Google Maps adds live public transport updates

On Wednesday, the company introduced live public transport updates, including departure times and alerts about service interruptions, for Google Maps for desktops and mobile. The tool is kicking off with coverage for four US cities — San Francisco, San Diego, Boston and Portland, Oregon — and in Madrid and Turin in Europe, Google said in a blog post.

"Since this is a new feature, we elected to work with a few innovative partners, to develop the feature and make sure it actually works with the business constraints of transit agencies," a Google spokesperson told ZDNet UK, but was unable to give details of the selection criteria.

To use the feature, people click on a transit icon on a map to get alerts about delays or other service interruptions, as well as up-to-date departure times. They can also search for a station and click on the result to get the same information.

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Do London's Conservatives support cycling?

Conservative London Assembly members staged a walk out minutes before a vote on Blackfriars Bridge safety. What were they thinking?

In May hundreds of cyclists took part in a flashmob on Blackfriars bridge to try and persuade Transport for London not to increase the speed limit to 30mph.

London's Conservatives declare war on pedestrians and cyclists says blogger Cyclists in the City. He was one of many as cyclists reacted furiously this afternoon to news of walkout by Conservatives which ended a debate on road safety measures in the capital.

Ten London Assembly members got up and walked out immediately prior to a debate on Jenny Jones' motion to make Blackfriars bridge a 20mph zone. The walkout rendered the meeting inquorate so the motion could not be discussed. Jack Thurston posted this audioboo of the, clearly somewhat bemusemed and slightly shocked, chair recording the names of the assembly members who had forced the closure of the meeting.

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Air security grading for passengers

AIR passengers would be separated into three boarding queues based on the security risk they pose as part of a controversial shake-up proposed by airlines to speed up the time it takes to get on a plane.

The International Air Transport Association, which represents the world’s biggest airlines, called for lengthy boarding procedures to be overhauled, claiming existing biometric scanning equipment could be used within two years to ensure passengers could pass through security checks without removing clothes or baggage.

Frequent flyers – or “known travellers” – who have undergone background checks with government authorities would be fast-tracked and the majority of passengers would pass through “normal screening”, IATA said, with a minority of passengers deemed to present an elevated risk subjected to lengthier scans.

Its proposals are likely to be tested initially in the United States, but will be closely followed in the UK where Transport Secretary Philip Hammond has promised an overhaul of boarding procedures.

Speaking at its annual conference in Singapore, IATA’s director-general Giovanni Bisignani said airport checkpoints should do away with strip searches, unpacking and pat-downs.

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India to buy C-17 heavy-lift transport aircraft from U.S.

India on Monday decided to purchase 10 C-17 Globemaster III heavy-lift transport aircraft from the U.S. for the Indian Air Force. The deal under the Foreign Military Sales (Government-to-Government) is estimated to cost Rs. 18,000 crore (approximately $4.1 billion).

The decision was taken at a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Defence Ministry officials said.

The contract, when signed would become the highest single value military contract that New Delhi would enter into with the U.S. and includes an offset obligation of around Rs. 4,500 crore ($ 1 billion). Under the clause, the U.S. company would have to source 30 per cent value of the order from India.

Work on the deal began last April during U.S. President Barack Obama's visit to India when it was announced that New Delhi had agreed to buy these aircraft.

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Train, bus security top govt agenda

The vulnerability of the city's public transport system has been repeatedly exposed by terrorists who have blown up buses, taxis and trains. Security , beefed up after every attack , has still proved vastly inadequate . Now with Mumbaikars looking forward to riding the Metro rail by the year end, making that ride a safe one will be a major concern for authorities along with preventing any further attacks on local trains and buses.

Commuters will have to bear with tighter security apparatus at Metro rail stations. Officials at Mumbai Metro One Pvt Ltd which is building the first Metro rail from Versova-Andheri-Ghatkopar , said a vast network of CCTV cameras will relay live images to the station control room and operations centre.

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Battery cars to transport legislators

In an eco-friendly move, the Karnataka Legislative Council will provide battery operated cars to transport legislators from Legislators' Home to Vidhana Soudha (state secretariat),a distance of one kilometre. Two six seater vehicles will drop legislators to Vidhana Soudha, Council Chairman D H Shankaramurthy said in a release. Most legislators own either mid-size sedans or high end luxury cars. The legisalture secretariat offers its members low interest loan rate for purchase of vehicles. The Karnataka Legislative Assembly has 224 members and the upper house 100 members.

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Public transport still not the first choice for youth

Though 25 pc of the public transport users in the UAE are within the age group of 18 to 25, majority of youngsters continue to opt for cars as their primary mode of transport.

According to a recent survey, 66 per cent of new car buyers in the UAE falls in the age group of 18-29 years, 61 per cent of which are first time buyers.

The survey, conducted by Tetrahedron Consulting, also shows that 41 per cent of motorists drive their vehicles just for fun.
Khaleej Times spoke to a number of young drivers, new car buyers as well as a senior public transport official about their opinions on the survey.

A majority of the youths said they preferred driving over public transport, despite drastic improvement of mass transit system in the UAE, particularly in Dubai and to some extent in Abu Dhabi.

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Aucklanders Support Public Transport Strategy

The AA has released the results of a survey of 6,030 AA Members in Auckland on local transport issues.

“This is the most comprehensive survey on Auckland transport issues for many years and provides decision makers with an indication of the views of motorists,” says AA spokesperson Simon Lambourne.

The results of the survey include:

Alternative Harbour Crossing

· 56.4% of Members surveyed expressed support for a tunnel as the alternative harbour crossing and 31% supported a bridge – but 85% considered the cost as important, very important or extremely important when deciding which type of crossing should be built.

· 47.5% said they would support paying a $4 toll on an alternative harbour crossing, but that dropped to only 8.2% for a $6 toll.

Auckland Harbour Bridge


· 93.1% of Members surveyed support keeping the existing Auckland Harbour Bridge and 71.4% would not support a new $4-$6 toll being put on it.

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India, China to see strongest boom in air transport volumes

Worldwide air transport volumes are set to double within 15 years, given the average annual growth of 4.5%, and by the year 2050 they will have increased six-fold, to around 3 billion tonne-kilometres transported. The strongest boom in the sector is expected to be in Asia – particularly India and Ch
ina – as well as in the Middle East.

The Middle East is set to witness a rapid expansion in air travel including a very fast increase in the size of the fleet serving the region, driven by its major hub carriers (Emirates Airlines, Etihad Airways and Qatar Airways), Fadi Majdalani, Partner with Booz & Company said.

The report added that currently, air transport accounts for just 2% of global CO2 emissions. However, given the expected advances in technology and the forecast rates of growth, this share is set to increase disproportionately over the decades ahead.

Despite significant technological innovations with new types of aircraft, it is particularly the long working life of aircraft (between 30 to 40 years), which means that improvements in efficiency only gradually take effect over the entire international fleet.

As a result, the presumption is for a 3% year-to-year increase in worldwide CO2 emissions from aviation. This would increase CO2 emissions from this transport sector more than three-fold by 2050, despite the assumed efficiency improvements.

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CNG-run transport vehicles: Court moved for separate fare lists

A human rights organisation on Friday moved the Peshawar High Court seeking cut in fare charged by the CNG operated public transport vehicles.

In this regard a writ petition was filed by the Human Rights Commission South Asia through its representative for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa/Fata, Advocate Abdus Samad Khan Marwat.

The respondents in the petition are: Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa through secretary transport; chairman, Provincial Transport Authority (PTA); and secretary PTA.

The petitioner requested the high court to issue directives to ensure boarding of 15 persons in Toyota Hiace van as per its specifications.

Furthermore, he prayed to direct the respondents to formulate qualitative standard and proper precautionary measures for the CNG operated vehicles for securing the lives of passengers.

The petitioner stated that four types of public transport vehicles were being run on different routes in the province by the transporters duly permitted by the PTA and Regional Transport Authority including: Coasters/mini buses; air-conditioned buses/mini buses; ordinary buses; and, luxury buses.

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Ticket to ride: Suns urge fans to take public transport

Gold Coast Suns officials are urging Gold Coast footy fans to utilise existing public transport when travelling to Cararra Stadium this Saturday night.

The Suns' Traffic Management Plan is the one aspect of Saturday's historic match against the Geelong Cats that has not been fully tested - that could not be fully tested - prior to game day.

Suns Chief Operating Officer Andrew Travis said the Plan has been set up to make use of the Gold Coasts existing public transport infrastructure.

"The best way to access the stadium is via the public transport network," Travis said.

"Tickets to the game will provide free travel to and from the game on surfside buses or Queensland Rail, and our whole traffic management plan has been set up around utilising the existing public transport system what is in place on the Gold Coast."

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Volunteers Offer Seniors Transport Service

Eloqua, a provider of revenue performance management solutions, has released new features that help marketers comply with the European Union’s new Web and email tracking regulations. The legislation, which takes effect today, impacts every marketer or retailer that interacts electronically with customers and prospects based in the 28 countries that comprise the European Union.

Under an added amendment to the existing EU privacy directive, organizations conducting online marketing campaigns in the member states must now receive explicit permission, or opt-in consent, to track any individual's actions online, including the use of cookies or other means. Depending on the country, they might also need permission before sending marketing materials via email.

Marketers, e-retailers, and others that rely on such information can get consent in a number of ways. They can, for example, post a click-box on their Web sites, request site visitors to fill out a form that pops up on screen when they visit a site, or ask customers to set their browsers to accept or reject cookies from the sites they visit.

"This is different than in the U.S.," explains Dennis Dayman, chief privacy and security officer at Eloqua. "In the U.S., you have to opt out. There, you have to opt in."

The new European laws will impact multinational corporations the most, according to Dayman. "If a company is headquartered in the U.S., the laws do not apply, but if it has subsidiaries in other countries, it could be affected," he says.

What's definite, though, is that the new regulations will affect how companies do business in Europe. "It adds more complexity to CRM practices and could hinder a company's ability to understand who its customer is," Dayman says.

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French Transport Ministry: Optimistic Outlook On Ash Cloud

France's transport ministry on Tuesday said volcanic ash from Iceland is unlikely to cause major disruptions to flights over the country and it plans to keep the country's airspace open.

As information stands right now, there is no plan to close any part of French airspace, the ministry said.

"Untill now," it said, the ash has been carried by winds that have avoided France.

"The outlook for the coming days is optimistic," it said, adding that French airspace "should be concerned in a very marginal way by the volcanic ash."

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Volcanic ash cloud fears send airline shares plunging

Airline shares fell on Monday, amid fears of potential disruption to flights caused by the dense ash cloud from an erupting Icelandic volcano.
Britain's Met Office is predicting the plume of ash from the Grimsvotn volcano would cover the Irish Republic, Northern Ireland, Scotland and parts of northern Britain by 6am on Tuesday.

Airline shares across Europe fell between 3pc and 5pc, with IAG, owner of British Airways and Iberia, down 5.09pc to 235p and Easyjet falling 4.85pc to 345.1p in London, while, in Dublin, Ryanair tumbled 5.30pc to €3.36.

Last year, ash from an Icelandic volcano caused 100,000 flights to be cancelled, disrupting 10 million passengers and costing the industry an estimated $1.7bn in lost revenues.

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US Navy christens amphibious transport dock ship

The US Navy has christened its newest amphibious transport dock ship Anchorage (LPD 23), the seventh ship in the USS San Antonio class of ships.

Anchorage being built by Ingalls Shipbuilding, a division of Huntington Ingalls Industries, is currently 82 percent complete and is expected to be delivered in the second quarter of 2012.

LPD 23 is the second ship named Anchorage. The first ship, LSD 36, also built at Ingalls Shipbuilding, completed 19 missions to become a highly decorated Marine amphibious landing ship before her decommissioning in 2003.

As an element of future expeditionary strike groups, Anchorage will support Marine Corps ship-to-shore mobility, which consists of the landing craft air cushion vehicle, amphibious assault vehicles and the Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft.

The ship will provide improved warfighting capabilities, including an advanced command-and-control suite, increased lift-capability in vehicle and cargo-carrying capacity and advanced ship-survivability features. The ship is capable of embarking a landing force of up to 800 Marines.

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Chinese Stealth Fighter Could Rival US's Best

The next generation stealth fighter under development by the Chinese military could rival America's best fighters in speed, stealth and lethality, according to a new private report.

Details on the Chinese J-20 fighter are scant as the project has been developed under extreme secrecy, but an analysis conducted by the conservative Washington D.C.-based defense policy think tank The Jamestown Foundation based on the little publicly available information concluded that the fighter "will be a high performance stealth aircraft, arguably capable of competing in most cardinal performance parameters... with the United States F-22A Raptor, and superior in most if not all cardinal performance parameters against the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter."

The F-22 Raptor, which cost the U.S. government $77 billion for 187 planes from defense contracting giant Lockheed Martin, has never seen combat in any of America's three simultaneous major combat operations, but is considered by the Air Force and Lockheed Martin to be a stealth fighter without match. The slightly cheaper F-35, an all purpose stealth fighter being developed by Lockheed Martin for the Air Force, Navy and Marines, is not meant to focus on air-to-air combat like the F-22, but on air-to-ground attacks and is expected to work in tandem with the F-22

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Rail drama: Metro, Libs face rail change revolt

THE first two work days under the new train timetable have been marred by cancellations and delays affecting the Werribee and Williamstown lines.

Yesterday, three services were cancelled on the Werribee line and a train was pulled from action due to an unspecified fault.

On Monday, Metro said two faulty trains on the Sydenham and Epping lines caused 15-minute delays on the Werribee line.

"And we had two cases of passengers falling ill, causing congestion at Flinders Street and Footscray while we held those trains until appropriate help arrived," Metro spokesman Chris Whitefield said.

Altona Loop Action Group spokeswoman Sandra Wilson said her experience with new timetable showed there was "too much waiting time and too much margin for error".

"Our 9.10am shuttle didn't leave [Altona] until 9.20am, therefore we missed the connecting train at Newport." Hobsons Bay councillor for Altona ward, Tony Briffa said: "Metro and the Liberal government have set public transport backwards in Altona and Seaholme."

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Govt to draft master plan to improve air transport

The government will complete drafting a master plan for the development of airports within a fortnight.

With the growth of the air transport industry, the Maharashtra Airport Development Corporation (MADC) will formulate a policy to upgrade the infrastructure at airports.

The draft would include a perspective development plan for the next 20 years, said Nandkumar Jantre, vice- chairman and managing director of MADC. The official added that one of the objectives of the policy would be to provide airports with the infrastructure to handle increased traffic volume.

MADC has identified 29 potential sites for the development of new or upgraded airports. Some of the sites where new airports have been planned are Navi Mumbai, Amravati, Jalgaon, Solapur, Shirdi, Rajgurunagar near Pune and Chippi-Parule in Sindhudurg district. Jantre told TOI that they would decide on which project to take up first. The plan will not only talk about the various financial models that can be used, but it will also examine the techno-economic feasibility of setting up new airports near some of the established ones.

Another important focus area of the master plan will be to suggest guidelines for the improvement of customer facilities at airports, besides measures for flyers' security.

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Boat market booms as CEOs embrace water transport

THERE is a boom in the boat market as Chief Executives of both Government and private organisations now prefer going to work by boats and other water crafts in and around Lagos Island so as to beat the crazy Lagos traffic.

Confirming this development, a boat maker and Chief Executive of Topher Zhang Mr Chris Ajayi, said that there is certainly a boom in the boat market following the increase in the purchase of boats by chief executives of companies and parastatals who now use boats to beat the chaotic traffic situation in Lagos.

“The reality is that more Nigerians are now using boats and other water crafts to move around Lagos in a bid to avoid traffic. We at Topher Zhang are strategising to be part of the expected growth in the waterways transport of the economy as more clients are also placing orders for boats” Ajayi stated.

He disclosed that the Lagos State Waterways Authority (LASWA) is also preparing to give support to the growth of water transport in Lagos

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Air Transport Services Group expects first-quarter earnings below market forecast

Air Transport Services Group Inc. said it has arranged for a new, $325 million line of credit to provide capital for business growth, but expects to report a non-cash charge of $6.8 million, or 7 cents per share, against first-quarter earnings to terminate its current credit facility early.

Maintenance that kept some aircraft out of service reduced revenues and increased operating costs above budgeted levels, ATSG said. That will reduce earnings by 3 cents per share for the three months ended March 31, management said.

ATSG said it expects to report net earnings of 3 or 4 cents per share on May 10, prior to the market’s opening and its annual meeting of shareholders later that day. That would fall well short of the 16 cents per share earnings forecast by industry analysts surveyed by Yahoo! Finance.

The Wilmington-based company owns the freight airline ABX Air and provides aircraft leasing, air cargo transport and aircraft maintenance services. ATSG said it expects to place an additional nine Boeing 767 freighter airplanes into service this year, expanding its fleet of those aircraft to 39.

SunTrust, Regions Bank and JPMorgan Chase are the lead banks in the consortium providing ATSG’s new line of credit, management said. It will replace ATSG’s current line of credit that is to be terminated early

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County road, utilities projects could delay drivers

Drivers are advised to use caution this week in the following areas where Sarasota County has road, utilities and other projects underway:

- The roundabout under construction at Venice Avenue and Jacaranda Boulevard.

- North Cattlemen Road, from Richardson Road to DeSoto Road - where Florida Power & Light will be installing transmission poles.

- The area bordered by Sarasota's 17th Street, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Mango Street and Tuttle Avenue, where drainage improvements, road widening, sidewalk construction are other projects continue.

- Sidewalk construction and drainage improvements on Old Englewood Road, West Wentworth Street and Artist Avenue.

- Drainage improvements and stormwater pond construction at Laurel Park.

- Expansion of the Celery Fields stormwater facility with construction traffic on Palmer Boulevard.

- Ongoing construction on Honore Avenue from Bee Ridge Road to Fruitville Road.

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America's transport infrastructure Life in the slow lane

Americans are gloomy about their economy’s ability to produce. Are they right to be? We look at two areas of concern, transport infrastructure and innovation

ON FRIDAY afternoons, residents of Washington, DC, often find a clear route out of the city as elusive as a deal to cut the deficit. Ribbons of red rear-lights stretch off into the distance along the highways that radiate from the city’s centre. Occasionally, adventurous southbound travellers experiment with Amtrak, America’s national rail company. The distance from Washington to Raleigh, North Carolina (a metropolitan area about the size of Brussels) is roughly the same as from London’s St Pancras Station to the Gare du Nord in Paris. But this is no Eurostar journey.

Trains creep out of Washington’s Union Station and pause at intervals, inexplicably, as they travel through the northern Virginia suburbs. In the summer, high temperatures threaten to kink the steel tracks, forcing trains to slow down even more. Riders may find themselves inching along behind a lumbering freight train for miles at a time, until the route reaches a side track on which the Amtrak train can pass. The trip takes six hours, well over twice as long as the London-Paris journey, if there are no delays. And there often are.

America, despite its wealth and strength, often seems to be falling apart. American cities have suffered a rash of recent infrastructure calamities, from the failure of the New Orleans levees to the collapse of a highway bridge in Minneapolis, to a fatal crash on Washington, DC’s (generally impressive) metro system. But just as striking are the common shortcomings. America’s civil engineers routinely give its transport structures poor marks, rating roads, rails and bridges as deficient or functionally obsolete. And according to a World Economic Forum study America’s infrastructure has got worse, by comparison with other countries, over the past decade. In the WEF 2010 league table America now ranks 23rd for overall infrastructure quality, between Spain and Chile. Its roads, railways, ports and air-transport infrastructure are all judged mediocre against networks in northern Europe.

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Water transport to be developed

In its efforts to improve water transport in Kochi, the Corporation is planning to constitute a public limited company. It is also learnt that the Kerala Industrial and Technical Consultancy Organisation Ltd (KITCO), entrusted with the preparation of the detailed project report (DPR), has started the preliminary work in this regard.

As per the Corporation’s annual budget for 2011-12, the company will be on the lines of the Cochin International Airport Ltd (CIAL). “The detailed project report will be in accordance with the study report submitted by the Cities Development Initiative for Asia (CDIA) last year. The CDIA report has suggested some key components to improve the water transport system in the city. KITCO will incorporate these key factors in the CDIA report along with its DPR,” Kochi Corporation Town planning Committee chairman K J Sohan said.

He said that the consultancy will also do a study on the possibilities of setting up a public limited company for the effective management of water transport system in the city. “As per the budget proposal, the plan is to form a company in a public-private-participation mode. The state government and the Kochi Corporation will be the major stakeholders of the company. This will help the civic body to manage the system more effectively,” he said.

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KC Road Conditions Need Improvement

Transportation experts said the road conditions cost each resident an average of $1,227 because of congestion and poorly maintained roads in the metro.

Officials said it is a crisis because there isn't enough money to fix what needs to be repaired.

Transportation researchers said many bridge improvements and road work has been done, but it's all from old money and it hasn't been enough to keep Kansas City's roadways up to par.

"Despite recent improvements, Missouri still ranks seventh in the nation in the percentage of structurally deficient bridges," said Carolyn Bonifas

In Kansas City, 40 percent of minor highways are in poor condition, and the roads less traveled are even more dangerous, experts said.

"Our report finds Missouri's rural roads are particularly deadly with a traffic fatality rate with more than double that than all other roads in the state," Bonifas said.

In a presentation on Thursday, the Missouri Highway and Transportation Commission said the metro's transportation future is rough with little money coming in.

"We face a transportation funding crisis now," said Stephen Miller of the Missouri Transportation Commission. Not next year. Not five years from now. We face the crisis now."

The Missouri Department of Transportation is operating on half the budget it did close to a decade ago. Officials are hoping for a plan to attack the transportation funding issue in a few months.

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Water transport bid may get scrapped

The city’s dreams of using waterways to travel around may take some more time to realise. In another case of a flip-flop over vital infrastructure projects in the city, the state government is likely to scrap the bid it received from a private company to build the cities first waterway transport system.
The state empowered committee headed by the chief secretary has recommended to the state government that the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) should build the project on its own with the help of funds from the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA).

“The MSRDC has been asked to look into providing necessary infrastructure for water transport on its own. The funds for the project can be provided by the MMRDA,” a senior state government official said, on condition of anonymity. The committee also recommended that once the system is set in place, a private operator can be entrusted to run the project.

The MSRDC in June 2010 had received a single bid by Pratibha Industries to build a water transport system on the western coast.

The financial bid for the project was opened in August 2011 in which Pratibha Industries claimed it would recover the cost of the Rs 1,200-crore project in a period of 29 years and then hand over the project to the government.

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Road investment trumps public transport

A new report shows Australian governments have spent four times more on new roads than on public transport in the past 10 years.

The report from the Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF) claims governments have given priority to building roads and subsidising drivers rather than investing in public transport networks.

ACF spokeswoman Monica Richter says the amount spent on roads and public transport around the country is the wrong way around.

Ms Richter says two-thirds of funding should be spent on public transport and one-third on roads.

"We just don't have a culture of investment in public transport by our governments in this country and as a result every single promised road project has been delivered. But the promised rail projects have not been delivered," she said.

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Transport outlay: China demand drives road and rail traffic

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The paintshop at General in Erie, Pennsylvania, has recently seen a growing variety of work. Alongside the familiar colours of the large US railway companies, are the blue and yellow of MRS Logistica, the red and white of America Latina Logistica – both Brazilian companies – and the livery of other Latin American train operators.

The new locomotives, equipped with the latest electronics and fuel-saving technology, are one of the most obvious symbols of a surge of investment in Latin America’s railways.

It is helping turn many rail groups from the battered, inefficient wrecks that limped into privatisation over the past 20 years into slick, modern logistics services providers.

ALL, the largest company, expects to invest $650m (£399m) this year alone, excluding the substantial sums going on construction of a 260km line between Alto Araguaia and Rondonopolis in Brazil.

Private-sector investment is also bringing improvements that should help the region’s roads to cope with the demands imposed on them by growing trade volumes.

The challenge in both areas, however, may be to spread the benefits beyond a few favoured pockets, where investments are especially attractive – particularly Brazil, whose large size, strong growth and plentiful trade flows make it especially lucrative.

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Sai disciples plan Puttaparthi trip, face transport problem

Disciples across the city are planning to make a trip down to the ashram in Puttaparthi where spiritual leader Sathya Sai Baba’s mortal remains are kept for two days for paying the last respects. The spiritual guru, who was admitted to Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Medical Sciences (SSSIHMS), in his village of Puttaparthi, Andhra Pradesh on March 28, passed away on Sunday morning following cardio-respiratory failure.

B K Vasudev, district president of Sri Sathya Sai Seva Organisation (SSSSO), Pune, and state level Sevadal in-charge, said, “People across the city are still praying for Swami, and at the same are making plans to travel to Puttaparthi. The information that we have got is that the body will be kept for two days, so that devotees can pay their final respects. I am planning to leave with my family for Puttaparthi.”

Sateesh Seelam, president of Andhra Foundation, Pimpri-Chinchwad, said, “The journey is long. It will take around 15 hours by car. Unfortunately, I will not be able to go.”

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FAIRSTAR HEAVY TRANSPORT N.V. 2011 Annual General Meeting of Shareholders approves all Resolutions

Fairstar Heavy Transport N.V. (FAIR) held its 2011 AGM in Rotterdam. Just over eighty percent of the company's issued shares were voted either by proxy or in the person of shareholders who attended the meeting. All of the resolutions on the agenda were approved.

The Chairman of the Supervisory Board Frits van Riet, who was re-elected to serve an additional four year term stated, "I would like to thank our shareholders for their participation in the 2011 AGM. 80% of our total shares were represented at the Meeting. Our shareholders are active, well informed and supportive of Fairstar's clearly stated strategic agenda for the future. We believe the Fairstar "Red Box Strategy", focussing on high value, multi voyage energy infrastructure projects will generate significant and consistent returns for our company in the next five years. 2011 is a critical year for our company as we prepare ourselves for Gorgon and a host of other multi-billion dollar energy projects now in the final stage of tender. Our Management Team has done an outstanding job building the foundation for our future. Fairstar is well on the way to establishing itself within the EPC community as the leading provider of safe and secure marine heavy transport services for major onshore and offshore energy projects. The endorsement and support of our shareholders as we grow will be rewarded for many years to come."

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Authorities on high alert for Easter

Traffic authorities will be on high alert throughout the long Easter weekend, the Road Traffic Management Corporation said on Tuesday.

Acting chief executive officer of the RTMC, Collins Letsoalo, said the authorities would be stationed along the major routes and identified hazardous locations to ensure that traffic rules and regulation were obeyed.

"This on-going, hard hitting traffic enforcement is part of the clean-up for Easter and beyond. We want to make sure that people understand that road safety begins with the road user.

"We cannot continue to accept that people waiting to board public transport have a 50-50 chance of arriving safely," he said.

He said the newly established National Traffic Police Force would join hands with Gauteng traffic authorities to focus on vehicle fitness, public passenger transport vehicles, speeds too high for circumstances, alcohol enforcement and moving violations.

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Namibia: Nam to Get Road Transport Management System

THE Ministry of Works and Transport is in process of introducing a self-regulatory framework similar to the South African Road Transport Management System (RTMS), the Ministry's under-secretary in the transport department, George Simataa, has said.

The RTMS was established for co-operative and co-ordinated strategic planning, regulation, facilitation and law-enforcement in respect of road traffic matters by the national, provincial and local spheres of the South African government.

"This idea emanates from a study visit to Kwazulu Natal, South Africa undertaken last year," Simataa said at the launch of the Namibia Logistics Association's (NLA) Driver Development Programme and first awards ceremony on Thursday.

Simaata said the NLA driver development programme would add value and upgrade the standard of driving in the country, as well as increasing professionalism amongst heavy vehicle and long-distance drivers.

"I trust that through the programme, drivers that successfully complete the programme would receive incentives such as salary increases to encourage others to follow suit," he said.

Simataa said his Ministry is supporting the programme for the following reasons: it supports good road-user ethics; promotes law-abiding citizenry; and has the potential to create additional jobs.

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70 000 jobs in fixing roads

"S'hamba Sonke will create 70,000 jobs in the 2010/2011 financial year," said minister Sibusiso Ndebele at Durban's Inkosi Albert Luthuli convention centre.

He was speaking during the launch of the S'hamba Sonke road maintenance programme, attended by thousands of contractors, public transport associations and transport MECs from different provinces.

Ndebele said the total cost of the programme would reach R22 billion by 2014.

"Our collective success starts this financial year with an amount of R6.4 billion, the R7.5 billion next financial year and R8.2 billion in 2014," said Ndebele.

The funding would be ring-fenced for the maintenance of roads, Ndebele said.

KwaZulu-Natal would receive the biggest share and would be followed by the Eastern Cape.

"During the 2011/2012 financial year, KwaZulu-Natal will get R1.2 billion, Eastern Cape R1 billion, Mpumalanga R1 billion, Mpumalanga R1 billion, Limpopo R934 million," Ndebele said.

Gauteng would get R566 million, Free State R447 million, Western Cape R411 million, Northern Cape R308 million and North West R501 million.

Ndebele said it was important to maintain roads because most of South Africa's road network had long exceeded its design life.

He said the issue of road maintenance had successively been raised by his predecessors, saying that turning a blind eye to road maintenance would cost South Africa an arm and a leg.

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Metro Atlanta Transportation Wish List Sent to State

The Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) has submitted to the planning director of the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) a "wish list" of transportation projects for the Metro Atlanta region.

This is a critical step in a process that could lead to a regional penny sales tax to fund transportation.

As previously reported by Atlanta Progressive News, in 2010 the Georgia legislature passed--after years of inaction--HB 277, a plan for regional referendums to occur in 2012 on whether to assess a penny sales tax in those regions for transportation projects.

In July 2012, each of the ten special transportation districts will vote on whether to assess a penny sales tax in voters' respective districts.

Each district is responsible for creating its own transportation wish list, in cooperation with GDOT.

Over the last couple months, cities and counties across the region have been developing their wish lists for inclusion in the regional wish list. Many county commissions worked with the city councils in those counties to present unified city-county lists, Jim Jaquish told APN. But that was not the case with Fulton County, where Atlanta and numerous other cities submitted wish lists in addition to that of the county.

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Public transport workers compete in bus Olympics

The eyes of the public transportation world (or the state, at least) turn toward Volusia County this weekend, as Votran's South Daytona headquarters hosts three statewide competitions pitting bus drivers, van drivers, and mechanics against each other.

Volusia County Council member Josh Wagner tried Thursday to maneuver a 35-foot Votran hybrid bus through a modified (meaning easier) version of the road course that bus drivers from across the state will roll through Saturday during the Triple Crown Roadeo. (Thursday was media day for the event.)

The Triple Crown Roadeo is a combination of three statewide competitions -- the Paratransit Roadeo, the Fixed Route Roadeo, and a maintenance, or mechanics competition -- that are normally held in two different locations. Organizers decided to combine the events this year to cut costs.

Employees from 11 urban bus systems and 20 rural paratransit systems will take written tests, driving tests, personal appearance and vehicle maintenance tests, and compete in other events today and Saturday.

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Transport company filed for permit after fatal crash

Indiana State Police investigators found the trucking company involved in a fatal cash on Interstate 70 filed for an over-sized load permit an hour after the crash. Drivers are required to have the permit with them and to have applied for it before starting any route with an over sized load.

Police said the crash happened when Poindexer Transportation's truck driver was heading east bound on I-70 and the widest part of it's 14'4" load hit a temporary concrete barrier in the construction zone. The force moved the concrete barrier several feet into the oncoming lane. When traffic on that side of the interstate tried to avoid it, six other vehicles collided.

J. Dale Dye, the driver of a small silver Suzuki, was in the second car in the chain reaction on west bound I-70. He died at the scene.

His loved one, Greg Davis, said it's been an unimaginable tragedy. Davis said Dale died senselessly when he learned that truck didn't even have the proper paperwork to be driving that wide of a load through the area.

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SM Energy inks gas transportation deal with Energy Transfer

Oil and gas company SM Energy Co struck long-term service agreements with Energy Transfer Partners' Texas unit to transport and process gas produced from the Eagle Ford shale field in South Texas.

The deal comes less than a month after Energy Transfer Partners entered into a similar agreements with two producers in Texas. [ID:nL3E7EM350]

ETC Texas Pipeline has committed to transport up to 240,000 million British thermal units per day over a ten-year term, starting 2013.

"This new agreement with ETC provides additional, longer term take-away capacity for our natural gas and natural gas liquids as we continue to ramp up the development of our Eagle Ford shale assets," SM Energy Chief Executive Tony Best said.

Eagle Ford shale, whose current total production is estimated at 80,000 barrels per day, contains crude oil and natural-gas rich in liquids that can be stripped out and sold at a premium.

SM Energy, which did not disclose any financial terms, said the deal was fee based and will not require it to invest any upfront capital.

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Dubai Chamber participates in 59th UITP transport exhibition

The seminar, which outlined the necessary steps to setting-up a business and examined the Chamber's role in supporting companies and promoting Dubai as an international business hub, was opened by H.E. Hisham Al Shirawi, Second Vice-Chairman, Dubai Chamber of Commerce & Industry.

In his welcoming speech, H.E Al Shirawi said that Dubai was a solid choice for businesses due to its extensive infrastructure, modern banking system as well as free zones, which allow for 100% foreign ownership and tax free earnings.

He highlighted the benefits that the city's growing public transport system is giving to the business community by allowing for ease of movement across the Emirate. He also gave a special mention to the success of Dubai Metro and congratulated the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) on their hard work to bring this project to fruition.

He said the appetite for doing business in Dubai was strong and that the Chamber had seen its new members increase by 11% in January and 8% in February, compared to the corresponding month in 2010.

The Chamber also had a stand during the exhibition that provided attendees with information about the Chamber's services and the benefits of being a member.

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Charities doubt green case for high-speed rail

The Government’s proposals for a high speed rail network will do little to reduce UK carbon emissions unless the plans are set out as part of a comprehensive, long term transport strategy for the UK, according to a group of a national charities.

A coalition of charities and lobby groups including Friends of the Earth and Civic Voice has published a charter setting out how the Government should proceed with plans for the HS2 rail network.

The charter claims that, at present, the Government’s HS2 proposals are "not part of any comprehensive long term transport strategy or nationally agreed priorities", while, in contrast, "all the other countries developing high speed rail are doing so within a national transport framework".

In particular, the charter says, this strategy should set out how transport schemes can help reduce rising carbon emissions. The document says: "High speed rail needs to be planned and justified as an element of a sustainable, near zero-carbon transport system."

Andy Atkins, executive director of Friends of the Earth said: "Carbon emissions from UK transport must be urgently cut – but the current HS2 proposals will do little, if anything, to help. The majority of planned HS2 journeys are relatively short, so the Government’s top priority should be to cut emissions from these trips. This means action to encourage greener travel and measures to reduce the need to travel for work or essential services."

And Doug Parr, policy director of Greenpeace UK, said: "Tackling transport emissions means an increase in rail capacity. High speed rail can only help if it’s in a proper policy framework which ensures people move from car and plane onto the train."

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SA to spend billions on transport

Transport infrastructure development over the next few years is set to radically change the way South Africans travel, thanks to a multi-billion rand boost from the government.

Amounting to R66-billion over the next year, and rising to R80-billion by 2013/14, the improvements are set to also create numerous jobs and tourism opportunities.

The improvements will be spread across the country, with both urban and rural parts set to benefit. This comes as current transport infrastructure developments have been recognised as being world-class quality.

"Given the deep-seated historical legacy of apartheid-inspired geographical marginalisation of the majority of South Africans, and decades of underinvestment in public transport, government is going all out to ensure safe, efficient, reliable and affordable public transport," Transport Sibusiso Ndebele said on Wednesday.

Achievements

"Over the past few years, a major capital injection into transport-related infrastructure and operations has begun to produce some important results."

The second report card on infrastructure released yesterday by the South African Association of Civil Engineering states that the country's best performing infrastructure was its aviation infrastructure, which was awarded the report's only "A".

According to the report, South Africa's national road network was "good to excellent", with the SA National Roads Agency (Sanral), Airports Company South Africa (Acsa) and the National Ports Authority performing exceptionally well.

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U.S. transport agency to probe discount bus safety

The National Transportation Safety Board will conduct a review of the safety system governing the discount tour bus industry in the wake of last month's deadly Bronx bus crash that killed 15 passengers, authorities announced on Sunday.

New York Senator Charles Schumer and Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez compared the bus review, expected to take six months, to one that resulted in mandatory airline safety changes after the 2009 crash of a commuter plane in Buffalo killed all 49 passengers and crew aboard.

"A broad-based investigation into the discount tour bus industry will send a wake-up call that the status quo is simply not acceptable," said Schumer, who with Velazquez requested the review after the March 12 fatal crash of a bus returning to Chinatown from a Connecticut casino.

"These passengers did not have to die in vain. (The NTSB review) will no doubt lead to greater safety standards for the thousands of passengers who use these buses every week," the Democratic senator said in a statement.

Just days after the New York crash, another Chinatown bus crashed on the New Jersey Turnpike en route to Philadelphia, killing the driver and a passenger.

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Transport smartcard launched in Auckland

Bus users in Auckland will soon be able to take advantage of a new smartcard for public transport.

Auckland Transport today announced the introduction of the card as part of a phased lead-in to the full introduction of the region's first fully integrated ticketing system next year.

The launch of the "hop-on and hop-off" (Hop) smartcard follows earlier announcements on the development of an integrated system and a participation agreement between Auckland Transport, Snapper and NZ Bus on working with the new central system.

The Hop smartcard replaces Go Rider cards and will be rolled out over coming months.

The card will simplify how people pay for and use public transport and will make boarding faster and easier, Auckland Transport chief executive David Warburton said.

It will also be rolled out for use on NZ Bus services.

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No quick repair for aging bridges

Bridges in New York and across America are well into middle age, and much like some people of that certain age, are deteriorating faster than they are being cared for.

A report issued Tuesday by the not-for-profit group Transportation for America put New York near the average nationally, with about 12 percent of the state's 17,365 bridges rated as structurally deficit. That is better than the worst, Pennsylvania, at 27 percent, but far from the best, Nevada, at 2 percent.

Deficient bridges are not deemed imminently unsafe, but require repairs or posting for reduced vehicle weights. The average bridge in the U.S. is 42 years old, and most were built to a useful life of 50 years, which can be extended through regular maintenance, or shortened by a lack of it.

Even though New York has more than 2,000 deficient bridges, the state did not make the report's list of the worst 100 U.S. counties. Also, Albany County ranked much better than the national average and was fourth among the state's 62 counties, with just 4.2 percent of its 342 bridges ranked as deficient.

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Oklahoma Department of Transportation celebrates 100 years

The Oklahoma Department of Transportation is celebrating its centennial with numerous events, including an exhibit of vintage automobiles from collections of members of the Sooner Regional Group of the Horseless Carriage Club of America.

The exhibit at the Oklahoma History Center, 800 Nazih Zuhdi Drive, includes an 1899 Knox three-wheeler steered with a tiller, a 1903 Oldsmobile and a 1909 wooden-body Ford Model T originally owned by an Oklahoman.

Science Museum Oklahoma, 2100 NE 52, will host an ODOT Day May 13. The event will feature road-building equipment with crew members to answer questions, hands-on activities such as bridge building and using survey equipment and a liquid nitrogen experiment with road salt.

ODOT’s eight division headquarters will have open houses..

For more information, go to www.okladot.state.ok.us and click on “Celebrating 100 Years.”


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Transport and roads to be focus of first 100 days

BARRY O'FARRELL will outline the plan for his government's first 100 days in office by the middle of the week, once his cabinet has been sworn in.

However, a number of incoming ministers had met departmental heads before the vote, with work believed to be under way within the public service on some of the policies and programs outlined by the Coalition.

Yesterday the Premier-elect said a plan was being finalised, with the focus on public transport and roads.
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''My biggest priority will remain transport,'' he said.

However, a Herald/Nielsen poll last week found that half of voters wanted the government to focus on the health system, against 19 per cent for transport and 17 per cent for education.

The survey also found that given a choice between maintaining the state's ''triple-A'' credit rating and ''borrowing to fund infrastructure'', 63 per cent chose funding, with just 29 per cent wanting the triple-A rating maintained.

Mr O'Farrell conceded there was pressure to fix the health system, while pointing out this is not a matter for the state government alone.

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A-1 Auto Transport Website Makeover Focuses On The User Experience

A-1 Auto Transport launches their newly redesigned website to better serve their customers. The new website focuses on the user experience, is much easier to navigate and one of the best information resources on the web for those who wish to ship their car.

A-1 Auto Transport's newly redesigned website now allows their users to utilize a variety of enhanced features such as free instant online auto transport quotes, both domestic and international. The site also provides an abundance of informative links to help the user become fully knowledgeable about the auto transport industry before they ship their car.

"The auto transport industry is largely misunderstood.", said Marketing Director, Joe Webster. "Customers looking for auto transport services oftentimes don't know how to prepare their car for shipping or how to approach car shipping legal contracts. The new website has an abundance of expert information so customers can have a better understanding in the process of auto transportation, to save them both time and money."

By using A1AutoTransport.com, users can easily and efficiently research the car shipping industry as a whole, as well as compare the rates and services of multiple auto transport companies with free real time auto transport quotes.

Another amazing feature that can be found on the new innovative website is real-time satellite tracking of your vehicle. From the comfort of your home or any Wi-Fi hot spot, you can now track your car by GPS satellite throughout its entire journey.

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Next Step for Airport Security: Scanners for Your Shoes

The Transportation Security Administration announced this week that it’s accepting proposals for a “shoe scanner” device. It could be a way to cut down on the aggravations of airline travel while still allowing officials to check for weapons and explosives inside a terrorist’s Reeboks. The idea crashed and burned when the Department of Homeland Security first proposed it years ago.

The current push to acquire the devices kicks off on April 25, when would-be designers will have the chance to submit proposals for the scanners.

What will the next scanners look like? Will they use X-ray or millimeter wave technology? Will they be held in a TSA agent’s hand, or will you have to put your feet on some kind of scanning pedestal? We’ll have to wait until the full request is published on April 25. But a TSA spokeswoman, Sarah Horowitz, tells Danger Room that the agency “is not limiting the types of technologies that can be considered, as long as they meet TSA’s requirements, including those for safety and detection standards.”

Ever since would-be shoe bomber Richard Reid tried to blow up a transatlantic flight in December of 2001 with explosives concealed in his shoes, TSA has made airline passengers remove their shoes for X-raying, in the belief that terrorists will emulate Reid’s failed effort. Nearly 10 years later, TSA’s effort still contributes to long lines at security gates.

So, while TSA is still committed to the scanning approach to security, it wants the experience to be more convenient. It’s looking to “identify mature shoe scanning technology to support a future procurement which will eliminate the need for passengers to remove their shoes at the checkpoint,” says Horowitz.

Why “mature” tech? Because in the past, TSA has been stepped on when trying to scan shoes.

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US Public Transport Could Be Hampered by Rising Gas Prices

We are, quite honestly, not sure if this story is good or bad. What we do know is that more Americans need to adopt the idea of public transportation and get away from the single car/single user way of life (yes, even with the uptick in hybrid and electric cars). However, we’re not sure that a huge surge in gas prices forcing people to use poorly structured public transport that will buckle under its increased usage is really how we wanted to see that go down. Unfortunately, one report implies that may be exactly what’s happening.

According to a report issued this month to Congress by the American Public Transportation Association (ATPA), if gas prices continue to rise, there may be problems. Already, according to the report, spiking gas prices are causing an increase in demand for public transportation across the United States. The numbers predicted, in fact, are somewhat staggering.

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IATA Predicts Japan Air Transport Downturn

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) expects a “major slowdown in air travel” to Japan in the short term, but says it is too early to assess the financial impact. “The fortunes of the industry will likely not improve until the effect of a reconstruction rebound is felt in the second half of the year,” Director General and CEO Giovanni Bisignani says.

According to IATA, Japan represents 6.5% of world airline traffic and 10% of its revenues. The biggest international markets connecting with Japan are the U.S. (at an annual $10.5 billion in revenues), China ($6.5 billion), South Korea ($3.1 billion) and Taiwan ($2.1 billion). IATA estimates that the length of the current downturn “will depend critically on developments in the nuclear power situation.”

Several airlines, including Cathay Pacific and United Continental, have reported weaker demand for services to Japan. However, that trend is not seen in other regions yet. European airlines are still experiencing strong demand for Japan travel, both inbound and outbound.

The association estimates that the fuel reserves at Japanese airports will last for 10 days, although some fuel facilities have been damaged

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Greek public transport workers, journalists strike

Journalists and public transport workers in the Greek capital Athens have walked off the job on a 24-hour strike to protest austerity measures.

The journalists' strike, which began at 6 a.m. (0400GMT) Thursday, pulled all television and radio news programs off the air, and news websites were not being updated. No newspapers will be printed for Friday.

In the Greek capital, workers at the city's metro, tram and trolleys walked off the job, with only public buses continuing to run. Commuters headed to work in their own cars or in taxis, snarling traffic.

Transport workers have held a series of strikes in recent months against transit reforms aimed at cutting spending and waste.

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Airlines face "major slowdown" due to Japan: IATA

The International Air Transport Association said it was too early to assess the long-term impact but with the $62.5 billion Japan market representing 6.5 percent of scheduled worldwide traffic and 10 percent of industry revenues "the fortunes of the industry will likely not improve until the effect of a reconstruction rebound is felt in the second half of the year."

IATA said the most exposed international market to Japanese operations was China, where Japan accounts for 23 percent of its international revenues.

Taiwan and South Korea were equally exposed with 20 percent of their revenues related to Japanese operations, followed by Thailand (15 percent), the United States (12 percent), Hong Kong (11 percent) and Singapore (9 percent).

France was the most exposed European market at 7 percent, followed by Germany (6 percent) and Britain (3 percent).

Earlier on Friday, Deutsche Lufthansa (LHAG.DE) said a sharp rise in fuel costs could hurt its profit, although economic recovery should boost the airline's revenues and operating profit this year and next.

Japan produces 3-4 percent of global jet fuel supply, some of which is exported to Asia, IATA said.

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