Friday, May 15, 2009 – ISSN 1529-1057

Whether you need to share, view, collect, aggregate, or distribute data between agencies, offices, control centers, districts, counties, states, or even countries, TIC can be configured to your interoperability requirements using this highly flexible commercial off-the-shelf solution (COTS). TIC has a 12 year track record and is proven worldwide, such as by the European Road Information Center (ERIC) which provides 100% live data interoperability between 22 countries in seven different languages. TIC is already operating in over 100 projects worldwide and can be deployed faster, more affordably, and with less risk than build-your-own solutions. Why reinvent the wheel?

To download a brochure and leaflets, please visit www.gewi.com  To discuss your requirements, please contact jim.oneill@gewi.com or visit the GEWI booth at ITS America booth #329.

AVIATION

1) Buffalo Plane Crash Hearings Consider Better Alert Systems

Link to story and video on NY1 News:

http://www.ny1.com/content/top_stories/99061/buffalo-plane-crash-hearing-considers-better-alert-systems/Default.aspx

2) Future of Military Aviation Lies with Drones – US Admiral

Link to AFP story:

http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/djf500/200905142002DOWJONESDJONLINE000783_FORTUNE5.htm

BICYCLES

3) Oregon DOT Deflates I-5 Bridge Bicycle Safety Proposal

City wanted signs to direct cyclists, but ODOT contends the signs don’t conform with federal or state design standards.

Link to story in The Oregonian:

http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/124226612984470.xml&coll=7

CAMERAS

4) Close to Two-Thirds of Photos Taken by Arizona Speed Cameras Tossed

Link to story in The Arizona Republic:

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2009/05/15/20090515dpsdata0515.html

OTHER

5) Digital Hubs

Three new research centers will focus on promoting digital technologies, including those for transport, to people who have difficulty accessing them.

Link to story in The Engineer:

http://www.theengineer.co.uk/Articles/311144/Digital+hubs.htm

ROADWAYS

6) Arizona DOT Defends Replacing Metric Signs Along I-19

Link to story in the Nogales International:

http://www.nogalesinternational.com/articles/2009/05/15/news/doc4a0d9bc923609515374875.txt

7) Wi-Fi Hits the Highway

Link to story in The Christian Science Monitor:

http://features.csmonitor.com/innovation/2009/05/15/wi-fi-hits-the-highway/

TRANSIT

8) Metro Cell Phone Service Plan Faces Gaps

Link to story in The Examiner:

http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/local/Metro-cell-phone-service-plan-faces-gaps_05_15-45053147.html

9) RTA Hopes Riders Go Along with Goroo

Web site allows Chicago-area riders to customize itineraries for travel in the region.

Link to column in the Chicago Tribune:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/autocorner/chi-getting-around_15may15,0,7778485.column

Link to Goroo:  http://www.goroo.com/

VEHICLES

10) Tennessee Attorney General: Church License Plate Likely Illegal

Plate would be first for a specific faith.

Link to story in The Tennessean:

http://www.tennessean.com/article/20090514/NEWS0201/905140357/1009/NEWS02/AG++Church+license+plate+likely+illegal

News Releases

1) Despite Automotive Slump, by 2010 12% of New Cars Will Ship with Embedded Telematics

Job Postings

 –  Supervisory General Engineer – Research and Innovative Technology Administration – Cambridge, Massachusetts

http://jobsearch.usajobs.gov/getjob.asp?JobId=81001026&AVSDM=5%2F15%2F2009+3%3A10%3A19+PM

Upcoming Events

Minneapolis I-35 Bridge Collapse – A Major Emergency Incident: TSAG Case Studies Workshop & Webinar – June 3

http://www.pcb.its.dot.gov/t3/s090603_tsagi35.asp

Friday Bonus

When is a bus stop not just a bus stop?

http://www.toxel.com/inspiration/2009/05/01/15-unusual-and-creative-bus-stops/

Today in Transportation History

1959 **50^th anniversary** – The Titan 1 B-4 rocket exploded during static testing.

http://www.friends-partners.org/partners/mwade/lvs/titan1.htm

=============================================================================================

The Transportation Communications Newsletter is published electronically Monday through Friday. 

To subscribe send an e-mail to:  TCNL-subscribe@googlegroups.com

To unsubscribe send an e-mail to:  TCNL-unsubscribe@googlegroups.com

TCN archives: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/transport-communications

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

© 2009 Bernie Wagenblast

(Source: Washington Examiner)

• Region encompasses Washington, DC; Northern Virginia; and Suburban Maryland — an area 6,000 square miles (15,500 square kilometres)

• The 4th largest population in the United States (6 million people); population expected to grow by 1/2 million by 2010

• Gross regional product (GRP) of $342 billion — 4th largest in the nation

• Led the United States in job growth over past 5 years — 270,000 jobs added from 2000 to 2005

• But still has a Metro system that does not allow for ubiquitous communications.

Metro riders will still hear silence on their phones even when Metro extends cell phone service in its underground rail system later this year.   

The transit agency plans to expand cell phone service to include more carriers in the 20 busiest rail stations by the fall — but it won’t extend into the adjacent subway tunnels yet. And it could remain a patchwork of service for up to three more years.

“We’re going to have a lot of very frustrated customers if they are going to be getting and losing signals going in and out of stations,” warned Peter Benjamin, a Metro board member who represents Maryland.

The problem stems partly from the requirement that forces the agency to add the service. In exchange for $1.5 billion in dedicated federal funding that Congress authorized last year, Metro is required to have cell phone service in the 20 busiest stations by October, then have it in all 47 underground stations by October 2010. Service throughout the entire system wouldn’t need to be finished until October 2012.

Metro’s board of directors agreed earlier in the spring to negotiate a $40 million contract with national carriers Sprint Nextel, AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon Wireless to fulfill the requirement.

Minneapolis I-35 Bridge Collapse — A Major Emergency Incident: TSAG Case Studies Workshop & Webinar

Note: This workshop and webinar is a unique learning opportunity offered by the Transportation Safety Advancement Group (TSAG) and the U.S. DOT ITS Joint Program Office’s Talking Technology & Transportation (T3) webinars. The T3 Program is offered by the Joint Program Office’s ITS Professional Capacity Building Program. The workshop will be presented to both a live audience at the workshop location and to remote T3 webinar participants. T3 participants are invited to submit written questions before the webinar as well as during workshop question and answer periods.

Webinar participants may attend remotely for any portion of the 3.5 hour workshop/webinar. An audio of the event’s proceedings, synchronized with its presentations, will be available in the T3 Webinar archives approximately 4 weeks after the workshop.

Background

The Transportation Safety Advancement Group (TSAG) is facilitated and administered by the Intelligent Transportation Society of America (ITS America) to provide input to the US Department of Transportation (US DOT), ITS Joint Program Office’ Public Safety mission. TSAG advises the US DOT on the development and deployment ITS technologies that optimize travel mobility, safety / security, economy and environmental quality. Through its broad membership comprised of transportation and public safety professionals, TSAG initiates programs that promote inter-disciplinary, inter-agency and inter-jurisdictional coordination and cooperation, and that promote partnerships for advancing surface transportation services technologies. TSAG operates through resources provided by the US Department of Transportation and serves its program mission in compliance with US DOT regulations, policies and specified contract provisions.

I-35 Bridge Collapse Case Studies Workshop & Webinar Overview

Within a workshop setting, TSAG members and other public safety professionals review actual public safety related events or incidents for the purpose of identifying management strategies and technology-based applications and corresponding successes, failures, and lessons-learned. The June 3, 2009 Workshop will review the 2007 I-35 (MN) Bridge Collapse.

On August 1, 2007, the Interstate 35W Bridge collapsed into the Mississippi River during rush hour in the City of Minneapolis. The 1,907-foot bridge fell into the Mississippi River and onto roadways below. The span was packed with rush hour traffic, and dozens of vehicles fell with the bridge leaving scores of dazed commuters scrambling for their lives.

Case Studies Workshop presenters walk the audience through the tragic events of the day, focusing on 9-1-1 operations, Police, Fire, and EMS response, as well as the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) activation and management. Presenters will share lessons learned and highlight the performance of the Minneapolis 911 Center, of local emergency responders and of operations strategies and technologies at the time of and responding to the incident.

Target Audience

Workshop participants include TSAG members and guests. Webinar target audience includes other state and local public safety interests, including public safety managers and transportation operations, emergency communications, and emergency public safety practitioners.

Image: OpedPage.org

TSAG Case Study Workshop Concept and Objectives

The TSAG Case Studies Workshop concept targets case-studies of actual incidents or events associated with each of the eight (8) TSAG interest-community teams. Communities of Interest include: Transportation Operations, Law Enforcement, Fire and Safety, Academic & Research, Technology and Telematics, Emergency Communications, Emergency Medical Services, and Emergency Management. Workshop objectives revolve around the “technologies for public safety” TSAG mission.

Through reviews of actual recent events, incidents, and first-responder experiences, Case Studies Workshops facilitate after-event discussions by multi-discipline and multi-agency professionals for the purpose of:

• Clarifying actual circumstances of the event / incident
• Discussing established response protocols and procedures
• Reviewing public safety technology applications
• Identifying unique management and response circumstances and challenges
• Reviewing successes, failures, and lessons-leaned

Learning Objectives

The broad learning objectives of the TSAG Case Studies Workshop series include:

• Identify transportation-safety technologies and their real-time applications to actual incident identification, response and management
• Identify inter-agency and inter-discipline coordination successes and failures
• Identify technology successes, failures, and lessons-learned

Workshop/Webinar Agenda

2:00 PM ET — Opening / Webinar Ground Rules (US DOT, Volpe Center)

2:10 PM — Welcome / Introduction of Moderator (Linda Dodge)

2:15 PM — Workshop / Overview / Objectives (Moderator, Ray Fisher)

2:30 PM

• A. I-35 Bridge — The Setting
• B. Key Players / Key Interagency Coordination Protocols
• C. Key Public Safety Technology Applications

Q & A Session #1
3:30 PM

• D. The Event — Circumstances and Public Safety Actions

Q & A Session #2
4:30 PM

• E. Successes, Failures & Lessons Learned

5:00 PM

Q & A Session #3

• F. Open Discussion

5:30 PM

• G. End / Closing Remarks

(Source: Wheels Blog – New York Times)

There are bad work commutes. Then there are blood-boiling commutes that need to be vividly rehashed to unwitting co-workers, friends, anyone. Now there’s another option: The Washington-based nonprofit groupTransportation for America has launchedthis Web site as a home base for people who want (or need) to vent about their miserable trips to and from work.

(Source: USA Today & Image: Jalopnik)

As the American lawmakers are getting ready to pass the landmark “cash for clunkers” legislation, many of you are still left wondering what this legislation entails and how it will affect you.  The media chatter in the past has offered very little except that the legislation would provide federal vouchers of up to $4,500 for people to trade in their older vehicles for new ones that get better mileage.

Talk of the vouchers has kept some would-be new car and truck buyers on the sidelines, waiting to see whether they’d qualify for government help. So, for the moment, the idea is hurting sales. Based on interviews with lobbyists and congressional offices, the USA Today captured the details of this legislation in a nice Q & A format:

Image: Newsday

Q: What’s the idea behind “cash-for-clunkers”?

A: Supporters say it would replace older vehicles with new ones that use less fuel, are safer and pollute less. And it would give the struggling auto industry a sales boost.

Q: What’s the bill’s status?

A: It’s in a House committee and backed by the president. Senators from both parties are prepared to co-sponsor similar legislation as soon as this week.

Q: Sounds like a sure thing.

A: Not so. Environmental lobbyists, who don’t think it boosts fuel economy enough, might derail it or get it changed enough in the Senate that a compromise would take awhile.

Q: Any groups trying to keep it from being derailed?

A: You bet. Car companies, autoworkers, component suppliers and car dealers, among them. The House bill “will help jump-start auto sales and the U.S. economy, while also providing environmental benefits and increasing energy security,” says Ziad Ojakli, Ford Motor spokesman.

Q: What’s the price tag?

A: About $4 billion. The money is currently proposed to come from Energy Department funding included in the already enacted $787 billion economic stimulus package.

Q: If the House bill becomes law, how would it work?

A: The government would send up to $4,500 to the selling dealer on your behalf, if you:

1. Trade in a car that — this is a key point — has been registered and in use for at least a year, and has a federal combined city/highway fuel-economy rating of 18 or fewer miles per gallon.

2. Buy a new car, priced at $45,000 or less and rated at least 4 mpg better than the old one (gets a $3,500 voucher). If the new one gets at least 10 mpg better, you get the full $4,500.

Example: Trade that well-worn 1985 Chevrolet Impala V-8, rated 14 mpg, for a 2009 Impala V-8 rated 19 mpg and the government will kick in $3,500. Downsize to Chevy Cobalt (27 mpg) or even a larger Honda Accord (24 mpg) and get $4,500.

Mileage ratings back to 1985 are at www.fueleconomy.gov.

Q: What about trucks?

A: It’s more complicated.

For standard-duty models — most SUVs, vans and pickups:

1. The old one must be rated 18 mpg or less.

2. The new one must be at least 2 mpg better for $3,500 or at least 5 mpg better for $4,500.

For heavy-duties (6,000 to 8,500 pounds gross vehicle weight rating):

1. The old one must be rated 15 mpg or less.

2. The new one must be rated at least 1 mpg better for $3,500, or 2 mpg or more for $4,500.

Work trucks (8,500 to 10,000 lbs.) don’t have mpg ratings, so age is the criteria. The old one has to be a 2001 model or older. And only $3,500 is available.

Q: Is it worth it for $4,500?

A: The assumption is that the people most likely to use the program would trade in cars worth less than $4,500. Thus, while not necessarily clunkers, most would be at least 8 years old.

Q: Can I combine these incentives with other offers?

A: Yes. For instance, you could trade for a hybrid and get the voucher, claim the hybrid tax credit and get dealer or manufacturer discounts. You also could deduct the sales tax, if any, on your next federal tax return.

Q: Would I ever see the $3,500 or $4,500?

A: No. It’s an electronic transfer from the government to the dealer. Dealers want to be sure the amount can be counted as cash from the buyer, which would help buyers get credit because they’re financing less.

Q: What does the dealer do with my trade-in?

A: Gives it to a salvage operator. The engine, transmission and some other parts must be destroyed so they can’t be reused. The idea is to cull fuel-thirsty, polluting drivetrains. Operators can resell other parts, however.

Q: What’s to keep me from buying a junkyard car for a few hundred bucks, getting it barely running and trading it?

A: The one-year-in-service requirement noted earlier. Lawmakers wanted to exclude the revival of so-called junkyard dogs, because they’ve already been taken off the road.

Q: What do I get if I recently bought a car that would have qualified?

A: The bill contemplates making the incentives retroactive to March 30, but it’s unclear how to find and junk cars that were traded in that long ago. Some might already be back on the road, driven by new owners.

Q: What’s wrong with environmentalists’ idea that the new car or truck should get much better fuel economy than the House bill currently requires?

A: Opponents say the environmentalists’ fuel-economy improvement thresholds are so high that foreign brands benefit disproportionately, because their lineups tend now to have more small, fuel-efficient vehicles.

But the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy complained in a statement criticizing the House bill that the proposal as it stands now is way too lenient.

The council charged that the bill “aims primarily to clear Detroit’s unsold inventory from the storage lots,” rather than to seriously cut fuel use.

Q: How soon could this become law?

A: Depends on how much critics can sway the Senate, and to what piece of legislation this “fleet modernization” bill is attached.

If it becomes part of a larger bill that’s likely to get lots of debate, it could take awhile. If it’s attached to urgent, must-pass legislation, such as an appropriation bill, it could move quickly to the president’s desk.

A current plan is to add the program as an amendment to climate change legislation now being considered.

As proposed, it would be in effect for just one year.

(Source: Detroit Free Press & Image: Jalopnik)

WASHINGTON — Congress appeared ready Wednesday to move forward on a bill to pay people to surrender their old gas-guzzlers for new, fuel-efficient models — but the auto industry hasn’t decided what it wants out of the program.

While backers of a cash-for-clunkers plan announced a deal earlier this month, the final bill has yet to be crafted because of a last-minute dispute between foreign and domestic automakers over incentives for leasing. Environmental groups aren’t thrilled with the compromise, saying it is weighted too heavily toward truck buyers.

But with House and Senate leaders, along with President Barack Obama, voicing support, industry officials say they are hopeful a bill that will boost a lethargic market for new vehicles will get through Congress in weeks. Backers say the compromise would cost about $4 billion — paid for by money from the economic stimulus plan passed earlier this year — and could boost sales by 1.3 million vehicles over a year, according to industry officials.

Owners of cars and trucks that get less than 18 m.p.g. could get a voucher of $3,500 to $4,500 for a new vehicle, depending on the mileage of the new model, but no trade-in value because the vehicles would be scrapped.

“This is a jobs bill that helps the environment,” said Ziad Ojakli, Ford’s group vice president for governmental affairs.

The plan does have several hurdles that will keep some potential buyers on the sidelines. The clunker being traded in has to be kept off the road — meaning it will have no trade-in value beyond the voucher. Far more trucks on the road will qualify for the vouchers than cars: even 15 years ago, only five models of midsize sedans managed just 18 m.p.g.

And while the compromise among U.S. House members was unveiled earlier this month, the actual bill will be kept under wraps until it is introduced with the House Democrats’ plan to control carbon emissions through a cap-and-trade system, expected no later than Monday.

Although cash-for-clunkers programs in other nations have been motivated by environmental goals to improve the mileage of vehicles on the road, environmental groups are lukewarm about the U.S. compromise.

(Source: The City Room – New York Times)

Will New York City be left behind in the era of the electric car? Or will it perhaps become the first to embrace it?

Image: Reuters - Would New York City install charging stations like the one above, in London? The Bloomberg administration has commissioned a study on electric cars in the city.

With all the hubbub over electric cars of late (covered very well by our compatriots on the Green Inc. blog), the Bloomberg administration found that the strategies that electric car manufacturers were presenting to them did not apply well to New York City. “None of them felt like they were really tailored to New York City,” said Rohit T. Aggarwala, Mayor Bloomberg’s adviser on green issues. “The fact is that most drivers live in circumstances and use their cars very differently from New York drivers.”

As a result, the Bloomberg administration plans to commission a survey to understand the dynamics of New Yorkers and electric cars, as The New York Post reported Wednesday.

One of the key differences is that many American families live in a house with a garage, which gives them a place and opportunity to charge cars when they are parked at night.

“That works most places, but at least for a large portion of New York, they don’t store it in a garage,” Mr. Aggarwala said. Many New Yorkers park on the street (and contend with alternate-side-of-the street parking rules) or in shared garages.

In addition, average Americans may use their cars almost daily, but a large number of New Yorkers own cars but do not use them every day. “Our conjecture is that for local travel, many New York auto owners use public transit,” Mr. Aggarwala said.

Mr. Aggarwala also noted that perhaps the survey could find that the regions of the city that do have homes with individual garages may prove the most fertile for electric cars, as in the rest of the country. “That would mean you wouldn’t target it in Manhattan,” he said.

At the same time, if New Yorkers largely drive within the city and use their cars for errands, they may not mind the limited range and power of the current generation of electric cars.

Different circumstances are prompting communities to embrace electric cars at different rates. China, for example, also has very different driving dynamics — short distances, lots of traffic — and the government there has gambled that those factors create a fertile environment for introducing electric cars.

Thursday, May 14, 2009 – ISSN 1529-1057

Join the International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association in Denver, CO to learn about best practices from around the world in Incident Management and Emergency Response. Sessions will explore the most effective tools and communication methods available to promote toll facility safety and security, maintain operations in the face of disruption, and effectively communicate with customers during all phases of an incident – from prevention to recovery. Other topics include crisis management during special events, Post Traumatic Distress Disorder and psychological impacts to employees, the role of engineering and maintenance in prevention and safety, and business continuity during disasters. Visit IBTTA’s website to view the preliminary agenda and register today! 

AVIATION

1) EU Air Safety Agency Pledges Better Rulemaking

EASA has promised to incorporate more ‘communication moments’ into the rulemaking process.

Link to story on EurActiv:

http://www.euractiv.com/en/transport/eu-air-safety-agency-pledges-better-rulemaking/article-182169

2) Aviation IT Online News Launched

Link to Aviation IT Online:

http://www.aviationitonline.com/

CARTOGRAPHY

3) Google Street View has to Reshoot in Japan

Link to CNET News story:

http://news.cnet.com/8301-17852_3-10240459-71.html?tag=newsLatestHeadlinesArea.0

ELECTRONIC TOLLING

4) EU Sends Slovakia Formal Request on Electronic Toll Collection

Link to Dow Jones story:

http://www.nasdaq.com/aspx/stock-market-news-story.aspx?storyid=200905140654dowjonesdjonline000334&title=eu-sends-slovakia-formal-request-on-electronic-toll-collection

GPS / NAVIGATION

5) Garmin Adds Built-In Digital Camera to Waterproof GPS Units

Link to story on ZDNet:

http://blogs.zdnet.com/digitalcameras/?p=706

OTHER

6) US Government Spending $147.6 Billion for R&D Next Year

Expenditure includes $180 million for FAA next-generation projects such as upgraded air traffic control systems and $103 million for ITS.

Link to story in Information Week:

http://www.informationweek.com/news/government/stimulus/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=217500146&subSection=All+Stories

ROADWAYS

7) Calls for Expert Road Crash Teams in UK

Link to BBC News story:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/8048971.stm

TRANSIT

8) Boston T Says No to Driver Cell Phones

Link to story in The Boston Globe:

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2009/05/14/t_says_no_to_driver_cellphones/

News Releases

1) Stay Alive When You Drive – Truck Safety Video Alerts Drivers to Railroad Crossing Tips

Upcoming Events

International Municipal Signal Association Annual Conference – August 18-26 – Orlando, Florida

http://www.imsasafety.org/2009conf/2009conf.html

Today in Transportation History

1804 **205^th anniversary** – The Lewis and Clark Expedition left Camp River Dubois for the official start of their journal to the Pacific Ocean.

http://www.campdubois.com/

=============================================================================================

The Transportation Communications Newsletter is published electronically Monday through Friday. 

To subscribe send an e-mail to:  TCNL-subscribe@googlegroups.com

To unsubscribe send an e-mail to:  TCNL-unsubscribe@googlegroups.com

TCN archives: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/transport-communications

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

© 2009 Bernie Wagenblast

(Source: Autoblog)

In the event of a crash, vehicle sensors gather up information and connects an OnStar adviser to a vehicle. OnStar can then contact emergency services and provide information regarding the severity of the crash, with information about airbags deployed and type of impact. 

In the past, OnStar advisers would have to give emergency services a detailed description of the location of the accident.

Subscribers to the telematics system will benefit from new technology that will enable OnStar to electronically transmit precise longitude and longitude coordinates directly to the 911 center. Where available, the Automatic Location Identification (ALI) data display will show the authorities exactly where you’re located, with almost zero opportunity for error.

The presser had the following info: With this newest OnStar enhancement, 911 centers can automatically receive specific vehicle location information (longitude and latitude) in the 911 Automatic Location Identification (ALI) data display which may interface with a sophisticated mapping system used in many jurisdictions to expedite locating emergency victims. 

“In an emergency, accurate location is the most important piece of information to ensure that help arrives promptly at the scene,” said Cathy McCormick, Emergency and Security Service Line manager, OnStar.

In addition to providing location information, OnStar advisors continue to play an important role in providing critical crash and other emergency-related information directly to dispatchers to help them determine the most appropriate response. 

“The Association of Public Safety Communications Officials has worked with telematics providers since their inception to use the latest technology to assist public safety in saving lives,” said Chris Fischer, president, APCO International. “This technology interfaces with the systems many of our centers have in place already to expedite response.”

With OnStar’s Priority Access program, many PSAPs already receive OnStar emergency calls through an existing 911 trunk line. By routing verified emergency calls to 911 trunk lines, dispatchers will not only receive OnStar calls more quickly, they will also receive important call-related data, including OnStar’s PSAP-only callback number. 

Wednesday, May 13, 2009 – ISSN 1529-1057

1) Continental Airlines to Shut Tampa Call Center, Cut 500 Jobs

Link to AP story:

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hUlxsCBAXmPJ5x8ysNH9MmQSkrLgD985EN6O1

2) Regional Routes Served by Big Carriers are Often Operated by ‘Feeder’ Airlines

Accident record information is available via the Web from the NTSB, but information on specific pilots is difficult to obtain.

Link to story in The Wall Street Journal:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124217348431613081.html

3) Hong Kong Airport Says It Now Uses Only RFID Baggage Tags

Link to story in RFID Journal:

http://www.rfidjournal.com/article/articleview/4885

4) No Way to E-Mail Frontier Airlines? Not Necessarily

Link to column on Elliott:

http://www.elliott.org/blog/no-way-to-e-mail-frontier-airlines-not-necessarily/

BUSES

5) Is This Your Stop? Pull the Cord, Like Old Times

Bell cord makes a comeback on New York City buses.

Link to story in The New York Times:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/13/nyregion/13cords.html?partner=rss&emc=rss&pagewanted=all

CARTOGRAPHY

6) A Look Into the Future of Mapping

Link to interview with Maarten Oldenhof, CEO of Automotive Navigation Data on The Where Business:

http://social.thewherebusiness.com/content/look-future-mapping

7) Electronics Replace Old Fashioned Maps

US/Canadian Map Co. shuts down.

Link to story and video on WLUK-TV:

http://www.fox11online.com/dpp/news/local_wluk_electronics_replace_old_fashion_maps_200905121736_rev1

GPS / NAVIGATION

8) Navigation Boon for Stalled WiMax?

Link to Reuters story:

http://www.reuters.com/article/marketsNews/idUSSEO34908020090513

MARITIME

9) US Coast Guard Releases Anti-Piracy Rules

New regulations for US-flagged ships include lookout for pirates and requirement to submit new security plans.

Link to story in Navy Times:

http://www.navytimes.com/news/2009/05/coastguard_piracy_051209w/

OTHER

10) EU Adopts RFID Privacy Recommendations

Link to story in Government Technology:

http://www.govtech.com/gt/673788

ROADWAYS

11) Vail, Colorado Looks for Better Road Sign System

Electronic signs might also expand to pedestrian paths and integrate with Vail Resort’s on-mountain information system.

Link to story in the Vail Daily:

http://www.vaildaily.com/article/20090512/NEWS/905129939/1078&ParentProfile=1062

12) Los Angeles Wants to Limit Digital Billboards to 21 Areas

Link to story in the Contra Costa Times:

http://www.contracostatimes.com/california/ci_12358604

13) Electronic Billboards Nixed Along West Virginia Highway

Link to AP story:

http://www.dailymail.com/ap/ApTopStories/200905130118

SAFETY / SECURITY

14) 8,000 New Yorkers Got Emergency E-Mails, Phone Calls and Texts on Aborted Flyover

Link to story in the Daily News:

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2009/05/13/2009-05-13_city_hotline_provides_411_on_danger.html

15) New DVD Shows Dangers of Texting and Driving

Link to AP story:

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/UT_NO_TEXTING_AD_UTOL-?SITE=CODEN&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

SPACE

16) A Twitter First: NASA Astronaut Sends First Tweet from Space

Link to story in Computerworld:

http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9132979

Link to Twitter feed:  http://twitter.com/Astro_Mike

TELEMATICS

17) New Sync Begins Rollout May 18

Link to story in TWICE:

http://www.twice.com/article/CA6658004.html

TRAVELER INFORMATION / TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT

18) Arizona DOT Now Using Twitter, Facebook to Report US 93 Updates

Link to story in The Kingman Daily Miner:

http://www.kingmandailyminer.com/main.asp?SectionID=1&subsectionID=1&articleID=31402

News Releases

1) FAA Virtualizes Critical International Communication Application with Stratus

2) OnStar Enhances Emergency Response with Microsoft Virtual Earth

3) CVIS: Connected Vehicles for Next-Generation Mobility

Upcoming Events

ITE Annual Meeting & Exhibit – August 9-12 – San Antonio, Texas

http://www.ite.org/AnnualMeeting/default.asp

Today in Transportation History

1829 **180^th anniversary** – The Stourbridge Lion, the first steam locomotive to operate in the US, arrived in New York.

http://www.bridge-line.org/blhs/stourbridge_lion.html

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The Transportation Communications Newsletter is published electronically Monday through Friday. 

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

© 2009 Bernie Wagenblast