29G Memoir – An expatriate’s nostalgic recollection of commuting by bus in Chennai, India

Posted by transportgooru on September 7, 2010 in Funny Stuff, Safety, Society/Social Issues, Transit, Travel

These days I should not be complaining about my daily commute after living through some of these experiences. As dangerous as it sounds, most of my commutes to work and school back in India involved holding on to a window grill for dear life with just one hand and only one foot on the bus’ steps as it whizzed by at 60km/hr. For crying out loud, the country has 1.3 billion people and at times it felt like as if the entire citizenry of the nation decided to ride the very bus that I took to school/work!

Tags: 29G, Anna Nagar to Porur, Bus, Bus Stop, Chennai, Chennai Metro, Commuter, Daily Commute, India, Pallavan Pokkuvarathu Kazhagam, Pallavan Transport Corporation, PTC, Tamil Nadu, Transit, Transportation

Car-Sharing – Numbers reveal the growing appeal; Renting cars by the hour is becoming big business

Posted by transportgooru on September 7, 2010 in Automotives, Economy, Energy, Environment, Finance, Infrastructure, Public Policy, Research, Society/Social Issues, Travel

Car-sharing started in Europe and spread to America in the late 1990s, when the first venture opened in Portland, Oregon, a traditional hangout of tree-huggers. For years it was organised by small co-operatives, often supported by local government. It still has a green tinge. One in five new cars added to club fleets is electric; such cars are good for short-range, urban use. But sharing is no longer small.

Tags: Car Fleets, Car Sharing, Car Sharing Statistics, Car2Go, Carsharing, London, Washington DC, ZipCar

How about some Mozart with your in-flight meal? Orchestra Plays Concert on a 747

Posted by transportgooru on September 2, 2010 in Aviation, Funny Stuff, Society/Social Issues, Travel

Why doesn’t these things NEVER happen in my flights? Hmmm.. But I am happy for these folks who had a bit of entertainment to cheer up during their long flight and a story to tell when they land.. Silly me can’t help but think aloud about these questions: what would the reaction be if these guys were a bunch of middle-eastern musicians wearing traditional garbs – how would the airline staff react to such a spontaneous request to play music?

Tags: Airline, Airlines, Amsterdam Sinfonietta, Aviation, Aviation Security, Concert on 787, Impromptu Mozart Concert, KLM, Mostly Mozart Festival, Music, Orchestra, Travel

You had a bad road trip? Not really. This Epic Chinese Traffic Jam Enters 9th Day; Expected To Last Another 20 Days

Posted by transportgooru on August 23, 2010 in Automotives, Economy, Energy, Environment, Highways, Infrastructure, Society/Social Issues, Travel

The back-up stretches over 62 miles on the Beijing-Tibet Expressway. What’s worse, officials are saying that the jam could continue for up to a month (Sept. 13, the projected completion project for some of the projects causing this delay).

Tags: Beijing, Beijing Traffic Management Bureau, China, Epic Chinese Traffic Jam, National Expressway 110, Tibet, Traffic Congestion

Wanna be skinny & healthy? Forget those crazy diets and take public transportation

Posted by transportgooru on August 20, 2010 in Automotives, Governance, Infrastructure, Pedestrian & Bicycles, Public Policy, Research, Safety, Society/Social Issues, Transit, Travel

People who live or work in communities with high quality public transportation tend to drive significantly less and rely more on alternative modes (walking,cycling and public transit) than they would in more automobile-oriented areas. This reducestraffic crashes and pollution emissions, increases physical fitness and mental health, andprovides access to medical care and healthy food. These impacts are significant in magnitude compared with other planning objectives, but are often overlooked or undervalued inconventional transport planning.

Tags: America Public Transportation Association, APTA, buses, Environment, HCR, Health, Health care, Healthcare, livability, Physical activity, Physical exercise, Pollution, public transportation, Smart Growth, Trains, Transit, Transport, United States, Victoria Transport Policy Institute, VTPI, Walking

Verdict is in for American Atheists vs. Duncan (08-4061) – Federal appeals court says highways’ crosses are unconstitutional

Posted by transportgooru on August 19, 2010 in Automotives, Governance, Highways, Law Enforcement/Legal, Public Policy, Safety, Society/Social Issues

Memorial crosses erected along Utah public roads to honor fallen state highway troopers have been found unconstitutional by a federal appeals court. A three-judge panel of the 10th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals ruled Wednesday that the 14 large crosses would be viewed by most passing motorists as “government’s endorsement of Christianity.”

Tags: 10th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals, American Atheists, American Atheists v. Duncan (08-4061), crosses, Establishment Clause of the Constitution, Establishment Clause of the First Amendment, Fallen Officers Memorial, Federal appeals counrt, roadside memorials, United States Constitution, United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit, United States Supreme Court, Utah, Utah Highway Patrol Association

Making a community together… to design a street – Street Films documents London’s Do-It-Yourself Approach to Safer Streets

Posted by transportgooru on August 19, 2010 in Education, Governance, Infrastructure, Pedestrian & Bicycles, Public Policy, Research, Safety, Society/Social Issues

Making a community together… to design a street – Street Films documents London’s Do-It-Yourself Approach to Safer Streets

Tags: Do-It-Yourself Approach to Safer Streets, DYI Streets, London, Street Design, StreetFilms, Sustrans, Traffic Calming, Traffic Control, Transportation and Logistics, UK, Wales

Wanna be famous? Get a DUI in Evsham TWP, NJ; Cops will post your DUI mugshots on Facebook

Posted by transportgooru on August 17, 2010 in Automotives, Law Enforcement/Legal, Safety, Society/Social Issues

There are so many reasons not to drink and drive, but if residents of Evsham Township needed one more, their police department has given it to them: now, drunk drivers get featured on the Evsham Township Police Facebook page, complete with name, listed offence, and mug shot. While this might be an effective way to deter criminals, there are some that question whether it is ethical to post these details on a Facebook page that can be viewed by millions of users.

Tags: Driving Under the Influence, Drunk Drivers, drunk driving, DUI, Evsham Township, Evsham Township Police Facebook, Facebook, Law, Law Enforcement, Mug shot, New Jersey, NJ, Police

Publication Alert: USDOT report examines the effects of the February 2010 snowstorms on airline performance

Posted by transportgooru on August 17, 2010 in Aviation, Economy, Finance, Governance, Infrastructure, Publications, Research, Society/Social Issues

The Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) has released a special report that explores how several February 2010 snowstorms in the Northeast, Midwest, and Southeast disrupted air travel at airports across the United States. Quite an interesting read and for your reading pleasure it is provided below.

Tags: Airline, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, U.S. Department of Transportation, United States Department of Transportation

Event Alert: Transportation Systems for Livable Communities Conference @ Washington, DC – Oct. 18-19, 2010

Posted by transportgooru on August 17, 2010 in Automotives, Energy, Environment, Events, Governance, Highways, Infrastructure, Pedestrian & Bicycles, Public Policy, Research, Society/Social Issues, Special Events, Transit, Travel

TRB is sponsoring the Transportation Systems for Livable Communities Conference on October 18-19, 2010, in Washington, D.C. The conference is being supported by the Research and Innovative Technology Administration. The livability concept embraces cognate notions such as sustainability, quality of life, the character of place, the health of communities, and more. The conference is designed to bring together researchers and practitioners interested in this topic and will provide a timely opportunity to share research results, explore practical challenges, and identify potentially promising directions for future research. Space for this confernece is limited. Early bird registration ends August 26, 2010.

Tags: livability, Livable communities, Research, Research and Innovative TEchnology Administration, RITA, Transportation Planning, Transportation Research Board, TRB, Washington D.C.