Via Scoop.it – Transportation Today

The BreathalEyes app for iPhone uses the smartphone’s camera to detect and measure involuntary eye movement, and then offers an approximate blood …   The app uses the iPhone camera to record a subject’s Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus (HGN) – where the eye twitches and jerks of its own accord as the iris reaches an angle of about 45 degrees while the person’s head remains forward. Sufferers of HGN are blissfully unaware that it’s happening, and there are many reasons why it occurs – one of which being alcohol consumption. As such, suspected drunk drivers have been subjected to variations of the pen test for some time now as one of an arsenal of field sobriety tests.   The BreathalEyes app is available now for just US$0.99, and is compatible with iPhone 4 or later. Fans of Google’s mobile OS can look forward to an Android version later in the year.
Via www.gizmag.com

(Source: Transportation Issues Daily, Komonews.com, Seattle Times)

The toll company operating the tolled bridge on Highway 520 in Seattle, WA has published the below infograph, which makes a compelling case to the customers in the region against using the congested bridge on I-90, just a few miles away. Both bridges across Lake Washington connect downtown Seattle with a very large population and employment region. The overall cost savings and reduction in travel times offer a great incentive to the drivers who favor the toll road.

Image Courtesy: TransportationIssuesDaily.com

In addition to the above , the commuters also have another handy decision-making tool – a smartphone app titled “520 or 90” whose tag line sells it easily: “Find out which bridge is faster or cheaper in less than 10 seconds.”

Image Courtesy: 520or90.com

The app creators expect drivers to save 8hrs of travel time per month if they took 520, which may only cost $90/month in tolls, the rough equivalent of a monthly phone bill.  Those who opt to take I-90 may save the $90/month but the trade-off is eight extra hours stuck in traffic.

Local news portal Komonews.com indicates the faster travel times on the toll road 520 were due to a reduction in traffic volume as more driver quit the 520 to save the $$.  It also quoted the researchers at INRIX, a well known traffic data company, saying that before the toll was implemented, I-90 drivers were going twice as fast as their 520 counterparts.

According to Seattle Times, the traffic volume on 520 has dropped of nearly 40% after the implementation of the tolls. It observed that much of the traffic, as expected, shifted to I-90, where volumes were up 20 to 25 percent for the morning but only 3 to 7 percent in the evening.  In addition, the local transit operator (King County Metro) expects ridership on its cross-lake routes to pick up by 15 percent as a result of the tolls, spokeswoman Linda Thielke said. Riders on several routes confirmed buses were more crowded Monday.

(Source: YouTube)

Oh , how I wish our boring commutes are as fun as this one. New Yorkers are a bunch of lucky ba**ards! What a marked and striking contrast from the violent London transportation system. A little investigation by enthusiastic Redditors revealed that the singer is Jessica Latshaw. Here is Jessica blogging about her Subway jammin’ experience on her blog.

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Via Scoop.it – Transportation Today

Our beloved Bob Burns at TSA, yes, the Transportation Security Administration,  has posted the best “catches” of 2011.  Some of the things on this list will make you think “whatha…” others will make you go “Are you serious, man?” Especially items 1 & 2, all the way atthe bottom of the list Glad the TSA is working hard to stop these items from getting through their check points..    Here is the list to go with the attached image:  10) Snakes, turtles, and birds were found at Miami (MIA) and Los Angeles (LAX). I’m just happy there weren’t any lions, tigers, and bears…
9) A science project shut down a checkpoint at Omaha (OMA). I wonder if mentioning the shutting down of the checkpoint added enough flare to his presentation to score him some bonus points?
8) An artfully concealed non-metallic martial arts weapon called a “Tactical Spike” was found in the sock of a passenger at Pensacola (PNS) after being screened by a body scanner. The only thing I keep in my sock is my foot.
7) Inert landmines were found at Salt Lake City (SLC). I always travel with mine, don’t you???
6) A stun gun disguised as a smart phone was found at Los Angeles (LAX). Not very smart to travel with this stunning device.
5) A flare gun with seven flares was found in a passenger’s carry-on bag at Norfolk (ORF). Hmmm… pressurized cabin + 7 live flares = no good can come from this.
4) Two throwing knives concealed in hollowed out book were found at Washington National (DCA). Killer book…
3) Over 1,200 firearms were discovered at TSA checkpoints across the nation in 2011. Many guns are found loaded with rounds in the chamber. Most passengers simply state they forgot they had a gun in their bag.   2) A loaded .380 pistol was found strapped to passenger’s ankle with the body scanner at Detroit (DTW). You guessed it, he forgot it was there…   1) Small chunks of C4 explosives were found in passenger’s checked luggage in Yuma (YUM). Believe it or not, he was brining it home to show his family.
Via blog.tsa.gov

(Source: FAA)

This nice infograph shows the economic impact of aviation.. What a great way to tell the story!

Image Courtesy: USDOT FAA - Click image to learn more

Via Scoop.it – Aviation

Washington Post editorial argues for revoking the subsidies for EVs: “THERE MAY NOT have been a party in Times Square to celebrate, but two of the most wasteful subsidies ever to clutter the Internal Revenue Code went out with the old year. Congress declined to renew either the 45-cent-per-gallon tax credit for corn-based ethanol or the 54-cent-per-gallon tariff on imported ethanol, so both expired Dec. 31. Taxpayers will no longer have shell out roughly $6 billion per year for a program that badly distorted the global grain market, artificially raised the cost of agricultural land and did almost nothing to curb greenhouse gas emissions. A federal law requiring the use of 36 billion gallons of ethanol for fuel by 2022 still props up the industry, but the tax credit’s expiration is a victory for common sense just the same.”
Via www.washingtonpost.com