Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Transportation Communications Newsletter

Tuesday, August 12, 2008 -- ISSN 1529-1057

Registration for IBTTA’s 76th Annual Meeting and Exhibition Now Open – Baltimore, MD USA, September 21-24, 2008

Join IBTTA for the most significant gathering of toll industry professionals and business partners in the world. More than 1,000 delegates from 25 countries on six continents will converge on Baltimore’s Waterfront to examine best practices and critical innovations in toll industry finance, marketing, technology, customer service, environmental stewardship, operations, maintenance, and related issues. This meeting is hosted by the Maryland Transportation Authority. Registration cut-off for this meeting is September 5, 2008. For more information, visit IBTTA’s website and register online today! www.IBTTA.org.


AVIATION

1) Choreographing Planes Through Florida Storms
Link to story from The Tampa Tribune:
http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20080812/ARTICLE/808120337/2073&title=Choreographing_planes_through_Florida_storms

GPS / NAVIGATION

2) Smart Routing to Save Fuel
Link to story in Light & Medium Truck:
http://www.lmtruck.com/articles/weeklystory.aspx?storyid=232

RAILROADS

3) Indian Railways to Set Up Centralized Traffic Control
Link to Press Trust of India story:
http://www.business-standard.com/india/storypage.php?tp=on&autono=44541

ROADWAYS

4) Golden Gate Bridge Congestion Toll Plan Dies
Continually adjusting parking meter rates will be instituted instead.
Link to story in the San Francisco Chronicle:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/08/12/MNEK12982O.DTL

5) Preliminary Findings on Turning Bridges Into Scales to be Reported
Link to story in The Birmingham News:
http://www.al.com/news/birminghamnews/index.ssf?/base/news/1218528947249610.xml&coll=2

6) The Politics of…Traffic Lights in Ghana
Link to story in the Accra Daily Mail:
http://news.accra-mail.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=989:the-politics-of-traffic-lights-&catid=34:news&Itemid=53

SAFETY / SECURITY

7) New York City Would Photograph Every Vehicle Entering Manhattan and Sniff Out Radioactivity
Link to story in The New York Times:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/12/nyregion/12cars.html?_r=1&ref=nyregion&oref=slogin

8) Flyer ID Program Gets Go-Ahead After Data Theft
Link to story in the San Francisco Chronicle:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/08/11/BU3A1296J3.DTL

9) Federal Highway Administration Issues Interim Approval for Optional Use of Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacons
Link to further information from US DOT:
http://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/resources/news/news_detail.asp?ID=450

10) New Publication: Operational Concept – Assessment of the State of the Practice and State of the Art in Evacuation Transportation Management
Link to additional information from US DOT:
http://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/resources/news/news_detail.asp?ID=451

TRANSIT

11) Ontario’s GO Trains Feature Onboard Digital Signage
Link to story in Mediacaster:
http://www.mediacastermagazine.com/issues/ISArticle.asp?id=88129&issue=08122008


News Releases
1) New Web Site Connects Public With Missouri DOT Speakers
2) Technical Assistance Available for Safer Roads Campaign
3) New Canadian Web Site Lets Professional Drivers Share GPS Tips & Tricks
4) Qualcomm Announces Support for European eCall Public Safety Project


Upcoming Events
ITS Maryland Annual Meeting & Technology Showcase – September 25-26 – Ocean City, Maryland
http://www.itsmd.org/index.php?page_id=11


Today in Transportation History
1281 – The fleet of Kublai Khan, the Mongol emperor of China, is destroyed by a typhoon while nearing Japan.
http://www.thenagain.info/WebChron/China/KublaiKhan.html

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© 2008 Bernie Wagenblast