Tuesday, June 3, 2008

Transportation Communications Newsletter

Tuesday, June 3, 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) Pushing Tin
Air traffic control technology basically unchanged over several decades.
Link to story in Forbes:
http://www.forbes.com/business/2008/06/02/aviation-airlines-faa-biz-logistics-cx_af_0603aviation08_controllers.html

CAMERAS

2) Phoenix Traffic Camera Changes Considered
City may add surveillance, change scope of programs.
Link to story in The Arizona Republic:
http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/0603camera0603.html

3) Trolling for Trouble in the Red Light District
Link to story in The New York Times:
http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/06/03/trolling-for-trouble-in-the-red-light-district/

MARITIME

4) Savannah, Shanghai Ports Try New Cargo-Tracking Technology
Link to AP story:
http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/251/story/337622.html

ROADWAYS

5) How the Government Measures a Traffic Decline
Link to story in The Wall Street Journal:
http://blogs.wsj.com/numbersguy/how-the-government-measures-a-traffic-decline-348/

6) Murrieta, California's Traffic Signal Technician Tries to Keep Cars Moving Smoothly
Link to story in The Press-Enterprise:
http://www.pe.com/localnews/inland/stories/PE_News_Local_S_ssignal03.406f291.html

SAFETY / SECURITY

7) Union Station Photo Flap
Security personnel telling people to not use their cameras in the Washington, DC rail facility.
Link to video report on WTTG-TV:
http://www.myfoxdc.com/myfox/pages/Home//Detail?contentId=6664418&version=1&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=VSTY&pageId=1.1.1

TRANSIT

8) NYC Transit Uses Digital Maps and 3-D Modeling to Help Travelers
Link to story in Government Technology:
http://www.govtech.com/gt/366272?topic=117699

TRAVELER INFORMATION / TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT

9) Oklahoma DOT Debuts Web Site to Help Drivers Skirt Jams
Link to story in the Tulsa World:
http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?articleID=20080603_16_A5_hTheca307731
Link to news release from the Oklahoma Department of Transportation:
http://www.okladot.state.ok.us/newsmedia/press/08-035_traffic_monitoring_web_site_now_available_to_public.pdf
Link to Oklahoma Pathfinder: http://oktraffic.org

10) Malta to Fight Congestion with 'Intelligent' Traffic Management
Link to story in the Times of Malta:
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20080603/local/government-to-fight-congestion-with-intelligent-traffic-management

VEHICLES

11) New Web Site Seeks to Appeal to Car Owners
Link to story in the San Francisco Chronicle:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/06/02/BUF1111U35.DTL
Link to DriverSide: http://www.driverside.com


News Releases
1) Harvard Kennedy School’s Ash Institute Announces Innovations in American Government Finalists Including US DOT, Virginia DOT
2) Cellint Announces a UMTS Platform
3) European ITS Breakthrough: The Swedish Road Administration Expands Cellint’s Cellular-Based Project in Southern Sweden
4) Intelligent Transportation Society of America Public Safety Advisory Group Adopts Name Change
5) Performance Standards for Radiocommunications and Navigational Equipment - New Edition Now Available from International Maritime Organization
6) Alerts.com and PR Newswire Partner to Deliver Customized Breaking News – Categories will include traffic and weather reports


Job Postings
- Information Security Specialist – Volpe National Transportation Systems Center – Cambridge, Massachusetts
http://jobsearch.usajobs.gov/getjob.asp?JobId=72337113&AVSDM=6%2F3%2F2008+1%3A54%3A21+PM


Upcoming Events
National Rural ITS Conference – September 3-5 – Anchorage, Alaska
http://www.nritsconference.org/


Today in Transportation History
1998 **10th anniversary** - The high-speed ICE train derailed and crashed into a bridge near Eschede, Germany, killing 101 people.
http://danger-ahead.railfan.net/reports/eschede/index.html

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Questions, comments about the TCN? Please write the editor, Bernie Wagenblast at i95berniew@aol.com.
© 2008 Bernie Wagenblast