Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Transportation Communications Newsletter

Tuesday, April 14, 2009 – ISSN 1529-1057

Join U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary LaHood at ITS America’s 2009 Annual Meeting & Exposition - June 1

U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood will be the featured speaker at the opening plenary of the Intelligent Transportation Society of America’s (ITS America) 2009 Annual Meeting & Exposition, which will take place June 1-3 at the Gaylord Convention Center on the Potomac in National Harbor, Maryland. The Secretary’s remarks are scheduled for 10 a.m. in the convention center’s Potomac A-B rooms on the Ballroom level. With ITS America 2009 in the Metro Washington Area, this is a wonderful opportunity to interact with legislators on the federal, state, and local level to showcase ITS products and services. In addition to policy and technical sessions, the event will feature “city streets” vehicle and infrastructure technology demonstrations, a 150,000 square foot exhibit hall, tours of area transportation projects and facilities, and many other activities. Registration information is available at www.itsa.org/amregistration.html.


AVIATION

1) Funding Debate Stalls Air Traffic Control UpgradeLink to story and audio report on NPR’s Morning Edition:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=102914658

2) Social Media Sites Take Off at Hartsfield-Jackson Airport
Link to story in Hartsfield-Jackson News:
http://www.atlanta-airport.com/HJN/2009/04/tech.htm
Link to Hartsfield-Jackson Facebook fan page:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Hartsfield-Jackson-Atlanta-International-Airport/62909106078#/pages/Hartsfield-Jackson-Atlanta-International-Airport/62909106078?v=wall&viewas=604656850

BUSES

3) Bus Tickets in Bangladesh Getting Digitalized
Link to story in The Daily Star:
http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=83831

CAMERAS

4) Louisiana Looking to Get Hands on New Orleans’ Traffic Camera Cash
Link to story and video on WWL-TV:
http://www.wwltv.com/local/stories/wwl041309cbtraffic.d1a51afd.html

ELECTRONIC TOLLING

5) Plans for Electronic Toll System Welcomed in South Africa
Link to story from The Mercury:
http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=594&art_id=vn20090414052311427C492452

GPS / NAVIGATION

6) Egypt Lifts Ban on GPS
Link to story in GPS Business News:
http://www.gpsbusinessnews.com/Egypt-lifts-ban-on-GPS_a1463.html

PUBLIC INFORMATION / EDUCATION

7) Alabama Launches Public Safety Campaign to Raise Awareness of Slow Moving Vehicle Emblem
Link to story in the Montgomery Advertiser:
http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/article/20090414/OPINION0101/904130319
Link to news release from the Alabama Farmers Federation:
http://www.alfafarmers.org/programs/safety.phtml

SAFETY / SECURITY

8) Canadian Airport Workers to Face Beefed-Up Security Checks
Link to story in The Globe and Mail:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20090414.BAIRD14ART21393/TPStory/National

9) US Government Accountability Office: Dead People Can Still Get Passports
Link to story in Federal Computer Week:
http://fcw.com/articles/2009/04/14/state-still-issuing-passports-to-deceased-people.aspx
Link to GAO report:
http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d09583r.pdf

TELEMATICS

10) Taiwan, China Looking to Cooperate in Global Telematics Industry
Link to Central News Agency story:
http://www.etaiwannews.com/etn/news_content.php?id=920220&lang=eng_news

TRANSIT

11) Toronto Transit CIO Takes IT to the Streets
Link to IDG News story:
http://www.thestandard.com/news/2009/04/13/toronto-transit-cio-takes-it-streets

TRAVELER INFORMATION / TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT

12) Inland Counties Consider Breaking with Los Angeles-Based Commuter Information Network
Link to story in The Press-Enterprise:
http://www.pe.com/localnews/rivcounty/stories/PE_News_Local_S_511ie14.3cfece7.html

13) Italian Motorway Traffic on Your iPhone
Link to blog in L’espresso:
http://nelki.blogautore.espresso.repubblica.it/2009/04/14/motorway-traffic-on-your-iphone/


News Releases
1) Expansion of Chicago Transit Authority Bus Tracker Nears Completion with the Activation of 19 Routes
2) TransCore Delivers Integration and RFID Technology for Florida Department of Transportation’s Miami I-95 High Occupancy Tolling (HOT) Lanes


Upcoming Events
National Rural Summit on Traffic Safety Culture 2009 – June 22 – Big Sky, Montana
http://www.meetingsnorthwest.com/TSCsummit.html


Today in Transportation History
1944 **65th anniversary** - An explosion takes place in Bombay Harbor when the SS Fort Stikine caught fire. About 800 people died.
http://www.merchantnavyofficers.com/bomEx.html

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© 2009 Bernie Wagenblast