Largest mobilization ever against CASTOR nuclear transport

Right now in Germany we are witnessing an unprecedented mass mobilization against radioactive waste and against the operational extension of 17 nuclear reactors in the country by an average of 12 years. This anti-CASTOR (Cask for Storage and Transport of Radioactive material) mobilization is the largest Germany has seen, and includes both the young and the old, farmers and politicians, environmental and youth groups. It is truly a grassroots movement, united behind one goal: saying 'Nein Danke' -'No thank you' - to nuclear energy.

I had the honour of addressing this movement at a rally yesterday where I was particularly moved by the inter-generational nature of the crowd. Whole families turned out in solidarity with local residents who have been protesting against radioactive nuclear waste for the past thirty years. This year the demonstrations have escalated because of the decision taken by Chancellor Merkel, and her government, to cancel the legally set deadline for the phase out of nuclear power in Germany.

In my address at the rally yesterday I called on her to end nuclear madness and to ensure that Germany is remembered for its leadership in a real energy revolution rather than remembered for backsliding into an outdated obsolete atomic age. Germany does not need nuclear energy and is a global leader in renewable energy - currently employing 380,000 people.

The CASTOR nuclear waste transport is an example of the nuclear madness that must end. It is a train convoy carrying eleven 100-tonne containers of radioactive waste that is reprocessed in France and returns to Germany each year for storage. Measurements of these eleven containers done by ANDRA (National Agency for Radioactive Waste Management) show that the radioactivity in each container is higher than what was released at Chernobyl in 1986 - this makes the CASTOR transport effectively a Chernobyl on wheels.

Transport bosses work to reduce strike disruption

The newest in a series of strikes on the Tube is due to begin on Tuesday evening but transport chiefs have promised to keep London moving.

Extra bus and river services are being put on, while some roadworks are being delayed for the period of the 24 hour industrial action.

Canary Wharf Group said it will have additional bike spaces in Cabot Square and extra staff advising people of the best routes to take.

However, for cars, it has said those without parking permits should, as a precaution, not drive to work as the car parks in Canary Wharf will give priority to those with permits.

Thames Clippers is putting on additional boats for the strike.

Mayor Boris Johnson said: "The action of the union leaderships may cause some inconvenience but we are determined to continue the capital moving by providing a plethora of alternatives so that people can get around."

The TSSA union, meanwhile, accused the Mayor of playing a 'poor man's Churchill' and going against his election pledge of keeping Tube ticket offices open.

Unions say 650 ticket office jobs, as well as 150 station managers, are under threat over the plans

Airline workers seek union

Flight attendants at Allegiant Air have filed a petition with the federal National Mediation Board, seeking union representation with the Transport Workers Union of America.

The Las Vegas-based low-cost carrier that links Medford to Arizona, Nevada and Southern California has about 420 flight attendants. Allegiant attendants would become the first employee group at the airline with a union contract if they vote in the Transport Workers Union.

TWU has more than 9,400 flight attendants at Southwest Airlines and that number will be bolstered by an additional 2,200 flight attendants who now work at AirTran once the announced acquisition of AirTran by Southwest becomes final.

"We love our company and we are proud to be a part of the Allegiant success story," said Loren Edge, an Allegiant Air flight attendant in a statement released by the TWU. "We are not anti-company; we are pro-flight attendant."

Allegiant Air flight attendants filed their petition for a union election on Wednesday with The National Mediation Board, which supervises union representation elections at commercial airlines and railroads. Federal law requires an election be scheduled within 45 days.

White House stokes high-speed rail

The U.S. Department of Transportation today announced an additional $2.4 billion in grants for high-speed rail projects throughout the country.

In 2009, the DOT provided $8 billion of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act money for high-speed rail projects. The funding announced today by DOT Secretary Ray LaHood will go to 54 rail projects in 23 states.



The funding is part of the Obama administration's commitment to develop America's first nationwide program of high-speed intercity passenger rail service, federal officials said.

Currently, the "Acela Express" of Amtrak, which runs between Boston and Washington D.C., is the only high-speed rail line in the U.S.

DOT's Federal Railroad Administration received 132 applications from 32 states totaling $8.8 billion, more than three times the $2.4 billion available. During the first round of awards in the fall of 2009, applicants submitted more than $55 billion in project proposals for the initial $8 billion, officials said.

"Demand for high-speed rail dollars is intense and it demonstrates just how important this historic initiative is," said Secretary LaHood. "States understand that high-speed rail represents a unique opportunity to create jobs, revitalize our manufacturing base, spur economic development and provide people with an environmentally friendly transportation option."

More than 30 rail manufacturers and suppliers, both domestic and foreign, have agreed to establish or expand their bases of operations in the United States if they are hired to build America's next generation high-speed lines, a commitment the Obama Administration secured to help ensure new jobs are created here at home, LaHood said.

Canada Follows U.S. Lead on Fuel Efficiency Standards

As expected, Canada has announced plans to follow the U.S. lead in developing CO2 emissions standards - fuel economy standards - for medium and heavy vehicles.

Jim Prentice, Canada's Environment Minister, released a consultation document outlining the proposed elements of the future regulations to decrease greenhouse gas emissions from new heavy-duty vehicles.

"Canada and the United States have had great achievement in working together to reduce emissions from new light-duty vehicles, and we are looking forward to doing the same for heavy-duty vehicles," said Prentice.

The Regulatory Framework consultation document outlines the major elements of the planned regulations in order to seek early views from stakeholders, which will be taken into account in developing proposed regulations which are expected to be available in mid-2011. Canada's heavy-duty vehicle regulations will be aligned with those of the United States.

Canadian truckers are concerned that if Canada adopts U.S. standards word for word, the targets will not be met by sectors hauling heavier loads than is presently the practice. Canada allows combinations of eight axles or more with gross vehicle weights exceeding 140,000 pounds in some cases. The U.S. proposed standards appear designed for 80,000-pound, five-axle combinations.

Rail strikes hit German regional, local transport

Walkouts have affected rail journey in the states of North Rhine-Westphalia, Bavaria, Saxony-Anhalt and Lower Saxony, unions GDBA and Transnet said, adding that the temporary warning strikes would hit almost all of Germany's other states.

The unions have said the action will maintain during the week to back their demand that national operator Deutsche Bahn and private operators improve their offers in wage negotiations that have reached an impasse.

They are demanding wage agreements to be set across the industry so that operators cannot utilize lower pay to boost their competitiveness in bids to win lucrative rail contracts.

They say private operators pay up to 20 percent less for the similar work.

U.S. to propose first fuel standards for trucks

Future tractor-trailers, school buses, delivery vans, garbage trucks and heavy-duty pickup trucks must perform better at the pump under first-ever fuel efficiency rules coming from the Obama administration.

The Environmental Protection Agency and the Transportation division are moving ahead with a proposal for medium- and heavy-duty trucks, beginning with those sold in the 2014 model year and into the 2018 model year.

The plan is expected to seek about a 20 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and fuel consumption from longhaul trucks, according to people well-known with the plan. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they did not want to speak publicly before the official announcement, expected Monday.

Overall, the proposal is expected to seek reductions of 10 percent to 20 percent in fuel consumption and emissions based on the vehicle's range. Large tractor-trailers tend to be driven up to 150,000 miles a year, making them ripe for improved miles per gallon.

The rules will cover large rig tractor-trailers, "vocational trucks" such as garbage trucks and transit and school buses, and work trucks such as heavy-duty versions of the Ford F-Series, Dodge Ram and Chevrolet Silverado.

The White House has pushed for tougher fuel economy standards across the nation's fleet as a method to reduce dependence on oil and cut greenhouse gas emissions tied to global warming.

Mitsubishi's electric vehicles to be tested in Canada

Transport Canada is joining with Mitsubishi Canada to test two of the Japanese group's i-MIEV (innovative electric vehicles) in government facilities and also in real-world situation.

Road handling, performance and range results will help experts to assess the environmentalbenefitsof e-vehicle technologies in Canada.

Mitsubushi said it already has test agreements with Hydro-Quebec, the city of Boucherville, BC Hydro and the city of Vancouver, and federal government support is an important step toward achieving a cleaner environment.

The Mitsubishi e-vehicle seats four people and has a 330-volt lithium-ion battery powering a 63-horsepower electric motor. The battery can be recharged on standard household 110-and 220-volt sockets or commercial quick charger. Its maximum range is 120 kilometres on a single charge.

London transport prices to rise next year

Mayor of London Boris Johnson yesterday quietly confirmed that from 2 January 2011, fares on London's tubes, buses, London Overground, Docklands Light Railway and trams will rise.

The Mayor was quick to add that the rise will be at the level signalled last year and is the minimum to secure investment in London's transport network.

It will rise at an average of RPI (retail price index inflation) plus 2%, opposed to the RPI plus 3% on Britain's railway network.

Basing this on July's RPI figures of 4.8%, this represents an average 6.8% fare increase across TfL services and oyster pay as you go.

But in some cases, costs could go up more quickly. Products like the zone 2-6 one day travelcard will be permanently withdrawn.

This means travellers, who usually buy this type of travelcard, will have to buy a 1-6 zone travelcard instead – meaning a jump from £8.60 to £15 during peak times. That's an increase of 74%. Off-peak, it's a rise from £5.10 to £8.00 – a jump of 57%.

This could also mean a double whammy for rail commuters who also only use the tube for zones 2-6 – they will meet the tube increase and the rail increases, which could add a significant amount to the price of their annual ticket.

On the buses, Oyster pay as you go fares will increase again, this time by 10p to £1.30 for a single journey - cash fares will go up from £2 to £2.20.

The cost of purchasing an Oyster card is also set to rise, from £3 to £5.

It comes as the spending review yesterday axed the transport budget by 21%. This means Department for Transport's (DfT) budget has been reduced by £2.17bn in total over the four years. But the Mayor is adamant that key London transport projects will remain.

Approximately one-third of TfL's funding comes from a direct grant from the DfT.

TfL claim that the rises are necessary to upgrade of the Tube and construction of Crossrail, which together TfL say will add 30% capacity to London's rail transport network and provide a £78bn boost to the UK economy.

Boris Johnson said: 'Last year, I made it clear that when setting fares my priority is to protect the elderly, the young, the poorest and disabled Londoners and this fares package will continue to do so, particularly at a time when many need that protection.

Mitsubishi Motors and Yamato Transport Start Light Commercial Electric Vehicle Field Testing for Collection/Delivery Operations

Yamato Transport Co., Ltd. (Yamato Transport) and Mitsubishi Motors Corporation (MMC) announced that they have started field trying for parcel collection and delivery operations with the use of a prototype light commercial electric vehicle (EV) built by MMC.

Yamato Transport is working to decrease environmental burden in all areas of its express home delivery operations through a series of initiatives which include: restricting the size of its delivery vehicle fleet; introducing low-emission delivery vehicles; promoting eco-friendly driving habits; reducing driving distances and promoting modal shift*.

The Yamato Transport fleet comprises around 45,000 vehicles moreover the company is intent on contributing to the realization of a low-carbon society through the active introduction of next-generation eco-friendly vehicles. (As at the end of March 2010, the fleet included 11,538 low-emission vehicles, of which 4,659 use hybrid propulsion systems.)

MMC is the pioneering manufacturer in the field of mass-produced electric vehicles. The company launched the i-MiEV new-generation electric vehicle to the Japanese market in July 2009 targeting corporate, government and local authorities. In April of this year MMC started sales of i-MiEV to individual owners.

The EV is the ultimate eco-car because its zero CO2 tailpipe emissions allow it to effectively address such environmental issues as air pollution, global warming and the shift away from oil. By adding a light commercial vehicle to its EV lineup - which, unit for unit, clock longer life-cycle driving distances than passenger cars - MMC is aiming to do its part to quickly make possible a low-carbon society.

Yamato Transport has been studying the use of commercial EVs which, of all next-generation vehicles, hold high promise for making possible a low-carbon society, and together with MMC, which has been pushing ahead the development and manufacture of electric commercial vehicles, has agreed to work in conducting a program of collection/delivery field tests using a light commercial EV.

'Fat' Blackpool bus drivers dispute resolved

Talks began on Monday and ended on Tuesday with Blackpool Transport and the drivers' union Unite saying it would not create any further comment.


The men had been suspended on complete pay after being told they needed to lose 7lbs (3kg) in the next four weeks.


The firm had said it was performing in the interests of passenger safety.
Unite had warned that if the men were not reinstated it could ballot members for industrial action.


A statement from Blackpool Transport said: "After extensive negotiations the issue relating to the two individuals concerned has been resolved amicably.


"The trade union and management wish to ensure the confidentiality and dignity of those involved and have no further comment to make."


Blackpool Transport is an arm's length body of Blackpool Council and provides transport on the Fylde Coast.


Unite says it has 400 members at the company.

London 2012 transport plans come under scrutiny

London Assembly Members are to investigate the ability of the capital’s transport network to cope with the expected half a million Olympic spectators, in addition to getting Londoners around town and to work as common.

Visitors to the 2012 Games are to be “encouraged” to use public transport which will increase pressure on Transport for London’s services with the bus and Tube networks.

The committee’s findings will used to “inform” the third edition of the Olympic Delivery Authority’s 2012 Transport Plan which is due for publication next spring.

As part of their investigation, AMs on the Assembly’s Transport Committee will hold two public meetings in November and January and take evidence from the ODA.

AMs will also examine plans to create an ‘Olympic Route Network’ which will restrict the use of some roads and routes to athletes, officials and media.

Transport Committee Chair Val Shawcross AM said: “The transport network will come under a lot of pressure – and the international spotlight – so we need to get it right to ensure the success of the London 2012 Games.”

Australia Asks US To Approve Delta, Virgin Blue Airline Pact

The Australian government has formally asked U.S. officials to reverse their opposition to an alliance between Virgin Blue Holdings Ltd. (VBA.AU) and Delta Air Lines Inc. (DAL).

The U.S. Transportation Department last month said it planned to deny an application for antitrust immunity that would have allowed the airlines to cooperate on pricing, revenue management and marketing on trans-Pacific routes.

Australian competition officials approved the tie last December. The country's deputy transport secretary, Andrew Wilson, this week asked the Department of Transportation to approve the application, according to a regulatory filing.

Wilson said it was "extremely rare" for such applications to be rejected, and said the Delta-Virgin plan was consistent with the open-skies aviation treaty between the countries.

The case is being closely watched as it involves an airline outside of the three global alliances that dominate the global airline industry. Regulators have approved numerous antitrust applications involving members of the SkyTeam, Star and Oneworld groupings.

Delta is a member of SkyTeam, and has antitrust immunity with a number of European and Asian alliance partners, while Virgin Blue is unaffiliated.

U.S. officials said last month that the carriers hadn't demonstrated that the proposed alliance would produce sufficient public benefits, such as lower fares and increased capacity, to justify an exemption from U.S. antitrust laws.

Delta and Virgin Blue this week submitted additional information in support of their application.

Tarmac delays improved in August

Airlines in the US have slashed tarmac delays in August.

Figures released from the Department of Transport show that US airline delays dropped sharply in August compared to a year ago.

In August 2009, passengers stranded on runways when 66 flights with passengers on board were stranded for more than 3 hours of waiting time.

In August 2010, there was only one such incident, according to the DOT, even though there was no change in the rate of cancelled flights.

There is now a DOT maximum for tarmac delays.

A new rule says passengers must be allowed off the plane if it is delayed for 3 hours or more.

Qatar Gas Transport Profit Rises 50% as Vessel Revenue Doubles

Qatar Gas Transport Co., the liquefied natural gas transporter known as Nakilat, posted a 50 percent gain in third-quarter profit after revenue from vessels it owns more than doubled.

Net income for the third quarter rose to 172.2 million riyals ($47.3 million) from 114.5 million riyals a year earlier, based on Bloomberg calculations. The mean estimate of two analysts surveyed by Bloomberg was for a third-quarter net income of 209.5 million riyals.

Nine-month profit rose to 501.9 million riyals, or 0.91 riyal a share, from 347.9 million riyals, or 0.63 a share, the company said in a statement posted on the Qatar Exchange today. Third-quarter earnings were calculated by subtracting first-half profit from the nine-month figure.

Revenue from wholly owned vessels rose to 1.99 billion riyals from 952 million riyals a year earlier. The company took delivery in July of Rasheedaa, a Q-Max liquefied natural gas tanker, and the last of 54 vessels on order including 25 wholly owned LNG tankers.

Chief Executive Officer Muhammad Ghannam said last year his company would be able to transport 18 percent of the world’s LNG volumes when all ships are in operation. The company is also venturing into ship construction and dry-dock operation.

Qatar, the world’s biggest producer of LNG, plans to increase its annual capacity to 77 million tons by early next year with the start of the last two of 14 liquefaction plants. LNG is gas cooled to a liquid for transport by ship.

Air Transport Association to Participate in Fourth Annual Energy Day

The Air Transport Association of America (ATA), the industry trade organization for the leading U.S. airlines, along with members of the Consumer Energy Alliance (CEA), are uniting today for Energy Day 2010.

This year's Energy Day, the fourth of its kind, will be a sustainability forum in which CEA affiliates, industry stakeholders and leading experts discuss how their respective sectors have advanced initiatives aimed at boosting energy efficiency, conservation and sustainability.

ATA participation in Energy Day provides another opportunity to highlight the airline industry's latest sustainability efforts. U.S. airlines remain committed to an ambitious list of goals to address climate change, including:

* Improving fuel efficiency by an annual average of 1.5 percent per year through 2020
* Achieving carbon-neutral growth from 2020 (subject to industry and government support for critical aviation infrastructure and technology)
* Reducing CO2 emissions by 50 percent by 2050, relative to 2005 levels


"ATA applauds CEA for hosting Energy Day 2010, which continues to advance energy-efficiency, sustainability and conservation goals – goals that are shared by the airlines," said ATA President and CEO James C. May.

ATA member airlines have improved their fuel efficiency by 110 percent since the late 1970s – saving more than 2.9 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide, the equivalent of taking approximately 19 million cars off the road each of those years. Additionally, ATA continues its role as a founding and leading member of the Commercial Aviation Alternative Fuels Initiative (CAAFI), a consortium of airlines, manufacturers, airports, energy producers, researchers and government agencies dedicated to the development and deployment of environmentally preferred, affordable alternative fuels.

In conjunction with Energy Day 2010, CEA will be releasing its 2010 sustainability report, "Private Sector Leadership in Energy Efficiency, Conservation and Sustainability." This report outlines the need for sustainability to be incorporated into a rational energy policy, and advocates increased domestic energy production and greater use of renewable and alternative energy. The CEA report is available online at "Sustainability Report 2010: Private Sector Leadership in Energy Efficiency, Conservation and Sustainability"

CEA is a coalition of agriculture, manufacturing, trucking, airline (including ATA), small business, energy producers and municipal governments focusing on sustainability and promoting an "all of the above" approach in developing American energy security.

Commercial electric cars replace transport pods plan

Masdar, the Abu Dhabi Government's clean energy company, has put its plan for futuristic transport pods on the back-burner and will instead turn to commercial electric cars, executives said yesterday.

The personal rapid transport (PRT) system, a network of driverless electric vehicles, is in use at the Masdar Institute, the first stage of the city that was completed last month. But the technology would require further development to meet the needs of later stages of the city, said Dr Sultan al Jaber, the chief executive of Masdar.

"We're big believers in this technology," he said. "But today does it meet our requirements moving forward? No, not as it is today. "Has the PRT matured over the past three years? Absolutely. But the way to get it from where it is today at the Masdar project to where we want it to be, is going to take a little bit more time than our own design."Today we have access to electric vehicles that have developed very quickly over the past three years."

The emerging electric vehicle industry has accelerated, with the release of two battery-powered cars, the Chevrolet Volt and the Nissan Leaf, due before the end of the year. Dr al Jaber confirmed that Masdar had begun talks with Daimler to co-operate on electric cars and said it would make use of developments by other UAE-based companies focused on clean technology, including Aabar, the Abu Dhabi National Energy Company, known as Taqa, and IPIC. Alan Frost, the director of Masdar City, said the project ought to make use of these mass-market technologies instead of developing its own networks. "For Masdar to be a true learning experience it needs to be innovative but it also needs to be tapping into what's available in all the rest of the world," he said.

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RAAF to get new Airbus tanker, capable of carrying cargo, troops or refuelling

The RAAF has provisionally accepted one of a five-aircraft order with two more of the advanced tanker planes to be delivered by mid-November, a spokesman for Australian Aerospace told The Australian Online.

The wide-body aircraft have been specially modified for air-to-air refuelling and personnel transport.

To be known as the KC-30A, the latest addition to the RAAF's fleet will be able to carry 45 tonnes of cargo or 300 troops, in addition to refuelling fast jets using two underwing hose and drogue pods.

“This is an enormously gratifying moment for all. It confirms the A330 MRTT has satisfactorily demonstrated its global military airworthiness and the maturity of all its systems, and its full readiness to enter service with its customers,” Airbus Military said in a statement.

The aircraft, regarded as the most advanced of its type in the world, has also been ordered by the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Britain.

Aircraft delivery was delayed due to a non-contract request by the RAAF for the installation of two interior consoles for the boom operators.

One other hurdle has to be overcome - installation of the plane's self-defence measures, work the US government says must be done in America due to sensitivity about the cutting-edge technology.

Defence hopes that like Britain, the federal government will be able to convince Washington to have the installation work completed in Australia.

Vehicle safety bill moves ahead

A private member's bill that would amend and strengthen the Motor Vehicle Safety Act and give Transport Canada the power to recall vehicles received a boost from all federal parties Wednesday night.

The Conservatives, Liberals, NDP and Bloc Québécois unanimously voted to send Bill C-511 to the standing committee on transport, infrastructure and communities.

The bill would also force companies to submit more safety-related information to Transport Canada in the form of quarterly reports and would spell out what constitutes a defect — a definition that is lacking in the present legislation.

Liberal MP Joe Volpe, the bill’s author, said the parties came together to support the bill because consumer safety trumps politics.

“I’m hoping that now that we’ve got all-party agreement on the principle of the bill that it will move along quickly and that everybody will see the wisdom of putting this legislation into effect as quickly as possible,” Volpe said. “It’s about consumer protection. And I can’t imagine that the government of Canada will not want to be associated with a bill that says consumers are first.”

Transport companies to be affected by Aarto

"Companies transporting hazardous chemicals and other dangerous goods have until April next year to prepare for the implementation of the Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences (Aarto) system -- or they could face losing their licences and permits," CAIA said in a statement.

The Aarto legislation would implement a point demerit system in which motorists would be penalised or lose their driver's licences after a certain number of traffic offences.

The Road Traffic Management Corporation announced this week that Aarto would be implemented in 2011 but did not give an exact date.

The CAIA said it was expected to happen in April.

The CAIA statement said, under Aarto, penalties would levied to vehicles "carrying goods not safely contained within the body of the vehicle, securely fastened to the vehicle, [or] properly protected from being dislodged or spilled".

This would carry a fine of R1000 and three demerit points, with both the driver and operator being charged.

London transport to take contactless credit cards from 2012

Transport for London (TfL) has shelved the idea of letting commuters use NFC-enabled mobile phones to pay for travel on the capital's public transport network - but it's got its eye on using the technology in contactless debit and credit cards instead.

NFC is a short-range wireless technology that allows users to pay for goods or services by swiping their credit card or mobile phone over a reader. The payment is made without the need for contact between the device and the reader, making it a quicker and easier alternative to paying with cash.

TfL said it is in discussions with American Express, MasterCard and Visa with the aim of letting commuters use contactless debit and credit cards to pay for travel as early as 2012.

Such contactless cards would not replace the existing Oyster smartcard system but would stand alongside it as an alternative payment method for visitors to London who might not be familiar with TfL's contactless ticketing system or don't have an Oyster card of their own.

The number of contactless credit and debit cards has been ramping up in recent years, with some nine million now in circulation in the UK, according to TfL.

Barclays bank has been issuing replacement debit cards with contactless functionality as standard since March last year and estimates its entire debit card estate will be contactless by the end of next year. Retailers have also been getting on the contactless bandwagon, with food retailers including Co-op, Eat, Little Chef, Pret-A-Manger and Yo Sushi all having rolled out contactless payment terminals.

New Shanghai Bullet Train Is The Fastest Train in the World

China, already outpacing the U.S., Japan and many European countries in the expansion of their railway system, has now broken the world train speed record, clocking in at 258.86 miles per hour during the trial run of a new high-speed train on Tuesday.

The new train will operate between Shanghai and Hangzhou, the capital of East China’s Zhejiang province, and is expected to start regular service next month October.

Although China has the most high-speed railway lines in the world, covering over 4,300 miles, the response to the high-speed train, particularly on the Shanghai to Hangzhou route, has been lukewarm, owing in part to fares almost twice the cost of traditional trains and the complaint that frequent stops negate the benefit of moving quickly between them.

Hopefully cranking the speed will make it more agreeable to Chinese commuters, though the outlook might be more grim for China's fauna.

How to Sell Cars Online

When you wish to sell car or cars, it is best to find your own buyers than selling it directly to dealers since you can earn more money in doing private transactions. Here are the things that you must do to be able to sell cars and generate more money out of it.

Clean the cars

If you are selling cars, you must see to it that you present it well. What you need to do is wash it then vacuum and wax it in order for it to look better. If there are some minor problems, you can have it fix by a mechanic.

Appraise its value

Before posting your car or cars for sale, you have to hire a mechanic to check the cars for you, with this, you can identify if there are any problems and you can easily appraise the value of the cars.

Do your search

You have to come up with asking prices for the cars. You can go online and look into the similar cars like yours in order for you to have idea on the prices. In doing this, you can have the basis on coming up with reasonable asking prices.

Post an ad

Of course, in order for your cars to be sold, you have to post ad about it. You can use the internet in posting ad on your cars for sale. You can create website or blog site to advertise your cars for sale. See to it that you post photos and descriptions of the cars for potential buyers to see what you have to offer them.

Auto Transport

Since you are selling cars online, you also have to take into account the auto transport that you will need to deliver the car to your buyer. You can ask the buyer to shoulder the shipping or you can let them take care of the auto transport after buying a car from you, this depends on what you have agreed.

Enel's Endesa to sell gas transport network

Italian energy company Enel SpA says its Spanish subsidiary Endesa is selling its gas transport and distribution network to investment funds.

Enel said in a release Monday that the Spanish subsidiary is selling an 80 percent stake in Endesa Gas SA to two funds operated by Goldman Sachs.

The sale will shave euro800 million ($1.07 billion) off of Endesa's debt and contribute euro450 million to its pre-tax profit.

Enel says Endesa may exercise a call option to repurchase the stake between five and seven years after closing.

Enel, Italy's largest utility, owns more than 90 percent of Endesa.

French Union Strikes Hit Transport

Empty train tracks at a Paris station as the city wakes up to the second round of strikes this month.

This is the latest move by unions protesting government efforts to raise the minimum retirement age.

Nearly one half of high-speed speed trains and city metro services were expected to be cancelled on Thursday.

Nevertheless, some commuters did show solidarity with the striking workers.

[Commuter]:
"I think this is the last hurdle before the law gets passed. So it's important that everybody mobilizes."

[Commuter]:
"I think that there are things that are inevitable and have to be reformed. But I think they could have consulted more and agree on fundamental things ahead of time."

Elsewhere at local airports, some 50 percent of short haul flights were also expected to be cancelled.

Union leaders hope more than two million people will turn out for the roughly 230 demonstrations planned around the country.

Under the government plan, the minimum retirement age will be raised to 62 by 2018.

President Nicolas Sarkozy says the mandate is crucial to maintain the current pension system.

As much of the public transport comes to a stand still, some Parisians have found other ways to go about their day.

One popular option are these use-and-leave bicycles, positioned around the city.

Others decided to strap on skates and hit the road one leg at a time.

Travel group gains support for airline fee rule

A group of travel executives said it has stirred up plenty of support for a government rule that would require airlines to display extra fees prominently on their websites and in travel reservation systems.

The Consumer Travel Alliance, Business Travel Coalition and American Society of Travel Agents on Thursday delivered a petition to the Transportation Department with 50,000 signatures from consumers who want airlines to spell out fees more clearly.

Thursday is the last day for public comment on proposed government rules to enhance passenger rights and make airline fares and fees more transparent.

In addition to requiring airlines to fully disclose baggage and other fees, the new rules call for refunds of fees and reimbursement for expenses when bags are lost or not delivered on time. Airlines would also have to give notice when baggage fees are increased, and notify passengers buying tickets whether they must pay to check up to two bags.

The travel industry effort to support government rule changes, called "Mad as Hell about Hidden Fees," began two weeks ago. It claims that fees can boost ticket price by 26 percent when one bag is checked and by 54 percent when a passenger checks two bags and chooses a seat with extra legroom.

The group wants all ticket outlets to have the same information on fares and fees for travelers. More than half of all airline tickets are sold by third parties, such as travel agents and websites like Expedia or Orbitz.

"Airlines should be able make a fair profit and set fares and fees that allow them to do so, as long as travelers can see and compare all of those fees in advance," said Paul Ruden of the American Society of Travel Agents.

The Transportation Department said Monday that U.S. airlines in the second quarter made $893 million on baggage fees, $594 million from reservation change fees and $618 million from charges for things like frequent-flier sales and transporting pets.

India Plans To Buy 10 US-Made Heavy Transport Planes

India plans to sign a deal with the United States to acquire ten heavy transport planes worth US$3.5 billion, China's Xinhua news agency quoted local media as reporting on Wednesday.

The negotiations to procure ten U.S.-made C-17s for the Indian Air Force (IAF) have reached the final stage, and an agreement is likely to be signed during U.S. President Barack Obama's visit to India in November, the Indian newspaper Economic Times reported.

It will be the largest defense deal between India and the United Stated, and each C-17 will be priced at about US$300 million except its spares and maintenance costs.

In 2009, India signed a US$2 billion deal for acquiring eight U.S. newly-designed P-8 long range maritime reconnaissance planes.

If the agreement is signed, India will become the country with the largest C-17 fleet outside the United States, said an official of C-17 maker Boeing.

The IAF wants those C-17s to replace its aging Russian-made transport planes. At present, the IAF's transport fleet comprises 24 IL-76s and more than 100 AN-32s. IL-76 is the IAF's primary transport plane, and has a maximum range of 3,600 km with a maximum payload of 45 tonnes.

Ten C-17s will provide the IAF with much stronger capabilities of the strategic airlift. C-17 is the U.S. Air Force's most advanced long-range heavy transport aircraft.

It could carry a maximum payload of more than 70 tonnes for a range of over 4,000 km without refueling. If carrying 45 tonnes, it could reach 7,400 km without refueling.

Major two-vehicle crash just north of Kingston

It's believed two people are dead in a devastating two-vehicle collision in Kingston.

The wreckage of the car and transport truck is being removed this morning near the intersection of Battersea Road and Kingston Mills Road.

The vehicles collided around 6:15 p.m. Monday, but Kingston Police have still not released any information about the crash.

It's believed the victims are two teenage sisters.

They were in a car going west on Kingston Mills Road that was struck by a transport that was southbound on Battersea Road.

The force of the crash sent the car hurtling into a nearby cornfield where it came to rest upside down, about 15 metres from the road on the west side. The truck, separated into two pieces, ended up on the east side of the road.

The truck driver was apparently not injured.

Battersea Road remains closed but is expected to be reopened by noon.

France on full alert for suicide bomb threat on Paris transport

French intelligence services are searching for a female would-be suicide bomber who they believe is planning to attack the Paris transport system.

The country is on full alert against a specific terrorist threat that has been confirmed by two separate sources, according to French radio.

The rector of the Grand Mosque of Paris, Dalil Boubakeur, considered a moderate Muslim, has also been given three armed guards after a spokesman said he was under a "real threat".

France's interior minister, Brice Hortefeux, refused to give details of the threat but said "our vigilance is reinforced today".

The anti-terrorist court in Paris has opened a preliminary inquiry to "establish the credibility" of the reports of an imminent terrorist attack. According to a ministry of interior spokesman, the alleged woman bomber was "not necessarily the most worrying" intelligence information. He did not give further details.

"All the lights are flashing red," said another intelligence source.

Last week, Hortefeux admitted the threat was at a "high level" when he visited the Eiffel tower after it was evacuated following a bomb alert. The Saint-Michel metro station near Notre Dame cathedral was also briefly evacuated over a similar threat.

France's terrorism level has been on what is described as "reinforced red" since 5am last Thursday. This followed intelligence from a North African country, said to be either Morocco or Algeria, that an Algerian was planning to carry out an attack on a Paris train, bus or metro that day. French intelligence had been given similar information from another source.

U.S. Freight Transport Service Index up in July

The U.S. Freight Transportation Services Index (TSI) rose 0.4 percent in July from June, rising for the second consecutive month, according to a report by the U.S. Department of Transportation's Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS).

BTS reported that the Freight TSI has risen 5.0 percent over the last 14 months, starting in June 2009, after declining 15.3 percent in the previous 10 months beginning in August 2008.

The index has increased in 11 of the last 14 months. Through the first seven months of 2010, the index declined 1.3 percent.

The Freight TSI measures the month-to-month changes in freight shipments in ton-miles, which are then combined into one index. It measures the output of the for-hire freight transportation industry and consists of data from for-hire trucking, rail, inland waterways, pipelines and air freight.

The July Freight TSI of 98.2 is a 5.0 percent increase from the recent low of 93.5 reached in May 2009. In May 2009, the index was at its lowest level since June 1997. The July Freight TSI is down 13.0 percent from its historic peak of 112.9 reached in May 2006.

Although the index rose 2.5 percent from July 2009 to July 2010, it remains below the level of every other July since 1997 when it was 94.8.

January 2010 was the first month since July 2008 in which the Freight TSI exceeded the level of the same month of the previous year. The index has exceeded the previous year's level every month since then but still remains below the level of recent earlier years.

Analysis: Brazil transport woes pose challenge for next leader

The narrow two-lane highway that winds hundreds of miles through Brazil's farm belt has long unpaved stretches that turn to mud during the rainy season. Trucks carrying soy, cotton and corn sometimes have to wait weeks to load at congested ports.

Jaime Binsfeld, head of grain sales for an agricultural trading firm in the farming city of Lucas do Rio Verde, says the cost of transporting corn to port often eats up 60 percent of the revenues his company gets for selling it.

"Brazilian farmers have major advantages, but we've got a huge bottleneck: logistics," Binsfeld said.

Brazil's next president, who will be elected in October, must address the country's woeful infrastructure for the economy to keep growing at or near its strong pace of recent years. But heavy bureaucracy, slow environmental licensing and fiscal constraints mean that the ambitious investment plans put forth by leading candidates may well fall short.

The clear front-runner, ruling party candidate Dilma Rousseff, has vowed to invest more than $550 billion between 2011 and 2014 not only to improve Brazil's agricultural export capabilities but also prepare the country to host the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympic Games.

But it's unclear how Rousseff will overcome the same legal and financial obstacles faced by her former boss and Workers' Party colleague, outgoing President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

Even with 75 percent popularity ratings and a fragmented opposition, Lula has been unable to overhaul cumbersome regulations and significantly improve Brazil's infrastructure.

His government has set aside hundreds of billions of dollars on a flagship investment program to boost the country's infrastructure but critics say it has been too slow in carrying out the projects, which are often been insufficient to meet Brazil's rapidly growing needs.

Transport key concern for businesses ahead of Olympics

The London 2012 Games could be a spur to business growth in the region but transport issues will be a key concern, businesses have said.

Companies along east London's Thames Gateway belt have already noticed renewed commercial interest in the run-up to 2012 based on unrivalled levels of global media exposure, sponsorship and investment, plus support for redevelopment and infrastructure improvements.

The findings come from the Invest Thames Gateway (ITG) Home to Big Ideas report, which looked at the impact on investment of hosting the Barcelona, Atlanta, Sydney and Beijing summer Games, the Winter Olympics in Turin and Vancouver, plus the 1998 and 2010 World Cups in France and South Africa respectively.

Major transport infrastructure improvements were key advantages of locating a business in a city or region hosting a major global event, according to 65% of the 769 global businesses questioned by YouGov for the report.

In addition, 52% felt the distance and time to central London would be the most important factor in considering whether to invest in the area around the Olympic site in Stratford, east London.

Some 68% believed that the visitor economy would benefit the most

New sites, space, amenities and more competitive supply chains are starting to be exploited by new wide-ranging businesses in the region - dubbed "first movers", according to ITG, the lead international inward investment agency for the region,

Commission changes position on inmate transport to R.C.

Citing a need to look into the costs of transporting inmates to Pennington County and in the light of new information, the Fall River County Commission voted 3-2 not to begin transporting prisoners at the first of the year. The action took place at the commission’s Sept. 7 meeting.

At its Aug. 17 meeting, the commission had voted unanimously to begin the transport of prisoners – for one year – to the Pennington County Jail in Rapid City.

Foremost in the commission’s decision was that there had been no contact made with the City of Hot Springs about the Aug. 17 vote. Part of the procedure for housing inmates in Rapid City would involve an arresting officer taking his or her prisoner to Rapid City. Hot Springs Mayor Don De Vries noted that additional costs to the city could be in excess of $40,000.

“We haven’t budgeted for it and we don’t have the money to do it,” De Vries told the commission.

Clerk of Courts Carol Foster spoke to the commission about video conferencing with prisoners and said that such things are done within the building in Rapid City, but other counties don’t do it.

“The equipment in the courtroom to do that belongs to the state,” Foster said. “I believe when we have done things like that before it costs about $200 per hour.”

Putting the brakes delivers energy savings for US rail transport

A US smart grid company and a state transportation authority are joining forces on a pilot project to capture and store energy from regenerative braking on one of the country’s oldest rail lines.

The joint project between Philadelphia-based Viridity Energy and the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) received a $900,000 grant from the State of Pennsylvania at the beginning of the month.

The two organisations plan to install a large-scale battery to capture energy from the regenerative braking of trains along a portion of the Market-Frankford Line.

Viridity Energy’s smart grid software will allow the energy to be recycled, saving SEPTA energy costs, improving power quality and generating revenue through sale of excess power to the grid.

SEPTA estimates that using the recovered energy that would otherwise be wasted will reduce its carbon emissions by over 1250 tons a year.

“The storage system will serve as a foundation for measurable gains in both energy efficiency and voltage stability, providing a replicable and scalable model for broader system-wide implementation,” says SEPTA’s general manager Joseph M. Casey.

If the pilot is successful, the partners say the technology could be deployed across all SEPTA’s operations.

“This project is a perfect example of how smart grid innovations and advances in technology can effectively be paired… to yield substantial economic, operational and environmental benefits to all the parties involved,” says Viridity Energy’s president and CEO, Audrey Zibelman.

US knocks back Virgin Blue, Delta Air Lines deal

In a surprise move, the US Department of Transportation issued a preliminary ruling rejecting an alliance between loss-making V Australia and Delta to co-ordinate fares, schedules and marketing across the Pacific.

The agency said the two carriers had failed to show that there would be "sufficient public benefits" such as lower prices or increased service to justify an exemption from US anti-trust laws.

Virgin Blue announced yesterday that both airlines would work with the department and respond to concerns over a 14-day appeal period.

The Brisbane-based carrier said that it "strongly believes the proposed alliance with Delta will be good for consumers".

Shares in Virgin Blue, which had rallied after last month's full-year results, lost more than 3 per cent, or 1.5, to close at 43.

The US decision is at odds with the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, which had approved a revenue-sharing deal between V Australia and Delta last December.

Chairman Graeme Samuel said the arrangement would benefit consumers and deliver "more sustainable competition" on the route, which is now dominated by Qantas and also serviced by United Airlines.

The problem throws a spanner into plans by Virgin Blue chief executive John Borghetti to recalibrate international operations, which include a new partnership with Middle East carrier Etihad Airways.

Virgin Blue is also awaiting approval for a tie-up with Air New Zealand across the Tasman. Delta, the world's biggest airline, already has joint ventures with at least two European airlines flying the Atlantic.

US transport regulator junks proposed Virgin Blue-Delta partnership

The US Department of Transport (DOT) has disapproved on Wednesday the proposed Virgin Blue Holdings Ltd and Delta Air Lines partnership on trans-Pacific service routes, stating that the riding public would be disadvantaged by the carriers' immunity from US anti-trust regulations.

The DOT said that it found no trace of evidence that the proposed alliance would result to sufficient passengers' benefits that would warrant immunity from anti-trust suits, which prompted the regulator's decision to tentatively deny the proposal while giving both companies to respond within the next 14 days.

Despite the emerging hurdle, Virgin Blue informed the Australian Securities Exchange that it remains committed to the proposed alliance, which already got the approval of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), citing its benefit to consumers by creating an environment for sustainable form of competition.

Obama's big transport plan and what it means for travelers

United States president Barack Obama called on the US Congress earlier this week to approve a $50 billion (€39.4 billion) infrastructure improvement program which could dramatically improve the lives of travelers in and to the US.

Obama laid out a plan to rebuild some 150,000 miles (241,400 km) of roads, construct 4,000 miles (6,440 km) of rail and reconstruct or repair 150 miles (241 km) of runway, along with a new air traffic control system.

If approved, the six-year plan will see large-scale repair and expansion of roads and bridges, modernizing the highway system, which the White House described as the "backbone of our transportation system."

It will also make major investments in bus and rail transit, supporting local communities to create their own transit projects, topping up current investment in high-speed rail and overhauling the Amtrak fleet.

Most tangibly for travelers, Obama endorsed the NextGen system of air traffic control, which would see a movement from ground-based radar to satellite-based surveillance of aircraft.

The updated system would allow more accurate routing of aircraft, placing them closer together to reduce delays and creating more precise routings to airports that can reduce noise for residents and decrease fuel used, making flights greener.

Obama Proposes $50 Billion ‘Infrastructure Bank’

President Obama has proposed a $50 billion “infrastructure bank” to bolster roads, bridges, rail lines and other innovative transportation projects, news services reported.

The plan calls for rebuilding 150,000 miles of road, lay and maintain 4,000 miles of rail track, restore 150 miles of airport runways and advance a next-generation air-traffic control system, the New York Times reported Tuesday.

The White House did not offer a price tag for the full measure or say how many jobs it would create, but if Congress just reauthorized the expired transportation bill, the new measure would cost about $350 billion over the next six years, the Times said.

But Obama wants to “frontload” the plan with an additional $50 billion in initial investment to generate jobs, the paper reported.

The plan also could involve private investors, who would expect a return on their investment, so many of the completed projects would have to charge fees, taxes or tolls, the Times said.

A House Appropriations Committee transportation panel subcommittee rejected Obama’s request for $4 billion to create an infrastructure bank to finance new projects in July, Bloomberg reported.

Last year’s economic stimulus package set $38.6 billion for the Department of Transportation, and so far $18.5 billion has been paid out, Bloomberg said.

London Braces for Tube Strike

On Sunday night, 200 maintenance staff on two major Underground lines—the Jubilee and Northern—walked out and at 5 p.m. local time Monday around 10,000 staff of the Rail Maritime and Transport union, or RMT, and the Transport Salaried Staffs Association, or TSSA, are due to walk out for 24 hours as a sign of protest over the axing of 800 jobs at ticket offices. Separately, drivers, signalers and station staff are staging a 24-hour protest starting at 9 p.m. Monday night.

Transport for London, the transport authority, made a last-minute attempt to kick-start stalled talks over pay. "London Underground has called on the leaderships of the RMT and TSSA unions to call off their threatened strike action and return to talks to avert disruption to Londoners," a Transport for London statement said.

An RMT representative said the strikes were due to continue and warned of more strikes ahead. "We were categorically clear last week that we are prepared to talk but not with a gun in our head," he said. Two more 24-hour strikes are scheduled for October and November should both parties fail to reach an agreement.

TFL has vowed to "keep Londoners moving" by making available extra services to help commuters cope with the disruptions. Alternative modes of transport include 100 extra buses, escorted bike rides, marshaled taxi ranks, and an increased capacity of 10,000 more journeys on the river Thames.

Despite these alternatives, business leaders haven't hide their discontent over the industrial action. "Transport strikes are more than an irritation; they cost the economy millions of pounds in lost productivity," said Mark Heraghty, director of Virgin Media Business. His company, however, is exploring ways to get around the strike by encouraging employees to work from home. "Although some jobs clearly cannot be performed remotely, for most office workers it's a real possibility,"

Transport Minister set to discuss ferry routes

Stewart Stevenson has agreed council leaders to discuss the issue, which has sparked fury in the island communities.

Earlier, Shetland MSP Tavish Scott called for Mr Stevenson to resign after he announced a £6.5 m extension to the pilot road equivalent tariff scheme to the western isles.

The Lib Dems had accused the government of favouritism to the Western Isles. Mr Scott, a former transport minister himself, said the government was trying to rush through damaging cuts to create a "second rate service" without first assessing their impact or how much they would save.

Mr Stevenson told Mr Scott the information on the impact and potential saving flowing from each option was "currently being collated as part of the northern isles study process and will be made available in due course".

Mr Scott said: "This is further evidence that the government was so determined to cut support for NorthLink, very probably in order to help to pay for the cost of continuing their road equivalent tariff 'pilot' electoral bribe to the western isles, that they rushed ahead without even bothering to assess the impact of their proposals.

"NorthLink's traffic levels have grown since they took over the service. The income this produces helps to keep the overall support for the service down.

Knight Transportation, Inc. Announces Participation In Upcoming Conferences

Knight Transportation, Inc. is a truckload transportation provider offering dry van, refrigerated, intermodal and third-party services to customers through a network of service centers located throughout the United States serving North America. As "Your Hometown National Carrier," Knight strives to offer customers and drivers personal service and attention through each service center, while offering integrated freight transportation nationwide and beyond through the scale of one of North America's largest trucking companies. The principal types of freight we transport include consumer staples, retail, paper products, packaging/plastics, manufacturing, and import/export commodities.

The presentation or discussions at the conference may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Please refer to various disclosures made by the Company in its stockholder reports, press releases, and filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission for important risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from those expressed in or implied by any such forward-looking statement. The Company does not assume, and specifically disclaims, any obligation to update forward-looking statements.

Car Steered With Eyes, Computer Scientists Demonstrate

"Keep your eyes on the road!" Scientists at Freie Universität working under the computer science professor Raúl Rojas have given a completely new meaning to this standard rule for drivers: Using software they developed, they can steer a car with their eyes.

Information about the Software: EyeDriver

The eyeDriver software is a prototype application for steering the research vehicle Spirit of Berlin using eye movements. The software was designed by computer scientists at Freie Universität Berlin in collaboration with the company, SMI (SensoMotoric Instruments). The eye movements of the driver are collected and converted into control signals for the steering wheel. The speed is controlled separately and is not included in eyeDriver. The software shows that you can drive a vehicle alone with eye movements.

The HED4 solution by SMI is used for detecting and tracking the eye movements. It is a converted bicycle helmet equipped with two cameras and an infrared LED, as well as a laptop computer with special software. One of the cameras is pointed to the front in the same direction as the person wearing the helmet (scene camera), while the other camera films one eye of the wearer (eye camera). The infrared light supports the eye camera and is pointed to the eye under observation. A transparent mirror that reflects only the infrared light is used to allow a reasonable viewing angle for the eye camera, without limiting the wearer's ability to see. After a brief calibration the software on the laptop of the HED4 is not only able to capture the position of the pupil in the eye camera, but can also calculate the position in the scene camera that the wearer is looking at. These coordinates in the image of the scene camera (viewing position) are transmitted via an ordinary LAN to the onboard computer in the Spirit of Berlin. The eyeDriver software in the onboard computer in the Spirit of Berlin receives the viewing positions at regular intervals over the LAN in the vehicle and uses it to control the steering wheel. The driver can choose between two modes: "free ride" and "routing."

In the "free ride" mode the viewing positions are linked directly with the steering wheel motor. That means that the x-coordinates of the viewing position are used to calculate the desired position of the steering wheel. The further the driver looks to the left or right, the further the steering wheel is turned in that direction. The speed of the vehicle is set in advance and kept constant, as long as the position of the gaze is recognized. In case it is not possible to detect which direction the driver is looking in, for example, if the driver's eyes are closed, the vehicle brakes automatically.

In the "routing" mode, the Spirit of Berlin steers autonomously most of the time. Only where there is a fork in the road, or an intersection, the car stops and asks the driver to select the next route. This requires the wearer of the helmet to look to the left or right for three seconds. If the driver's gaze lingers long enough in one direction, the eyeDriver software confirms acoustically that the choice has been accepted. The decision is communicated to the planner in the vehicle. Then the artificial intelligence in the Spirit of Berlin can plan the route accordingly and continue to run independently.

The Autonomous Vehicle Project

Prof. Dr. Raúl Rojas is a professor of artificial intelligence at the Institute of Computer Science at Freie Universität Berlin. He gained international success with his soccer robots, the "FU-Fighters." They were world champions twice in the small-size league. Since 2006 Prof. Rojas and his team have been designing technologies related to autonomous vehicles. As part of this project, they developed the research vehicle Spirit of Berlin, making it to the semifinals in the DARPA Urban Challenge in California in 2007.

In the fall of 2009, in the innovative vehicle steering series, based on the test vehicle, the computer scientists Tinosch Ganjineh and Miao Wang developed iDriver, with which it is possible to steer the research car using an iPhone. This series is now complemented with the EyeDriver software. It was developed primarily by Miao Wang and David Latotzky in cooperation with the firm SMI. These two developments are simply sub-projects. The core of the research continues to be the autonomous driving.

The AutoNOMOS Project

Since November 2010 the team around Prof. Rojas has been working on the further development of autonomous or semi-autonomous cars in the AutoNOMOS project headed by Tinosch Ganjineh. The project is being funded by the German Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) in its ForMaT (Forschung für den Markt im Team) program. The funding is for two years. The project will make a significant contribution to the development of accident-free, efficient, and environmentally friendly mobility. AutoNOMOS is a modular system for the operation of autonomous or semi-autonomous cars. Using AutoNomos, it will be possible to detect impending dangers on roads, highways, and crossings (lane change, traffic jams, rights of way) at an early stage and accidents can be prevented. Once the technology is ready, it will be introduced at first on private property and, finally, in public traffic.

The Spirit of Berlin

The Spirit of Berlin is an autonomous vehicle that was designed and built by the Artificial Intelligence Group at Freie Universität Berlin as of 2007. It is a car that can be driven without a driver. A conventional car (Dodge Grand Caravan, 2000) was equipped with sensors, computers, and actuators. The sensors collect information about the immediate environment. Using this information, the software on the computers selects what to do. The resulting action is then implemented with the help of mechanical actuators.

Story Source:

Adapted from materials provided by Freie Universitaet Berlin, via AlphaGalileo.

Important tips to keep your child safe and secure…

• Use the right seat for the child's height and weight.
  
• Always follow the manufacturer's instructions for correct child car seat installation and use.
  
• Be sure to secure the child correctly. Make sure harness straps are snug and tight. Use a tether strap with a forward-facing child car seat. Keep children away from all active air bags. Children under 13 years of age are safest in the back seat.
  
• Use caution when buying or using a pre-owned child car seat. Buy new, or from someone you know, and check it carefully. Make sure the car seat has:
  • instructions and all necessary hardware
  • not been in a collision
  • a Canadian Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (CMVSS) sticker
  • not expired or is not older than 10 years
  • no discoloured (stress) marks or cracks and the harness is not worn or torn.

NHTSA Launches Probe into Timeliness of Three Toyota Recalls

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration today announced that it is using its statutory authority to obtain documents from Toyota to determine if the automaker conducted three of its recent recalls in a timely manner. Federal law requires all auto manufacturers to notify NHTSA within five days of determining that a safety defect exists and promptly conduct a recall.

"Safety recalls are very serious matters and automakers are required to quickly report defects," said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.

The auto safety agency is requiring Toyota to provide documents showing when and how it learned of the defects affecting approximately 6 million vehicles in the U.S. alone. The probe will examine how the manufacturer learned of these defects, such as through consumer complaints or factory testing. Investigators are also looking into whether Toyota discovered the problems during pre-production or post-production of the affected vehicles.

Officials are checking whether Toyota has covered all affected models in its recent recalls to ensure Toyota did not miss any problems. The agency will obtain information on production data, incidents, complaints, warranty complaints, copies of tests, dates of meetings, timelines, and supplier information.

The three recalls in question involve various Toyota and Lexus vehicles. Two of the recalls are related to the entrapment of gas pedals by floor mats. The first recall was announced on September 26, 2007, and was followed by a subsequent one on October 6, 2009. The October recall was expanded on January 29, 2010, to include additional vehicles. The third recall, involving sticking gas pedals, was announced on January 21, 2010. Click here for more information.

"Our top priority is safety and we expect that all manufacturers address automotive safety issues quickly and in a forthright manner," said David Strickland, Administrator for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

NHTSA has the authority to seek civil penalties for a variety of violations by manufacturers, equipment suppliers, registered importers and vehicle customizers. If agency officials determine that an auto manufacturer violated its statutory obligations, the manufacturer could be liable for a maximum of $16.4 million in civil penalties.