Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Transportation Communications Newsletter

Wednesday, July 1, 2009 – ISSN 1529-1057

The USDOT Launches a Website to Provide Real-Time Traffic Information and Travel Times in the Mid-Atlantic

A new website, www.i95travelinfo.org, now offers live traffic speed information on major roadways in the region from New Jersey to North Carolina. Additionally, based on real-time traffic speeds, the website provides both the current and normal travel times between various cities, airports, and other landmarks on key routes in the multi-state region. To receive travel time information, users only need to select their starting point and destination from of list of pre-defined locations on the “Travel Time” page. This information can be particularly helpful to long-distance travelers as they prepare to navigate through and around major cities in the Mid-Atlantic region. The I-95 Corridor Travel Time Information website is one element of the SafeTrip-21 initiative under way by the United States Department of Transportation’s Research and Innovative Technology Administration, in partnership with the I-95 Corridor Coalition. The USDOT SafeTrip-21 program supports the use of advanced technology to improve safety and to reduce gridlock on America’s roadways.


AVIATION

1) Airlines Cut IT Spending, Focus on Customer Service
Link to story in The Wall Street Journal:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124638716731074767.html

2) Prague Unveils Mobile Phone Check-In Service
Link to story on Airport Technology:
http://www.airport-technology.com/news/news58516.html

3) Kiosks to Help Trace Baggage
Link to story in The Wall Street Journal:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204556804574259892408445768.html

4) European Transport Chief Calls for Global Blacklist for Airlines
Link to story on EurActiv:
http://www.euractiv.com/en/transport/tajani-proposes-global-blacklist-airlines/article-183643

ELECTRONIC TOLLING

5) Confusion on First Day of Electronic Toll Collecting on George Bush Turnpike
Link to story and video on WFAA-TV:
http://www.wfaa.com/sharedcontent/dws/wfaa/localnews/news8/stories/wfaa090701_lj_tolltag.25bcd48b.html

GPS / NAVIGATION

6) GPS for Autos Starting to Get ‘Smarter’
Link to story on MSNBC:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31619055/ns/technology_and_science-tech_and_gadgets/

7) iSuppli: Traffic for GPS to Skyrocket
Link to story in TWICE:
http://www.twice.com/article/307266-iSuppli_Traffic_For_GPS_To_Skyrocket.php

SAFETY / SECURITY

8) UK Government U-turns on Compulsory ID Cards for Pilots
Link to ZDNet story:
http://news.zdnet.co.uk/security/0,1000000189,39668729,00.htm
Link to news release from the Home Office:
http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/about-us/news/id-card-rollout-accelerated

9) Washington State Cell Phone Law a Year Old, but Problems Persist
Link to story in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer:
http://www.seattlepi.com/local/407755_cellphones01.html

TELEMATICS

10) Embedded Electronics – Cars Get Cooperative
Link to story on ICT Results:
http://cordis.europa.eu/ictresults/index.cfm?section=news&tpl=article&BrowsingType=Features&ID=90703

TRANSIT

11) National Transportation Safety Board: DC Train Signal Failed Before Crash
Link to AP story:
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hDCAjySS_K-DH_mbJZv7u1ijPSewD995RG1O5
Link to advisory from the NTSB:
http://www.ntsb.gov/Pressrel/2009/090701.html
Link to response from WMATA:
http://www.wmata.com/about_metro/news/PressReleaseDetail.cfm?ReleaseID=2651

12) DC Metro: Trains May Run Manually for a Year
Link to AP story:
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2009-06-30-metro_N.htm

13) Boston T Sets Up Phone Lines for Workers
Installation follows ban on carrying of cell phones.
Link to story in The Boston Globe:
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2009/07/01/t_sets_up_phone_lines_for_workers/

14) RATP: Live Transit Schedules on iPhone Application
Link to story from Transport Expertise Association:
http://en.transport-expertise.org/index.php/2009/07/01/ratp-live-transit-schedules-on-iphone-application/

TRAVELER INFORMATION / TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT

15) GPS Systems that Give Traffic Reports
Link to story in The Geek Weekly:
http://www.thegeekweekly.com/feature/gps_traffic_reports/index.html

16) FREILOT Pilot Holds First Workshop
Link to story from ERTICO - ITS Europe:
http://www.ertico.com/en/news/ertico_newsroom/the_freilot_pilot_held_its_first_workshop.htm


News Releases
1) ITIS Launches TrafficScience with Navsat in Central America
2) Operation Lifesaver Canada Launches New Site
3) Differences in Navigation User Preferences and Behavior Between Europe and the US Impose Targeted Approaches
4) NASA, Japan Release Most Complete Topographic Map of Earth
5) Maryland State Highway Administration Unveils New User-Friendly Web Site
6) Holase Introduces Ultra Portable Traffic Management System


Upcoming Events
Intelligent Vehicle Technology Transfer (IVTT) Joint Military/Civilian Workshop on IntelliDrive – Gaithersburg, Maryland – July 30
http://www.intelligent-vehicle.com/index.php/conference


Today in Transportation History
1909 **100th anniversary** - Canadian ship captain Joseph-Elzéar Bernier, claimed the Arctic Islands for Canada.
http://explorenorth.com/library/weekly/aa102000a.htm

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Questions, comments about the TCN? Please write the editor, Bernie Wagenblast at i95berniew@aol.com.
© 2009 Bernie Wagenblast