their systems, this summit will explore ways to maximize the use of ETC while still permitting cash for some transactions. Registration deadline is June 27, 2008. Download the program, find the details and register online today! www.IBTTA.org.


AVIATION

1) More Airport Alerts Sent to E-Mail, Cell Phones, PDAs
Link to story in USA Today:
http://www.usatoday.com/travel/flights/2008-06-18-airport-alerts-email_N.htm

2) FAA Puts ADS-B to the Test in Florida
Link to story in Flight International:
http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2008/06/19/224801/faa-puts-ads-b-to-the-test-in-florida.html

3) “Privatization of Air Traffic Management Floated” in India
Link to story on IndiaAviation:
http://indiaaviation.aero/news/airline/10995/59/%E2%80%9CPrivatisation-of-air-traffic-management-floated%E2%80%9D

ELECTRONIC TOLLING

4) Florida Judge Puts Brakes on SunPass Citation Fees
Link to story on WOFL-TV:
http://www.myfoxorlando.com/myfox/pages/News/Detail?contentId=6805806&version=1&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=TSTY&pageId=3.2.1

OTHER

5) Geneva Congress Makes a Strong Push for ITS
Link to story from ERTICO – ITS Europe:
http://www.ertico.com/en/news_and_events/ertico_newsroom/ertico_news_geneva_congress_makes_a_strong_push_for_its.htm

RAILROADS

6) Observation Tower Opens at Nebraska Rail Yard
Link to story in the North Platte Bulletin:
http://www.northplattebulletin.com/index.asp?show=news&action=readStory&storyID=14667&pageID=3

7) Hey Amtrak, When You Cancel Trains Let Your Customers Know
Link to commentary in the Watertown TAB:
http://home.wickedlocal.com/2008/06/19/hey-amtrak-when-you-cancel-trains-let-your-customers-know/

SAFETY / SECURITY

8) Nuke Detectors Being Tested on Private Jets
Link to story in USA Today:
http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2008-06-18-nukes_N.htm

9) Driving to Distraction
Cell phone use in the car is worse than drinking to the legal limit, some say.
Link to story in Computerworld:
http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9094978&intsrc=hm_ts_head

TRAVELER INFORMATION / TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT

10) Bangalore Traffic Jam Updates Now on the Net
Link to story in The Hindu:
http://www.hindu.com/2008/06/19/stories/2008061958440100.htm
Link to Bangalore Transport Information System: http://www.btis.in/live.htm

VEHICLES

11) Ten Improvements in Auto Interiors
Link to story in Forbes:
http://www.forbes.com/lifestyle/2008/06/18/cars-interiors-improvements-forbeslife-cx_jm_0618cars.html

12) Automakers Obsess Over Reducing Wind Noise
Link to AP story:
http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/080618/autos_wind_noise.html?.v=2


News Releases
1) SITA Research Shows Mobile Phones Have Potential to Save the Industry $600 Million on Flight Delays
2) ‘IT to the Rescue’ – SITA Urges Airlines to Fight Oil Price Rise with E-Commerce to Generate New Revenues, Save Costs and Equip Workforce
3) Google Maps Public Transit in College Town of Davis, California
4) Harris Interactive Study Shows Significant Differences in Vehicle Technology Tastes Among Men and Women
5) The ADAS Report and System Database Package Provides Essential Information for Vehicle Manufacturers, Suppliers and Product Planners
6) ITS America to Host Free Webinar on Vehicle Technology Demonstrations at the 15th World Congress on ITS
7) Canada-India RFID Project Looks to Improve Traffic Flow, Reduce Pollution


Solicitation
- Invitation to Bid - Cellular Telephone-Based Speed and Travel Time Data Services – Ohio Department of Transportation
http://www.dot.state.oh.us/CONTRACT/FTP/currbidPage2.html


Upcoming Events
ITS Georgia Annual Meeting – October 19-21 – Savannah, Georgia
http://www.itsga.org/2008annmtg.htm


Today in Transportation History
1918 **90th anniversary** - Canadian Billy Bishop, the top ace of the British Empire during World War I, shot down his last five aircraft.
http://www.billybishop.net/bishop.html

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© 2008 Bernie Wagenblast