Transportation Communications Newsletter

Tuesday, August 19, 2008 -- ISSN 1529-1057

Registration for IBTTA’s 76^th Annual Meeting and Exhibition Now Open – Baltimore, MD USA, September 21-24, 2008

Join IBTTA for the most significant gathering of toll industry professionals and business partners in the world. More than 1,000 delegates from 25 countries on six continents will converge on Baltimore’s Waterfront to examine best practices and critical innovations in toll industry finance, marketing, technology, customer service, environmental stewardship, operations, maintenance, and related issues. This meeting is hosted by the Maryland Transportation Authority. Registration cut-off for this meeting is September 5, 2008. For more information, visit IBTTA’s website and register online today! www.IBTTA.org.

AVIATION

1) Detroit Area Airports First in Nation to be Designated ‘StormReady’ by National Weather Service

Link to story in the Detroit Free Press:

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080819/BUSINESS05/808190305

2) Ad Removed at Minneapolis Airport at Airline’s Request

Anti-nuclear billboard deemed too political.

Link to AP story:

http://www.grandforksherald.com/ap/index.cfm?page=view&id=D92L3RB80

ELECTRONIC TOLLING

3) Utah DOT to Gauge Tolls Electronically

Drivers would be charged more at high-traffic times.

Link to story in the Deseret News:

http://deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,700251932,00.html

GPS / NAVIGATION

4) Real-Time Traffic Gets Traction in Australian Personal Navigation Device Market

Link to story in GPS Business News:

http://www.gpsbusinessnews.com/index.php?action=article&numero=991

5) Garmin Gets in the Social-Networking Groove

A partnership with Where.com means that owners of select Garmin navigators can use the devices to find lower gas prices and tell their Facebook friends where they are.
Link to CNET News story:

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13577_3-10019730-36.html?tag=nefd.top

MARITIME

6) 3D Technology to Guard Ports, Harbors

Link to story in The Age:

http://news.theage.com.au/national/3d-technology-to-guard-ports-harbours-20080819-3y59.html

Link to news release from the Australian Defence Science and Technology Organisation:

http://www.dsto.defence.gov.au/news/5469/

7) Security System to be Tested at North Carolina Ferry Dock

Vehicles boarding ferry will be x-rayed.

Link to story in the Havelock News:

http://www.havenews.com/news/system_4343___article.html/security_ferry.html

Link to additional information about Z Backscatter technology:

http://www.as-e.com/products_solutions/z_backscatter.asp

OTHER

8) Answers from Tom Vanderbilt, Author of ‘Traffic’

Link to Q&A in The New York Times:

http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/08/19/answers-from-tom-vanderbilt-author-of-traffic/

SAFETY / SECURITY

9) Federal Court: Passengers Can Challenge No-Fly List

Link to story in the San Francisco Chronicle:

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/08/18/BA2212DEQU.DTL

10) Machines to Scan Faces of Travelers at UK Airports

Link to Press Association story:

http://ukpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5hDIqr77ikcKS9Z-sFfgIadLYmnHQ

11) Texas First Responders Finalize Plans for Public Safety Communications

Link to story in the Austin Business Journal:

http://www.bizjournals.com/austin/stories/2008/08/18/daily21.html

TRANSIT

12) Gag Order Against MIT Students Dissolved by Judge

Three are freed to publicly discuss security flaws they found in MBTA's systems.

Link to story in Computerworld:

http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9112968&intsrc=hm_ts_head

13) Not So Smart Cards Easily Hacked

Link to story in The Christian Science Monitor:

http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/0819/p01s01-usgn.html

14) San Francisco Bay Area Transit Agencies Start Idea-Swap Forum

Link to story in the San Francisco Business Times:

http://sanfrancisco.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/stories/2008/08/18/daily10.html

TRAVELER INFORMATION / TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT

15) Traffic Surveillance: Big Brother is Watching You in Bangalore

Link to story in The Times of India:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Bangalore/Traffic_surveillance_Big_brother_is_watching_you/articleshow/3379180.cms

16) Czech Drivers Testing RDS-TMC Information System

Link to story and audio report on Radio Prague:

http://www.radio.cz/en/article/107372

17) Public Needs Better Access to Traffic Information

Link to column in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08230/904698-147.stm

VEHICLES

18) Effectiveness of Car-Safety Technology Tested

Link to Media General News Service story:

http://www.dothaneagle.com/dea/news/local/article/effectiveness_of_car_safety_technology_tested/32488/

News Releases

1) Predictive Traffic Information to Revolutionize Navigation and Trip Planning

2) Iteris Selected by LACMTA for Transit Signal Priority Systems Contract Valued at Just Under $8.0 Million

3) Pennsylvania DOT Launches Keystone Line Web Site

Upcoming Events

Traffic Control, WiMAX Communication Systems & Traveler Information for Public Transport & Freight Logistics Conference – September 11 – Reading, UK

http://www.innovits.com/public/info_/innovits/WIMAX%20UTMC%20TRAFFIC%20INFO%20CONF.doc

Today in Transportation History

1812 – The USS Constitution defeated the British frigate HMS Guerričre during the War of 1812.

http://www.history.navy.mil/docs/war1812/const5.htm

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© 2008 Bernie Wagenblast