TransportGooru

(source: Porsche via Wired)

Hybrids and super fast were usually not spelled in the same sentence until Porsche opened a can (rather a car) of   surprise for the motoring world with its new hybrid 918 Spyder in Geneva earlier this year.

Now for the first time some of those potential customers got to see and hear Porsche’s latest creation in person. The 918 was flown over from Germany for the annual Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in Montery, California. The video above shows a covert shakedown drive before the car was shown to the public.
Read More http://www.wired.com/autopia/2010/08/video-porsche-918-hybrid-makes-debut-drive-in-california/#ixzz0wtLtUQEV

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The U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy has released the latest issue of its annual statistical compendium designed to characterize transportation activity and explore data on other factors that influence transportation energy use.

Published by Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) under contract with the U.S. Department of Energy, this report is designed for use as a desk-top reference.  The Data Book represents an assembly and display of statistics and information that characterize transportation activity, andpresents data on other factors that influence transportation energy use. The purpose of this document is to present relevant statistical data in the form of tables and graphs. The latest edition of the Data Book is available to a larger audience via the Internet (cta.ornl.gov/data).
This edition of the Data Book has 12 chapters which focus on various aspects of the transportation industry.  The sources used represent the latest available data. There are also three appendices which include detailed source information forsome tables, measures of conversion, and the definition of Census divisions and regions. A glossary of terms and a title index are also included for the reader’s convenience.

Information on ordering printed copies of the report is available online.

Remember those crazy storms that dumped loads of snow on the cities and towns along the Eastern seaboard and many mid-Western states across the US during February 2010?  Apart from the impact on the surface transportation modes, these storms wreaked havoc on the aviation sector, terribly disrupting the  performance of the whole sector.

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.

For those interested, you can click here to download the report.

The first flight of NASA‘s hurricane airborne research mission is scheduled to take off from Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., on Tuesday, Aug. 17. NASA’s DC-8 research aircraft will be making a planned five-hour flight along the Gulf Coast from western Florida to Louisiana primarily as a practice run for the many scientific instruments aboard.

The target for Tuesday’s “shakedown” flight is the remnants of Tropical Depression 5, a poorly organized storm system whose center is currently hugging the coasts of Mississippi and Louisiana and moving westward. While forecasters do not expect this storm system to strengthen significantly before it reaches landfall in Louisiana, the system offers the DC-8’s seven instrument teams an opportunity to try out their equipment on possible convective storms. Rainfall rates, wind speed and direction below the airplane to the surface, cloud droplet sizes, and aerosol particle sizes are just some of the information that these instruments will collect.

Read more on  NASA’s GRIP mission website.

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Monday, August 16, 2010 – ISSN 1529-1057

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Participate in Global Traffic Solutions – GEWI Traffic Technologies Tour

This November, GEWI will be touring the US and Canada for the purpose of exchanging information about advanced traffic technologies being used around the world.  The tour demonstrates solutions for a variety of transportation related problems and ideas, including global vehicle/infrastructure projects similar to the US IntelliDrive initiative.  Other topics include data collection, harmonization, interoperability and dealing with emerging data types.  GEWI also wants to hear your current traffic data or system challenges.  This information exchange is just one of the many ways GEWI ensures that the TIC software product continues to be the global leader for the processing of transportation data.

If you’re interested in attending or hosting this free event in your area, contact jim.oneill@gewi.com.

AVIATION

1) Southwest Airlines Takes Proactive Approach When Things Go Wrong In-Flight

Link to article in The Dallas Morning News:

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/bus/industries/airlines/stories/DN-swapology_15bus.ART0.State.Edition1.26cd7a0.html

BICYCLES

2) The Bike that Expresses Its Feelings

Link to blog on CNET News:

http://news.cnet.com/8301-17852_3-20013670-71.html

GPS / NAVIGATION

3) New York City to Retrofit Buses with GPS Tracking

Link to article in Washington Square News:

http://nyunews.com/news/2010/08/08/09gps/

MARITIME

4) NTSB Ties US Coast Guard Collision to Cell Phone Use

Link to article in The Hill:

http://thehill.com/blogs/hillicon-valley/technology/114137-ntsb-ties-coast-guard-collisions-to-cell-phone-use

OTHER

5) Latest Issues of Thinking Highways Online

–  Europe/RoW edition

http://thinkinghighways.com/Pages/View-issue.aspx?id=5d1ae3bb-0899-4bf8-a786-2e2b31499a62

–  North American edition

http://thinkinghighways.com/Pages/View-issue.aspx?id=21c8d997-8d9c-4854-b34c-8ded4121fa79

RAILROADS

6) Railroads’ Guarded Secret: Not Even Hazmat Teams are Told What’s on Train

Link to article in the Press & Sun-Bulletin:

http://www.pressconnects.com/article/20100814/NEWS01/8140340/1112/Railroads–guarded-secret–Not-even-HAZMAT-teams-are-told-what-s-on-train

7) Rail Safety: Making the Railroad Mantra ‘Safety First’ More than Words in a Manual

Link to article in Progressive Railroading:

http://www.progressiverailroading.com/pr/article.asp?id=24056&email=bernie@bwcommunications.net

ROADWAYS

8) University of Maryland Researcher Aims for Early Warning System for Bridges

Link to article in The Baltimore Sun:

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/bs-md-bridge-sensors-20100816,0,7287279.story

SAFETY / SECURITY

9) Firms Crack Down on Driving While Distracted

Link to article in the Chicago Sun-Times:

http://www.suntimes.com/news/transportation/2601804,CST-NWS-ride16.article

TRANSIT

10) Johnson County (Kansas) Transit Offers New Web Site to Explain Transit Task Force

Link to article in The Kansas City Star:

http://www.kansascity.com/2010/08/13/2148259/joco-offers-new-website-to-explain.html

11) Defining a Transit Wireless Blueprint

Link to blog in Mass Transit:

http://www.masstransitmag.com/interactive/2010/08/12/defining-a-transit-wireless-blueprint/

12) Reconciling Security, Disclosure, and Record-Retention Requirements in Transit Procurements

Link to report from the Transportation Research Board:

http://www.trb.org/Main/Blurbs/Reconciling_Security_Disclosure_and_RecordRetentio_163894.aspx

TRAVELER INFORMATION / TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT

13) Rush Hour Alerts a Hit with Auckland Drivers

Link to article in The New Zealand Herald:

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10666174

14) Real-Time Traffic Business in Europe: Interview with Mediamobile CEO Vincent Godec

Link to video interview on GPS Business News:

http://www.gpsbusinessnews.com/Real-Time-Traffic-Business-in-Europe-Interview-with-Mediamobile-CEO-Vincent-Godec_a2398.html

15) Hopes High for New Winter Haven, Florida Traffic-Monitoring System

Link to article in The News Chief:

http://www.newschief.com/article/20100815/NEWS/8155061/-1/living02?Title=Hopes-high-for-new-W-H-traffic-monitoring-system

16) Q&A: Color-Coded Traffic in Google Maps

Link to column in The New York Times:

http://gadgetwise.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/08/16/q-a-color-coded-traffic-in-google-maps/

News Releases

1) Minnesota DOT Commissioner Tom Sorel to Kick Off New ITS America Webinar Series

2) Announcement of the Inaugural ITS Australia Awards

3) Blind Driver Challenge Project Wins Top Awards at NIWeek

4) Walk Score Launches Transit Score and Commute Reports

5) UAE Roads & Transport Authority Launches Accepted Fasting, Safe Road Campaign for Ramadan

Upcoming Events

Webinar: General Overview of the 2009 MUTCD Parts 1 and 6 – August 24

http://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/resources/news/news_detail.asp?ID=664

Today in Transportation History

1960 **50^th anniversary** Joseph Kittinger set a world record, which still stands, for the highest altitude skydive at 102,800 feet (31,300 meters).

http://www.af.mil/information/heritage/person.asp?dec=&pid=123006518

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

The Transportation Communications Newsletter is published electronically Monday through Friday.

To subscribe (for free) or unsubscribe, please contact me at bernie@bwcommunications.net.

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

Questions, comments about the TCN?  Please write the editor, Bernie Wagenblast atbernie@bwcommunications.net.

© 2010 Bernie Wagenblast  www.bwcommunications.net

(Source: DNA Info. via Huffington Post)

What happens when two competing ice cream vendors are fighting over a prized parking spot in New York City? The video shows how things got ugly between two vendors who sell ice creams…

Friday, August 13, 2010 – ISSN 1529-1057

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Transportation Voice-Over Specialist

New York City Transit, The Port Authority of New York & New Jersey, Virginia DOT, Siemens, Bombardier, TransCore; these are just a few of my many transportation voice-over clients.  Here are some comments from clients: “He brings his knowledge of this industry and his ability to improve the words and message,” “It is a pleasure to work with someone so gifted of voice yet knows all the acronyms of the profession.”

I welcome the opportunity to use my experience wherever your organization needs to sound its best.  I’ve provided voice recordings for services such as IVR systems, transit announcements, highway advisory radio, video and PowerPoint narrations and even live announcing.  Please visit my Web site at www.bwcommunications.net to learn more and to hear samples.  You may also contact me at bernie@bwcommunications.net if you have questions.

AVIATION

1) With Oil Gusher Capped, Center to Manage Support Flights Closes

Link to article on Nextgov:

http://www.nextgov.com/nextgov/ng_20100812_3595.php

2) Communication Problems May Have Delayed Search Following Alaska Plane Crash

Link to article in The New York Times:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/13/us/13crash.html

3) FAA Adopts ICAO’s ‘Line Up and Wait’ Terminology

Link to article in Aviation International News:

http://www.ainonline.com/news/single-news-page/article/faa-adopts-icaos-line-up-and-wait-terminology-25807/

4) JetBlue’s Web Traffic Soars After Attendant Meltdown

Link to article in Crain’s New York Business:

http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20100812/FREE/100819915

BICYCLES

5) District DOT Activates DC’s First Bike Traffic Signals

Link to story and video on WTTG-TV:

http://www.myfoxdc.com/dpp/traffic/ddot-activates-dcs-first-bike-traffic-signals-081110

CAMERAS

6) Safety Measure or Just Another Tax? Debate Over Red Light Cameras Intensifies

Link to ABC News story and video:

http://abcnews.go.com/US/citizens-fight-vote-red-light-cameras/story?id=11377323

7) Traffic Cameras Become Unbiased Witness to Accidents

Link to story and video on KCRG-TV:

http://www.kcrg.com/news/local/Traffic-Cameras-Becomes-Witness-to-Accidents-100593424.html

GPS / NAVIGATION

8) Glitch Keeps Cell Phone Maps from Prince Edward Island Ambulances

Link to CBC News story:

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/prince-edward-island/story/2010/08/13/pei-ambulance-cell-phone-map-584.html

OTHER

9) Can Cell Phones and Travelers Coexist Peacefully?

Link to article in USA Today:

http://www.usatoday.com/travel/experts/mcgee/2010-08-12-cellphone-etiquette_N.htm

10) Research and Innovative Technology Administration Adds Facebook Page

Link to page:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Washington-DC/Research-and-Innovative-Technology-Administration/121617491187775

11) Memo from ITS/JPO Advisory Committee on April 7 Meeting

Link to memo:

http://www.its.dot.gov/itspac/meetings/advisory_memo.htm

RAILROADS

12) California Bill Would Air Rail Bidders’ Holocaust Role

Link to AP article:

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hQ65mAbapUiUvF8j21oxjj1Tci4QD9HI60LG3

ROADWAYS

13) Smarter Highway Signs are Confusing Seattle Drivers

Link to story and video on KING-TV:

http://www.king5.com/news/local/Smarter-Highway-signs-confusing-drivers-100588684.html

SAFETY / SECURITY

14) Social Media Emerge as Digital Avenue for Emergency Response

Link to article in Federal Computer Week:

http://fcw.com/articles/2010/08/12/social-media-emerging-as-digital-avenue-for-emergency-response.aspx

TRANSIT

15) Natchez Transit System to Be Featured on PBS’s Blueprint America

Link to article in The Natchez Democrat:

http://www.natchezdemocrat.com/news/2010/aug/10/natchez-transit-system-be-featured-pbs/

TRAVELER INFORMATION / TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT

16) Information-Sharing Guidebook for Transportation Management Centers, Emergency Operations Centers, and Fusion Centers

Link to guidebook from FHWA:

http://www.ops.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/fhwahop09003/index.htm

News Releases

1) 511NJ Begins Providing Real-Time Travel Times to New Jersey Shore Destinations

2) USTRANSCOM Opens New Global Transportation Command-and-Control Facility

3) Australian First for Adelaide’s Cyclists – Web Site Provides Personalized Cycling Routes

4) Aircell Rebrands High Speed Internet Service as Gogo Biz in Business Aviation Market

5) SingTel Collaborates with Telmap to Offer Search, Mapping and Navigation to Consumers in Singapore

Upcoming Events

Systems Engineering for ITS Workshop – September 7-8 – Arlington, Texas

http://systemsitsworkshop.eventsbot.com/

Friday Bonus

Just in time for back-to-school.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQ2iNOmPI-0

Today in Transportation History

1960 **50^th anniversary** The East Broad Top Railroad reopened as a tourist carrier.

http://www.ebtrr.com/

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

The Transportation Communications Newsletter is published electronically Monday through Friday.

To subscribe (for free) or unsubscribe, please contact me at bernie@bwcommunications.net.

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

Questions, comments about the TCN?  Please write the editor, Bernie Wagenblast at bernie@bwcommunications.net.

© 2010 Bernie Wagenblast  www.bwcommunications.net