Thursday, September 4, 2008

Transportation Communications Newsletter

Thursday, September 4, 2008 -- ISSN 1529-1057

Register Now for IBTTA's 76th Annual Meeting and Exhibition – Early Bird Discount Extended to September 5th

Registration is now open for IBTTA’s 76th Annual Meeting & Exhibition, Connecting, People, Places & Ideas, September 20-24, 2008, in Baltimore, Maryland. Join IBTTA for the most significant gathering of toll industry professionals and business partners in the world. Register by September 5th and receive a $100 discount off your registration fee. 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) US Federal Judge: Airports, Airlines Subject to Americans with Disabilities Rules
Link to story in The Detroit News:
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2008809030438

2) Hong Kong Bans Pirate Radio as ‘Air Traffic Risk’
Link to Reuters story:
http://africa.reuters.com/odd/news/usnHKG173933.html

BUSES

3) Live Updates Planned for Toronto Bus Shelters
Link to story in The Globe and Mail:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20080903.NEXTBUS3/TPStory/TPNational/Ontario/

4) On These Commuter Buses, Passengers Hold All Calls, or Else
Link to story in The New York Times:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/04/nyregion/04cellphone.html?_r=1&ref=nyregion&oref=slogin

ELECTRONIC TOLLING

5) Truckers Nabbed at New York Bridge for License Plate Shenanigans
One driver hooked up a spring-activated hinge to his cigarette lighter to hide his plate.
Link to story in the Staten Island Advance:
http://www.silive.com/news/advance/index.ssf?/base/news/1220527810232090.xml&coll=1

OTHER

6) Bid to Build World’s First Intelligent City
Link to story on SiliconRepublic:
http://www.siliconrepublic.com/news/article/11362/randd/bid-to-build-worlds-first-intelligent-city

7) High-Tech Toys are Nice, but Fix Our Roads
Editorial says Michigan DOT’s priority should be highway maintenance, not ITS.
Link to editorial in the Times Herald:
http://www.thetimesherald.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080904/OPINION01/809040316/1014/OPINION

PUBLIC INFORMATION / EDUCATION

8) As Motorcycle Deaths Rise, Delaware Seeks to Raise Awareness
Link to story in The News Journal:
http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080904/NEWS/80904050

SAFETY / SECURITY

9) The Push to Talk
Standards, emerging technologies get emergency crews closer to unified communications, but a lot of static remains.
Link to story in Government Computer News:
http://www.gcn.com/print/27_22/47049-1.html

10) Various Issues Led to the Termination of the United States-Canada Shared Border Management Pilot Program
Link to US Government Accountability Office report:
http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d081038r.pdf

TRAVELER INFORMATION / TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT

11) Big Brother on the Road: Cruise Control
Dubai Roads and Transport Authority monitors traffic from secret control center.
Link to story in Xpress:
http://www.xpress4me.com/news/uae/dubai/20009474.html

VEHICLES

12) Electronic License Plates for All Motor Vehicles in Spain
Link to story in Euro Weekly News:
http://www.euroweeklynews.com/news/10660.html

13) Clark County, Nevada School Board Considers Using School Trucks as Rolling Billboards
Link to story in the Las Vegas Sun:
http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2008/sep/03/school-board-considers/


News Releases
1) Safer Skies for the Flying Public: New Air Traffic Control System Model Will Track Variables Without Human Input
2) Arizona DOT Taps 'Superhighway' for Updates, Information


Upcoming Events
FHWA Regional Maintenance Decision Support System (MDSS) Showcase - September 17 - Boise, Idaho
http://www.ops.fhwa.dot.gov/weather/mitigating_impacts/mdss/showcase/index.htm


Today in Transportation History
1923 **85th anniversary** - The USS Shenandoah, the first US rigid airship, took its maiden flight.
http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/ac-usn22/z-types/zr1-v.htm

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