Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Transportation Communications Newsletter

Wednesday, March 11, 2009 -- ISSN 1529-1057

BICYCLES

1) Attacks on Bicycle Commuters Spur Rider-Awareness Campaign
Link to story in The Seattle Times:http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008838541_webcyclists10m.html

CAMERAS

2) Governor Gets Plan to Ban Red Light Cameras in Mississippi
Link to AP story:
http://www.wdam.com/Global/story.asp?S=9988021

CARTOGRAPHY

3) California Lawmaker Wants Google Maps to Blur Certain Buildings
All hospitals, schools, churches, and government buildings that appear on online maps would be blurred under proposed legislation.
Link to CNET News story:
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-10193171-93.html
Link to video report on KUSI-TV:
http://www.kusi.com/news/goodmorning/40796132.html?video=YHI&t=a
Link to bill from California Legislature:
http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/09-10/bill/asm/ab_0251-0300/ab_255_bill_20090211_introduced.html

MARITIME

4) Third Maritime Safety Package General Framework
Link to memo from the EU:
http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=MEMO/09/105&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en

ROADWAYS

5) I-19 in Arizona Losing Kilometer Signs
Link to story in The Sahuarita Sun:
http://www.sahuaritasun.com/articles/2009/03/06/breaking_news/00mileposts0308.txt

6) Roadkill GPS Navigation System to Protect Animals
Link to National Geographic News story:
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/03/090311-roadkill-GPS.html

7) Signs Still Missing in Houston-Area Six Months After Ike
Link to story and video report on KHOU-TV:
http://www.khou.com/news/local/stories/khou090309_mp_signs-blown-down.219b8238.html

SAFETY / SECURITY

8) Freeway Call Boxes Going the Way of the Cassette Tape
Link to story in the Orange County Register:
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/call-boxes-county-2330660-orange-mile

9) Terrorist Watch List Hits One Million
Link to story in USA Today:
http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2009-03-10-watchlist_N.htm

10) State Officials Report Better Communication with US Department of Homeland Security
Link to story in Federal Computer Week:
http://fcw.com/articles/2009/03/11/states-see-better-communication-with-dhs.aspx
Link to further information from the National Governors Association:
http://www.nga.org/Files/pdf/0903HSASURVEY.PDF

11) Hard Lessons of Fog Tuesday from Abu Dhabi
Link to story in The National:
http://www.thenational.ae/article/20090311/PAGETHREE/53252817/1119/FOREIGN

TELEMATICS

12) Tracking Assets with Telematics
Telematics is helping contractors track and manage their equipment, but the lack of standardization frustrates managers and stands in the way of better productivity.
Link to story in Light & Medium Truck:
http://www.lmtruck.com/articles/petemplate.aspx?storyid=404

13) The Best In-Car Technology
A comparison of infotainment features offered for vehicles.
Link to story from AOL Autos:
http://www.cnn.com/2009/LIVING/wayoflife/03/11/aa.best.in.car.technology/index.html

TRANSIT

14) GPS Systems Will Inform Massachusetts Commuters About Train Delays
Link to story in The Boston Globe:
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2009/03/11/gps_systems_will_help_inform_commuters_about_train_delays/
Link to news release from the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority:
http://www.mbta.com/about_the_mbta/news_events/?id=16809&month=&year

TRAVELER INFORMATION / TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT

15) Virginia Radio Stations Report Few Glitches with New Traffic Reports
Link to story in The Virginian-Pilot:
http://hamptonroads.com/2009/03/stations-report-few-glitches-outofstate-traffic-reports

VEHICLES

16) World’s First Open-Source Car Hits Geneva Motor Show
Link to column on CNET News:
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13505_3-10193838-16.html

17) Analysis of Benefits and Costs of Roll Stability Control Systems for the Trucking Industry
Link to report from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration:
http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/facts-research/research-technology/report/09-020-RP-Roll-Stability.pdf


News Releases
1) Maritime Safety: Towards Better Prevention of Maritime Accidents in EU
2) King County and Metro Unveil New Tools for Staying in Tune with Transit Disruptions
3) Fujitsu Launches Graphics SoC for Digital Dashboards & Car Navigation


Upcoming Events
APTA 2009 Bus & Paratransit Conference & International Bus Roadeo – May 1-6 – Seattle, Washington
http://www.apta.com/conferences_calendar/seattle_shared/


Today in Transportation History
1779 **230th anniversary** - The US Congress authorized a Corps of Engineers.
http://www.usace.army.mil/History/Pages/Brief/index.html

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© 2009 Bernie Wagenblast